[ad_1]
The Galaxy S21 has four cameras and is $ 29 cheaper than the iPhone 12 and its three cameras. I tested both phones by taking a lot of photos and videos with each one.
Patrick Holland / CNET
The $ 829 (£ 799, AU $ 1,349) iPhone 12 has two rear cameras and $ 800 from Samsung (£ 769, AU $ 1,249) Galaxy S21 It has three rear cameras. Are more cameras better? Or does a higher price mean better photos? To find out, I did a good old fashioned camera shoot. The results surprised me.
Not many people decide between an iPhone 12 and a Galaxy S21 based solely on their cameras. Perhaps there is a small niche of professional photographers, like me, who would use cameras to decide between a Galaxy S21 Ultra or an iPhone 12 Pro Max. But most people stick to what they know and if someone switches from iOS to Android or the other way around, the cameras won’t be the only deciding factor.
With that reality check out of the way, let’s take a look at these cameras. Despite a similar price, the Galaxy S21 and iPhone 12 represent two different approaches to phone photography and video capture. Samsung takes a “more is better” position, with three rear cameras (wide, ultra-wide and telephoto) and a camera app with a dizzying amount of modes including two different slow motion options, two professional modes (one for photos and one for video) and two portrait modes (one for photos and one for videos). The Galaxy S21 seems to have a camera feature for just about everyone.
Apple takes a more moderate approach to the iPhone 12 and wants a camera system that everyone can use. There are two rear cameras (wide and ultrawide) and their application is practically the same as it has been for years. What it lacks in various modes, it makes up for with an interface that is straightforward and easy to use.
See this:
Camera comparison: Galaxy S21 vs. iPhone 12
13:57
The photos of the iPhone 12 and Galaxy S21 are excellent
It’s no wonder both phones take great photos every day. The Galaxy S21 and its 12 megapixel main camera take bright, cool-toned photos. Photos look wonderful soft and images are not over-sharpened.
I took this photo just before sunset with the Galaxy S21. Showcase Samsung’s HDR skills.
Patrick Holland / CNET
This photo of a church was taken with the iPhone 12 and shows its SmartHDR processing.
Patrick Holland / CNET
I used Single Take mode on the Galaxy S21 to get this adorable moment. Single Take captures a burst of photos and videos and selects the ones it thinks are the best.
Patrick Holland / CNET
The iPhone 12 can capture photos with excellent details and textures even indoors. Look closely at the patterns on the wallpaper, cups, and the texture of the plant’s leaves.
Patrick Holland / CNET
The iPhone 12 and its 12-megapixel main camera have a new lens this year. Images are sharper compared to the Galaxy S21. Colors lean towards warmer tones and reflections are better protected. There is not much difference in sharpness and exposure between the phones and ultimately the choice will depend on personal taste. To see the differences in sharpness, look at the photos below, specifically in the menu.
Both phones have a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera and capture spectacular-looking photos. The ultrawide of the Galaxy S21 prioritizes brightening details in the shadows. You can see this in the photos below, especially on the stone wall in the lower right.
The ultrawide iPhone 12, like its main camera, exposes photos to prevent reflections from turning white. In terms of its ultra-wide cameras, there’s no great advantage one phone has over the other.
This was taken with the ultra-wide camera on the iPhone 12. Take a closer look at the building on the right and its crown molding and white window trim. You can still make out the details.
Patrick Holland / CNET
I stole this ultra-wide shot with the Galaxy S21 while I was being photographed by my friend and colleague Sarah. Skin tones look good and shadows are bright.
Patrick Holland / CNET
This self-portrait was taken with the iPhone 12’s ultra-wide camera and self-timer. The phone protects the reflections from my face, but lets the clouds and sky turn white
Patrick Holland / CNET
Galaxy S21 zoom destroys iPhone 12
There were only a few occasions when one phone was undoubtedly better than the other. The most obvious example of this is the camera zoom. The Galaxy S21 has a dedicated 64-megapixel telephoto camera that can zoom to 30x magnification, while the iPhone 12 cannot. You have to jump up to $ 999 iPhone 12 Pro to get a telephoto camera.
Unless you are physically close to the subject, it will depend on the digital zoom and crop of the iPhone 12. At 3x zoom, the photos from the iPhone 12 look good, but the 3x photos from the Galaxy S21 are better in every way. See 3x photos of both phones below.
The iPhone 12 can take photos at 5x zoom, but things don’t look great at that magnification. Zoom photos are soft, blurry, and lacking in detail.
The iPhone 12 maxes out at 5x for photos.
Patrick Holland / CNET
The S21’s zoom is pretty good up to 10x, at which point image quality starts to suffer. Photos taken between 20x and 30x look terrible. Take a look below.
Three photos of the Galaxy S21 from the same bridge. The left was taken at 10x, the middle at 20x and the right at 30x.
Patrick Holland / CNET
iPhone 12 vs. Galaxy S21 night mode
There are no surprises here, but both phones take excellent night mode shots. The Galaxy S21 prioritizes brightness – look at the photos below and the reflection in the water. The Galaxy S21 makes the water brighter, which makes the reflection look hazy. The iPhone 12 sharpened your photo too much. Look closely at the bricks of the building.
However, there are some notable differences between them. The biggest is the way the iPhone 12 reflects light sources. I’m not sure if it’s the lens coating or the compactness of the lens that’s causing this, but the iPhone 11 series had similar issues. Take a look at the photo below. In the middle of the image, the clouds have letters that reflect the Bank of America sign on the building.
This was taken with the iPhone 12 in night mode. Observe the lights and reflections of the signs that appear in the center of the clouds.
Patrick Holland / CNET
The Galaxy S21 applies a large amount of noise reduction, which gives night mode images a smooth look. In the photos below, notice the clouds and bricks of the building on the far right. They are softer and lack detail.
Galaxy S21 has autofocus for selfies
Like the photos from the iPhone’s main rear camera, its selfies have a warmer white balance. That will look more flattering for some skin tones than others. But the biggest difference comes down to focus. The front camera on the iPhone 12, like most smartphone cameras, has a fixed focus. The Galaxy S21’s selfie camera has dual-pixel autofocus and can perfectly focus on my eyes. That’s not to say that iPhone 12 selfies aren’t in focus, but the Galaxy S21 can achieve really sharp focus.
Video: specs vs. reality
On paper, the Galaxy S21 can record video up to 8K, which is incredibly impressive. But you sacrifice a lot when recording 8K. You can only shoot at 24fps. Can’t get close. Videos suffer from moire, which is also known as the “screen door effect.” Low light videos are absolutely horrible. And the files are huge, which only makes it worse because there is no expandable storage on the Galaxy S21. Take a look at the video below to see 8K video footage shot with the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Ultra.
4K video on the Galaxy S21 is pretty good, but iPhone 12’s 4K video has the upper hand in terms of image quality and color. In many ways, Samsung has caught up with Apple in terms of the phone’s video quality.
Apple’s Achilles heel is the same reflection problem I found in the night mode photos. If you are shooting in low to medium lighting and there is a light source, it is likely to cause a glare in the video recording. Sometimes you can fix this problem simply by changing the angle at which you hold the phone. But that is not an ideal solution.
Take a look at the videos below to see the pictures taken from iPhone 12.
Both phones have capable camera setups, and for me there is no clear winner between the two. The Galaxy S21 offers more versatility but is overwhelming in terms of options, settings, and modes. The iPhone 12 keeps things simple and easy to use, but it left me wanting more “professional” options for looking for third-party solutions in the iOS app store.
