Gadget Wars: Mobile Cameras - K850i vs N82

I picked the Sony Ericsson K850i and the Nokia N82 handsets for our shootout because both have 5 megapixel cameras with xenon flashes. Please bear in mind that what we’re doing here is simply ‘focusing’, so to speak, on the camera capabilities of these handsets, and not the entire phone as a whole.

Form Factor
Thankfully, both phones are quick to activate when it comes to turning on the camera. The N82 has a lever for the shutter cover that you can switch on, while the K850i has a key near the shutter release button that switches it on, just as in a digicam.

When it comes to ease of use, I must admit both are quite easy to handle and hold. However, the K850i has an added advantage thanks to some shortcut keys on the keypad for activating a few features. Otherwise I’d be inclined to lean towards the Nokia. The touchscreen feature of the K850i may be a plus point while using the phone but it’s a bit uncomfortable while using the camera.

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I also like the K850i’s convenient switch to toggle between video and camera mode and the gallery. The N82 just has a single key that would take you directly to the gallery. I prefer the switch; it makes it feel more like a camera than a mobile.

Camera Features
Let’s begin with an option that’s very relevant for the average user: white balance. In this instance, the N82 gives you a small preview that adjusts to each setting, whereas the K850i shows the image in the background while the Settings menu blocks the entire screen – which makes it a bit awkward.

Scene mode in the K850i has a small preview of the kind of environment that particular setting would be suited for. While this may be visually attractive, it once again occupies the whole display and looks a bit squashed. The absence of a proper Night mode is quite disappointing but there is a mode for taking images of documents. Prefect for a spy.

The N82 doesn’t have a preview for this mode but what I do like are the tips provided for each setting. These come in handy for a noob who wants to improve his mobile photography. Sadly the N82 doesn’t have a Panorama option, but the K850i does – and performs quite well. The K850i even offers some funny frames to spice up your images.

The K850i has a Timer function (10 seconds) so you can leave the camera and get into the picture. One wouldn’t really need more than 10 seconds to get into the frame, but some options would be nice. The N82 in this sense is perfect as it offers delays of 2, 10, and 20 seconds.

The K850i has a BestPic feature that essentially takes multiple shots simultaneously, after which you can select the best of the lot. The good thing about this feature is that the camera is able to capture quite a few images in a very short time.

The Nokia N82 Burst mode is the same as BestPic, but Nokia has multiple settings for the same. You can take multiple images with different time settings, from 10 seconds to 10 minutes or even nonstop till you run out of memory. That’ll leave you with an insane number of images to sort through, but you can’t say you didn’t have a choice!

With regard to effects both cameras have similar options for sepia, black and white, negative etc. But the N82 has a few additional handy features like Exposure Compensation Image Sharpness and an Image Contrast setting. While they may not be absolutely necessary, they do help you achieve those as-close-to-perfect images.

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Performance
Getting down to brass tacks, feature-wise both phones come out just fine. But this is where the magic happens. Most of the images you’ll see are taken keeping the settings as equal in both handsets and no additional adjustments made in either phone.

I selected an appropriate setting depending on the environment and let the camera do its work. The reason for the odd images is the sheer portability of the devices themselves, and the spontaneity that drives most individuals to take a picture anyplace, anytime.

Daylight
The image with the K850i shows just a wee bit of blur in certain areas, and the shadows do seem a bit dark. However, the colors appear warm and vivid, but you’ll notice a slight vignetting around the corners.

**K850i - Daylight Mode
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The N82 provides a cooler feel to the image with more detailing in the shadowed areas. The lines also seem to be a bit more defined. On the whole the N82 would give you a crisper image and although detailed, the colors do appear a bit dull.

N82 - Daylight Mode

Sports Mode
With a simple change of mode to Daylight (white balance) and Sports mode (scenes), the K850i rocks. The images of moving objects are crisp and the detailing is quite good, with colors accurately captured.

K850i - Sports Mode

The N82, at identical settings, doesn’t deliver too well in Sports Mode. You’ll notice the image is blurred and the colors look a bit faded.

N82 - Sports Mode

__PAGEBREAK__Close-ups (Macro)

In Macro mode I shot two pictures indoor and outdoors. The K850i, in Daylight setting, (white balance) delivers some pretty good shots and allows you to move in really close to the object. Unfortunately the focus may drift a bit from the central area of the object.

Indoors, with Fluorescent (white balance) settings, I’m afraid it didn’t do so well. While it still allows me to get close to the object, and pardon the dust (I’d like to say it was for effect and detail testing, but that would be a blatant lie), the colors don’t seem right and the image tends to be a bit out of focus.

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K850i - Indoor, Macro Mode
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K850i - Daylight, Macro Mode**

With the same settings and locations, the N82 is quite good. In the sun, even though I wasn’t able to get as close to the object as the K850 without blurring the image, the image itself came out quite clear and the colors seem fine. Indoors with identical settings as the K850, I like the fact that the details, however they may reflect my room, are clear and the colors are really good.

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N82 - Indoor, Close-up Mode
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N82 - Daylight, Close-up Mode**

Night Shots
On the whole I’ll say the N82 is ahead of the K850 when it comes to images taken in low light. The K850 sadly gives you an extremely dark image, even with the flash, while the N82 gives you a decently bright image in simple point-and-shoot mode (Auto Mode).

To be fair I took pictures in the N82’s Night mode and the K850s Twilight mode. I simply placed the devices on a flat surface, activated the timer and let the cameras do their thing. I’ll let the images speak for themselves.

K850i - Twilight Mode