Nokia 808 Pureview camera: how good is it?

We shoot a specially designed chart in carefully controlled conditions and the resulting images are analysed using DXO Analyzer software to generate the data to produce the graphs below.

A high signal to noise ratio (SNR) indicates a cleaner and better quality image.

For more more details on how to interpret our test data, check out our full explanation of our noise and dynamic range tests.

In-depth look at the Nokia Pureview 808 camera

JPEG images from the Nokia Pureview 808 cameraphone show lower signal to noise ratio results than the Samsung Galaxy S2, HTC Evo 3D, Sony Xperia Arc, Motorola Milestone XT720 and Nokia N8.

However, we suspect that this is a result of some of the other cameras' heavy-handed processing of images which removes noise at the expense of detail.

Dynamic range

In-depth look at the Nokia Pureview 808 camera

Cameraphones have very small sensors and if the pixel count is pushed too far this can reduce their ability to record tonal changes in the highlight and shadows. As a result bright areas of the sky in landscape images burn out while the shadows go a deep black because the camera has a low dynamic range.

This chart indicates that the Nokia Pureview 808 camera's JPEGs have at least a 0.5EV higher dynamic range than the other smartphones' cameras up to a sensitivity of ISO 200. Above this value it maintains a better dynamic range than the Samsung Galaxy S2 and Motorola XT720, but is overtaken by the HTC Evo 3D.

At ISO 1600 the Nokia Pureview 808 has a restricted dynamic range so highlights will be prone to burning out and shadow detail will be lost easily.

Amy Davies

Amy has been writing about cameras, photography and associated tech since 2009. Amy was once part of the photography testing team for Future Publishing working across TechRadar, Digital Camera, PhotoPlus, N Photo and Photography Week. For her photography, she has won awards and has been exhibited. She often partakes in unusual projects - including one intense year where she used a different camera every single day. Amy is currently the Features Editor at Amateur Photographer magazine, and in her increasingly little spare time works across a number of high-profile publications including Wired, Stuff, Digital Camera World, Expert Reviews, and just a little off-tangent, PetsRadar.