Tune up! How good is PureView for documenting music festivals?

Will PureView tech be a chart topping hit or will music festival fun prove too hot for it to handle?

We all know that Nokia makes some of the best camera smartphones in the world. But how good are they at recording the bump and grind of a fast-paced, people-packed music festival? To find out we armed five Creative Arts’ students with Nokia 808 PureViews (and Nokia Lumia 900s) and asked them to document, Flow, Helsinki’s coolest music get together. The results are showcased in this cool interactive map. How did they go about creating this masterpiece? We hooked up with the guys and girls to find out.
What were the main challenges filming and photographing the Flow festival?

Ben Dromey – “I used a Nokia 808 PureView to make a time lapse video for each day of the festival. The biggest challenge was to figure out how to attach the phone to my body. I also needed to tweak the Stoppola time-lapse app. It’s a great little app with lots of features including full HD time-lapse.”

Federico Poggioli – “I wanted to focus on light design and audio/visual effects of the festival. The main challenges of filming were keeping the recording stable without a tripod.”

Sarun Pinyarat – “The music and shows were so good, sometimes you just forget that you are supposed to document them! On a practical note, having to hold the device for good 3-4 minutes can be a bit of strain.”

Aoi Yoshizawa – “I photographed food and drinks as well as interesting fashion and wanted to take as many pictures in daylight. I had to be very quick to make sure I didn’t miss any cool styles.”

Deniz Uner – “The main challenge is to capture as much as you can during a concert, without carrying an extra stuff.”

How did using Nokia’s technology help you?

Federico Poggioli – “The sound quality and the lens were really good for filming.”

Sarun Pinyarat – “The PureView technology is awesome, the way pinching, zooming and panning works are just amazing. Also when zooming, you don’t lose the image’s quality at all, since the 41 MP lens compensates in the final resolution.”

Aoi Yoshizawa – “The quality of the camera is very good, so in the end there was no need to fix the photos. The camera captures great colors as well!”

Deniz Uner – “The 808 helped me to see things details, colours, scenes, which I couldn’t see with the naked eye. My personal passion is making panoramas, and the Nokia 808 enabled me to create as big panoramas as I wanted, which was really cool.”

What were the features you found most amazing and why?

Ben Dromey – “The quality of the image on the 808 was very impressive. I’ve never seen such quality on a mobile phone camera before. And the Stoppola app is a must for any PureView owner looking to do time lapses.

Federico Poggioli – “The quality of the movies and pictures were really good. I also really like the intuitive button to access to the camera even if the mobile was in the lock function.”

Aoi Yoshizawa –“The phone‘s very compact and easy to carry despite the amazing camera. I don’t like carrying a big, heavy camera, so this was great for me.”

Sarun Pinyarat – “The lighting speed of the shutter, because it makes you feel like you are using a camera as good, as or even better than, a proper digital camera.”

Denzi- “The HD photographs and microphone. Especially when recording concerts, they gave amazingly clean sounds and good quality images.”

How does using a smartphone differ to using traditional cameras?

Ben Dromey – “You don’t need to have two devices and at a festival that’s really useful.”

Aoi Yoshizawa – “With a smartphone it’s really easy to share images through with your social networks. Plus as a designer, it’s perfect for taking the quick photos I need for sketches.”

Sarun Pinyarat – “Imagine a really good camera where you can take superfast picture, and with one click, share it instantly with the world. That’s what makes the 808 PureView very special.”

What top tips would you give to someone using PureView to film festivals?

Ben Dromey – “Post the results online. People will be blown away by the quality of the videos from a phone!”

Aoi Yoshizawa – “Try to play with PureView and enjoy the experimental ways you can capture the festival!”

Sarun Pinyarat – “Sneak it in and snap the reactions of people partying!”

If you’ve ever wanted to film a festival, looks like you should pack a PureView. To see some of the amazing results for yourself, remember to check out the fantastic fives’ project, a hand drawn interactive festival map showcasing their work.