Best "Camera Phone" running Android?

[zr2s10]

I'm really liking the Nokia 1020, but just for the camera. And even the newer Lumia phones with lower MP counts look incredible for photography. I had WP7 before my GS3, and liked it, but really prefer Android for having more customization options. Is there anything out there with a camera that even comes close to the 1020? I don't need insane resolution, but low light quality is big for me. Too often, a poorly lit pic gets these horrid lines through it, and sometimes the flash washes things out. I've had to delete a lot of pics of my son, that would've been great to have, but the quality is so bad. Most of the time, my pics are pretty good. I guess low-light is my big concern, and "loss-less" zoom. It's not like I keep the house pitch-black, but I'm also not running flood lights all over, lol.

Just to head this off: I'm not interested in buying one of those clip on lenses that Sony has. I can't leave that thing on my phone, and keep it in my pocket. And if I'm going to have to carry something else around, it might as well be a complete digital camera. So that's out.

 

[UJ95x]

I'm really liking the Nokia 1020, but just for the camera. And even the newer Lumia phones with lower MP counts look incredible for photography. I had WP7 before my GS3, and liked it, but really prefer Android for having more customization options. Is there anything out there with a camera that even comes close to the 1020? I don't need insane resolution, but low light quality is big for me. Too often, a poorly lit pic gets these horrid lines through it, and sometimes the flash washes things out. I've had to delete a lot of pics of my son, that would've been great to have, but the quality is so bad. Most of the time, my pics are pretty good. I guess low-light is my big concern, and "loss-less" zoom. It's not like I keep the house pitch-black, but I'm also not running flood lights all over, lol.

Just to head this off: I'm not interested in buying one of those clip on lenses that Sony has. I can't leave that thing on my phone, and keep it in my pocket. And if I'm going to have to carry something else around, it might as well be a complete digital camera. So that's out.

Nothing currently available comes close to the Lumia 1020. The Xperia Z2 and the S5 might be better, so we'll have to wait and see how the cameras perform.
Of what is available, the HTC One is probably the best for low-light. While the Note 3 is the best for well lit conditions

Sent from my Galaxy S4 running SlimKat 4.4.2

 

[JeffDenver]

I'm really liking the Nokia 1020, but just for the camera. And even the newer Lumia phones with lower MP counts look incredible for photography. I had WP7 before my GS3, and liked it, but really prefer Android for having more customization options. Is there anything out there with a camera that even comes close to the 1020?

No. Not even close.

The G2 probably has the best camera overall at the moment among android phones.

I don't need insane resolution, but low light quality is big for me.

Exactly. That leaves out most Android phones. The Note3 has awful lowlight. The S4 is worse than the Nexus 5, which itself is a little worse than the G2.

I am going by sample shots I've seen. So far I have seen nothing better than the G2.

Nexus 5 vs Nokia Lumia 1020 low-light camera comparison

The 1020 is head and shoulders above anything else out right now.

 

[zr2s10]

Re: Best "Camera Phone" running Android?

Hmm. Not looking good. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens the next few months. Contract is about 6 months until out, but I'm probably gonna pay the ETF and switch to AT&T this summer. They have pretty much anything I would be interested in, whichever way I go. I'll have to see how hands-on test with the Galaxy S5 go. Verizon just laid off thousands in my area, including people I know. And I think wireless is separate from the cable/FIOS, but the crap they've been pulling is, well, crap. So I'm not too happy with them right now.

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I'm also tempted to just say screw it, buy a MotoX, and go off-contract.

 

[JeffDenver]

Re: Best "Camera Phone" running Android?

Hmm. Not looking good. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens the next few months. Contract is about 6 months until out, but I'm probably gonna pay the ETF and switch to AT&T this summer. They have pretty much anything I would be interested in, whichever way I go. I'll have to see how hands-on test with the Galaxy S5 go. Verizon just laid off thousands in my area, including people I know. And I think wireless is separate from the cable/FIOS, but the crap they've been pulling is, well, crap. So I'm not too happy with them right now.

The Galaxy S5 looks like it will probably be comparable to the Nokia 1020.

I'm also tempted to just say screw it, buy a MotoX, and go off-contract.

That is what I would do. I'd get a nexus 5 instead if you are concerned about camera quality.

 

[UJ95x]

Re: Best "Camera Phone" running Android?

Hmm. Not looking good. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens the next few months. Contract is about 6 months until out, but I'm probably gonna pay the ETF and switch to AT&T this summer. They have pretty much anything I would be interested in, whichever way I go. I'll have to see how hands-on test with the Galaxy S5 go. Verizon just laid off thousands in my area, including people I know. And I think wireless is separate from the cable/FIOS, but the crap they've been pulling is, well, crap. So I'm not too happy with them right now.

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I'm also tempted to just say screw it, buy a MotoX, and go off-contract.

Everything on the Moto X is good, but the camera :-\

Sent from my Galaxy S4 running SlimKat 4.4.2

 

[zr2s10]

Re: Best "Camera Phone" running Android?

wow, that is a big difference between those two. Maybe I will go 32gb Nexus 5. That's if I go off-contract.

 

[JeffDenver]

Re: Best "Camera Phone" running Android?

wow, that is a big difference between those two. Maybe I will go 32gb Nexus 5. That's if I go off-contract.

The Moto X camera is not awful...I would describe it as mediocre. And it is better except for picture quality...the camera app itself is better and I think it has faster shutterspeed.

But the Nexus 5 is better in quality on all the samples I have seen. Higher resolution, better lowlight, better macro. The Nexus 5 has Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) which is why it has so little noise compared to other cameras. The big weakness of the nexus 5 is shutter speed...it takes a little longer to snap a shot than with other cameras.

 

[JeffDenver]

This page has some good samples of the Nexus 5 camera.
http://forums.androidcentral.com/go...nexus-5-camera-photos-videos-thoughts-16.html

 

[zr2s10]

Thanks for the info!