The Nokia N97 sports a 5 megapixel camera with a maximum resolution of 2592x1944, Carl Zeiss optics and a dual-LED flash. That was a solid spec for its time, though some newer phones were already pushing further. The N97 was never meant to be Nokia's camera leader, but I was curious to see what it could actually deliver.
The camera lacks modern features like face and smile detection, blink protection or touch focusing. That said, Nokia had been shipping 5MP cameras for a while at this point and I expected a level of maturity in the software. Reading user impressions online before testing wasn't encouraging — many felt the N97's camera was a few firmware versions away from where it should be. I decided to put it to the test myself.
My test location was the local zoo in Colombo, Sri Lanka — a good mix of lighting conditions, varied zoom levels, and both photo and video scenarios. I kept the camera on auto throughout due to the dense crowd. Stopping to adjust settings on a busy day wasn't practical, and I was genuinely worried about dropping the device somewhere I couldn't retrieve it.
Hardware & Build
The biggest competitor for the N97's camera is arguably the Nokia N82, which set a high bar for Nokia's 5MP lineup. Carl Zeiss optics combined with Nokia's experience in this range should, in theory, deliver a polished result.
The lens is protected by a manual cover that needs to be slid open before shooting. I understand that an auto mechanism would have added cost, but given the price of this device, it would have been a worthwhile inclusion. When taking multiple shots in quick succession, flicking the cover open and closed became genuinely frustrating.
Another nuisance: launching the camera via the dedicated button was inconsistent. On a busy day when you want to shoot quickly, waiting for the app to load was annoying. I occasionally found myself back on the home screen or hitting the key lock because I pressed the button one too many times. Whether that's down to slower hardware or software that needs optimising, I'm not sure.
Camera Interface
The interface mirrors that of the Nokia 5800 — built for touch input and reasonably well laid out. The options menu took a beat longer than expected to load once the camera was open. If I forgot to open the lens cover, I was surprised to find the camera stayed on the rear sensor rather than switching to the front-facing one as my 5800 used to do. This didn't happen every time, but it was inconsistent enough to notice. Even more surprising — the camera allowed me to take a shot with the cover still closed.
The interface includes a dedicated flash button, scene switcher, sequence shot mode, a timer, adjustable settings, quick sharing to Ovi, and a touch-optimised zoom. Storage information is also visible at a glance. I'd have liked the image quality setting surfaced more prominently, and the flash toggle would work better as a direct cycle rather than opening an extra screen — but these are minor gripes.
One concern I had throughout: opening and closing the manual lens cover inevitably brought my fingers close to the lens. I wondered how long before fingerprints became a regular problem.
Photo Samples
You can view the full set of photo samples from the zoo test on Flickr:
Overall I was impressed with the results, though coming from the N82 and the Sony Ericsson K850i, I missed the Xenon flash. The two most obvious weaknesses were:
- Zoom — zoomed shots taken outside of direct sunlight held up reasonably well, but in bright conditions the quality dropped noticeably.
- Autofocus — shooting animals behind cage bars was a constant battle. The autofocus locked onto the bars every time. Touch focus, as on the iPhone 3GS, would have made a real difference here.
The dual-LED flash was a pleasant surprise — it did a reasonable job in low light, better than I expected. It won't cope with a completely dark room, but for typical indoor and evening conditions it held its own. I did wonder if the night vision mode in the aquarium might have yielded better results than flash.
Conclusion
Since my first 5MP Nokia — the N95 — I've been impressed by how Nokia developed their camera hardware. The N82 represented the peak of that era for me, and the N86 pushed things even further. The N97, as Nokia's flagship, feels like it should sit at the top of that lineage, but it doesn't quite get there.
Xenon flash with a separate LED for video, a mechanical shutter, and touch focusing would have gone a long way. The N82's lens cover design was also preferable to the manual mechanism here. None of these are deal-breakers, but for a flagship device at flagship pricing, they sting.
That said, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that firmware updates will bring the N97's camera closer to its potential. The core optics are solid — with the right software behind them, this could still become one of the better 5MP devices out there. It won't replace a dedicated camera in most scenarios, but for everyday mobile photography, it will keep most people happy.