Lumia 1020: The Top Smartphone Camera

Published on 10 Aug 2013 at 9:33 pm.
Filed under Informative,Mobile.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 has raised the bar in smartphone camera optics. With a 41 MP this Windows Phone 8 device tops the iPhone and Galaxy S4.

Nokia using Lumia 1020’s to show a 4-second exposure shot in the dark.

Nokia Lumia 1020 Camera Specs

This Windows Phone 8 smartphone is really all about the awesome camera. The headline grabbing stat is the 41 MP sensor. That blows away the Samsung Galaxy S4’s 13 MP and the iPhone 5’s 8 MP sensors. It even bests the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom’s 13 MP sensor and the S4 Zoom is a real camera!

Moving beyond the headline the specs on the Lumia 1020 make it a great camera.

F/2.2 aperture.
1.1 Âµm (micrometer) pixel size.
6 lenses using with Carl Zeiss optics.
A back-illuminated sensor (BSI) sensor.
Optical image stabilization (OIS).
An RGB sensor for white-balance correction.
A mechanical shutter.
5 MP oversampling.
3x Full Res Zoom (lossless zoom).
Dual-flash system with a 3.2 GN Xenon flash and an LED flash.
1080p HD video recording at 30 frames per second.
6x zoom in 720p.
4x zoom in 1080p.

For those unfamiliar, the BSI sensor improves performance in a low light environment. The Lumia 1020 has the largest BSI sensor of any consumer device. The OIS lengthens exposure time giving you more time to collect light.

The Lumia 1020 can take multiple versions of a photo. It will always take a 5 MP photo for those that choose to share things online. It can also take a 34 MP photo when camera set to 16×9 format, or 38 MP for 4×3 format. The more detailed versions are ideal for print or editing.

Speaking of editing, the Lumia 1020 comes with a Nokia Pro Cam app. This app lets you set the ISO, white balance, manual focus, shutter speed, and exposure time. All things a camera aficionado will love to have.

Nokia Lumia 1020 Camera Grip

Besides the wireless charger the Lumia 1020 has another accessory. The $79 camera grip makes it easier to grab the phone and adds a shutter button that makes it feel like a traditional camera. It has an extra hole so that you can mount the device on a tripod.

The grip also works as an extra 1020 mAh battery to power the device. This battery cannot be charged wirelessly and must use microUSB. It also has a hole in the grip to allow you to plug into the phone’s microUSB slot.

Nokia Lumia 1020 Smartphone Specs

This 4G LTE Windows Phone 8 smartphone has a 4.5″ AMOLED Puremotion HD+ screen. This gives it 1280×768 resolution at 332 ppi. It runs on a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor and powered by a 2,000 mAh battery. You can charge this battery wirelessly with the Nokia CC 3066 cover accessory.

The Lumia 1020 also supports microUSB, WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth 3.0, and comes with an FM radio.

The Nokia Clear Black filter cuts down on outdoor glare. It has a touch sensitive screen that works with gloves and comes with the new scratch-proof Gorilla Glass 3.

The front-facing camera is only 1.2 MP. This is a far cry from the camera on its backside. Still, it works great for what users will need from a camera on the front.

Storage space is a bit of an issue with this phone. There is no SD card slot to give users more space for pictures. This phone only has 32 GB of internal storage. On the bright side, Microsoft provides 7GB of free SkyDrive cloud storage. Given the large file size of the high quality photos you are very limited. You’re also very likely to reach your bandwidth cap with your provider.

This smartphone is exclusive to AT&T and is available for sale on the 26th and comes in yellow, black, and white. It costs $299 with a 2-year service agreement. It goes on pre-sale on the 16th.

This post was originally published as Lumia 1020: The Top Smartphone Camera for Brand Builder Websites.