Why is the Galaxy S7's camera MUCH better than the 7 Plus ?????

[pixel_junkie]

Couple of thing I've learned for myself:

- Take all reviews with a grain of salt - it is all subjective and people are easily swayed in all kinds of directions for all kinds of personal reasons. I think this very thread illustrates this point very well.

- Blind brand loyalty benefits only the manufacturer. If you only compare this years model iPhone to last years or the one before that, then maybe the iPhone 7 is a worthy upgrade (although many people seem to be waking up about that).

If Android isn't your thing, that is perfectly ok but at least be open enough to see how fast the mobile phone world is moving around you. You can get a retina scanner on your phone now as a secondary security feature and it isn't a gimmick, works perfectly. That used to be in SciFi movies not too long ago as a crazy made up Hollywood thing.

I imagine next year, when the next flagship Samsung comes out, it'll also have a dual camera but it'll have some crazy tilt-shift ability but also some advanced HDR option (I can't believe Apple didn't do this with two lenses on board).

The point is, other companies are pushing the limit every year while Apple's new device is perfectly described as "improved more of the same"

 

[KillaMac]

No, but by and large they reviewed it without a direct comparison to the S7 in the same lighting and composition which is critical to make judgments. The camera on the iPhone 7 is fantastic and in daylight has little if any difference to the s7. Saturation is all a matter of preference in the post processing the camera manufacturer does for their Jpgs. This is no different than JPGs that differ from Canon, Fuji, Nikon, Sony, etc. straight out of camera. What does matter is dynamic range, shot noise, signal to noise ratio, resolution/detail, etc. In low light, the s7 is better than the iPhone - period. Any unbiased person looking at them will come to the same conclusion. Now, that could be because of better post processing for noise reduction and sharpness. The only way to judge sensor is to get raw images from both sensors without any sharpening or noise reduction. Then you can judge the sensor and lens.

You said you shot professionally so I addressed you as such and asked for some info to validate your claim. Saying you "know what a image should look like" because you shot is D7000 is false. You simply know what Nikon thinks an image should look like and no more if you are relying on their jpg processing. You state DisplayMate testing isn't valid. I bet you would have no problem using them as a reference for stating the iPhone 7 LCD is the most accurate display they have ever tested! That is the definition of a fanboy. You state every reviewer and technical site that disagrees with your conclusion as invalid and hold up the ones that agree with you as the gospel.

It boils down to the person holding the phone and taking the image more than anything else as both phones are very close. However, when everything is kept constant between the two in light low, the S7 produces a slightly more pleasing image balancing detail and noise reduction.

I never shot JPG, I shot RAW. I own the S7 Edge and 6s plus. We will see how night is with the 7 when I get it. I know the S7 is better than the 6s plus, but I looked at all these night pics of the 7 and they are awesome. The S7 has a lot of noise as they use a higher ISO number on their phones vs Apple. That would be another reason they maybe darker. The S7 will of course look brighter because of the higher ISO but it comes with more noise.

I am not a fanboy like some here since I own both. I am an engineer and actually like facts and don't go by what people THINK is fact. I also don't trust have the consumer youtube videos out there. I would trust DPREVIEW or a site similar to that.

 

[jase1125]

I never shot JPG, I shot RAW. I own the S7 Edge and 6s plus. We will see how night is with the 7 when I get it. I know the S7 is better than the 6s plus, but I looked at all these night pics of the 7 and they are awesome. The S7 has a lot of noise as they use a higher ISO number on their phones vs Apple. That would be another reason they maybe darker. The S7 will of course look brighter because of the higher ISO but it comes with more noise.

I am not a fanboy like some here since I own both. I am an engineer and actually like facts and don't go by what people THINK is fact. I also don't trust have the consumer youtube videos out there. I would trust DPREVIEW or a site similar to that.

So you shot RAW so you therefore understand that JPG, noise reduction and sharpening are personal preferences? All the reviewers are judging straight from camera images and prefer the S7 in low light. More reviewers prefer the Samsung image.

 

[KillaMac]

So you shot RAW so you therefore understand that JPG, noise reduction and sharpening are personal preferences? All the reviewers are judging straight from camera images and prefer the S7 in low light. More reviewers prefer the Samsung image.

Not to what I have seen on all the links people are posting.

 

[jase1125]

Not to what I have seen on all the links people are posting.

Well I guess we are reading different threads. Most everyone agrees the Sammy is better in low light. I wish my iPhones had "degraded" Samsung S7 image quality.

 

[Macshroomer]

I would trust DPREVIEW or a site similar to that.

Yeeeaah....I'd take what those guys say with a generous helping of salt.

None of them are actual working photographers, they do standardized lab tests and then if you are lucky, go out and make some pretty crappy "Real World" test shots and call the review done. I have called them out several times in recent months, especially when one vocal "software engineer" insisted that I was wrong when I said that even though paper, my D810 showed more dynamic range than my Hasselblad CFV50c back, thousands of images made on paid jobs in a host of different light very clearly showed that the Hasselblad back was kind of leaving the Nikon in the dust.

You want real, talented working pros to review this phone, not "Semi-Pros" or some web star appointed expert on dpreview who could not shoot his way out of a wet paper sack with a missile launcher.

 

[KillaMac]

http://wccftech.com/iphone-7-galaxy-note-7-camera-samples/

http://www.cnet.com/special-reports/cameras-compared-iphone-7-plus-vs-galaxy-s7-vs-iphone-6s-plus/

Let's wait till the phones get into more peoples hands...more professional peoples hands.

 

[jase1125]

Yeeeaah....I'd take what those guys say with a generous helping of salt.

None of them are actual working photographers, they do standardized lab tests and then if you are lucky, go out and make some pretty crappy "Real World" test shots and call the review done. I have called them out several times in recent months, especially when one vocal "software engineer" insisted that I was wrong when I said that even though paper, my D810 showed more dynamic range than my Hasselblad CFV50c back, thousands of images made on paid jobs in a host of different light very clearly showed that the Hasselblad back was kind of leaving the Nikon in the dust.

You want real, talented working pros to review this phone, not "Semi-Pros" or some web star appointed expert on dpreview who could not shoot his way out of a wet paper sack with a missile launcher.

Oh my goodness that is funny right there. And the truth.

 

[Mxbzz]

http://wccftech.com/iphone-7-galaxy-note-7-camera-samples/

http://www.cnet.com/special-reports/cameras-compared-iphone-7-plus-vs-galaxy-s7-vs-iphone-6s-plus/

Let's wait till the phones get into more peoples hands...more professional peoples hands.

I don't know how many times you've posted that link to CNET's review but it's pretty apparent you're unwilling to agree with any reviewer if they don't put the iPhone on top. That's fine to have your opinion but to dismiss the multitude of other reviews that say otherwise is downright fanboyish.

FWIW, you can still be a fanboy and own both devices. I think the difference between the daytime shots on the 7/S7 are marginal but the S7 trumps the 7 in low light photography. The auto focusing on the S7 is also insane. I honestly thought the AF would start slowing down as the phone got older (like how many think TouchWiz does to Samsung phones), but I've been pleasantly surprised.

 

[rambo47]

With the iPhone 7 being only a couple days old, why don't we wait a week or two and see what the next software update does for the camera?

Personally, all this yapping about camera quality is a tempest in a teapot. Most cameras are good enough for smartphone photography. If one or the other (Samsung or Apple) is a little better, who really cares? It's ONE feature. The real argument for me is Android vs. iOS. Now THAT'S why I chose an iPhone over a Samsung. That, and because my wife told me to.

 

[se1000]

I never shot JPG, I shot RAW. I own the S7 Edge and 6s plus. We will see how night is with the 7 when I get it. I know the S7 is better than the 6s plus, but I looked at all these night pics of the 7 and they are awesome. The S7 has a lot of noise as they use a higher ISO number on their phones vs Apple. That would be another reason they maybe darker. The S7 will of course look brighter because of the higher ISO but it comes with more noise.

I am not a fanboy like some here since I own both. I am an engineer and actually like facts and don't go by what people THINK is fact. I also don't trust have the consumer youtube videos out there. I would trust DPREVIEW or a site similar to that.

I'm sorry but you seem to have a REALLY HEAVY dose of prejudice against Samsung

 

[KillaMac]

I don't know how many times you've posted that link to CNET's review but it's pretty apparent you're unwilling to agree with any reviewer if they don't put the iPhone on top. That's fine to have your opinion but to dismiss the multitude of other reviews that say otherwise is downright fanboyish.

FWIW, you can still be a fanboy and own both devices. I think the difference between the daytime shots on the 7/S7 are marginal but the S7 trumps the 7 in low light photography. The auto focusing on the S7 is also insane. I honestly thought the AF would start slowing down as the phone got older (like how many think TouchWiz does to Samsung phones), but I've been pleasantly surprised.

So you rather trust a plain old user that posts a YouTube video out there than a huge company that reviews products like CNET??? Lol. The guy said he saw no reviews that favored the iPhone. So I posted a few. So I your thinking you seem to think if it isn't an android phone on top, you have to make comments like above. Who's the fanboy again?

 

[KillaMac]

I'm sorry but you seem to have a REALLY HEAVY dose of prejudice against Samsung

Maybe because of all the android people here dissing the iPhone.

 

[se1000]

Maybe because of all the android people here dissing the iPhone.

Because no iPhone user has ever dissed an Android product.

Objectively speaking, the S7/Note 7 has better camera specs and the reviews prove it out. The few reviews that say the iPhone 7 is better give no concrete information.

That's not to say the iPhone 7 camera is bad, it's a great camera, it's just not quite as good as the one in the latest Galaxy products.

Would I change my buying decision because of the difference? Absolutely not, it's not that big of a difference.

 

[Mxbzz]

So you rather trust a plain old user that posts a YouTube video out there than a huge company that reviews products like CNET??? Lol. The guy said he saw no reviews that favored the iPhone. So I posted a few. So I your thinking you seem to think if it isn't an android phone on top, you have to make comments like above. Who's the fanboy again?

I am at a loss of words with your response. Have a good day

 

[KillaMac]

Because no iPhone user has ever dissed an Android product.

Objectively speaking, the S7/Note 7 has better camera specs and the reviews prove it out. The few reviews that say the iPhone 7 is better give no concrete information.

That's not to say the iPhone 7 camera is bad, it's a great camera, it's just not quite as good as the one in the latest Galaxy products.

Would I change my buying decision because of the difference? Absolutely not, it's not that big of a difference.

There you go. Proof. Android fanboy opinion.

 

[se1000]

There you go. Proof. Android fanboy opinion.

The S7/Note 7 has a physically larger sensor (quite a bit larger) that's made by the same manufacturer as Apple uses, and uses a larger aperture. This is not up for debate these are measurable facts.

Another fact is the S7/Note7, while having the same megapixel rating, produces consistently larger picture file sizes than the iPhone 7.

These two things would tell any photographer that the S7/Note 7 should produce photos with better dynamic range and will be better in low light. We've seen this to be true.

My point is, you can get the iPhone looking picture out of the S7, you physically cannot produce the S7 picture using the iPhone 7.

 

[KillaMac]

The S7/Note 7 has a physically larger sensor (quite a bit larger) that's made by the same manufacturer as Apple uses, and uses a larger aperture. This is not up for debate these are measurable facts.

Another fact is the S7/Note7, while having the same megapixel rating, produces consistently larger picture file sizes than the iPhone 7.

These two things would tell any photographer that the S7/Note 7 should produce photos with better dynamic range and will be better in low light. We've seen this to be true.

My point is, you can get the iPhone looking picture out of the S7, you physically cannot produce the S7 picture using the iPhone 7.

Funny that you say this but you don't own one. Like I said opinion not fact. There are other reviews out there that said on paper the Samsung should be better per spec, but in testing it's not. Google it.

 

[se1000]

Funny that you say this but you don't own one. Like I said opinion not fact. There are other reviews out there that said on paper the Samsung should be better per spec, but in testing it's not. Google it.

Don't own what? I own an S7 (same sensor as the Note 7), and I own an iPhone 7

 

[msavic]

Between the iPhone 7 Plus and the Galaxy S7E, I really don't like either of them as the S7E over sharpens everything while the iPhone employs a garbage noise reduction algorithm which smooths out grass and other fine details into giant blobs.

In terms of colour accuracy, neither is actually doing the job correctly. The Samsung is boosting colors and producing more vibrant images that appeal more to the general consumer but the effect is overdone. The iPhone on the other hand produces images which lack any life or vibrance and more often than not are actually more dull than the scene is in reality.

In terms of sharpness between the two, it's really hit or miss for both. At times the 7+ will pull off the sharper image but on others the S7E will. There is also a distinct difference in sharpness as the S7E employs an overexaggerated over sharpening algorithm that really ruins images.



In the grand scheme of things, I'm not satisfied with either of them, there is so much room for improvement and both manufacturers have made some questionable decisions regarding the Camera.


I'm actually heavily disappointed with the S7E camera as it is a downgrade from the S6 camera in both image quality and detail and it all stems back to Samsung changing the image processing on the S7E. It's one of the reason why pretty much every shot I take with the S7E is now in RAW as I can't risk the software ruining the shot for me.

The iPhone 7+ needs some seriously improved image processing, with camera hardware that is clearly capable, there is no reason to be employing such drastic noise reduction. I like the image processing on my iPad Air 2 way better than the image processing on the 7+ as it is way more natural and shows some digital grain compared to the smooth and soft 7+ pictures.

If I could take the S7E camera and the iPhone 7+ and squish them together, you'd have the ideal smartphone camera. The image quality would be great, colors would be accurate and the processing would be vastly improved.

 

[Macshroomer]

I'd have no problem giving the nod to another brand, I just don't worry about those things when it comes to the pictures I make.

But for people who's only camera is the phone they use, I can see why they might try to get the most out of what they buy. I also get the need for techies to grandstand and say what is the best on paper, so for the rest of us, photographers or regular people wanting as good a picture as they can get from a phone, the microscopic dissection of said tests may or may not be worth much when it comes to the overall appeal of the total package, OS included.

I was recently handed an S7 to take a photo of a group of people with, the photo looked damn good too. But it would never be enough to leave a language of OS and hardware that in the big picture I have been using for decades.

 

[broadbean]

I'm probably going over similar ground here, but let's for a moment assume all photos and smartphones discussed here were from the same company. I would still say there are some photos with minor differences, and others more substantial. They're not all from the same camera however. And not everyone shares the same opinion -- at the end of the day, regardless of any scientific facts or physics, optics, lighting, artistic composition etc, etc, it is all just so

s u b j e c t i v e​

But whether you feel someone else's opinions, their personal likes are "correct" or not, it's not a "fanboi" thing. People like what they like, who are you to argue? It is perfectly their right to choose and/or diss what they paid their money for.

 

[e1me5]

Even the gras looks damn sharp on the S7! Apple has lied to us, 8mp front camera, but still trash

View attachment 654328

It doesn't look sharp, it looks like puke. Pumped up contrast, sharpening, all the magic tricks. Sorry mate, you have to learn to tell the difference. And I have a feeling that the IP7's camera is adjusted to focus on an average distance between someone's face and phone, leaving the background a bit soft and out of focus.

 

[born2runak]

I do wonder why the shutter action and camera loading / and focusing is so much faster on Samsung phones. I would think that the issue could be somewhat fixed with software update. That has always been my biggest gripe with the iphones camera is the speed of loading / focusing.

 

[KillaMac]

So you are going to ignore my link? Can't argue with displaymate.

So from your own source that you were highly pushing. Displaynate just rated the iPhone 7 display the best of any smart phone. Like I said before facts are great and you were wrong. You have to look into the detail of the display and not what you tubers say.

https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...er-marks-major-upgrade-over-iphone-6.1998415/