HTC One (M8) vs HTC One (M7): Smart vs Optical Image Stabilization comparison
On Monday, we went ahead and took the LG G Pro 2 and the LG G2 for a field test. The object of our curiosity? Optical Image Stabilization, and more specifically, whether the so called OIS+ on the new G Pro 2 was really as superior to the 'normal' OIS in the G2. The folks from LG promised 20% less shaky-hands-business, and after reviewing the tapes, we agreed -- the G Pro 2's OIS+ is, indeed, a step forward.
But what about of the still hot off the conveyor belt HTC One (M8)? The new flagship from the Taiwan-based company traded the OIS gizmos found in last year's One (M7) for a secondary camera whose sole purpose is to gather depth information, which, in turn, allows for some flashy tricks in the post-processing stage. The jury is still out on whether the involved R&D and manufacturing costs will be really worth the marketing gains, though we'll say this much: we are sad to see OIS go. Obviously HTC's PR team did try to push the notion that the One (M8)'s so-called "Smart Stabilization" rivals the OIS solution in last year's One:
- HTC One (M8) Duo Camera White Paper
A new ISP paired with the UltraPixel sensor enables performance that rivals the traditional Optical Image Stabilization in last year’s platform.
Unfortunately, as you can see from the results of our test below, letting go of OIS has had a pretty detrimental effect on video capture on the move. Take a look.
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