Because the Nokia N97 Mini is so packed with features and functions, it can be easy to overlook something excellent in any analysis because there is a lot going on. So here we will be ignoring the live widgets, skipping past the web capabilities and overlooking the full QWERTY keypad. Instead it is the Nokia N97 Mini video capturing and playback capabilities that will be the focus of our attention.

The Nokia N97 Mini video capturing is performed using the 5 megapixel camera which sits in a small protrusion on the back of the phone. The camera uses Carl Zeiss optics and this technology has been present in a number of high-end Nokia smartphones over the years, resulting in high quality image capture and video recording in a variety of situations. The highest quality video settings on the N97 Mini result in video clips that are shot in the widescreen aspect ratio of 16:9. Since most video streaming services now support widescreen clips, you will be able to make videos with that cinematic touch, as well as ensuring full compatibility when the time comes to upload your work. The Nokia N97 Mini video is captured at a consistent frame rate of 30fps. If you have tried recording video to your phone in the past you will probably have been lumbered with a handset capable of 15fps capture rate, which results in jerky motion, wobbly pictures and a pretty poor overall product at the end. This is not the case with the N97 Mini, which records video smoothly and at the high resolution of 640×360. Although there are one or two mobile phones out there that can boast high definition recording capabilities, the N97 Mini is so well appointed in other areas that the generally excellent video performance is to be welcomed.

The dual LED flash which illuminates dark spaces briefly when you are taking still images can also be applied when shooting video. This time it will remain on constantly to act as a video light for when the night has arrived and the lights are down low. Sadly when you turn on the LED video light you lose out on the autofocus feature. This does mean that results are not always consistent across the board, but it is only a minor sacrifice to make for night time video making.

One of the best video features that the N97 Mini supports is in-browser playback for Flash video. Many smartphones require a separate application to view popular video streaming services such as YouTube, but this is not the case here. You can visit all of your favourite sites and provided they use Flash to playback video, there is no restriction on what you can watch. This certainly pushes the N97 into a league of its own and it makes rival devices from other manufacturers such as Apple look a little bit underwhelming in the process.

Once you have used the Nokia N97 video capturing capabilities to your advantage, you can upload your clips straight to your favourite online video portal without having to take the time to transfer the files to your PC. You can always do this if you need to use the clips in some advanced editing, but for sharing exciting moments in your life with your mates without delay, the instant upload feature will certainly come in handy. The Nokia N97 Mini has 8GB of onboard storage space to fill with your videos and you will find that if you are a fairly prolific filmmaker then this limit will be reached quite quickly. In this instance you will need to add in your own microSD memory card, but you can increase the capacity by 16GB and then exchange the memory card later for transfer or file sharing.

Tags: nokia, nokia n97 mini, video, video capturing

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on Sunday, March 14th, 2010 at 6:19 am and is filed under Mobile Phones.
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