aster

As above. The phone is for my wife and the focus is all on the camera (no pun intended!). So we're basically buying a pocket camera... with phone functions included.

What's also important is not just picture quality but the use of the camera function as well. So how easy is it to whip out the phone and take that first picture, etc.?

Any suggestions?

ScottC

Currently, the iPhone 6 and the Galaxy S6/S6 Edge are the ones to beat - with the Samsungs usually edging out the iPhone by a tiny amount.

The Samsungs are also very, very fast - camera is on and ready in under a second.

That said, the upcoming new Moto X is possibly going to give the Samsungs a run for their money.

MaxBuck

Wouldn't the only real answer to this be the Panasonic Lumix CM1 with the Leica lens? It's not so much a phone with a camera as a camera with phone features. Runs Android 4.4 from what I understand.

Need

I got the LG G4 for its camera. It has full manual control and takes raw format.

Check out some of the pictures I posted in this thread:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...e-cameras.html

s0ssos

I had the Panasonic CM1-if you really are looking for a pocket camera with phone attached that is it. It is a better camera than most point and shoots. It is bulky though, and there is no lens cap. But in use it feels like a camera. There is no comparison.

aster

I have heard that the new Samsungs are very good in this department but am leaving them as a "last resort" due to other issues. Although she's currently using an iPhone 5S, we are looking at migrating to an Android phone as she's recently switched from a Macbook to a Chromebook... so the iPhone 6 is out of the picture for now as well.

Having read the reviews and done a bit of research the G4 does indeed look good. And supposedly it's running a new release of Android (and the LG skin isn't a pain like with some other phones).

But most importantly I see the camera has a F1.8 lens and she really needs a camera that excels in low-light situations. Considering just this - the ability to still take usable, non-flash pictures in low light conditions (where others might already be reverting to flash), is the G4 the best choice out there? Also, I know the G4 has OIS but does it do HDR?

The Lumix CM1 looks interesting too - will certainly giving it a closer look as well. Just wondering how well it performs as a phone and whether it'll still be good to use with Facebook and half a dozen other communicators are running at the same time...

Am also thinking about the Sony Z3+ and whether it's a contender along with the G4? The picture that Need posted of jellyfish using the G4 could actually be done underwater as it's supposedly waterproof. The question is how will it compare to the others in low-light, non-flash situations...

ScottC

No, it really wouldn't. No flash other than a lousy LED, weak old Snapdragon, 15FPS in 4K video and as a real dealbreaker for most - limited LTE band support.

That phone should never have been made, just like the Galaxy Cameras - slapping a large sensor on a crappy phone means you still have a crappy phone.

ScottC

No comparison - other than the Samsung Galaxy Camera 2 of course, or the Nokia Lumia 1020, both which feature a real xenon flash.

superangrypenguin

Lumia 1020? And that phone is 2 years old already....


Can't wait for the Flagship Windows 10 mobile device!

Doc Savage

Yes, the Zune of mobile phones should be a real winner.

s0ssos

The people who say the Panasonic CM1 doesn't have a good camera? Do you understand what a xenon flash is? Do you know what sensor size it has? Any idea why professional cameras don't come with flash, and many photographers don't use flash?

Anyway, no cameraphone can compare with it. Android is 5.0 now, and it is pretty fast. It is a decent phone.

superangrypenguin

At least they have more market share than BlackBerry does now

deniah

im reading LG G4, Samsung S6, and iPhone 6...moreso the large model with optical stabilization.

The LG shoots RAW, has great controls, and great JPEG processing

my experience with iPhone is utter ease of use, responsiveness, tasteful processing, features like burst modes, and 240fps on video side. metering and focusing is really accurate -- it really takes the "thinking" out of taking a photo.

Need

I actually looked the Sony Z3 (not the +) last year. If you search on the internet, there is a photo compare between all the top phones last year and Z3 came out last. But the Z3 does have the longest screen on time because of some kind of Sony technology that uses very little battery if the screen contents do not change. Also the overall user review of the Z3 wasn't very good.

I had the Galaxy Note 2 and was waiting for the Note 5, but the G4 came out. It is very thing I wanted in a phone. Even my brother who has the iPhone 6 and a full frame camera is impressed with some of my G4 pictures. He still says that the iPhone 6 takes better picture in Auto mode. But in low light, the G4 is hard to beat. I am sure the Lumix CM1 takes better picture, but I can't afford it. And I do like the 5.5" screen and slim profile on the G4. The G4 does both OIS and HDR. I can't tell you if the flash on the G4 is any good, because I haven't use it. Seriously, the G4 picture in low light without flash turns out brighter than my eyes could see.

s0ssos

The Z3 should be decent as a camera but it is very hard to find (I know, I looked) and isn't really waterproof.