The Nokia N86 8MP smartphone is the first such Nokia device to come with a 8-Megapixel camera on-board. It’s a great addition and makes a great argument for wanting to upgrade to this slider-phone. We thought we’d take some time to get accustomed to the camera and how well it works. Check out our Nokia N86MP camera review to see how we got on….

The Nokia N86 8MP camera is only one part of this S60 3rd Edition smartphone, so don’t forget to check out the full review of the Nokia N86 8MP. Before we look at the camera itself, it’s worth getting accustomed to the feature set of this device.

The tech spec of the Nokia N86 8MP camera is:
Lens: Carl Zeiss Tessar
Image capture: Up to 8-Megapixel (3280 x 2464 pixels) JPEG/EXIF (16.7 million/24-bit colour)
Image sensor: 8-Megapixel, 1.75 micron pixels
Video capture: MPEG-4 VGA (640 x 480) at up to 30 fps
Aperture: F2.4/3.2/4.8 (automatic aperture control)
Shutter: Mechanical shutter, speeds up to 1/1,000 sec
Focal length: 4.61 mm (28 mm, equivalent to 35 mm)
Flash: 3rd generation dual LED camera flash (up to 3.5 m) and video light

The Viewfinder is the N86 8MP’s screen, which is a 2.6-inch (240 x 320 pixels) AM OLED display, so you’ll find it bright and clear. We really like the screen on the Nokia N86 8MP, it’s large, bright and colours really pop out. It’s also a good size for getting plenty of information onto the screen and still leave room for the controls icons.

To activate the camera just open the built-in shutter and the camera will automatically start up. In the top left-hand corner you’ll find what mode you’re in – Still or Movie – while down the right-hand side there is a task bar with six tasks on offer (a seventh Go to Photos is off-screen).

The different tasks are Switch to Movie, Switch to Panoramic, Screen, Flash, Self-timer and Sequence modes. Clicking on any one takes you away from the main screen into the camera menu proper. This allows you to fine tune your settings, such as Reduce Red-eye in the Flash menu or switch to Close-up (Macro) in the Scene mode.

Having the Panoramic mode selection right on the main menu is a nice touch and as you’ll see from our test shot works really well. There is no need for stitching images together and as you shoot, small green arrows tell you whether to lift or lower the camera, as well as move right, so that the shot stays on an even keel. We did find that it’s a power hungry tool though, as processing and stitching the various shots together can taken a couple of minutes in full resolution. However, the results are worth the wait!

The interface is fairly self-explanatory and easy to get to grips with. We found that when we were out and about, for example, you tend to just use the base functions and as they are all on the top layer, the camera acts very much as a point and shoot. What’s more, the use of an AM OLED screen is great for image quality and we found that when we were out in bright sunlight, while you need to shield it a little to get the best image possible, you can still see the screen icons.

Naturally, indoors this isn’t such a problem as the screen is bright enough to deal with a variety of light levels. Users tend to have more time, or patience, when setting up shots in doors so the various sub menus come in to play here. You’ll find that alongside each Scene mode is a quick description of when best to use that mode.

The test shots we took outside look a little over exposed, largely due to our lack of photography skills but the detail is impressive and the Nokia N86 8MP lives up to expectations of what was expected from it. As you’ll see from our test shots taken in dim lighting, the lens and Flash can more than handle a variety of conditions.

The camera on the Nokia N86 8MP is a real pleasure to use and we’ve found ourselves taking more shots with it than we normally would. It’s a great addition to what we think is turning out to be a solid and reliable device.

Check out the Nokia N86 8MP camera review image gallery: