Can the “right” Android camera make your photos better?

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

For many people, the smartphone has already replaced the usual cameras and is used as the main source of images. It is convenient, fast and allows you to get photographs that are quite suitable for use in a variety of purposes. In addition to the default, there are dozens of special applications for Android devices - cameras that vying with each other promise the best pictures. But does the image quality really depend on the application you are using?

To test this, let's take a few popular software cameras (Camera 360, Camera ZOOM FX, Vignette) and compare them to each other and to the stock Android app. Testing was conducted on a Nexus 4 and did not use any of the specific features or enhancements found in some of these programs. Default settings only.

Shooting outdoors

All filming was done outdoors on a sunny and bright day. The shots were taken one after the other, at the highest possible speed, so that all lighting conditions are approximately the same. As you can see, even the arrangement of the clouds is exactly the same in all the photos.

Standard camera | Full size

Camera 360 | Full size

Vignette | Full size

Camera ZOOM FX | Full size

The differences between photos taken with Camera 360, Camera ZOOM FX and a standard camera are minimal. Each shot has good colors, focus and exposure, and a normal white balance for these conditions. And only the photo from Vignette looks strangely bright and a little overexposed. However, the problem here is more likely not in the capabilities of this camera, but in the fact that, unlike other programs that do everything automatically, here it is necessary to indicate to the camera the object on which to focus. It seems that the choice of the author of the photograph was not very successful.

Indoor shooting

Photographing in not-so-good lighting has always been a tricky task for smartphones. Perhaps that is why we see a few more differences in the pictures here than when shooting outdoors.

Camera 360 | Full size

Standard camera | Full size

Vignette | Full size

Camera ZOOM FX | Full size

Are there any noticeable differences in the above images?

Yes, and above all they relate to white balance. Camera ZOOM FX gave the shot a distinct reddish tint, and the Vignette added a touch of yellow, although this is only visible on closer inspection. But in general, the quality of all images is about the same and it is rather difficult to determine which one is better or worse.

Macro photography

Until a few years ago, macro shots taken with a smartphone caused nothing but sadness. Today the situation has changed significantly and many mobile gadgets show very good results. Let's see if the software they use will have an impact on them.

Standard camera | Full size

Camera 360 | Full size

Vignette | Full size

Camera ZOOM FX | Full size

Looking at the thumbnails, it seems that everything is in order. However, if you increase the resolution, then some differences are striking.

In terms of color, Camera 360 did the best job of rendering the reddish brown hue of the almond well. With focus, too, everything is within the normal range. Camera ZOOM FX gave an excellent shot: you can see every roughness on the surface of the nuts. Vignette images are too low by default. Although, if you do not enlarge, then these pictures look very nice.

So is there really a difference?

At the beginning of testing, as the author admits, he had a rather skeptical opinion about the influence of the software on the quality of the resulting images. However, the results suggest that such an impact is still present. Perhaps it is not too big and can be neglected, putting at the forefront, first of all, the program interface, additional functions and usability, but this factor should not be completely disregarded either.

Which Android camera do you think gives you the best shots?