Nokia reinvents the camera

Nokia has unveiled the most powerful camera yet built into a phone, the Lumia 1020, which boasts a 41MP camera and features that set a new benchmark in imaging for consumers.

“We want to take people on a journey from capturing pictures to recording and sharing their lives,”” said Stephen Elop, President and CEO of Nokia, presiding over the New York unveiling of a device with the most powerful camera yet built into a smartphone.

“”The Nokia Lumia 1020 will bring new meaning to pictures and continues to strengthen Nokia’s leadership in imaging.””

Elop says the phone has set a new benchmark in smartphone imaging, boasting a second generation 41 megapixel sensor. Unlike any smartphone in the market today, the Nokia Lumia 1020 ‚””reinvents zoom‚””, enabling people to discover more detail than the eye can see. With Nokia’s PureView technology, including optical image stabilization, the device is able to produce some of the sharpest images possible by any digital camera.

This is made possible by leading hardware technology combined with a new application called Nokia Pro Camera, which makes it easier to take professional quality images. Either before a picture is taken or after it has been shot, the zoom capability enables people to discover and then rediscover the personal stories each image can tell. It is accessed through and interface that visually demonstrates how settings will affect the final photo or video.

Using a new feature called dual capture, the Nokia Lumia 1020 simultaneously takes a high resolution 38 megapixel image for any number of editing opportunities, and creates a 5 megapixel picture that is easy to share to social networks with Windows Phone 8.

The Nokia Lumia 1020’s 41 megapixel sensor features leading ZEISS optics with six physical lenses, plus optical image stabilization, delivering crystal clear pictures even in low light conditions. It also captures blur free videos with stereo sound even at the loudest concerts thanks to Nokia Rich Recording, which handles sound pressure levels six times louder than conventional smartphone microphones.

Nokia also released a new imaging software development kit (SDK) that provides key image editing features of the Nokia Lumia 1020 to developers. The SDK is available today at http://developer.nokia.com with a number of developers, including Vyclone, Yelp and CNN, integrating these features into future releases.

Hipstamatic showcased Oggl PRO, an exclusive application for the Nokia Lumia 1020 offering the most advanced smartphone camera controls for their creative community. It was also announced that popular applications Vine, Path and Flipboard will soon be available on Windows Phone.

Adding further professional capabilities and additional battery life, Nokia announced the new Nokia Camera Grip. This is an accessory that complements device features usually reserved for stand-alone cameras, like the Nokia Lumia 1020’s built-in xenon flash and mechanical shutter. The Nokia Camera Grip also has a tripod mount, and is expected to be available this month for an estimated retail price of USD 79.

The personal nature of Windows Phone makes it the perfect platform for the Nokia Lumia 1020, showcasing live images on the Start screen with the Photos tile, quick sharing to social networks, and easy access to files across a number of devices with SkyDrive. With the dedicated camera button, Windows Phone is designed with imaging in mind.

To help people see what’s around them and discover new places to take photos, the latest developments in LiveSight will available in HERE Maps soon. The Nokia Lumia 1020 also comes with ad and subscription free Nokia Music streaming.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 will arrive first on U.S. shores exclusively with AT&T, with sales expected to start on July 26 at a price of USD 299.99 on a two-year contract.

The Nokia Lumia 1020 is then expected to arrive in China and key European markets this quarter. South Africa will probably be included in this wave.The Nokia Lumia 1020 will be available in yellow, white and black.

Nokia Lumia 1020

Operating system

Windows Phone 8

HERE location services

Free global HERE Maps and HERE Drive+:Free HERE Transit available in the Store

Display

4.5‚”” AMOLED WXGA (1280×768), 2.5 D sculpted Corning Gorilla Glass 3, PureMotion HD+, ClearBlack, high brightness mode, sunlight readability, super sensitive touch, Nokia Glance Screen

Battery

2000 mAh battery, wireless charging supported via cover

Processor

1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4

Main camera

PureView 41 MP with optical image stabilization, Resolution: 7712 x 5360. Includes Nokia Pro Camera. Xenon flash for still images, LED flash for video

Front facing camera

HD 1.2 MP wide angle

Memory

2 GB RAM, 32 GB internal memory: 7 GB free SkyDrive cloud storage

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