Apple iPhone 5s or Nokia Lumia 1020: Which Camera is Better? The Nokia Lumia 1020's super-high-resolution camera has made waves, and the iPhone 5s features the best camera on an Apple phone so far. Can either of these smartphones kill your point-and-shoot camera? By Manthan Gupta , Oct 16 2013 Smartphone cameras have improved by leaps and bounds over the years, to the point where many folks are forgoing low-end compact digital cameras and using their phone as their main digital camera. Two of the most talked-about phones, the Apple iPhone 5s and Nokia Lumia 1020, take very different approaches to the camera design. The Lumia 1020 packs a marketing-friendly 41-megapixel image sensor that's physically larger than those found in typical compact cameras. The iPhone 5s uses an 8-megapixel image sensor that's larger than those found in most phones, but a bit smaller in terms of surface area when compared to a good compact camera like the Canon PowerShot Elph 330 HS. Nokia's approach has some advantages, notably in digital zoom. And all those megapixels? The actual full-resolution images are closer to 38 megapixels, but most shooters will opt to use the downsized 5-megapixel photos  the camera saves by default. That's more than enough resolution for sharing on  the Web, though if you're a frequent printer it's not a bad idea to save the  full-sized photos as well—you can always offload them to your computer  if you run low on space. Alas, neither camera is perfect. We've compared each one in a few key categories  to help you decide which one is the best always-on-you camera to carry. Sharpness We look at two factors when evaluating image quality—sharpness and  performance at the higher ISOs that are required to get a sharp  shot in low light. Both cameras use a lens that  covers a 28mm (35mm equivalent) field of view, and both feature a fixed f/2.2 aperture—that's on par with a decent prime lens in terms  of light-gathering capability. Despite its lower resolution, the iPhone 5s is actually sharper when you  take the entire image into account. Imatest tells us that it scores 2,033 lines per picture height using a center-weighted score; we require  1,800 lines to call a photo sharp. What impressed us is its edge sharpness;  that clocks in at 1,654 lines. That's not tack sharp,  but it's perfectly fine for the Web, and it won't detract too much from prints. Note that the iPhone 5s resolution test was performed at ISO 200; there's no way to manually adjust the ISO to its lowest setting (ISO 32). At 38 megapixels the Nokia 1020 scores 2,218 lines using the center  weighted test, but the corners are noticeably blurry thanks to a poor showing of 692 lines. It holds up a bit better at 5-megapixels; the average  score across the frame is 2,121 lines, and but the edges lag behind at 899 lines. The downsampling technology is working, improving the effective sharpness  by reducing the pixel count, but if you're shooting wide-angle images, the corners are going to look better on an iPhone 5s shot. Where the Nokia trumps Apple is in the digital zoom capability. The center sharpness of the 1020's lens is really good—3,068 lines at the full resolution. When you start to zoom and cut off those soft corners, you're left with photos that are impressively sharp from edge to edge. Of course, you can't zoom with the iPhone 5s; the trick to getting closer to you subject is just that—you need to physically move closer to your subject. Left: Nokia Lumia 1020. Right: Apple iPhone 5s Low Light The iPhone 5s doesn't allow for manual control over ISO, and as such it's  not possible to properly light our ColorChecker test chart and crank up the  sensitivity to see just how well the camera does at the higher ISO settings it will default to in dim lighting. We do know that it's a backside-illuminated  (BSI) CMOS design with a base ISO of 32. The sensor is of the 1/3.2-inch  class; it measures 4.5 by 3.4mm. It shows very little image noise there,  only 0.6 percent. We were able to evenly light our chart and back up our  studio lights to the point where the 5s defaulted to ISO 400; that's a  setting that is appropriate for moderately-lit interiors. It scored a very  respectable 0.8 percent on our noise test at that setting. We consider a photo  to be a bit too noisy when it crosses the 1.5-percent threshold. Image detail does suffer at ISO 400; which indicates that there's some noise reduction going  on behind the scenes. The 1020's image sensor is bigger; it's a 2/3-inch design, which measures  8.8 by 6.6mm. That's 3.8 times the surface area as the iPhone 5s, but the  sensor packs in close to 5 times as many pixels. It shows a bit more noise Than the 5s; about 1.8 percent at ISO 400. But the 1020 shows better detail at that setting, and images at ISO 800 are also quite impressive. By the time  you hit ISO 1600 details start to noticeably smudge. Despite the iPhone's low  scores, we're going to give the edge to the 1020 based on side-by-side  comparison of ISO 400 samples on our calibrated NEC MultiSync PA271W display. Responsiveness The iPhone 5s delivers shutter lag and start-up performance that's on par  with a good point-and-shoot camera. We were able to launch the camera app and fire an in-focus shot in 2.2 seconds. The shutter lag was about 0.1-second when using the touch-screen to capture a photo; using the volume button  extended the wait only slightly to just under 0.2-second. You can hold down  the volume button to fire off a continuous burst of photos at 10 frames per  second for as long as you'd like; we grabbed 250 shots before releasing the button. It's a different story when you shoot with the 1020. If it has an Achilles'  Heel, it's the responsiveness. The camera requires a full 6.1 seconds to  launch the Pro Camera app and fire off a shot. Its shutter lag is 0.7-second, though you can pre-focus or use manual focus mode to drop that figure to  0.1-second. Its shot-to-shot time depends on what resolution you're shooting. If you opt for 5-megapixels you'll have to wait 3.6-seconds between shots,  a time that extends to 4.2 seconds if you opt for full resolution. There's no question here, if you're looking to capture a quick shot or shoot any sort of action, the iPhone 5s is a better choice. Left: Nokia Lumia 1020. Right: Apple iPhone 5s Control The 5s handles image capture settings the Apple way: it does them for you.  You don't have control over ISO, shutter speed or exposure value compensation, so forget about trying to adjust them based on your shot. The 1020's  Pro Camera app allows you to adjust these settings, and is a better  choice for someone who prefers to take control of photographic settings. Flash The iPhone 5s features a dual-LED flash that delivers more even light than  the single LED found on the iPhone 5, but it's still an LED design. The light tends to dissipate as you get further from your subject, and it can be a bit  harsh if you're too close. We got pretty decent results from a few feet away  all the way up to about 10 feet, but how the flash operates is going to vary  based on the ambient light and the type of light you're in. Each LED features  a different color temperature output, and the phone does its best to balance their  output in order to illuminate your scene with light that looks more natural. The Nokia 1020 has a traditional camera flash, and its white balance switches to flash mode when it's activated. It's got a longer reach and a larger surface  area—so the light is a bit more diffused. The flash did a slightly better job at  illuminating a dark room when compared with the 5s. It also delivered more  even, balanced light for a flash-illuminated selfie than the 5s managed.  The 1020 balanced the flash with the ambient light in the room, while the  5s delivered a more deer-in-the-headlights look with an illuminated  subject and dark background. Conclusions Both the iPhone 5s and the Nokia Lumia 1020 have unique strengths and weaknesses. The iPhone delivers more overall sharpness, while the 1020  is sharper in the center with murky, blurry corners. But that center sharpness  and a high-resolution sensor design deliver upon the promise of sharp, digitally zoomed photos, a feature that that iPhone 5s can't touch. And the 1020 offers manual shooting options that the iPhone can't match— the Apple SDK doesn't allow developers to adjust the camera ISO, so  it's not even something that can be rectified via a third-party app. I took dozens of photos with the Lumia 1020 Pro Camera and iPhone 5S over the weekend, and many of them can be seen below. The majority of photos were taken with default settings and no adjustments unless otherwise noted. Click the photos to see larger versions of each image. iPhone 5S on the left, Lumia 1020 on the right iPhone 5S on the left, Lumia 1020 on the right iPhone 5S on the left, Lumia 1020 on the right iPhone 5s, Lumia 1020, Lumia 1020The iPhone 5S does a good job when close to the subject, something that the Lumia 1020 Pro Camera app never gets right. The middle photo is out of focus and the only way to get a decent photo is to back away further than anticipated and then zooming in when editing. iPhone 5s, Lumia 1020, Lumia 1020The Lumia 1020 does a poor job of recognizing fluorescent lights in the middle photo, so the photo on the right is a better photo. The iPhone 5S got it right on its first try but made the orange flowers a tiny bit darker than I would have preferred. Similar issues with white balance are displayed in the photo below. iPhone 5s, Lumia 1020 (adjusted), Lumia 1020 (standard) iPhone 5S on the left, Lumia 1020 on the right iPhone 5S on the left, Lumia 1020 on the right iPhone 5S on the left, Lumia 1020 on the right (no flash on either) iPhone 5S on the left, Lumia 1020 on the right iPhone 5S on the left, Lumia 1020 on the rightThe iPhone has dual-tone flash and the Lumia 1020 has Xenon flash that is more powerful. In this example, it's a little too powerful and floods the car hood, but it's typically a good thing. iPhone 5S on the left, Lumia 1020 on the right Where the Lumia falls behind is speed. It's just not nearly as responsive as it needs to be. The app takes too long to launch, the camera is slow to focus, and the shot-to-shot time is unacceptably slow. With the 5s you get  performance that's more in line with a good compact camera, and that  goes a long way to capturing precious, candid moments. The tech behind the Lumia 1020 is impressive, but if you miss a shot because the camera app is slow to launch or because the focus is slow, you've missed the shot. You're ceding manual control, but at the end of the day the 5s delivers  sharp, in-focus images—and it does it quickly.