Casio G’zOne and Nokia 5310: A Side-by-Side Image Comparison
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My time with the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic is winding down and I anticipate an e-mail from the folks at WOM World any day now regarding the return of the phone. Since I’ve had the phone, I’ve put it through a rigorous test to see if it can come anywhere near my photo quality standards. Since pictures speak louder than words, I’ve pulled together a few representative photos from the Nokia 5310 and my Casio G’zOne Type-V as a control so you can see the difference in image quality for yourself.
The four images below are untouched (except for re-sizing) and directly out of the camera using default settings. I’ve attempted to shoot objects that cover four areas: bright, medium and low light, and contrasting colors. All images are shot in 1200×1600 resolution. Let’s start with the first image.
Bright light/color tones:
As previously experienced, the Casio tends to overexpose, possibly mistaking the actual light conditions with a dark object in the image. In this case, the trees at the bottom might be confusing the light meter. The Nokia 5310, however, seems to read the light level accurately and manages to capture the subtle details in the clouds without exposure problems.
The winner: Nokia 5310.
Medium light/color tones:
The office building I work in is painted this horrific color all over. Any time I’ve tried to include it in a camera phone photo, I’ve had problems where the center is a different color than the rest of the wall. This can easily be seen on the left in the sample image from the Casio. The right side depicts the photo from the Nokia 5310, which is incredibly crisp and evenly colored. The red, white and black pop against the earth-tone background and there’s no deterioration or bleeding of color, unlike the Casio image which is washed out and just blah.
The winner: Nokia 5310.
Low light/color tones:
In this case, the two exposures come out pretty close, with no major differences. The driveway lettering in the contrasting off-white appears similarly in both images, however, with a bit of that color issue coming through in the Casio image. In spite of that, I’m going to leave it up to personal preference. For a true “dark” image, see the post on shooting fireworks at night with a camera phone.
The winner: Tie
Contrasting colors:
Although this isn’t the best image, it reinforces the point about the Casio and earth tones. The Casio captured the image somewhat nicely, but still overexposed the concrete, resulting in missing details and washed-out green grass. The Nokia was able to precisely measure the contrast and compensate accordingly, resulting in a nice deep green alongside the grayish concrete, complete with the little details clearly visible in the grass and the concrete.
The winner: Nokia 5310.
Surprisingly, the Nokia 5310 comes out on top. I fully expected a phone that was so dedicated to music to be inferior in the photo department, but I was wrong. You can rock out and still take decent pictures, which raises the appeal of this phone significantly.
One interesting thing about the Nokia 5310 camera settings is that it saves a 1200×1600 image as a 4″ x 5.33″ file at 300dpi, which is the recommended resolution for printing. Most others usually default to a 16.67″ x 22.22″ file at 72dpi. (Thanks, Dan!)
Overall, the Nokia 5310 XpressMusic is a solid choice for a camera phone, providing quality images in variable light conditions. The added benefit of the removable microSD card (up to 4GB) and a simple USB connection makes high resolution photography a breeze, with no worries about available storage or file transfers.
So, get your groove on and shoot some great photos with the Nokia 5310. You won’t be disappointed.
Disclaimer: No compensation was received for this review nor is there any affiliation between T-Mobile/Nokia or Verizon/Casio and this web site. All reviews and statements herein are based on a trial/regular usage and personal experience.
This post has 3 comments
July 8th, 2008
…it captures a 1200×1600 image in 300 dpi, which is the recommended resolution for commercial printing.
Um, what? 1200×1600 is 1200×1600 no matter what. Now, maybe you meant that it is saving the 1200×1600 image as a 4″ x 5.33″ file at 300dpi instead of a 16.67″ x 22.22″ file at 72dpi?
dcrs last blog post..Recognizing Spam Comments and Junk Sites
That’s exactly what I meant. Thanks for the clarification, I always get that whole print/screen resolution thing confused.
July 10th, 2008
Interesting. I love your disclaimer at the end of the post. Nicely stated.
As you know, I’m an iPhone nut, so, not in the market for one of these, but it was still interesting info!!
soapbox moms last blog post..If You’re an Original iPhone Owner - Then What?
Thanks. No I’m not a lawyer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night.
See my comment on your blog, re: iPhone. Sadness all around. If they would just open up to other carriers…
July 10th, 2008
You know, I wonder if the primary difference is in the lens used. I wonder if the Nokia has any kind of UV or fluorescent lighting filters coated on the lens, or if the Casio does? That might make a difference, as shown in this example.
dcrs last blog post..Do You Own Your Blogging Niche?
That’s a good point, I’ll look it up. I was also wondering if the auto white balance was causing the difference. Still need to test that.