Samsung may be the biggest smartphone company in the world but the Korean company has been a step behind Google and Apple in terms of smartphone photography chops. The Galaxy S20 series is the company's most ambitious attempt at delivering class-leading cameras and while the phones generally do a good job, they apparently still lag behind in one aspect.
Going by the images shared in various social media platforms—Reddit, Twitter, Facebook—one weakness of Samsung's cameras has carried over to the Galaxy S20 series: The inability to consistently take great shots of pets. In more formal terms, dynamic shots. These include shots of animals and children, typically subjects that are unlikely to remain stationary.
Pictures of cats may as well be the litmus test of smartphone cameras, as they require the camera to be able to focus quickly, take the shot quickly at high shutter speeds to eliminate motion blur, and still deliver great texture and detail in fur.
The S20 series apparently still struggles to deliver those great shots. That isn't the case with Google and Apple, however. Google, in particular, uses its ZSL and excellent HDR algorithms to produce excellent pet shots. The S20 series, on the other hand, struggles with textures, with Samsung's image processing choosing to smoothen fur. Low-light conditions are even worse.
Do you have an S20 series phone? How much success have you gotten with dynamic shots of pets and kids?
S20 Ultra picking out some superb detail on the Molly cat. Apparently this camera is garbage ???????? pic.twitter.com/9jJEYq3X9m
— Andy Hagon (@AndyHagon) March 7, 2020