The smartphone universe became ripe again for camera comparisons, especially with the introduction of handsets, capable of recording Full HD 1080p video. That is why we took a few of the most popular high-end smartphones that are on the shelves, and staged a shootout.
We got the Samsung Galaxy S II, the LG Optimus 2X, the Nokia N8, and the Apple iPhone 4. Two of those are capable of Full HD 1080p video recording, so we are only pitting them against each other in that department. In all fairness, these are still cell phone cameras, so, with maybe the exception of the big sensor on the Nokia N8, we didn't expect wonders from the snaps.
We've reached the stage, however, where you can leave your point-and-shoot at home for casual photos with a piece of mind, and just use your high-end smartphone, which you are lugging around anyway. So let's try to determine which of these cameras does what well. All phones were on Auto settings, no HDR was used, we only switched on the Macro mode for close-ups, where we had it.
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Samsung Galaxy S II | LG Optimus 2X | Nokia N8 | Apple iPhone 4 |
Detail
Each of the phones captures plenty of detail in the frame, and it's hard to pick, since none of the cameras missed any major bit. At first look, the Samsung Galaxy S II has the upper hand, producing sharp photos with distinctive details out of the box.
The Nokia N8, however, captures the same extensive amount of detail, but since it bets on unaltered looks by default, the image appears slightly softer than on the Samsung Galaxy S II. The iPhone 4 also showed very good, almost equal results, and, alternatively, the LG Optimus 2X captures plenty of detail, but the lack of contrast makes the picture appear washed out.
1. Samsung Galaxy S II and Nokia N8
2. Apple iPhone 4
3. LG Optimus 2X
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Samsung Galaxy S II | LG Optimus 2X | Nokia N8 | Apple iPhone 4 |
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Color reproduction
Colors from the Nokia N8 came out being the most natural-looking. We have more saturation from the Samsung Galaxy S II, which makes its photos more appealing at first look, but unfortunately, looking at it closer, it becomes clear they are slightly colder than in reality. The ones with the LG Optimus 2X are both quite cold, and on the bland, undersaturated side. Finally, the iPhone 4 flips to the other side, producing contrasty, jolly, highly saturated images, which can be good and bad, depending on the situation.
We'd pick here the Nokia N8 for its natural looks, and the Samsung Galaxy S II, whose pictures, while slightly colder than reality, are a close enough shot.
1. Nokia N8
2. Samsung Galaxy S II and Apple iPhone 4
3. LG Optimus 2X
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Samsung Galaxy S II | LG Optimus 2X | Nokia N8 | Apple iPhone 4 |
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Exposure and dynamic range
Nokia N8 gets it right most of the time when there is a bright distraction in the frame, or a lot of sky. It also doesn't over- or underexpose, and you can clearly see the close gradients in the cloud and sky coloring. The Samsung Galaxy S II also does pretty well with exposure measurements and dynamic range.
The iPhone 4 sometimes overexposes bright objects, depending on where you focus at, so you have to be careful which spot to touch on the screen if there is such area in the frame. The LG Optimus 2X performs decently, with no drastic misexposed spots. We didn't turn on the HDR function on the iPhone 4, in order to keep the playing field leveled.
1. Nokia N8
2. Samsung Galaxy S II
3. LG Optimus 2X
4. Apple iPhone 4
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Samsung Galaxy S II | LG Optimus 2X | Nokia N8 | Apple iPhone 4 |
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Samsung Galaxy S II | LG Optimus 2X | Nokia N8 | Apple iPhone 4 |
Indoor shots In low-light situations the large 1/1.8” sensor on the Nokia N8 with its big pixels played a role to capture the most light, bringing noise down to a minimum. Nokia’s pride is the king of indoor shots with its Xenon flash, and didn’t hesitate to fire it up every time the lights dimmed even for a bit. The Samsung Galaxy S II indoor shots seem quite crisp and detailed too, although in well-lit to medium lighting colors came out too warm, and the flash came a bit weak. Indoors with incandescent bulbs the Apple iPhone 4 sometimes produces too warm, yellowish colors in low- to medium lighting, and inserts a fair amount of noise in the picture. The LG Optimus 2X exhibited less noise, fairly sharp photos, and the LED flash did a decent job illuminating the scene. 1. Nokia N8 2. Samsung Galaxy S II and LG Optimus 2X 3. Apple iPhone 4
Night shots The most pleasing night shot results we obtained from the Nokia N8 and the Samsung Galaxy S II. Their shots were sharpest and the most noise-free of all four phones. The Nokia N8 fared well in night shots around town, largely due to its big sensor. There wasn't excessive noise or haloed lights in its photos. The Samsung Galaxy S II night shots also came out fairly clear, with no overblown light sources. Despite its backlit sensor, however, the iPhone 4 produced quite noisy night shots, with blown-up highlights like neon signs, and halos around light sources. The LG Optimus 2X fared better with clearer night shots, but it had trouble with brighter objects like the lit-up shop sign below. 1. Nokia N8 2. Samsung Galaxy S II 3. LG Optimus 2X 4. Apple iPhone 4
Macro All phones managed to focus well in close-up shots, blurring everything further than the object at hand. Despite that the iPhone 4 doesn't have a dedicated macro mode, it automatically focuses on close-ups, thus saving you some extra fiddling in the interface. The Samsung Galaxy S II produced very good close-up shots, clear, and with distinctive details on the nearest object. The close-ups with the iPhone 4 come out very good for its point-and-shoot concept – it manages to focus strictly on the near object, and with large amount of detail, too, with the only downside being a tad noisy shot. The LG Optimus 2X also performed very well, capturing plenty of small details in a clear image. The macro mode of the Nokia N8 captures a bit more of the background scene than the rest from the same distance, since it has a wider field of view, and its macro shots are clear, with a good amount of detail. 1. Samsung Galaxy S II and Apple iPhone 4 2. LG Optimus 2X 3. Nokia N8
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