Nokia 9 PV vs Nokia 8.3 RAW images comparison (Video)

Nokia 8.3 (right) vs Nokia 9 (left)

So, after declaring the Nokia 8.3 as the better overall camera against the 9 PureView from a point and shoot perspective, at least for most users, this time I wanted to see how well it holds up against the Nokia 9 PureView in terms of RAW images. As you all know by now, this was one of the biggest advantages offered by the Penta lens setup of the Nokia 9, as it fuses together images captured with the 5 cameras (usually with different exposures) in order to capture the best possible RAW images for you to be able to edit out later. So, how does the new Nokia 8.3 hold up? You can check out the video comparison below:

Here are the important notes from the video:

  • The Nokia 9’s RAW images hold a lot more information within the images, and so gives you a much broader level of possible adjustments. This means that the dynamic range captured is impressive and so much can be restored to your liking.
  • The Nokia 8.3 can only capture RAW images in pro mode for some reason. So you need to manually adjust the exposure to get the best possible image for editing later. This also means a lot less flexibility when it comes to extracting details from highlights and shadows. This is a common problem with most phones that capture RAW images other than the 9 PV.
  • The Nokia 9 PureView’s RAW images barely have any visible noise in them from the start, which is fantastic. On most other phones, including the Nokia 8.3, you will need to remove the noise manually, which also reduces some of the details captured.
  • The Nokia 9 captures RAW images effortlessly alongside the jpeg images, which makes it ideal for editing later. It of course comes at the expense of processing time and some issues with how quick images show up in the google photos app. If there was a phone that shows why Nokia mobile needs to develop their own gallery app, this is definitely it.
  • Unlike the jpeg images captured with the Nokia 9, the RAW images don’t suffer from oversharpening.

So in conclusion and unsurprisingly, the Nokia 9 PureView easily wins this round. The 9 PureView gets a lot of flake for its lowlight capabilities and its limited auto mode, but as a specialized tool for people who know how to get the best out of it, it delivers. The best Nokia camera phone right now would be a mixture between the Nokia 8.3’s smart auto mode/night mode and ease of use, and the Nokia 9’s advanced RAW skillset. You can watch the previous video comparing them in auto mode here:

So what do you guys think of this comparison? Which approach do you prefer? Let’s discuss!