Jolla camera review: low on resolution but high on quality

Jolla is a bold new effort at providing a more ergonomic way of using smartphones, revolving around touch and gestures. The makers believe that high-end specifications are not the necessity here and users can get a better experience even with lower but well-optimised hardware. Well, this ideology might work for a smartphone, but for photography lovers the Jolla might just fall a little short of the expectations. Especially since 13-megapixel cameras are the norm on similarly-priced handsets… with the Jolla can still be seen flaunting an 8-megapixel unit at the back. However, the device focusses more on quality and that same is the case with this 8-meg shooter, which aims at offering good imagery in various scenarios. Therefore, let us take a look at different images captured using the new Jolla smartphone. Click on the images to view them in full resolution.

Long Shot

Despite the fact that the camera on Jolla has only 8-megapixel worth of resolution to offer, the images turn out to be crisp and vibrant. The difference can be seen when the image is zoomed in and there is no spillover of colours, and the colour tone offered is also very neutral.

Close Up

In close-up shots, the colour capture and focus offer great-looking images complete with detail and true-to-life colours.

Close up (Zoomed in)

Zooming in to the close-up image reveals the level of detail that the camera captures and offers to the users, without missing out the colour gradients.

HDR off

Sadly the camera does not offer HDR mode. Maybe the same will be provided in the subsequent software releases or upgrades.

Indoor shot

In low-light conditions, the camera slows down a bit and take a bit of time to gather more light and to offer an evenly-lit image in return, but with a slight sacrifice on the quality. Therefore the image turns out to be a bit grainy. The only other downside we can see in the picture is that if you move too much you will get some blurry images.

Front camera

Given ample light, this 2-megapixel front camera can also deliver decent results, though we do feel that the contrast offered in the image is a little too dark.

Low light

Even without the flash, the camera captures low-light shots with ease. However, the focus goes for a toss and the image capture takes almost three times the time it takes to capture image under normal light conditions. Even then, we are happy with the results that offer considerable sharpness.

Low light with flash

With the use of the provide LED flash, the camera has a totally different story to tell. The image is considerably sharp and Jolla has one of the most balanced flash to offer, that does not interfere with colours on the image at all.

Night Shot

During night shots, the camera faces similar problem as with indoor shots, pertaining to its image capture duration which increases to offer a better brighter image in absence of the flash. However the result is satisfactory.

The Jolla smartphone is an example of how quality can surpass quantity with great ease. This 8-megapixel shooter has got some serious muscle to deliver astounding results in almost all scenarios users can throw at it. The images captures show a lot of detail and are sharp even in low-light conditions where most competing devices fail to deliver good results. Agreed that the 13-megapixel cameras are a norm at the price range at which the Jolla smartphone has been made available, but it manages to deliver results better than most others. With this we conclude our camera review. If you want to know more about the device you can check out our first impressions and the FAQs for this new device, and keep an eye out for the detailed review.