Camera comparison: iPhone 5 vs Nexus 4 vs 8X vs DROID DNA vs Lumia 920 vs Note II vs Galaxy S III

Phone cameras are constantly getting better and better. True, they do so at a relatively slow pace, but they are moving forward, despite the limitations imposed by the thin profiles of today's phones. Those who have been with us for longer know that we like doing such camera comparisons every once in a while. It's a very good way to update ourselves on the current status of camera technology in phones, and to see how the latest high-end smartphones stack up against one another.

This is one of our biggest camera comparisons yet. We'll be comparing a whole bunch of awesome handsets, including the iPhone 5, Nexus 4, Galaxy S III, Note II, Lumia 920, DROID DNA and Windows Phone 8X! However, since almost all of these devices feature very good mobile cameras, we'll be using the Panasonic Lumix GF3 as a reference device, so that we'll know which of our lovely smartphones is closest to the real deal. With all of that said, let the last camera comparison for 2012 begin!

Details:

After carefully examining the test samples we got with our handsets, we came to the conclusion that the iPhone 5 is the leader of the pack in this respect. The iPhone has always been a top player when it comes to details, and its 5th edition doesn't disappoint. Close behind it, though, are Samsung's Galaxy Note II and Galaxy S III. These two are also great performers, though their images look a tad more digital upon close inspection. The rest of the phones we tested are still very good, but aren't quite of the same class as the first three.

Color reproduction:

It's always difficult to compare colors, as this is a category where almost every handset has its own opinion of how things should look. Thankfully, we have our reference by our side, so we managed to rank the device pretty quickly. The first place here is shared by three phones – the Galaxy Note II, Galaxy S III and iPhone 5. The thing about the iPhone 5 is that it often goes for a slightly more saturated and vibrant picture, which is eye-catching but not exactly natural. The S III and Note II tend to remain more down-to-Earth in this respect, but they may also lack some saturation in certain shots. In the end, we believe these three contestants deserve to share the first spot.

The Nexus 4 is not far behind. However, LG's handset performs admirably in some scenes, but fails miserably in others. Due to these inconsistent results, we think it shouldn't share the place of the leaders. Interestingly, when taking pics outside, the Lumia 920 presents us with some extremely warm and saturated shots, which are even difficult to consider "eye-catching." The HTCs, on the other hand, have a slightly greenish appearance, which prevents them from being taken too seriously in this category.

Exposure and dynamic range:

The Note II managed to produce shots that are closest to our reference camera. They weren't exactly the same, but the balance was pretty similar, with skies getting slightly overexposed in order to deliver a naturally-looking land. The Galaxy S III is not far behind, producing slightly brighter images, but still very appealing ones. Almost equal we'd say was the iPhone 5, which goes for a slightly darker approach, refusing to overexpose certain parts of the image, but darkening the rest. Some might prefer this kind of imaging, though we consider the Samsung approach here closer to the real deal.

None of the handsets took bad shots as far as exposure and dynamic range goes, though the rest were obviously a step behind the above three.

Indoor:

What's tricky when taking pics indoors is to preserve a good amount of details without introducing too much noise to the scene. The other thing that usually makes it diffucult for cameras is to preserve the natural colors of the scene. Boy, how many pink or yellow rooms we've seen during all these years! Doesn't matter... the smartphones we're comparing today are the best of the best, so it's unlikely that we'll see much deviation from reality.

Basically, it all depends on your noise tolerance level. If you can stand a little more noise, than the iPhone 5's indoor images will probably appeal to you most, as they once again go for the vivid approach – slightly brighter and saturated, but within reason. Trying to deliver as much detail as possible, though, the iPhone 5 carries along a substantial amount of noise as well. On the other hand, there's the Galaxy S III, which also fares very well, but sticks to an overall smoother image, with less noise, but also noticeable loss of detail. The Note II is not that far behind in this category as well. So it'll all come down to which style you prefer – the more digitial, but detailed look of the iPhone 5's camera, or the smoother but flatter one of the Galaxies.

We also saw some pretty weird indoor photos. Those came from the Lumia 920 and DROID DNA. The Lumia 920 once again showed its tendency to produce extremely saturated shots. Even though its images were relatively noise-free, the colors were far from normal.

Night:

To tell you the truth, we weren't at all surprised by what we saw in the night shots category. It is here that the Lumia 920 excels, with well-exposed images that are very noise-free (for cell phone standards), and at the same time, with little to no blur. Even though we were a bit disappointed to see the Lumia 920 not being quite on par with the leaders in the previous categories, one cannot deny that this is the phone to side with if you're going to be shooting in the dark.

Darken them a bit, add a considerable amount of noise, and you have the night photos of the iPhone 5 – second-best in this category. Unfortunately, Samsung's Note II and Galaxy S III showed tendency to introduce both noise and blurring, making their shots significantly less appealing.

Macro:

It is safe to say that all of the handsets we're comparing are good for macro. There were no particularly bad shots, and those that managed to stand out did so by a little. Having in mind that it will all depend on the scene and your skill, we'd say that you have the best chances of ending up with a breathtaking macro shot using the Galaxy S III, iPhone 5, Galaxy Note II or Lumia 920. According to us, these four managed to achieve the best contrast between precense of the foreground object and blurring the background.

Ease of use and speed:

It doesn't take a genius to know that with Apple's extreme focus on making things as simple as possible for its users, the iPhone 5 provides customers with an exceptionally basic and easy to use camera interface. It is the phone with which you have the least chance of messing things up, so to speak. The Windows Phone UI is also pretty simplistic, though there's a decent amount of settings that are neatly hidden from users who just want to snap shots, but, nevertheless, always there.

Naturally, the Android-powered phones with their customizability provide the most flexibility with their camera apps. If you are of the "make it mine" type, you'll probably love the abundance of shooting modes, features and settings available with the Android smartphones. When it comes to speed, none of these handsets will let the moment slip by as they are all incredibly fast, both when launching the camera and taking an actual pic.

Video:

It was rather hard to compare the video we took with our handsets because all of them turned out to be pretty good camcorders. We took particular liking in the video of the iPhone 5 and Windows Phone 8X, though the one of the 8X, as detailed as it was, suffered from some color issues (same as its camera). Samsung's Galaxies are also pretty good, almost equal in terms of sharpness, but aren't really into the loud and distorted sound they tend to capture when in noisy environments. All in all, the results of all handsets here are comparable.

Apple iPhone 5 Sample Video:



Google Nexus 4 Sample Video:



HTC Windows Phone 8X Sample Video:



HTC DROID DNA Sample Video:



Nokia Lumia 920 Sample Video:



Samsung Galaxy Note II Sample Video:



Samsung Galaxy S III Sample Video:



Panasonic Lumix GH3 Sample Video:

Conclusion

Well, we can't say there weren't any surprises in this camera comparison. Honestly, we expected more from Nokia's Lumia 920, which was supposed to blast the competition out of the water. Instead, the 920 seemed to perform so-so in most cases, managing to convincingly outdo the others only when it comes to night shots.

Other than that, the usual suspects took the top spots. We once again saw Apple's and Samsung's offerings trade or even share the first places throughout most categories. We also didn't find big change in the way the iPhone 5, Galaxy Note II and S III achieve theirs awesome photos. While the iPhone 5 remains true to the approach of its predecessors, presenting us to sharp and vivid, if slightly unnatural images, the Galaxies stick to somewhat more natural looking, though not necessarily better overall results, all things considered.

Another conclusion we can make is that while HTC has almost gotten the hang of it with its cameras and they usually deliver satisfying results, they often feature some kind of color disbalance, making them look a bit weird when viewed next to the photos from other handsets. The manufacturer will certainly have to get rid of that if it wants its products to be truly competitive in terms of camera capabilities.

That's pretty much it, shutterbugs. Apple and Samsung have once again claimed the top spots in our camera comparison, though we do have the feeling that the others are slowly closing the distance. Let's hope that we'll see some other players join the grandmaster league of cameraphones in 2013!