What's Wrong w/ This Picture? S7 vs Pixel 2 XL

[monicakm]

What am I doing wrong? I just bought the Pixel 2 XL yesterday and so far I'm underwhelmed This is supposed to be the best phone camera in the world so it must be me! There is no plastic over the lens. I just did a point and shoot (since I'm not seeing any "pro" type settings) and got this horrible picture. YIKES! So I did a point and shoot (no pro settings) with my 2 year old S7. Where are the extra camera settings? How could I get this shot with the best (phone) camera in the world? Please help! I'm taking this back (after spending $54 on a glass screen protector) if this is what I can expect from low light photography.

Pixel 2 XL (point and shoot) with flash


Galaxy S7 (point and shoot) with flash

 

[Devhux]

Outside of noise, the Pixel 2 photo is much more evenly exposed than the S7. The S7 in comparison is overexposed where the flash lit, and underexposed on the left side. That's partly due to the fact the S7 flash doesn't have a diffuser on it (like the S9 and I'm pretty sure the Pixel 2).

I also wonder if Google's HDR processing gets tripped up by the use of the flash.

 

[TraderGary]

Try the same photo with the flash turned off. I never use flash on any of my cameras as it usually messes up photos and makes them look unnatural.

 

[dc52ltr]

Have never used the flash on my 2xl and my photos are stunning

 

[ThrottleJohnny]

Let's just admit it. The S7 had a kick *** camera. That was peak Samsung photo quality. After that the rest of Android finally caught up and caught Samsung napping.

 

[Joltcola1234]

first off, why are you using flash on the pixel? you almost never need flash on this phone. the hdr processing works far better then flash, stop using it immediately. second, that S7 photo looks awful it looks like someone's shining a flashlight on one half of the room. even with the flash on the pixel photo looks much more even.

 

[monicakm]

Outside of noise, the Pixel 2 photo is much more evenly exposed than the S7. The S7 in comparison is overexposed where the flash lit, and underexposed on the left side. That's partly due to the fact the S7 flash doesn't have a diffuser on it (like the S9 and I'm pretty sure the Pixel 2).

I also wonder if Google's HDR processing gets tripped up by the use of the flash.

Yes, the Pixel is more evenly exposed but that doesn't do a lot of good when the colors are so off and there is so. much. noise that the picture isn't pleasing to your eye. A "perfectly" photographed picture doesn't always equal pleasing to one's eye and, to me, that's more important. And in reality, with the lighting, that's pretty much how it looked (the S7). The light in the dining room is off. The light in the kitchen and above the bar illuminates the closer area of the dining room than the far corners and other side. Except for the blown out t-shirt DH is wearing and what little bit of his arm is showing, the S7 picture is very much spot on.

I've had some more time to try out the Pixel's camera. I took more low light pictures (with and without the flash) and found less (blooming?) and truer colors. Several of the S7 shots were too warm. Took an indoor selfie with my grandson this afternoon and OMGoodness, I was blown away by the quality!!!

 

[monicakm]

Try the same photo with the flash turned off. I never use flash on any of my cameras as it usually messes up photos and makes them look unnatural.

I normally don't either. I just got the camera the day before and was doing test shots.

 

[monicakm]

Let's just admit it. The S7 had a kick *** camera. That was peak Samsung photo quality. After that the rest of Android finally caught up and caught Samsung napping.

"Let's just admit it. The S7 had a kick *** camera. "
YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN! I've loved this phone's camera and have taken some incredible shots that could rival a dSLR. I'm really concerned that the Pixel doesn't have a suite of camera features/settings
AND I'm really really REALLY stunned that I have to touch the camera to take a picture When you have to touch the phone to take a picture, you risk movement. I rarely take a selfie anyway but I didn't know what to do today when taking one with my grandson. He reached up and tapped the shutter button LOL

I hope after 6 years of Samsung phones (big Samsung phone fan) that I can get used to something else. The camera is why I buy a phone. I've read for months that the Pixel 2 XL is the best and lately that the S9 has the best camera features. Every YT video I've watched comparing the two is always a draw for me.

 

[elshagon]

I don't think I've ever used pictures with a flash to decide whether a camera or lens is any good. Take a bunch of pictures with all sorts of different lighting and subjects without flash and you will probably come to the conclusion that the camera is excellent. There's some things which can be improved, but I'm constantly having people amazed at the pictures it takes.

 

[monicakm]

first off, why are you using flash on the pixel? you almost never need flash on this phone. the hdr processing works far better then flash, stop using it immediately. second, that S7 photo looks awful ������ it looks like someone's shining a flashlight on one half of the room. even with the flash on the pixel photo looks much more even.

Taking test shots. Just got the phone the day before. Just seeing what it could do (and can't do). BTW, I took the same shot without the flash and got the same washed out, grainy result. I think (as my husband did as well) that the S7 shot looked very good. The colors were spot on, less noise. As I mentioned in another reply, the lights in the kitchen and over the bar where I was standing, illuminate that side of the dining room more than the far corners and side (naturally). I'm not saying the S7 picture was perfect but in our eyes it's not even a contest. When my husband saw the Pixel picture, he immediately said "you got a bad phone. Take it back tomorrow and exchange it".

Using the flash again and turning off HDR helped with the color issue but it still showed significant noise and wasn't as sharp as the S7. I would love to get my hands on a S9 to see how it handles the same shot.

 

[Itsa_Me_Mario]

Agree with all the folks saying to turn the flash off. General rule of mobile photography.

 

[Morty2264]

Try the same photo with the flash turned off. I never use flash on any of my cameras as it usually messes up photos and makes them look unnatural.

For sure - flash makes many photos look abnormal, IMO.

 

[Joltcola1234]

I don't understand how anyone can think that S7 photo looks good, it looks terrible and unnatural to me. nether photo looks particularly good, but the pixel photo looks to have light more evenly distributed despite using the flash, which is a bad idea. The s7 looks super dark in one corner and unnaturally bright in the other.

I mean, you can look at the pixel 2 camera thread in this forum and see what it's capable of.

 

[Almeuit]

S7 looks super exposed to me and I'm not even a camera nut.

But hey if that works for you.. continue to use your S7 .

 

[Mike Dee]

I don't understand how anyone can think that S7 photo looks good, it looks terrible and unnatural to me. nether photo looks particularly good, but the pixel photo looks to have light more evenly distributed despite using the flash, which is a bad idea. The s7 looks super dark in one corner and unnaturally bright in the other.

I mean, you can look at the pixel 2 camera thread in this forum and see what it's capable of.

No one should take low light photography with a flash to compare how well a camera does in low light because it's absolute contradiction.

 

[monicakm]

Tough crowd! LOL I've shown these comparisons to at least 15 people. 100% said the S7 looked better.
I KNOW what the camera in this phone is capable of. I've read many articles and watched dozens of videos from people who do smart phone comparisons for a living Super Saf and Marques Brownlee to name a couple). I didn't blindly buy it not knowing anything about it. I bought it because it's touted as the best smartphone camera (runner up, Galaxy S9). I'm not here to incite a riot. I was/am truly concerned about the lack of quality in this example. Virtually as bad without the flash. I take any indoor shot I can without a flash. A few scenarios turn out better with a flash depending on what you're shooting for/gwant to highlight.

I went to Verizon today to see about getting the S9+ just so I could compare the two cams. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What one person likes, another might not. If the camera quality is equal, I'd probably go with the S9+ because of the camera features. I was shocked to see the Pixel basically had no options. On the other hand, I'm enjoying this stock Android!

So here's another example. NO flash. Point and shoot (auto). S7 isn't as bright but sharper and much less noise. Pixel 2 is brighter, color of desk is closer to actual color but full of noise and text is soft. Only light source is the computer monitor about 1 foot away.

S7

Pixel

 

[Mike Dee]

My shots don't come out with that much noise.

 

[Mike Dee]

Low light in a restaurant

 

[Almeuit]

Tough crowd! LOL I've shown these comparisons to at least 15 people. 100% said the S7 looked better.
I KNOW what the camera in this phone is capable of. I've read many articles and watched dozens of videos from people who do smart phone comparisons for a living Super Saf and Marques Brownlee to name a couple). I didn't blindly buy it not knowing anything about it. I bought it because it's touted as the best smartphone camera (runner up, Galaxy S9). I'm not here to incite a riot. I was/am truly concerned about the lack of quality in this example. Virtually as bad without the flash. I take any indoor shot I can without a flash. A few scenarios turn out better with a flash depending on what you're shooting for/gwant to highlight.

I went to Verizon today to see about getting the S9+ just so I could compare the two cams. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What one person likes, another might not. If the camera quality is equal, I'd probably go with the S9+ because of the camera features. I was shocked to see the Pixel basically had no options. On the other hand, I'm enjoying this stock Android!

So here's another example. NO flash. Point and shoot (auto). S7 isn't as bright but sharper and much less noise. Pixel 2 is brighter, color of desk is closer to actual color but full of noise and text is soft. Only light source is the computer monitor about 1 foot away.

S7
View attachment 282372
Pixel
View attachment 282373

That's fine if most think like you. If what others say is more important to you then go for it lol.

TBH you can show good and bad photos from any phone. It seems you took the praise of the camera as "all photos will be amazing and never bad" but that isn't the case.

In some scenarios it definitely won't be the best. The big iPhone X versus Pixel debate had people going at it for days. At the end it really boiled down to both did great shots.. in some scenarios one won and the other lost.

I'm not sure what you are wanting from this post? You seem to love all the S7 shots so.. why not stick with that over the Pixel? I've taken many upon many amazing shots with family asking me to use my phone versus theirs most of the time and they know nothing of cameras and tech. Does it mean it always takes the best pictures 110 percent of the time? No. It is just usually consistent and on point more often then not. If you had tons of photos as examples I could maybe get it but so far you've posted 2. That's not enough to convince me it's all of a sudden a bad camera. Especially since I've taken tons of good ones.

Oh and I've had all Samsung phones except the S9 so.. it's not like I'm against them .