Capturing Victoria Falls with National Geographic and a Lumia 830

What happens when you take a National Geographic photographer and send him to Africa with a Nokia Lumia 830, a Microsoft Surface Pro 3, and not his DSLR? You still get fantastic photos and video, as evidenced in the above video partnership between photographer Alvarez and Microsoft's #MakeItHappen campaign. The video itself was even shot with Lumia phones (pictures of people taking pictures of people taking pictures...)

Combining the Lumia's camera, OneNote on the Surface, and Bing Maps gave Alvarez greater flexibility and productivity than his old methods of a bulky camera and a paper notepad. But more importantly, they didn't hold him back — he was still able to capture amazing photos of one of the world's greatest natural wonders.

This isn't the first time Microsoft's sent a National Geographic photographer out with a Lumia smartphone to capture the world. Previous jaunts with Alvarez included Rio de Janeiro and the American Southwest. Just goes to show what a powerful cameras in talented hands can do.

Source: Microsoft{.nofollow}

Derek Kessler

Derek Kessler is Special Projects Manager for Mobile Nations. He's been writing about tech since 2009, has far more phones than is considered humane, still carries a torch for Palm, and got a Tesla because it was the biggest gadget he could find. You can follow him on Twitter at @derekakessler.

75 Comments
  • Is 6snap also gone on your phones?
  • yes!
  • Yep! Edited my comment ;)
  • Rudy said on Twitter ge had to pull it. An update is inbound.
  • Totally off topic, you can ask on forums.
  • Who cares. This post had nothing to do with it. Quit being so lazy and go to forums.
  • I care.
  • Idc that you care. Take your lazy ass to the forums and ask.
  • Off topic lmfao it doesn't matter these people act like 1sec is going to kill them, fucking losers lmfao....
  • I thought off topic posts were going to be deleted. Admins?
  • Is there photos from that trip? Real photos I mean.
  • Why not 1020? I know MSFT wants to market 830 and 1020 went EOL, but 1020 is much better than 830, and shows off the prowess of Lumia camera.
  • Too slow
  • Budget restrictions
  • Why not 520?
  • They don't want to promote 1020 now!!
  • I think they're trying to show the capabilities of new models.
  • Lumia 830 is with denim firmware... And this denim has super camera features...
  • hey that guy used hey cortana feature in the video on lumia 830...but it doesnt work with it cause it doesnt have snapdragon 8xx processor.....another microsoft mix up?
  • I'm also wondering..let's see if we got "hey cortana"after any filmware update..but i think it was movie trick if you watch once again ..you'll find cortana was opened and listening before he says "hey Cortana" *i think so*
  • Yeah, I also thought it required a SD 8xx processor. However, over on the Lumia conversations website, it states: 'Cortana” Voice Activation** – Gone are the days of pressing the microphone button to wake-up Cortana. Simply say “Hey Cortana” while the phone is idle and Cortana will activate. This is possible thanks to the SensorCore technology.' It says it's possible because of SensorCore, so maybe it will be available for all x30 devices (and the 1520 and Icon). http://lumiaconversations.microsoft.com/2014/09/04/lumia-denim-update/
  • There's ** after that statement:
    “Hey Cortana” Voice Activation** – Gone are the days of pressing the microphone button to wake-up Cortana. Simply say “Hey Cortana” while the phone is idle and Cortana will activate. This is possible thanks to the SensorCore technology. ** Available on the Lumia 930, Lumia Icon, and Lumia 1520.
  • Oh, okay. Thanks for clearing that up.
  • Are you sure that was the 830?
  • Or better why not 930?
    It has an outstanding camera
  • Not the current model. These are sales pitches and MS has something to prove with the phone: That even the 10mp camera takes great shots.
  • Tecnically they did... the commercial doesn't mention Lumia 830, the commercial states "Lumia phones", and it's more of a Microsoft ecosystem ad, not a Lumia 830 ad.
  • They send this guy out with a variety of devices. National Geographic did a whole print spread of a 1020 shoot. I remember seeing the 1520 being used in one of their shoots too. It's good to see the results a pro can have with all these devices. Right now is the 830's time. Maybe people will say to themselves, "I need to get that great camera in an affordable flagship package"! :)
  • Better with a 1520 !!!
  • Yep
  • Use 1020!
  • It's too old of a phone, Microsoft is promoting their new phones. Remember this is all a pitch for people to go out and buy a Microsoft phone, and 830 is what a lot of people will buy.
  • National Geographic already did a photo shoot with the 1020.
  • Well this is a different kind of an ad compared to the one for Surface Pro we saw earlier today - inspired and inspiring.
  • Excellent ad ! Nice advertising for Lumia 830
  • I like it how marketing made the illusion on me that the 830 will have Hey Cortana (they used a 930 in the video), but the video upfront said that the footage was made using Lumia smartphones, there's no trickery there.
  • There's even a glimpse of the 735 if you can notice...promoting all the Lumias I would say...
  • In the video he says that he used Lumia smartphones.  Meaning he had more then one model.  No where does he specifically say that he was only using the 830.  People need to pay attention.
  • I obviously stated that too ;) though most of the airtime was given to 830 and Pro 3.
  • I agree, but I can't wait for Lumia Denim update now that I have seen "Hey Cortana" been shown on the 930.
  • the video doesn't say it is based on a particular phone though, it references Lumia SmartPhones... not a single phone, they actually use multiple different models in the piece.
  • These are the type of beautiful ads they need...Hell show it on tv...peoole will love it I bet...ultimate photography promotion of the Lumias as well as the portability and prowess of the Surface...
  • Yes, this should be everywhere. Love this commercial.
  • Lumia ception
  • I am not sure who the target audience is for this ad, though. Is it photographers? If so, a photographer would not use a smartphone, no matter how great to shoot a scene like this. Most photographers would use their smartphones to shoot their cmapera on a tripod and the scence so that they could share that image instantly, until they ahd a chance to process their real photos. I like featuring the use of OneNote for photo planning and documenting, however, as I have used OneNote for photo planning for several years now. I also use my smart phone images to geo tag my regular photos by pulling them into Lightroom. Also, it is unrealistic to even think about using Bing maps and OneDrive at a location like that due to a lack of network connectivity. If the audience is a non-photographer crowd, it ought to feature more the social elements of the Lumia and even show them being able to print photos when they get home because of the higher quality camera. The ad was really well made, but I am not sure who they were targeting.
  • FYI Victoria Falls is not without cell service. It's a very Touristy place these days. Confirmed this with some friends that just returned from a vacation there. Point made though, you can't expect good cell service in the jungle.
  • As I typed it , i wondered if it might be the case, but I am glad you caught my point. There are plenty of places, here, in the US, particularly in the west without service.
  • Wow. Why isn't your government improving infrastructure in the western states? I live in southern Africa and can confidently report that in my country network coverage is very good.
  • People do not want cell towers in wilderness areas, which are the types of areas frequented by landscape photographers. Also, cell towers in the Us are not governement owned, they are owned by the cell companies, thankfully.
  • Hey. Katy Perry got service LOL
  • Seriously, what was I thinking?
  • Now THAT is what a Microsoft surface/lumia commercial should be. nix the ones you have now and make more of these as your commercials!
  • Nicely done!
  • I don't understand y are they advertising so much for L830 ..When we have the best WP phone in the market L930 n even here in India they are not even caring about L930 but it is superior in every department!!
  • In india they are not advertising Lumia 830 also..all time i see advertisements are of low-end phones...c'mon Microsoft india there are many people who can afford high end devices..can't you see people buying sony z3,iphone6,Samsung Galaxy s5? (*what they should not*) :p
  • Well no, the 930 is heavier thicker and a lot more uncomfortable to hold, it has no micro-SD card slot, no removable battery/exchangeable back cover. While it´s true that the 930 has the double ammount of megapixels, the 830 has 6 lenses while the 930 only has 5 wich really do a significant difference in sharpness. Also the 930 suffers from overheating wich the 830 does not (from what i´ve heard). And then of course the 930 is more expensive.      
  • This ad is NOT for 830... the article is wrong.  It may show a 830, but if you listen and read it doesn't mention it.  It says LUMIA SMARTPHONES.  Promoting all Lumias.
  • Derek, the correct name is Rio de Janeiro. ✌
  • So I go to my local att store and the 830 is not next to the smartphones. It's right next to the feature phones and an HTC desire. Same old crap, mo support for WP
  • That's Victoria Falls in my country right there and filming with lumia makes it even exciting
  • In the video, he activates Cortana with passive-voice feature ("hey, Cortana").
  • Great! I snapped up a Lumia 830 when it became available on Friday Nov 7th with the free fitbit flex and I haven't looked back!! Very pleased with the performance. No regrets at all.
  • Not a bad gig this photographer has.
  • So nice to see my home country! I Miss Victoria Falls :) Posted via the Windows Central App
  • Looked several times at this commercial, I like the setting and the adventure he have.
  • Inspiring.
  • The 830 is nowhere near as powerful as the 1020 in the camera department but I like that Microsoft is promoting the entire ecosystem. Microsoft Product Reviews did a really in depth camera comparison of the two and the 1020 is clearly superior even without Lumia Denim
    http://www.microsoftproductreviews.com/windows-phone/lumia-1020-vs-lumia...
  • I do miss the Lumia 1020 ads. Microsoft should release a 1030 before Windows 10 to create buzz without a new OS and then an all around flagship post Windows 10.
  • My camera is not working after the latest critical update how can I fix it. ?
  • THIS VIDEO IS NOT FOR 830... IT'S FOR ALL LUMIAs (and the Microsoft ecosystem).   The video clearly states multiple times "Lumia smartphones" not "Lumia 830"... even they show it. Please correct your article.
  • I was at the exact spot a year ago, with my 925 at that time. Amazing experience and the lumia captured the beauty and grandiosity so faithfully.
  • Microsoft's cameras are a innovation.
  • 1:24 looks like he is using a Lumia 1520.
  • Seems like Cortana works well in Africa.  Why not just release an international version to all regions?
  • I bet the video was actually shot using a 1020, only they can't say that because the 1020 is now "discontinued by manufacturer" (this is what Amazon.co.uk says when you look for it on their site). So they say "shot with Lumia smartphones" instead, and make you believe the 830 might be capable of this kind of footage. Sorry, it aint.