TCL 950 (aka Idol 4S) Gets a DxO camera score of 82

[SlideWRX]

Not all the way at the top, but among some great cameras. Alcatel is the US brand for TCL phones apparently. The TCL 950 is the same hardware, obviously with W10M software. I would expect the basic camera processing to be similar with just the app on top different. It would be interesting to see the idol 4s compared directly against it for differences.

https://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/TCL-950-Mobile-review-Nice-photos-nice-videos-nice-camera!

 

[RaRa85]

I wouldn't take this mark so seriously. The Idol 4S is far from being a flagship contender in the camera department despite its high res camera. Admirable and contender worthy in daylight at best.

 

[dorelse]

I wouldn't take this mark so seriously. The Idol 4S is far from being a flagship contender in the camera department despite its high res camera. Admirable and contender worthy in daylight at best.

I would agree...my 950 takes better pictures, during any kind of lighting...its a good camera, it's not a great camera.

 

[fatclue_98]

I think the Idol 4S picture and video thread speaks volumes about how average users feel about the camera's prowess. With 3rd party apps and tons of tweaking, you can get some nice shots. But life happens in an instant, it's not a point and shoot replacement.

Sent from Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows via mTalk

 

[kurtd]

They should of just called it a TCL phone because everybody I show it to has never heard of alcatel. When I say it's owned by the TCL company that makes TV's, they are then aware of the company at least.

 

[RaRa85]

I think the Idol 4S picture and video thread speaks volumes about how average users feel about the camera's prowess. With 3rd party apps and tons of tweaking, you can get some nice shots. But life happens in an instant, it's not a point and shoot replacement.

Sent from Alcatel Idol 4S with Windows via mTalk

But certainly not as good as the Lumia 950/XL either.

 

[fatclue_98]

But certainly not as good as the Lumia 950/XL either.

Who ever said it was?

 

[RaRa85]

Who ever said it was?

The score suggests that it is up there. After all the supposedly top rated Pixel received a highest rating of 89. That's why I dont pay too much attention to DxOMark. Not to mention the iPhone 6S Plus received a score of 84.

 

[fatclue_98]

The score suggests that it is up there. After all the supposedly top rated Pixel received a highest rating of 89. That's why I dont pay too much attention to DxOMark. Not to mention the iPhone 6S Plus received a score of 84.

The majority of users, including me, say otherwise. It's not a good camera out of the box.

 

[editguy]

The majority of users, including me, say otherwise. It's not a good camera out of the box.

I would say it's inconsistent. The camera itself I believe to be quite capable, but the software/firmware are letting it down.

 

[RaRa85]

The majority of users, including me, say otherwise. It's not a good camera out of the box.

Thats my point. They(DxOMark) test the cameras based on auto settings, not third party apps such as Pro Shot and definitely not manual. You can't convince me that using the stock camera app in auto the Idol 4S is going to go toe to toe with the top flagships. I've seen the pictures thread and there are some nice shots but the better ones aren't from Windows Camera. And the even better ones are from manual mode.

 

[fatclue_98]

Thats my point. They(DxOMark) test the cameras based on auto settings, not third party apps such as Pro Shot and definitely not manual. You can't convince me that using the stock camera app in auto the Idol 4S is going to go toe to toe with the top flagships. I've seen the pictures thread and there are some nice shots but the better ones aren't from Windows Camera. And the even better ones are from manual mode.

What are you arguing with me for? I know the camera is not good, I own the damned thing.

 

[RaRa85]

What are you arguing with me for? I know the camera is not good, I own the damned thing.

I'm not arguing with you. You quoted my post and when I responded you kept bringing up your points.(valid too) All I said in the beginning was that you can't rely too heavily on these DxOMark scores. That was my original claim. I didn't say the camera was bad at all.

 

[editguy]

Thats my point. They(DxOMark) test the cameras based on auto settings, not third party apps such as Pro Shot and definitely not manual. You can't convince me that using the stock camera app in auto the Idol 4S is going to go toe to toe with the top flagships. I've seen the pictures thread and there are some nice shots but the better ones aren't from Windows Camera. And the even better ones are from manual mode.

I think I have some decent shots in the thread, and they are all fully auto and almost all the standard camera app. I agree that the camera isn't performing at the level of the Lumias, but at the same time I think it's software/firmware, not the camera itself. That said, it is what it is and those issues may never be addressed/improved by MS or Alcatel, which is a shame because I'm convinced the potential is there. No one should be purchasing this phone for the camera. If someone is expecting Lumia quality, they will be sorely disappointed.
I'm not sure why you're so obsessed with that test. We know that many of those are subjective. I would never buy anything based on any of those. I research any device based on a combination of samples and consumer real-life reviews.

 

[RaRa85]

I think I have some decent shots in the thread, and they are all fully auto and almost all the standard camera app. I agree that the camera isn't performing at the level of the Lumias, but at the same time I think it's software/firmware, not the camera itself. That said, it is what it is and those issues may never be addressed/improved by MS or Alcatel, which is a shame because I'm convinced the potential is there. No one should be purchasing this phone for the camera. If someone is expecting Lumia quality, they will be sorely disappointed.
I'm not sure why you're so obsessed with that test. We know that many of those are subjective. I would never buy anything based on any of those. I research any device based on a combination of samples and consumer real-life reviews.

You do have some nice shots in auto.

 

[editguy]

You do have some nice shots in auto.

Thanks. You can get some decent shots, but at times it reminds you that it's nowhere near the best. I agree with you that the test was*not really representative of the camera. Overall, I like the phone a lot and since I primarily just use a cell phone camera when I don't have a "real" camera on me, I can live with the camera. Frankly, for photos that really matter to me, I would always use a good P&S camera or my DSLR. I still don't see results that convince me that any cell camera is the equal of those, but they are definitely getting better all of he time. Well, some of them are!

 

[RaRa85]

Thanks. You can get some decent shots, but at times it reminds you that it's nowhere near the best. I agree with you that the test was*not really representative of the camera. Overall, I like the phone a lot and since I primarily just use a cell phone camera when I don't have a "real" camera on me, I can live with the camera. Frankly, for photos that really matter to me, I would always use a good P&S camera or my DSLR. I still don't see results that convince me that any cell camera is the equal of those, but they are definitely getting better all of he time. Well, some of them are!

Maybe the legendary Lumia 1020 with some professional lighting but if you're going to go through all the trouble, why not just use a real camera right.lol I have seen some creative people actually use the 1020 in a professional setting though and the results are astounding.https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...share_tid=245278&share_fid=16358&share_type=t
Pro Photog with 1020 part 3: Taking the 1020 to the next level: STUDIO edition! But I still have the Lumia 1020 and I'm not letting it go. Still a great sensor.

 

[fatclue_98]

Maybe the legendary Lumia 1020 with some professional lighting but if you're going to go through all the trouble, why not just use a real camera right.lol I have seen some creative people actually use the 1020 in a professional setting though and the results are astounding.https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink?ur...share_tid=245278&share_fid=16358&share_type=t
Pro Photog with 1020 part 3: Taking the 1020 to the next level: STUDIO edition! But I still have the Lumia 1020 and I'm not letting it go. Still a great sensor.

For what it's worth, in the course of my Crackberry travels I noticed that DTEK60 users are quite satisfied with their cameras. It's possible, very possible, that the Windows software has not been optimized for the hardware. Thus the high test scores and our disbelief.

 

[RaRa85]

For what it's worth, in the course of my Crackberry travels I noticed that DTEK60 users are quite satisfied with their cameras. It's possible, very possible, that the Windows software has not been optimized for the hardware. Thus the high test scores and our disbelief.

I will agree with that 100%. That's why I dont like the test because they dont seem to take into account of all the factors.

 

[PatrickDay]

I've said this many times, if Alcatel would implement a stabilization strategy similar to the Pixel phones, the 4S would be one heck of a camera, and night shots would be more tolerable. As it stands, I'm not even sure they use any kind of stabilization (I haven't looked into it either). Either way, it's a decent
camera during the day, horrible in the dark.