Which device takes the best photos the N97, Tilt2 or Motorola Droid?

Today we let three top smartphones battle it out in a camera phone showdown.  Yes, we understand that the Droid and N97 have the advantage when it comes to megapixels, but if there is one thing we’ve learned it’s to let real world testing dictate opinions not spec sheets. In order to get a complete understanding of each device’s imaging capabilities we used seven photos scenes for our analysis: outdoor nature, outdoor landscape, outdoor macro, indoor macro, indoor normal, indoor low light, indoor no light.

Now let’s quickly recap the camera capabilities of each device starting with the Touch Pro2 (Tilt2). You should always review the advantages of each cell phone before you buy, making sure that you get the one that is best for you. On websites like this or on o2 mobile phone deals reviews you can find out more about a phone’s camera and its other hi-tech tricks. Camera quality varies widely from phone to phone. The Touch Pro2 features a 3.2 megapixel camera with autofocus and images are saved as 2048 x 1216 pixels. The N97 has a 5-megapixel camera with dual led flash and autofocus with images that are 2592 x 1944 pixels. Last is the Motorola Droid which also has a 5-megapixel camera and dual led flash, but images are saved at 2592 x 1936 pixels.

HTC Touch Pro2 (Tilt2)

Nokia N97

Motorola Droid

And the winner is…

When it comes to color reproduction I would rank the devices in the following order (best to worst): Nokia N97, Motorola Droid, HTC Touch Pro2.  I find the pictures on the N97 to have excellent saturation and best represent the lighting conditions for the given scenes while the Touch Pro2 seemed to wash out images in good outdoor sunlight.  I found the Touch Pro2 takes its best images with indoor lighting or outdoor photos without direct sunlight.

In terms of image sharpness I have a tough time deciding between the Touch Pro2 and the N97, but it is clear the autofocus issues on the Motorola Droid prevent it from winning this category.  The third photo in the comparison (outdoor macro) really shows the sharpness of the Touch Pro2′s camera while the N97 really shines in low light image sharpness.

Low and no-light scenes can only be done when you have a flash.  Unfortunately the flash on the Motorola Droid is almost too powerful for night shots where you are closer than 14 inches from your subject.  The N97 on the other hand excels in the dark and the flash provides an even well lit scene whether up close or up to 6 feet away.

Overall the Nokia N97 is my choice out of the three devices when it comes to imaging and this can be attributed to the dependable Carl Zeiss optics, dual LED flash and quick autofocus system.  If you do not plan on taking many night photos the Touch Pro2 still takes excellent razor sharp images and does extremely well in macro shots.  However for my personal needs I would still put the Motorola Droid in second place for a final ranking (best to worst) of the Nokia N97, Motorola Droid and Touch Pro2.  If you would like additional photos taken with any of these devices please leave your requests in the comments section.

Tagged as: At&t Tilt2, Comparisons, HTC Touch Pro2, Motorola Droid, Nokia N97