Nokia 9 PureView camera sample photos vs. Gcam vs. Pixel 3

I have been loving the Nokia 9 PureView for photography. Specifically, it has been fun comparing it against my previous favorite (the Pixel 3 / Pixel 3 XL).

What is even more fun is that Google’s Gcam works on the PureView! Some readers asked for sample photos and comparisons, so I will be posting them here:
🙂


Nokia 9 PureView with depth adjustment, vs Portrait mode on Pixel 3

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Nokia 9 PureView with depth adjustment, vs Portrait mode on Pixel Nokia 9 PureView with depth adjustment, vs Portrait mode on Pixel 3. 100% crops.

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Nokia 9 PureView Stock vs Gcam vs Pixel 3, Indoor photo at night with room lighting

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100% crop. Indoors at night with room lighting.

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RAW DNG processing in Adobe Camera Raw (for Windows)

NOTE: Using a desktop RAW processing application, in conjunction with the Nokia 9 PureView DNG (RAW) allows for significantly more detail than mobile RAW processors.

Zoomed out

100% crop, Adobe Raw Converter

(Link to full size image of 100% crop. Excellent detail.)

With “recovery” slider to 100

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Unsharp mask, the N9P DNG files have plenty of detail for sharpening


Click any of the following images to see the attachment page, then click again on the image that page for the full size image. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Pixel 3 sample for comparison

100% flower crop, Pixel 3


Flower Photo, Nokia stock app

 

Max the dog. Nokia Stock app with depth effect. Cropped, processed in SnapSeed.

I will continue to update with more photos… feel free to post requests 🙂

15 comments

  • Dominic

    Hi, I’m very interested in using the Nokia for landscapes. Do you think it’ll do well at this? Thanks!

    • Hi Dominic!
      Yes, I think the Nokia 9 would be quite good for landscapes. Later today I will post some sample landscape photos. The quality seems good but not head and shoulders above the competition. Also, so far, very bright conditions seem to be a little problematic unless you are willing to process the RAW photos.
      I would also recommend checking out:
      +Pixel 3 (or 3 XL)
      +Samsung S10 (regular, +, or e)
      and even the LG V40 (or similar LG model with wide angle secondary lens)

      The Pixel 3 (or XL) with a Moment case and the option of Moment (or other 3rd party) lenses is my current favorite 🙂

      Best regards,
      -J.D.

  • Alex

    What’s the maximum exposure time on the stock camera app ?

    • Dear Alex,
      As of March 15th 2019 with latest firmware, 10 seconds is the maximum exposure time (slowest shutter speed) available on the Nokia stock camera app.

      Thanks for your question and have a GREAT day!
      -J.D.

  • Jma

    Hello, great photos!

    A question: you said that it not above. But is it below?

    Comparing pricetags and quality, how does it compare with pixel 3?

    • Dear Jma,
      Thank you for your great question!

      Overall, I would say that straight out of camera quality with the stock Nokia app is slightly below the best available (Pixel 3, iPhone XS, etc.)

      However, with processing and care (i.e. RAW or Gcam or trial and error) the results can be above the competition.

      In summary:
      -For a point and shoot camera phone user, the Nokia 9 is not quite as good as its rivals.
      +For a photographer looking to experiment with depth (both bokeh and shadow/highlight depth) then the Nokia 9 is an excellent phone for the price.

      • One other way to explain it. With a Pixel 3, you are almost guaranteed an attractive photo with the single press of a button. With the Nokia 9 PureView, you may have to spend 30 seconds or a minute processing to get the results you want.

        I hope this helps!

        PS I would put the Nokia 9 above the Samsung Note 8 and Samsung S9 etc.

        • Jma

          Hello,

          Some people have approached me willing to trade their pixel 3 for my Nokia 9.

          Would you do it analysing the camera performance?

          I like my Nokia 9 a lot but in video perspective it is not the greatest and I get more blurrier photos than I got when I had the pixel 2

        • Hi Jma!

          I would probably not trade based on camera performance. However, based on screen size and other aspects, it would be a fair trade in my opinion. 🙂

          Sorry to not be of more help!

          Best regards,
          -J.D.

  • Dominic

    Hello, I was reading that the Depth mode only works on the JPEG. If you are editing RAW, how can you get decent bokeh and depth, I am unsure! Thanks!

    • Dear Dominic,
      I believe you are correct. I am, currently, not getting a depth option with the RAW files. Hopefully, this will be something that can be fixed with a software update to either the camera app, the RAW processing software, or both.

      I will also say that I am disappointed in the RAW processing options out there right now for Android. I have tried the Google Photos for RAW processing and find it to be lacking. Snapseed also does not seem to maximize the capabilities of the Nokia 9 PureView RAW files. Lightoom is probably the best so far in my opinion, but I find its workflow to be cumbersome (i.e. import -> process -> export).

      However, I will say that at least the JPEGs still have more shadow/highlight data to work with than most competitors. So hopefully you could adjust the JPEG to suit your depth needs and then continue to adjust via your favorite photo editor.

      Sorry to not have better news!

      Best regards,
      -J.D.

      • Dominic

        Thanks very much for the feedback. I thought that Nokia had optimised for Google Photos, however i am not sure on that. Mine is arriving this week so I will see myself!

        • Dear Dominic,
          They definitely seem to have done some integration. But it seems like they still have some work to do, I hope they keep optimizing!

          Good luck and I hope you greatly enjoy your Nokia 9 PureView! 🙂

          Best regards,
          -J.D.

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