GSMArena.com GSMArena.com

Tip us

1.5m
109k
RSS

EV

Merch

Log in

Login

I forgot my password
Sign up
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Videos
  • Featured
  • Phone Finder
  • Deals
  • MerchNew
  • Coverage
  • Contact
ADVERTISEMENTS
GSMArena team, 5 June 2009

First look


Sony Ericsson Satio (Idou) preview: First look

  • Comments (111)
  • User reviews
  • Satio (Idou)

5. Camera, image and video quality
  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. 360-degree spin, design and construction
  3. 3. User interface, video demo
  4. 4. Multimedia - gallery, Walkman player, video player
  5. 5. Camera, image and video quality
  6. 6. Wi-Fi, GPS, web browser, games, final words
  7.  
  8. Sony Ericsson Satio (Idou) specification
  9. User opinions and reviews
  10. Review comments (111)

Sony Ericsson Symbian S60 Touch UI Preview

This article is outdated. We have already published a full review.

12 megapixel worth of camera

The Sony Ericsson Satio packs the first 12 megapixel camera we have seen on a mobile phone. With maximum image resolution of 4000 x 3000 pixels, both xenon and LED flash, it truly is exciting news for cameraphone imaging.

However everyone with a basic idea of photography will tell you that image quality is not all about the pixel count. It will be the general performance (things like amount of resolved detail, noise levels, color reproduction, and lens quality) that will be decisive for the Satio's imaging success or failure.

The Satio camera interface is decently comfortable with the viewfinder occupying only the central part of the screen when regular 4:3 aspect ratio photo resolution is selected. When shooting in 16:9 aspect ratio (9MP) however the whole display is put to use from side to side.

On the right side of the viewfinder there are five shortcuts. Those include Scenes, Shoot mode, Flash settings, Exposure compensation and Auto mode. When Auto mode is selected all the other icons disappear leaving only the bottom one for switching it back off. The handset then takes care to select the most proper scene mode for each of your photos and apply the proper settings.

Sony Ericsson Satio Sony Ericsson Satio Sony Ericsson Satio Sony Ericsson Satio Sony Ericsson Satio Sony Ericsson Satio
Camera interface • camcorder interface

Opening the settings menu gives you a real load of customizable options. Those include focus mode, white balance, effects, image stabilizer and self-timer. You can also choose whether a preview of every shot captured should appear and if the image orientation should be recorded in the EXIF info. The camcorder part of the camera supports a very similar set of customizable settings.

A heavily camera-oriented high-end handset, the Sony Ericsson Satio naturally comes with image geo-tagging too. There is also face and smile-detection onboard, as well as panorama mode and Touch capture. As the name suggests, Touch capture allows you to focus any particular subject in the frame by simply clicking on it in the viewfinder. The Satio will automatically focus on it and take a shot.

The easiest way to see how far Sony Ericsson have gone with the Satio image quality is to compare it to one of the best examples currently on the market - the Samsung i8510 INNOV8. The 8 megapixel slider easily produced some of the highest quality photos in our 8 megapixel shootouts upsofar so it should be quite a good reference.

As we found out, the Satio manages to outperform the INNOV8, albeit by not such a wide margin. Satio managed to resolve more detail with pretty much similar noise levels while in all other aspects the two handsets were virtually on par. Considering the pre-release version of the Satio, this is quite an achievement.

In practice, the extra 4 megapixels do make a difference even if not a 50% improvement as some might guess. However, with the Satio still in development, it'll hardly be a surprise if it opens a wider gap on chasers when it actually gets released.

Here is how the Sony Ericsson Satio compares to the Samsung i8510 INNOV8.


Sony Ericsson Satio • Samsung i8510 INNOV8


Sony Ericsson Satio • Samsung i8510 INNOV8

And here goes a 100% crop from two of the photos above illustrating the resolution advantage that the Satio has over the INNOV8.

And there go some more 12 megapixel samples from the Satio camera.

Sony Ericsson Satio Sony Ericsson Satio Sony Ericsson Satio Sony Ericsson Satio Sony Ericsson Satio Sony Ericsson Satio Sony Ericsson Satio Sony Ericsson Satio Sony Ericsson Satio
Sony Ericsson Satio camera samples

VGA videos of splendid quality

Sony Ericsson Satio will come with VGA videos, equaling XPERIA X1's achievement. While our early pre-release sample cannot quite handle the 30 fps framerate it gets pretty close and we're confident that this will be sorted out before the handset hits shelves.

The quality of the videos is really great with almost unmatched amount of resolved detail, very good contrast and precise colors. While the HD capabilities of the Samsung Omnia HD still remain unsurpassed, the Satio is definitely among the top contenders for the world title in the VGA category (once they sort out the nagging framerate issue).

Here is a Sony Ericsson Satio camera video sample for you to enjoy.

Next Page » 6. Wi-Fi, GPS, web browser, games, final words
5. Camera, image and video quality
  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. 360-degree spin, design and construction
  3. 3. User interface, video demo
  4. 4. Multimedia - gallery, Walkman player, video player
  5. 5. Camera, image and video quality
  6. 6. Wi-Fi, GPS, web browser, games, final words
  7.  
  8. Sony Ericsson Satio (Idou) specification
  9. User opinions and reviews
  10. Review comments (111)

Reviews Sony Ericsson Satio (Idou) previewPage 5
  • Comments (111)
  • User reviews
  • Satio (Idou)

Phone finder

  • Samsung
  • Apple
  • Huawei
  • Nokia
  • Sony
  • LG
  • HTC
  • Motorola
  • Lenovo
  • Xiaomi
  • Google
  • Honor
  • Oppo
  • Realme
  • OnePlus
  • vivo
  • Meizu
  • BlackBerry
  • Asus
  • Alcatel
  • ZTE
  • Microsoft
  • Vodafone
  • Energizer
  • Cat
  • Sharp
  • Micromax
  • Infinix
  • TCL
  • Ulefone
  • Tecno
  • BLU
  • Acer
  • Wiko
  • Panasonic
  • Plum

All brands Rumor mill

ADVERTISEMENTS

Related articles

  • Flashback: Sony Ericsson P910 used an odd flavor of touch Symbian and wanted to do it all
  • Flashback video: the Sony Ericsson Xperia X1 and how it bet on the wrong OS
  • Flashback: Sony Ericsson Satio and a look at how far camera phones have come in the last decade
  • Flashback: the Sony Ericsson K800 was as versatile as James Bond and the first Cyber-shot phone
ADVERTISEMENTS

Popular reviews

Apple iOS 14 review

Apple iOS 14 review
Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra review

Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra review
Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G review

Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra 5G review

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

AC/DC - basics of EV charging explained AC/DC - basics of EV charging explained
ADVERTISEMENTS

Home News Reviews Compare Coverage Glossary FAQ RSS feed Youtube Facebook Twitter Instagram

© 2000-2022 GSMArena.com Mobile version Android app Tools Contact us Merch store Privacy Terms of use Change Ad Consent Do not sell my data