Camera Phone Reviews

The Nokia N70 is a 3G smartphone that comes complete with 2 megapixel digital camera with inbuilt flash, 20x digital zoom, FM radio, MP3 Player, 3D games, email functionality, internet browser and video streaming. At just 108.8 x 53 x 17.5 mm its the smallest 3G smartphone in Nokia's range and will be available in the third quarter of 2005.

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Nokia N70 Reviews

The Manilla Bulletin reviews the Nokia N70, and writes, "With the Nokia N70, photography became my new hobby given the phone�s wide range of image set up options. Whether taking portraits, landscapes, sporting activities, or even taking shots via night mode, all pictures and videos produced are extremely impressive. Don�t fret about distant subjects because you can surely see these with the phone�s 20x zoom capability.

Have I mentioned that N70 has 2 �eyes� (cameras)? I can capture pictures and scenes using the second camera located at the upper right hand corner of the phone. This feature also allows me to discreetly check out my appearance."

HardwareZone reviews the Nokia N70 and has this to say about the phone's camera: "The 2.0-megapixel image sensor on the Nokia N70 is a far cry from the lowly version found in the first few waves of camera phones. With its high pixel count, images snapped by the N70 have more details than those captured with the 6680 and are more stunning when converted to print form for keepsake."

Infosync reviews the Nokia N70, and has this to say about the camera on the phone: "Then there's the cameras, and although the front-mounted 0.3 Megapixel one remains unchanged, the back-mounted one has been upgraded to 2 Megapixels and delivers impressive image quality - although not on par with the Carl Zeiss-toting N90. As with the 6680, however, the included LED flash doesn't yield particularly good results - yet on the other hand, both video recording and video calls went without a hitch. "

3G reviews the Nokia N70 and writes about the phone's camera, "While the pictures aren�t unsatisfactory by any means, they can on occasion lack clarity, especially on close-ups, where the absence of a macro setting is evident. Its strongest suite is its true colour depiction. The N70 does let you play with the scene, colour tone, white balance and flash settings so you can adapt the camera to your surroundings and, like the 6680, it has a broad protective slider shutter cover that when opened, automatically fires up the camera. You can also use the N70 like a standalone digital camera with a shutter button residing on the side of the phone."

The Independent reviews the Nokia N70, and writes, "A sliding cover keeps the camera lens out of harm's way when it is not in use, which is another sensible touch. The large screen, designed for multi-media applications, is also excellent for viewing web pages and email." The conclusion? "Slightly better battery life would make it almost the perfect all-round communications tool."

The SiliconRepublic reviews the Nokia N70 and had this to say about the phone's camera: "The phone houses a 2MP camera, which ranks it up there with the few exceptional phones that can produce the same picture quality. Video shooting is good and the duration of each video recording is only limited by the free memory space. This reviewer managed to capture an entire father-of-the-bride wedding speech on camera. Sound and picture were of perfect quality, naturally!"

AllAboutSymbian reviews the Nokia N70 and writes about the phone's camera: "Multimedia is one of the N70's strong points, with the (fixed-focus) 2 Megapixel camera able to equal the results from the Carl Zeiss lens-equipped N90 in some lighting conditions for outdoor images. In direct comparison to similar specification cameras from the Windows Mobile world (e.g. that on the Orange M5000), the N70 produces far sharper and better lit results. Moreover, the video recording is (at last) useful on a smartphone. 352 by 288 pixel movies aren't far off the VHS specification that we've been used to watching for years on TV, and as long as you don't pan around too much, you won't find the lower frame rate of 15fps too frustrating. Stick to outdoor work, though, as there simply isn't enough aperture in the lens to produce good enough video results indoors, with the usual digital pixel noise."

Digital Lifestyle reviews the Nokia N70 and comments on the phone's camera: "The 2 megapixel camera provides good image resolution to a maximum of 1600 x 1200 pixel size. The camera is easy to use, and has adjustments for color, white balance, and flash. You can print images to PictBridge compliant printers right from the phone, or transfer them via Bluetooth to a PC or other device. Nokia provides Nokia PC Suite software to manage the transfer of data from a PC to the N70. To quickly access media features the dedicated media key on the keypad takes you to the Gallery application to provide quick access to images, video and audio content."

Oh Gizmo reviews the Nokia N70 and says, about the phone's camera: "The camera is protected by a sliding cover. The cover has a spring-type mechanism that completes the motion for you once you�ve pushed the cover halfway. Simply opening this cover activates the camera. The only problem is that the said cover feels slightly too plastic-y. I�m almost scared to play with it for fear of wrenching it off, though I know my fears are unfounded. I did try on a few occasions to tug a little harder, just to see, and it does hold up quite well. It�s just that it doesn�t feel as monolithic as the rest of the phone. ... Now, don�t go throwing your digicam just yet. While the pictures it takes are gorgeous, there are limits to what it can do. There�s no autofocus, and under low light conditions, quite a bit of noise enters the picture. But hey, these are by far the best pics I�ve seen coming out of a phone."

Ubergizmo reviews the Nokia N70 and talks about the phone's camera: "The camera feedback on the display is just great, and sensibly better than most cameras. I showed it to many people and got a “wow�? each time. The 2 Megapixel photos are nice, especially in broad day light. It could almost replace my Casio EXILIM EX-Z3. In darker conditions, the Nokia N70 is better than most phones, but won’t equal a pocket camera, even with the flash. However, the portability and dual camera/phone use of the N70 makes opportunistic photo snapping really useful. The N70 is also a very capable video-recording device and while it might not equal most dedicated digital camcorder, it certainly beats the crap out of most phones."

Pocket-lint reviews the Nokia N70, and gives it an 8/10 ranking: "So should this be the phone for you? Well it certainly does what it says on the tin, however with such a large bulky handset this isn't something that you'll want to slip in your pocket as you head down the pub. Yes while you are there you'll be able to get the footie scores, surf the web, take a picture and listen to some tunes (yes it does include an MP3 player) the size over other phones out there with a full QWERTY keyboard for those all important business emails win out, and with a host of new handsets coming on to the market we feel that the N70's reign will be short lived."

PCAuthority reviews the Nokia N70 and writes, "Sound quality during calls is good and the weight, dimensions and ergonomics feel right. Depending on your usage, the battery life can range from anywhere between two and four days, but we averaged between two and a half and three days on a single charge."

Camera Core reviews the Nokia N70 and writes, "Camera modes include Automatic Settings, User Defined, Portrait, Landscape, Night and Sports mode. You may even play around with the different white balance (daylight, cloudy, tungsten and more) and color tones (normal, black and white, sepia etc.) settings to further tweak the image you’re about to take...The 2-megapixel camera gives you impressive images that is superior to other phones of this class. Pictures in daylight come out crisp and clear enough to print. One drawback that is noticeable however is that it doesn’t take pictures that well at night."

Update: Darla Mack reports that Nokia has released a patch that may fix N70 ringtone issues, although there have been reports that the patch hasn't worked on some devices.

The patch is available from Nokia here.

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Nokia News Release: Slide and Shoot with the Nokia N70: the smallest 3G Series 60 smartphone with 2 megapixel camera

Nokia N70 is part of the Nokia Nseries high performance multimedia range

Amsterdam, Cancun, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur - Nokia today introduced the Nokia N70 multimedia, a beautifully designed, compact and easy-to-use 3G smartphone with versatile mobile photography, personal productivity and entertainment features. Incorporating a complete smartphone feature set, as well as a 2 megapixel camera, flash and front camera for video calling, the Nokia N70 comes fully equipped with stereo FM radio, a digital music player and new 3D games.

“The Nokia N70 perfectly illustrates our commitment to offer powerful, all-inclusive handsets that aid people in their daily lives. In addition to advanced smartphone and entertainment features, mobile photography is extremely easy and enjoyable with the elegant Nokia N70,” said Joe Coles, Director of imaging product marketing at Nokia. “The number one reason why people today purchase new handsets is the camera. Indeed, we foresee that by the end of 2005, over half a billion people worldwide will own a camera phone.”

Easy mobile photography
The slide and shoot design makes mobile photography fast and simple. The rear camera slide reveals and automatically activates the 2 megapixel camera, ready to instantly shoot photos or video. The intuitive slide is complemented with an integrated flash, 20x zoom capability and a range of capture scene settings for optimizing image quality in various environments, including Scenery, Portrait, Night, and Sports. Furthermore, the dedicated shutter key on the side of the phone enables users to capture images like they would with a regular camera, allowing for greater stability and ease of use.