Gadget Wars: MOTOZINE ZN5 Vs Nokia 6220 Classic

The mobile phone camera is becoming a necessity it would seem for even the average mobile phone user. I even had my not-TOO-tech-savvy Mom ask me to buy her a new handset that had a camera. In this Gadget War segment, I’ve pitted 2 handsets with 5 megapixel AF lenses and xenon flashes against each other. Once again, I’d just like to remind you that it’s not the handset as a whole that’s under scrutiny - just the camera and nothing more.

The handsets in question are the MOTOZINE Kodak ZN5 and the Nokia 6220 Classic. So if you were considering either of these handsets as an option for purchase simply because you’re one of those snap-happy individuals, irrespective of its design or features, hopefully this will help you make your choice.

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Form Factor and Start up
In this particular portion I have to give it up to the ZN five that has a sturdier and smoother, hassle-free lens cover. Start up time was also no problem. After the lens cover was opened it took the handset 2 seconds to engage the camera.

The 6220 Classic was quite outclassed in this case with an oddly designed plastic slider and a lens case that didn’t often open up or close too well. Due to this very factor the camera’s activation time was about 4 seconds at times.

Motorola wins this round hands down.

Features
Motorola and Nokia, both have a very standardized display for their camera menus. Motorola’s camera features can be accessed by using the navigation key (up or down) so the features are not visible and you’ll have to pretty much memorize the arrangement. Features include White Balance, a few scene modes with Night, an auto stitch Panorama mode that does a really good job and Multi Short (burst). There’s also a quick access key on the keypad to access the gallery.

The 6220, like all the other Nokia handsets have the features clearly visible on one side of the screen. You can navigate the section using the five way nav-pad and even change the order of their placement. The settings also come with helpful hints on the conditions for their usage. They include Scene modes, ISO levels, White balance, exposure settings, color tones and a self timer options among others.

Nokia takes this round, but by a very slim margin.
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Performance
This is of course the core of this feature so let’s get to it.

Daylight
In auto mode while in bright daylight, the Motorola ZN5’s lens manages to reproduce clear images with decent blacks but with a little more natural red in certain areas. The colors also seem a bit softer and warmer. The images are quite sharp though, in comparison to the Nokia.

ZN5 - Daylight

The Nokia manages the light fairly well with not so much of the red coming through. A bluish overlay is quite evident with a little noise that tends to reduce the overall sharpness of the image.

6220 - Daylight

Motorola takes this round too.

Night
For this test I simply placed both handsets in a makeshift slot to hold them steady and started a timer to avoid any jostling of the phone.

The ZN5 fared very poorly. The images are almost indistinguishable and extremely grainy with too much artifact. It lacks sharpness altogether and the lights in the images got burned out. The reason being, the camera pushes the ISO level way too high in night mode.

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ZN5 - Night**

This is really where the 6220 came out the strongest. With no settings except Night Mode and a timer, the images were quite clear and sharp for a CMOS sensor like this. Plenty of details were visible with a very negligible amount of burn in the lights.

6220 - Night

Nokia wins this round hands down.
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Macro
This round was quite tricky. Both cameras fared quite well. The ZN5 managed to retain a relatively decent amount of focus from a really close distance and the colors seemed to be better too in most conditions. Outdoors however, the reds were once again evident but the stability of focus was still evident from close range and the level of detail was quite good.

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ZN5 - Macro(Outdoor, Indoor)**

The stability of the lens in the Nokia’s 6220 didn’t do too well in indoor conditions, although I have to admit the colors weren’t too bad. In daylight outdoor conditions, the colors did look better but again a little burnt in certain places. Plus the distance between the subject and the lens was a lot further than with the ZN5.

6220 - Macro(Outdoor, Indoor)

So the ZN5 takes this one.

Flash
My last test was in a more controlled environment. I took a few close ups of my subject in a pitch black room with just macro mode and the flash activated.

Once again both lenses fared well enough. The slight reddish tinge was still visible in the ZN5’s reproduction but the blacks once again looked good. The sharpness in the details were visible on close inspection too.

ZN5 - Flash

The Nokia too fared quite well with the subject being more evident in the frame. The Blue base was clear. Although the subject was lit well enough the details could have been a little better.

6220 - Flash

That’s another one for the Motorola.

The Bottom Line
There are plenty of reasons that include the handsets’ features and design that I’m sure you’ll take into account when deciding whether or not either of these handsets are worth your money. But like I said, this is all about the camera ‘angle’ (excuse the pun) and just that.

And the Winner is ….
The MOTOZINE ZN5! Although it was close in some portions on the whole, the ZN5 is a little better than the Nokia. If you are looking for a full fledged review of course – click here for the Motorola ZN5 and here for the 6220 Classic. In the case of the Motorola ZN5 camera versus the Nokia 6220 Classic camera, this jury finds in favor of the Motorola ZN5.