Lumia 1020 vs. iPhone 5s, which should I get?

gavinfabl said:
I have a 1020, 5S and Sony Xperia Z1 all in use now.

1020 takes the best photos on a phone. No point even trying to argue that point. Nokia provide a lot of add on in terms of apps and services. But windows phone does have the weakest app store selection. However, I was surprised that I only was missing one app that I needed. There are workarounds and solutions.

5S vs Z1 http://gavinsgadgets.wordpress.com/...xperia-z1-share-you-view-on-the-better-phone/ have a look at my camera shootout and you decide. From my eyes, the 5S took more natural shots in terms of colours. But otherwise it is your call as to which you prefer.
Click to expand...

I am also impressed with 1020 having optical stabilizer, and the Smart and Pro photo apps with a lot of innovative features.

Here's my view on it however... I wish Nokia would just make a camera with a bit of zoom lens and has no phone built in. Not having any zoom lens is pretty lame if photography is important to you.

Also DPReview noted:
>>>
The bad news is that when it comes to camera operation, the 1020 is sluggish compared to the competition. Whether using Nokia Pro Cam or the standard Windows Phone camera app, shot-to-shot time hovers around a glacial four seconds, long enough to leave many users frustrated.
<<<
http://m.connect.dpreview.com/post/5234892048/nokia-lumia-1020-camera-review?page=6

To me photography is about capturing moments. A 4-second recovery time between shots is unacceptable to me. iPhone 5S may not have 41mp or ISO controls but it does have super quick performance with zero lag and produces excellent shots. I'll not concede the Lumia camera is "hands down better" when it takes four seconds between shots.

1020 has lots of cool software features for photo manipulation and special effects, and I thought these seemed like they would be a lot of fun to play with, but would not be enough to make me deal with the lag. I'm less into special effects myself, though, than some folks. I could see those Smart app features appealing to certain folks, maybe people who don't care as much about recovery time.

I'd recommend getting a wifi-enabled digital camera or an EyeFi card and using those instead of your camera phone, except when you're in a pinch. To me there is no replacement for a real camera. I also like not using up my phone's batteries taking pictures, because I take a lot of pictures.

The Canon S110 HS or SX510 HS both work with Canon's nice WiFi app and provide fully manual controls over all functions. The SX510 can do up to 240FPS video and has a 30X stabilized optical zoom that works during video recording for $250. Personally I'd go with a NEX-5T from Sony or a Canon Rebel, or pick up a used Nikon D300s for $500-600 and pop an EyeFi card in it. Shrugs.
 
I returned my 1020 for one reason, the processor inside of it. Also, if I am going to sign a new contract, I want to use it on something with better resale value.

Decided to use my upgrade on the 5s 64GB and then bought a 1020 on Craigslist for $400.

Photos are excellent on the 1020

YouTube with MyTube offers and excellent YouTube experience. (Even has background audio)

Email, TXT and social networking are all great on WP8. (Unless you are comparing it to and involved in mass gmail threads)

Phone call quality is exceptional.

Battery life is the same as the 5s. Although, there is a bug with Nokia Drive that keeps it running draining the battery. A quick reboot clears the bug. Nokia is aware and is working on a fix.

Skype is baked in well.

Now, if you want any native Google Apps, just look the other way now. You will find FaceTime on WP8 before Gmail at this rate.

That being said, I find outlook/live services better than iCloud. It integrates social services really well and seamlessly.

I don't miss notification centers. Live tiles do what I need every time. Also, WP8 has really good voice to txt and in my opinion, the best virtual keyboard by a mile.

WP was 5 years late to the modern party. However, I expect them to do really well next year as the ecosystem continues to explode. Now that they will be working with chipsets like the SD800, expect to see WP and RT melt together.

Blatant things I missed from iOS?

iTunes media player.

Applet TV remote.

FaceTime - Only to the point that it's easy to communicate with iPhone users that have no clue other alternatives exist.

Games - Although, not the biggest draw anymore because 4" screens are just too small for my tastes.

Google Apps - Specifically Gmail

Speed of the processor and tight optimization. Again, this will get and has been getting better on WP.

Faster browsing. Again, spec limited.


Things I miss from WP


The 1020 camera

The 1020s design and screen - I can't tell you how many compliments I receive when carrying it. (I have Yellow)

Live Tiles

Live/Outlook integrated social services. People Hub, Me Tile. Makes it easier to check things at a glance.

6tag = Instagram / Really Nice

6sec = Vine

Skype always on

Excellent Txt to speech Bluetooth headset support

NFC

Within Apps, being able to Pin specific parts of it to the home screen.

I am waiting for the Nokia 1520. That will answer my questions about WP with the SD800. It should be awesome.

Good luck.
 
Here's another review that will help.

http://www.gsmarena.com/nokia_lumia_1020-5506.php

Honestly, if the camera is the biggest draw, there is no better one on the market. I have a 5s and while the phone is more compact, the Lumia kills is in the detail department. Also, for those that read the tech blogs, you can take rapid fire pictures with the 1020. Just like the 5s. These photos are taken at 5mp, but still use the same sensor and optics.

I don't discriminate with platforms. This is obvious as I also own a Moto X. However, to me, that's the worst of the three for many reasons.

http://www.businessinsider.com/iphone-camera-compared-to-nokia-1020-2013-9

Like I said, if having a fantastic camera in your pocket at all times is the hot button, 1020 is your phone.
 
TSE said:
I appreciate where you are coming from, but I like Nokia as a company and think their phones are some of the best. I like the Windows Phone UI.

And the Point-and-Shoot that I have currently that I am satisfied with is the Canon ELPH 300 HS. How do both phones compare to this camera?

I am not looking for professional-quality imagery, just enough to really take pictures of things that occur in my life, and to maybe take photos of my design work in classes to put up on my website.

I appreciate it Noaah. Wasn't aware of alternative web browsers, with Windows Phone 7 Microsoft wouldn't allow non-Internet Explorer engine'd web browsers. Good that they changed their mind. What do you mean you can't post on forums?
Click to expand...

Hi, I don't have the ELPH 300HS but I do have the 330HS. Yesterday evening I took an indoor shot with this camera and compared it with the 5s shot. Both pics were taken with no flash but otherwise auto settings.

Upon comparison it was evident that the Canon shot was much brighter BUT the 5s had more detail in the image. For example, I used a stuffed animal as a subject and the individual hairs stood out in finer detail. Noise was minimal on both. However, I only viewed them on their own screens but not together on the same PC. Nonetheless the 5s image was pretty impressive. I can post the pictures later.
 
dsi76 said:
I only viewed them on their own screens but not together on the same PC.
Click to expand...
That's not a legit comparison-
From Canon's website:
LCD Monitor
3.0-inch TFT Color LCD with wide-viewing angle

LCD Pixels
Approx. 461,000 dots
Click to expand...
Nice! But-
The 5S is 1136x640 = 727,040 dots?

You should see more detail on the 5S screen as it has more pixels. Let us know when you compare the images on your PC.
 
naughtynumber9 said:
That's not a legit comparison-
From Canon's website:

Nice! But-
The 5S is 1136x640 = 727,040 dots?

You should see more detail on the 5S screen as it has more pixels. Let us know when you compare the images on your PC.
Click to expand...


Oops, just made a mistake in my previous post. It is actually an ELPH 530 HS, which is basically the touchscreen version of the 330HS.

Here's a photo taken by the Canon:
http://i.imgur.com/kZjJZ7G.jpg

And the similar shot with the iPhone 5s:
http://i.imgur.com/UWorBk2.jpg

Finally, just for comparison, with a Nexus 4:
http://i.imgur.com/1Kns0TY.jpg

You can tell that the iPhone shot is a bit darker but the details are just sharper. On the Canon the fur seems to be blurred by the higher exposure. The Nexus 4 pic is just a mess of noise.

Anyways, you be the judge as to which one is better.
 
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