While joining Damir Franc’s podcast, we got to talking about the Nokia 9 PureView. I’ve been showing off some samples on social media, but it’s tough to fully express why this camera feels different, when we only get to look at compressed samples on Instagram. Why does IG compression have to suck so hard still?
I digress…
The good news is, we can get around that, and YOU can check this out on your own Android phone!
Nokia did something REALLY smart by leaning on Google Photos. The 9 is an Android One phone, and the experience is as stock as you can get without getting a Pixel. Even though the camera hardware is somewhat radical, all of the information it collects is processed and finished in a way that works with Google Photos.
There’s nothing proprietary about the editing, once the JPG is created.
That means, once the processing is finished, and the depth info is built into the photo, Google Photos knows what to do with it. Not “Google Photos on the Nokia”, ANY phone with the Google Photos app should recognize that depth info.
I’ve tried on a Razer Phone 2, One plus 6T, and an LG V40, and they all properly apply the blur filtering that I see on the Nokia 9.
So, try it yourself! Download the photo, open up Google Photos, and edit away.
Specifically, look at the differences between the different layers identified by the camera. The leaves immediately on the left, versus the leaves farther on the right, and then the trees even farther away on the right edge.
Share your thoughts on the process and the effect in the comments below. Will this be a new phase of mobile photography? Will this chip away further at traditional cameras? Let’s chat!
It works on my lg v30 too, but the depth option only pops up with downloaded nokia 9 pureview photos, with my own photos at its place in the menu there will be the ‘accentuate’ option
Yup. Normally that’s where the “pop” option lives.
If you shoot with bokeh mode, you get the depth option. At least I get it with photos I took with Nokia 8.1.
OMG I missed my FedEx delivery now I gotta wait w more days. ,😭😭😭. Please give me more raw photos to edit!
NOOOO!!!
Is that a no in sympathy or a no too more raws lol.. or both! 😂
All sympathy. I hate that feel of missing a package!
Works on my Pixel 3. The depth does look more ‘layered’. I have a Nokia 9 on pre order in the UK but won’t be getting it until April. Really excited to see what it can do.
It’s super funky.
I’m looking forward to taking a few side by side shots to see how they compare. Don’t get me wrong, the Pixel 3 takes some amazing shots, but the portrait effect is very artificial. It would be great to see the Nokia 9 fit somewhere inbetween the natural DLSR depth of field and the software ‘depth of field’ of the Pixel 3.
It’s definitely a positive step in the right direction. We have more room to improve, but this is noticable improvement.
give us more sample pics.. want to see how it works in harsh lighting, and is the dynamic range really worth paying attention to?
Is it worth upgrading from the LG v30? Is the camera worth giving up the 3.5mm jack and reliable fingerprint scanner?
Yep, works on my Huawei Mate 9. Thanks for pointing this out. It also got me to try Google photos which I have never used. Nice app. My Nokia will be here Wednesday.
Oh good to know! Wasn’t sure it would work on older Kirins.
Not working on my pixel 1’s google photos
https://youtu.be/o12pb6IfreA
Fingerprint working with glass screen protector
Good to know! I’ll order some of those!