Samsung Galaxy Note 4 camera review

Compared to any phone made even 1.5 years ago, low light performance is shockingly good.

Apr 28, 2015permalink

Miki Nemeth

Or, from another perspective, if low light is important, for the same price of the Note 4 we should/can buy a Sony A5100 which has brilliant low light capability. What I mean is that decent low light costs about the same amount of extra money as the Note 4 itself.

Jun 2, 2015permalink

mugupo

Note 4 does good job in good light, some time on par with S100 in my opinion. However low light is kinda terrible especially with no flash. 4k video is nice but you can't capture image like you can with lower resolution.

Apr 17, 2015permalink

"However low light is kinda terrible especially with no flash."

It isn't at all terrible against the non-Xenon smartphone competition. Check out for example my low-light comparisons here in the Android forum.

Actually, the OIS of the device works great for static subjects.

Apr 17, 2015*permalink

aayjay

Can anyone suggest an app for the Snapdragon version of the Note 4 that will give me 4k HDR? Will the "Open Camera" app work with a Snapdragon version? Will "Snap Dragon HDR" produce 4k HDR video?

...or...

An app that will allow me to flatten a 4k video? Not over saturated? Not overly contrasted? (Snapdragon version)

Are there any samples posted on youtube or vimeo?

Thanks!

Apr 17, 2015permalink

"Can anyone suggest an app for the Snapdragon version of the Note 4 that will give me 4k HDR?"

No such apps, I'm afraid.

" Will the "Open Camera" app work with a Snapdragon version?"

Nope. It not only can't produce HDR footage - it creates a completely messed-up, useless one on Snapdragon. (On Exynos, it works just great.)

" Will "Snap Dragon HDR" produce 4k HDR video?"

Nope. However, it'll produce noise reduction- and oversharpening-free video so its output may be preferable to that of the stock Camera app.

"An app that will allow me to flatten a 4k video? Not over saturated? Not overly contrasted? (Snapdragon version)"

Nope - the usual restrictions (enhancing the DR of a contrasty and low-bit medium) apply. That is, it's not possible to gain much - the results will show some very bad banding because of the finite resolution of 8-bit videos.

Apr 17, 2015permalink

Papi61

Love my Note 4 and its fantastic camera. I'll replace it when Samsung releases the Note 5, hopefully with the same low-light capable camera module as the S6 (I'm addicted to phablets, so the S6 is not an option for me...)

Apr 15, 2015permalink

MattLangley

Great review, thanks for getting to this phone :) Happily surprised you rated it higher than the IP6+

Apr 15, 2015permalink

AksCT

Note 4 is the best smart phone I have had (BB, Samsung, iPhone). Outstanding image and video quality.
Can't wait to see what they do with Note 6 (when it is time for my upgrade)

Apr 15, 2015permalink

dpfan32

over-over-over-sharpened!
Look at the Galaxy S6! This phone makes it right :)

Apr 15, 2015permalink

dpstrand

Did you do any macro mode tests? What is the minimum focus distance?

Apr 15, 2015permalink

https://www.flickr.com/photos/33448355@N07/16969382879/

About 6-7cm's. I've shot a demo of this showing a MBP 17" keyboard (should be the same as the standalone Apple keyboard etc.) with the minimum distance I could achieve:

I've focused on "Z".

Apr 15, 2015*permalink

Aleksandr Reznik

recently compared my new Note 4 to canon 5d mk2:
http://professionalpanorama.com/2015/03/samsung-galaxy-note-4-vs-dslr/ :)

Apr 14, 2015permalink

IEBA1

I had hoped to see a comparison of the Note's video with and withought HDR. And does HDR video work in 4K?

Apr 14, 2015permalink

no, it doesn't work in 4k video.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

No flat-tone (aka HDR) in 4K. Also see my comment below:

"The stock Camera app does NOT allow for flat-tone (pseudo-HDR) recording in 4K, only in 1080p and lower. Sure, you can pre-enable HDR before starting shooting in 4K but as soon as you do start recording, the handset falls back to non-flat (non-HDR) rendering."

Apr 14, 2015*permalink

I found an app that lets me record HDR video in 4K on my Note 4 (Exynos). The 4K setting is enabled with a beta checkbox in the settings. Unlike the stock app that disables HDR once you start shooting the 4K video, the Open Camera app will record 4K video with HDR. I do not agree with Menneisyys, but maybe his Snapdragon Note 4 is different. And what is better is that the saturation is not amplified like in the stock camera app. The HDR on the Open Camera app looks natural where the HDR video in the stock camera app can look over-saturated. And another thing is 24p can be set, and it looks legit. I don't know if having a Snapdragon Note 4 will make a difference.

Apr 14, 2015*permalink

Yup, this seems to be the case of Snapdragon 805 vs. Exynos.

At least the Note5 won't have two different chipsets with wildly varying camera capabilities... (and hopefully a 4K screen for VR buffs. I'll also purchase the Note5 if it has 4K because I'd love to have the VR gear.)

Apr 14, 2015permalink

FuhTeng

Thank you for the comprehensive review. I've never been pleased with skin tones and the awful loss of detail in lousy light. Maybe I'm just fussy and too spoiled by my dedicated cameras. Thank you for the comparison to the iPhone 6+ too (as natural a comparison as that is) because I've been wondering if I would be happier with it versus my Note 4.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

"I've never been pleased with skin tones and the awful loss of detail in lousy light. Maybe I'm just fussy and too spoiled by my dedicated cameras."

Neither am I. I too find the default output of the Note4 pretty ugly. Even the (otherwise, in most respects, camera-wise inferior) iPhone 6+ outputs better (less noise reduced and oversharpened) images.

Fortunately, I have a Snapdragon 805-based device so, if I really want to, I can have access to raw-like image output much-much better than both the iPhone and the default output of the Note4, in both stills and video shooting. Too bad it's not possible to access the dual camera features (and the camera mode) in these non-stock modes.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

I found a better camera app called Open Camera. Shoot 4K video with HDR, and 24p with the Note 4. I think the HDR on the Open Camera app looks much flatter and natural rather than the over-saturated stock camera with HDR. Overall, I love my Note 4 camera.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

1. I think there is a misunderstanding here. The stock Camera app does NOT allow for flat-tone (pseudo-HDR) recording in 4K, only in 1080p and lower. Sure, you can pre-enable HDR before starting shooting in 4K but as soon as you do start recording, the handset falls back to non-flat (non-HDR) rendering.

2. Can you get a working image with Open Camera in 4K mode? Mine is fully messed up. The only useful 4K-capable app I could find was the same "Snap camera HDR" I recommend for near-RAW shooting. If you maximize the bitrate (on non-rooted and non-hacked devices, to 48 Mbps) and reduce sharpening to zero, the 4K footage of Snap becomes pretty decent, without the usual ugly effects of the stock Camera app's noise reduction and oversharpening.

(This will only work on Snapdragon 805-based Note4's, naturally. Expos users shouldn't bother.)

Apr 14, 2015permalink

You can get 4K HDR video on the Note 4 with the Open Camera app. It is true what you said about the stock camera app. When you start recording 4K video, HDR disables. But it is not true of the Open Camera app. There is a beta setting in the app that lets you shoot 4K video with a checkbox. And to my surprise, with the HDR option enabled, it records 4K video. The HDR colors are awful in the stock camera app, but on Open camera, there is no saturation added. It looks a bit flat, which is exactly what I'm looking for. And this is for 1080p and 4K. btw, I have the Exynos Note 4. Some minor gripes, fps can only be set to 24fps not 23.976fps. And rolling shutter is not the best. But it is a smartphone after all.

Apr 14, 2015*permalink

Guys and gals, just don't forget the following:

If you do own a Snapdragon 805-based Note4, you can have (apart from over-8 bit color channels and dynamically adjustable WB) almost-RAW output without any of the biggest problems with the stock Camera app. That is, no noise reduction or even more aggressive oversharpening will ruin your images.

Note: it's simply not possible to do the same on Exynos-based Note4's. They will be stuck with the noise reduction and sharpening no matter what third-party app they use.

if you do have a Snapdragon 805-based handset but don't give a try to direct camera accessor apps like Snap, you deprive yourself something SIGNIFICANTLY better than you can achieve with the stock Camera app.

Just compare the stock and unprocessed Snap camera HDR output images at http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4/general/shooting-light-best-image-quality-note-4-t3012008 . In the article, I also thoroughly asses Android-based noise reducer / sharpener tools.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

chillgreg

Give it a break numnuts!

Apr 14, 2015permalink

Ignore me if you don't like my posts.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

FuhTeng

Thank you Menn. I'm appalled by how ugly the skin tones are OOC with anything but strong light so I greatly appreciate your posts to help me find other tools. Thank you!

Apr 14, 2015permalink

CyberAngel

Menneisyys (Past)
Always good posts - Thanks!
Aina hyviä postauksia - Kiitos!

Apr 15, 2015permalink

Thanks to both of you - and the three people that liked my answer to 'chillgreg' :) (I wasn't one of them.)

Apr 15, 2015permalink

Great Review Lars.
I wonder if you guys are planning to Review the LG G3 next.
Reason being it can shoot Raw (DNG), OIS , access to Manual Settings, Removable Battery, microSD card, etc.

If not please review the upcoming LG G4. It might be one the most photographer friendly smartphone according to the leaked feature set.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

it might be a little late for the G3 but definitely planning to review the G4...at the moment I am not actually sure if LG will get us one but if not we'll organize one somewhere else, it's just going to cause somewhat of a delay I guess....

Apr 14, 2015permalink

RichyjV

Other uses:
buy usb3 otg for a couple of dollars.
Plug in your dslr to your note 3 or 4
Download one of the many good free tethering apps on android
control your camera on tripod with an ultra hd touch screen, live view focusing etc
Instantly have your jpegs on your phone even as your camera captures the RAW

Apr 14, 2015*permalink

http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Camera-comparison-Samsung-Galaxy-Note-4-vs-iPhone-6-iPhone-6-Plus-Sony-Xperia-Z3-LG-G3-Galaxy-S5-Galaxy-Note-3_id3822

I wish DPR/Connect will do comparison as extensive as this

or this

http://www.imore.com/iphone-6-plus-vs-galaxy-note-4-camera-comparison and get a neutral reviewer so that readers/buyers can decide properly and not just rely on the graphs and rating which IMHO are not helping at all.

Apr 13, 2015*permalink

Nevertheless, PhoneArena has published some articles with some major factual errors. Their DSLR article (and their followup one) was absolutely ridiculous.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

how is that more comprehensive than what we do? It's simply a different kind of article. We've done shootouts in the past and hope to do them again, but it's all a matter of resource.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

mosc

I found this review to be unusually comprehensive. I do feel like it's a little untimely. Both those articles were released in 2014. Moble's just a much shorter product lifespan than DPR is used to. If it's serious about being a source for this type of information it needs to focus on improving timing by an order of magnitude.

Where a DSLR review that comes out 6 months after release is informative to existing owners and will last for months as useful buying information the Note4 is already in the later half of it's life and has probably sold 90% of it's run by this point at least.

Apr 24, 2015permalink

"Image Quality

The Samsung Galaxy Note 4 produces some of the very best image quality of any current smartphones. Its pixel level image quality cannot quite match the Apple iPhone 6 Plus but this is more than made up for by the higher 16MP sensor resolution on the Samsung. Exposure is usually spot on, colors are saturated but skin tones are natural and white balance reliable. "

Is this a joke? despite 1 stop difference in ISO (which up to now I cannot understand why post two picture with different settings?), Note 4 is better in the studio comparison. Blow up that 8MP of iPhone 6 and you will end up with 16MP pixelated smeared result. Equalize both at print size and Note 4 is much better.

Apr 13, 2015permalink

"which up to now I cannot understand why post two picture with different settings?"

Because the stock iOS Camera app doesn't allow for directly setting the ISO and/or the shutter speed. It's auto only.

Using a third-party (manual) app would certainly have helped. And, given that no iOS app can gain access to the raw sensor data (not even non-noise reduced or sharpened one, unlike on, again, the Note4 based on the Snapdragon 805), their output wouldn't be much (if at all) different from that of the stock Camera app.

Consequently, DPR should really consider using a manual app on the iPhone in order to be able to dial in exactly the same ISO as on Android or WP. (In the latter two apps, stock Camera apps support predefining the ISO.)

Apr 14, 2015permalink

this comment just shows you don't appear to use many smartphones, otherwise you'd know that it's impossible to fine-tune exposure in the same way as you can do with a DSLR. Also comparing ISO numbers is pretty much meaningless, they are all over the place on those devices.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

JohnMcL7

I don't understand the pointless 'pixel level image quality' comment either unless they're downsampling the Note 4's output to the Iphone's 8MP and finding the Iphone better? Otherwise as you say, they should be upsampling the Iphone to match the 16MP of the Note 4 and then see how the pixel level image quality compares.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

"I don't understand the pointless 'pixel level image quality' comment either"

It's easy: the per-pixel sharpness of the iPhone is definitely better than that of the Note4. (Heck, even the lowly, 1/3.2" iPhone5 has turned out to have better pixel-level sharpness.) However, the Note4 still has better overall sharpness because it has two times the pixels.

BTW, the same stands for the 808 (or the 1020) vs all "low-Megapixel" flagships like the iPhone, the Note4 etc. The per-pixel sharpness of the 808, in the 41 Mpixel native mode, is _much-much_ worse than that of even the Note4. (Actually, this - the per-pixel softness - is why you can safely shoot at 75% JPEG quality in the 41 Mpixel mode on the 808; higher-quality JPEG won't result in better output, only in significantly higher file sizes.) However, after downsampling, it still easily produces better-detailed images than even the Note4, let alone any iPhones.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

"I don't understand the pointless 'pixel level image quality' comment either"

Yes even if the iPhone has microscopic 1/3 sensor and has 4MP output, they will still say it has much better pixel level image quality than Samsung, Panasonic and Nokia phones with bigger sensor. =D Since when that ever happened to iPhone camera? If you happen to see those miserable advertising photos shot from iPhone blown up to 20x30 inches in the subway, you will definitely do facepalm =D

Apr 15, 2015*permalink

"Yes even if the iPhone has microscopic 1/3 sensor and has 4MP output, they will still say it has much better pixel level image quality than Samsung, Panasonic and Nokia phones with bigger sensor. =D Since when that ever happened to iPhone camera? If you happen to see those miserable advertising photos shot from iPhone blown up to 20x30 inches in the subway, you will definitely do facepalm =D"

Look, I'm in no way an Apple fanboy (I've had some very serious battles vs. some Apple enthusiasts even here in the iOS subforum) but what you state is plain wrong.

I with my own hands have done some excessive Note 4 (using Snap camera HDR with the best possible post processing) vs 808 vs. iPhone comparison and can tell you even the old iPhone5 had better per-pixel sharpness (resolution) than the Note4, and it had significantly better resolution than the 808. It's in no way Apple fanboy BS.

Again, after downsampling the 16/41 Mpixel images, they're overall better-detailed than the iPhone ones

Apr 15, 2015permalink

Significantly better resolution? Upsize the iPhone output to 16MP or 41MP then tell us if it has better resolution, sharpness and detail. Shoot a subject with fine detail or distant objects. And yes the other way to compare it is by downsizing 16MP/41MP to 8MP.

Apr 15, 2015permalink

"Significantly better resolution? Upsize the iPhone output to 16MP or 41MP then tell us if it has better resolution, sharpness and detail"

I've talked about the overall lens + sensor pixel-level resolution (that is, pixel-level quality), which largely depends on the lens quality. That is, the effective resolution you see when zoom to 1:1 level.

1, iPhone shots do have better pixel-level quality than the Note4, let alone the 808.

2, of course, those other handsets use way higher pixel counts, so, not on 1:1 level and/or after downsizing to 8 Mpixel, they easily beat the iPhone.

Apr 15, 2015*permalink

I am not seeing that effective resolution of iPhone being better than 100% crops of Note4 in the studio comparison (given than it is 1 stop faster). Look at the resolution chart, unless I am blind, I can see no detail in the iPhone shot but oversharpened fake detail.

Here you go: http://i.imgur.com/QHTHgIp.png

Look at PhoneArena rating of Note 4 versus iPhone 6. 9.5 versus 8.0. I wouldn't call a phone with miserable IQ like that as best all-rounder lol.

Apr 15, 2015*permalink

antares103

The Note 4 is the latest iteration of Samsung's top-end line of so-called 'phablets'

and yet, it still doesnt support DNG on Lollipop.

Apr 13, 2015permalink

Snikt228

I don't believe anything does except the Nexus 5 and Nexus 6.

Apr 13, 2015permalink

Yup, no RAW. Nevertheless,

- most other handsets (incl. all iPhones) don't have RAW's either
- if you do have a Snapdragon 805-based Note4, you can still have, noise reduction and sharpening-wise, RAW-like JPEG output, which is far superior to that of the stock Camera app.

Apr 13, 2015permalink

Raw is not an acronym, there's no need to capitalize all its letters

Apr 13, 2015permalink

nyer82

I thought it stood for "Really....Awesome... Wow".

Apr 13, 2015permalink

HowaboutRAW

There are Windows phones that shoot raw, there's the new Android Panasonic 1" smartphone that shoots raw.

Technically no raw is not an acronym, but the raw file types DNG, PEF, CR2, and NEF are acronyms. So "RAW" makes sense in those terms.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

The only other Android phones, apart from Nexus devices, that spring to mind are the OnePlus One and the new Galaxy S6.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

"So "RAW" makes sense in those terms." - nothing stops you and others from incorrectly treating raw as an acronym, but the existence of other acronyms that are raw camera image formats still does not make capitalizing "raw" necessary.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

chillgreg

@w50 Geez you must be bored...

Apr 14, 2015permalink

antares103

The point is it CAN*, but it doesn't. I know iPhones can't either, but I don't consider iPhones an aspiration device. Still prefer my phone over any other, but quite dissapointed in this.

(*caps added for emphasis. I know the word CAN is not an acronym)

Apr 14, 2015permalink

HowaboutRAW

antares103:

But it's real likely that the next Note (so V5) will run Lollipop and support raw.

I'm intrigued that the Panasonic CM1 with the 1" sensor isn't counted as an Android smartphone that shoots raw.

Photography Blog has raws from the Panasonic CM1 for download.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

"The point is it CAN*, but it doesn't. I know iPhones can't either, but I don't consider iPhones an aspiration device. "

Sorry to sound like a broken record, but do you have a Snapdragon-based device? Then, you can have almost-raw/DNG output, much superior to the (pretty bad) output of the stock app as long as you don't need WB, the lack of lens correction or 9+ bit color channels.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

"Geez you must be bored..." - chill, chillgreg, chill. =]

Apr 14, 2015permalink

@antares103 - you CAN emphasize words without feeling that it is necessary to do so

Apr 14, 2015permalink

What I also completely miss in the article is the mention of the additional capabilities - the almost-RAW output - of the S805-based variant.

Note: it's simply not possible to do the same on Exynos-based Note4's. They will be stuck with the noise reduction and sharpening no matter what third-party app they use.

Just compare the stock and unprocessed Snap camera HDR output images at http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4/general/shooting-light-best-image-quality-note-4-t3012008

Apr 13, 2015permalink

we've discussed this before, our reviews are very comprehensive as they are, it's impossible to test those phones with all sorts of 3rd party apps to find out if you can better quality out of them. But thankfully there are people like yourself who let us know about this sort of stuff in the comments, so anyone who is inclined to do so can try it out for themselves :)

Apr 13, 2015permalink

User2089854316

Mind tell me what the name of app is? Is it just "Snap" ?

Apr 14, 2015permalink

"Mind tell me what the name of app is? Is it just "Snap" ?"

It's "Snap camera HDR" and is at https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.marginz.snap&hl=en

Note: as having access to the raw camera stream of anything Snapdragon-based is somewhat well documented in Android, there may be other apps capable of avoiding the awfully strong noise reduction and oversharpening of the default image pipeline. However, _none_ of the following apps (I've very thoroughly tested them all and have just re-tested this before posting this) can do this:

Google Camera
FV-5
Open Camera

And, again, don't even bother with this app if you have an Exynos-based Note.

All in all, currently, you should only want to bother with "Snap camera HDR" and only if you're lucky to have a Snapdragon 805-based Note4. All other configurations deliver exactly the same (compared to the RAW-like output available on the handset, not very good) output. They offer no IQ advantage.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

J A C S

The Note 4 has a 16:9 sensor? That is a surprise.

Apr 13, 2015permalink

Daniel Bliss

Yes, though not as much of a surprise as the annoying lack of a 3:2 mode. In my experience (and I don't seem to have DPR's misalignment problem), it is as perfect as a smartphone can be in every respect except that, WHICH COULD BE EASILY FIXED IN SOFTWARE. Anyone got a suggestion on an indie camera app that would do this?

Apr 13, 2015permalink

Misalignment problem? On the top of my head I can't think of any stock smartphone app that offers a 3:2 aspect ratio, it's either 4:3 or 16:9...but of course that doesn't mean there aren't any...

Apr 13, 2015permalink

"it is as perfect as a smartphone can be in every respect except that, WHICH COULD BE EASILY FIXED IN SOFTWARE. Anyone got a suggestion on an indie camera app that would do this?"

Regretfully, none of the most know titles (I've just checked the latest official versions Camera FV-5 and Snap camera HDR) can. They both only offer 16:9, 4:3, 1:1 and 15:9 (the latter at 800*480 only). That is, you must shoot in 16:9 mode and crop later.

I've also checked whether there are any, for 3:2 shooting, usable screen overlays. Unfortunately, Camera FV-5 "only" supports the traditional overlays (Rule of thirds etc.). Snap camera HDR is even worse: it only has one overlay mode (Grid lines), which is similarly useless for 3:2 framing as it divides the screen into a 3*3grid.

Apr 13, 2015permalink

Nope, the Note 4 has a 4:3 Sensor.
The Sony IMX240

Apr 14, 2015permalink

J A C S

That sensor has 4608 x 3456 pixels, and the images posted here are 5312x2988?

Apr 14, 2015permalink

Is either some Note 4 models come with different sensors or Wikipedia is plain wrong. But yes those numbers imply a 16:9 sensor, unless there is cropping or interpolation.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

J A C S

I found a statement somewhere that it is Sony IMX240 "based" without discussing the pixels.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

Wikipedia List the IMX240 as having 4608 x 3456 pixels. Which means 4:3 Ratio.

Apr 14, 2015permalink

It might be
- an error in the Wiki OR
- a sensor with variable aspect ratio depending on the buyer's wish.

The sensor in the Note4 _is_ a 16:9 one. Otherwise, 4:3 wouldn't be severely cropped from 16:9.

Apr 14, 2015*permalink

that's what I thought :)

Apr 15, 2015permalink

Sorry guys - this review seems to be a bit rushed. (Feel free to remove this post after fixing the mistakes. Also, let me know if you'd prefer corrections in private messages in the future.)

1, HDR

"The Galaxy Note 4's HDR mode works in the same way as before. The camera takes three frames at varying exposures in quick succession and combines them into one 'High Dynamic Range' image. "

This is not exactly right. The Note4 is different from most earlier Samsung phones (and is similar to the S6): it only takes one image, exposing for the highlights (hence the obligatory full sensor metering you cannot change once enabling HDR mode) and drastically lifting the shadows.

The major downside of this approach (much noisier shadows) isn't visible because of the very strong noise reduction.

Accordingly, the following:

"Usually there is no ghosting to be found on moving subjects."

also should be changed to "There is never any ghosting to be found on moving subjects."

Apr 13, 2015permalink

(continued from above)

BTW, WRT HDR, I've explained all this (and compared the results to the output of true AE bracketed HDR stitches) in my full article here in the DPR forums at http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/55091339

Let's move to

2, Panorama

shooting. You state the following:

"Exposure locks at the start or capture, so in high-contrast scenes you can end up with some over- or underexposure if you don't choose your start point wisely. ... Overall the Note 4 panorama mode is not perfect and cannot quite match Apple's version with its adaptive exposure but it is still one of the best stock panorama modes you can find on a current device."

I'm afraid you're wrong here too. The Note4 does use adaptive exposure. I've very thoroughly compared the panos it shoots to both adaptive iPhones (5S+) and non-adaptive (that is, exposure-locking) ones (the iPhone5) and I'm dead sure the Note 4 does dynamically change the exposure.

(continued below)

Apr 13, 2015*permalink

mhh, of course I can only go by what I am seeing in my samples and I get slightly overexposed samples when the start of the image is dark and the other way around. The iPhone adapts much better in my experience. It's impossible to know what exactly is going on without having insight into the engineering but I'll look into it again when I get the chance. In any case I am not saying anywhere the panoramas aren't any good, they are very good indeed, so no need to get too worked up about it :)

Apr 13, 2015permalink

Dunno if it's an Exynos vs. Snapdragon issue as I don't have access to an Exynos-based model.

On my Snapdragon 805-based Note4, adaptive exposure has always worked excellently when panning subjects with vastly differing brightness. In my strictly synchronized iPhone vs. Note4 tests (I've,in effect, taped together several iPhones and the Note4 to guarantee they are turned in exactly the same way) I didn't find the Note4 having worse exposure adaptation.

A phone with a locked exposure (e.g., the iPhone5), however, is just incomparably worse WRT pano dynamic range than the Note4 or any other phone / pad with adaptive exposure (all iPhones starting with the 5S, all iPads starting with the Air and the retina Mini etc. Of course, the significantly smaller iPad sensors severely decrease the DR of a scene.) But, again, it only applies to Snapdragon 805 handsets - Exynos ones may work differently.

(cont'd below)

Apr 13, 2015permalink