Am I the only one unimpressed with the S7 camera?

[tnt4]

TLDR; It's fast, but I'm just not seeing it in the photo quality, and the compromises for making low light shots brighter just don't seem worth it.

Edit: Added some comps here that actually turned out good: http://forums.androidcentral.com/samsung-galaxy-s7/673276-am-i-only-one-unimpressed-s7-camera.html#post5153514] this post

I swear this isn't meant to be a troll thread, but with the hype around this camera I wanted to throw this out there. With three kids, I've become a phone camera snob and have used every flagship on Android and iOS over the past few years. My most recent devices that I still own are the iPhone 6S and Nexus 5X. After hearing/reading the reviews I was super pumped about the S7's camera. I've owned the Verizon S7, international S7 (G930F), and now have the AT&T S7 (we switched carriers), and my results have been the same with each.

Here are the positives that I believe have fueled the hype:

• Fast Shooting: It's so fast... loading up is fast, there's practically zero shutter lag, and it just feels instantaneous (not unlike the S6).
• Fast AF: This was the big thing that Samsung hyped - and it is truly fast. It's impressive to test it out and watch it move back and forth almost instantly between a foreground and background... but I also think this new AF system presents some issues (lined out below).
• Control: As has been the case with Samsung, the camera app is great, balancing out simplicity with control.
• Photo Quality: This phone can take some great pictures, but (segwaying into the next section) I believe is hampered by its own technology.

My issues with the camera:

• Blowout: Shots in great lighting outdoor can look great, but they also tend to blow out lighter spots, like faces. I believe this is due to the intense focus on the pixels letting in as much light as possible.
• Low Light & Processing: Low light shots are yellow and slightly muddy... especially if you crop even the slightest. Yes, they tend to look brighter, but between the yellow hue and the intense processing Samsung does to reduce noise, I haven't see a low light shot yet that looks better on the S7 than on the 5X and 6S. The latter two might have a bit more noise, but are much sharper and more natural to look at. Honestly, the S7 reminds me of the LG G2 in low light shots - just not quite as bad as the G2 was.
• Focus: I have so many photos with the S7 where nothing in the photo is fully in focus. It looks ok on the phone's screen, but if you zoom in at all or put it on a computer, you'll see that it's like it couldn't decide what to focus on so it just did a 75% job on the whole thing. Even if I tap on something on the screen first, this new AF system seems to have a mind of its own at times and simply ignores the tap.
• Depth of Field: I believe the focus issue is partially due to the shallow depth of field... which is supposed to make for a more dynamic picture in general. But I'm just not seeing it. In addition, anything outside of that small area seems to get warped, especially noticeable on faces/heads.

The S7 camera is not bad by any means. The speed is incredible. It can take great shots. But I don't get the hype. Besides being fast, it doesn't seem to do better than other flagships in actual photo quality, even going back to last year. In all honestly it seems less consistent and less reliable overall based on my experience.

 

[Titan206]

I agree with you. It's a very good camera, but I think it may be slightly overrated - especially the low light performance.

 

[Almeuit]

I have been enjoying it. The fast focus is awesome and I have no issue with the quality of pictures I am receiving from my outings.

 

[tnt4]

I have been enjoying it. The fast focus is awesome and I have no issue with the quality of pictures I am receiving from my outings.

The fast focus is definitely awesome, I just can't seem to get consistently sharp/focused shots with that fast focus unless the lighting is just perfect and the subjects are obvious in the field of view.

One Example: Last night my wife and I were taking photos of our kids as they were walking across a stage. The light on their faces was good but the overall ambient light was relatively low. They were about 30 feet away from us. My photos were more yellow and you couldn't see their faces very well at all due to the processing and lack of focus (and blowout on one of them) - every time mine even had that little yellow circle indicating it was focused on the face before I took the shot. Her photos were more natural and you could make out their faces very well (she has a 6S).

 

[Dan TheMan86]

I came from a Lumia 920, which already has a pretty great low-light camera. I am not all that impressed with the S7 camera, because the images don't look all that much clearer or higher resolution going from an 8MP to 12MP. The low light shots are still waaaaay better than any of my friends' flagship phones though (LG G4, iPhone 6, Note 5, HTC whatever). It's kind of sad going from a phone with 8MP from 2012 to only having 12MP in 2016, especially when Lumia phones were getting 41MP and 20MP cameras after my 920. All in all, the camera is great for low light shots and basic shots to upload to facebook, but as far as highly detailed images, the camera is just ok.

Here are some night shots (every picture here was just left in automatic mode):


Same picture, cropped:


Some pics from the cigar bar the other night:

 

[1812dave]

I took a photo of a flower using the standard settings and it was so yellow (it should have been orange) I tried a number of different settings. I photographed it with my Nikon, and as expected, the color was dead on (other than an issue with the background which was dirt, in deep shade--fixed easily in Lightroom, since I always shoot RAW). So I took another shot with the S7, this time using RAW. Plopped the file into Lighroom on my PC, and lo and behold, the flower has exactly the right color. No way, no how could I manipulate the JPG file to get the flower to look orange as it should look.

MORAL: if you need accurate colors for a once-in-a-lifetime shot, consider shooting RAW if you have access to a program such as Lightroom.

 

[1812dave]

I have had excellent overall results with the S7 camera, when it comes to focus. A few shots have been a bit on the light side, perhaps a half stop or so, but for the most part, I've gotten some tremendous outdoor, indoor, low-light shots that make me very pleased with the phone. Pixel-peeping will disappoint, given the 12MP resolution, so don't pixel-peep!

 

[erasat]

In low light situations, you should turn off HDR and be sure your Flash is not in Auto, with this 2 things you can get excellent pictures in low light, just turn them on if you want when taking pictures in normal light situations, best for all Auto mode pictures, in Manual Mode you can certainly get a lot better pictures in any light situation.

 

[sfla99]

Completely unimpressed lol jk

Camera is fantastic for me.

 

[galaxyfive]

OP, for a growing family you should have a dedicated camera. Not necessarily an SLR but just a good dedicated camera that shoots video too. Most all do now anyway. Look, honestly any camera phone will have limitations. Do yourself and your family a favour and document them properly and effectively with a dedicated camera and make an album or three. They will appreciate it when they grow up...really!

Save the camera phone for those precious moments when you just can't wait to show your facebook chums what you're eating or drinking today, or posting a picture of a rescue dog, or cat, or hamster, or [insert animal here] on facebook! Ooops, hope I didn't go too far..... you get the idea.

This an excellent place to begin.
Reviews and previews: Digital Photography Review

 

[GadgetGator]

I have had some blow out issues, but for the most part, I think the camera is awesome. Low light is especially impressive. But ultimately for as good as it is, it is still a camera phone and not a dedicated camera so that needs to be kept in mind.

 

[hylex]

Nothing much to add, but this is a fantastic post. It's definitely showcased some of the limitations of the S7 quite nicely and is very spot on. It's also half the reason i am keeping my 6p around. The phone is slower, but seems to take more realistic shots at times.

 

[monicakm]

"Pixel-peeping will disappoint, given the 12MP resolution, so don't pixel-peep"...
(Sigh), is there ano app for that? I can't help myself

 

[tnt4]

In low light situations, you should turn off HDR and be sure your Flash is not in Auto, with this 2 things you can get excellent pictures in low light, just turn them on if you want when taking pictures in normal light situations, best for all Auto mode pictures, in Manual Mode you can certainly get a lot better pictures in any light situation.

On the flash I completely agree, but HDR should help in some low light scenarios. Manual mode is great, but I don't have to switch my other phones' modes to get more consistent shots, so I don't feel like I should have to on the S7 either.

//uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160428/db20f7aec1da91c688dd9b9e2d5b6772.jpg

Completely unimpressed lol jk

Camera is fantastic for me.

See, I look at that and struggle to find any focus. It all looks blurry thanks to the depth of field. There might be one tiny strip of focus / clarity right in the front of the steak, but even there it doesn't look that clear to me. Though I am now starving...

OP, for a growing family you should have a dedicated camera.

Most definitely, and we do have a dedicated DSLR. It was purchased right before our first was born and was definitely one of the best investments we made. But it's not pocketable at all, so we only take it when we're going somewhere where we know we want to have those types of photos. The other 70% of the time its our phones. That's really what I'm comparing to here, not the "real" cameras of the world, just the phone cameras.

But ultimately for as good as it is, it is still a camera phone and not a dedicated camera so that needs to be kept in mind.

See the last comment above - I agree any phone camera is going to be limited, but that's not the comparison I'm worried about.

Now... how to get a steak at this time of night...

 

[erasat]

On the flash I completely agree, but HDR should help in some low light scenarios. Manual mode is great, but I don't have to switch my other phones' modes to get more consistent shots, so I don't feel like I should have to on the S7 either.



See, I look at that and struggle to find any focus. It all looks blurry thanks to the depth of field. There might be one tiny strip of focus / clarity right in the front of the steak, but even there it doesn't look that clear to me. Though I am now starving...



Most definitely, and we do have a dedicated DSLR. It was purchased right before our first was born and was definitely one of the best investments we made. But it's not pocketable at all, so we only take it when we're going somewhere where we know we want to have those types of photos. The other 70% of the time its our phones. That's really what I'm comparing to here, not the "real" cameras of the world, just the phone cameras.



See the last comment above - I agree any phone camera is going to be limited, but that's not the comparison I'm worried about.

Now... how to get a steak at this time of night...

About the HDR, well, I'm not a Pro photographer, but it has been tested by a couple of guys saying they are, and turning HDR off in low light situations on the S7 seems to make a huge difference according to them, no harm by trying it.

 

[Snappy Phoenix]

I came from a Lumia 920, which already has a pretty great low-light camera. I am not all that impressed with the S7 camera, because the images don't look all that much clearer or higher resolution going from an 8MP to 12MP. The low light shots are still waaaaay better than any of my friends' flagship phones though (LG G4, iPhone 6, Note 5, HTC whatever). It's kind of sad going from a phone with 8MP from 2012 to only having 12MP in 2016, especially when Lumia phones were getting 41MP and 20MP cameras after my 920. All in all, the camera is great for low light shots and basic shots to upload to facebook, but as far as highly detailed images, the camera is just ok.

Here are some night shots (every picture here was just left in automatic mode):
[url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/DanTheManCelica/S7%20pics/20160416_233342.jpg~original[/URL]

Same picture, cropped:
[url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/DanTheManCelica/S7%20pics/20160417_014445.jpg~original[/URL]

Some pics from the cigar bar the other night:
[url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/DanTheManCelica/S7%20pics/20160410_000348.jpg~original[/URL]

[url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/DanTheManCelica/S7%20pics/20160409_225651.jpg~original[/URL]

[url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/DanTheManCelica/S7%20pics/20160409_225524.jpg~original[/URL]

[url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/DanTheManCelica/S7%20pics/20160409_225514.jpg~original[/URL]

[url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/DanTheManCelica/S7%20pics/20160409_212349.jpg~original[/URL]

[url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/DanTheManCelica/S7%20pics/20160409_212344.jpg~original[/URL]

[url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/DanTheManCelica/S7%20pics/20160409_212333.jpg~original[/URL]

[url]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v439/DanTheManCelica/S7%20pics/20160409_212329.jpg~original[/URL]

MP means nothing. it's just a larger picture. It's all about teh lense brah

 

[1812dave]

Megapixels do mean something but you don't want to have so many on a tiny sensor that each photoreceptor is so small that you don't get good low-light images.

Everything else being equal, I will take a sensor with more megapixels any day of the week but keep in mind I did say everything else being equal

 

[tnt4]

I came from a Lumia 920, which already has a pretty great low-light camera. I am not all that impressed with the S7 camera, because the images don't look all that much clearer or higher resolution going from an 8MP to 12MP. The low light shots are still waaaaay better than any of my friends' flagship phones though (LG G4, iPhone 6, Note 5, HTC whatever). It's kind of sad going from a phone with 8MP from 2012 to only having 12MP in 2016, especially when Lumia phones were getting 41MP and 20MP cameras after my 920. All in all, the camera is great for low light shots and basic shots to upload to facebook, but as far as highly detailed images, the camera is just ok.

No idea how I missed your post last night - thanks for those pics. The photos with people look pretty good, but I'm guessing the environment wasn't that yellow, and maybe it's just my eyes, but I can see the over-processing and "muddiness" immediately. They're not bad, but I don't see them being any better (and maybe a little worse) than other current flagships - I guess it depends on what's important to you, though. I'd rather have a more realistic, sharper shot than an overly yellow, but brighter muddy shot.

The shots with the martini glasses all look out of focus to me, but those look like some pretty low light shots. Well, a part of the glass is out of focus and a part seems to be somewhat in focus - but that gets back to what seems to be an inherent issue with shallow depth of field. Too much bokeh!

 

[BOSSY TEXAS CHICK]

....The S7 camera is not bad by any means. The speed is incredible. It can take great shots. But I don't get the hype. Besides being fast, it doesn't seem to do better than other flagships in actual photo quality, even going back to last year. In all honestly it seems less consistent and less reliable overall based on my experience.

i'm with you... i was so ready to jump on it... Its all the things you said but what can i say?! "I AM A CROPPER" and in the end, those 12MP/4:3 ratio just didn't deliver, despite all the other features that did.

Waiting to see if Note 6 will have all those great camera features but up the pixel count... Here's hoping : )

BTC

 

[SophiaPetrillo]

OP, can you post comparisons of the iPhone and S7 photos?