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When the Nokia N86 8MP was announced, there was a whole lotta talk about it’s new Variable Aperture, Wide Angle Carl Zeiss Lens, and how it’s “Third Generation” Dual LED Flash would get results close to a Xenon Flash.
Well, we’ve already put it up against the N82 to test that theory, but otherwise here’s a couple camera samples from the Nokia N86.
(Note: The Nokia N86 in this review is on firmware version 21.006, which was the latest at the time of this post. Some camera features might change in later firmware.)
But first, a little about the N86′s Camera lens.
As Nokia’s first 8 Megapixel Cameraphone, the N86 has a lot of weight on it’s shoulders, taking over the Flagship Imaging device throne, from the ol’N82.
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Variable Aperture and Wide-Angle Lens :
The N86 features a Carl Zeiss 8 Megapixel lens, with variable aperture levels (and is the first Camera phone to have that particular feature). Variable Aperture basically means, you can change the amount of light that the lens lets in. For example, if you’re shooting in Bright Daylight, you can switch to a higher aperture value, and the lens will compensate by letting less light inside. Choosing the right aperture value for a certain lighting, can make a big difference, and helps improve image quality in many ways, especially image sharpness. This is actually pretty much the norm on most SLR’s nowadays, so to see it on a cameraphone is pretty exciting. Because of this, the N86 does a good job in delivering Images with Natural colors, without them looking too washed out.
Another feature, is the 28 mm wide angle lens on the N86. A wide angle lens lets you get even more into a picture, without compromising on quality.
For example, look at the following pictures taken with an N82 (standard Carl Zeiss lens) and an N86 (Wide Angle Lens) :-
Nokia N82 :
Nokia N86 :
As you can see, the N86 captures a wider range than the N82.
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Panorama Mode :
The N86 also has a “Panorama” mode which takes the 28mm wide angle lens to the next level.
It’s best used for taking scenery shots, but in our experience doesnt really work too well all the time.
Clicking on the panorama icon in the camera UI, opens up the traditional viewfinder with a sorta film strip at the bottom. You have to press the dedicated camera key, and the camera focuses and takes the photo. Your captured image appears in the film strip with an empty red square slot next to it. You have to move your camera in the direction of the slot (making sure the viewfinder lines up with the square), and the N86 will automatically take the next picture, until you press the camera key again, to stop. Once you stop, the N86 stitches them together to create one long panoramic shot.
Perfect for taking pictures of Wedding Lines !
But like we said, it doesnt work well, all the time.
You can see how bad the Stitching is, in the case of the image above.
Still, it’s a very useful mode, and we’re happy it’s there. You can seriously have a lot of fun with it.
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Face Detection :
The N86 also supports Face Detection as a feature.
What this means is, when the Camera Software detects a “Face” it automatically put’s a square around it. When you take the picture, the Camera tries to focus primarily on the Face, so that it appears clearer and sharper. Of course, you can turn this feature off if you want to.
In the case of more than one person (we’ve seen the N86 detect upto 6 Faces in one picture), the Camera tries to autofocus on one primary face while also trying to make sure other faces receive equal treatment.
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Geo-Tagging :
It’s also worth pointing out, that the N86 supports Geo-Tagging of Images.
This means, the N86 will automatically use it’s A-GPS to find your location, and tag your Image with it, so that you can later view where you took the image on a map.
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Apart from that, the N86 also has a whole bunch of scene modes. From Macro, to portrait (which gets the best out of portrait photos), to landscape (which is optimized for shooting distant scenery), to sport (which helps to focus on fast moving objects), to a night mode (which enhances detail in low light conditions for when you dont want to use the flash)
You can also tinker with white balance, exposure level, sharpness, contrast and brightness, etc.
And you can also get a Grid on the viewfinder (to help you align pictures).
To add to that, there’s also a Self-Timer mode :
Incase you’d want to set the timer and take pictures of you or your friends, etc.
There’s also a sequence mode :
Work’s great if you want to take pictures in series or sequence.
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Now that we’re done with all that, on with the pictures !
Close-up (Macro) Pictures :-
The N86 was set to “Close up” mode for these pictures. Flash was set to “Off”.
Image 1 :
Image 2 :
Image 3 :
Image 4 :
Image 5 :
Image 6 :
Image 7 :
Image 8 :
Image 9 :
Image 10 :
Conclusion :
Okay, so as you can see, the N86 does a very good job at Macro pictures. Colors look great (and arnt as washed out as with previous Nseries devices), and it seems to handle light pretty well.
Ofcourse, due to the wide angle lens and all, you cant really go as close to an object (to take a picture of it), as you could with the N82.
That being said, it’s also worth noting that even though the N86 auto-focuses much quicker than any previous Nseries device, in the Macro/Close-up Mode it took a second try or more to usually get it to focus on the right object. For example, sometimes it would focus on a leaf, when I’d want it to focus on the Flower, etc.
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Mid-Range Pictures :-
The N86 was set to “Automatic” for these Images. Flash was turned off.
Image 1 :
Image 2 :
Image 3 :
Image 4 :
Image 5 :
Image 6 :
Image 7 :
Image 8 :
Image 9 :
Image 10 :
Conclusion :
As you can see, the N86 does a very respectable job at Mid-range shots. The Wide-Angle lens really helps you get more of the subject and it’s surroundings.
Color’s seemed fine except for one or two cases (Image 3 and Image 1) where they looked slightly dull. Again, no problems with lighting. Very Impressive.
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Far-away Pictures :-
The N86 was set to “Automatic” for these Images. Flash was turned off.
Image 1 :
Image 2 :
Image 3 :
Image 4 :
Image 5 :
Image 6 :
Image 7 :
Image 8 :
Image 9 :
Image 10 :
Conclusion :
Again, no problems at all. The Wide Angle Lens really shines in far-away pictures. Again, colors seem mostly correct except for one or two images (Image 10 and Image 1) where they look slightly dull. Lighting, again, seems to be great in most images except a couple (Image 6 sky)
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Low-Light Pictures (Without Flash) :
The N86 was set to “Automatic” for these Images. Flash was turned off.
Image 1 :
Image 2 :
Image 3 :
Image 4 :
Image 5 :
Image 6 :
Image 7 :
Image 8 :
Image 9 :
Image 10 :
Conclusion :
Thanks to it’s variable aperture, Low-light pictures is where the N86 excels. No other cameraphone that we’ve used before, could handle low light this well without Flash. The results speak for themselves, really.
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Low-Light (With Flash) :-
The N86 was set to “Automatic” for these Images. Flash was turned On.
Image 1 :
Image 2 :
Image 3 :
Image 4 :
Image 5 :
Image 6 :
Image 7 :
Image 8 :
Image 9 :
Image 10 :
Conclusion :
As you can see, the Dual LED Flash (as always) is pretty good for close up shots. About on-par with a Xenon Flash in that scenario.
But as you go far-er away from the subject, things start to get noticeably worse. The N86′s “Third Generation” Dual LED Flash does a better job than most Dual LED flashes on the market today, that’s for sure. But it’s a far cry from the powerful xenon flash that we’re used to on the aging N82.
For example, some shots look artificially lit (Image 10 and Image 6), while in some cases the results were blurry (Image 9 and Image 4).
At the end of the day, the Dual LED Flash on the N86 is, admittedly, better than previous iterations. But in my opinion, it’s still not as good as a Xenon Flash. Close. But not close enough.
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Video :
Video Stabilization was turned on for the following videos.
And the N86 was set to it’s highest Video quality (Vga at upto 30fps).
Video 1 :
Video 2 :
Video 3 :
Conclusion :
For videos, the N86 is slightly better than most Nseries devices in low light conditions due to the larger aperture. Even that digital zoom on the N86 is better because the whole sensor is used for video capture, and the upto 4x zoom is handled without any pixellation problems.
It’s also worth noting that the N86 can use it’s Dual LED Flash as a light while recording videos at night.
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Everything Else :-
Here’s a video explaining more about the Nokia N86′s 8 Megapixel Camera and it’s various features :
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So what do we think of the N86′s Camera ?
Well, it’s pretty awesome. I’d even say it’s the best camera on a phone we’ve used, because its true. Granted, on paper the camera isn’t as stunning as it would have been 8 months ago. But Nokia’s N86 is a pretty good snapper that doesnt hide behind the Megapixel count.
Thanks to the addition of variable aperture levels, you dont have to just make do with the “Automatic” settings and can really customise your camera to get the best pictures possible. Not to mention, the wide angle len really does let you cram even more detail into each photo.
That all being said, we can help but still feel disappointed with the whole “Third Generation” Dual LED Flash deal. It just simply isnt as powerful as a Xenon Flash.
Now now, I know what you guys might say. That it’s very useful for video recording, etc etc.
But the N86 is supposed to be an “Imaging First” device. Not video. And for Images, at night, there’s simply no replacing a Xenon flash. Period.
I dont know why Nokia couldnt just put in one Single LED Flash (or maybe even the Dual LED) in addition to a Xenon flash, so that consumers could have best of both worlds.
But that’s a whole different story all together.
So at the end of the day, the N86 ? Great Camera. Great for daytime pictures, Great for Low-Light pictures. No other Nokia camera phone comes close to it in that aspect.
But if it comes to taking pictures of your friends hanging out in a club, or anything that would really need a strong Flash, you’ll want to stick with the N82.
What do you think ? Is the N86 that impressive ? Or have you seen better results from another cameraphone ? Let us know in the comments y’all !
(Note: We’ve got even more camera picture samples on our Nokia N86 Camera Sample Album)
Clinton is currently based in New Delhi, India and is executive editor for UnleashThePhones. He is responsible for all editorial decisions, and covers all forms of Mobile and mobile-related accessories.
Cj is addicted to caffeine, social media, and technology. Always up for a good conversation, you can reach him through the contact form, his website, on Google Plus 
or on Facebook or Twitter: Follow @clintonjeff
Hey there William ! As far as Macro Mode goes, the wide angle lens on the N86 has a bit of trouble focussing sometimes. But then it does, the image result looks great :)
GREAT review!! Totally helpful! For me, I would like to know more about its functionality in Macro mode as I am an avid food blogger and close-up pictures of food is what I use my camera(phone) for! But I guess this is the best camera phone by Nokia thus far!! Would be totally getting it! :)
Great review! I do have one of these already (second hand for £39.99) and the camera was the main reason I bought it... I do some roadie-ing for a friends soul band and sometimes I like to get some pictures and movies for their website. I usually take them with my said friend's iphone4, and I always have the flash off (the iphone4 has single LED flash (not double!) and also 8mp camera, but takes movies in 1080p HD (on paper anyway but I'm not convinced they really are HD as all the ones Ive taken with iphone4 have been no better than the ones Ive taken at other gigs with the N86)) but in the iphone4 you cant change the camera settings and there's no 'sport' mode for action shots, so I have high hopes for this one, and im sure the videos will look amazing!
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