IPHONE 5S VS. SAMSUNG GALAXY S5 VS. HTC ONE M8: THE ULTIMATE SMARTPHONE CAMERA SHOWDOWN!

Smartphone cameras are getting better and better every day. We've already put the iPhone 5s and the HTC One M8 head to head, so it's only fair we give Samsung's Galaxy S5 the same treatment. Even though the iPhone 5s is already approaching 7 months old, until Apple releases the iPhone 6, these are the options we have to choose from right now. If camera quality is a deciding factor for you when making a smartphone purchase, follow along to see how the Galaxy S5, iPhone 5s, and HTC One M8 hold up not just on paper, but in the real world!

iPhone 5s vs. Galaxy S5 vs. HTC One M8: Camera specifications

The iPhone 5s has an 8 megapixel (2448x3264) iSight camera with a pixel size of 1.5 micrometers, and an f/2.2 aperture. The HTC One M8 has not one, but two rear cameras. HTC calls it a Duo camera. The main lens sports a 4 megapixel (1520 × 2688) UltraPixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture and a pixel size of 2.0 micrometers. The secondary lens is there strictly to gather information about depth. Both the iPhone 5s and HTC One M8 feature backside illumination (BSI) which gets the wiring out of the way so the sensor can capture as much light as possible. The Samsung Galaxy S5 contains a 16 megapixel (5312x2988) camera with a pixel size of 1.12 micrometers, and an aperture of f/2.2. The S5 also features backside illumination, or BSI.

Each manufacturer has made different tradeoffs, but who made the best ones? Looking at tech specs alone I would assume the HTC One M8 would fair decently well in low light while the iPhone 5s and Samsung Galaxy S5 should produce clearer, crisper images in everyday situations. Not only that, they should have much less noise due to a higher resolution. That's what the specs on paper say, but what we're really interested in is how they compare in the real world.

iPhone 5s vs. Galaxy S5 vs. HTC One M8: Testing method

To keep samples consistent, I always used as close to the same settings as possible on all three devices. If a device offeres a specific feature that would make photos better overall, those are fair game. For example, all of the samples of the Galaxy S5 had picture stabilization enabled. The iPhone 5s was always in HDR Auto mode. Where appropriate on the HTC One M8 I enabled HDR. Anytime there was a setting I could use that would capture the best overall photo, I used it. My only rule for this comparison was that each camera got one chance to capture the best shot it possibly could.

iPhone 5s vs. Galaxy S5 vs. HTC One M8: Everyday and HDR photography

From left to right: iPhone 5s, Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8

For everyday and HDR photography I kept HDR mode either on or on auto in order to let the software decide when it needed to use it. Upon first comparing samples I found the iPhone 5s and the Samsung Galaxy S5 to produce truer colors. For some reason the HTC One M8 always seems to give blues a teal tint, which isn't actually what's in front of me. It also struggles in bright light where the iPhone 5s and Samsung Galaxy S5 run circles around it. The iPhone 5s and the Galaxy S5 tend to show saturation slightly differently but at this point it's going to be more preference. The iPhone 5s leans more towards natural tones while the Galaxy S5 seems to boost colors slightly, which some folks may actually prefer.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S5 and iPhone 5s (tie).

iPhone 5s vs. Galaxy S5 vs. HTC One M8: Low light photography

From left to right: iPhone 5s, Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8

For low light I didn't take photos in a pitch black room, but instead I looked for natural low light environments that we experience while taking photos. Not dark enough to need a flash but dark enough to challenge the camera. The HTC One M8 and the Galaxy S5 both did a better job than the iPhone 5s. The HTC One M8 produced slightly more noise in some instances but we can probably blame that on the lower resolution. All produced passable images but the M8 and Galaxy S5 produced consistently better ones than the 5s.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 (tie)

iPhone 5s vs. Galaxy S5 vs. HTC One M8: Macro photography

From left to right: iPhone 5s, Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8

For macro photography I didn't use the zoom feature at all and focused instead on getting as close as I possibly could to objects before losing focus. I'll start by saying that in most instances all three devices produced more than passable images. There are small differences however. First, the HTC One M8 still shows it's weak spot with bright light anytime you're outdoors. In the photo of the yellow and white flowers above you can clearly see it blows out the sun in the upper left corner. The Galaxy S5 and the iPhone 5s both balance macro shots well. The main difference I found was that I could get in slightly closer to an object before losing focus with the iPhone 5s. However, the difference is so small it's pretty much negligible.

Winner: iPhone 5s and Samsung Galaxy S5 (tie).

iPhone 5s vs. Galaxy S5 vs. HTC One M8: Flash photography

From left to right: iPhone 5s, Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8

When I initially compared the iPhone 5s to the HTC One M8 I found that the flash in the iPhone 5s that Apple touts as true tone is more than what it seems. I found that to be true again. The HTC One M8 casted a yellowish light on subjects in most of my samples. The Samsung Galaxy S5 however kept pace with the iPhone 5s nicely. In some instances — like in the photo of the steering wheel — the S5 was harsher than the iPhone 5s but not by much. Both phones produce well balanced photos with the flash enabled.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S5 and iPhone 5s.

iPhone 5s vs. Galaxy S5 vs. HTC One M8: Action photography

From left to right: iPhone 5s, Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8

The iPhone 5s, Galaxy S5, and the HTC One M8 all do decent jobs when capturing motion. I had a hard time stumping any of them and hardly ever got motion blur. Considering all three devices have a decent burst mode, it isn't very hard to get a useable shot in a pinch. The HTC One M8 does have a habit of producing consistently darker images though, which may bother some folks. The Galaxy S5 and the iPhone 5s produced bold shots almost every single time.

Winner: iPhone 5s and Samsung Galaxy S5.

iPhone 5s vs. Galaxy S5 vs. HTC One M8: Digital zoom

From left to right: iPhone 5s, Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8

To test the digital zoom feature in each camera I zoomed in as far as each phone would allow me. The HTC One M8 was the first to surrender with images becoming grainy rather fast. We can attribute this mainly to the lower resolution. The iPhone 5s and Galaxy S5 both captured usable images but the iPhone 5s let me zoom in farther and didn't really sacrifice too much image quality in order to do so.

Winner: iPhone 5s.

iPhone 5s vs. Galaxy S5 vs. HTC One M8: Panoramas

From top to bottom: iPhone 5s, Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8

When it came to capturing panoramic shots, the first thing I noticed is that the software behind the iPhone 5s almost always produces the most balanced and consistent images of the three. The HTC One again struggles in bright light, as is evident of the panoramic containing the car. The Samsung Galaxy S5 kept pace with the iPhone 5s nicely. It blew out light in a few instances but not many. The surround shot add-on for the Galaxy S5 is also super simple to use and produces just as great of shots, if not better ones, than the built-in panoramic mode. It's available as a free add-on in the Samsung apps store and for anyone with a Galaxy S5, installing it should be a no brainer.

Winner: iPhone 5s and Samsung Galaxy S5 (tie).

iPhone 5s vs. Galaxy S5 vs. HTC One M8: Depth of field

From top to bottom: iPhone 5s, Samsung Galaxy S5, HTC One M8

Depth of focus, or bokeh for those familiar with photography terms, seems to be all the rage these days. Both the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the HTC One M8 have features specializing in this. The iPhone 5s however, does not. Of course you can download App Store apps to add blur after capturing the photo, but natively, the iPhone 5s adds some blur on its own but the effect isn't terribly noticeable most of the time. The Galaxy S5's Selective Focus feature does a decent job, when it works at least. I had a hard time getting photos that it would apply a depth of field effect to. It's the only camera test in this series I took multiple shots considering I couldn't always get what I needed. The HTC One M8's UFocus feature on the other hand is a post capture effect which makes it easy to apply in almost any image. You can also change the focus afterwards which makes it incredibly useful.

Winner: HTC One M8.

iPhone 5s vs. Galaxy S5 vs. HTC One M8: The bottom line

I still stand by my initial HTC One M8 conclusion. HTC should have spent more time building a better camera and less time on gimmicks such as UFocus and 3D effects. They're fun to use but at the end of the day, it doesn't help us capture better all around photos. Light is blown out in places where it shouldn't be and its competitors easily leave it in the dust. The low resolution also rears its ugly head anytime you want to zoom in or enlarge a photo. It makes it really hard for me to recommend it over the iPhone 5s or the Samsung Galaxy S5 based on camera merits alone.

That leaves the iPhone 5s and the Galaxy S5 and that's where it gets a little less cut and dry. The iPhone excels in areas such as panoramic, flash, and macro photography. A lot of this can be attributed to the A7 chipset and the software behind the Camera app. However, the Samsung Galaxy S5 takes some amazing photos and in low light, does an even better job than the iPhone 5s. It balances HDR and everyday photographs just as well. They both handle saturation and white balance slightly differently but they're so close, it almost comes down to personal preference. They're both exceptionally great all around cameras.

So which one should you choose? If you take a lot of indoor and low light photos, the Galaxy S5 will serve you better. For flash and macro photos, the iPhone 5s still reigns supreme. For everything in between, most folks would be happy with either device as far as the camera is concerned.

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Be A Photographer With An iPhone With These Apps

While the iPhone's built-in Camera app is perfectly serviceable, the technology behind the iSight has the potential to be amazing. Luckily, there are a ton of great photography apps in the App Store that can help you turn every day moments into something truly special. The iPhone may never match the sheer sensor size and lens quality of a DSLR, but it's far more portable, connected, and thanks to these apps, even more powerful in its own way. If you're ready to take your iPhoneography to the next level, here are the apps you need to download now!

Camera+

Camera+ is not only a great photo editing suite for the iPhone, it can also serve as a complete Camera app replacement if you want it to. Complete with a timer, stabilizer mode, and tons more, it's arguably a heck of a lot more versatile than the stock app. It's a huge step towards giving you just about as much control as you'd have with a professional DSLR. Where editing is concerned you can adjust things such as exposure, saturation, blur, and more. Lightbox integration also lets you quickly flip through your photos and edits before importing them to your Camera Roll, ensuring it stays uncluttered.

If you want an all-in-one camera replacement app paired with an editing suite that's packed with features, Camera+ is a must.

• $1.99 - Download Now

ProCamera 7

ProCamera 7 is similar to Camera+ when it comes to editing capabilities but has a layout that's a little more user friendly than Camera+. It can also be used as a replacement for the default Camera app and is the one I personally choose to use. Mainly because I've found that ProCamera 7 handles night shots slightly better than Camera+. Mainly I've asked it to produce less noise. I find myself jumping back into Camera+ to do some editing work and fine tuning but when it comes to trying to get the best shot right from the start, I normally turn to ProCamera 7.

If your main goal is to get the best possible shot and have minimal editing work to do, ProCamera 7 is the Camera app replacement you want.

• $4.99 - Download Now

Snapseed

Snapseed has been on of my favorite photo editing apps for a long time mainly because it's dead simple to pick up and use. There's nothing terribly advanced about Snapseed but if you managed to get a decent shot in-camera and need to do minimal editing work, Snapseed lets you make smaller edits in the least amount of time. Just swipe through different editing tools and then choose them by sliding your finger up and down over the image. Then swipe left and right to adjust the different levels. Quickly compare the original and the edited version by tapping the photo. That's all there is to it.

For super quick edits on the go, Snapseed is an iPhoneographer's best friend.

• Free - Download Now

Tadaa SLR

Tadaa SLR has a lot of quick edit tools but serves up one feature that makes it a must have and that's bokeh, or the blurring effect we sometimes desire when focusing on a subject. With Tadaa SLR, just tell it where your subject is and adjust the blur type and strength accordingly. You can also bring up and down other levels such as highlights to blend the image better. I've tried several depth of focus and bokeh apps and Tadaa SLR produces the best results without looking obvious and cheesy.

If you want blur effects, there's no better choice than Tadaa SLR.

• $1.99 - Download Now

Slow Shutter Cam

Slow Shutter Cam is great at two things, creating an amazing long exposure shot and helping you tackle night time photography. Slow Shutter Cam gives you complete control over shutter speed and exposure in order to grab light streaks and motion blur just like you can with long exposures using a DSLR. There's no limits to what you can create, especially if you get your hands on a tripod for your iPhone. For low light photos, Slow Shutter Cam can help you gather every possible bit of light without motion blur in order to capture great shots that are brighter and less noisy than the stock Camera app could ever dream of achieving in its current state. Above you can see a photo on the left with the stock camera and the far right using Slow Shutter Cam. The results speak for themselves.

If you are interested in long exposures and better night photography, Slow Shutter Cam doesn't disappoint.

• $0.99 - Download Now

Photoshop Touch

Sometimes it just isn't possible to get a great shot due to conditions beyond our control. Photoshop Touch gives you a scaled down version of Photoshop but it's still more powerful than other photo editing apps combined. Add layers, fine tune adjustments, and blend until your heart's content. Advanced typically comes at a price though and in this case, that's user friendliness. But if you know your way around Photoshop, the Touch version is actually an enjoyable experience once you learn the interface.

If you need some of the editing capabilities of Photoshop in the palm of your hand, nothing will give you that but Photoshop Touch.

• $4.99 - Download Now

See also:

• Photoshop Touch for iPad, $9.99 - Download Now

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The Padcaster Mini - For iPad Mini Users Who Are Serious About Videography

In one of Apple's latest TV commercials, you might have noticed a shot of someone using a very accessorized iPad to shoot video of a waterfall. Well, that iPad is able to accommodate all that gear thanks to its Padcaster rig. Now, a smaller version of the device, known as the Padcaster Mini, has been designed for use with the iPad mini.

Like the original Padcaster, the Mini features an aluminum frame and a flexible insert that cradles the iPad, absorbing vibrations and keeping it snugly in place.

Incorporated into the frame are multiple 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 threaded holes. When combined with included cold shoe adapters, these can be used for mounting third-party accessories such as lights and shotgun mics. Additionally, a hole in the bottom lets the rig be mounted on a tripod.

The device also features a removable lens mount bracket, which allows users to position their own wide or telephoto lens over the iPad's existing lens.

According to its inventor, New York-based film-maker Josh Apter, the Padcaster Mini could also be used for applications such as a mounting frame for a DSLR, a portable lighting bracket, or (with an iPad mini inside) a teleprompter.

He is currently raising production funds for the device, on Kickstarter. A pledge of US$99 will get you one, when and if they're ready to go. More information is available in the pitch video below.

If you're interested in the concept, you might also want to check out the iPad mini model of the similar Makayama Movie Mount.

Sources: Padcaster, Kickstarter

Source

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Rumor About Samsung Galaxy S5's Spec

Along with the iPhone 6, the rumor mill is also churning out rumors about Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S5 flagship phone. After “disappointing” people with the evolutionary Galaxy S4 update, Samsung is reportedly working on a huge spec bump for the Galaxy S5.

According to Eldar Murtazin, a person known to occasionally have inside info about mobile companies, the S5 will come with a 5.24 inch Super AMOLED screen, that will sport a resolution of 2560 x 1440 at an amazing pixel density of 560 ppi. The device will have an Exynos 6 or Snapdragon 805 processor depending on the market, and a 3GB RAM, with 32/64GB storage options.

While the iPhone 6’s camera is rumored to come with the same 8-megapixel count like iPhone 5s with improvements, Samsung is putting a 16MP rear-camera in the S5, up from the current 13MP camera in the Galaxy S4. According to Murtazin, the device will come with a 3200 mAh battery (the iPhone 5s has a 1560 mAh battery).

Samsung is known to pack some impressive specs in its devices, and if Murtazin’s claims are correct, the S5 looks like a complete beast, but there’s still the question of whether the S5 will come with a plastic or metal casing.

The Galaxy S5 may be launched at Samsung’s “Unpacked 5” media eventon February 24 in Barcelona.

With iPhone 6 rumored to finally come in bigger sizes, possibly with higher resolutions, what do you think of the Galaxy S5’s alleged specs? Let us know in the comments below.

[via Android Beat]

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Download EverythingMe For Android Now

The most enjoyable aspect of using an Android, at least for me personally, is the fact that the entire experience and be flipped on its head by simply downloading and installing a new launcher. EverythingMe is one such home screen alternative, and although it has been in beta for quite a while – an entire year, even – the launcher has now been rolled out as an official, complete package. On first inspection, it has definitely been worth the wait, and if the idea of an intuitive, search-centric launcher appeals to you, then be sure to catch the details after the break.

Apart from checking up on email and other such correspondence, one of the first things we always do when picking up a smartphone, tablet, or logging into our desktops, is to perform a search. Whether it be Web-based or one of those tedious quests to find a lost file / folder among the local disorganization, we’re forever searching for stuff in this modern Digital Age.

Recognizing this, the creators of EverythingMe have tried to create something that facilitates our incessant need to find things in a swift, efficient manner. But while everything was staunchly search-based in the beta, the developers have now added a degree of context to proceedings, meaning certain functions will adapt depending on where you are, what time of day it is, what’s coming up in your schedule, and so on.

Its smart system tries, and often succeeds, to adapt to your daily life, acting accordingly upon what it has managed to surmise from the info you feed your device every day.

For example, if you wake up and regularly check the news, EverythingMe will learn to show you the latest headlines ready for that time in the morning. If you spend a lot of the day shopping online, perhaps the launcher will prepare you by throwing up the Amazon app on your daily panel. And if you love nothing more than to sit down in the evening with a good book – or at least, a digital book – then EverythingMe will pick up on this and adjust its interface so you don’t have to go looking for the relevant apps.

As well as the context-centric theme, the launcher also includes Smart Folders, which present contextual info in a beautiful, card-like interface. As you can see from the screenshots, depending on the category of said Smart Folder, EverythingMe will throw up all kinds of information on these cards, and everything happens in an automated fashion.

For example, your news folder will aggregate the top news channels trying to curate a list of the stories you want to read. Up to a maximum of five, you can then effortlessly slide through the cards via gestures, quickly catching up on the headlines without having to manually find your favored apps and scan through stories to find the ones you wish to read.

There’s plenty more to enjoy besides with this very thorough launcher, as you can see from the video below:

EverythingMe is available for free, and we’ve embedded the direct link for you below. If you’re looking for a way to make your device better work for you, you’re unlikely to find a more refined experience than this, and after more than a year in beta, the amount of work that has been put into its preparation is very obvious from the point of installation.

(Download: EverythingMe for Android on the Play Store)

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