Blind sample pics: Samsung Galaxy 7 wins over iPhone 7

[redman042]

The iPhone's video stabilization is light years above any other flagship I've used. The videos I shot with my G4 were terribly shaky. The software used in iOS to stabilize video is phenomenal and it's something rarely praised or discussed.

Huge impact for my personal usage and the reason id pick an iPhone over any other smartphone camera on the market.

I definitely have to agree with this. I recently shot video of the Thunderbirds at an air show with my 6s Plus and it came out amazing. I shot in 4k then cropped afterwards in iMovie resulting in essentially lossless digital zoom in the 1080p output (plus I was able to select what part of the frame to zoom into, making it easier to track the jets). The built-in optical stabilization made the video incredibly steady. The result looked like I had mounted the phone on a tripod, even though I shot the whole thing handheld.

The Samsung employs more opinionated post processing, i.e. higher contrast and saturation. I'd say for most users this is fine and probably even preferable. I prefer having more to work with to employ my own post processing with more natural images. I'd probably say that Apple could probably do with a little more opinion of themselves, especially seeing how they tend to cooler, greener images which can turn people off. Especially in blind tests like these.

But like the Pepsi challenge proved, blind tests are biased towards stronger, sweeter flavours which work in small doses and that which stands out in immediate comparison to others.

It's just like buying a new TV at Costco. The ones people gravitate towards are the ones with the contrast and brightness cranked through the roof. But I don't think Apple is worried about it. Most people will pick iPhone because it's overall a great phone that's fast, well supported, and has great build quality. They'll get a great camera that will shoot images that match what their eyes are seeing at the time, and not worry any further about it.

Fun to read the comments here. Suppose for a moment the labels were changed between the S7 and iPhone 7, would you still be making the same comments about saturation?

It's not like any of these cameras are bad, we're really splitting hairs at this point. You can get fantastic pics out of any of these phones, but keep it real, give credit where credit is due.

The Samsung has a great camera, but saying it's better just because they are over-processing the images is credit they don't necessarily deserve.

 

[se1000]

The Samsung has a great camera, but saying it's better just because they are over-processing the images is credit they don't necessarily deserve.

Sure, that view is fine, but it still doesn't change the fact that in a total blind test, people preferred the S7 results. As for the processing topic, both phones can capture in RAW.

put it another way:

Subjectively: It just won a blind test, in some cases beating the other competitors combined

Objectively: Has a higher score in DxO, which I admit isn't an end-all, if it wasnt for the following factor:

Technically: It has a larger sensor, larger aperture, faster focus, and on average produces larger jpegs at the same resolution as the iPhone 7 (in the camera world, this is a factor in determining how much information is being captured, again many factors in the file size argument)


Again, I'm in no way saying the iPhone 7 camera is bad, I'm also of the opinion that the cameras between them are close enough so it shouldn't dictate your decision between the two phones. What I AM saying is that the S7 camera is at worst equal to the iPhone 7, and in a lot of cases a little better.

 

[OneMike]

I picked the galaxy s7 a lot. The iPhone 7 once

 

[Mr.Blacky]

Just in case anyone is interested, here is what I picked: V20, 7, V20, 7, 950, S7, S7, 7, 7, S7, S7, 7, 7, S7/7, 7, V20. So all together iPhone 7 won for me!

 

[jafingi]

I think people choose the S7 because of the higher contrast. But everyone who really knows about photography will always choose a natural looking photo over overexposed ones with high contrast.