Nokia 5800 Review of Camera – Not That Good
I’ve taken several photos with the Nokia 5800 and it makes me miss my N85 and especially the Nokia N82. The photos from the Nokia 5800 are noticeably worse. Take a look at sample photos I took this past weekend.
Head to the blog if you can’t see the embedded slideshows below. Photos were taken from the Nokia 5800 NAM with v20 firmware under automatic settings.
Daylight
All the photos were taken in automatic mode. The photos during the day doesn’t seem to have the right white balance, showing inaccurate colors. Even when the photos are resized smaller, I still notice artifacts resulting in somewhat grainy photos.
Lounge w/ Low-Light
Don’t bother taking the Nokia 5800 to a bar or lounge. Even with the dual-leds flash, your friends will look green if you get close enough to light them. Step back for a full-body shot and you might be lucky to see just a glimpse of them in the dark.
Thoughts
For a 3 megapixel Carl-Zeiss camera with dual-LED’s flash, I was hoping to see better pictures from the Nokia 5800. It did not meet my expectations, but maybe I expected too much. What do you think? Does it meet your expectations?
Man!la on 7 April 2009:
I get the same results with my 5800 too. Everything I shoot in the dark always comes out tinted green. But if it's a close-up, the dual-led works pretty fine. By the way, how'd you update to v20? I'm still using v11.
Mark Guim on 7 April 2009:
Check Nokia Software Update. I think v20 should be available for all the Nokia 5800 by now.
Ivan Kowalenko on 7 April 2009:
This is far below what I expected. The camera in my N73 is so much better! Granted, the colors are a little off, but not that often, and never that far. Though it does seem the 5800 has better low-light performance.
Edward Umana on 7 April 2009:
The results from an E71 are very similar…
Man!la on 7 April 2009:
Thanks Mark! BTW, in your Share Online review, what's the third app on the standby screen. The icon looks familiar but I just can't remember what it exactly is.
Mark Guim on 7 April 2009:
the third app on my active display is mobbler
ashu1 on 7 April 2009:
My twitpic has pics taken from my beloved N82
So happy I am sticking with it till someone gives me real world review of N86 Hmmm
David on 8 April 2009:
I have N82 and i was planning to sell it and buy 5800 as earlier i was not aware that 5800's 3.2 MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics is nowhere near the magnificent N73 camera.
My N82 has excellent camera with Xenon flash so it seems there is no point in selling it and getting 5800 Xpress Music.
Zorkor on 8 April 2009:
This phone has the worse camera I have seen in my life. This is one phone where I want to put a tape on its lens to just hide its worthless camera. I mean a very old nokia n70 takes much better pics.
Carl zeiss , dual LEDs , 3.2 megapixel my foot, nokia should be sued for this.
Zorkor on 8 April 2009:
This phone has the worse cam in the world. Nokia should be sued.
Nokia 5800 XpressMusic e o dilema da câmera | rodrigostoledo.com on 8 April 2009:
[...] o site The Nokia Blog publicou um pequeno review com algumas imagens da câmera do 5800 XpressMusic em boas condições [...]
Americo on 8 April 2009:
Mark, according to your uses, which phone do you prefer to use as principal phone?
between the 5800 and n85 ?
I have the chance to get the n85 but I am tempted to wait for the touch and large screen of the other one.
Thanks and regards from Mexico.
Mark Guim on 8 April 2009:
i currently use the nokia 5800 as my main phone.
THETRUTH#34 on 13 April 2009:
Mark why do you choose the 5800 over the n85, i had both and the 5800 is just a fun phone could never be my everyday device not for a power user.
Mark Guim on 13 April 2009:
Nokia 5800 is very capable of doing things the Nokia N85 can. It also feels newer. Now just waiting on the N97!
Nokia 5800 Fan on 14 April 2009:
Wow, those dark shots are terrible. P.s., were those taken during the g20 ?
Testing Landscape Photo Mode on Nokia 5800 | NokiApp on 20 April 2009:
[...] post is a response to Mark’s post over at TheNokiaBlog which looks at the camera quality of the Nokia 5800 [...]
Exiled_SouL on 31 May 2009:
I am totaly disappointed with 5800 camera otherwise its perfect for me btw if i upgrade my firmwire will it help to improve camera quality
SRL camera on 18 June 2009:
i think Nokia 5800 is not for taking picture..
moniquejenin on 18 June 2009:
i think Nokia 5800 is not good in taking picture.. try cellphone that have 2 megapixel up..
Beer Man on 20 June 2009:
how does the 5800 camera compare to the apple iphone camera?
the n97 is out of my price range, so I been thinking of getting the 5800 ($250 with mail rebate at dell right now)
also, does the 5800 have wifi capabilities? (i dont have the internet plan currently.. and would like to use the phone at school which has wifi)
paulmt123 on 16 July 2009:
Not impressed with camera. Don't be fooled by 3 megapixel. You won't tell any difference if you take it at 2. Too noisy, poor colours, out of focus. I'd say its on a par with a 1.3 megapixel phone. Indoors use night mode can get acceptable shots but seriously how much more would it have costed nokia to put the n95 5MP sensor in it. They could have made an iphone killer with the big advantage of a superior camera. It does beat the iphone 2G/3G but not by enough to make up for the poorer touch screen and thickness of the phone.
paulmt123 on 16 July 2009:
Yeah. Can't see how carl zeiss approved this lens. A shame nokia can't just put all its best features in one phone. If you could something off every one of its phones you'd have the ONE! The screen is great on this for viewing photo's uploaded off a canon camera, but what a waste if you try to show your photo's or video's taken by this phone on it. They looked blurred/poor colours even on the phone screen, so don't even bother uploading to a PC monitor.
PDL on 26 July 2009:
i heard if you remove the battery cover of your 5800 and you take pictures or videos with it, it will improve. try it!
iyan on 12 August 2009:
have you tried to adjust the ISO-setting and scene setting to night mode for your 5800, because i have and it work great in indoors and at night where the light is low
vicky on 4 November 2009:
Nokia 5800 is the worst phone that i have bought, its camera even not comparable with 1.3 MP web cam. The quality is very much poor. And also its touch screen quality also not good. I think nokia should upgrade its hard ware as well as firmware. Generally hangs.
Its my advice not to take this phone bcoz you will not get any worthy thing from ur money………..
vicky on 4 November 2009:
Nokia 5800 is the worst phone that i have bought, its camera even not comparable with 1.3 MP web cam. The quality is very much poor. And also its touch screen quality also not good. I think nokia should upgrade its hard ware as well as firmware. Generally hangs.
Its my advice not to take this phone bcoz you will not get any worthy thing from ur money………..
Odin on 5 November 2009:
Hey, all of those who are complaining about the camera of nokia 5800… have you ever read what is written on the upper right part of the screen of your nokia 5800? what is written there? XPRESSMUSIC right? not XPRESSCAMERA… 5800 was specially designed for music and not for taking pictures… so, maybe that's the explanation for it… so please, stop complaining… if you're looking for a better quality of images, go get yourself a sony SLR camera…
Daniel B. on 27 November 2009:
I got a nokia 5800 and I did not meet my expectations too.. sometimes the pictures looks like a VGA Cam
bulk_cameras on 12 December 2009:
I'm not finished read this yet, but it's so fabulous 'n I'll back again when I was finished my job
bulk_cameras on 12 December 2009:
I'm not finished read this yet, but it's so fabulous 'n I'll back again when I was finished my job
kesse on 22 February 2010:
can you turn off the clicking sound when taking a picture?
Mohab_93 on 10 March 2010:
Ok i 'v got the nokia 5800 recently, i'm very disappointed with the camera's qualtiy it's very grainy it isn't even better than a 2mp camera, I once had a nokia n70 and it's indeed better with its 2mp camera
Was_Nokia_FAN_before on 11 April 2010:
It is worse ever I have seen for 3mp…… Other companies are providing that much quality in their 1.3mp cam phones…. bull sheet nokia…
Was_nokia_fan_before on 11 April 2010:
Nokia is taking more money for 3.2megapixel cam in 5800, why we will not complain. Even Nokia's other 2mp phones are giving best performance like 5230.
Pfft on 10 May 2010:
same here.. i use to ave n80… and i really liked the front camera features… but for 5800. just go tit recently, and it is very disapointing.. it is touchscreen but camera app sucked.. and worst… no night mode an dthe shutter sound is so annoying.. there's not even an option to keep it silent.. sheesh…!
Pfft on 10 May 2010:
same here.. i use to ave n80… and i really liked the front camera features… but for 5800. just go tit recently, and it is very disapointing.. it is touchscreen but camera app sucked.. and worst… no night mode an dthe shutter sound is so annoying.. there's not even an option to keep it silent.. sheesh…!