Droid Turbo Review. - Verizon Motorola Droid Turbo General

The phone has some slick features like the Moto voice services where you can wake up the phone with your custom voice command with the phone being up to 5ft away from you. It also detects when you are at home, work, in a car or sleep and automatically changes behavior of apps based on where you are. The home screen widget is nice too, it gives you up to the minute weather details and lets you know how soon it'll rain or snow down to the minute. The battery life is amazing, once you leave the house you never have to worry about using a charger for the rest of the day.
Now those are all great but the good ends there with me. The camera was subpar and all weekend I was out at events and parties and I wish I had my Note 3 with me to take pics. A lot of the pics came out blurry, the eyes on people where white devilish looking. The call quality sucked too, I had the volume as high as it can go and unless you are in a completely silent room you will have a hard time hearing. I went to the gym and had my beats headphones in and volume to the max and I could still hear the gym radio. There's no notification light on the front of the phone, this to me is a huge disappointment. I use the Lightflow app and i have a different color light for every notification and it comes in handy when you want to know what type of notification is awaiting for you without touching the phone.
I will be returning the phone this week and going back to using my Note 3 while I wait for the Nexus 6 or Galaxy Note Edge to come out.
Pros - Great battery life, premium metal feel, home screen widget, lock screen notifications look nice, Moto voice services.
Cons - Screen isn't too bright, low ear piece volume, low volume with headphones, poor camera, kind of slippery in hand, no notification light, no removable battery, no expandable memory.

Good review. I agree with all of it.

antjones21 said:
The phone has some slick features like the Moto voice services where you can wake up the phone with your custom voice command with the phone being up to 5ft away from you. It also detects when you are at home, work, in a car or sleep and automatically changes behavior of apps based on where you are. The home screen widget is nice too, it gives you up to the minute weather details and lets you know how soon it'll rain or snow down to the minute. The battery life is amazing, once you leave the house you never have to worry about using a charger for the rest of the day.
Now those are all great but the good ends there with me. The camera was subpar and all weekend I was out at events and parties and I wish I had my Note 3 with me to take pics. A lot of the pics came out blurry, the eyes on people where white devilish looking. The call quality sucked too, I had the volume as high as it can go and unless you are in a completely silent room you will have a hard time hearing. I went to the gym and had my beats headphones in and volume to the max and I could still hear the gym radio. There's no notification light on the front of the phone, this to me is a huge disappointment. I use the Lightflow app and i have a different color light for every notification and it comes in handy when you want to know what type of notification is awaiting for you without touching the phone.
I will be returning the phone this week and going back to using my Note 3 while I wait for the Nexus 6 or Galaxy Note Edge to come out.
Pros - Great battery life, premium metal feel, home screen widget, lock screen notifications look nice, Moto voice services.
Cons - Screen isn't too bright, low ear piece volume, low volume with headphones, poor camera, kind of slippery in hand, no notification light, no removable battery, no expandable memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure what your problems are with the camera... I have an S5 and Turbo tends to take better pictures in most situations by far, especially in low light. It's not the cameras fault that you can't hold it steady when taking a photo...
I think your only valid complaint would be the LED notifications. Which if you did any research at all before buying the device, you would of known before purchase it did not have. Everything else can and most likely will be addressed soon. The storage complaint is old, 32GB is fair & they offer 64GB at a competitive price that no one else is really matching.
Go have fun with TouchWiz & Samsung plastic I guess.

Go into settings, sound, and audio effects. Disable the equalizer. Everything will sound miles better.
Camera is kinda slow though, I'm with you on that.

Andromjb said:
Not sure what your problems are with the camera... I have an S5 and Turbo tends to take better pictures in most situations by far, especially in low light.
I think your only valid complaint would be the LED notification, which if you did any research at all before buying the device, you would of known before purchase. Everything else can and most likely will be fixed relatively soon.
Go have fun with TouchWiz I guess.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol wow, you act like my review was about you. I'm going to post a few pics and you tell me if they are great or not. I've seen other post where people had to tweak settings etc but my Note 3 took way better pics. Even when I use Snapchat the focus seems slow and delayed. It seems like you have to as still as a statue to take a good pic and that's not always an option. And as far as the notification light issue, I just figured that was standard. Even if I knew it wasn't there it's still a negative against the phone.

Here are some pics from my Note 3

antjones21 said:
Here are some pics from my Note 3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no offense but I don't think it's the camera...you're just bad at taking pictures

antjones21 said:
Lol wow, you act like my review was about you. I'm going to post a few pics and you tell me if they are great or not. I've seen other post where people had to tweak settings etc but my Note 3 took way better pics. Even when I use Snapchat the focus seems slow and delayed. It seems like you have to as still as a statue to take a good pic and that's not always an option. And as far as the notification light issue, I just figured that was standard. Even if I knew it wasn't there it's still a negative against the phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah. I just think a lot of the comments around here are quite silly towards this phone. It's like people went and purchased the phone without even doing any research and expected it to be better than anything on the market.
I agree, those pictures are quite bad. However, it's not purely because of the camera itself.
For one, you are using 15.5 MP 16:9 and not the full 21MP 4:3, which tends to produce a much better picture. Secondly, you are most likely just randomly snapping without even selecting a proper focus exposure. The pictures are blurry in most cases because of the low light situation, you probably have HDR enable for some reason and the fact you don't have a steady hand while taking the picture does not help. Third, I notice flash in most every shot, which on any smartphone will tend to produce a horrible picture.
You just point and shoot. So your pictures are bound to be bad.

tehmanmuffin said:
no offense but I don't think it's the camera...you're just bad at taking pictures
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny I knew that would be your comeback, but I had other people take pics when I wanted to be in the pic and they turned out bad. And when I take pics with my Note 3, people always say how they look great and even better than iPhone 5/5s.
The camera is slow on the Turbo and I'm not the only one to say that.

antjones21 said:
Funny I knew that would be your comeback, but I had other people take pics when I wanted to be in the pic and they turned out bad. And when I take pics with my Note 3, people always say how they look great and even better than iPhone 5/5s.
The camera is slow on the Turbo and I'm not the only one to say that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That wasn't even me, some random guy. But he is right regardless.
At least you have taste, nice Moto 360.
---------- Post added at 04:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:14 AM ----------
Reason I do not agree with you on the camera -- here are some of the shots I took day one
http://imgur.com/a/NMd58
http://imgur.com/a/MQK0o
Unfortunately I don't have any more I have taken yet due to work. But the camera is fine.
Also see the samples here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/awmaxham/sets/72157648649197199/

antjones21 said:
Funny I knew that would be your comeback, but I had other people take pics when I wanted to be in the pic and they turned out bad. And when I take pics with my Note 3, people always say how they look great and even better than iPhone 5/5s.
The camera is slow on the Turbo and I'm not the only one to say that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the note 3 and i kinda agree with you on the camera stuff... but I think your just too used to the really good quality camera on the note 3.

I completely agree with the OP, the Turbo produces mediocre pictures compared to other flagship phones. Landscape photos in particular lack detail.
FYI, taking photos in 16:9 format is what most people do, not everyone wants 4:3 photos.
Sent from my Droid Turbo

I'm actually pleased with the camera quality. Just not the shutter speed. It could be a tad faster.

geoff5093 said:
Landscape photos in particular lack detail.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Huh? Small Pic is cropped from larger. You can almost read the numbers on the gauge. That photo was taken yesterday through the glass on the doors which probably degraded the image slightly also.

There's like 5 guys (not the OP really, I think he's new) posting over all the forum about how "mediocre" everything about the Droid Turbo is, changed the tone to negative in this section. They know who they are. It's an exclusive device with a locked bootloader so it's a small part of XDA, 5 butthurt guys can make a lot of noise.

Jay Evans said:
Huh? Small Pic is cropped from larger. You can almost read the numbers on the gauge. That photo was taken yesterday through the glass on the doors which probably degraded the image slightly also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's what I'm talking about, close up photos seem to be great, it's really lacking in the distance area such as landscapes.
Just to show you where I'm coming from, this was my G3. I know it's not a fair comparison since they are different photos, but I've found the Turbo to really lack in the landscape photo department. Up close photos are great.

geoff5093 said:
Just to show you where I'm coming from, this was my G3. I know it's not a fair comparison since they are different photos, but I've found the Turbo to really lack in the landscape photo department. Up close photos are great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What you see there is because of very Low light situations. Low light means a slow stutter speed and any movement (trees or camera) will degrade the image dramatically. I can't really comment on Turbos performance in low light because I haven't tested it yet. But it's ability to capture fine detail is there.

I had sort of assumed that the Droid Turbo has active notifications like the Moto X. Is that not the case? It makes an LED redundant.

Jay Evans said:
What you see there is because of very Low light situations. Low light means a slow stutter speed and any movement (trees or camera) will degrade the image dramatically. I can't really comment on Turbos performance in low light because I haven't tested it yet. But it's ability to capture fine detail is there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm aware of that, here is another low-light scenario.
Turbo:
G3:

geoff5093 said:
I'm aware of that, here is another low-light scenario.
Turbo:
G3:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Um, ya. I personally think the Turbo took the better picture here. For instance, I can't even make out Toshiba on your G3 picture. Much more clear/crisp on the Turbo. Not to mention your G3 sample is fairly over exposed & extremely warm in color. But both pictures are relatively bad due to settings and hard to really use as a comparison. Unless you are comparing just a simple pull out of pocket point and shoot.
Your other shots (above) seem to just be point and shoot as well and not necessarily focus exposed or any effort really put into them (I could be wrong). You are also taking a lot of shots pointed/aimed in direct sunlight/sunset which will put out pretty poor quality pictures in general anyway.
Stop posting bad situations and try something that will actually yield a decent photo for comparison. The shots you are taking are really more aimed towards a more high end sensor.
In general you are expecting way too much out of a camera phone in most of your situations.
My 2¢

Related

Photos taken with HTC One from the top of Mount Elbrus

Hi guys, I would like to share some photos I took with my HTC One from the summit of Mount Elbrus.
Just a note tho, i was wearing ski goggles and the sun was extreme bright. So i couldn't really see the screen. It was mostly 'point and shoot' without the focusing part.
It was roughly -20 degrees at the summit, I was genuinely surprised when my beloved One was still functioning (my brother's iPhone died at the summit).
I did experience some difficulties taking some pictures while near the peak, I don't know if its from the cold (the battery was around 3 degrees Celsius) or everything was too white for the autofocus to work properly. sometimes it took roughly 10 seconds (from pressing the shutter to picture being saved) for the picture to be taken.
I would love to hear your guys opinion regarding the photos!
Another thing, The battery on the One is EXTREMELY resilient, I was able to run the GPS chip to do Geo-logging for over 12 hours and the battery was only down the 30% even in the extreme temperature!
General information about Mount Elbrus:
Highest mountain in the continental Europe, standing at 5642m above sea level.
nice!!
Wow. Nice pictures from a nice adventure. Thank you.
Skickat från min HTC One via Tapatalk 2
That's incredible! Thanks for sharing, and congrats on your climb!
Those look like some great pics to me..
Thanks for sharing them and the story behind it..
Very nice indeed the camera on this phone despite what some so call experts say is one of the best on a smartphone
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
These are really great pictures.
They remind me that the One has very coarse granulation of image adjustments. ie, trying to increase the exposure of a scene by the minimum increment will *drastically* increase the exposure.
In scenes like the ones in these pictures where there is a lot of snow, you generally want the snow to be a little whiter, less gray, so that the distant sky and forest will have a normal exposure. If the One allowed you to increase exposure *a little bit* , you could probably get the perfect balance of detail and realism. But I imagine if you set the camera to the smallest possible increase, ie " + 1 " , it would completely blow out all the lighter areas of the picture.
..at least with the initial versions of the camera software (ie system software 1.2x). They may improve this later I realize.
Of course at 5000+ meters you probably don't want to be playing around with the "image adjustments" menu anyway. So the default settings produced perfectly acceptable shots considering the conditions.
Gorgeous pictures. Congrats as well, amazing milestone.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
Someone should spread this story. A feel good story for the One.
-Sent from Marino's One-
Great story and great pics mate :thumbup:
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
Amazing pictures man.....great adventure...
The only thing is... its a pitty that there is so much noise in the bluesky in the pictures..
I hope htc will fix this...other wise great
Here's some more photo near the summit.
I don't understand why there is so much noise...
john291 said:
Amazing pictures man.....great adventure...
The only thing is... its a pitty that there is so much noise in the bluesky in the pictures..
I hope htc will fix this...other wise great
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was about to say, am I the only one that doesn't agree that theses are great pictures? It seems many judge pictures by the scenery but not the quality of the image.
Sure the subject matter and location are stunning, but the quality of the image is not really that good. My old sgs2 would have taken a better picture with more clarity and less noise. That phone is over two years old!
If I took a grainy, noisy picture of Kim karsashian in bed with Cheryl Cole people,would still be saying wow! Great image! What a great camera! The One sure has a good sensor!
No offence, I have the One, like the one, keeping the one, but I sure hope some image improvements are on the way.
I think it's certainly possible to find fault with the images.
But we have lots of other threads for stuff like that.
I'm willing to just accept this thread at face value: a guy took this phone to the top of a very high mountain and the phone's camera performed ably in this unusual environment. Nothing more nothing less.
I commend him for the report (as well as the journey itself!).
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
NxNW said:
I think it's certainly possible to find fault with the images.
But we have lots of other threads for stuff like that.
I'm willing to just accept this thread at face value: a guy took this phone to the top of a very high mountain and the phone's camera performed ably in this unusual environment. Nothing more nothing less.
I commend him for the report (as well as the journey itself!).
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly.... I've taken a number on top of mountains myself and whilst the One shoots ably, the fact is the photos once you actually zoom in lack detail. The grave stone in first pictures for example lacks detail, the text can not be read. Everything beyond normal focal range is overly soft and lacking details and suffer noise and artefacts. Or the fact in one of the photos of your climbing partners, if you zoom in you can't even make out details on their clothing or faces sadly.
As much as I love my One, the reality is for landscapes where much of clarity is in distant objects the 4mp on the one just isn't enough to capture the fine details.
Yes they look great on Facebook, twitter and posted on forums when viewed quickly, but when you load up the full image and actually examine it the faults are all to easy find.
In the scenario the OP took the picture, blue clear day - ultrapixel actually provided NO benefit as there was always enough light for the image to capture, but the lack of megapixels does hurt because with greater MP we would have been able to see so much more clarity in the photo, a clarity that would have done so much more justice to the breathtaking view on the summit than sadly the camera does capture.
Congrats OP on your climb / achievement - its great. But I think some folks are mixing up your 'great' achievement with 'great' photo. Sadly the photos are just fine.
g2525 said:
Hi guys, I would like to share some photos I took with my HTC One from the summit of Mount Elbrus.
Just a note tho, i was wearing ski goggles and the sun was extreme bright. So i couldn't really see the screen. It was mostly 'point and shoot' without the focusing part.
It was roughly -20 degrees at the summit, I was genuinely surprised when my beloved One was still functioning (my brother's iPhone died at the summit).
I did experience some difficulties taking some pictures while near the peak, I don't know if its from the cold (the battery was around 3 degrees Celsius) or everything was too white for the autofocus to work properly. sometimes it took roughly 10 seconds (from pressing the shutter to picture being saved) for the picture to be taken.
I would love to hear your guys opinion regarding the photos!
Another thing, The battery on the One is EXTREMELY resilient, I was able to run the GPS chip to do Geo-logging for over 12 hours and the battery was only down the 30% even in the extreme temperature!
General information about Mount Elbrus:
Highest mountain in the continental Europe, standing at 5642m above sea level.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome pics buddy! Beautiful view! Congrats on the climb
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
nookcoloruser said:
Exactly.... I've taken a number on top of mountains myself and whilst the One shoots ably, the fact is the photos once you actually zoom in lack detail. The grave stone in first pictures for example lacks detail, the text can not be read. Everything beyond normal focal range is overly soft and lacking details and suffer noise and artefacts. Or the fact in one of the photos of your climbing partners, if you zoom in you can't even make out details on their clothing or faces sadly.
As much as I love my One, the reality is for landscapes where much of clarity is in distant objects the 4mp on the one just isn't enough to capture the fine details.
Yes they look great on Facebook, twitter and posted on forums when viewed quickly, but when you load up the full image and actually examine it the faults are all to easy find.
In the scenario the OP took the picture, blue clear day - ultrapixel actually provided NO benefit as there was always enough light for the image to capture, but the lack of megapixels does hurt because with greater MP we would have been able to see so much more clarity in the photo, a clarity that would have done so much more justice to the breathtaking view on the summit than sadly the camera does capture.
Congrats OP on your climb / achievement - its great. But I think some folks are mixing up your 'great' achievement with 'great' photo. Sadly the photos are just fine.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes it's a basic fact the ultrapixel camera will never be useful if zoomed, for that get another device
otherwise its one of the best all rounder phone cameras, especially in low light
the only thing weird in these photos, considering how much sun is that the images are little under exposed, guess the phone was trying to counter the extreme light in auto mode
as for the battery looks like heat is a good contributor to drain in ordinary use
hamdir said:
the only thing weird in these photos, considering how much sun is that the images are little under exposed, guess the phone was trying to counter the extreme light in auto mode
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Was actually thinking the same thing. Setting must have been changed in camera for contrast / exposure because I've shot in similar circumstances and the HTC One will tend to over expose. It could also explain 'additional' noise in the image if settings like that have been changed in image adjustments.
I think HDR would have likely done a better job at balancing it out (which is what I tend to do myself) rather than leaving it on standard setting albeit with image settings adjusted....
Absolutely amazing! First of all congratulations on your milestone...a fantastic achievement!
Secondly...I would like to propose your post + pics for HTC One's top-achievement...ever (so far). Ridiculous really for a mobile phone to function at all at nearly 6 km height...plus taking some real quailty pics to boot :highfive:
mwatson said:
I was about to say, am I the only one that doesn't agree that theses are great pictures? It seems many judge pictures by the scenery but not the quality of the image.
Sure the subject matter and location are stunning, but the quality of the image is not really that good. My old sgs2 would have taken a better picture with more clarity and less noise. That phone is over two years old!
If I took a grainy, noisy picture of Kim karsashian in bed with Cheryl Cole people,would still be saying wow! Great image! What a great camera! The One sure has a good sensor!
No offence, I have the One, like the one, keeping the one, but I sure hope some image improvements are on the way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Would the SGS2 have taken better pictures in that extreme environment though?
Yes they are a bit noisy, yes the scenery is great, there is a tradeoff there but the real issue is the environment.

Why should I keep the Turbo?

I've been running into the usual problems, at least, I think. The camera is so slow - I'm coming from a Galaxy S3, and I actually use that phone around the house as a camera because of how much clearer the pictures come out (regardless of the number of megapixels...). The volume on calls is low. And today, using the speakerphone, I hear complaints of an echo immediately.
I'm honestly considering switching to an iPhone - just because the camera and battery life seem on par with this phone, or at least better than what I'm used to with the S3.
Lower the resolution if its an issue.
It takes quite speedy pics at 8mp, just like your s3.
As for battery life, no the iPhone isn't on par.
I've turned the size down on Google's camera, it's frustrating that you can't do it on the stock camera. It doesn't really change the speed for me, too. The speed of focus on the S3 was much, much faster, and that's what resulted in better pictures. Not the size of the picture, or the amount of pixels taken in. Plenty of threads in this forum say the same thing.
Then take it back.
You don't need us to convince you otherwise.
I've taken great pics with this camera. I am not one to subject myself to phones I dont like for the sake of a camera either.
Always buy a device for what it can do, not what it might do in the future. It sounds like there is a device you rather have. You should get it.
You're right. Just trying to see if anyone has had any luck with updates, or any other camera app, before I make the switch. I bought it in the holiday return period timeline, so I technically have until January 15th. I'm not super ready to leave android, but it might end up happening after 6 years.
Is what it is as the saying goes. If an iPhone will make you happier that's what you who should get.
This will provide you with no help at all. But I'm going to toss in one, lol at the iPhone battery being on par with the droid turbo. If camera is your number one thing though, I would suggest the iPhone. No one will deny it takes the best pictures. And if anybody does, there foolish. You can't crop them lol but for a point-and-click nobody does it better
have u try to clean cache ?
I just picked up the phone last night. Im used to the camera automatically focusing. Am I missing something here.
robmc826 said:
I just picked up the phone last night. Im used to the camera automatically focusing. Am I missing something here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does focus automatically, and the nice thing about it is that you can actually pick the object you want it to focus on by moving the shutter. It just takes 1-3 seconds to actually focus properly.
mikethecat said:
It does focus automatically, and the nice thing about it is that you can actually pick the object you want it to focus on by moving the shutter. It just takes 1-3 seconds to actually focus properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before you switch give this camera app a try. I've had better results with it. Lenovo Super Camera download version 3.6.7. @Demiurge7 has a good explanation of how the resolutions work here.
I'll try it out! Honestly, I really want to like this phone, but the camera is a huge dealbreaker for me. I really love so much else about it, but I'm coming from a phone that had a fantastic camera, even if the sensor isn't technically as high quality.
Because this is the best phone right now and with lollipop it will only get better.
Sent from my XT1254 using XDA Free mobile app
rhouse1983 said:
Because this is the best phone right now and with lollipop root it will only get better.
Sent from my XT1254 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is there a way to make the double-twist open a different camera app? That would be awesomesauce.
If you want a better camera and want to stay on Android (seriously, iOS will drive you nuts), then you might consider the LG G3. The G3 has a fantastic camera with super fast laser focus and OIS. My wife has a 5s and the G3 definitely takes a better pics - especially indoors. The unlockable bootloader is a nice perk too. Debloated and Xposed, it runs flawlessly. My only gripe is the rear power and volume buttons.

HTC One M9 Camera discussion (not for photo samples)

Albert Poon said:
May I ask you guys with M9 to take pics using manual mode? A tripod, phone holder, low ISO, long explosure to take some night views?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This was missing in the flickr album. Long exposure 1/4, 1/2 or 1s shots. And please use flickr so we can see exifs easily. board attachments and imgur strip exifs out. I notice the phonearena samples have no exifs in them at all.
Though i have to say i like this one. Just enough silhouette to set the mood.
ISO 80 and 1/40 WHAT!!! for late afternoon Seattle in winter. I can't tell if its HDR or not.
---------- Post added at 09:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:43 PM ----------
xxquicksh0txx said:
https://plus.google.com/10388377056...6126393456474303042&oid=103883770561517758752 Link to the beetle picture on his Google+ with a resolution of 1108 x 625. Definitely cropped/compressed
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Taken with VSCO cam, ISO 50, 1/268. So ample light.
Also used flash. Sharpness is set to soft.
A nice photo.
---------- Post added at 09:22 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:17 PM ----------
vegetaleb said:
Here a comparison of crop between M9 and Note 4 in not very low light conditions taken by the Tweakers review, you can clearly see the superiority of the Note 4 in the details like the logos of Goodyear and the wheel:
I know it's not final software but this M9 camera is giving the same results the SE C905 could give 6 years ago
M9
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
Note 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Note 4 is ISO 400, 1/10
M9 is ISO 640, 1/14
About half a f-stop difference.
What if the M9 tried to get that with ISO 300 ie ISO 200 +0.3 at 1/7 ? or go slower still ISO100+0.3 at 1/3 ? can't do these tricks with the note, slowest it will get is 1/8 and then its auto night mode kicks in which did not happen in this picture. S5 & note 4 have improved their low light capability over their predecessors in auto but i bet you can come close to matching it if not exceeding it with manual on m9.
Light in this shot is quite low btw.
th3 said:
This obsession is what makes every product better in every field, than its predecessor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That pair is not as important as you think it is and that applies for all with good light.
Where this 'trounces' occurs is in low light. I've already said what needs to be done.
Without this obsession, there can be no better or worse product, and you'll still be saying "good enough" to the HTC Desire camera
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
with macros yeah i would because there is no difference there. I've seen three year old devices do excellent macros. Hint: macros are not a good demonstration of what the latest camera can do.
The only real innovation we've had in sensors is BSI over the last two years. More sensitive in low light. You couldn't do that with 2013 devices, m7 was the sole exception. The rest is processing, how much of it or lack thereof.
On a more general level the trick with these devices is to know when to compromise and when to be maximalist. There is no perfect device so what you end up with is what you can tolerate over what you cannot do without. Every device has this trade off. Unfortunately you are alone with making this decision. Unless you are lucky to find others whose requirements match yours closely. Now do you see why i said minor. its minor in a larger context.
What you're saying... 'Moving the goalpost' it's called. Common trick.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no tricks. calling it straight.
i don't trust auto.That on some devices its always flawless is a myth. auto goes wrong even on dslrs. what will you do then ? blame the device or your own ignorance. better to understand why and what went wrong and then fix it. and you can.
What i'm sensing here is an unwillingness to do so. That is something else.
Your opinion is not supported by the data we all have.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That does not make what i said wrong. Its up to people here to provide that data. particularly low light with manual.
Its right because i've seen the same done with numerous devices already. This is how cameras work. They need light.
Give them that and you get a good shot. simple.
---------- Post added at 10:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:14 AM ----------
tryfound said:
No, your whole post is invalid. I'm testing AUTO, feel free to grace us all with your superior photography skills when you get your M9.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually i should have said your tests were pointless and it was a waste of my time to go through them. test the note 4 in low light with manual in m9 that's what you should have done.
I wanted to see manual being used in the low light. You've got no excuses when the camera provides it. If you can't do that then its your problem not the m9.
bad auto does not mean bad camera. bad auto will be fixed. The Z1 took 3 months to get it right. What did people do, the lamers whined whereas the rest got busy with manual and got good shots from day 1.
make up your mind or sell.
---------- Post added at 10:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:19 AM ----------
vegetaleb said:
At last a camera comparison between M9 and Note4 http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/HTC-One-M9-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-Note-4_id3963/page/3
In daylight the Note 4 is significantly better, the M9 will smudge
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Show me smudge in daylight, i want to see how much. actually link the shots.
In low light even resized to 640x480 the M9 is very blurry and smudgy, the Note 4 is millions years ahead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All the low light shots have the m9 using high iso in guess what auto. The reviewer did not even try manual and blurred one of the shots because he could not hold a 1/7.
Conclusion: unless you want to use your photos only from daylight situations and only resized to Facebook and other social medias (of course no crop at all) . you should consider the Note 4 as a very good choice of camera phone in every situations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you realise that to display on a HD device you only need 1MP or on a full HD it only takes 2MP. Anything more than that gets resampled.
You don't let facebook or anybody else resize it you do it yourself then upload wherever.
tryfound said:
You're so full of yourself. How dare I waste your precious time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look, you're not helping me, i'm helping you to help yourself as well as others in this thread.
Make up my mind or sell? Sell what? Some people here asked to see comparisons with the Note 4 and I gave them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And i'm pointing out why there were inadequate. They do not add anything above what reviews are saying.
I did not bother going through the imgur stuff since there are no exifs to see there. Assessing image quality let alone commenting without exifs is pointless.
To suggest that I should be tweaking manual settings on an M9 to achieve the quality of the Note 4's auto shots is beyond comprehension.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
auto shots are average x average, is this what people base their opinions on ?
manual means you take a test auto shot then see whether you can improve it in manual. That is how you will exceed what the reviews have shown and we get to see the best this camera can do. This is what any owner that wants to improve and exploit manual is going to do over time.
Why someone would not want to improve his shots is beyond my comprehension.
tryfound said:
Some more shots with the M9, large res then small res second. Had to use imgur because of filesize so these are compressed images, don't bother zooming for details, some of the higher res images I took have been reduced to a size smaller than the 'small' res images due to their original filesize, I guess that's imgur's way of compressing.
http://imgur.com/PeWfBMx
http://imgur.com/CNrpmW7
http://imgur.com/fOi00v3
http://imgur.com/dMQ1yXV
http://imgur.com/JmvdebB
http://imgur.com/MnF3Fue
http://imgur.com/2AtDjvr (HDR)
http://imgur.com/mP0g0aP (HDR)
http://imgur.com/NApwPvt
http://imgur.com/U8yHyuV
http://imgur.com/i04j8vr
http://imgur.com/1FPUAw7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just looked at images and they look really good. I am surprised M9 managed to capture that pristine detail I never seen before. White balance too looks so great not like previously green tint that was all over images.
One thing I am not able to find is camera data in adobe bridge and also colour space is untagged. That usually happens when photo being stripped of exif data. Have you by any chance gave some editing to them?
Thanks
I agree with a pack that camera should perform to the best on auto. If it doesn't , software has to be optimised if it's not then it's engineers faults Or hardware limitations.
it applies to the majority of the smartphone photographers . People want point and shoot.Even being enthusiast photographer and love digging my camera and phone camera I hate when auto underperforms when I simply want to take my phone out of the pocket and shoot.Every enthusiast can tweak but that defeats AUTO purpose .
There are average performers good and very good. Unfortunately M9 is not very good.Good ? Maybe....if light is favourable...at the moment it is consistently weak in certain situations. The usual wash out reminded me of the spill that when lets say camera lens gets in the studio shot or outside and for this purpose hood is used . This is one of the speculations I come up with. Somehow HTC phones consistently suffer from that. Could be they have same team of engineers that can't find the key to successful Software optimization or not so decent hardware just guessing here. Being visualphile that particular trade off with HTC devices just kills me.
nebulaoperator said:
I agree with a pack that camera should perform to the best on auto. If it doesn't , software has to be optimised if it's not then it's engineers faults Or hardware limitations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.
I've seen this issue with other devices. xperias camera software was never quite ready at launch. Lots of bashing. Took them a few months to get it right. Mostly auto. Then shots come out with lower ISO which you could have got yourself if you tried. Image quality is better now. why ? iso is lower. So if auto is taking high iso then low iso will get you a better shot.
So when people say camera is not working its auto. No other issues i can see so far. They will fix it but in the mean time if manual settings are tweaked you will get the results you want today. Most do not know how to do that or worse do not want to.
it applies to the majority of the smartphone photographers . People want point and shoot.Even being enthusiast photographer and love digging my camera and phone camera I hate when auto underperforms when I simply want to take my phone out of the pocket and shoot.Every enthusiast can tweak but that defeats AUTO purpose .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
General advice i give to people who cant take photos is go with the koreans or apple. if you want more then look at others.
First time i came across an iphone camera after seeing the usual controls in nokias and android was wtf do i do with this. Some shots can't be got with auto. when there is no access to manual then you are stuck. take it or leave it. its only a phone camera, you're not supposed to do anything more. Who said so ?
Many people take shots and figuring out who is at fault is a tricky business. Of course the tendency is to blame the device but the person taking the shot is the most responsible, always.
There are average performers good and very good. Unfortunately M9 is not very good.Good ? Maybe....if light is favourable...at the moment it is consistently weak in certain situations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Low light with auto. From what i've seen consistently boosts auto up. There are even night modes which to date i've not seen anybody even try. HELLO!
So auto is not picking these modes for some reason. Its a bug. But if you set it yourself then what is the result. Much better i bet.
The usual wash out reminded me of the spill that when lets say camera lens gets in the studio shot or outside and for this purpose hood is used .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A lens hood decreases lens flare and saturates colours. Take a shot in shade of a sunny area. If you're getting lens flare then its clearly user error. Not just with this device but with any. I would just use my hand out of camera to block some of the light or avoid unwanted reflections. Here is a good example
https://www.flickr.com/photos/palmsolo/sets/72157651089646798/with/16274675233/
cloudy day, massive light box in the sky. Colours are all rich. Which is best. i cannot tell
interestingly enough the low end devices suffer less from this problem because the sensors are not as sensitive. They can take good shots in awful bright light which would be washed out with more capable sensors. Not much use indoors though.
This is one of the speculations I come up with. Somehow HTC phones consistently suffer from that. Could be they have same team of engineers that can't find the key to successful Software optimization or not so decent hardware just guessing here. Being visualphile that particular trade off with HTC devices just kills me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The ones typically from what i've seen blow out the sky. They are a little more quirky in getting those blue skies. Overexposed. HDR is one way to do it but it can be tricked also. i remember this work around from the m8 forum where this guy pointed close to the sun to lock exposure and then recomposed back on the scene. The picture was remarkably better. You don't have to do this all the time only in certain situations.
Review on bunch of cameras.
Gizmodo: The Best Smartphone Camera: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edition. http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIw4ZO08yA
tryfound said:
Some more shots with the M9, large res then small res second. Had to use imgur because of filesize so these are compressed images, don't bother zooming for details, some of the higher res images I took have been reduced to a size smaller than the 'small' res images due to their original filesize, I guess that's imgur's way of compressing.
http://imgur.com/PeWfBMx
http://imgur.com/CNrpmW7
http://imgur.com/fOi00v3
http://imgur.com/dMQ1yXV
http://imgur.com/JmvdebB
http://imgur.com/MnF3Fue
http://imgur.com/2AtDjvr (HDR)
http://imgur.com/mP0g0aP (HDR)
http://imgur.com/NApwPvt
http://imgur.com/U8yHyuV
http://imgur.com/i04j8vr
http://imgur.com/1FPUAw7
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
jauhien said:
Some yesterday snaps here:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/we88grvt72bldy8/4PDA_REQUEST.zip?dl=0
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One Twelve said:
.
Disclaimer: I should learn how to use quotes.
I've seen this issue with other devices. xperias camera software was never quite ready at launch. Lots of bashing. Took them a few months to get it right. Mostly auto. Then shots come out with lower ISO which you could have got yourself if you tried. Image quality is better now. why ? iso is lower. So if auto is taking high iso then low iso will get you a better shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whether it's ISO OIS or else it does not stop camera to perform well. Take A look at Iphone 6 it works wonders. Low light is not on the par with M7 m8. The thing you have to understand , strongly camera orientated phone should not come with a sticker on the box " want a better image use manual"
[/QUOTE]So when people say camera is not working its auto. No other issues i can see so far. They will fix it but in the mean time if manual settings are tweaked you will get the results you want today. Most do not know how to do that or worse do not want to.[/QUOTE]
A lot people say because AUTO doesn't work. Why would I have buy "they will fix it" if I pay 500-600 GBP for a phone. It doesn't work like that. And in most cases software improved performance but only to a point .I own M7 and know it's weaknesses.And I don't want to use manual though I know my phone from inside to outside.
[/QUOTE]General advice i give to people who cant take photos is go with the koreans or apple. if you want more then look at others.
First time i came across an iphone camera after seeing the usual controls in nokias and android was wtf do i do with this. Some shots can't be got with auto. when there is no access to manual then you are stuck. take it or leave it. its only a phone camera, you're not supposed to do anything more. Who said so ?
Many people take shots and figuring out who is at fault is a tricky business. Of course the tendency is to blame the device but the person taking the shot is the most responsible, always.[/QUOTE]
I saw ifone users don't even know AE/AF lock exist till I showed. Iphone 6 has the simplest UI that can be invented I also call it Dummy proof. I think you can get an app to have access to tweaks option otherwise it's a bit limited to my taste. I can blame phone camera without long hesitation for two reasons: if hardware sucks or software or both. Then no amount of tweaks can help you. M7 is notorious for washouts, poor dynamic range. I found HDR was never a strong suite of M7 neither M8 or M9. However if you can tweak settings you might get away bringing images to photoshop. That's what I do. On the other hand only minority people are enthusiast like we are and the majority should be at least faulted for what smartphone manufacturer didn't do in the first place. If iphone , nokia, samsung(from 2014) proved there is a lot more that can be done with camera.
[/QUOTE]Low light with auto. From what i've seen consistently boosts auto up. There are even night modes which to date i've not seen anybody even try. HELLO!
So auto is not picking these modes for some reason. Its a bug. But if you set it yourself then what is the result. Much better i bet.[/QUOTE]
Low light was nevera weak spot for HTC One line(until now M9) it was cloudy weather condition with little contrast, also situation when I have half frame window in and the other half room. It would go into extremes overexpose the light in the window or underexposedarks barely visible. Sensor and software is not coping with dynamic range. I kind of like night mode but found it to slow in some situation due to the shutter speed so I just used normal mode it did great though. I wish I could try RAW mode but unfortunately I am selling my phone today ( Not sure if RAW will be brought to lollipop for M7)
[/QUOTE]A lens hood decreases lens flare and saturates colours. Take a shot in shade of a sunny area. If you're getting lens flare then its clearly user error. Not just with this device but with any. I would just use my hand out of camera to block some of the light or avoid unwanted reflections. Here is a good example
https://www.flickr.com/photos/palmsolo/sets/72157651089646798/with/16274675233/
cloudy day, massive light box in the sky. Colours are all rich. Which is best. i cannot tell
interestingly enough the low end devices suffer less from this problem because the sensors are not as sensitive. They can take good shots in awful bright light which would be washed out with more capable sensors. Not much use indoors though.[/QUOTE]
I worked with photographer who used hood for the headshots and it was game changer.
For instance Iphone6 is least prone to that error but most Android camera phones I came across are. I was surprised by Note 4 results and S6 I would never think they can do so well. So it must be bug or hardware or both as I mentioned earlier. Nice photos from M9 but WB is somehow a bit off sometimes on the blue side( couple of weeks before it was to yellow green Funny enough you are the first I came across that used hand to block the light I do that too. I guess we both come from the same/similar trade.
[/QUOTE]
The ones typically from what i've seen blow out the sky. They are a little more quirky in getting those blue skies. Overexposed. HDR is one way to do it but it can be tricked also. i remember this work around from the m8 forum where this guy pointed close to the sun to lock exposure and then recomposed back on the scene. The picture was remarkably better. You don't have to do this all the time only in certain situations.[/QUOTE]
AE/AF is a very handy tool. I am glad smartphones have this simple yet very effective feature.
Quadrider10 said:
Review on bunch of cameras.
Gizmodo: The Best Smartphone Camera: Samsung Galaxy S6 Edition. http://google.com/newsstand/s/CBIw4ZO08yA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't think the M9 looked bad. Need to use a computer instead of my note 4
Sent from a mobile gadget...
---------- Post added at 05:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:52 PM ----------
And guys, chill out. I don't think M9 will have the best camera, but it will hopefully be enough. What I'm worried about is the speed of the camera and SOT. I will probably buy it anyway because I love HTCs mix.
Sent from a mobile gadget...
You're not helping anyone mate. Pig with lipstick is still a pig. No matter how much spin you are putting on it.
Everything you are saying is your subjective opinion not backed by any reviewer or already debunked. No data at all.
I don't see any fruit in continuing this back and forth "I think" or "you can do this in software" discussion with you. I, and 99% of users, only care about how the product performs out of the box. A few may go further, with manual. That's it.
Lame apologist excuses don't hide that. If you can do x with M9, you can also do better with S6/iP6/N4 etc starting from a better base.
I'll have the M9 31st March. Then, we'll see.
One Twelve said:
Look, you're not helping me, i'm helping you to help yourself as well as others in this thread.
And i'm pointing out why there were inadequate. They do not add anything above what reviews are saying.
I did not bother going through the imgur stuff since there are no exifs to see there. Assessing image quality let alone commenting without exifs is pointless.
auto shots are average x average, is this what people base their opinions on ?
manual means you take a test auto shot then see whether you can improve it in manual. That is how you will exceed what the reviews have shown and we get to see the best this camera can do. This is what any owner that wants to improve and exploit manual is going to do over time.
Why someone would not want to improve his shots is beyond my comprehension.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One Twelve said:
That pair is not as important as you think it is and that applies for all with good light.
Where this 'trounces' occurs is in low light. I've already said what needs to be done.
with macros yeah i would because there is no difference there. I've seen three year old devices do excellent macros. Hint: macros are not a good demonstration of what the latest camera can do.
The only real innovation we've had in sensors is BSI over the last two years. More sensitive in low light. You couldn't do that with 2013 devices, m7 was the sole exception. The rest is processing, how much of it or lack thereof.
On a more general level the trick with these devices is to know when to compromise and when to be maximalist. There is no perfect device so what you end up with is what you can tolerate over what you cannot do without. Every device has this trade off. Unfortunately you are alone with making this decision. Unless you are lucky to find others whose requirements match yours closely. Now do you see why i said minor. its minor in a larger context.
no tricks. calling it straight.
i don't trust auto.That on some devices its always flawless is a myth. auto goes wrong even on dslrs. what will you do then ? blame the device or your own ignorance. better to understand why and what went wrong and then fix it. and you can.
What i'm sensing here is an unwillingness to do so. That is something else.
That does not make what i said wrong. Its up to people here to provide that data. particularly low light with manual.
Its right because i've seen the same done with numerous devices already. This is how cameras work. They need light.
Give them that and you get a good shot. simple.
---------- Post added at 10:19 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:14 AM ----------
actually i should have said your tests were pointless and it was a waste of my time to go through them. test the note 4 in low light with manual in m9 that's what you should have done.
I wanted to see manual being used in the low light. You've got no excuses when the camera provides it. If you can't do that then its your problem not the m9.
bad auto does not mean bad camera. bad auto will be fixed. The Z1 took 3 months to get it right. What did people do, the lamers whined whereas the rest got busy with manual and got good shots from day 1.
make up your mind or sell.
---------- Post added at 10:45 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:19 AM ----------
Show me smudge in daylight, i want to see how much. actually link the shots.
All the low light shots have the m9 using high iso in guess what auto. The reviewer did not even try manual and blurred one of the shots because he could not hold a 1/7.
Do you realise that to display on a HD device you only need 1MP or on a full HD it only takes 2MP. Anything more than that gets resampled.
You don't let facebook or anybody else resize it you do it yourself then upload wherever.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent using Tapatalk
th3 said:
You're not helping anyone mate. Pig with lipstick is still a pig. No matter how much spin you are putting on it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Went right to the end for the punchline
I'll have the M9 31st March. Then, we'll see.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hah so despite the s6 camera 'trouncing' the m9, you actually went in for what ? .....<drum roll>....the M9 <applause>
Confirms what i said earlier, the image quality differences weren't enough to deter you.
Lame apologist excuses don't hide that. If you can do x with M9, you can also do better with S6/iP6/N4 etc starting from a better base.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah so why didn't you get one of them then ? riiiiightt. Why the narrow obsessions with image quality somehow don't pan out in the end. Bigger forces at play.
With ip6+ and 3rd party camera with manual controls. you can improve over stock auto. With the same on the iP6 or even iP5x and a steady hand you can come close if not match the plus.
S6 & N4 or even the G3 don't offer shutter speed control so there is no way to tell how effective their OIS is, its just stated and i believe its there but no way to tell like say with the iP6+ that can do a 1/4 handheld. Night mode on the recent samsungs is good. Much improved over earlier versions. They boosting sensor gain and fiddling around. To get a similar shot would require an exposure two times longer with other devices including the m9. So you will have to work at it.
No idea when raw support will come for the above. But i bet you get it on the m9 before them. Your details issues will disappear at that point but you have to process each image yourself.
Everything you are saying is your subjective opinion not backed by any reviewer or already debunked. No data at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you do not understand that delaying shutter and lowering iso will improve image quality in low light ? This applies only with stationary subjects btw, forget doing it with people or anything that won't sit still.
Sop with any camera that allows manual control, i can show you manual lumia 930 vs note 4 where it gets pretty close and auto did not. When more people post later you'll see what i mean.
I'm most interested in the low light shots and rarely bother with daylight comparisons because they are pretty similar. In fact my problem with smartphone cameras is too much detail strange as that may sound. because it makes isolating subjects harder. Everything is so damn clear. Because its the equivalent of an f11 lens in 35mm speak. Depth of field is deeper. Great for macros but not others.
I don't see any fruit in continuing this back and forth "I think" or "you can do this in software" discussion with you. I, and 99% of users, only care about how the product performs out of the box. A few may go further, with manual. That's it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want better photos what i said works. 99% or not is meaningless. This is xda, do 99 % care about rooting, custom firmwares, or any number of hacks people share here ? So what 99% are you referring to and why do they matter. If anything i'm more interested in the 1%.
what i've said wrt to manual is no different. In fact its common knowledge to anyone who has a clue.
---------- Post added at 04:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:01 AM ----------
*Emix* said:
https://curved.de/news/galaxy-s6-one-m9-iphone-6-im-grossen-kameravergleich-236192
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why they didn't use iP6+ ?
1. night shots all soft because iso got boosted on m9. 2nd shot wrong wb for m9. 4th shot all have blown lights, cannot do this without blending.
2. again iso got boosted on m9. second selfie, because background is brighter so iso drops and looks normal.
3. is about where you set exposure.
4. macros are similar. contrast can be improved in post.
5. panoramas, heh all not to my liking because of cylindrical projection. no straight horizontals with such a wide fov.
6. food, can be improved in post or use manual. That ISO is maybe close to 600 try to get it at half.
curiousgeorge1893 said:
Not quite on topic but I've got an M8 coming, I'm ditching my Xperia Z2 for it, is that a good idea do you think?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What is it about the Z2 that you don't like ? You'd be trading fantastic video stabilisation for none.
The scene modes should help in low light if you use them right. However the lack of shutter control can be frustrating. A quick tweak can't be done. More trial & error.
I was put off by the 4MP camera as i admit I like to zoom and crop, however I like a phone that is good in lowlight.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What does 4MP do ? sharpens the mind. You have to think more carefully about what you want to get it right. If you want to zoom & crop then you need to be closer to your subject. if you can't do that then 4MP is out.
Also, I like a phone that offers manual controls and shutter speed, HTC phones are the only ones that do this plus a like a phone that has a good flash and takes photos quickly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
m8 is a fast shooter in auto. But this gap has been closed with the S6 and the S5 is fast too. Have you considered them ? No shutter control though. Given what they've done may or may not be that critical. These samsungs are primarily auto shooters. If they get what you want great, if not don't complain because you can't do much.
As for similar manual controls the hybrid zooms had them first and optical zoom is a plus. crop in camera not afterwards. K zoom or wait for the successor. Slower though. And apertures are smaller. 3.1 all the way to 6.3. Working OIS.
I was planning on getting a secondhand M9 later in the year but to be honest I am disappointed as I feel that HTC have go fowards then 2 steps backwards with the M9 camera. Whilst it's great it has a higher resolution, the f/2.0 aperature in the M7 and M8 is now f/2.2 on the M9, in my opinion it should have been f/2.0 or f/1.9, also lack of OIS is disappointing and it seems lowlight on the M9 isn't as good as the M8? Very disappointing if so.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The difference between f2.0 and 2.2 is a quarter a f-stop. That's like getting a shot at ISO 200 instead of 250. Or 1/50 instead of 1/40. Its insignficant as one or the other parameter will compensate anyway so not really as notable as reviewers make out.
However the m9 isn't as fast a camera as its predecessors.See the camera speed benchmark. Almost twice as slow as the m8. And the Z2 is faster than the m9. Does this matter ? only if you're rushed. And if you are you're not going to get very good shots to begin with. Is the choice no shot or passable. In that case look at an advanced compact with a 1 inch sensor. Much more light, faster lens and better quality. For the same money.
BoneXDA said:
I do notice the white balance shifting sometimes on the goldish side around sunlit areas, and the M9 tends to underexpose in such conditions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've noticed twice that it gets confused with halogen and neon lights, turning cream and red into green. With a yellow i can see how green can happen by wb adding blue, so just need to use a fluorescent wb or more. But cream into green is inexplicable for me. If its a bug then only a firmware update can fix it.
---------- Post added at 08:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:25 PM ----------
curiousgeorge1893 said:
I like the Z2 but not the post processing, it smudges details, I read on here that the Z3 does the same?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Whenever camera has to produce a jpg and do it fast it has to make a call between preserving detail (ie more noise) or smoothness (less noise). I've seen smudging happen with vegetation, it happens with all jpg outputting devices to varying degrees. To make larger features look good means smaller are going to appear less sharp. Must have the lowest ISO with a longer shutter that means anything that moves is out unless light is good or smudging gets worse.
Only way is raw but you have to process every image yourself, and its a much bigger file so it will be slower than 4mp jpg.
Compare these two from nexus 5. Jpg vs processed RAW. Pull the full resolution and pixel peep all you want.
The originals come from fv5 site.
You control what should be more in detail or not instead of some average one size fits all algorithm with an impossible task that is optimised for speed by trading off image quality. Image quality here isn't file size but a function of how much luminance and chroma noise is preserved or not.
That algorithm and its implementation is the source of lots of heated argument over which is the better camera. Silly really.
SPreston2001 said:
The whole camera comparison may be silly, but 90% of users just want to pick up the phone and snap good pics. Most users don't fiddle around with the camera settings or even know what they do for that matter lol. All they see are which photos look the best when they pick up their phone and take a pic. The M9 camera seems to be alot better than the M8s camera but it still tends to fall behind Apples and Samsungs imaging abilities.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then those people should stick with the brands mentioned. Those brands are for people with no interest in photography. WHAT took the shot is more important than WHO took it. That is the mindset auto everything encourages, what did the owner do, just press a button. Still I would not be surprised to find people even on those boards complaining about something or the other.
Where i'm coming from is what if you don't want those brands for whatever reasons. What then ?
You wait for firmware upgrades and you learn how to get better shots. What went wrong and how to get around it.
My attitude is you are stuck with this thing and you are going to have to make the best of it. Few months later you will find people here doing just that. A review can never match it.
One Twelve said:
Then those people should stick with the brands mentioned. Those brands are for people with no interest in photography. WHAT took the shot is more important than WHO took it. That is the mindset auto everything encourages, what did the owner do, just press a button. Still I would not be surprised to find people even on those boards complaining about something or the other.
Where i'm coming from is what if you don't want those brands for whatever reasons. What then ?
You wait for firmware upgrades and you learn how to get better shots. What went wrong and how to get around it.
My attitude is you are stuck with this thing and you are going to have to make the best of it. Few months later you will find people here doing just that. A review can never match it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So HTC phones are for people who have interest in photography?? Lol they usually have the worst cameras amongst flagship devices yet theyre for photography minded people?? You act as of HTC is the only manufacturer that has the ability to tweak the camera settings. Most "serious" photographers won't use a cellphone to take a pic. The whole idea of cell cams is to capture quick and beautiful everyday life pictures. The ability to tweak the settings is just a added bonus for those who want to get a little more serious with it.
But to each his own I guess. When it comes to cell cams I just wanna pull it, out take a pic, and expect it to look good. If tweaking the settings to get the perfect shot is for you then that's fine. But all I'm saying is those same things can be done with other manufacturers cams too.
gavinfabl said:
This is a photos thread. We need photos! The weather for another day is gales and heavy rain here, so ruined my planned day of shooting again. Using manual settings I have captured some good shots (but private photos of family). Lowering resolution down a fraction helps in lower light. Auto is OK but when I take control even with a single tweak the difference is noticeable. I've used the S6 and S6 Edge and compared it with my Note 4. The S6 has a good auto mode.
This is my S6 and S6 Edge camera shots , and vs Note 4 camera. http://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/03/19...sung-galaxy-s6-and-s6-edge-plus-camera-shots/
I will have more in depth analysis when it's stops raining .....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't say my experience with the s6 / edge was similar. On the camera front yes the camera is fast. But I found a huge issue with white balance and somewhat heavier than normal post processing (pretty evident when you look at the photos on a camera). The problem is even in pro mode, the camera still struggles with white balance. I am a white balance whore to be honest and when I see a camera struggle, I shudder.
Touchwiz lagged for me. Immensely. I kept flicking through the homescreen, not many widgets above the stock ones, and there were multiple times the device just locked up. Even after rebooting the device quite a few times, there was lag. Off topic, I watched the verge podcast recently and they also affirmed a lot of the lag I experienced with my model.
So far, I'm semi disappointed. The devices are light (like physically, I expected something much heavier). The GS6 felt boxy and somewhat sharper for my tastes while the Edge just "fit" in my hand like a really nice glove. I was stunned that the edge was the more interesting feeling device. Both devices are fingerprint magnets though almost to the point of being disgusting. After 10 minutes of handling, I was in awe with the amount of smudges and oil the back of the device accrued from general handling.
Handling is something that the Edge excels in for the most part. It feels "natural" to swipe at an edge point and get a hamburg menu from Google. And you do in GMAIL, Google Play, and a myriad of other areas. It just feels like touchwiz didn't necessarily provide too many gesture driven tasks that would really take benefit of the edge display. II mean sure you get the call context menus and the light up gimmick, but that's about it sadly. The shame of it all is that above that, the GS6 is a beautiful iphone 5-5s ripoff and the Edge is something of a quagmire begging for a developer to put it to good use. It can be obtrusive but not so much to the point it ruins the user experience.
Overall, I'm left somewhat underwhelmed with the devices. Sure, the screen is gorgeous with marvelous viewing angle fitting for a flagship. But it feels like the GS6 / edge is a iterative step in a unique and bold direction that didn't fully deliver.
Shame actually. Most people will love the GS6 / Edge. Me, I'll be forever disappoint
SPreston2001 said:
So HTC phones are for people who have interest in photography??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What purpose is there to provide manual controls then ? nokia started this btw.
Lol they usually have the worst cameras amongst flagship devices yet theyre for photography minded people??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its a mindset that comes naturally to those that are into photography. They are going to try a great deal more before throwing in the towel.
Very obvious when i see Jesse's photos. You make the shot not the camera. newbies whenever they see a nice photo always want to know what camera took the shot. The person, well he just clicked. How hard could it be. They like to hide behind their cameras. Often i see shots that are horribly taken and well it was the camera's fault.
HTC is a bad camera with people who cannot take a photo. I've never bought into the 4MP was bad. A full HD screen can only display 2MP anyway. if you're not zooming or need to then you're focus is on how nice the shot looks rather than whether you can count hairs on somebody's head. I've seen people post nice photos here. if you need to crop your photos then you ain't thinking about your shots or your use case exceeds what 4MP can provide.
You act as of HTC is the only manufacturer that has the ability to tweak the camera settings.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lets be clear on what manual settings i'm referring to here. Who else offers shutter speed control ?
apple only woke up to the fact in their latest OS. prior to which you could do squat cos um turtle neck deemed it unecessary. Nokia had them early and the cheapest lumias 635 ? do too. samsungs don't not even in their latest. neither does moto, or LG which went backwards with the G3 or Sony. The Chinese provide some more. So yeah HTC since the m8 was the only android offering on a fixed focal lens that offered shutter control. Makes it easy to fix things if you were so inclined. Samsung's galaxy camera is the only other that can claim to have had it first on android earlier and its a compact.
Most "serious" photographers won't use a cellphone to take a pic. The whole idea of cell cams is to capture quick and beautiful everyday life pictures. The ability to tweak the settings is just a added bonus for those who want to get a little more serious with it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A cam is a cam and you can learn photography with any cam and play more with one that allows manual settings. I don't have a DSLR because i've not got to the point where i need one. I take shots every day and i like to tweak them because auto cant get it right. Its very normal to have access if not always necessary. But i'd rather have them and not need them than the other way around.
If you drive a stick shift you won't enjoy driving a cruiser.
But to each his own I guess. When it comes to cell cams I just wanna pull it, out take a pic, and expect it to look good. If tweaking the settings to get the perfect shot is for you then that's fine. But all I'm saying is those same things can be done with other manufacturers cams too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I never expect it to look good, if it does then conditions were perfect and i was lucky, i will usually take a auto shot and if it fine leave it at that or try to tweak things about and take a couple more. I always try to take more than one. A phone is going to get thrown into so many varied situations that would challenge a pro. To expect to get it right in one take with a phone camera when pointing at anything you can think of isn't realistic.
nebulaoperator said:
Whether it's ISO OIS or else it does not stop camera to perform well. Take A look at Iphone 6 it works wonders. Low light is not on the par with M7 m8. The thing you have to understand , strongly camera orientated phone should not come with a sticker on the box " want a better image use manual"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A tweak here or there will always improve a shot. How many people know that. Then there is the question of will. if its there and you don't use it then its not the camera's fault. It is there for flexibility.
iphone 6 no, but 6+ will get shots at 1/4. Apple thinks slower than 1/12 is not feasible for iP6. To go slower than 1/4 have to use 3rd party soft to tweak things. iphone camera has always been capable but until ios8 there was no way to access camera parameters so low light was never good.
I saw ifone users don't even know AE/AF lock exist till I showed. Iphone 6 has the simplest UI that can be invented I also call it Dummy proof. I think you can get an app to have access to tweaks option otherwise it's a bit limited to my taste.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes its useful there is also a way to do some exposure comp but it changes metering to spot from average or whatever apple equivalent is. A review was comparing 6 & 6+ and saying photos looked better with 6+ until i saw the exifs and pointed out both were using different metering. So of course shots will look different.
With the latest ios you have much more options than before. Curious apple did a u turn there. But not stock just with 3rd party software.
A lot people say because AUTO doesn't work. Why would I have buy "they will fix it" if I pay 500-600 GBP for a phone. It doesn't work like that. And in most cases software improved performance but only to a point .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So wait for a few months then decide. As for firmware improvements. If you take a shot with firmware a at ISO 200 and compare with firmware b at ISO 200, there will be little difference.
What i mean is they can lower ISO for lower light shots so it does not boost it so high. This will improve auto some. But to go further it requires manual. Possible now, if somebody would try.
They can improve white balance with auto but it will get tricked some times so only up to a point.
I can blame phone camera without long hesitation for two reasons: if hardware sucks or software or both. Then no amount of tweaks can help you. M7 is notorious for washouts, poor dynamic range. I found HDR was never a strong suite of M7 neither M8 or M9. However if you can tweak settings you might get away bringing images to photoshop. That's what I do. On the other hand only minority people are enthusiast like we are and the majority should be at least faulted for what smartphone manufacturer didn't do in the first place. If iphone , nokia, samsung(from 2014) proved there is a lot more that can be done with camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They are trying to make it easy for the average person in the hope of selling more products. The traditional way is to learn how to use the product. I know the washouts you mean, blown skies etc. But once a person is aware of that you can improve it.
Low light was nevera weak spot for HTC One line(until now M9) it was cloudy weather condition with little contrast, also situation when I have half frame window in and the other half room. It would go into extremes overexpose the light in the window or underexposedarks barely visible. Sensor and software is not coping with dynamic range. I kind of like night mode but found it to slow in some situation due to the shutter speed so I just used normal mode it did great though. I wish I could try RAW mode but unfortunately I am selling my phone today ( Not sure if RAW will be brought to lollipop for M7)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what are you getting ?
freedcam can already output raw on m7 & m8 and by the looks of it m9 too. htc made this easy.
I worked with photographer who used hood for the headshots and it was game changer.
For instance Iphone6 is least prone to that error but most Android camera phones I came across are. I was surprised by Note 4 results and S6 I would never think they can do so well. So it must be bug or hardware or both as I mentioned earlier. Nice photos from M9 but WB is somehow a bit off sometimes on the blue side( couple of weeks before it was to yellow green Funny enough you are the first I came across that used hand to block the light I do that too. I guess we both come from the same/similar trade.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was an accidental discovery. I was taking shot of somebody outside the house from inside with a tab (!) and wondered why the clothes were so saturated.
There is something up with the m9's WB i can see from numerous photos. But nobody is trying manual to fix it.
Was looking at latest world press photo contest. Many with pro dslrs and i saw one person entered an iphone photo and its in the list of winners. Out of 95k entries !!! smartphone photo..Can you believe it
Lol this thread is very entertaining to say the least
twoeleven99 said:
Lol this thread is very entertaining to say the least
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So what's your take on the M9 pictures, if I may ask?
Sent using Tapatalk

Moving from Sony Xperia Z2/Z3 to Galaxy S6 - your feedback

Hi Boys and Girls!
It's been a while since I last posted on XDA, maybe since I have been very content of my Z2 which was ticking almost all of my requirements. This phone is ALMOST all I need - legendary battery life, good camera, waterproofness, stereo speakers and so much more.
I want to upgrade and S6 is one of the options - others being considered are Galaxy S6 Active, Xperia Z4 later this year.
I would like to hear opinions from those of you who made the switch and it would be great if you gave some comparison on the following:
- Camera quality,
- Screen quality (sun legibility),
- Speaker LOUDNESS,
- Battery life.
My biggest worry is battery life. I know that Z2 has almost 25% more battery capacity, but Samsung has more energy efficient elements so really curious how this looks from your personal experience.
Any feedback from you and examples (your usage Z2 vs usage on S6) would be really appreciated!
Do you regret and if yes/no - why?
Already have forum.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=3043183
Moved to S6 from which device & why
Read forum rules and do use search..
Sent from my SM-G900F using XDA Free mobile app
That topic is garbage, not only opinions but much off topic.
I am targeting this to more specific user group so no, don't think I have violated any rules and I have done search...
valdigre said:
That topic is garbage, not only opinions but much off topic.
I am targeting this to more specific user group so no, don't think I have violated any rules and I have done search...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree.
I had a Z2 then went to a Z3 C and then to a OPO and then to a SGS 6.
I much prefer the SGS 6 over any of the other devices.
For the sake of this topic I will compare it directly to the Z3C.
- Camera quality
SGS 6 hands down kicks the arse off of the Z3 C.. I believe the sensor on the Z3 is capable of competing with the SGS 6 but the processing done on the SGS 6 is unbelievably gorgeous, plus the 1.9 aperture really REALLY helps it out a lot. Oh and the pink spot issue was ridiculously bad as well.
Best camera in a mobile device. Simply as that.
- Screen quality (sun legibility)
Never had any dramas with the Z3 C in this regard, but the SGS 6 is marvellous in sunlight.. The Super AMOLED screen simply cannot be beaten in any way shape or form.
- Speaker LOUDNESS
Plenty loud enough, when I first got it and copied some music across I started listening to it (couple slider notches from maximum) and it was heaps loud enough while sitting at my desk. My ringtone volume and message tone sits at 3 notches from maximum and I can easily hear it across the house. Even while using my electric shaver! Plus the sound quality is spectacular.. By far the best I have ever heard on a mobile. HTC can bite it.
- Battery life.
The only point of the SGS 6 that isn't spectacular.
Medium usage it will last a full day easily enough, in fact I'd say the only time you'd have trouble with the battery not lasting a full day is if you were heavily gaming all day.
It really is not bad at all. It will easily get you a full day and two days light usage and Coming from an OPO that is a pretty strong opinion.
To be honest, I've owned an arse load of devices and have used/tested so many I can't even remember half of them and this device blows them all out of the water, it has every good quality you could possibly want from a device. The lack of removable storage I don't care about (OTG EXISTS PEOPLE!! AND ITS FASTER AND CHEAPER THAN MICROSD!!!) the lack of battery I don't care about, it's plenty enough for me. Buy a portable battery pack if you're paranoid or need to be out of electric power point range for a week.
I went off Samsung because I didn't like the whole plastic casing design choice, and I am glad to say I am back on the bandwagon with this beautiful device
By the way.. The Xperia devices are significantly let down by the lack of hardware buttons. Really pisses me off having such a nice large screen and having a chunk of that taken away with terrible soft keys.
I currently have a Z2, and I am almost certainly going to jump to the S6. Probably solely for the camera. The Z2 never really seemed to fulfill it's potential camera-wise. It takes aaaaaages for the thing to focus - a toddler will only sit still for so long!. The video is also a bit disappointing on it - it's a bit too mushy (not sharp enough) even in good light. The software stabillisation really helps eliminate handshake for videos, but again, it adds to the mushyness of the image.
Although, really well made, it's also a bit too blocky. I think the S6 looks about the right size and shape.
I will miss the battery though, which is fantastic - I still can't believe sometimes how much juice is left at the end of the day.
le_lutin said:
I currently have a Z2, and I am almost certainly going to jump to the S6. Probably solely for the camera. The Z2 never really seemed to fulfill it's potential camera-wise. It takes aaaaaages for the thing to focus - a toddler will only sit still for so long!. The video is also a bit disappointing on it - it's a bit too mushy (not sharp enough) even in good light. The software stabillisation really helps eliminate handshake for videos, but again, it adds to the mushyness of the image.
Although, really well made, it's also a bit too blocky. I think the S6 looks about the right size and shape.
I will miss the battery though, which is fantastic - I still can't believe sometimes how much juice is left at the end of the day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha yeah the blockiness was absurd! Forgot about that!
It was like carrying a thin brick in your pocket.
Now this is what I am talking about!
Thanks people and keep it comming!
Batter life worries me. If you get a full day of medium usage and end up with <10% battery life then in the long term, this will not be good for the battery... This stops me from going for it... Still thinking
Stevles said:
Haha yeah the blockiness was absurd! Forgot about that!
It was like carrying a thin brick in your pocket.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Stevles,
Do you have any feel for how it captures images of people in less than ideal light? I'm thinking specifically about taking photos of my kids indoors.
I remember I had a G2 a while back and it was TERRIBLE at this. Because it had OIS, the camera would always keep the shutter open way too long to let more light in. The downside of this is of course that any movement resulted in a blurry mess. Z2 is better at this, but still not very good.
le_lutin said:
Stevles,
Do you have any feel for how it captures images of people in less than ideal light? I'm thinking specifically about taking photos of my kids indoors.
I remember I had a G2 a while back and it was TERRIBLE at this. Because it had OIS, the camera would always keep the shutter open way too long to let more light in. The downside of this is of course that any movement resulted in a blurry mess. Z2 is better at this, but still not very good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah the shutter speed goes to around 1/10 in low-light. Highly recommended to switch to "pro" and manually adjust the shutter speed to around 1/30 - 1/50 while keeping the rest of the "pro" settings on auto to account for it automatically. It will result in slightly noisier pictures but at least they won't be fully blurry like auto mode provides in fast-pace low-light situations.
Ultimately, best bet would be to either a) use flash b) pro mode with manual shutter speed c) Sony A7S (current low-light king MILC costing around $2600AUD)
With the SGS6 it will let you either use tracking focus OR Optical image stabilization, not both at the same time. Although I'm pretty sure that only effects the video taking, not 100% sure.
I'm sure you'll work something out
I think anyone coming from a z3c will be massively spoiled by its battery life. Its a freak. My s6 battery is average tbh but it's super fast and the camera is awesome. Sammy cam and picture software is really on point here
Stevles said:
Yeah the shutter speed goes to around 1/10 in low-light. Highly recommended to switch to "pro" and manually adjust the shutter speed to around 1/30 - 1/50 while keeping the rest of the "pro" settings on auto to account for it automatically. It will result in slightly noisier pictures but at least they won't be fully blurry like auto mode provides in fast-pace low-light situations.
Ultimately, best bet would be to either a) use flash b) pro mode with manual shutter speed c) Sony A7S (current low-light king MILC costing around $2600AUD)
With the SGS6 it will let you either use tracking focus OR Optical image stabilization, not both at the same time. Although I'm pretty sure that only effects the video taking, not 100% sure.
I'm sure you'll work something out
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The s6 has two types of stabilisation: OIS which is mechanical and you can't turn off. This used for photo and video. The second is EIS (electronic image stabilisation) which is software stabilisation and can be turned off. This is only for video. Both can be used together for video. EIS is type is the one that can't be used with tracking focus, but the camera is still using OIS (as it isn't something you can switch off).
Apologies if you knew all this already.
le_lutin said:
The s6 has two types of stabilisation: OIS which is mechanical and you can't turn off. This used for photo and video. The second is EIS (electronic image stabilisation) which is software stabilisation and can be turned off. This is only for video. Both can be used together for video. EIS is type is the one that can't be used with tracking focus, but the camera is still using OIS (as it isn't something you can switch off).
Apologies if you knew all this already.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah that makes sense, thanks. Knew there was something a bit "this sounds wrong" about my post lol
I owned z3 since its release although sold it two moth ago and got s6 last week. I can say this, s6 is vastly superior in every aspect except the battery life. You can really tweak z3 setting and that battery would last two days easy.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I mostly agree with everything that was already said. Battery life is far from equivalent to the z3c. Also I should mention size and one hand usability in favor of the Sony. Also another missed function that Samsung just doesnt want to implement is Tap to unlock the screen. I dont really use the photos on the laptop screen, so from a small screen point of view I sometimes liked the photos of the z3c more that those of the S6. Colors combinations and the final result was more eye pleasant for me on the z3c (many times). Sure S6 has a great overall camera.
Lack of microsd is annoying, but I solved it with OTG.
I still have both because I cracked the screen on the Z3 and I won't sell it until I get it repaired. But my opinion pretty much reflects what everyone else said.
The S6 does pretty much everything better except for battery life.
I love the fingerprint scanner. Way easier than having to use lock pattern or password.
I tested the speaker with the same youtube video and the S6 was actually louder. But the Z3 sounds better when you're watching something that pans from left or right.
Interesting, z3 louder than S6?
My z2 seems very quiet in comparison to other phones. My gf's 2013 motto g seems louder on 50 percent than z2 on 90 percent... No comparison with z3, maybe they actually made it louder.
I am also really tempted to wait on z4 but I have this bad feeling that nothing will change in terms of camera software and screen... Also worried about overheating snapdragon.
I guess z4 will not beat s6 in those regards and as you said, s6 is better in everything but battery...
If I only knew when S6 active is released and will it have better battery and same screen and camera...
Was just going through some videos I took recently with my Z2 and remembered another issue: the autofocus during video capture is diabolical. It's either out of focus or constantly going in and out of focus. It really affects the watchability of the recorded videos.
le_lutin said:
Was just going through some videos I took recently with my Z2 and remembered another issue: the autofocus during video capture is diabolical. It's either out of focus or constantly going in and out of focus. It really affects the watchability of the recorded videos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good point. I noticed this as well, especially in worse lighting.
I've only owned my S6 for about 8 hours, but compared to my Z3,it blows it out the water. The only thing I preferred on the Z3 is the mostly stock Android UI, and the battery life. The camera on the s6 is crazy good. When you take a picture of say a cat or a dog, the amount of detail it picks up is amazing. My Z3 took some really nice pictures when the lighting was nice and sunny, but it was very inconsistent. The S6 is better in every condition by far. .
Display wise, the Z3 has a very bluish white balance, while the S6 is warmer. I haven't directly compared brightness yet but they both get bright enough in direct sunlight. The S6 kills it when it comes to resolution, and also them gorgeous deep blacks. The S6 display is easily the best display on any smartphone that I've ever seen. But that's not to say the Z3 has a bad display, it just isn't as good when directly compared.
Build quality, I would say they're both really nice, and I'm hesitant to give the win to either of them.
Ergonomics go to the S6. It's a smaller size, and just feels better in the hand as opposed to the square shape of the Z3. They're both quite slippery though.
Performance goes to the S6,but not by much. My Z3 was no slouch, and never lagged, but the S6 does seem faster by a little, and the animations are smoother more often.
Overall I would say the S6 is definitely the better phone. But if battery life is very important to you, and you really do prefer stock android to Touchwiz, then the Z3 is the better option. Honestly though, they're both awesome phones, and the only massive difference is the camera, and the S6 is noticeably better.
I came from an Xperia Z2 and the camera on this S6 is 1000x better. The focusing is fast and the pictures are sharp even in low light. The slow focusing speed on my Z2 drove me insane...

Lgg6! Is it worth buying?

Hi guys!
I've owned g2, 3, 4, 5 and v10 and 20.
I really like lg phones but I got a bit disappointed on my g5.
Has anyone bought g6 and if you did what's your first impressions on the phone?
Camera, battery life etc..
Thank you!
I've had mine since Wed night and so far, I really like it. The deciding factor for me was the promotions with the purchase through Sprint, which included a Google Home and 49" 1080p TV and the placement of the finger print reader. I previously had S7 Edge and I think I liked the bright colors and true blacks on the S7 screen more, but the G6 screen is by no means a disappointment. The colors are more accurate than the AMOLED screens and it is really clear plus the finger print reader works WAY better than the S7 did and it's quick. The G6 feels solid and it's easy to hold. I feel the speaker is decent but not great. As for battery life, it's too hard to tell at this point because "doze" learns behavior and usually takes a few days to really optimize battery life, but out of the box I would say decent so far, considering I'm on it all the time LOL. I also feel the camera is better than the S7 and I'm going to really get use out of the wide-angle lens. I do not regret the choice at this point. I've had LG "G" series phones in the past and feel it's the best one by far. I prefer Google Assistant over Bixby since it's has the google knowledge base behind it and it already works with so many other smart home devices.
If you are all about specs, then S8 is probably the way to go because it's got the new generation processor.
That's really helpful thanks!
I don't mind specs. I'm currently on xiaomi mi max and just figured out that specs mean nothing!
I really prefer lg's camera over samsung's and I'm glad to know its good.
I've read some reviews saying that the camera is a disappointment over the past cameras and I got a bit worried!
24pavk said:
That's really helpful thanks!
I don't mind specs. I'm currently on xiaomi mi max and just figured out that specs mean nothing!
I really prefer lg's camera over samsung's and I'm glad to know its good.
I've read some reviews saying that the camera is a disappointment over the past cameras and I got a bit worried!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In low light the camera struggles. Any motion in the image turns into a blur. The shutter speed is entirely to slow in low light but theres hope an update is coming soon. Other than that the phone is incredible. Battery has been amazing. 6 1/2 hours screen on time every single day.
wingzfan said:
In low light the camera struggles. Any motion in the image turns into a blur. The shutter speed is entirely to slow in low light but theres hope an update is coming soon. Other than that the phone is incredible. Battery has been amazing. 6 1/2 hours screen on time every single day.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow if you're getting 6 hours screen on time its impressive!
Specially for an lg phone.
I don't mind low light photos that much..
I mean we mostly use that aspect just for testing our cameras out.
24pavk said:
Wow if you're getting 6 hours screen on time its impressive!
Specially for an lg phone.
I don't mind low light photos that much..
I mean we mostly use that aspect just for testing our cameras out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree about the low light. In normal use the camera is outstanding and wide angle is so useful. I'm seeing others getting 7 hours SOT which is remarkable for a 3300 battery. I haven't really turned anything off on mine as far as settings go so for me 6 1/2 is way more than I expected.
Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk
wingzfan said:
Totally agree about the low light. In normal use the camera is outstanding and wide angle is so useful. I'm seeing others getting 7 hours SOT which is remarkable for a 3300 battery. I haven't really turns anything off on mine as far as settings go so for me 6 1/2 is way more than I expected.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice to know man!
Sounds like it Worth's it.
Hows the LCD display?
24pavk said:
Nice to know man!
Sounds like it Worth's it.
Hows the LCD display?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks great. Its something like 561dpi if I remember correctly. Extremely crisp and great color. Dims a little lower on auto than I'm used to but plenty bright enough.
Sent from my LG-H872 using Tapatalk
wingzfan said:
Looks great. Its something like 561dpi if I remember correctly. Extremely crisp and great color. Dims a little lower on auto than I'm used to but plenty bright enough.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really good to hear! I don't use auto b at all anyway!
24pavk said:
That's really helpful thanks!
I don't mind specs. I'm currently on xiaomi mi max and just figured out that specs mean nothing!
I really prefer lg's camera over samsung's and I'm glad to know its good.
I've read some reviews saying that the camera is a disappointment over the past cameras and I got a bit worried!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HI There! Just wanted to share my experience so far. I'm coming from an S7 and have used LG phones in the past. The user experience in general has been great. I love the screen, love the feel in the hand and I really enjoy software experience too.
BUT - The camera is not good. I have a little boy, so I literally take about 20 photos a day - So far this camera has been really disappointing. For this reason I will sell the phone and get something else.
I also received a really weird error / phone warning earlier today, which is actually detailed here if you wanted to take a look: http://g.co/ABH
edit: sorry I didn't explain why I don't love the camera. Colours look pretty good, however there is a massive issue with focus. Even just the slightest movement causes the picture to blur. This is very noticeable with the wide angle lens, which obviously doesn't have OIS, however this issue is still present with the primary shooter. If i didnt rely on the camera so much, I'd really love this phone. However I'd rather have a phone that i didn't love, for the sake of good photos.
franki_667 said:
I also received a really weird error / phone warning earlier today, which is actually detailed here if you wanted to take a look: http://g.co/ABH
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's weird I've never seen seen that before.
Man, I don't know what to think. On one hand I really want to get this phone as I held the S8 and BB and really don't like the fingerprint sensor location or curved screen. Those SOT reports some of you have is amazing! On my S6 I'm lucky to get 2hrs! So mostly I want the G6 because of a beefy battery, flat screen, and better camera (the OIS has been wonky in my S6 since early in it's life...I have to shake/smack the phone to get it to kick in and actually focus). But this motion blur has me a bit wary. I guess every phone choice is a compromise of some sort or another.
I can also confirm that the camera has issues with low light and movement. I've got a 2 year old, and virtually every shot of her is blurry unless I take it in full daylight. I upgraded from the LG G4, and I never had such a hard time getting a focused picture of her before. (For example, I had to take 20 pictures of her on a swing set to get 1 in focus.. shutter speed was reporting at 1/120. My G4 NEVER had an issue where her entire body was blurry and usually anything over 1/60th came out clean). Low light is also somewhat relative. I have a lot of issues indoors and at dusk, neither of which I would ordinarily consider low light situations and both of which my G4 handled better. I've been playing around with manual mode and have found that I can usually get a clean picture in low light and with movement there, so I'm mostly confident it's a software issue that can be corrected (though I understand the V20 has similar issues and is now out 6 months without a software fix....)
Overall I still love the phone and the wide angle is AMAZING when it is bright outside, so I'm just relying on my wife's S7 to handle the low light and fast motion pictures for now. If you don't have a second camera option though, I might be hesitant to buy the G6 until more testing is done and a solution is found to the blurry issue.
I had G6 for few days and i wasnt totally happy with it first but its coming around and few changes in settings are making it feel more snappy.
First thing, the phone feels great in hand and screen is top notch. Coming from LG G3, phone feels smaller and easier to hold. Also, i really like the notification and ringer sounds from LG.
Out of the box, G6 didnt feel any faster than LG G3 at first but few settings in debug option(turned off animation) and battery optimization ignore options, its feels like a new phone.
I'll have to see how much battery usage will suffer from these changes but it looks like LG G6 is in battery optimization mode as default. I've turned on "ignore battery save optimization" for chrome and camera, and other apps i normally use everyday. I can notice ES file explorer opening faster and camera auto zoom reacting slightly faster now.
Not worth it
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
yeah I can concur with the bad camera, just recieved my G6 from ATT today, and it only lasted 3 hours, I have been using a IPhone 7 plus for almost for week after not using IOS for 6 years and I loved the feel and the screen but the rear camera and the front camera suck, the Note 5 I had took better pics and selfies by huge margin, so I had to take the G6 back, if it took the pics like my old note 5 did I would have kept it, but I take lot of pics and i want something that takes crisp pics, so maybe S8 might be in my future :good:
franki_667 said:
HI There! Just wanted to share my experience so far. I'm coming from an S7 and have used LG phones in the past. The user experience in general has been great. I love the screen, love the feel in the hand and I really enjoy software experience too.
BUT - The camera is not good. I have a little boy, so I literally take about 20 photos a day - So far this camera has been really disappointing. For this reason I will sell the phone and get something else.
I also received a really weird error / phone warning earlier today, which is actually detailed here if you wanted to take a look: http://g.co/ABH
edit: sorry I didn't explain why I don't love the camera. Colours look pretty good, however there is a massive issue with focus. Even just the slightest movement causes the picture to blur. This is very noticeable with the wide angle lens, which obviously doesn't have OIS, however this issue is still present with the primary shooter. If i didnt rely on the camera so much, I'd really love this phone. However I'd rather have a phone that i didn't love, for the sake of good photos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2003vstrom said:
yeah I can concur with the bad camera, just recieved my G6 from ATT today, and it only lasted 3 hours, I have been using a IPhone 7 plus for almost for week after not using IOS for 6 years and I loved the feel and the screen but the rear camera and the front camera suck, the Note 5 I had took better pics and selfies by huge margin, so I had to take the G6 back, if it took the pics like my old note 5 did I would have kept it, but I take lot of pics and i want something that takes crisp pics, so maybe S8 might be in my future :good:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
franki_667 said:
HI There! Just wanted to share my experience so far. I'm coming from an S7 and have used LG phones in the past. The user experience in general has been great. I love the screen, love the feel in the hand and I really enjoy software experience too.
BUT - The camera is not good. I have a little boy, so I literally take about 20 photos a day - So far this camera has been really disappointing. For this reason I will sell the phone and get something else.
I also received a really weird error / phone warning earlier today, which is actually detailed here if you wanted to take a look: http://g.co/ABH
edit: sorry I didn't explain why I don't love the camera. Colours look pretty good, however there is a massive issue with focus. Even just the slightest movement causes the picture to blur. This is very noticeable with the wide angle lens, which obviously doesn't have OIS, however this issue is still present with the primary shooter. If i didnt rely on the camera so much, I'd really love this phone. However I'd rather have a phone that i didn't love, for the sake of good photos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is software update scheduled for April 7th -Tmobile. Hopefully some of the camera issues will be addressed.
My V20 didn't take blurry or grainy pictures. I don't know.... I really like this phone but pictures are really important to my wife and I. I don't want to be forced to live in the "your pictures suck!" category.
echto said:
There is software update scheduled for April 7th -Tmobile. Hopefully some of the camera issues will be addressed.
My V20 didn't take blurry or grainy pictures. I don't know.... I really like this phone but pictures are really important to my wife and I. I don't want to be forced to live in the "your pictures suck!" category.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I Had the v10 and v20 before too, and I can`t believe LG would send a flagship out to market and have so many complaint about the camera, I`m with you..... the V20 took a lot better pics.
So I guess, the software update did not fix the blur issue.
The blurry pictures aren't a software issue. The main problem I see is that LG removed laser auto-focus from the G6, so technically the G5/V20 cameras are vastly superior when it comes to focusing on objects (especially when considering macro images). Also, LG chose to over-saturate colors resulting in less color-accurate images, not to mention lower sensor size = lower detail images (16/20MP G5&V20 vs 12MP G6). Downgraded cameras aside, the only other big gripes I have with the G6 are no removable battery and that they removed the IR blaster and notification LED. Having the older SOC isn't so bad these days as the SD82x series is still very fast. If I didn't already own the G5 (which I am very happy with for the most part) I might consider the G6, but probably would opt to wait for the V30 instead if it wasn't an urgent situation.

Categories

Resources