Galaxy Note 5

[BlueGoldAce]

So both are not standards? As a photographer, which one do you prefer?

To the avergse consumer and their Facebook pages, it doesn't really matter though.

 

[MRU]

So both are not standards? As a photographer, which one do you prefer?

To the avergse consumer and their Facebook pages, it doesn't really matter though.

Swings & roundabouts. Both have merits, both have negs. Whilst the 4:3 ratio requires less crop for printing, extra resolution in the 16:9 adds a little more leeway into how you crop. End result really is that whether you shoot at 12mp 4:3 or 16mp 16:9 it is better than 8mp 4:3. Essentially the iPhone 6S/6S Plus camera should give pretty much similar experience as the Note 5/S6/S6 Edge. All of which are very very good for smartphones so it's kind or just arguing the toss really. Generally myself i'd be happy with either.

And yes for the average consumer who only ever shares photos on Facebook or looks at them on their phone - it doesn't really matter. Most regular folks photos I've seen tend to be quick snaps devoid of all the main composition rules that artists / photographers naturally think about when framing their shots - so yeah won't matter.

Facebook & other social media will compress the **** out of the photo anyway.

 

[pdqgp]

So both are not standards? As a photographer, which one do you prefer?

To the avergse consumer and their Facebook pages, it doesn't really matter though.

As a photographer I can't say I really "prefer" any crop factor as I tend to know my use and thus need prior to a shoot. However when I don't go in with a plan, I favor 4:3 because my gear offers cropping lines on-screen so I can see if I'm needing to maximize a 3:2 ratio. 4:3 also allows for more cropping room post-shot for the need to create a portrait crop from a landscape shot. Most all cameras can do 16:9 yes but that standard isn't one used to show MP's but rather Video resolution. HD, Full HD, Ultra HD, etc.

Yes, the world is going the route of Facebook and online more and more. That use isn't a factor to me. What I have issue with is how Samsung is marketing MP's on a device. It's not common to see manufacturers using 16:9 ratios to do so.

 

[MRU]

It's not common to see manufacturers using 16:9 ratios to do so.

Actually a lot of them are doing so now on Android. They seem to be gearing them more for viewing on TV's than in the traditional printed media.

And yes traditional framing / composition rules are fudged in 16:9 compared to how we learn to apply them.

 

[pdqgp]

Actually a lot of them are doing so now on Android. They seem to be gearing them more for viewing on TV's than in the traditional printed media.

In the world of camera phones yes, in the world of cameras and photography, not so much.

And yes traditional framing / composition rules are fudged in 16:9 compared to how we learn to apply them.

Meh.....again, we've always had the ability to change framing and composition post-process. The catch becomes again, if you're going to market MP's pick a standard that's second nature. Nothing wrong with trying to change that standard but be up-front about it or at least do so in a way that says I have a 16mp camera, but if you look at it in traditional form such as 4:3 or 3:2 you actually have an 18mp+ camera or something along those lines.

That would be equiv. to many auto manufacturers that under-rate the HP and TQ figures on their cars. They use a different standard but they under-rate them, thus giving consumers MORE than they expected.

 

[BlueGoldAce]

Interesting read guys. Thanks.

I am not a photographer, but If you need an explanation or advice on how to take images and ztscks on a confocal microscope...I'm your dude.

 

[BlueGoldAce]

In the world of camera phones yes, in the world of cameras and photography, not so much.



Meh.....again, we've always had the ability to change framing and composition post-process. The catch becomes again, if you're going to market MP's pick a standard that's second nature. Nothing wrong with trying to change that standard but be up-front about it or at least do so in a way that says I have a 16mp camera, but if you look at it in traditional form such as 4:3 or 3:2 you actually have an 18mp+ camera or something along those lines.

That would be equiv. to many auto manufacturers that under-rate the HP and TQ figures on their cars. They use a different standard but they under-rate them, thus giving consumers MORE than they expected.

I get your point, but looking at photos in tvs, Chromecast, comouters, etc are the norm now. So as a non-photographer, I can see advantages in both .

I guess I should ask my wife, she does photography on the side. She also loves her s6 camera.

 

[mclld]

Sort of off topic but since there are photographers in here I will ask. I am wanting to get a photo scanner to archive my old pictures, any suggestions or things to look out for?

 

[pdqgp]

Sort of off topic but since there are photographers in here I will ask. I am wanting to get a photo scanner to archive my old pictures, any suggestions or things to look out for?

Epson makes some good home consumer based units. V300 or V700 were good basic models to look at.

Don't get caught up in resolution. You won't likely be scanning get over 600dpi. 300 to 600dpi is plenty for photo restoration. 48bit color depth is good.

Feel free to PM me as this could go OT.

 

[nj-morris]

I'm also not in love with the 16mp talk around the camera when at first glance it appears that's a 16:9 resolution. Otherwise at 4:3 it's only 12mp. Right on part resolution wise with the iPhone for stills. Looking into the camera stuff today.

I was also surprised and a bit bummed out about the lack of an IR Blaster too. Not sure if it was a space or size thing but actually used that feature. At home I can control my entertainment system when my kids are hogging the remote and won't turn the volume down. At bars and hospitals I can use it to control the TV's too 🙂

Doesn't the iPhone take 4:3 photos at the highest resolution as well?

 

[pdqgp]

Doesn't the iPhone take 4:3 photos at the highest resolution as well?

It can't. With the move to HD, most cell phones moved to a 16:9 HD Format. That resolution is a factor based on the image sensor which in this case is a 1/2.6-inch CMOS Sensor. (5312x2988) 15.8 megapixels in 16:9 format. 4:3 is just a crop from the max down from that format to a (3984x2988). Think of it as 12:9 - a shorter rectangle as pictured here:

3:2 results in a (4482x2988 image) or roughly 13.3 megapixels.

Samsung really should put a bounding-box or guides as an option when shooting at 16:9 so one can easily frame or use those as a guide to judge framing. The size of those pixels is as is the quality of the sensor. IIRC Apple's pixels are just a tad larger but the sensor has a lower resolution. All said and done I think Samsung will have a slight edge on them there.

As noted above, it's really moot as that's plenty of resolution. The MP's aren't a limiting factor in photography or this case really. Here with the Note 5 and S6 vs say the iPhones, the limiting factor impacting what we will see is going to be the image processing.

Overall I suspect Samsung will turn out the winner in the IQ Dept. but what gets me is they still have average at best image processing in-camera. Even now looking at the images off the Note 5, while very good, they could be a lot better if the processing of them was done better. Camera RAW at some point? From the Note 3 through to the Note 5 it's evident Samsung uses a stronger Noise Reduction algorithm and then a strong sharpening algorithm to bring back some details. On low light images it results in a watercolor painting effect. Really only noticeable on screen vs print. Ironically however, on-screen is where the output has been headed for some time.

 

[Tig Bitties]

Do I think this Note 5 is way better than my Nexus 6 ? No, not at all. I really prefer stock vanilla Android #1, and the Nexus 6 is / was a great phone, but it was pushing the limits on size, especially the width, really hard to reach to the other side one handed.. But...with all these tweaks my Note 5 looks and runs just like a Nexus now.

But there are some key benefits the Note 5 has over the Nexus 6;

- Screen / Display: The Note 5's screen is bar none the best display I have ever seen on a smartphone. The best colors, and bright enough to see outside on a sunny afternoon. Viewing angles great.

- Camera: This camera blew me away. I'm no photographer, but man this camera shoots super clear sharp pictures, with amazing detail and clarity. The Nexus 6 wasn't even close to these kind of pictures. This is even better than my iPhone 6 Plus. One of the reasons I was looking to dump my Nexus 6, was the crappy focus and blurry pics it was taking, and would take forever to land a perfect picture, you'd have to stand there and aim it, and wait for the focus to settle, and then move it around, and then get lucky if you got a good pic. With the Note 5 it's point and click, and takes a crystal clear sharp image immediately.

- Battery life: Battery is huge deal to me, and I needed a phone that was at least as good as my tweaked Nexus 6 that gave me 5h to sometimes 5.5h Screen On time. Well this Note 5 does match and beat that a bit. So battery life is actually a little better on the Note 5 compared to my Nexus 6, I'd say about 15% to 20% better.

- Flat back: Silly little thing, but when I owned the iPhone 6 Plus, one thing that really surprised me, was laying the phone down on a table, and it being flat, and never rocking back or forth, it made it very easy to use it on a table, and I really enjoyed that and thought all phones should be flat to lay on a table. The Nexus 6 curve sucked for that, and always rocked back and forth like a canoe in rough water. As far as feel in the hand, it feels great, and very easy to hold.

- Fingerprint scanner: It is nice to have it work just like the iPhone, to unlock the phone. Very easy one handed operation with that,. Just press and hold your thumb there for a second, and the screen unlocks. It's faster and easier than swiping up to unlock. Not sure how I'd like it on the back of the phone, where the new Nexus phones will have it.


But if the rumors are true on the Huawei Nexus 6X, being extremely similar in size and shape and build quality as the Note 5, with the Nexus 6X having flat back, metal build, 5.7" screen, AMOLED display, and of course running stock Android 6.0 Marshmallow , I would be very tempted to move to that, and call it a day 🙂

 

[pdqgp]

Silly question for the group.....how do I activate stabilization in video mode? it's grayed out under a lot of the options resolution wise.

Thanks.

 

[RMXO]

New TMO update last night.

http://www.tmonews.com/2015/09/sams...dge-s6-and-s6-edge-all-getting-updates-today/

 

[nj-morris]

It can't. With the move to HD, most cell phones moved to a 16:9 HD Format. That resolution is a factor based on the image sensor which in this case is a 1/2.6-inch CMOS Sensor. (5312x2988) 15.8 megapixels in 16:9 format. 4:3 is just a crop from the max down from that format to a (3984x2988). Think of it as 12:9 - a shorter rectangle as pictured here:

3:2 results in a (4482x2988 image) or roughly 13.3 megapixels.

Samsung really should put a bounding-box or guides as an option when shooting at 16:9 so one can easily frame or use those as a guide to judge framing. The size of those pixels is as is the quality of the sensor. IIRC Apple's pixels are just a tad larger but the sensor has a lower resolution. All said and done I think Samsung will have a slight edge on them there.

As noted above, it's really moot as that's plenty of resolution. The MP's aren't a limiting factor in photography or this case really. Here with the Note 5 and S6 vs say the iPhones, the limiting factor impacting what we will see is going to be the image processing.

Overall I suspect Samsung will turn out the winner in the IQ Dept. but what gets me is they still have average at best image processing in-camera. Even now looking at the images off the Note 5, while very good, they could be a lot better if the processing of them was done better. Camera RAW at some point? From the Note 3 through to the Note 5 it's evident Samsung uses a stronger Noise Reduction algorithm and then a strong sharpening algorithm to bring back some details. On low light images it results in a watercolor painting effect. Really only noticeable on screen vs print. Ironically however, on-screen is where the output has been headed for some time.

Ok, so this is what I'm getting. Samsung's highest resolution photos are taken in 5312x2988 resolution, so 16MP in 16:9 aspect ratio, but to take 4:3 photos it would have to be 3984x2988, which is the presumed resolution of the iPhone 6S camera. So if you're taking photos in 4:3 or narrower, the resolution is the same on both phones, but anything wider goes to Sammy. But the thing that you implied that the iPhone 6S takes photos in 16:9 at 12MP (highest) resolution. iOS devices in the past have only taken their highest resolution photos in 4:3 aspect ratio (e.g. 2448x3264 for their 8MP cameras).

 

[Fernandez21]

Ok, so this is what I'm getting. Samsung's highest resolution photos are taken in 5312x2988 resolution, so 16MP in 16:9 aspect ratio, but to take 4:3 photos it would have to be 3984x2988, which is the presumed resolution of the iPhone 6S camera. So if you're taking photos in 4:3 or narrower, the resolution is the same on both phones, but anything wider goes to Sammy. But the thing that you implied that the iPhone 6S takes photos in 16:9 at 12MP (highest) resolution. iOS devices in the past have only taken their highest resolution photos in 4:3 aspect ratio (e.g. 2448x3264 for their 8MP cameras).

Yeah, in the past 16:9 on the iPhone has always been cropped from 4:3, so I would expect the same this time around.

It also makes sense about the new iPhone's 4:3 being the same as Samsung's, from the hands on I've seen, they've all said it's the best or one of the best. So photo quality should be identical between the new iPhone's and Samsung's, only difference is Samsung's will give a bit more on the sides because of the 16:9 ratio.

 

[pdqgp]

Ok, so this is what I'm getting. Samsung's highest resolution photos are taken in 5312x2988 resolution, so 16MP in 16:9 aspect ratio, but to take 4:3 photos it would have to be 3984x2988, which is the presumed resolution of the iPhone 6S camera. So if you're taking photos in 4:3 or narrower, the resolution is the same on both phones, but anything wider goes to Sammy.

Correct.

So far as I've seen the new iPhones aren't pulling out a larger sized sensor. Thus if they are sticking with their standard 1/3" sensor the pixel pitch is going to drop to 1.22um down from 1.5um of IPhone 6 thus each pixel is going to receive less light and be challenged more at a per-pixel level for quality. Not that we know all the details but overall it was clear they were striving to get to a 4k video capability without having to tweak much else.

But the thing that you implied that the iPhone 6S takes photos in 16:9 at 12MP (highest) resolution. iOS devices in the past have only taken their highest resolution photos in 4:3 aspect ratio (e.g. 2448x3264 for their 8MP cameras).

Correct. Apple uses a 4:3 and crops the 16:9 from there vs the inverse on Samsung.

they've all said it's the best or one of the best. So photo quality should be identical between the new iPhone's and Samsung's, only difference is Samsung's will give a bit more on the sides because of the 16:9 ratio.

Perhaps. All depends on how Apple handles the image processing, which in the past has been better than the heavier handed Samsung way of doing it. I agree that it will likely be close.

 

[pdqgp]

Another Note 5 update that I LOVE is SideSync. FINALLY!!! No more Airdroid or 3rd party fixes to do what the phone needed to do from the get-go on it's own. Works great.

 

[BlueGoldAce]

Another Note 5 update that I LOVE is SideSync. FINALLY!!! No more Airdroid or 3rd party fixes to do what the phone needed to do from the get-go on it's own. Works great.

I just wish they would release their version for Mac os x. It still say coming soon on their website for the mac version.

 

[Six8]

Note 5

 

[mclld]

Nice

 

[MRU]

[timg]http://i.imgur.com/JDIlSVa.jpg[/timg]

Note 5

I'll be honest ... It looks more like a frog to me 😉 😛


Great snap

 

[jamezr]

Note 5

Cute name for your pet frog. Note 5

 

[Six8]

I'll be honest ... It looks more like a frog to me 😉


Great snap

Cute name for your pet frog. Note 5

Had to add text otherwise the mods would scold me again

 

[Tig Bitties]

Easily getting over 6h Screen On time, was on the 4G network no WiFi like 90% of the day. I've had the phone for one week now, battery has settled in;