Camera Phone Reviews

Nokia N93

Trusted Reviews reviews the Nokia N93 and writes, "Holding the N93 right handed you’ve got buttons for turning the flash on and off and for switching between video and stills modes. You’ve got a round swivel for activating zoom and a button inside this for starting and stopping video shooting or grabbing stills. There is a tiny navigation button with central select key, and for your left hand there are two softmeu buttons at what was previously the top end of the screen. Between them these give you access to all the camera functions. The main problem with all this is that it takes a while to set things up – long enough that you may miss the candid picture or video you were after. And you’ll have to remember to remove the lens cover – which is not attached to the main body of the handset. ... Video and stills shooting are clearly the N93’s main selling points, but there is a lot more going on here thanks to Symbian S60 v3."

CNET reviews the Nokia N93 and writes, "The camera lens and flash are located on the left spine; the former is protected by a plastic cover, but it's not attached to the phone, so take care not to lose it (a lens strap is included in the box). In addition to this lens, there's a secondary VGA camera above the internal screen that you can use for photos and video. ... Overall, the Nokia N93 takes good quality pictures. Colors are vibrant and lines sharp; videos are also pretty decent. The N93 certainly won't replace your stand-alone digital camera or camcorder, but it's a good stand-in when you're in a pinch, and it's certainly one of the better camera phones we've seen to date."

Let'sGoDigital reviews the Nokia N93 and writes, "When the screen is turned into the camera mode the Nokia N93 looks a little like a digital camcorder. The digital camera is activated automatically at the same instant. When you turn the screen back to the normal mode you would think the camera will turn off automatically as well, but at this moment the Nokia N93 changes the large camera to the smaller camera just above the screen. When the screen is in camera mode, you can find a combined button on the back of the Nokia N93 which is used to focus by pressing it half way; do you want to make a photo you have to press it completely. Around the shutter release is a lever with which you can shift to left or right. With this lever the zoom function is controlled, optical and digital."

PDAStreet reviews the Nokia N93 and writes, "The N93 packs an impressive camera, a 3.2 megapixel with 3x optical zoom and 8x digital zoom, capable of shooting photos at 2048 by 1536 pixel resolution and VGA video (640 by 480 pixel) at 30 frames per second. It's not going to replace your regular digital camera or camcorder, but it's far better than the 1.3 megapixel cameras commonly found in smaller phones. ... The quality of the pictures and video are far above what you'll get with a regular camera, and you'll be glad you have the N93 on hand if you enjoy impromptu shooting. Recording video takes up room, of course, and the included 128MB miniSD card is good for only about six minutes of footage (the phone also has 50MB of internal memory). If you plan on shooting for longer, stock up on one or two larger capacity cards."

Gadgetell reviews the Nokia N93 and has this to say about the phone's camera: "This phone can easily take place of your mp3 player video camera and digital camera. Clearly my favorite feature was the video camera mode and I gotta tell you I really was impressed. The picture was extremely clear, the sound was phenomenal and it felt great to hold an actual video camera that was smaller then any on the market. The optical zoom provided me with a great opportunity to get up close and personal regardless of how far I was."

MobileBurn reviews the Nokia N93 and talks about the phone's camera: "First up, it is slow. Yes, I know many would think I'm crazy for complaining about a huge step of technology like the N93, but seriously, it is annoyingly slow. Our review unit is running on the latest firmware (at publication time), but the camera UI is still painstakingly slow. It takes slightly more than 2 seconds for the phone to open the camera interface when you twist and turn your way into the phone's imaging mode. This might cause users to miss opportune photographic moments, which might be much more than just an annoyance. Focusing times and shutter lag, however, were negligible. ... Pictures taken were sharp and clear, almost on par with dedicated digital cameras. While noise is very apparent in low light conditions, the N93 takes excellent photographs when lighting is decent. When in night mode, pictures tend to look over exposed and grainy."

DigitalTrends reviews the Nokia N93 and writes about the phone's camera: "Where the N93 excels is image capture. Pictures are comparable to any standalone 3 MP camera, and they’re the best pictures we've seen from a cell phone, although the flash is a bit weak in comparison with some other multimegapixel cameras, such as the Sony K790i. (There is one nice feature of the video light, though; you can use it as a small flashlight without activating the camera.) Similarly, the 30-second 640 x 480 videos rival VHS and iTunes video quality as long as you don't digitally zoom, which adds an annoying level of jaggies."

PCAuthority reviews the Nokia N93 and writes, "It's got the lot: digital camera, camcorder, email, internet, instant messaging, music playback, FM radio, video playback and Java gaming. And after chucking in everything but the kitchen sink, Nokia took an unusual step: it paid attention to quality. For example, while no modern phone could show its face in public without a camera, few go to the lengths of including a 3.2Mp (megapixel) Cmos chip. This makes the N93 a genuine contender to replace your regular digicam."

GadgetNutz reviews the Nokia N93 and writes, "Let’s get one thing straight: the Nokia N93 and N93i models have the best video recording quality on the market right now, no competitors in this area. With the added optical zoom not even the N95 can compete. It’s just impressive to see how good the video is during the day or reasonable low-light conditions. In extreme low-light conditions the video get’s grainy and with the latest firmware the video is in black and white. I have yet to see a phone with good quality video in these dark conditions. That’s why I’m not going to hold this against the N93/i. It’s no secret that the Sony Ericsson K800 and Nokia N73 are the best camera phones (picture) on the market. The N93/i come closes, very close even, but due to the aforementioned models having better low-light performance they get the slight edge. The picture taking abilities of the N93/i are impressive and still one of the best in the world, but just slightly behind the N73. Due to better image processing the N93i offers slightly better picture quality and video quality when compared to the N93, nothing dramatic or that noticeable. So while the N73/K800 offer slightly better pictures, the N93/i overtakes them in the video department, making it the overall winner in the imaging category."

MeriNews reviews the Nokia N93 and writes, "The camera does its job well. Even the secondary camera can take fair photos in good light. Video recording quality is definitely unseen in any other mobile device. The Music player also suffices. All in all the Nokia N93 is a great mobile device with flaws only in the implementation of the construction, but not the ACTUAL construction of the device. The device is built quite solid. The ability to personalize every aspect of the phone is typical of Nokia and series 60 devices. Good camera, exceptional video recording, solid build, numerous connectivity options, x3 optical zoom, personalization."

From the news release:

Nokia today introduced the Nokia N93, the ultimate mobile device for spontaneous video recording. Offering uncompromised digital camcorder, telephony and rich Internet communication functionalities, the Nokia N93 features a 3.2 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics, DVD-like video capture and 3x optical zoom. You can connect the Nokia N93 directly to your TV for a widescreen movie experience or upload your images and video to online albums or blogs. Moreover, you can create high-quality home movies and burn them to DVD with the included Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0 software.

"The Nokia N93 marks a new era in the digital camcorder market," said Anssi Vanjoki, executive vice president and general manager of Multimedia, Nokia. "Incorporating all the features you need for great quality movie-making, the Nokia N93 is a fantastic example of a multimedia computer with true digital camcorder performance at its core. Thanks to its connectivity, it allows you to immediately share the memories you've captured, taking the entire camcorder experience to the Internet age."

Intuitive and Spontaneous Capture
Offering the best mobile video and photography experience, the Nokia N93 is packed with exceptional camera features that enable high-quality photos and DVD-like quality video. Unfold and twist the main display, and the Nokia N93 is ready to shoot video and photos using the color landscape display as a full screen viewfinder. Whether special events or just fun, impromptu everyday life, you can capture moments conveniently and impulsively and share them with others as they happen.

Featuring MPEG-4 VGA video capture at 30 frames per second, the Nokia N93 delivers an unparalleled video experience with stereo audio recording and digital stabilization, enabling smooth and shake-free movies. The Nokia N93 incorporates a 3.2 megapixel (2048 x 1536 pixels) camera with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens, 3x optical zoom and up to 20x digital zoom, as well as autofocus and close-up mode for amazing clarity and accuracy. Furthermore, the Nokia N93 has an active camera toolbar which displays all available capture features, from exposure value to color tones and white balance. There are dedicated keys for shutter, zoom and flash and also a camera mode key that enables you to switch quickly and easily between image and video capture.

The Nokia N93 features large internal memory of up to 50 MB, which can be further expanded with a hot swap miniSD card of up to 2 GB, allowing users to capture up to 90 minutes of DVD-like quality video or close to 2500 high-quality photos. Furthermore, you can easily transfer your photos and video from the memory card to a compatible PC for storage, and yet always carry a collection of your favorite resized images on the Nokia N93.

Joy of Sharing
Sharing your photos and video clips captured with the Nokia N93 is a snap. Show off your content on the up to 262,144 color 2.4" QVGA display (240 x 320 pixels) featuring a super-wide 160 degree viewing angle. Share your uncompressed photos and video clips instantly via email, Bluetooth technology or by uploading them directly from the Gallery to compatible blogs. You can even share your captured memories with family and friends on a large compatible TV screen, using either the included TV cable or wirelessly over integrated WLAN and UPnP (Universal Plug and Play) technology. Furthermore, from browsing the web to reading your emails and office documents, you can even play games on the Nokia N93 using the screen of your compatible TV.

Creativity Made Easy
While editing your photos and video clips directly on the Nokia N93 is simple, you can also easily transfer them to your compatible PC, allowing for more creative control over your video output. The standard Nokia N93 sales pack comes bundled with Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0, which makes it easy to import video clips, photos and music and to start experimenting with hundreds of transitions and effects, as well as create professional looking home videos with customizable templates. And to top it off, you can effortlessly burn those great home movies to DVD and export formats for Web streaming and email.

Multifunctional Mobile Computing and Connectivity
Part of the Nokia Nseries multimedia computer range, the Nokia N93 offers great functionality in one beautifully shaped connected device. Designed to work on WLAN, 3G (WCDMA 2100 MHz), EDGE and GSM (900/1800/1900 MHz) networks, the Nokia N93 provides broadband Internet access for browsing, uploading content, and sending and receiving emails, allowing you to stay connected on the move. You can also set the device on a surface, flip the display horizontally and use the landscape screen to browse the Web, watch TV* over 3G networks, or make hands-free video calls*.

All Round Entertainment
The Nokia N93 includes a stereo FM radio and a digital music player that offer a fantastic music experience. You can create playlists and enjoy your music hands-free via the speaker or use the stereo headset provided. With the Nokia Music Manager, you can also easily rip your CDs and transfer your music collection to your phone. In addition, you can store up to 1500 songs on your Nokia N93 with a separately available 2 GB miniSD card. You can also enjoy high-quality 3D games with the pre-installed N-Gage franchise System Rush: Evolution.

The Nokia N93, which is based on S60 3rd Edition software on Symbian OS, is expected to become commercially available in July 2006 with an estimated, unsubsidized sales price of approximately 550 euros.