Pixel 2 XL vs iPhone 8+ vs Note8 vs LG V30 - Smartphone Camera Showdown

[79wjd]

3 hours ago, hey_yo_ said:

Your iPhone 6s+ has better and faster biometric authentication than your current $1000 iPhone X. ?

A bit faster, but not even remotely close to enough to warrant the uncomfortable size.

[Eduard the weeb]

TBH I liked the color saturation of the note 8, but I liked the X-T2 also because I like " Real " cameras like Mirror less and DSLR cameras, but I wonder if anyone actually buys a phone because the camera.

[Egg-Roll]

9 hours ago, djdwosk97 said:

The best camera in the world won't do you any good if it's not on your person, and realistically, the vast majority of people aren't going to carry their cameras with them. I have a DSLR, but I still very much so care about the camera in my phone because one is ALWAYS on me while the other is only on me when I think I'll need it.  

 

Besides, you can take some pretty impressive pictures with a phone -- not at the same level as a DSLR, but still very impressive nonetheless -- especially if you're not working in poor conditions and if you're even half competent. 

Let's be realistic, virtually no one actually needs a flagship phone. They get it because of marketing, or because it has one thing or another that makes it worth paying a substantial amount more. My 6s Plus was still working fine, but it also had massive bezels and was uncomfortably awkward to use, but if I want a reasonably sized phone with a big screen then my options become very limited (certainly nothing in the budget range).

Women literally have no excuse as to why they dont  During winter/bad weather it goes for everyone who wears a jacket. I dont carry one unless i go to events or gatherings, this is because the attachments i have for said cameras are usually costly for the S5 impossible to get if damaged. I could carry around one of the 3 cameras i got for a buck total but only one actually works flawlessly. I'm not trying to downplay the camera in a phone it's just i dont think it should be made that big of a deal as its been for the past few years, remember even the best camera in the phone is stuck with a ten year oldish quality, this is mostly due to the physical limitations.

 

Yea, pictures now are far better, especially with image stabilization finally in phones, also i dont think it's fair to compare a phone to a SLR even my oldest one from the 80's using expired film. That said the price difference of a mid range phone and a flagship one would definatly buy a low end DSLR with one lens.

 

Actually most people know Samsung and Apple, not always google phones now with Nexus gone. That said most ads are really useless unless your the idiot who did the G5 commercial. Most people are conned into getting a phone they dont need, only people like you, me and everyone else here would likely choose our own phone through personal choices etc. If you act stupid with a salesperson you're going to walk out with the most expensive phone with likely a more expensive plan than you need, this is 90% of the world at least. When i was looking for a new phone (the Moto G2) my carrier had none in stock and tried pushing me to a $600 phone on a tab and a plan $15 more, while just down the street a unlocked version for $50 more could be had saving $300, the phone still works and i got my Stylo 2 for $150 compared if you think about the amount i saved by walking a few minutes. Here in Canada we now have 2 year contracts only, and every contract displays the most expensive phone, not because Apple Samsung or Google pay them to do this, but because they are the most profitable for them. In some contracts you could even be paying more for a phone than buying it out right.

 

For you sure, but you gave limited details, not saying what you said was incorrect, it's just everyone's definition of a big screen varies, you also realize the whole bezel thing has been psychologically induced threw advertisements/peer pressure right? For me my biggest selling point was the removable battery and the built in stylus in the Stylo series w/o breaking the bank, that and it's a mid range octa core but it doesn't stutter, when it does I'm abusing it. I personally hate phones that hang out of my pocket too much, unlike the X or S8 or any top tier phone for the last few years my phone i still can (just barely) touch my whole screen with one hand. Yes that's a big deal to me because imo if i cant use my phone with one hand then i might as well be carrying a laptop, or a tablet that works on a network (hence why they were called phablets for a while, which is a negative word).

 

1 hour ago, Eduard the weeb said:

but I wonder if anyone actually buys a phone because the camera.

It's kinda the only thing anyone advertises anymore...

 

first few seconds and shown a camera lens, half way threw talks about the camera.

 

Pure camera.

In fact most commercials revolving around the S8 is camera based...

 

[79wjd]

Just now, Egg-Roll said:

Women literally have no excuse as to why they dont  During winter/bad weather it goes for everyone who wears a jacket. I dont carry one unless i go to events or gatherings, this is because the attachments i have for said cameras are usually costly for the S5 impossible to get if damaged. I could carry around one of the 3 cameras i got for a buck total but only one actually works flawlessly. I'm not trying to downplay the camera in a phone it's just i dont think it should be made that big of a deal as its been for the past few years, remember even the best camera in the phone is stuck with a ten year oldish quality, this is mostly due to the physical limitations.

 

Yea, pictures now are far better, especially with image stabilization finally in phones, also i dont think it's fair to compare a phone to a SLR even my oldest one from the 80's using expired film. That said the price difference of a mid range phone and a flagship one would definatly buy a low end DSLR with one lens.

Even with a jacket I still wouldn't likely carry a P&S around with me. Either because I'd forget or just wouldn't feel like dealing with one more thing. I have an old Canon G9 that I could easily bring with me, but still, I wouldn't. 

Just now, Egg-Roll said:

For you sure, but you gave limited details, not saying what you said was incorrect, it's just everyone's definition of a big screen varies,

No argument, most people don't need half the things they buy, but that's something else.

Just now, Egg-Roll said:

you also realize the whole bezzile thing has been psychologically induced threw advertisements/peer pressure right?

It's not the bezels that I care about, it's the size of the phone -- I got the X (and probably would have gone with the S8 if I didn't prefer iOS) because my 6s+ was always uncomfortable to use. I switched back to my 6s Plus for a few hours and it was really just awful because of its size, but I had completely forgotten how bad it actually was. When I first got my 6s+ I remember being constantly annoyed by the size, but over two years I mostly got used to it. After using a reasonably sized phone for just one day, I remembered. 

Just now, Egg-Roll said:

I personally hate phones that hang out of my pocket too much, unlike the X or S8 or any top tier phone for the last few years my phone i still can (just barely) touch my whole screen with one hand. Yes that's a big deal to me because imo if i cant use my phone with one hand then i might as well be carrying a laptop, or a tablet that works on a network (hence why they were called phablets for a while, which is a negative word).

You have no argument from me here, I have big hands so I could use my 6s+ with one hand, but it meant kind of "throwing" it around my hand a bit when I needed to reach the top left or hit TouchID, the X completely solved that while being a lot more comfortable to use. So my only options really ended up being the X or S8 (and i prefer iOS, so X).

Just now, Egg-Roll said:

It's kinda the only thing anyone advertises anymore...

 

first few seconds and shown a camera lens, half way threw talks about the camera.

Pure camera.

In fact most commercials revolving around the S8 is camera based...

Well, the thing is that smartphones have been more than powerful enough for most people for years now, so the only thing that can really be advertised is the screen, camera, battery, and physical size. Everything else is mostly irrelevant to people. 

[nicklmg]

10 hours ago, Yuxxian said:

So many people in the YouTube comments that sound like they didn't even watch half of the video and just wanted to hear Brandon tell them how much better the V30 is compared to the rest and were disappointed when he didn't.

 

Makes me wish you guys would do a follow up (Honest Answers ep 6? wink wink) and answer people's complaints.

We literally did a pickup to address the issues that we expected to pop up (when Brandon talks about the V30 manual mode), but you're right - those people hear what they want to hear without regard for fact.

 

Honestly it seems like LG mobile has some... let's say dedicated... fans. Just look back at the G5 review where people essentially lost their shit because Linus said it was more or less "great in concept, terrible in execution," then look at how many people on the V30 review commented "you were right about the G5, I see it now." They'll come around again.

4 hours ago, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

I've also read a heap of the comments left behind and some of them are so ridiculous that they really are just generating nothing but question marks. Let me bring up 2 of the most common ones I saw.

The people making those types of comments aren't living in reality  just have to ignore them and move on...

 

"You didn't break your outlined testing methodology to give my preference a favorable result, therefore you're bad at your job." lul

[Egg-Roll]

9 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

Either because I'd forget or just wouldn't feel like dealing with one more thing. I have an old Canon G9 that I could easily bring with me, but still, I wouldn't. 

I feel this is the biggest reason for those who dont carry purses or sidebags, a coworker years ago carried a messenger bag slightly smaller than the size of my laptop bag, they always had one. The biggest reason why i dont carry one of many P&S i own is due to batteries, i keep loosing them 

 

15 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

It's not the bezels that I care about, it's the size of the phone -- I got the X (and probably would have gone with the S8 if I didn't prefer iOS) because my 6s+ was always uncomfortable to use. I switched back to my 6s Plus for a few hours and it was really just awful because of its size, but I had completely forgotten how bad it actually was. When I first got my 6s+ I remember being constantly annoyed by the size, but over two years I mostly got used to it. After using a reasonably sized phone for just one day, I remembered. 

I never really understood Apples logic, always being 1 gen behind it seems... It's changed with the 8 and X being equal to android counterparts in every way possibly better, but it took years for them to do it.

 

29 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

I have big hands so I could use my 6s+ with one hand, but it meant kind of "throwing" it around my hand a bit when I needed to reach the top left or hit TouchID, the X completely solved that while being a lot more comfortable to use. So my only options really ended up being the X or S8 (and i prefer iOS, so X).

I have big hands too else i would never of bought the Stylo 3, i do occasionally have to toss it around but most actions i dont. I never realized they were actually slightly smaller than my phone which would solve my issue of reaching. I just can't justify the price or contract needed to fix a minor issue. Not to mention i can clearly see what one person is looking at with the curved glass, which makes owning anything like that out of the question for me for privacy reasons, it could be due to OLED but to me it doesn't matter.

 

43 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

Well, the thing is that smartphones have been more than powerful enough for most people for years now, so the only thing that can really be advertised is the screen, camera, battery, and physical size. Everything else is mostly irrelevant to people. 

It's just how they are doing it... It makes them sound like a "professional" camera. I remember watching a Canon (could've been Nikon but i dont think so) commercial in the theaters either this summer or last year. The cinematography of both Canons and Samsung videos were very close to each other, to the point where someone who watches both within a timeline of remembrance could easily think "Oh this phone's camera can do as much or more than that $1000+ camera"

 

What would really be neat is a video comparing quality/preformance of a suitable common mid range phone vs high range phone then put them against a mid (2 mid range items = 1 high end phone) and high range cameras. Unless this is done every time phone makers will keep spewing these commercials. Like i said the quality is stuck in the 2000's somewhere between 2007-2013, so why advertise it like it's equal to even a $300 camera that came out today? S8 has far more to offer than just a camera but that's all they have been focusing on, Apple actually did a damn good job at their commercial given by me, and i dont really care for them.

[Eduard the weeb]

@Egg-Roll Yeah I guess I am in the minority because I prefer carrying a good phone and DSLR or mirror-less, I find phone cameras a add on only used in moments with out one.

[Egg-Roll]

@Eduard the weeb Once upon a time you used to be a normal person who liked photography. I did carry around a camera for a few years going back and forth from work but had to stop for a few reasons, a decision i sometimes regret.

 

I think the issue with cameras in public (at least here locally, in a under 250,000 pop) is if one takes a photo with a phone unless you have a noise on as a shutter no one will know or care, but the second you pull out a camera everyone looks at you weirdly as tho you're trying to capture their soul or invade their privacy with it  I'm reverse if someone pulls a camera out i could care less if a phone is pointed in a way that it shouldn't be then I'm wondering why, not paranoid but suspicious, I'm photogenic but i hate my picture being taken  esp with crappy phone cameras that would make me look terrible on a big screen.

[WizzardMaker]

Hey, can someone tell me the name of the song at 5:55?

Its so relaxing, but I can for the love of god not find it. I searched the Youtube Database, looked in the description, googled a thousand times.

 

Maybe a genius in the forum can help me

[D13H4RD]

8 hours ago, nicklmg said:

The people making those types of comments aren't living in reality  just have to ignore them and move on...

 

"You didn't break your outlined testing methodology to give my preference a favorable result, therefore you're bad at your job." lul

It’s just really funny how they think they are better qualified to talk about cameras than a guy who has had years of experience with photography and cinematography.

 

It is also funny how they think manual mode instantly makes a camera great. Not so fast. If you’re taking bad photos in auto mode, you’ll take bad photos in manual mode.

[79wjd]

23 minutes ago, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

It is also funny how they think manual mode instantly makes a camera great. Not so fast. If you’re taking bad photos in auto mode, you’ll take bad photos in manual mode.

Manual won't suddenly make you a better photographer, but a lot of times the camera will just choose stupid settings.

[D13H4RD]

19 minutes ago, djdwosk97 said:

Manual won't suddenly make you a better photographer, but a lot of times the camera will just choose stupid settings.

Pretty much. You'll have to understand how to set proper parameters. 

 

Though for me, the exposure slider in Auto mode usually resolves overexposure 

[Drak3]

10 hours ago, nicklmg said:

The people making those types of comments aren't living in reality  just have to ignore them and move on...

Or, for shits and giggles, throw a DSLR and the Galaxy S4 Zoom in the mix, and go WAY overboard with cranking manual settings that would just confuse the bastards.

 

And then drop either the iPX or Note 8.

[Linus Tech Tits]

On 12/12/2017 at 8:23 PM, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

Honestly, the V30 needs better post processing.

 

Sure, it has manual this and manual that blah blah blah and yes, it records LOG and has an impressive microphone array.

 

But realistically, ask yourself this. Are you going to be spending a ton of time behind a phone camera dialing in everything to the micrometer? Yes, I know people do and the V30 is perfect for that (and hey, I admire people who can capture stunning footage straight out of a phone camera) but it should be complemented by a good auto mode for the times when you don’t feel like dialing in everything.

 

This is where LG falls short. They have arguably the best manual controls out of the box for any phone but has a subpar auto mode. You can’t expect me to spend some time dialing in everything to grab a shot that will only last a few seconds or so. 

 

I love photography and I will always love playing a crucial role in capturing a memory, but there are a lot of times where I just want to whip out a quick shot. Sadly, LG’s camera only satisfies a far spectrum rather than blending the best of one spectrum with the best of the other. The Pixel 2’s camera is the closest to my favorite, but ultimately loses out to my Note8 on the spectrum side due to it not having manual controls OOTB, although this is no big deal since I have already purchased a camera app which gives it a nice array of manual controls, so it’s okay, not to mention that HDR+ is superb, surpassing what my Note is able to achieve, so it is technically better than it, but I just like having everything in one app.

Nah man. It need a better sensor. Its rear camera sensor is the one used on htc u ultra front camera . no joke

[D13H4RD]

26 minutes ago, Linus Tech Tits said:

Nah man. It need a better sensor. Its rear camera sensor is the one used on htc u ultra front camera . no joke

You sure? It’s a Sony IMX351 that’s also used in a Zenfone 4 variant.

 

1/3” with 1-micron pixels on a 16MP resolution.

 

Honestly, LG needs both better sensors and better software processing. 

 

Everyone I see in the comments keeps talking 10-bit this and 10-bit that but they neglect to talk about the actual size of the camera sensor, which I think is more important than 10-bit color.

 

LG has been going down in sensor size since the V20. The G5 had a 1/2.6” sensor while the V20 had a 1/2.8” sensor, then the G6 went to a 1/3” sensor and then the V30 went slightly smaller still with smaller pixels.

 

If the reason is “thinner”, I’ll gladly tell them to screw off with that logic. The V30 is supposed to be the phone favored by content creators, the people who wouldn’t care much about thinness. The Note8 is pretty thick IMO and I prefer it that way. LG should have just beefed it up a bit so they can fit top-tier camera hardware in there.

[79wjd]

31 minutes ago, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

Everyone I see in the comments keeps talking 10-bit this and 10-bit that but they neglect to talk about the actual size of the camera sensor, which I think is more important than 10-bit color.

36mm sensor please.

[DrMacintosh]

To sum it up......

 

Not the V30

 

 

[D13H4RD]

What I really don’t get is how V30 fanboys (not fans, fanboys) keep on saying that this phone has boss hardware, when all the facts I found say the opposite.

 

It has the smallest sensor of the bunch (1/3.1” compared to 1/3” on the iPhone and 1/2.6” on the Note8 and Pixel 2)

It has the smallest pixels of the bunch (1 micron compared to 1.12 on the iPhone and 1.4 on the Pixel 2 and Note8)

 

Sure, it has 10-bit color and has a wide aperture at f/1.6, but what much of a difference is f/1.6 going to make on a tiny sensor? Furthermore, what good is 10-bit color when the sensor is not very good at soaking up light in less-than-ideal light conditions?

 

Is it BAD hardware? No, it’s actually pretty competent in regards to what I have seen coming from it made by talented individuals. But calling it the best is delusional.

[Egg-Roll]

9 hours ago, D13H4RD2L1V3 said:

wide aperture at f/1.6

There's a problem with this. While a camera can have a f/1.6 on a phone said camera can't have a 35mm equivalent attached to that f number. While LG does not advertise it with a 35mm equivalent Samsung and others do using the original f number.

 

https://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/LG-V30,Samsung-Galaxy-S8/phones/10577,10311

The S8 has a focal length of 3.6 with an equivalent 35mm of 26, this means if Samsung wants to advertise the f number they would have to put its 35mm equivalent as well which is f/12.28.

 

There's better youtube videos explaining this than what LTT put out in techquickie.

Video below starts off basically what i said.

 

[D13H4RD]

3 minutes ago, Egg-Roll said:

There's a problem with this. While a camera can have a f/1.6 on a phone said camera can't have a 35mm equivalent attached to that f number. While LG does not advertise it with a 35mm equivalent Samsung and others do using the original f number.

 

https://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/LG-V30,Samsung-Galaxy-S8/phones/10577,10311

The S8 has a focal length of 3.6 with an equivalent 35mm of 26, this means if Samsung wants to advertise the f number they would have to put its 35mm equivalent as well which is f/12.28.

 

There's better youtube videos explaining this than what LTT put out in techquickie.

Video below starts off basically what i said.

 

See, I really feel that if you try to explain stuff like focal length and their correlation with sensor size due to crop-factor and how they also affect f-stop readings to the people who left those type of comments, they'll just either blurt nonsense or keep saying "I don't care".