What's the best phone for taking photos?

Hi @Keyboard Warrior 91

To be honest with you all these phones have great cameras and performance all around. You would not be disappointed with any of these. Here is YouTube video showing blind camera test and all flagships except S10 took part in it, I found this video very interesting and hopefully it will help you to make a decision.

Camera is not everything though. Between these phones mentioned above, you would need to see which user interface will be most comfortable for you to use. Pixel runs on stock Android, Huawei has EMUI and Samsung newly introduced One UI also Pixel is first in the queue to get updated to newer Android release.

Conclusion: Personally I would choose Huawei Mate 20 Pro as it's AI camera technology and amazing quality is more than enough to take great pictures as well as everything else including design, battery life and performance is top class.

Regards

Hello new here!

It all comes down to what you want, and where you will be shooting. The basis for me choosing a phone will be landscape and city shots, different variations of shots out in the wild. For me, I think the best choice is the P20 pro, or the Mate P20. These offer me great range, decent zoom, perfect for what I need.

Pixel will give you a great all round camera, I would suggest this one if you are looking for a camera which excels in low light - although the MP20 also does really well, due to it's Night Mode.

Iphone offer up a closer colour match, less faded than some, closer to the tones you might see with your own eyes.

When it comes to value for money? Honestly, for me it might be the S10e, although I am yet to go into a shop and play with it (😅), Samsung always provide a camera which offers really good value - and the S10e is going to be hard to beat.

Mate Pro, I rate this at 8.5/10, Price: £900

Pixel 3XL, I rate this at 8/10, price £800

Iphone, I rate this at 7.5/10, price £1000

S10e, I cannot rate this based on my own views - but by videos I have seen, as well as my usage of the S7, 8 and playing with the 9, I give it 8/10, price £700.

With that in mind, I think the S10e is the best value handset... BUT, check some Youtube videos to see what others say about the camera.

My Samsung S6 takes superb quality photos, far out performing friends who have newer iPhones!

They're all good, there are a few rules to look out for when taking photo's for example the rule of thirds and learning how to focus correctly. Watch a few photography tutorials and the key thing in all this is to 'take photos's' whenever you can. I have a full frame DSLR which is fantastic and I never really bothered with my phone. I now tend to use my phone more now as its just so much better

Ducks78 wrote:

They're all good, there are a few rules to look out for when taking photo's for example the rule of thirds and learning how to focus correctly. Watch a few photography tutorials and the key thing in all this is to 'take photos's' whenever you can. I have a full frame DSLR which is fantastic and I never really bothered with my phone. I now tend to use my phone more now as its just so much better

This is great advice.

Keyboard Warrior 91 wrote:

Looking to change my phone and want a good camera, seems like there’s so much choice so any advice would be appreciated!

Heard that the Google Pixel 3, Huawei P20 Pro and the new Samsung S10 all have good cameras- which is the best and which is the best value for money?

Thanks,

Keyboard Warrior, over and out!

Hi. Either the Mate Pro, or for a bargain, P20 pro.

There are many phones out there now with excellent cameras, however I wouldn't buy a phone based on the camera alone. Phones automatically store pictures in JPEG format so it decides on how the final image will look and you get no say. If you are really interested in taking great photos I would buy a cheaper phone and invest the savings in a Digital SLR camera. The scope and versatility of a purpose built camera will vastly improved your pictures and you can choose to save the image in RAW format allowing you to decide how the final image will look.

Hi Keyboard Warrior.
I've been using the Huawei camera, on a Mate pro, for some time and I'm very impressed with the quality and flexibility.
One thing I would mention which applies to all cameras .... if you're thinking of any sort of post-processing it's worth making sure the originals are well-exposed. Quite often I will slightly over-expose a shot, or take a couple. That way I have more chance of success with enhancements.

Not a Samsung A5 2017! Should really have carried out a bit more research before punting for this one!!

Hello @Keyboard Warrior 91,
I can't offer such technical advise as the helpful people above but my friend's Huawei Mate 20 (sadly out of my budget) captured this photo with no filtering or additional technology used. Frankly I'm astounded by the quality! It says it can capture low light and it certainly can. I thought as well as knowing usefuls specs, you might like to see a direct result of one of your options. Hopefully I helped!

I tried the Samsung galaxy s9 but didn't like the camera so swapped it for the Hauwei P20 Pro and can honestly say the camera and the rest of the phone is fantastic! You won't regret buying this phone

My wife's Huawei P20 is probably the best I have seen/used. I have used Nokia's, Samsung's Sony's and HTCs over the years but none produced as clear an original photo as the Huawei.

There are many good phones on cameras, but so many people never get beyond relying on the auto settings. They can do so much more, so whichever you get, make sure you get to understand how to get the best out of it. I love the panorama shot, but just adjusting the brightness can make a real difference to the quality of photos you take.

Simpl said.. I have the Sony Xperia XZ Premium. I bought it at an absolute bargain during the sale compared to the mainstream phones out there.

It's been quoted as having a seriously impressive slow motion camera and it's solid rear camera captures a lot of detail.

With Super slow motion and Predictive Capture, the new Motion Eye™ camera lets you experience more than the human eye can see. It also has 4k resolution.

It's really underrated. And I week would seriously look into it as a contender. It has upgraded versions now out as well.

DxOMark reviews the cameras on many of the top phones out there (dxomark.com). The top phones from Samsung, Huawei & Google all have well reviewed camera abilities from reviews from multiple sources.

Personally I'm a Huawei fan (seems like most of the responders are too!!) and the Huawei P20 Pro (which I own) and the Huawei Mate 20 Pro both have very versatile lenses. I like the fact they both have a telephoto module, which will produce photos with a more flattering perspective for portraits. The Mate 20 Pro also has a wide angle lens, which is great for capturing more of a view, which is useful for many subjects like (certain) travel photography subjects and landscapes.

All of the above cameras have great night-time modes that will take good photos even in dark conditions while hand-holding.

More generally, the cameras on flagship phones tend to be pretty good, so if photography is important to you then I'd stick to high-end phones. As soon as you move into mid-tier or budget phones, you'll see the camera modules being used swapped out for cheaper options, which may work well in good light, but won't be very versatile in more challenging situations.

huawei p20 pro maybe.

Huawaie mate 20 pro is one of the best camera phones out on the market and I believe PewDiePie has one or some similar version to it, if he has it then it must be a pretty good phone for taking pictures!

All the phones you listed reportedly have amazing cameras and if you're happy to pay the price tag then great. I for one however wanted a cheaper phone but with a great camera and I have not been disappointed with my Sony Xperia XZ1 compact - it's beaten my expectations, particularly in low light.

Well the consensus is clear Huawei 20's are the way to go and magazine reviews agree. But, that's this month, things change so fast, wait a few months and something else will be best. At the same time the price of the Huawei may go down or else a less expensive but equally capable model will be released.

There is another approach (might not be popular with ID/Carphone): if photo quality is the key factor in your decision why not consider a separate camera and a budget phone (with a "good enough" camera for when you're not trying to wow everyone with your photo quality).
We seem to have forgotten that while mobile phones have been improving fast so have digital cameras. Just compare the size of the lens and sensors between camera and mobile phone - how can the tiny lens and sensor in a mobile phone compete with the orders-of-magnitude bigger and better capabilities of even an inexpensive digital camera.
It's a trade-off, people don't want two devices but for half the price of a premium mobile phone you could get both a very good but lower spec phone and an inexpensive but far more capable digital camera.

Keyboard Warrior 91 wrote:

Looking to change my phone and want a good camera, seems like there’s so much choice so any advice would be appreciated!

Heard that the Google Pixel 3, Huawei P20 Pro and the new Samsung S10 all have good cameras- which is the best and which is the best value for money?

Thanks,

Keyboard Warrior, over and out!

My Huawei P20 lite camera performs with fantastic results.

The P20 pro is amazing for some types of picture and brilliant for low light pics like concerts etc. However it used so much processing that pictures are often unnatural. If you want more natural looking photos then Google or Samsung may be better for you. iPhones are of course also very good.

Thing is, you can't go wrong with any phone camera these days, as most of them have performance capabilities way beyond their human handlers.

So choose a phone, any phone, then learn a bit about photography. There's much to assimilate, from composition, exposure, landscapes, lighting, close-ups and portraiture. But most of all (are you listening?) be brave in your editing.

The best photographers are almost invariably the best editors. Learn the power of picture cropping, colour balancing, and without doubt, deleting. Can you imagine the mess the Sunday Times would be if it didn't have a good editor?

Take lots of pictures, no harm in that. Compliment your subjects and keep shooting. Then, in the quiet, delete any that you wouldn't have shown at the National Gallery with your name attached.

Keyboard Warrior 91 wrote:

Looking to change my phone and want a good camera, seems like there’s so much choice so any advice would be appreciated!

Heard that the Google Pixel 3, Huawei P20 Pro and the new Samsung S10 all have good cameras- which is the best and which is the best value for money?

Thanks,

Keyboard Warrior, over and out!

I find the cameras on Huawei phones to be great 🙂 girlfriend just got the p20 pro and it takes great pictures!!

P20 pro ... wife has one and whenever she Whatsapps pics to people they are amazed at the quality (as is she)!

Huawei phones!