MWC 2009: Nokia's Latest N Series Carries 8-Megapixel Camera

Nokia delivered another whopper of a handset at Mobile World Congress with its newest N Series phone, the N86. It carries an 8-megapixel camera, a mechanical shutter, and can take pictures with shutter speeds up to 1/1000th of a second. Yeah, it's all about the camera.Nokia bows its most impressive imaging device yet in the N86. Yes, it may have 8 megapixels, but more megapixels don't necessarily a great camera make. That's why Nokia took extra steps to make the N86 its best camera to date.

Nokia worked closely with technology partner Carl Zeiss to make some key improvements to the camera. The N86 is one of the first mobile phones to have a mechanical shutter on board. This allows it to take pictures at incredible speeds to capture the sharpest images. By ramping the shutter speeds up to 1/1000th of a second, the N86 may be the first cell phone that can truly handle sports photography.

Nokia also gave the N86 a wide-angle lens (28mm), which lets it capture a wider field of view in any given shot when it is set to no zoom. The N86 also captures video at 30 frames per second, and has built-in image stabilization. Lastly, Nokia has reduced the latency of the camera. It reduced the amount of time it takes for the camera to process images and prepare for the next shot, allowing it to take more pictures faster.

The N86 also carries the full range of features that the N Series has become known for. Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, GPS, music/video playback, TV-out, and worldwide 3G support are just some of the magic found under its hood.

The best bit of news is that it will be available soon. Nokia said it will appear on store shelves by the end of the second quarter for a price of 375 euros / $475.