This came on top of the many reviews and prizes that have, in effect, said the much the same thing. At the very least, it has been acknowledged that PureView imaging technology can produce results that compare favourably to the very best digital compact cameras.
It’s worth repeating that this is a camera phone. Yet, it has a staggering range of advanced camera features. To name just a few:
- Exposure compensation
- Touch focus
- Auto Exposure
- ND Filters
- Creative Mode
- Scene Mode
- Auto and manual white balance
- Red eye reduction
So what are the advantages of the Nokia 808 PureView that would make you want to leave your camera behind?
Obviously, your standalone digital camera cannot make phone calls, text or surf the web, so it seems unfair to judge it on such wide-ranging criteria.
Instead, based solely on the photo and video experience, here are five reasons why I think the 808 PureView dropkicks the digital camera into the dustbin of history.
1. Sharing & Connectivity
As his comments partly inspired this article, let’s start with a point made by the PureView Club’s Marc Wielaert. He said that he could use his 808 PureView to instantly share his photos, whether by Facebook, email or Twitter. He went on to say:
“It has so many communication opportunities, cellular data, WiFi, Bluetooth and NFC. The Nokia 808 PureView offers all those possibilities and is a perfect camera too. It’s a very complicated concept made extremely simple.”
Displaying the photos and videos on your DLNA-enabled TV, or similar media device, is a superb demonstration of the 808 PureView’s peerless sharing and connectivity options.
2. Photo editing
The Nokia 808 PureView includes photo-editing software, so there’s no need to transfer your images to a computer before you touch them up.
You can crop, rotate, flip, resize or change the colour of any image that you’ve taken. Furthermore, you can really let your creativity blossom by adding clip art or putting your photos within a variety of different frames.
Just as the 808 PureView has made it possible for everyone to take super pictures, it’s also made it easy for you to edit those photos too.
3. Camera apps
As if its camera was not good enough already, you can also install various camera apps on your 808 PureView.
You can do anything from turning the 808 PureView into a thermal camera, experiment with stop motion video capture or even take 3D photos.
We chose a selection of our favourite camera apps for the 808 PureView a while back. In particular, Scalado’s Camera Lover Pack is an essential.
4. HD Video
Most, if not all digital cameras can record HD video and the 808 PureView is no slouch in this department either.
The 808 PureView is a fully featured HD video recorder with a multitude of settings, including low light, night and sports, so that you can film and achieve excellent results in all conditions.
Then, just as with still images, you can edit videos directly on your 808 PureView, share them via email, SMS or Bluetooth, upload it to YouTube or watch them wirelessly on your DLNA-enabled TV set. With the aid of a HDMI cable you can also watch it in full, glorious high definition on a HDTV.
5. Rich Recording
Rich Recording is another ace up the 808 PureView’s camera case. It means that the 808 PureView can record unbelievably rich, clear and natural audio.
It’s so good in fact that Marc Wielaert of the PureView Club, who works in radio so he knows a thing or two about sound quality, didn’t actually believe what he was hearing when he first listened back to an audio track on a video.
Early adopters of the 808 PureView have not been slow to pick up on this unique aspect of the device. Here is a website that showcases fantastic concert footage recorded on Nokia 808 PureViews.
Just one device
Those are my five reasons why I think a Nokia 808 PureView beats a digital camera.
Unless, you are a professional or serious amateur photographer, I believe the 808 PureView has most of the things that most people would want from an every day camera.
Isn’t it just incredibly convenient to have all these camera features AND a smartphone in one device?
Disagree? Let me know. Equally, if you think there are other advantages of the 808 PureView, please share it with us in the comments below.