Picture comparison thread.

[B0WIE]

Didn't see one yet so I'll start with the first photo comparison I've found. Too small to compare detail but I studied them for a while without knowing which was which and definitely preferred (stop reading if don't want a spoiler) the one on the left for better exposure in the shadowy areas, better color representation, and an overall nicer sense of texture (definition/depth). That happened to be the 10 on the left, followed by 6S,and S7 on the right.
I've taken several semesters of photography and am an avid snapper so the camera is a pretty important feature to me.

 

[Bearcats98]

Curious about motion shots. Like of a toddler or a grade schooler playing sports...that kind of thing.

 

[isdaako]

Regarding the comparison shot, credit to Mashable and a great review.

 

[DaveInFL]

Although that comparison is fine, without the information for each picture it is very hard to really determine which is better. We don't know what ISO each phone was set to, exposure, if HDR was used on one and not another, etc.

 

[B0WIE]

Curious about motion shots. Like of a toddler or a grade schooler playing sports...that kind of thing.

Indeed! I've never used a smartphone that pleased me in that regard.

Although that comparison is fine, without the information for each picture it is very hard to really determine which is better. We don't know what ISO each phone was set to, exposure, if HDR was used on one and not another, etc.

Yes, it would be nice to have an array of specifics but, at this point, I'll take what I can get. Because point-and-shoot comprises the vast majority of what people are doing with these phones, I'm ok with that comparison. Besides, the two big differences for me in that one (color representation and details in the shadow portions without changing overall exposure) are not things I would be adjusting for before I shoot on a phone. So, I'm very pleased w/ the 10 there.

 

[Almeuit]

Curious about motion shots. Like of a toddler or a grade schooler playing sports...that kind of thing.

I can say my S7 Edge surprised me in this regard on Easter. Tons of kids running around and it didn't blur. I hope more and more smartphones fix this because .. Getting a kid to sit still is almost impossible .

 

[Bearcats98]

I can say my S7 Edge surprised me in this regard on Easter. Tons of kids running around and it didn't blur. I hope more and more smartphones fix this because .. Getting a kid to sit still is almost impossible .

LOL...sit still? NEVA! Its almost like leading a target you have to guess where they are going. And as soon as you think you are on target...poof..they zag!

 

[B0WIE]

Found another comparison. They seem to like the 10 a lot though I haven't been able to check out the pics yet.

HTC 10 review: HTC builds the best Android flagship of 2016 | Ars Technica

"...with the HTC 10, the company has finally delivered a camera that can perform as well as the competition. It's also the new low-light champion, pumping out brighter pictures with better colors than the Galaxy S7. A lot of times, the pictures you get out of the camera are the best in its class."

 

[drone3]

Found another comparison. They seem to like the 10 a lot though I haven't been able to check out the pics yet.

HTC 10 review: HTC builds the best Android flagship of 2016 | Ars Technica

"...with the HTC 10, the company has finally delivered a camera that can perform as well as the competition. It's also the new low-light champion, pumping out brighter pictures with better colors than the Galaxy S7. A lot of times, the pictures you get out of the camera are the best in its class."

Great review. I'm liking it more and more. Camera looking solid and the audio quality is a massive hook.

dreaming of electric sheep

 

[Jdroids]

Found another comparison. They seem to like the 10 a lot though I haven't been able to check out the pics yet.

HTC 10 review: HTC builds the best Android flagship of 2016 | Ars Technica

"...with the HTC 10, the company has finally delivered a camera that can perform as well as the competition. It's also the new low-light champion, pumping out brighter pictures with better colors than the Galaxy S7. A lot of times, the pictures you get out of the camera are the best in its class."

Taking closer look on that low light shot comparison, I actually see more details, less noise in S7 shot. Alex on AC review stated 10 is more high ISO happy on low light shots than S7, and it surely seems the case here. But color on S7 seems a little off. Samsung better fix that in camera firmware. So all in all I would call it tie for low light. Also AC review noted 10 struggles to focus on macro shots while S7 has no focusing issue on macro.

 

[B0WIE]

Taking closer look on that low light shot comparison, I actually see more details, less noise in S7 shot. Alex on AC review stated 10 is more high ISO happy on low light shots than S7, and it surely seems the case here. But color on S7 seems a little off. Samsung better fix that in camera firmware. So all in all I would call it tie for low light. Also AC review noted 10 struggles to focus on macro shots while S7 has no focusing issue on macro.

Sorry, but "tied for low light"??? That S7 shot is not acceptable in any way. S7 pics seem to always look dingy indoors when compared to others. The 10 walks all over it in The low light department.

As far as macro goes, I've seen some sharp macro pics from the 10 so the S7 might beat it, but I haven't seen any evidence that the 10 will present a problem for extreme close-ups.

 

[Almeuit]

Sorry, but "tied for low light"??? That S7 shot is not acceptable in any way. S7 pics seem to always look dingy indoors when compared to others.

That is why there are multiple reviews . There are many times one phone could be great in a low light shot but then crap in another. Conditions are never 100% the same.

 

[B0WIE]

That is why there are multiple reviews . There are many times one phone could be great in a low light shot but then crap in another. Conditions are never 100% the same.

We were talking about specific pics though (see the link). In those pics (Yoshi & mushroom) I can't honestly imagine anyone would prefer the S7.

Aside from the specific pics, I'm still seeing better low light performance from the 10 in comparisons. It just seems to be something that cam was designed to do well. Even in daylight, the shadowed areas are far more revealing than the flagships. Surprising since the weak point in the M8 was the contrast, with things either being blown out or lost in shadows. Now, the went the other way, which is a high level of exposure with less tendency to blow out. Were this a dedicated cam, I wouldn't like that since I'd want accuracy. But, for the type of things I take w/ a phone, I think it's exceptional and will add quality to the typical family/pets/vacation pics.

 

[Almeuit]

We were talking about specific pics though (see the link). In those pics (Yoshi & mushroom) I can't honestly imagine anyone would prefer the S7.

Oh I know you are .. And that is why I said it can vary from place to place. In those? It won. In others? It may not.

Usually any phone I look at you can find contradicting evidence from place to place since they all weren't sitting next to each other with 100% same conditions and doing the shot. Also sometimes software will go nuts on a picture and just make it look awful. Nothing is perfect .

Aside from the specific pics, I'm still seeing better low light performance from the 10 in comparisons. It just seems to be something that cam was designed to do well. Even in daylight, the shadowed areas are far more revealing than the flagships. Surprising since the weak point in the M8 was the contrast, with things either being blown out or lost in shadows. Now, the went the other way, which is a high level of exposure with less tendency to blow out. Were this a dedicated cam, I wouldn't like that since I'd want accuracy. But, for the type of things I take w/ a phone, I think it's exceptional and will add quality to the typical family/pets/vacation pics.

And I can agree it takes good pictures .. But to say it just smashes the other flagships? I agree to disagree.

 

[B0WIE]

. But to say it just smashes the other flagships? I agree to disagree.

Not sure if you are referring to something I said or not but I certainly never said or implied "smashes the other flagships". If someone else said that as a generality, I wouldn't agree based on what I've seen.
I did say "The 10 walks all over it in the low light department." in specific reference to the S7 and the pics presented in that link. Yes, I am disappointed with the S7's low light performance (for a flagship) in my own experience and in what I've seen presented from others. 10 has bested it handily in that specific area, in the majority of comparison pics, even though the stomping I was referring to was in regards that link.

 

[Almeuit]

Not sure if you are referring to something I said or not but I certainly never said or implied "smashes the other flagships". If someone else said that as a generality, I wouldn't agree based on what I've seen.
I did say "The 10 walks all over it in the low light department." in specific reference to the S7 and the pics presented in that link. Yes, I am disappointed with the S7's low light performance (for a flagship) in my own experience and in what I've seen presented from others. 10 has bested it handily in that specific area, in the majority of comparison pics, even though the stomping I was referring to was in regards that link.

Sorry I just took you saying the 10 owns the light and dark area of photos as winning all out. Either way we can agree to disagree and leave it there .

 

[Jdroids]

Sorry, but "tied for low light"??? That S7 shot is not acceptable in any way. S7 pics seem to always look dingy indoors when compared to others. The 10 walks all over it in The low light department.

As far as macro goes, I've seen some sharp macro pics from the 10 so the S7 might beat it, but I haven't seen any evidence that the 10 will present a problem for extreme close-ups.

Well, to me the only thing 10 does better is color accuracy on low light shots, especially that comparison in link. Other than that S7 pics have better sharpness, details and great dynamic range. I would like to examine exif data of pics, but it's not available on that link. Once Samsung addresses color accuracy on camera software update, I would say S7 camera is better overall, not even tie. Samsung can update camera software just as well as what HTC is doing. And it has clear upper hand on launching, focusing speeds from hardware too. But I think HTC probably made their best camera so far on M series.

 

[B0WIE]

Well, to me the only thing 10 does better is color accuracy on low light shots, especially that comparison in link. Other than that S7 pics have better sharpness, details and great dynamic range. I would like to examine exif data of pics, but it's not available on that link. Once Samsung addresses color accuracy on camera software update, I would say S7 camera is better overall, not even tie. Samsung can update camera software just as well as what HTC is doing. And it has clear upper hand on launching, focusing speeds from hardware too. But I think HTC probably made their best camera so far on M series.

They can certainly update the software but there are hardware differences and I think that's what really shows here. Granted, I'm just going by the reviews but I try to find reviewers who are a little more photo savvy and the results seem pretty consistent. The S7 wasn't even grabbing as much light as my M8 when I compared them. There's a nice night pic in this gallery and the reviewer says; "...the Galaxy S7 struggled to capture anywhere as good an image."
An evening out with the HTC 10: camera impressions - Android Authority

I do agree with you about greater dynamic range, though I think Samsung could have implemented it better. The HTC's shorter range produces that less accurate/more illuminated look I'm liking. Definitely a matter of taste.

I don't care for the heavy sharpness enhancements the S7 is doing to create the illusion of sharpness/detail (something I saw picked apart in a review that zoomed in to illustrate it). Possibly why DXOMark scored the S7 significantly lower on the "artifacts" rating than the 10(though they didn't explain). Done aggressively like that, it just feels odd to me, but again that's personal preference.

I am not trying to to bury you on this or attack the S7. I'm just showing what the 10 is offering because a lot of us are interested. Quite honestly, if it wasn't as good or better than what else is out there I wouldn't be bothering with the 10. I thought I was done w/ HTC after the M9 (which I didn't buy because of the cam) but I happened to be shopping this month and the 10 looks to be leading the pack in areas that matter to me.

 

[Jdroids]

That AA link is just quick hands-on review on 10 camera. It has no S7 shots to compare with and they made rather subjective statements based on feelings. The writer admitted it in comments section and promised for more in depth review for comparisons. As for light gathering capability between 10 and S7, there isn't any significant difference between two from hardware standpoint (10 has larger 1.55um pixels, S7 has faster F/1.7 lens). Of course M8 owns this area with its huge pixels in 4Mp sensor but it has other issues. That's why I think it can be fixed in software for S7 camera.

Best low light cameras: Galaxy S7 vs iPhone, LG G5, HTC 10

Now here is proper in-depth comparison of 10, S7, G5, 6s cameras. The real surprise here to me is G5 camera as it often takes right balance of color and details in many scenes. S7 camera often over saturates color resulting in yellow or pink tones but it does pretty well too in many scenes unlike other Ars Technica link. Overall 10 camera works well here but it had some cases or dark, grainy or weird color as well. Despite having pixel size advantage, it seems to resort to higher ISO to brighten images at the expense of more digital noise. But bottom line is it's really dependent on lighting condition with sources, reflections and kind of objects as to which one gets the best. For medium to good lighting, it seems any of these camera would do more than fine job.

 

[nokia4life]

we have seen this though already there have been all kinds of camera test on youtube with the 10 vs GS7 and in some cases the 10 shines and in others the samsung shines however what I am getting is that if you want the best camera go with the GS7 everyone else is just about the same which is good it just can't be the way the GS7 handles things like stitching of panoramic photos, and the slo-motion video side by side the GS7 in both cases looked better and I pre ordered the 10. But to me it doesn't matter because I am not making slo motion videos and I really don't take a lot of panoramic photos so what I get from the reviews is that the hardware is awesome and the camera is really good thats a go for me.