Conclusion

Aloysius: Nokia's PureView 808 is simply unbeatable in the smartphone category at the moment. Sure, it's a bulky device and it's running an OS that the company has left for dead, but if you're looking for a camera that lets you make calls and check e-mails, the 808 is it. If Nokia can port its PureView technology to a Windows Phone, that would be a lethal combination that could help Windows Phone meet predictions made by analysts about getting a 15 percent market share of smartphones by 2015.

Jacqueline: I was probably too harsh on the 808 PureView in my previous post, and overly concerned with evening the battlefield for both handsets. That ended up appearing biased, which was not my intention -- I'm not even an iPhone user. The article could also have been worded more clearly and appropriately.

Thanks to the feedback from our readers, I'm glad we've managed to put together a fairer and more balanced shootout this time. I've also taken the results into consideration for the 808 PureView's review, which will include images taken at the maximum effective resolution of 38 megapixels.

I'll come right out and say the 808 PureView has the best image quality -- the level of detail is unrivaled. One aspect I neglected to mention in my previous post was how the 808's low-light performance blows the competition away.

My only issue with it is that its color reproduction has the tendency to appear slightly muted, especially under fluorescent lighting. Those who have the time and know-how to tweak it with imaging software won't have an issue with that.

Shawn: After the battery of tests, the Nokia 808 PureView came out tops and impressed me with the high level of image detail retained even in extremely low-light conditions -- a situation that many smartphone cameras struggle with. It also produced images with pleasing color without being overly saturated. However, I wished the 808 could focus closer -- like the iPhone 4S -- seeing that many users love to do food closeups and improve its onboard flash for more-flattering portraits.