Does camera quality really matter that much to non-journalists?

[SmilerOnline]

I often read reviews of newer devices that almost always suggest that the slightly better device is not their first choice as they would prefer to make a few sacrifices in order to get that much better camera experience.

Obviously part of a journalists job is to often take pictures, but for those of us that don't take pictures as often (Less than 10 photo's per average week), is the camera really that big a deal breaker for you?.

I personally don't find the camera to be so important to me, I mean, if it has a good camera that is a bonus, but if it is not great that is not a deal breaker for me, I would prefer a device that feels like it has a good all round UX, smooth performance, good battery life(even if you're a very active user) and some extras like wireless charging, NFC, HD voice support, slim, thin bezel, high quality display(one thing I didn't like when using older samsung amoled devices was the over saturation of everything)
and of course, I would like for the volume controls to be usable when the device is in my pocket so when I'm listening to music, I can adjust the volume without having to pull the device out of my pocket ((at)OEM's: Please don't put power & volume buttons on the same side, as I don't want to accidentally press the power button, turn the display on and waste extra battery when all I was trying to do was turn the volume up/down).


But that's just my thoughts, do most of you non-journalists find the camera quality and camera app UX to be the one of the higher priorities when you are looking at new devices?

 

[gone down south]

I have kids. Bad pictures can never be retaken, and those memories are lost forever.

 

[SmilerOnline]

I didn't really look at it from that side of things, but yeah I understand that you want a good camera for moments like that of course.

 

[A895]

Not really. Especially since my generation and younger (20s and younger) are the selfie type. A good smartphone camera is appreciated though, so it depends on the person.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[SmilerOnline]

I understand that we are part of the "selfie" generation, but, would you consider sacrificing the overall device experience for a minor increase in camera quality.

I'm not sure that I would want to use a device that may stutter more in general use cases and/or have a poorly designed UI just to get a little more detail in a picture.

Of course that is just my opinion though.

 

[A895]

I understand that we are part of the "selfie" generation, but, would you consider sacrificing the overall device experience for a minor increase in camera quality.

I'm not sure that I would want to use a device that may stutter more in general use cases and/or have a poorly designed UI just to get a little more detail in a picture.

Of course that is just my opinion though.

I wouldn't want to either. The Lumia 1020 is a good example on that. It has the best camera but terrible shutter speed and isn't the fastest device.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[vbdwork]

It all depends on user's needs and expectations. For occasional point-and-shot situations I'm perfectly fine with the 4MP camera on my HTC One. When I need to take better pictures I use a real camera with super zoom optics and better picture quality than any smartphone.

 

[ChrisMaldini]

I jumped from a 5MP to a 8MP camera with my latest phone and have been really happy with the 8 so far. Before I used to hesitate when taking pictures because of the lack of quality. Now I don't have that problem.

 

[dsiggames]

Well, i´m not professional but when choosing new phone I pick my Lumia for the camera results.

Now people make more photos and videos than 10 years ago, and after others 10 years you are going to see the photos on 4k or 8k TVs. The better quality you get now can help in the future.

 

[vbdwork]

I jumped from a 5MP to a 8MP camera with my latest phone and have been really happy with the 8 so far. Before I used to hesitate when taking pictures because of the lack of quality. Now I don't have that problem.

There is no direct relation between sensor pixel count and picture quality.

 

[Dajun Chou]

It's up to you. I don't have a SLR camera and I like to take photos wherever I want, so camera quality is on priorities when I'm looking for new devices.

 

[syspry]

I used to be one of those guys on forums who kept saying "go get a dslr camera". But in the last couple of years (some) smartphone cameras have really improved and you know what? I'm sick of lugging around an extra piece of hardware with me. I'm speaking purely about family and vacation photos etc obviously, because if you're looking for pro-grade photography then of course you should be looking at a pro-grade dedicated camera.

For those of you who pretty much want to snap pics of you and your buddies at events and chuck them on facebook, it really doesn't matter what you use. Family photos are lasting and intimate memories though so people looking for that would definitely prioritize a smartphone with a good shooter.

 

[Fricaunt]

thats all marketing

 

[the tall guy]

When picking a phone I always look at the camera over everything else, second to the camera is the physical look of the phone. I don't have SLR camera's lying around, so I use my phone to capture all the moments I want to remember.

I had the M9 all for 3 days and I returned it for the S6 purely for the camera. I prefer Sense, I prefer the look of the M9, the battery and expandable storage are also big pluses for me, but it came down to the camera. It's weird. but I don't capture pictures every day, but I know I can relay on my camera when I need it.

 

[LeoRex]

For those of you who pretty much want to snap pics of you and your buddies at events and chuck them on facebook, it really doesn't matter what you use. Family photos are lasting and intimate memories though so people looking for that would definitely prioritize a smartphone with a good shooter.

Agreed. I mean, the best camera is the one you have on you... right? Yes, you will get the best picture, by far, if you use a DSLR, or even a good quality compact camera... but life happens and lugging around either isn't always in the cards. I've been out and about with the family unit on many occasion and there will always be another mom or dad schleping around with some camera with a big ol' lens hanging off the front.... with a bulky camera bag in tow... Yes, they'll take superb pictures, but they end up being a photographer rather than a parent enjoying time with their kids.

That's why cameras in phones because so important.... You can get those shots with a device that can slip into your pocket or bag and not be in the way the entire time. But for quite a few years, the picture quality was sub par, not even on the level of inexpensive point and shoot camera. Now the tide has shifted a bit and phone cameras can now rival, and surpass P&S cameras in terms of quality... and blow them away in convienence.

Yes, picture quality even on the best still doesn't match that of the larger sensored compacts and DSLRs, but they still do a good job of capturing the moment without looking like crap.