Is LG V30 the best camera smartphone?

[ffejjj]

so after reading this I've run through a number of videos and reviews. seems like the V30 hangs in with the big boys just fine.

There really doesn't appear to be a clear cut winner, and as was pointed out in this thread, the differences are so small now that it's likely not noticeable unless really looking for it. The V30 is on sale for $600 CAD at the moment, and at that price this might be my next phone.

I just bought the V30+ this weekend and I'm really liking it

 

[Almeuit]

Not with you, just your vague input to the OPs question. As opposed to talking about why the V30 is good and bad (your opinion), your post covered the greatness of other shooters.

I posted my input already based on my personal experience, about 2 pages back.

To be fair the OPs question is kind of vague. They asked if it is the best. How can we answer such a broad question?

No one camera is the best. There are needs per person and it depends on multiple factors not just one so.. people can only answer with their opinions and such, right?

 

[chriskwarren]

I'm finding that I got consistently better pictures on my S7 than my V30, especially in low light scenarios. Wifey still using my S7 and she can get a better pic in low light more often than I can on auto. Outside its a wash mostly, with the V30 maybe coming out on top more often.

 

[Aquila]

In manual mode, I'm not sure there's anything that can beat the level of awesome that the V30 can produce. But I suck at photography, so put me in low light with anything but the best automode shooters and it's just bad news. That's a big reason I prefer the latest greatest, but if I ever get good at photography, the V30 would be the one I'd choose. Some of it's photos are just fantastic.

 

[irvine752]

In manual mode, I'm not sure there's anything that can beat the level of awesome that the V30 can produce. But I suck at photography, so put me in low light with anything but the best automode shooters and it's just bad news. That's a big reason I prefer the latest greatest, but if I ever get good at photography, the V30 would be the one I'd choose. Some of it's photos are just fantastic.

I agree in manual mode, the V30 gives you the best picture (I would argue better than Pixel phones in auto or manual). It's also very easy to master with the help of Graphy. It comes preloaded with manual presets from a portfolio of professional shots, each with a different style and mood. You're simply three clicks away from being a professional.

Just like with any other feature on the V30, LG gives you a level of customization that's very impressive. We all have different preferences & likes, and one size does not fit them all.

 

[chriskwarren]

I agree in manual mode, the V30 gives you the best picture (I would argue better than Pixel phones in auto or manual). It's also very easy to master with the help of Graphy. It comes preloaded with manual presets from a portfolio of professional shots, each with a different style and mood. You're simply three clicks away from being a professional.

Just like with any other feature on the V30, LG gives you a level of customization that's very impressive. We all have different preferences & likes, and one size does not fit them all.

The Graphy function is something I only looked at once and deserves more practice (and presence of mind). Last night I was trying to get a shot of the snow falling and the V30 had a tough time with it (the S7 did not). Never thought of trying the Graphy function and seeing if there was something there.

 

[RapidTurtle]

In most of the reviews that I am reading, it seems LG's hardware is topnotch, but they are behind on the software side. Any chance they could put out an update to get better auto photos?

 

[Aquila]

In most of the reviews that I am reading, it seems LG's hardware is topnotch, but they are behind on the software side. Any chance they could put out an update to get better auto photos?

Yes it is possible.

 

[Dan Franchini]

In most of the reviews that I am reading, it seems LG's hardware is topnotch, but they are behind on the software side. Any chance they could put out an update to get better auto photos?

It's possible, but never buy on the hope of a software update, you'll be disappointed.

 

[RapidTurtle]

I'm not ready to jump just yet. I do like to keep up on this stuff, so that when I see a decent sale, I can grab the phone. The V30 seems like the perfect phone, except the auto camera, which is pretty important to me. I would grab a galaxy, but hate that curved glass. Note 8 seems a little to big, and I hate Iphones. I have a G5 right now, which isn't a bad camera, but I know there is much better. May just wait until next year to see what comes out.

 

[Almeuit]

In most of the reviews that I am reading, it seems LG's hardware is topnotch, but they are behind on the software side. Any chance they could put out an update to get better auto photos?

Very possible. They can tweak how the software handles these sorts of things.

 

[Blown 89]

Did it? It's not getting amazing reviews, but I haven't seen a review where the V30 is crushed by another camera. I don't see it being gushed over, but the g6 wasn't gushed over and it did quite well in blind comparison tests.

I wouldn't trust the reviews. This generation of phones has made it very obvious that these reviewers are nothing but amateurs bloggers. Marques Brownlee for instance.....he praised the Pixel's portrait mode and pointed to specific pictures in his review but the photos he used as evidence were horrific. Most of them missed the glaring negatives from the Pixel such as poor audio recording from a bug that crushes the sound.

Think about how many reviews said the V30 has an amazing low light camera in auto mode. It clearly doesn't but if you listen to reviewers it's the second coming of christ when the lights are low. Not to bag on the V30 so I'll point out that hardly any of the reviews even mentioned the V30's recording strengths such as the second mic or recording in stereo compared to the Pixel's mono recording. The reviews are seriously all over the place on the V30. I don't think it's a matter of these people getting paid by LG or Google, I think it's that they are terrible at their jobs and are blinded by their lack of objectivity.

Don't even get me started on the "It's not heavy therefore its build quality is terrible" and "Oh, this is heavy...it's premium feeling therefore the build quality is amazing." As if weight has anything to do with build quality. A phone could be made entirely of titanium and carbon fiber and these hack journalists that call themselves reviewers would go on and on about how poor the build materials are because it's light.

 

[thunder18]

Is the V30's camera better than the V20's at least, or did they not even make an improvement from one generation to the next, excepting the cinelog video extras?

 

[Mike Dee]

You are my camera guru Mike. How would you say the camera compares to your V20?

The reason I ask is that the V30 is already $300 off on my carrier and I'm considering snapping it up.

The rear shooter is better than the V20 especially the wide angle, however they did narrow the angle a bit to remove some of the barrel distortion.
The front shooter is virtually the same and could use a bump in megapixels.
Like the V20, the camera works best in manual mode so if you need something to take shots of movement on the fly it's not the best shooter. I can get great shots in manual, however there's just something about LG software processing that leaves room for improvement.
My overall reason for liking the V30 is the camera features and not the camera itself. What really draws me in is the audio. The quad DAC is a beast. Pound for pound there's a lot to like in the V30, however if it follows the trend of prior LGs there may be better deals ahead if you can wait.

 

[SupraLB]

Leave HDR off, and the camera performs much better. Too many leave it on Auto HDR or even worse, the On position. That should go for any phone camera really.

Should only be turned on when needed. And then, use the Google HDR+ software on XDA, as Google's algorithms and technique for HRD, is far superior. I assume they are not letting other phones copy those patents yet.

Googles advantage is software related only, so if you can download that App for free, it really takes that out of the equation.

 

[Almeuit]

Leave HDR off, and the camera performs much better. Too many leave it on Auto HDR or even worse, the On position. That should go for any phone camera really.

Should only be turned on when needed. And then, use the Google HDR+ software on XDA, as Google's algorithms and technique for HRD, is far superior. I assume they are not letting other phones copy those patents yet.

Googles advantage is software related only, so if you can download that App for free, it really takes that out of the equation.

Well it varies from phone to phone. Such as the Pixel seems to handle HDR without slowing the phone or camera down. You can just snap the same even if it's on or off. Only HDR + causes a small delay when snapping but that must be fully toggled on.

 

[recDNA]

I just bought the V30+ this weekend and I'm really liking it

Is there any difference other than the extra storage?

 

[recDNA]

In most of the reviews that I am reading, it seems LG's hardware is topnotch, but they are behind on the software side. Any chance they could put out an update to get better auto photos?

Never did w V20

 

[SupraLB]

Well it varies from phone to phone. Such as the Pixel seems to handle HDR without slowing the phone or camera down. You can just snap the same even if it's on or off. Only HDR + causes a small delay when snapping but that must be fully toggled on.

Not sure how other phones run with it, but with my V20 I can continue to shoot rapid photos with HDR+ . I can see it calculating in the notification panel, but it does not slow down at all from taking more photos.

With the google software its recording and taking photos before I even hit the button as soon as the app is open, which is its biggest advantage. Other phones wait for you to hit the shutter. Google software just wants to know what moment in time I want from those photos it started taking a few seconds earlier. So i can keep clicking the shutter all I want. But yeah, there will be a lag just in putting all those images together.

 

[Almeuit]

Not sure how other phones run with it, but with my V20 I can continue to shoot rapid photos with HDR+ . I can see it calculating in the notification panel, but it does not slow down at all from taking more photos.

With the google software its recording and taking photos before I even hit the button as soon as the app is open, which is its biggest advantage. Other phones wait for you to hit the shutter. Google software just wants to know what moment in time I want from those photos it started taking a few seconds earlier. So i can keep clicking the shutter all I want. But yeah, there will be a lag just in putting all those images together.

Ah yep so the V20 is like the Pixel phones.. you can just keep snapping away and let it do the HDR without worry .