Nexus / iPhone 3GS photo comparisons

[anon(6936)]

There are no settings on the iPhone. For the Nexus everything is set to Auto, resolution set to Super Fine. That's it. I pulled them out of my pocket and took shots.

 

[anon(6936)]

Here's a couple more. Out of the pocket, all Auto settings. The background light did wash things out a bit but still noticeable.

Nexus 1

3GS

 

[Jared DiPane]

do you have your flash on the nexus on?

 

[anon(6936)]

do you have your flash on the nexus on?

nope -

funny thing is I am getting annoyed with all the OS glitches but after seeing these, the fact that I don't have to carry a point and shoot or GPS unit and can cancel all my MobileMe services might be enough to deal with the bugs.

 

[evilp8ntballer7#AC]

The nexus one's pictures are even a little cropped so they would look even better full size

 

[_JKK_]

Well, both the iPhone and N1's pictures don't look super great...

Doesn't really matter to me, as I always try to have a nice camera with me, at all times. Sony point-and-shoots are great for their form-factor!

 

[mo-bile#AC]

What I'm wondering is on the iphone pics, where did you tap to focus because that will determine exposure. If you taped on the snow, that will bring down the exposure on the shadows, thus resulting in the pic you posted. If you focus on the shadow areas, say, the fence, it would lighten up the overall pic. I think you focused on the snow which brought down the exposure.

The N1 is averaging the scene.

The tap to focus on the iPhone is brilliant. It allows you to focus and expose the scene where you decide. I've used both now, and this, imo, is what makes the iphone 3gs a stronger camera.

 

[anon(6936)]

yeah, good point. I tapped right in the middle - if I would've thought about exposure, I could've probably changed the outcome a little. My test was extremely simple, pull it out of the pocket and shoot, which is how a lot of people will use it. I wasn't trying to manipulate shots and I wasn't trying to make any assertion beyond the fact that I like the pictures my Nexus takes better!

 

[Cory Streater]

yeah, good point. I tapped right in the middle - if I would've thought about exposure, I could've probably changed the outcome a little. My test was extremely simple, pull it out of the pocket and shoot, which is how a lot of people will use it. I wasn't trying to manipulate shots and I wasn't trying to make any assertion beyond the fact that I like the pictures my Nexus takes better!

Having said that, maybe you could post another? I'm still thinking the N1 is taking much better pictures. They are much crisper and brighter.

 

[jhamilton3#CB]

Granted I don't have a N1, but the pictures I've taken with the 3GS when I had one were always the best pics from a cellphone to that point.. even better than the Droid.

 

[raremage]

Granted I don't have a N1, but the pictures I've taken with the 3GS when I had one were always the best pics from a cellphone to that point.. even better than the Droid.

I'm surprised by these results, 'cause I agree the 3GS takes excellent quality photos.

Using the Droid as a benchmark, though, is buffoonery - the Droid takes notoriously poor quality photos, especially given the fact that it's got a 5MP camera. The quality has improved with a software update, but they are still much lower quality than everyone expects from the hardware.

 

[Andrew Ruffolo]

I'm surprised by these results, 'cause I agree the 3GS takes excellent quality photos.

Using the Droid as a benchmark, though, is buffoonery - the Droid takes notoriously poor quality photos, especially given the fact that it's got a 5MP camera. The quality has improved with a software update, but they are still much lower quality than everyone expects from the hardware.

I can't think of a Motorola phone that actually does take good photos.
HTC does have a nice camera on their phones. I would be more content with a flash on mine (Hero), but during the daytime, it takes decent photos... if only I could stay still while I take a pic.

 

[mo-bile#AC]

Granted I don't have a N1, but the pictures I've taken with the 3GS when I had one were always the best pics from a cellphone to that point.. even better than the Droid.

I'm going to do my own comparison since I still have the 3GS. I'm also a semi-professional photographer and have had some great results with the iphone. The 1.8 megapixel advantage the N1 has over the iPhone doesn't make much difference. The tap to focus/expose on the iPhone does, imo.

 

[Cory Streater]

I'm going to do my own comparison since I still have the 3GS.

Looking forward to it.

 

[jhamilton3#CB]

I'm surprised by these results, 'cause I agree the 3GS takes excellent quality photos.

Using the Droid as a benchmark, though, is buffoonery - the Droid takes notoriously poor quality photos, especially given the fact that it's got a 5MP camera. The quality has improved with a software update, but they are still much lower quality than everyone expects from the hardware.

I was only throwing it in as an observation. Definitely not a benchmark.

 

[Jared DiPane]

Honestly I havent taken much time to play with the camera on my DROID, but the few pictures I have taken have come out very well.

I noticed it appears to have a larger flash then the N1, which can be a good or bad thing, depending on the style of photography.

 

[mo-bile#AC]

One thing I have noticed, at least on my N1, is that images either captured, or displayed, have a slight reddish tint to them. Took a picture of my son and on the phone, his skin tone has a reddish tint. Uploading to Facebook and skin tone is natural and photo looks good. For as awesome a display as this phone has, it doesn't display colors very naturally. I've seen this reddish tint on the Facebook and various Twitter apps on the device as well.

Any way to calibrate the display?

 

[Jeremy]

One thing I have noticed, at least on my N1, is that images either captured, or displayed, have a slight reddish tint to them. Took a picture of my son and on the phone, his skin tone has a reddish tint. Uploading to Facebook and skin tone is natural and photo looks good. For as awesome a display as this phone has, it doesn't display colors very naturally. I've seen this reddish tint on the Facebook and various Twitter apps on the device as well.

Any way to calibrate the display?

Not that I am aware of. I've heard others mention a reddish tint to photos but personally I have not had this issue occur.

 

[mo-bile#AC]

Not that I am aware of. I've heard others mention a reddish tint to photos but personally I have not had this issue occur.

Then it's a manufacturing issue, because it's definitely there on my device.

 

[Jeremy]

Then it's a manufacturing issue, because it's definitely there on my device.

I would not go that far. It's more likely HTC used various versions or different manufactures for the display. Similar to Apple with the iPhone. If you hold two up next to one another you can clearly see a different hue and tint depending on the screen. At first people panicked but then it became well known about the different screens. Non-issue.