Who has the best camera?

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hpglow

Limp Gawd
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Mar 2, 2004
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My wife and I are moving the family's fleet of phones and tables away from Apple this year, and all that is left is the phones. I know the 6 launch is next week, but which phone in your opinion has the best camera?

My wife cares nothing of OS just the best camera. Right now she has her sights on the Lumia 1020. I think that the phone is due for a refresh, and mega-pixels aren't the end all. But I thought I would ask everyone's opinion of it just to see if anyone on here uses the phone and what they think of it and WinMo.
 
Lumia 1020, though I'm personally holding off on getting one until later this year after the new phones are released. Its used price is still the same as it was 4 months ago, simply because it's still the best cameraphone -_-
 
1020 is the king but the Sony Z1 through Z3 come in at a close 2nd
 
even the 20 Megapixel shooters in the 1520 and ICON/930 are damn good.

as for a 1020 refresh, I haven't heard much of anything in the pipeline. it runs the latest WP release well, and I doubt that you are going to see incremental changes to that beast of a camera in it.
 
It's hard to say who has the absolute best, because that depends on what you need -- you rarely get a smartphone camera that does everything well. In my experience, here's the overall top picks:

Lumia 1020 -- Just an incredible amount of flexibility with that 41MP camera. You can "zoom" without losing detail, even in video, and there's a lot of manual settings. Good audio capture in concerts and other loud situations. The catch: it's dog slow, and on a phone that's a year old. You use this for carefully composed images, not spur-of-the-moment snapshots. The Icon/930 will do many of the same things, but it's lower-resolution and doesn't fare as well in low light.

Xperia Z2 (and the Z3 very soon) -- Good overall camera. Not the absolute best, but the high resolution and solid sensitivity mean it'll usually get a shot you'll be happy with.

iPhone 5s -- Yeah, I know you're doing the Anything But Apple thing, but you did ask about phones with the best cameras. I've found that Apple just seems to have an uncanny knack for good image processing; it's sharp, it's accurate, it's fast. I've tried the One M8, GS5, G3... the iPhone isn't the best at everything, but it doesn't fall flat in some areas like its rivals. You don't need manual settings because it gets things right on its own. Curious to see what the new iPhone brings to the table.

LG G2 -- No, not the G3... while that's not a bad camera phone, I find that the G2 is a more consistent performer. It's not usually stunning, but it rarely gets things horribly wrong. Like the Lumia 1020, the catch is that it's an older phone.

As a general rule, I'm not a fan of Samsung's cameras. The GS5 is definitely better than its predecessors, but it still exhibits classic Samsung problems. First is that it's very intolerant of movement -- a slight twitch is all it takes to ruin a close-up. Also, the low-light performance is still inferior to what you'll get from the iPhone 5s, One M8 or Lumia 1020; it just doesn't show as much detail.
 
The G2 might be old, but it still holds it's own against the 2014 flagships. The only difference really is the G2 uses the Snapdragon 800 instead of the 801. The only real difference is the 801 is slightly more efficient.

That said, you might as well just get the G3 at this point. IIRC, most reviews agree that the laser autofocus on the G3 does make a difference.
 
Aurelius pretty much echo'd what I've observed.

- 1020 has the best image quality and granular control, but it's WP so yeah. :p
- iPhones are generally best overall for ease of use, fire and forget and still have decent shots in a variety of settings, but it's iOS so yeah. :p
- Samsung and LG seem to have the best Android cameras on Android. Sony too, but their availability in the US has been abysmal. But the Z3 seems to be hitting Verizon and T-Mobile at least this time around. For all the hate the M8 seems to get for its camera, I find it to be adequate in most situations. But I'm not a big pic taker.
 
The key to the iPhones giving such good images is their rock solid processing that takes fast shots and consistent shots. My M8 takes good pictures but it never takes them as good as my 5s does time and again.

Further, with ios 8 all the camera controls will be unlocked now.
 
Bought the 1020 a year ago for the camera, and felt like trying Windows Phone 9.

Loved the camera, hated WP 8.

Now that WP 8.1 is on the phone, I am starting to like this OS a lot more. It is actually OK.
 
-_- they state right there in the article the 1020 is the best, even with its few flaws.

Whether it remains the best for the rest of the year remains to be seen (but judging from released specs alone, it will).
 
The S5 might, or might not be the best, but it's up there. The G2, is in my opinion, better than the Note 3, but the Note 4 will probably best all phones, except the current king Nokia Lumia 1020.
 
I think the 1020 is the best camera, as the OPs doesnt care about the software or hardware minus the Camera.

Again not my phone so eh k, but if your buying a smartphone based on the camera only, buy used or with a good return policy, since buying a smartphone for the camera is risky. Imo if a camera is important buy a good smartphone and a nice compact point and shoot.
 
Nimisys said:
even the 20 Megapixel shooters in the 1520 and ICON/930 are damn good.

as for a 1020 refresh, I haven't heard much of anything in the pipeline. it runs the latest WP release well, and I doubt that you are going to see incremental changes to that beast of a camera in it.
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I have read that MS states they are planning one and nothing more. Apple's camera has served us fine, me specifically, but my wife says it falls short for her. We do have several nice Canon, Sony, and Nikons but no one carries these beasts for playtime at the park or any other spontaneous moment.

It would be nice if someone did better comparisons so I didn't have to re-read a million phone reviews to try and get the info I want.
 
hpglow said:
I have read that MS states they are planning one and nothing more. Apple's camera has served us fine, me specifically, but my wife says it falls short for her. We do have several nice Canon, Sony, and Nikons but no one carries these beasts for playtime at the park or any other spontaneous moment.

It would be nice if someone did better comparisons so I didn't have to re-read a million phone reviews to try and get the info I want.
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If you want the nicest camera for these situations and don't want to carry around a "beast", then I'd recommend the Sony RX100 (any of the 3 revisions). It's pretty much the best point & shoot you can buy and can definitely hold its own against many entry to mid level DSLRs in terms of image quality and IQ settings. It's easy to share pics from it through a phone too with Sony's companion app to quickly transfer pics from the camera to your phone via NFC and WiFi direct.
 
Nokia 1520 might be an ok camera phone but it's still useless for capturing any sort of motion like the dance scene so I'd rather carry a small but much more capable pocket camera considering Windows apps are still weak and I'm not a fan of the metro UI.
 
T4rd said:
If you want the nicest camera for these situations and don't want to carry around a "beast", then I'd recommend the Sony RX100 (any of the 3 revisions). It's pretty much the best point & shoot you can buy and can definitely hold its own against many entry to mid level DSLRs in terms of image quality and IQ settings. It's easy to share pics from it through a phone too with Sony's companion app to quickly transfer pics from the camera to your phone via NFC and WiFi direct.
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You are absolutely correct, the RX100 is an amazing camera in a different league than any smartphone.

The only direct competition it has is the Panasonic GM1

An alternative (a bit funky) would be the Sony QX series smartphone camera "companion"

http://store.sony.com/smartphone-pa...;sid=ds9h_eNnvKs8_Ld3Y3UJ-dNtHNtUqolzQ5ibbUCU

----

Btw most review site are rubbish at rating cameras (nothing is worse than the verge)

use proper photography review sites like:
http://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles
and
http://connect.dpreview.com/
 
Well it looks like as of today the Panasonic CM1 will be the hands down best smartphone camera. Remains to be seen how well it comes together in reviews. And battery life looks like a big question mark to me. Even so...a full 1" sensor and f/2.8 prime lens...on a decently modern high end Android phone. Pretty slick: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/15/panasonic-lumix-cm1/
 
1020 but it could use some basic improvements

Basic improvements, to name a few:
  • Current maximum exposure time is 4 seconds; why? Why not longer? I'd like to be able to do at least up to 30 seconds
  • No decent waterproof accessories for photography, or at least rain-proof
  • No protective case for phone+grip accessory; I'd like to be able to have the grip install on my phone more or less permanently. I don't mind the extra size, but I do mind how it is extra vulnerable
  • USB port on grip accessory is poor quality and will break easily
  • Grip accessory ought to have a battery add-on that you could attach to the bottom to make the whole setup square-shaped (similar to installing a dual battery grip for DSLRs); even as it is, I think Nokia is wasting space inside the grip that could be used for more battery!
  • When video recording, the phone consumes more energy than you can recharge (I know this from experience using multiple chargers and external battery products with my 1020)
  • Needs much better white balance control (K temperature adjustments would be wonderful)
  • Manual focus doesn't give you the full range of focusing that autofocus can do
  • Lack of remote shutter release accessory; Bluetooth is already there
  • Lack of remote flash accessory; Bluetooth is already there and all you need is a Bluetooth receiver to plug into any flash module with a 2.5mm male plug
  • Lack of flash control (ex. delayed flash, flash exposure time)
  • Lack of RAW output (only does JPEG output)

Silenus said:
Well it looks like as of today the Panasonic CM1 will be the hands down best smartphone camera. Remains to be seen how well it comes together in reviews. And battery life looks like a big question mark to me. Even so...a full 1" sensor and f/2.8 prime lens...on a decently modern high end Android phone. Pretty slick: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/15/panasonic-lumix-cm1/
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hehe I think I know what my next phone will be :D
 
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Isnt the panny supposed to be a concept, no actually production details released by panny yet?
 
Sony Z2 is alright, the mega pixels mean nothing than number, but still hold the crown on all android phone. Samsung phones are particularly bad with indoor and low light shots. G2 is just a average 13 camera that doesn't suck that bad as others.

The best of all is Nokia 1020, nothing come close to it except Nokia 808.

Anything else, I would say iPhone 5s. It just fast and easy to take any good shot. There are no setting needed. It just aim and shoot. The picture quality is probably the best outside of those old Nokia phone.
 
If your going flagship phone then get the iPhone is simple and best. If your willing to sacrifice the flagship crown then Nokia 1020 or any other Droid based Camera centric phone like the panny (if its released).
 
Thanks all, she bought a 1020 and loves it. Everything but the lack of apps. But for her that is no big deal. Now I just have to wait for the note 4 to come out.
 
shansoft said:
Sony Z2 is alright, the mega pixels mean nothing than number, but still hold the crown on all android phone. Samsung phones are particularly bad with indoor and low light shots. G2 is just a average 13 camera that doesn't suck that bad as others.
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Samsung Galaxy K Zoom has a better lens than the Sony, and the same size sensor.
 
I actually enjoy my 1520 camera, it's also in line to get an update to Cyan that should toss a few updates at the camera. 8.1 is much nicer than 8. My wife likes the phone, but has broken two of them as it's just too big for her to hold easily. You have to man handle this sucker!
 
Double middle fingers @ Microsoft for canceling the McLaren. Was so ready to give them my money, damnit...
 
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