Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Nokia has taken another small step back with the 530 compared to the 520. You still get a solitary 5MP shooter, but this time it's fixed focus.
There's no front-facing camera and there's no flash. The camera app is pretty bare bones. You can tweak white balance, ISO, shutter speed, and brightness. There's also a night and a sports mode, but auto will suffice for most people. It takes around four seconds to launch the camera and a couple of seconds to take a shot.
Beyond the basic camera you can record video at 864 x 480 pixel resolution and 30 frames per second, but it looks pretty ghastly. You can also try smart sequence, which basically captures multiple shots and suggests the best one.
In ideal outdoor conditions with good light the Lumia 530 might capture some nice photos, as long as you keep still. It's quite slow to capture a shot, and the fixed focus makes it very limited.
The switch away from the ability to tap to focus is a very bad thing and has become so ubiquitous that even those upgrading from older smartphones will miss the functionality.
Camera samples
Click here for the full resolution image
Click here for the full resolution image
Click here for the full resolution image
Click here for the full resolution image
Click here for the full resolution image
