So we've gone into a lot of detail about how the Lumia 1020 camera works, which undoubtedly has a lot of you drooling. Nokia has a lengthy history of backing up its boastful imaging claims, and fortunately that reputation continues with the 1020. Simply put, the camera is stunning. In most situations, the automatic settings work well, especially when it comes to white balance, low light and focus. But the camera shines even brighter if you get adventurous and start tinkering with manual settings. Images taken in the dark turned out with more light, more detail and less noise than the HTC One and 808. The lossless zoom on the 1020 completely blew us away; we could legibly see signs from a distance of over 100 yards, and we were able to zoom in on faces of people who were barely noticeable in the original image. We were also very impressed by the vast amount of detail in every shot. As you can imagine, there's a lot to love.
No camera is perfect, however. When taking pictures in the shade, we noticed that colors popped a little too much compared to other flagship cameras we tested -- in fact, there were times they didn't appear natural (though this could potentially be fixed in post-processing). We also noticed that the 1020 struggled with the high end of the dynamic range at times; for instance, the camera was unable to pick out details in the wall of a sunlit building that the 808 and Galaxy S 4 had no problem seeing. The 1020 lacks neutral density, a feature that the 808 possessed and aids the camera in really bright light; unfortunately it takes up space, which is a possible reason why it was left out in this iteration.
Of course, many of these observations are only potential problems when you're using auto mode. Most people interested in buying this phone are likely a bit more savvy in the imaging department and are willing to play around with the settings, and this is where the 1020 makes the biggest difference. ISO, shutter speed, white balance, EV and manual focus are easily tweakable, which means you have free creative reign in making the camera take whatever photos you want. It's amazing what just a few minor adjustments can do -- especially in low light.