The photo quality of a 2 megapixel camera phone compared to pictures of a digital camera

15 December 2005

Camera phones with high quality Carl Zeiss lenses make many photographers' shutter fingers itchy. These new camera phones have 2 megapixel or higher image resolution and they also come with camera features, such as auto-focus and exposure control. We compared the image quality of a 2 megapixel Nokia N90 to a compact digital camera, to find out if the amateur photographer can survive without a dedicated camera.

Before we begin looking at photos, we'd like to remind you that the number of megapixels isn't an indication of image quality, it’s only the dimensions of an image, and it can also mean a greater level of detail in the image. Photo quality depends on the camera optics, image sensor and the software inside the camera that converts the captured light into a picture that we see as a JPG image.

A 2 megapixel photo looks excellent on a large computer monitor or when viewed as a slideshow on a TV. 2 megapixel photos are sufficient for getting high quality print outs in 4x6inch/10x15cm size on a home printer or at a photo lab. Having more megapixels allows you to print out larger pictures in high quality.

All pictures were taken in full automatic mode and without changing any settings in either camera. Photos have been cropped from their full 1600x1200 pixel resolution, but not resized. You can see the full-size image by clicking on the photo (a new window opens up).

First, let's examine photos taken in daylight and indoors.

Nokia N90: A 2 megapixel photo.

A 2 megapixel photo captured on a 6 megapixel compact digital camera.

The indoors image captured by the digital camera is clearer than the picture taken with the camera phone. Low light is challenging for any camera and you can see some extra fuzziness and red tone in the camera phone photo. Yet, it's a huge improvement on the previous generation of camera phones, just compare these photos with pictures taken on a 0.3 megapixel VGA resolution camera phone.

Next, we snapped photos in darkness. It is a very demanding situation for a camera's auto-focus system and a real challenge for the flash.

Nokia N90: A 2 megapixel photo.

A 2 megapixel photo captured on a 6 megapixel compact digital camera.

The auto-focus system in the digital camera is more accurate in this situation and with its more powerful flash; the result is better than that of a camera phone. The Nokia N90 also adds some extra red tone into the image.

Although camera phones are not (yet) equipped with optical zoom, there are plenty of opportunities to take pictures outdoors. Often, the beauty is in the details in outdoors photos; beautiful landscapes are actually quite difficult to frame.

Nokia N90: A 2 megapixel photo.

A 2 megapixel photo captured on a 6 megapixel compact digital camera.

Photos taken outdoors on the Nokia N90 proved to be very nice. You can see plenty of detail at the front of the picture where we locked the auto-focus. In fact, the auto-focus system found the the hay at the front, while we couldn't lock the digital camera on the small object at all. That's why both photos above are focused a little bit further and not on the nearest hay. In any case, the digital camera image shows more details and its color balance is better.

We didn't compare the Nokia N90 with another 2 or 3 megapixel camera phone, because its photographic features will make many people consider the product as their only camera. If we conveniently forget all the other functionality of the Nokia N90, such as MP3 player, video recorder, email and broadband speed (3G UMTS and EDGE) Internet access, we could budget for an alternative set of devices.

For a SIM-free/unlocked price of a 2 or 3 megapixel camera phone (500-700 USD/EUR), which is equipped with a camera lens and auto-focus, you can also get a mid-range phone (300-450 USD/EUR) and a mid-range 3-5 megapixel compact digital camera (200-400 USD/EUR).

If you want to be absolutely sure you always have a camera with you, go for a high-end camera phone – the image quality is good, especially in outdoors pictures. Many holiday photographers only need a product like the N90 for keeping their sunny memories. For indoors or sports photography, capturing distant objects with a zoom, or if you believe you'll be getting serious with photography, consider a dedicated digital camera and a phone.

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