Interesting comparison video. First time I've seen someone not care for the pics from the Lumina. Not surprising the guy preferred the iPhone pics, as I believe one the Verge reviews I read seemed like it should be coming from iVerge. I really thought the line "it looks like a cell phone camera picture..." was brilliant .... I mean, really. I want a better camera than my 3VO, but am under no illusion that a phone can take the place of a point and click... Seems like I'm going to be happy with it.
But I do have to say that my experience with HTC cameras was spot on with what that Verge guy was saying. He incorrectly uses the term "washed out" when describing the white hazy look that HTC cameras often produce. Basically it's an artifact of glare. Anyone who's ever used a coated vs non-coated filter in front of an SLR lens will recognize this. Kinda wish more manufacturers would start using coated glass. It will make a big difference. But coated glass does cost more... about 2x than non-coated.
You can somewhat correct this with pre-processing by bumping up the contrast (or some combo of contrast and exposure adjustment), but often these adjustments will wreck photos taken under darker light conditions, so you're constantly adjusting the settings.
My wife has an iPhone 4s, and it does take very good photos. Under low light however, it also take bad photos quite often. But you know, all bets are off in low-light conditions, even with my Canon 5D, unless you have super steady hands or a tripod. But even this won't help if your subject is moving.
I do agree that the person taking the shots is much more important than the camera. Based on this review, I don't think any of the cameras are that much more outstanding than the next. They are all pretty darn good for what they are. The difference will be how you frame your shot and how you utilize the available light you have.
BTW, the correct definition of "washed out" is when the photo is overexposed to the point that the details in the bright areas are lost and become pure white. Sometimes this is desired if it's detail in the shadows you are after. If a photo appears brighter than it should but doesn't experience the clipping in the brights, it's just "overexposed."
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