Nokia Archive

What a difference some light makes!

Today, at the Nokia-Microsoft Press Conference, Jo Harlow us to Nokia’s newest addition to its PureView technology.

Up until now, image stabilization in mobile phones was hit or miss. Mostly miss.

Due to the tiny size of the lenses used in mobile phone cameras, it was difficult for manufacturers to create a system that stabilized the lens enough to offset hand movements. Nokia solves this problem by stabilizing the whole camera inside the phone.

This helps tremendously when taking video. This effect is like having a dolly for your phone. If you read our previous story about Nokia’s teaser videos, then you have seen the technology in action.

Where we might see the most excitement is how it changes night photography. The problem with taking photos at night is obvious – there is a lack of light. The flash on a camera can help, but often results in a glare, reflection or other simply does not provide enough light. One way to get more light into the camera’s sensor is to leave the camera’s shutter open a few tenths of a second longer. But unless you’re using a tripod, this may result in a blurry photo because your hand will likely move slightly. Nokia’s Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) solves this problem. The Lumia 920 will leave the shutter open 5 to 10 times longer when shooting at night to let in a lot of light, but the OIS system will compensate for hand movements, giving you a steady final picture with more natural lighting. The camera also has a large aperture (f2.0), giving it the ability to let more light in.

You don’t’ have to take our word for it. Fortunately Nokia just released a video where you can see for yourself.

Source (Nokia-Microsoft Press Conference)