Nokia Lumia 800 camera compared with the HTC Titan

November 8, 2011 | By Surur

DigitalVersus.com has a great tool for comparing cameras, and they have recently added the Nokia Lumia 800 to their list.

With the HTC Titan on the left and the Nokia Lumia 800, the first picture above is of an indoor scene without flash.

In the above detail shot, the HTC Titan appears to show a but more detail than the Lumia 800 on the right.

See more after the break.

The above picture was taken indoors without a flash. The HTC Titan seems to have a richer skin and hair colour.

The same picture, now with flash. It is subtle, but it seems the flash is harsher and the picture move over-exposed on the HTC Titan.

Above is detail from the same scene, showing the HTC TItan picture to be sharper but also noisier.

Play with the tool yourself at DigitalVersus here.

Which camera do our readers think is the best? Let us know below.

Thanks Charles for the tip.

About Surur

Site Admin and Windows Phone enthusiast, he has been using Windows Mobile devices since before they were called PocketPC’s. He is currently sporting a HTC 7 Trophy.

Tagged camera, htc titan, nokia lumia 800, windows phone 7.5

http://www.mainstreetchatham.com/ JimmyFal

I love that site for comparison, we need more of those. Can’t wait to see the Samsung Focus S up there. It is perfectly clear that the HTC Titan absolutely matches up well against the IPHONE. I can’t wait for the hi res version of that. HTC should have delivered that phone to T-Mobile. Shame on you T-Mobile shame. Trick is to highlight the test and use up and down arrows on keyboard to flip through comparison shots. Awesome site.
Anonymous

From these shots alone, I’d say it seems like the Titan has the best camera out of the two. I’m a little disappointed that Nokia wasn’t able provide us with a better camera on the Lumia 800, but I’m also very impressed with the Titan’s picture quality. HTC have really improved their cameras since last year.

Anonymous

I’ve been crowing for the last month that HTC’s Camera & SLCD screen tech have undergone an overhaul and are equal to (or better) than the current top range out there, but, unfortunately, peoples pre-conceptions keep getting in the way (HTC make bad cameras, Samsung/Amoled is better, etc) and (in this case) it simply isn’t so!

The HTC Titan Is King!!

http://twitter.com/Umairmirza Umair

totally shocked .. how bad is nokia’s cam though HTC is supposed to have the ugliest cameras around

Bill Williams

Compare the Titan on the same site to the iPhone 4S, the best camera phone Apple has ever produced, and you’ll see that the HTC Titan is right there with it (maybe even better). The Titan may be the best camera phone on the market (or almost on the market ). So the fact that it’s almost a toss up between the iPhone 4S, the Titan, and the Lumia 800 just means that they’re all really, really good compared to what we’ve had over the last couple of years.

Anonymous

Well said! Couldn’t agree more.

http://profiles.google.com/arvydasg.93 Arvydas Grušeckas

I still hope, that it is just a software glitch and Nokia will fix it
Anonymous

Nokia needed a homerun with their first windows phone to wow the crowd and they hit a single.

I said it in another thread and I’ll say it again, I wouldn’t blame Nokia if they start selling Android phones by mid next year or a year from now.

Anonymous

What a pointless reply to be honest.

Allow me to explain.. NOKIA IS NOT SELLING THE LUMIA 800 TO PEOPLE LIKE YOU, sheesh!

How many time does one has to repeat that? We represent the 1%-5% of users.. If you think Nokia is about to throw it’s business out of the window so it can please you, then you have come to the wrong place.

I bet you that if Nokia had included all these things, like FFC, NFC, an SSD for RAM and PENTA cores everyone would be complaining about price and how expensive it is!!
Then you also need to understand that Nokia needed to abide by most carriers specifications, and although Nokia has brand reputation, Windows Phone does not.

You can’t literally just march in to the carriers and submit them to your will. Look at O2, because of a simple store display near the iPhone they simply said no.
I bet you that you would be first among the many to complain about lack of advertising if Nokia would simply sold the device without the store display! Some people just can be reasoned with, or made happy.. I rest my case.

http://www.facebook.com/Luffy07 Sergio Gonzalez

totally agree

http://www.facebook.com/people/Milad-Bazzaz/100000479683479 Milad Bazzaz

If Nokia fails, it won’t be becuase of WP7…it would be because of their inability to beat the competition in hardware.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_5ZUD73FFTF3JFLR64AD62R7Q6I Eric

blackhawk556, this is silly. Nokia is a dying company. They are currently only surviving thanks to the huge financial aid from Microsoft. Don’t you think Microsoft granted all this money to Nokia only subject to a strict exclusivity agreement lasting several years? There is probably a substantial penalty clause contained in the agreement. should Nokia decide to sell an Android device anytime soon they would probably have to pay Microsoft a huge penalty. Nokia just cannot afford it.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=543744342 Giles Doolan

Whats really needed in these reviews, is a third Picture taken by a DSLR so people can have a decent reference for quality.

Phone v Phone and no reference to real quality photography is Daft.. Please provide a decent baseline for reviews.

Anonymous

If you go to the linked site, they allow you to change up your comparisons amongst a number of cameras/phones…

For example, the Canon EOS 7D vs. HTC Titan (Barbie close up no flash)
http://www.digitalversus.com/duels.php?ty=1&ma1=1&mo1=1386&p1=10913&ma2=291&ph=13

https://profiles.google.com/christopher.gull/ CG

Seriously, I just went through all the available comparison photos between the 7D and the Lumia 800 and for some of the images I’d say the Lumia 800 handles the situation better than the semi-pro dSLR! Only lacking thing was good white balance on the barbie face.

Anonymous

Yeah, I’m skeptical of some of their results as well. One of the Canon point n shoots looked better than the EOS 7D… maybe the site is better in concept than execution…

https://profiles.google.com/christopher.gull/ CG

Something smells fishy here… I have a 7D and it’s seriously not being beaten by mobile phone…

Anonymous

Nice! Bring on all contenders, The Titan is King!!!!! yay! ))

Anonymous

Ya but how many people are thinking “Should I get a Lumia 800 or an EOS 600D?”?

https://plus.google.com/101269571880107750103/posts Bob

That’s not the point. The point is to use the DSLR as a controlled image source with the proper exposure and white balance. There’s no way to know what the scene actually looked like in real life between two mediocre camera phones–a DSLR would come the closest to offering that.

Anonymous

Misunderstood! Good point!

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ZVPGBE3RRKK6FH33WPUFOWFJYQ Just Visiting

Agree. Phone Arena usually has started to incorporate a DSLR as their control camera when doing smartphone cameraphone comparisons. GSMArena has a neat cameraphone comparison tool, but they currently do not have any of the current gen WP devices up yet.

http://twitter.com/mrcraggle Craig Osborne

I’m really surprised by the camera performance of the Nokia. HTC usually have absolutely terrible cameras and Nokia are known for the best. What the hell is going on?
http://twitter.com/Pieter_Kroon Pieter Kroon

Guys the HTC Titan has one of the yes 8 MP cameras out there this moment, it’s even better than the one on the iPhone 4s. So, it is no shame for Nokia to lose from such a great camera, yet… I expected more…
http://www.facebook.com/danrh Daniel Rivero Horie

They both are okay, I’m not too demanding with phone cameras, but the HTC is better
Anonymous

That site is bullshit, I compared the titan to the N8, and guess what, N8 images are just as bad as the Lumia’s. Sure. Right.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UXH5HNCTFSTANWW4BLY777W72Q Chuck

I really doubt they intentionally made sure Nokia images will come out bad. Just because N8 has 12 mp doesn’t mean it’s better. Actually Nokia is suppose to be much better than the HTC but just accept it, HTC’s camera is better. And yes, I really am truely disappointed at Nokia but I do like their design and display so hopefully they will step up their game when they bring their device to the US. If not, I’m getting the Titan or Focus S.

http://twitter.com/Pieter_Kroon Pieter Kroon

The N8 is renowned for having the best mobile camera a mobile phone has ever seen, so that is odd. But it could be that the HTC Titan just surpassed these camera’s They got a good team working on those camera’s, I suppose

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UXH5HNCTFSTANWW4BLY777W72Q Chuck

“Renowned” maybe because of the marketting and that’s what everybody is saying. Just like people will say iPhone is the best without really knowing. And you are probably also right, HTC surpassed Nokia in terms of camera.

http://www.facebook.com/Luffy07 Sergio Gonzalez

the N8 is known to be the best camphone out there… so it’s kind of weird

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UXH5HNCTFSTANWW4BLY777W72Q Chuck

They “were” I think is the key and maybe the WP7/8 N8 Equivalent will be even better.

http://www.facebook.com/Luffy07 Sergio Gonzalez

will it be running WP? I’ve read somewhere that it will be a symbian device again
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UXH5HNCTFSTANWW4BLY777W72Q Chuck

That’s what I read too but I’m sure Nokia will create a WP7/8 N8 equivalent. They would have too and actually makes more sense imo.
http://www.facebook.com/Luffy07 Sergio Gonzalez

I hope so…

Anonymous

I didn’t see the pics taken by samsung focus s…. but I’ve seen the pics taken by the TITAN and they are a-ma-zing! they can be compared with the iphone 4s…. I am thinking in buying the titan, I’m done with samsun focus, samsung focus sound quality is horrible, I recorded some videos in some concerts and the sound is the crrapiest ever!

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_5ZUD73FFTF3JFLR64AD62R7Q6I Eric

Nokia has been over-estimated during months on all blogs and forums.

Here comes the truth. Finally!
The Nokia camera quality is actually mediocre (even compared to HTC !) It’s really obvious.

Next step. The myth of high build quality.
Let’s talk about the famous Nokia build quality in a few months. You will see that it is not as good as you think it is.
I owned several Nokia devices and I can tell you the quality is actually terrible.

By the way, congrats to HTC. They really did a very good job with the quality of the camera. Nice improvement.

http://twitter.com/efjay01 Ef Jay

Obviously due to their unfamiliarity with the OS, the N9 has a stellar camera, so does the older N8. I expect them to update the camera (like they’ve done with the N8) and improve it. Either way, Nokia is doing more for WP7 in Europe with their ad campaign than HTC has done in over a year so winning a camera contest doesnt say anything about the value Nokia is bringing to WP7.
Anonymous

I’m sorry, but when you buy terrible device after terrible device after terrible device it doesn’t make your opinions sound very knowledgeable or relevant..

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_ZVPGBE3RRKK6FH33WPUFOWFJYQ Just Visiting

I don’t have a twitter account, but if I did, I would send a tweet to Damian Dinning @PhoneDaz

This guy touts the camera tech in the N9, which should also be mirrored in the Lumia 800, and this is the best he could do, especially after what he did with the N8?
http://www.facebook.com/people/Njoi-Fontes/590077451 Njoi Fontes

I’m really crossing my fingers that a software update will somehow improve the lumia’s camera, because frankly I have been expecting a windows phone with a camera at least as good as the freaking iphone’s …
Anonymous

If this is really accurate, the all I have to say is this. HTC has done an amazing job. Because of an owner of an HTC HD7 the camera quality is nothing to chat about. I’ve also been reading and seeing the build quality of the Titian.Which to my understanding is excellent. That doesn’t surprise me because the HD7 is a well built device. HTC may stick with the same style of body. but there build quality again is excellent!
Anonymous

Titan looks better based on those images.
Anonymous

Nokia have been playing a game I think. They are only selling the N9 & Lumia 800 in 1 country Russia. In all other countries they are selling either one or the other but not both. In the UK its the Lumia 800 but in Finland its the N9. The thing is the N9 last month immediately became the best selling device in Finland. Even outselling the iPhone 4s in business sales. Already rumours of the N9 follow up the N10 have surfaced possibly using Tizen. I think Nokia have a plan (b
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_PLH23GCG3R256TJA74SUBPIEFE JacobG

color fidelity, the nokia wins hands down. The Varbie skin tone i smore accurate to that of the real doll. The HTC images look more “poppy” or “bright” since their software sharpens and saturates the picture. A lot of people find pictures that are more vibrant and colors that pop more appealing. I am fairly sure if you used the auto fix feature in the wp7 camera software on the nokia you will get the same effect. It really seems to me to be a function of how the image processing software is setup. At any rate, the HTC camera has certainly come a long way from previous phones

Benjamin Sanders

I have to agree, the big differences between the two cameras seem to be down to image processing the software is adding. Without a control photo to see what the colour etc should be for each setup it’s hard to tell exactly, but the HTC certainly has a lot of sharpening added (hence the blocky noise in the detail photos) and it looks like some saturation/contrast boosting too. I suspect with some post image processing applied to the same Lumia 800 images you could have near identical results. The lens are basically the same. So people harping on about the 800′s camera being bad are being a bit silly methinks.

Anonymous

htc’s is oversharphen, nokia is better, i prefer i do sharphening myself.
but between the two , which white balance actually more precise?
Anonymous

Now, its up to the users to believe them which test was right by using themselves otherwise there is no use when different reviews and tests give different verdicts.
J. Williams

Obviously the Titan
Anonymous

Fuck you Nokia, you trolled us in 1 year and then you come up with nothing! Fuck you, if i buy your phone for design i’ll be as bad as the apple fanboys, but atleast the appleboys gets better hardware and its costs 550 dollars here in Sweden fully unlocked. I will buy the Titan instead, 1.5 GHz processor, 1 GB of Ram, big display for Games and Office documents and good build quality. Even Radar has a better camera than Lumia 800.
Anonymous

But still, we have to remember that Titan is more expensive. In Sweden Lumia will cost 500 dollars, but Titan costs 650 dollar!

Anonymous

Agree, that itself is a difference of a new decent point and shoot camera. Apart, you get free Nokia drive in Nokia. Plus I think the camera is not worse if not better than Titan.

Anonymous

I am not sure, how much I believe these tests.
In any case, color wise, I think Nokia is better here. I don’t like the yellow tint(hue?) in the barbie on HTC’s camera. Also the barbie closeup is better on Nokia on one of the other pics, not posted above but in the original link.
Also, none of the pictures are outdoors, nor does it seem that the lighting used in the tests was normal natural light you would find in a room, but they seemed to use special lighting for these tests.

The jury is out on this one, according to me. Nokia is not as bad as some people are making it out to be.

Anonymous

Also, all the tests are done using tripod, in portrait mode and with lowest sensitivity settings. In real life, how many times are we going to use tripod and lowest sensitivity settings? I think, someone needs to do a more real life comparison and see who fares better on day to day usage.

Anonymous

that website is a joke!he is posting pics taken with any other phone rather than the ones in battle, it’s so obvious

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_5ZUD73FFTF3JFLR64AD62R7Q6I Eric

This website is serious, well known and has a good reputation (“Les Numériques” in France).
You can compare whatever device you want and the test conditions are always strictly the same. It also compares Pro Reflex cameras.

If you refuse to see that the Nokia camera is mediocre and refuse to believe this test, it means you are probably a hopeless Nokia fanboy.
Please be realistic. There are other tests carried out by other websites that came to the same conclusion: the Nokia camera is bad. How long will you refuse to accept it?

Anonymous

No, the Nokia 800 camera is good. However, the camera on the more expensive HTC Titan could be even better in some ways.

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_5ZUD73FFTF3JFLR64AD62R7Q6I Eric

The Titan is definitely great. I hope it will come in 32GB version.
16GB is a no go.

Anonymous

Yes, the HTC Titan is great. But why the double standards and just hope for 32GB? Because at the same time in another article you claim it is unforgiveable that the Nokia Lumia 800 doesn’t have 64GB..

Anonymous

HTC titan has more aggressive sharpening algorithm then
the Nokia 800. You can see this with the halos around the letters on the first
shot (it’s more obvious when you look at the 100% version on the test site) Not
sure if this can be changed in settings but I would rather my phone didn’t add
sharpening as it can’t be un-done but you can always add sharpening if the shot
needs it. If it were not for this I think the Nokia would have more detail. I
also think the Nokia has slightly better shadow detail and gamma response then
the HTC.

On colour both seem to be in-accurate natural is probably
somewhere in the middle. Which is better is hard to know without knowing the
test conditions and seeing the subject in real life.

One thing not tested is camera speed and time from
standby to first shot. This is very important for a camera phone as they are
often used to catch those magic moments rather than for studio shots on a
tripod.

I think I would give the Nokia a slight edge based on all
the results on the test site (not just these samples) but I am surprised how
good the HTC is. I would have expected the Nokia to wipe the floor with the HTC
but looking at these I would not make the Nokia camera quality as a stand out
reason to get this phone. Now if either offered 32GB storage then that would be
a good reason to go for it!

I think Nokia must have been in a rush to get this out. Maybe
with some software tuning they can get the colour tracking to be more accurate then
HTC only time will tell if either manufacture actually bothers to update their
camera drivers.