The Galaxy S4 if your new camera - Computer Total

It was summer, the weather is nice and bright too hot to sit in the office. Time to find a cooling breeze, and where better than on the island of Texel? In short, time to pack a bag. What to take on such a day trip? In my case it is of course always a camera.

Now it was different, because the task was to examine the photo quality of the camera of the Galaxy S4. So that was the only smartphone photo tool along on the road. It feels a bit bare as you are used to always take a “real” camera, especially if it’s a reflex. SLR provides superior image quality thanks to the large image sensor and is very versatile because you can change the lens. The downside is that such a device is quite large and heavy.

That means you’re not lugging an SLR can go anywhere (and will) take. Especially on the beach, it is inconvenient to walk. Around with such a large, expensive and sensitive equipment A compact camera is its size though a lot more convenient, though you will also not always take.

a smartphone is different: that you always have with you, and it fits in a pocket. It is therefore not surprising that there are now almost more photos are taken with a smartphone with a ‘real’ camera. A smartphone is what technology is lagging behind in regular cameras, partly because the components have to be much smaller, but on the other hand, the picture quality is pretty decent today.

In addition, another important factor in: the quality of a photograph is not only dependent on the camera, but the photographer. Then during the first boat to Texel gulls flew pending pieces of bread, I unconsciously grabbed the camera around my neck. But it was not there, my camera was in my pocket now.

Buttons

I was not expecting much, I was going to make complex pictures on Texel, so it was actually quite liberating to have. no real camera with me Yet it sometimes felt a bit ‘incomplete’. On the Galaxy S4 I miss buttons that I can quickly enable and focus the camera. He’s not a ‘shutter’ that you normally take a picture. Instead, there are virtual buttons on the touch sensitive screen. Who work in the basic good, but less pleasant than real buttons. Normally I like a compact camera steady with both hands firmly, with a thumb and forefinger on each side. In the S4 should I use the right thumb to the virtual knob. That makes holding the camera slightly less stable, with possible ‘shake’ (read: a slightly blurry photo) result

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thumb controls feel just a little less natural. Another difference is that there are no physical buttons just to change. Few quick settings However, those have to call via the touch-sensitive screen. Quickly So you can easily select a scene mode as the sport mode or landscape mode.

Scenes

me soon became clear that the camera features of the Galaxy S4 are primarily intended for people without much knowledge of photography. There are some manual setting options, but which are hidden in the menu and they are also not used in most (fully automatic) scene modes. A commonly used function as ‘exposure’, which can be prevented that a picture is too dark or too light, for example, is hidden deep in the menu and therefore does not invite use. For someone with photos of knowledge is that frustrating, but for most users it will not be a disaster.

However, the camera of the S4 is extremely simple to use. On the right you see three large buttons. The top one is for starting a video and the central knob to make a picture. Below you will find the ‘stand’ button, which allows you to select a scene. Stand fast In Auto mode, the camera determines the exposure and will also optimize the color and brightness.

That sounds good, but the camera can still take a lot more work out of your hands. At ‘vision correction’, the smooth skin and better made, where the camera attempts to small bumps, like pimples, working away. Also nice is “best picture” in which the camera takes a series of pictures, then you can choose the best. That way you always put (almost) the right moment.