Is the camera on the M8/W8 really that bad?

[maevinj]

So is the camera on the M8/W8 really that bad? Does anybody have any comparing pictures to a Lumia?

 

[MDMcAtee]

Go to Android Central to the HTC m8 section and look in the stickies for the HTC m8 picture thread. This should show you what the camera is really like.

The majority of people here who are complaining about the specs of the camera don't have a real clue how good a job it really does,or what it was designed for.

Posted via Windows Phone Central App

 

[psiu_glen]

Phonearena had some good roundups with it included and DPReview Connect covered it or the M7 I believe (and the M8 removes hardware stabilization).

It's a 4 megapixel camera that isn't as good in low light as the Lumia 92x series, will suck for cropping, and has a gimmicky second camera that you likely won't use.

If you want good clean photos and use your phone as your camera a majority of the time, it seems to me just about anything else could be better.

 

[maevinj]

Go to Android Central to the HTC m8 section and look in the stickies for the HTC m8 picture thread. This should show you what the camera is really like.

The majority of people here who are complaining about the specs of the camera don't have a real clue how good a job it really does,or what it was designed for.

Posted via Windows Phone Central App

Thanks for the suggestion.
It's amazing how good all the pictures look scaled down. When I found some pictures that were hosted and could download the actual sized picture it seemed the pictures were meh. Definitely disappointing. It seems like the camera is good for social media sharing, but nothing beyond that. I guess having a 928 has spoiled me.
Guess I'll hang on to my 928 until something better comes out.

 

[maevinj]

It's a 4 megapixel camera that isn't as good in low light as the Lumia 92x series, will suck for cropping, and has a gimmicky second camera that you likely won't use.

If you want good clean photos and use your phone as your camera a majority of the time, it seems to me just about anything else could be better.

I think you've hit the nail on the head based on what I've read so far.

 

[MDMcAtee]

Thanks for the suggestion.
It's amazing how good all the pictures look scaled down. When I found some pictures that were hosted and could download the actual sized picture it seemed the pictures were meh. Definitely disappointing. It seems like the camera is good for social media sharing, but nothing beyond that. I guess having a 928 has spoiled me.
Guess I'll hang on to my 928 until something better comes out.

How's this look

 

[MDMcAtee]

Here's a couple macros for you.

 

[maevinj]

Here's a couple macros for you.

Thanks, but when I click on those the resolution is only 1024 x 579. And that's my point. They look good at that resolution, but the ones I found with higher resolution didn't look as good. Like I said, it will be a good camera for social media sharing, especially Instagram, but for anything else, I feel it will be lacking.

 

[freedomEd]

this could be the one thing stopping me from getting the phone. will definitely do my diligence on their camera

 

[MDMcAtee]

Thanks, but when I click on those the resolution is only 1024 x 579. And that's my point. They look good at that resolution, but the ones I found with higher resolution didn't look as good. Like I said, it will be a good camera for social media sharing, especially Instagram, but for anything else, I feel it will be lacking.

The whole part of this camera is for social media. If your needs are to print off large 8 x10 pictures with100% cropping this phone isn't what you need. It's not designed for that.

If I want to get serious with photographs,I'll use a dedicated camera,not any cellphones camera.

I've never understood the logic of these types of reasons for folks. There's better solutions available for photographers of all skill levels and needs,but for it's intended purpose it works fine.

People put way to much emphasis on the camera because they expect a dslr capabilities in a cell phone,and there are none that can provide that yet,and have as good of overall performance with everything else that it brings to the table.

For the bulk of the people who don't require the best in a camera,that values the actual phone capabilities this one is better than the rest.

 

[theefman]

Well if the camera excels in such a small area its definitely something to be taken into consideration. And there's no real positive here, Lumia's can take perfectly good pictures for social media while also giving you very good high-res shots for achiving as well so unless you exclusively take pictures for sharing on social media why settle for something that will ultimately disappoint? Not seeing the argument for the HTC camera here.

 

[Blacklac]

Its not so black and white as having a dslr or a mediocre smartphone camera. Having quality images doesn't mean ones needs to print them off.

People want good camera to have quality images. Some want a nice phone camera so they don't need an expensive, big camera to lug around when they want nice shots.

 

[maevinj]

The whole part of this camera is for social media. If your needs are to print off large 8 x10 pictures with100% cropping this phone isn't what you need. It's not designed for that.

If I want to get serious with photographs,I'll use a dedicated camera,not any cellphones camera.

I've never understood the logic of these types of reasons for folks. There's better solutions available for photographers of all skill levels and needs,but for it's intended purpose it works fine.

People put way to much emphasis on the camera because they expect a dslr capabilities in a cell phone,and there are none that can provide that yet,and have as good of overall performance with everything else that it brings to the table.

For the bulk of the people who don't require the best in a camera,that values the actual phone capabilities this one is better than the rest.

.
Here are two reasons I require a decent camera on my smartphone. I have a kid. My kid does awesome things at random time. I can't carry my DSLR and my smartphone everywhere we go. Second, I enjoy taking pictures of random things while I'm driving. I can't keep my DSLR in my car because I live in one of the most crime riddled cities in the country.
I don't expect DSLR quality, but I do expect a flagship phone to have a camera better than my two year old phone. The rumored 820 that is supposedly a mid-level phone has a better Camera than this. It however doesn't have the other specs which is why I am looking at the possibility of getting the W8 I'm not asking for the M8 to have a camera like the 1020, but I think it needs to be something better than what it is. If they release the W8 and it's 99.99 w/2-year contract, then I can handle a lower quality camera. However it will probably be 199.99 with a 2-year and that is unacceptable to me.

 

[TonyDedrick]

The whole part of this camera is for social media. If your needs are to print off large 8 x10 pictures with100% cropping this phone isn't what you need. It's not designed for that.

If I want to get serious with photographs,I'll use a dedicated camera,not any cellphones camera.

I've never understood the logic of these types of reasons for folks. There's better solutions available for photographers of all skill levels and needs,but for it's intended purpose it works fine.

People put way to much emphasis on the camera because they expect a dslr capabilities in a cell phone,and there are none that can provide that yet,and have as good of overall performance with everything else that it brings to the table.

For the bulk of the people who don't require the best in a camera,that values the actual phone capabilities this one is better than the rest.

I would hope one looks for a quality camera in their smartphone considering its really become an important feature.

 

[MDMcAtee]

So for those who have specific needs get something else. It's just that simple.

I take lots of quick shots with my m8,and share them to my friends and family.

I also know that a dedicated point and shoot camera isn't a dslr,but is small enough to carry in my shirt pockets and still does a better job at taking pictures as any cellphones camera.

Many don't want to take a extra camera along,but if those who think it's a major inconvenience they really need to go out and look at what is available for a small price.

It's all a matter of what you are used to doing

 

[MDMcAtee]

I would hope one looks for a quality camera in their smartphone considering its really become an important feature.

For some I suppose,but for others like myself it's not the deciding factor.

 

[rdubmu]

The camera was one of the reasons why I picked up a iPhone 5s instead of the M8. I had an LG G2 which supposally had a good camera but I found that my Lumia 920 takes better pics (better colors and better at night)

Sent from my Surface Pro 3 using Tapatalk

 

[maevinj]

So for those who have specific needs get something else. It's just that simple.

I take lots of quick shots with my m8,and share them to my friends and family.

I also know that a dedicated point and shoot camera isn't a dslr,but is small enough to carry in my shirt pockets and still does a better job at taking pictures as any cellphones camera.

Many don't want to take a extra camera along,but if those who think it's a major inconvenience they really need to go out and look at what is available for a small price.

It's all a matter of what you are used to doing

The whole point is to NOT carry around two devices.
I probably will be getting a different device. I wanted to get this device, but the camera is a major factor. The whole point of this thread was to determine if the camera on the W8 will be bad and if it is, exactly how bad. I think I've determined that it's acceptable for pictures shared on social media sharing and selfies.
And I think most people want a quality camera on their phone. If they didn't, why would so many smartphones come with decent cameras.

 

[MDMcAtee]

The whole point is to NOT carry around two devices.
I probably will be getting a different device. I wanted to get this device, but the camera is a major factor. The whole point of this thread was to determine if the camera on the W8 will be bad and if it is, exactly how bad. I think I've determined that it's acceptable for pictures shared on social media sharing and selfies.
And I think most people want a quality camera on their phone. If they didn't, why would so many smartphones come with decent cameras.

I understand your point about carrying around 2 devices. For you this phone is not the best choice.

 

[psiu_glen]

We have a decent little Canon P&S, optical image stabilization, BSI sensor, 16 (? maybe 12) megapixels, etc. Good little camera. Bought that shortly after our firstborn's 1st birthday. Our older Canon just couldn't keep up indoors, and between my OG Droid and then my Trophy my cell cameras weren't up to snuff either.

Since getting my 928, I barely touch our camera. I can take pictures, do any and all editing or fixing (cropping, rotating, red eye, exposure, shadow/highlight, color, etc), I can share them to social sites or email, upload to Skydrive, etc.

Heck, received a couple photos today from someone of my wife and older son from a wedding this weekend, she took the shots on her P&S, but I ended up cleaning them and resending them onto my wife because it's so second nature. Saves so much time versus sitting down at the computer and having several hundred photos all untouched to work through when I get a chance.

edit: also, I would think that anything with a good distance involved in the shots, would probably be poor candidates for the HTC. Closer shots where cropping will be far more minimal should be a lot better. For someone like my wife, I could see this phone being fine -- she would learn that it takes nice enough photos but isn't a 100% replacement for a "real' camera.