The Nokia N9 and HDR Photo Camera

This is the second HDR application to appear in the Nokia Store for the Nokia N9 and is the same application that appeared some time ago for the Symbian^3 devices such as the Nokia N8. I have to say I love the application on the Nokia N8.

So how does it perform on the N9, I should also say that I will be doing a quick comparison post after this to compare the two HDR applications available for the Nokia N9. Cost wise for us in Europe it is €3.00

Now if you have read any of my previous posts about HDR and mobiles then you will know what they are, if not, here is a quick overview. Essentially HDR is the combination of 2 or more images into a single image. The images are taken at different exposures. Now you may be asking why bother? Well that is a good question, the answer is enhanced colour, detail and contrast in the image. It is not everyone’s cup of tea but I like it in some circumstances.

OK let’s have a look at the settings for this application, don’t worry they are simple.

: Menu

: Bracket Exposure settings

: Fusion settings

: Turn off/on Fuse/Flash

: Bracketing Speed Select

: Image Quality Select

See, I said they were simple. The first screen is just the options/menu that you could to when you press the cogs/settings icon in the bottom left hand corner.

The first option is exposure levels where you set the level for each of the three frames. I would suggest setting this to 3.0, 0, -3.0. It gives you a higher range so the detail should stand out more.

The next icon called “Advanced Settings” give a screen with 3 tabs, first is “fuse settings”. I suggest either 2,2,5 or 3,3,5 for this but play around to get the style of image you like. These by the way are the only edit options for the fused photo.

Next is “User Interface” where you can turn off the fuse and flash. To be honest this is what I do, I turn both off because if you wish you can fuse the images later.

Next up is “Advanced” where you can select the speed at which the images are taken, I always use medium. Why? Well because quick is too fast and the exposure of the images is not correct and slow is so slow that unless you are using a tripod the images will be too far out of alignment.

Next is “Image Quality”, I always use Large or Huge, Large gives you the 7Mp 16:9 image and Huge gives you the 4:3 8Mp images so it all depends on what you are photographing.

That is basically the application, one reminder, if you want to do HDR and have a tripod I would suggest you use it if you have it with you, if not just make sure you keep very still

OK so here are a few samples for you fused at different settings.

Oh, by the way I should point out to you that when fusing images the application might say it’s not responding, just leave it a few seconds and it will continue. This normally occurs between 50% and 60% completion, so DON’T PANIC

Fusion Settings 5,5,9

Fusion Settings 3,3,5

Fusion Settings 2,2,7

You can probably tell that there is little difference between the fused images, this is where HDR Photo Camera falls down in my opinion. Also will you notice that the alignment is not quite right (these images were taken free hand).

Photomatix fusion for comparison

All in all it is a good application, especially if you fuse the images on a PC or Mac.

A few more samples for you.

Fusion Settings 2,2,5

Fusion Settings 2,2,5

HDR Photo Camera Test N9 - Westend - Photomatix fusion

Photomatix fusion for comparison

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onlyfoolsandmobiles

Blog focusing on Nokia and its phones, primarily about the camera functionality but with a few other bits thrown in.