First of all let me tell you that i realy enjoy my N900.. and have for the last month!!

One of my favorite futures (amongst many) is streaming Radio channels by 3G when im in my car (Shoutcast.com works very well) and sending the sound by the FM transmitter to the car radio.. works like a charm

Anyway let me get to the point.. I used to have a N95 which i was very happy with when it comes to the picture quality, but i must say im realy hoping for a noise fix in the next firmware update for the N900 if possible.

Check my attached picture comparison!
The pictures was taken from the same position with same ligthning conditions, i diddent use flash on any of the devices and the quality was set to "best" (5 mp) on both devices.

From the attached example its very clear that the optics of the N900 produce much more noise than the N95. Also if i use the flash in the N900 when taking pix there becomes a blue tone all over the right side of the picture.. anyone knows whats causing this to happend??

So what is your experience with the N900 picture quality? and do you think this can be fixed by firmware updates?? Or maybe its a hardware problem??

Actually there is a difference in exposures for both pictures, the N95 is under-exposing the capture while the N900 is exposing it properly, and as a side effect of trying to bring more detail out of dark zones you'll see more noise. My guess is the ISOs are different for each capture, look in the metadata of the pic. Also try setting the ISO manually to 100 and do the test again.

NOTE: I don't know the very specifics of both cameras but even if the ISOs are the same there is no guarantee that the levels of exposure are going to be the same:
http://blog.dpreview.com/editorial/2...ensitivity.htm

edit: Also look at the aperture value and exposure time.

The N95 has a tiny CMOS sensor, tiny lens, fixed aperture, fixed focal length, and no mechanical shutter. Whereas the n900 has ... the same.
Don't expect too much.

True, I was looking at the specs and the Av is 2.8 so the only settings he can manually set are ISO, WB and an exposure slider on the N900 that looks to me more of a "push" of a captured image than an actual Tv (exposure time).

Edit: On top of that the focal length is different on both devices which affect the auto-mettering, assuming the sensor is the same size. Too many variables to make a proper comparison.

Both devices was set to automatic when i took the pictures but you are correct.. the ISO and the exposure time is different.

Metadata:

N900
F-Stop f/2,8
Exposure time 1/15
ISO Speed ISO-0
Focal lenght 5 mm
White Balance Auto

N95
F-Stop f/2,8
Exposure time 1/17
ISO Speed ISO-800
Focal lenght 6 mm
White Balance Auto

Still i belive that the N900 camera produce much more noise under bad light conditions when compared with the N95 even on simular settings.. i will try to take some new pix under simular light conditions with the same iso and exposure settings.. if possible to custom select all settings to the same for both devices..?

The "ISO Speed ISO-0" I think it's a known bug, if you put the ISO to auto the metadata always says 0 independently of the actual ISO used when the pic was taken.

"if possible to custom select all settings to the same for both devices..?"
Yes, I would even set the WB to the same value. After you get a comparable result you can then test different ISOs to see how they perform in low-light

Yeah I am in the same boat. I had a N95 for 3 years before recently upgrading to the N900. Everything is great, but I was expecting the same, or better picture quality.

My biggest gripe is the haze one gets on the top [landscape] or right side [portait] when using the flash.

It seems its a reflection off the chrome frame around the lens/flash.

I am going to try and put some black electrical tape over it to try and remove this issue.

I have been loving my N95 for the quality pictures it takes - particularly in daylight.

Sadly the N900 while being the same megapixel count is not the same quality. The N900 pictures are somehow not as sharp and bright as the N95 pictures.

In bright daylight the difference is telling.

In low light conditions its hard to compare the two as the N95 doesnt do too good in low light conditions either.

I myself came from the N95. But i didn't expect the N900 to take better pictures than the N95.

Which cellphone takes excellent photos btw?

Eikido