Here are some tips you should know about Nokia N8 camera:

Start N8 Camera Fast
You can start fast the camera application by pushing the shutter button.

Switch to 16:9 image capture
go to Options > Settings > Image Quality > Print 9M (large)

Disable N8 camera capture sound
Start camera, go to Options > Settings > Capture tone > Off

Set your own scene mode by default:
Select the wrench key from main camera app screen.
Select Scene Mode (upper left of the screen)
Select M (User Defined) > Edit
From there make your own settings, but don't forget to change "Set as default scene mode" to "Yes".

Other Nokia N8 camera tips:
Red Eye Reduction does not work that well, so you should disable it and fix the eyes in photoshop.
Sometimes the pictures needs more contrast. Set it from your manual scene mode.
CameraPro application is better than N8's default camera application