Phone - decent camera required (£400-£500)

Thanks for the additional shots 423x - very helpful for comparison.

I think we have a winner - as i awoke to the sounds of YouTube tutorials on the S7. (It seems all subtly has left the building and i'm being bombarded with - 'very poorly executed' - subliminal messaging. But, at least i can't make a mistake this year... :)

Thanks for all the input guys - really helped.

@paradigm, your input may prove particularly expensive as I carry around a small, but still bulky, camera for catching photos of the kids - the P10 portrait mode is very tempting thanks to the twin Leicas. The more i research the more this has grabbed my attention...

biron_w said:
The G6 has a great camera and it's a fantastic phone as well.
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Thanks Biron_w - the LGs do review well.

I certainly know more about phones than i did at the start of this thread. And as they say, 'a little knowledge is a dangerous thing', so i'll probably justify upgrading my perfectly annoying, but adequate, phone too...
 
bimmerboii said:
But OP looks like you have already made up your mind on the S7 which is still not a bad phone but will probably receive Android O as its last major OS update.
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Well, my wife has - i'm an innocent bystander in all of this - but i've been impressed with the reviews of most of the phones mentioned. The Pixel and P10 have particularly caught my own personal preference.

TBH, although she said it had to have the best camera it's quite clear that the look and feel of the phone was a big part of her choice too. Which i totally understand as she has small hands and the S7 did seem to suit her comfortably. Plus, i can at least reduce the droppage damage percentage from my probable 'phone dead pool list' :)

And, you're probably right re: the OS - but i doubt she even considers this as a concern.

After researching - i've been impressed with all the phones mentioned - and being a computer nerd i'm impressed with the hardware packed into these little cuboids of irritation. Knock it to silent and it becomes a great bit of compact hardware. (No wonder memory prices are sky high - looking at the capacity of these things.)

The Pixel i'm guessing has a very sleek GUI as I suspect it's devoid of 3rd party apps(?) - and the PC in me likes the idea of a streamlined interface. But, i'm also guessing that the phone makers are probably a lot more savvy than they used to be so my wife will probably appreciate the added skins/apps.

Either way her mind seems set - as every time i try to offer different reviews for her to look at, for choice as i like the S7 too, i'm rebuffed almost straight away :)

Sp00n said:
Gotta be honest, those S7 pics don't look great.
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Sp00n - i'm almost at the finishing line - what are you dong to me :D
 
s7 non edge is a great phone, most ignored in favour of the edge. camera is basically the same as the s8, not a lot in it. in all the comparisons it seems the s8 and p10 cameras both excel in different area - the s8 tends to lean on the side of under exposure and the p10 over. This means at times the p10 can blow whites out and other times the s8 can look very dark. Easier to correct under exposure however. The Mrs has an S7 non edge and i have the S8, honestly they are both brilliant. You'd be happy with either OR the p10 if it's solely about the camera at least. the display on the s8 though, absolutely stunning.
 
james.miller said:
>snip<
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Thanks, James, you've unwittingly summed up my own internal thoughts regarding my imminent purchase/s (the 's' being a very expensive afterthought thanks to reading so many reviews).

james.miller said:
in all the comparisons it seems the s8 and p10 cameras both excel in different area - the s8 tends to lean on the side of under exposure and the p10 over.
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This is the 'sofa' conclusion i've come to, too, after reading many reviews.

The reviews have been a futile waste of time regarding my wife's choice - as it's become increasingly apparent that her mind was made up as soon as we left the shop (although it's made me happy knowing i'm buying her a quality unit - especially with forum feedback). Trouble is the same reviews (forum feedback) have fueled the idea that i should get a new phone too :/

Which is why i'm probably going to buy the S7 that my wife clearly prefers (her ipad has been left conspicuously open on the Samsung S7 homepage, in clear line of sight - guessing she knows i'm typing on the forums). And, at the same time, i think I'll purchase the P10 for myself as it will cover all scenarios - as you have reassuringly confirmed. I wonder if they do couples deals?..

Having typed that i'm looking at a Pixel YouTube review, so i'm obviously still torn between that or the P10 for myself.

TBH, whatever i get to compliment the wife's S7 i think i'll be very impressed/pleased...

Turned into a very expensive thread!
 
I'm in the annoying situation of having to accept lower quality photos.

I was using a Panasonic CM1 - however the lens jammed on it, and it's very expensive to repair.

I've now got a Huawei P9 - which, whilst is perfectly good - it's a long way off of what a 1 inch sensor could do. :(
 
Bug One said:
and it's very expensive to repair.
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Agreed, it's nuts - even for diagnostics...

I've taken them apart before and got lucky - if you have nothing to lose, it may be worth a punt?

Not the same camera but gives you an idea of what you would be facing - clicky (may have to rewind clip.)
 
I've had that bit all apart. It is indeed very fiddly. Especially those tiny springs.

I think it must be the motor that activates the iris - just stuck solid. So I'd need a new lens assembly.

When you see the actual sensor - it's insane.
 
Bug One said:
>snip<
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Sorry to read that - but kudos for trying.

And, agreed, it is incredibly fiddly and really makes you appreciate the engineering that goes into creating these tiny devices. Really enjoyed taking mine apart - and fluked my fix - presuming grit/dirt. Certainly makes me more tolerant when building ITX systems...
 
I've owned my s7 since release. I'd say as far as ease of use/speed of the camera goes it is the VERY good.

I have no experience of the pixel but my s7 is still the best camera phone I've seen.

I'm sure s8 has marginal improvements but for the prices you can get s7 now I'd say it's a safe bet. Pixel looks good too but the tiny battery would put me off.

e.g. a full gallery of pics I took with my s7 at a car show - post processing added but that doesn't change the fact that original/source image is great.

http://upload.vstanced.com/album/ZC
 
grudas said:
>snip<
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Thanks grudas - those pics when viewed in full res really are impressive.

I had to look up the meaning of DUBS (has lots of none car related meanings :)) - are the 2 cars with multi coloured panels, travel cases/grass on the top a style/ironic class statement or mid customisation? Especially the VW with the Stella can wedged where the emblem would be...
 
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It's completed customisation, they're going for a "rat-look".

The multi-coloured car is a "harlequin" style, google for "vw harlequin" to see others.

I'm not a huge fan of either but it's slightly different to the usual airbags and rotiforms which is 90% of the "dub scene".
 
OK, i'm buying the S7 outright - sim only contract - is buying from Samsung directly the cheapest, safest option at the moment?

I can see other deals - from sites i don't know/trust - and i'm aware there can be issues with foreign versions.

Anyone know of a reputable dealer in UK for unlocked S7 phones - or am i living in cuckoo land?

Sp00n said:
>snip<
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@Sp00n thanks - googled both - i thought some of the more expensive 'rat-look' cars were photos shopped at first. A real eye opener...
 
Sp00n said:
Gotta be honest, those S7 pics don't look great.
Click to expand...

I find all the recent Samsung phones while capable of very high pixel counts and handling of light levels, etc. produce pictures that have this kind of "chalky" look which you can only get rid of if the scene is biased with cool white (~6500K) LED lighting - not sure what the actual technical details are.
 
I like the selfie flash improvement to the camera that Google has just made to its native camera app (I use it on my Pixel XL).

Since most smartphones don’t have a flash built in to the front-facing camera, Google mitigates this by adding a manila-toned slab right as your selfie is taken, which is supposed to help produce a little extra light in dimmer settings.

To enable the selfie flash, tap on the Flash icon when in front-facing camera mode and select automatic or on. You’ll know it’s enabled when you see the lower third of the screen covered by a block of beige.

Try it out.
 
sesevans said:
I like the selfie flash improvement to the camera that Google has just made to its native camera app (I use it on my Pixel XL).

Since most smartphones don’t have a flash built in to the front-facing camera, Google mitigates this by adding a manila-toned slab right as your selfie is taken, which is supposed to help produce a little extra light in dimmer settings.

To enable the selfie flash, tap on the Flash icon when in front-facing camera mode and select automatic or on. You’ll know it’s enabled when you see the lower third of the screen covered by a block of beige.

Try it out.
Click to expand...
s7 has had that for a long time :O :) well actually.. the screen simply goes 100% brightness and white which lights up your face if you're into it.
 
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