We took the Samsung Galaxy S6 on an international trip, eager to stretch its camera capabilities. So can smartphones make point-and-shoot cameras redundant? Read on to find out.
If there’s been one area that smartphones have upped their game over the last twelve months, it’s the camera. Apple and Samsung didn’t just discover OIS (Optical Image Stabilisation); the shooters on devices like the Note 4 and the iPhone 6 Plus have delivered stellar results overall. HTC raised the bar with the duo camera while Sony’s all-weather credentials complement the fine optics on devices like the Z3. Samsung’s Galaxy S6 (and Edge) has probably been the mobile camera to beat in 2015, thus far. Aside from a form factor that broke new ground for Samsung, it’s the 16MP camera that’s been its biggest pull factor.
Our first brush with the S6 shooter was part of a hands-on during the launch phase. We took the device to different locations – from Goa to Ireland, testing it in different lighting scenarios. Almost all these images were clicked in Auto Mode except for a few images clicked on Samsung’s food mode (downloadable as an extra option); we also discovered the prowess of the S6’s HDR mode that added serious bite to images clicked in dim conditions. There’s also Pro Mode, that allows you greater control over your images. Gloomy conditions followed us through much of our travels with the S6, whether it was the dramatic locations where Game of Thrones was filmed along Northern Ireland’s coastline or in the heart of Old Goa. (Image resolutions have been lowered for web upload. All Images by Ashwin Rajagopalan)
A vendor at the Mapusa Friday market in Goa.
Dark Hedges (King's Road in Game of Thrones), Northern Ireland, on a gloomy day.
Food shot clicked at the India Room, ITC Grand Bharat, Gurgaon.
Ruins at Old Goa.
The pavilion at the Lord's Cricket Ground, London.
Our tryst with the S6 shooter continued as part of the Samsung Galaxy S6 photo walk (a first for Samsung) that criss-crossed one of India’s most beautiful and untouched landscapes in and around Sikkim. Aside from some staggering landscapes and untamed outdoors we also uncovered some of the S6’s cool bag of tricks:
No camera hotkey, no problem: One of our cribs about most flagship devices is the lack of a camera hotkey. The S6 addresses this with a simple solution – double press the home key and fire up the camera in an instant.
When in doubt use HDR: The S6 boasts one of the lowest aperture values (1.9) on any mobile shooters, the HDR (High dynamic range) mode produces terrific results, especially in gloomy conditions. It’s a no-brainer; just shoot with the HDR mode almost always.
HRD mode at the Pemayangtse monastery.
Selective focus: Premium mobile shooters have used the ‘depth of field’ option to simulate a DSLR-type experience -whether it’s the duo camera on the HTC One M9+ or the shooters on some of the ASUS devices. Once you shoot an image using S6’s selective focus mode, you can choose between the near focus, far focus or pan focus options depending on whether you want to blur the background or the foreground.
Selective Focus mode.
Tracking focus: The Pemayangtse Buddhist monastery at Pelling (Sikkim) was almost the perfect place to test the S6’s tracking focus option – the focus button keeps following a moving subject, and capture those perfect moments as young and old monks keep fluttering through the long passages and alleyways.
Tracking focus mode at the Pemayangtse monastery.
Tracking focus mode at the Sevoke bridge near Silliguri.
Panorama: The S6’s panorama mode builds on the user friendly panorama option we first saw on the S5. Some devices can be unforgiving when you are trying to shoot on panorama mode – one shake and you are back to square one. The S6 makes allowances for those slight shakes and stitches, and delivers a ‘well-rounded’ shot with minimal fuss.
Panorama shot - Khecheopalri lake, Sikkim.
Turn it up or down: Shooting videos on the S6 can be fun thanks to a pre-loaded slow motion and fast motion mode. Quite a few devices can do this but the S6 allows you to vary the speeds within the same video that can add a cool dimension.
Get up front: The 5MP front facing cam doesn’t just capture HDR images, it’s also very selfie-friendly; a given now for almost any mobile shooter. The 120-degree wide-angle field of view is more than geared for those zany ‘groupfies’ – a quick wave of the hand can trigger the camera; just make sure you’re not waving your hand when the camera fires. Some of us did!
Selfie at the Coronation bridge near Silliguri.
Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge (and the Edge) ticks off some important boxes for a mobile shooter at a time when mobile shooters look set to eclipse the conventional point and shoot camera. Low-light results are impressive while some of the colours are vivid. Now if Samsung or some other mobile device can just address optical zoom without altering the form factor too drastically….. Wishful thinking? Let’s hope 2016 has some answers.
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