Birth of the Nokia 808 PureView, 2007 sketch on a paper napkin.

Here’s another very good read. It was posted on the Finnish Nokia Conversations about four days ago and it’s a more organic look at the story of the PureView technology at Nokia.

http://aani.nokia.fi/2012/02/29/zoomissa-miehet-nokia-pure-view-teknologian-takana/

I’m going by the translation (some of which wasn’t translated fully) so there may be some errors.

It came about in 2007, crazy ideas from Nokia’s Alakarhu Juha and Eero Salmelin. The idea was first recorded on a napkin.

PureView is a testament to Nokia’s ingenuity. The prototype was completed in 2009 – the camera was NOT even a phone. How could it be, remember that they were waiting for the processing power?

They mention something about comparing their images with another camera but was surprised theirs looked better and thought their results had to be wrong. To appreciate the quality, it’s something you must witness for yourself. James Burland has been the most recent testament so far to how good the 808 PureView is. They say that there is a myth that small lenses cannot take good pictures. Nokia’s imaging department has always been about producing quality, not joining in the MP race (hence why they took their time to release 8MP and then 12mp, demolishing expectations.

The whole phone was apparently built around the camera and flash. What Nokia achieved in PureView was not merely a step but a technological breakthrough.

The N8 was amazing, head and shoulders above its competition, but the 808 is in another dimension. Since 2007 all the Nokia staff knew what was coming, all of Anssi’s hints at SLR like quality, “there will be no need to carry around those heavy lenses”. At the time, they laughed at Nokia. How can a phone even beat a point and shoot? And then the Nokia N8 came out. Multiple times Elop praised the Nokia N8 but said this is just a fraction of the optics capability at Nokia. Boy, was he right. He obviously could not divulge anything more on new products, but it’s exciting to hear that things like this in labs finally appearing soon to consumers.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/21/ce-oh-no-he-didnt-nokias-anssi-vanjoki-thinks-cameraphones-a/

Condescending remarks by non other than your favourite Engadget star at the time, Mr couldn’t press the shutter button on N8 😛 (though after that poor N8 comparison, and subsequent move to TheVerge, he has acknowledged the N8 as being the king of imaging with the N9 not being far behind)

The post above in 2010. PureView components was ready in 2009. Vanjoki would most likely have seen the comparison pictures coming from this 2009 device compared to every other camera wannabe on the market. I wonder what other exciting things in the labs Nokia has that will soon come to market. If they’re anything half as exciting as PureView, I can’t wait!

What are the words coming out of the mouths of folks using the Nokia 808? DSLR like quality about it. Of course a beastly DSLR is expected to out perform. The lenses alone cost multiple times the 808, several times the size and weight too. But it’s surprising how close it comes. If folks can’t be bothered reading the specs and finding out exactly how PureView works (as opposed to parading their ignorance that this is just some con of pixels) then they should just take a look at how good the pictures look.

http://mynokiablog.com/2012/03/04/james-burland-nokia-808-pureview-proto-vs-iphone-4s-vs-nokia-n8/

This is one of the many reasons we love Nokia. Unwavering focus and stubbornness at times for quality and precision.

Thanks Joni for the tip!

Here’s the full read on PureView

http://mynokiablog.com/2012/02/27/the-story-and-secrets-behind-the-nokia-808-pureview-everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-pureview/

Category: Nokia, Symbian