Camera performance
We have talked about the interesting
feature party of Samsung till we feel pall, but like any photographer who can
witness, these things don’t guarantee high quality and stunning images. But on
GS4, can its fashionable modes and settings make up for the larger problem, or
are they just additions to a stable shooting module?
But
on GS4, can its fashionable modes and settings make up for the larger problem,
or are they just additions to a stable shooting module?
Luckily, it seems to be no. 2, though
performance is still not perfect. Though Samsung advertised that the shooting
delay is zero, this only applied for focused objects. We found it hard to
capture moving objects (such as children) without making these images blurred;
we didn’t normally face this on One.
One of the most important respects of
having 13MP camera is the amount of detail it can capture, and GS4 can capture
more than the same images shot by One hay GS3. But the additional pixels are at
their best when the image is magnified; GS4 can not only zoom in larger than One
and GS3 but also allow more cropping and presents lots of clarity than other
aforementioned devices. Color reproduction is a little over-saturated; dynamic
range is significantly better, and the images are not too sharp like on One. When
talking about daylight shooting, the latest and coolest of Samsung is quite
impressive, and outruns HTC One, which camera has been our favorite one on an Android
device till now and still provides prominent colors and natural light. To have
the example of lowlight performance, we have included the sample galleries from
the phones below so that you can make the comparison out of them (Update: we
have also added the full-res versions of the sample images on Flickr).
One
of the most important respects of having 13MP camera is the amount of detail it
can capture, and GS4 can capture more than the same images shot by One hay GS3.
However, there’s a missing part of a quiz,
and that’s lowlight performance. Can the latest and coolest phone of Samsung be
able to compare with a device that doesn’t actually need a light bulb to catch
the light? The good news is GS4 is better in this side than any Samsung camera
phone we’ve seen before, but it’s still unable to surpass One. In fact, the Ultrapixel
sensor of HTC catches more mislead light in standard settings than GS4 in the
dedicated Night mode. Which is to say, we realize that GS4 does a better job
with the very little light it can catch, by using higher res to smoothen the
noise. Finally, regardless of the fact that One has an amazing LED flash, the
flash of GS4 of even brighter.
Video is recorded at max res of 1080p at
30fps, and provides bit speed of 17Mbps. It’s not a bad camcorder replacement,
but there’s nothing that actually stands out. After all, it’s just a regular video
phone. The mic has recorded excellent sound when being able to filter most of
the wind and other unwanted noises. GS4 also has vibration reduction which, as
you will see in the post-produced software, edits out the edges of the
viewfinder, so those who have shaky hands (this includes us) should consider
giving it a shot. You’ll also be able to play with the fast-motion setting (2,
4 and 8x) and slow-motion (1/2, 1/4 and 1/8) for qualified entertainment
purposes.
The
good news is GS4 is better in this side than any Samsung camera phone we’ve
seen before, but it’s still unable to surpass One.
If the endless feature party isn’t a sign,
we’d like to be straightforward: Samsung is no longer a stranger to the waste
of images, especially when talking about creating a true masterpiece. However,
the exceptions for these rules belong to the post-production feature. Besides the
regular editing tool kit, Sammy hasn’t overdone much to be outstanding from the
crowd. As a method to change that, GS4 goes with a new app called Sony Album, which
is a beloved child of the cooperation between Samsung and Blurb company. The
service does exactly what its name implies; in brief, it creates 1 image album
from them then uses the phone to order the physical version in the professional
style of that collection – though it’s hardback, a softback or magazine format.
Choose 1 out of 5 layout design, add notes and choose the images you want to
include in the album. Blurb announces that these images lists will be provided in
up to 75 countries, so the price may be different – in America, you will have
to spend at least 9 bucks for the 20page, 5x5 inch image book. We like to see
more albums, though it’s a pity because we don’t have enough time to book.
