Note 3: My Note 1's camera was better then this....

[V J]

If you just want to point and shoot and get decent photos in all conditions with no work or need to familiarize yourself with the camera software on a deeper level, you bought the wrong phone. Sorry.

Funny, I didn't think I bought the wrong phone. I upgraded from the Galaxy S3, which I stated previously, performed better than this camera-wise. If expecting a consistent experience with the Galaxy line and not getting it, equates to buying the wrong phone, then you may be right. Time to change that I guess, because I certainly will not be tinkering around with settings every single time I want to capture a fleeting moment on photograph. That completely defeats the purpose of having a camera phone "handy".

P.S. I remember when Apple was quoted as saying "if you think you can just make a call without learning how to hold the phone properly so you don't block the antenna then you bought the wrong phone, sorry".

 

[iN8ter]

Funny, I didn't think I bought the wrong phone. I upgraded from the Galaxy S3, which I stated previously, performed better than this camera-wise. If expecting a consistent experience with the Galaxy line and not getting it, equates to buying the wrong phone, then you may be right. Time to change that I guess, because I certainly will not be tinkering around with settings every single time I want to capture a fleeting moment on photograph. That completely defeats the purpose of having a camera phone "handy".

I came from an S3, and it certainly did not outperform this phone in camera functions.

Maybe you had some mythical S3 with a mythical camera in it.

The S3 camera was ever worse than this camera in low light, focused slower, and produced less accurate, muted color tones. It also tended to blow out highlights in scenes cause the dynamic range wasn't that great.

The Galaxy S3 was not a "point and shoot" camera by any stretch of the imagination. The camera software was also complicated compared to that of the iPhone or a Windows Phone. It just lacked a ton of functionality compared to the Note 3 (the Note II used different, upgraded camera software compared to the S3 and I don't think the optics were totally identical because it had capabilities (Slow Motion Video Capture) that were not ported back to the S3 while others (Low Light Mode) were).

Auto Mode works for most people, but if you're apt to pixel peep then you have no business relying on auto for everything, since there are ways to capture much better phones in various conditions/environments on this phone.

Even on the iPhone, many people use third party apps like Camera Awesome or Camera+ precisely because the stock Camera Software doesn't give them enough control to optimize for various scenarios.

 

[V J]

I came from an S3, and it certainly did not outperform this phone in camera functions.

Maybe you had some mythical S3 with a mythical camera in it.

The S3 camera was ever worse than this camera in low light, focused slower, and produced less accurate, muted color tones. It also tended to blow out highlights in scenes cause the dynamic range wasn't that great.

I had a mythical S3 for sure. Or maybe you had a dud.

 

[iN8ter]

I had a mythical S3 for sure. Or maybe you had a dud.

No, it was flawless.

And I know it was because both my mother and my niece also had one.

And the photos they all took were practically the same given similar scenarios.

Next?

 

[V J]

No, it was flawless.

And I know it was because both my mother and my niece also had one.

And the photos they all took were practically the same given similar scenarios.

Next?

Your experiences doesn't change mine. Next.

 

[iN8ter]

Your experiences doesn't change mine. Next.

Your experience isn't the end all be all. I've had every Galaxy S from 1 to 3 and the Note 3, and I use an S4 on an almost daily basis.

There is no scenario where the S3 is superior to the S4 or Note 3, and in low light the S3 is practically useless without using the flash.

Every situation where you'd had to manually adjust to get a better picture on the Note 3, you'd also have to do it on the S3. And the Note 3 can get usable pictures in some scenarios where the S3 would be practically unusable.

 

[V J]

Your experience isn't the end all be all. I've had every Galaxy S from 1 to 3 and the Note 3, and I use an S4 on an almost daily basis.

There is no scenario where the S3 is superior to the S4 or Note 3, and in low light the S3 is practically useless without using the flash.

No it's not. But I was speaking from MY experience, there is nothing you can say that will change what I have already experienced. It's in the past so unless you're omnipotent, stop trying to change it. My S3's camera performed better than my Note 3's, period.

 

[iN8ter]

No it's not. But I was speaking from MY experience, there is nothing you can say that will change what I have already experienced. It's in the past so unless you're omnipotent, stop trying to change it. My S3's camera performed better than my Note 3's, period.

So your S3 was Mythical and your Note 3 is a Lemon?

All S3s I used were Lemons... Yea, okay.

 

[V J]

Maybe your Note 3 is a lemon?

Maybe. And judging by this thread, so are a lot of others. GG.

 

[iN8ter]

Maybe. And judging by this thread, so are a lot of others. GG.

And judging by your "experience" so were the 3 S3's I used...

Even though they were purchased over a year apart, in different states, and even on different carriers (AT&T and Verizon)?

 

[V J]

And judging by your "experience" so were the 3 S3's I used...

Even though they were purchased over a year apart, in different states, and even on different carriers (AT&T and Verizon)?

If that's YOUR conclusion then I'm not gonna contradict it. Sorry to hear about your S3's. Sucks getting a lemon.

 

[iN8ter]

If that's YOUR conclusion then I'm not gonna contradict it. Sorry to hear about your S3's. Sucks getting a lemon.

The S3's were fine. The cameras performed fine, they were just useless in low light and, worse in harsher lighting conditions (and the HDR wasn't as good as this phone's), and the camera was much slower to focus. The burst shots were also quite a bit slower and it lacked a ton of features like Slow Mo and 60FPS FHD recording, among other things...

It's not a matter of the camera not being fine (that's your overblown opinion), it's a matter of the phone simply not being on par with the Note 3 - and it isn't.

I think you should tone your exaggerations down a bit

 

[V J]

The S3's were fine.

I think you should tone your exaggerations down a bit

I'm speaking from experience. no exaggerations. But smartasses will come along and try and tell you your experiences were "wrong". Or at least try.

 

[iN8ter]

I'm speaking from experience. no exaggerations. But smartasses will come along and try and tell you your experiences were "wrong". Or at least try.

No need for name calling.

What you posted makes literally no sense. Even by 2012 standards the S3 was almost worthless in low light photography due to the narrow aperture and comparatively poorer algorithms for those types of environments, and elsewhere it had quite a few faults compared to cameras like the iPhone 4S, HTC One X, and others. It wasn't a great camera phone, it was just decent and well balanced with some useful software features.

So to come and say it is better than the Note 3, which has been proven by every reputable camera review site/professional to perform better (which can produce photos as good or better than an iPhone outside of low light scenarios), is an exaggeration.

Maybe you're just terrible at using camera phones?

 

[V J]

No need for name calling.

Maybe you're just terrible at using camera phones?

Yeah, coz it's really hard to point and shoot. Maybe you're just too good at that, among other things.

The name calling really was appropriate.

 

[iN8ter]

Yeah, coz it's really hard to point and shoot. Maybe you're just too good at that, among other things.

The name calling was appropriate.

Yes, people use DSLR cameras with Manual Modes because all they have to do is point and shoot to get a good picture.

There's a reason why those options, modes, switches, and toggles exist.

If you're too simple to use them, then that's a personal fault, not the camera's fault.

Clearly a lot of people have been churning out amazing photos with this phone and haven't been hamstrung by their inability to tap buttons or drag sliders... I certainly don't have any issues destroying my old Galaxy S3 with this phone's camera in both photography and videography. Check Flickr; it disagrees with you - heavily. The proof is in the pudding, and is quite objective. Real photos/output from the two cameras aren't opinion.

The issue lies elsewhere. Have a great night.

 

[V J]

Yes, people use DSLR cameras with Manual Modes because all they have to do is point and shoot to get a good picture.

There's a reason why those options, modes, switches, and toggles exist.

If you're too simple to use them, then that's a personal fault, not the camera's fault.

Clearly a lot of people have been churning out amazing photos with this phone and haven't been hamstrung by their inability to tap buttons or drag sliders... I certainly don't have any issues destroying my old Galaxy S3 with this phone's camera in both photography and videography. Check Flickr; it disagrees with you - heavily.

The issue lies elsewhere.

Every single flagship phone today is capable of churning out amazing photos given the right settings and circumstances. Some just do it better and with less demands from the user. Just because the Note 3 can produce great photos doesn't mean there is nothing better. I'm sorry but the truth is, the Note 3's camera is far from the best. Feel free to tell yourself otherwise.

 

[iN8ter]

Every single flagship phone today is capable of churning out amazing photos given the right settings and circumstances. Some just do it better and with less demands from the user. Just because the Note 3 can produce great photos doesn't mean there is nothing better. I'm sorry but the truth is, the Note 3's camera is far from the best. Feel free to tell yourself otherwise.

Where did I say nothing was better? The dialog between us concerned the Galaxy S III specifically, and it is *not* better than the Note 3.

Don't reinvent the subject of our "conversation" to flip it around and make it look like I'm being thoroughly unreasonable...

Saying the S3 is better than the N3 as a camera phone is as laughably hysterical as saying it's better than the S4 as a camera phone, seeing as how the S4 and N3 perform very similarly as smartphone cameras.

I just don't understand why people are so apt to exaggerating so grossly on these forums (not just you, and not just this forum BTW). It's lost upon me, but it's super prevalent.

 

[V J]

Where did I say nothing was better? The dialog between us concerned the Galaxy S III specifically, and it is *not* better than the Note 3.

Don't reinvent the subject of our "conversation" to flip it around and make it look like I'm being thoroughly unreasonable...

Saying the S3 is better than the N3 as a camera phone is as laughably hysterical as saying it's better than the S4 as a camera phone, seeing as how the S4 and N3 perform very similarly as smartphone cameras.

I just don't understand why people are so apt to exaggerating so grossly on these forums (not just you, and not just this forum BTW). It's lost upon me, but it's super prevalent.

You know you're one to talk. I've actually refrained from quoting you when you said the Note 3's camera was proven to perform better by EVERY reputable review. I'm yet to see a glowing review of the Note 3's camera let alone a comparison against the S3.

What's "better" is user subjective and in my experience AND MY opinion my S3 took better photos. It was easier to use, had an "anti-shake" setting which surprisingly is missing from the Note 3. Wasn't so demanding as to make me retake my shots 2-3 times just to get the best focus possible. Whatever other factor that made me come to the conclusion that it was simply a better camera phone than the Note 3.

You have no right to tell me that my experiences and my assessments based on those experiences were wrong. Nothing, no right at all. Other people are experiencing the same issues with their Note 3's and likewise you have no right to tell us that what we're experiencing isn't real and we simply have to LEARN to use the phone. For some people having a phone that takes great pictures FAST, with minimal tinkering and doesn't make us re-take a photo is what makes a camera phone great.

Telling me that if I expected a simple point and shoot camera phone then I bought the wrong phone may have a point but guess what? That's what people expect to get. Had I known that I'd have to re-take my photos 2-3 times just to get the right one then I wouldn't have bought this phone in the first place. Most people only blow out their birthday candles once you know??

 

[iN8ter]

You know you're one to talk. I've actually refrained from quoting you when you said the Note 3's camera was proven to perform better by EVERY reputable review. I'm yet to see a glowing review of the Note 3's camera let alone a comparison against the S3.

What's "better" is user subjective and in my experience AND MY opinion my S3 took better photos. It was easier to use, had an "anti-shake" setting which surprisingly is missing from the Note 3. Wasn't so demanding as to make me retake my shots 2-3 times just to get the best focus possible. Whatever other factor that made me come to the conclusion that it was simply a better camera phone than the Note 3.

You have no right to tell me that my experiences and my assessments based on those experiences were wrong. Nothing, no right at all. Other people are experiencing the same issues with their Note 3's and likewise you have no right to tell us that what we're experiencing isn't real and we simply have to LEARN to use the phone. For some people having a phone that takes great pictures FAST, with minimal tinkering and doesn't make us re-take a photo is what makes a camera phone great.

Telling me that if I expected a simple point and shoot camera phone then I bought the wrong phone may have a point but guess what? That's what people expect to get. Had I known that I'd have to re-take my photos 2-3 times just to get the right one then I wouldn't have bought this phone in the first place. Most people only blow out their birthday candles once you know??

You can harbor your opinions all you want. All objective data says it's a provably incorrect conclusion.

You cannot quote me because you haven't seen me say that.

I said that the phone has been reviewed on par or better than the iPhone 5S in most shooting scenarios, and that even by 2012 standards the GS3 wasn't an amazing camera phone. It's low light capability would be unforgivable if launched in a recent flagship (low light doesn't = night time/pure darkness, BTW) and it's White Balance, Color Accuracy, Exposure, Focus Speeds, Burst Shot Speeds, And Software Speed/Processing Times (for things like HDR, Night Mode Shots), etc. are all lacking compared the S4 or Note 3.

There is no shred of objective evidence that says the GS3 was better than the Note 3, or even on par with it, as far as camera performance is concerned. None.

So you can wail all day about how your opinion and experience is this or that, but that actually doesn't even matter except for whether or not you decide to keep the phone for yourself. The Note 3 on Auto is easily better than the S3 on Auto.

A DSLR isn't better than a phone for photography because someone has an opinion that it's better It's better because it's simply better from almost every objective metric available. The same methodology can be used for determining if one camera phone is better than another, and almost none of those criteria would put the S3 over the Note 3.

No, the Note 3 does not have *****-proof camera software. Yes, there is a learning curve to learning what works where and how to optimize for various scenarios. iPhone users use apps like Camera Awesome and Camera+ precicely for those capabilities, because their default camera software (Point and Shoot if you've ever experienced one) doesn't allow for it. No, pointing and just shooting on Auto will not always give you the best photo - in fact, it rarely will do so, even if you think the photo is "acceptable" enough for your tastes. And if you're using an GS3, then your reliance on manual settings to optimize for different scenarios is much higher than if you were using a Note 3 because the optics and camera software on that phone are clearly not on par wit the Note 3.

If you do video, then the GS3 isn't even mentionable, the Note 3 is so superior (that is not factoring in 4K recording, BTW). But this thread is about pictures.

No one is trying to change your opinion, but shooting them off and trying to pass them off as fact while protecting them from criticism by positioning them as opinions is a bit of an odd tactic, I'd think...