N86 8MP First Impressions

Posted on October 5th, 2009. Written by Rico.

The Nokia N86 8MP (the 8MP stands for “8 megapixels”, the phone’s primary selling point) has been out for some time now, but only recently did we score a review unit. Here are the initial thoughts of Marc de Vera, a freelance photographer we contracted to do the review.

• Compared to camera phones, the N86 8MP takes pictures faster
• The lens have a wider angle than your typical camera phones
• Marc said that the lens are “25mm equivalent”, whatever that means (more from him once the final review is out)
• Photography-wise, the N86 8MP is like a point-and-shoot camera
• Deal-breaker: the lack of a QWERTY keyboard

Here are my own initial thoughts:

• The phone is more compact than a typical point-and-shoot camera.
• That being said, perhaps Nokia should’ve provided more space for a higher-capacity battery? 1200mAh may too little for eager photobugs.
• Compared to the N97, the N86 8MP’s camera is much, much better.
• Except for the lack of a touchscreen and a QWERTY keyboard, the N86 is similar to the N97 feature-wise—and is much cheaper at around P24,000.

Do you have an N86 8MP? Feel free to share your thoughts on this photo-centric phone by leaving an opinion below. More pictures and a final review of this phone should be out by this week, so watch out!