best smartphone cameras

[haven]

http://connect.dpreview.com/post/7285707615/dpreview-recommends-best-smartphone-cameras


DP Review has published a “best for” list of smartphone cameras, circa early 2015.


Best for general shooting: Apple iPhone 6 Plus
Also consider: The Apple iPhone 6


Best for Raw shooting and editing: Google Nexus 6
Also consider: The Motorola Moto X (2014)


Best for manual control: Nokia Lumia 1520
Also consider: The Lumia 930


Best for feature lovers: Samsung Galaxy S5
Also consider: The Samsung Galaxy Note 4
(Galaxy S6 not available at time of testing)

 

[Thirty-Nine]

My wife has the Galaxy Note 4 and I must say, some of the pictures are incredible. I will likely get the Galaxy S6, and hope it's got a good one.

 

[Chazz Layne]

My camera phone is a Canon 70D wifi tethered to an HTC One.

 

[kojackJKU]

No mention of the sony setup? I think they have a very cool camera setup, as well as my "Classic 1020". Sony's clip on cameras for their phones are pretty interesting however.

 

[haven]

Update: DP Review has added the category "Best for image quality"
And given the nod to the Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

The article says the Galaxy Note 4 is just slightly better than the iPhone 6 Plus and Nexus 6.
http://connect.dpreview.com/post/7285707615/dpreview-recommends-best-smartphone-cameras

 

[Chazz Layne]

It's tough to take that review seriously. With new flagship models being released just days later, why would they publish the article then instead of waiting a few days to get the latest and greatest in the mix? Worse, their Apple fanboyness is showing. I'm not saying the iPhone's camera is bad, but it's far from "the best all-rounder."

FWIW, HTC may have finally built a winner with the One M9. It's a notch above the Note 4 in specs and so far completely free of the bugs the M7 and M8 suffered. More testing is required, but so far it's been pretty sweet.

 

[kojackJKU]

Chazz, anything DP review does you have to take with a grain of salt. They are fanboys that tout what pays them to be the best.

 

[kojackJKU]

Judging by their scoring the 1020 mops up all of the so called "best" cameras in phones listed here. As does the 808, and the 1520. Not mentioned or tested is the 830 as well which again mops up the apple/Samsung offerings.

 

[haven]

DPReview has completed testing of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge. (They share the same camera module.) DPReview's conclusion:
"...the best image quality among all conventional smartphone cameras we have tested so far...a very easy recommendation for mobile photographers who like working with Google's Android OS."

So the Galaxy S6 bumps the Galaxy Note 4 down to second place, and the iPhone 6 Plus to third place in this week's rankings for best image quality.

Also of note in the DPReview article: "image quality is as good as it gets with a small-sensor smartphone camera. If you want better image detail and low light performance you'd have to move to a hybrid device like the Pananonic Lumix DMC-CM1 or make the switch to an enthusiast compact camera" (like DPReview's current favorites, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100, the Canon G1 X Mark II, and the Fujifilm X100T).

So, according to DPReview, the best smartphone cameras have surpassed the majority of compact cameras in image quality. (Optical zoom, that's a separate issue.)

 

[Chazz Layne]

I'm still digging the HTC One M9. IQ is pretty impressive for a mere cameraphone, and full manual controls make me happy. If only it had RAW files...

 

[kojackJKU]

chazz,

I just flicked throught this again, and noticed your post. YOu would love the 1020. Full manual, RAW capture, the available camera grip make the camera feel like a nice sized point and shoot. The camera itself is second to none esp in low light, plus a real xenon flash instead of the LED wannabes.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Just to jump in here. I have been extremely impressed with the camera on my new Samsung Edge Plus. As an Apple fan boy, I'm glad I made the switch.

 

[kojackJKU]

Nice device. the only thing that scares me with that is the lack of protection for the screen. One wrong move. I don't think they have a case to cover it from drops do they?

 

[Chazz Layne]

chazz,

I just flicked throught this again, and noticed your post. YOu would love the 1020. Full manual, RAW capture, the available camera grip make the camera feel like a nice sized point and shoot. The camera itself is second to none esp in low light, plus a real xenon flash instead of the LED wannabes.

I've had it. The camera is fantastic, unfortunately the phone/OS is junk.



Oh, and I recently discovered that I was a bit hasty bashing the HTC One M9 for not having RAW files. Not only does it do RAW, it saves them as the universal DNG RAW.

 

[kojackJKU]

I love windows. its' awesome.

Here is a test between the 6+ and 1020.

http://allaboutwindowsphone.com/features/item/20233_Camera_head_to_head_Nokia_Lumi.php