With so much built into the Samsung Vibrant, it’s hard to focus on just one aspect of the device. I am going to do my best to dive into my Vibrant and share with you some of the finer details. Today, I bring you an in depth look at the 5 Megapixel camera.
Shooting modes:
- Single shot – Just one shot.
- Beauty – For taking photos of people.
- Smile Shot – Smile detection. It won’t take the photo until the subject is smiling.
- Continuous – can take up to 9 shots continuously, just keep the shutter button depressed.
- Panorama – Takes 8 pictures from left to right. The screen creates a green box to guide you to the next shot.
- Vintage – Give you a nice vintage style ring around the photo.
- Add me – Creates a side by side shot option.
- Action Shot – For fast moving action shots.
- Cartoon – Turns your photo into a cartoon looking photo.
Here is a sample of each shot mode taken outside on a clear bright day. Not all shots were taken due to similar outcomes such as continuous; it takes 9 shots back to back. Pretty much the same thing as single shot. Resolution set to their max at 2560 X 1920, with image quality set at Superfine. Also in the settings I have the Anti-Shake turned on as well. Each picture on the top is normal and each picture on the on the bottom is with Outdoor Visibility turned on.
Single Shot
Beauty – I did take this one indoors. The windows and doors were open.
Smile Shot – Same as other shooting modes. I tested it on my self and my wife. The camera would not take the photo till the person smiles.
Continuous – Again, the same as single shot just takes 9 shots in a row.
Panorama – Yes my grass is dying.
Vintage
Add Me
Action – One of the greatest features in my opinion. It only took a picture of my daughter moving and didn’t blur the background at all.
Cartoon
We can now move on to ‘Scene Mode’. I will be working on collecting samples of as many of these as I can in the next few days for you to enjoy. For now, here’s the list:
- Portrait – For pictures of people.
- Landscape – Distant scenery. Infinite focusing.
- Night – For Beautiful night scenery, such as city lights.
- Sports – Fast moving sports action.
- Party/Indoor – Indoor scenes.
- Beach/Snow – Bright scenery shots like the beach or snow.
- Sunset – To capture that sunset just as you see it. Daylight white balance.
- Dawn- Daybreak scenes. Slow shutter speed.
- Fall Colour – To help emphasize reds and greens.
- Firework – Catches flame. Slow shutter speed. Hold camera still.
- Text – For text or document photos, emphasizes sharpness or contrast.
- Candlelight – For scenes under candlelight.
- Backlight – For when the sun or light is behind the subject.
I swear this phone has more camera settings then my $300 digital camera! With so many scene modes to choose from, you should have no excuse for taking a “Vibrant” photo no matter what the situation is, pun intended. I have had cell phones for a lot of years and I can honestly tell you, I have taken more photos with my Samsung Vibrant in the last week than I have ever taken with any other phone I have owned.
I know the argument will come up about the phone being just a 5 MP camera and the DROID X having an 8 MP camera. Yes 8 is larger then 5. I took rocket science 101. With so many tests and studies done on the comparison of 2 MP – 8 MP on cell phones, the truth may sting. 5 MP is more then enough to print crystal clear prints even at 16 x 24. HERE is a link to my favorite article about the subject, that has the least technical jargon. Also, HERE is another link with another test study. Now I’m more then positive there will still be a battle to ensue on that statement. So to defuse the situation slightly, the AVERAGE person, with AVERAGE point and shoot skills, will not know the difference between 5 MP and 8 MP when taking photos and printing them as a NORMAL human would do. For the select technical gurus out there, the actual numbers are different and I won’t argue that. The average person out there buying a phone and taking photos will not see a difference, can we agree on that?
So setting aside the debate, what are your impressions so far on the camera quality and options available in the Samsung Vibrant?
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The picture quality is amazing and all the features it has is great, I was going to buy a camera, but now I don’t think I need to……
The picture quality is amazing and all the features it has is great, I was going to buy a camera, but now I don’t think I need to……
Just a little update, I plan to take some more in depth photos as well and will be show casing them this weekend. So stay tuned for some further showing off.
Just a little update, I plan to take some more in depth photos as well and will be show casing them this weekend. So stay tuned for some further showing off.
It’s been a little over a week since I purchased my Vibrant. I’ve shown several people the panorama mode of my camera and everyone is quite impressed. I stumbled across this feature by accident. I have a very nice Nikon DSLR but panoramic pics are quite the pain considering I have to use separate software to stitch those pics together.
It’s been a little over a week since I purchased my Vibrant. I’ve shown several people the panorama mode of my camera and everyone is quite impressed. I stumbled across this feature by accident. I have a very nice Nikon DSLR but panoramic pics are quite the pain considering I have to use separate software to stitch those pics together.
could not help see any night shots of people. You know your out and night with friends after work and want to take an impromptu shot, oh wait you cant no flash.
could not help see any night shots of people. You know your out and night with friends after work and want to take an impromptu shot, oh wait you cant no flash.
Just some dude
There is a night mode
Just some dude
There is a night mode
Just some dude sounds like another disgruntled X or Evo owner. I would probably be the same if my brand new phone just got stomped by the Galaxy S in every category…..except the flash category.
Just some dude sounds like another disgruntled X or Evo owner. I would probably be the same if my brand new phone just got stomped by the Galaxy S in every category…..except the flash category.
I too take an enormous issue with the fact that it doesn’t have a flash on the camera. The night mode thing doesn’t cut it. That’s the ONLY thing keeping me from getting this phone; as I take tons of random pics with my friends, I don’t want to have to carry a digicam around, and the overwhelming majority of it is either in darkish clubs/restaurants, or somewhere after sunset. I can’t BELIEVE that they didn’t put a flash on a phone of this caliber!!!!
I too take an enormous issue with the fact that it doesn’t have a flash on the camera. The night mode thing doesn’t cut it. That’s the ONLY thing keeping me from getting this phone; as I take tons of random pics with my friends, I don’t want to have to carry a digicam around, and the overwhelming majority of it is either in darkish clubs/restaurants, or somewhere after sunset. I can’t BELIEVE that they didn’t put a flash on a phone of this caliber!!!!
Didn’t Samsung say that this phone would NOT be receiving any android updates? Or does that only count when their UI is on the phone?
Cho Yung Tea Trial
I don’t see why it wouldn’t. The Behold II isn’t getting an update. With TouchWiz 3.0 being a light UI It wouldn’t take as much work to move to 2.2 as say the HTC phones with sense UI. It is already rumored that 2.2 is coming for the overseas versions of the galaxy s. with that being rolled out, the only thing holding back an update would be the carriers. With each carrier tailor making applications for the devices it wouldn’t be difficult to incorporate the files in an update package. With the number of Galaxy S phones out already and millions more to roll off the shelves when all 4 carriers launch it it would be stupid and unreasonable for any carrier to not get an update out to 2.2 just as fast as the rest of em. I would almost put money on the update turning into a race between the carriers. It would be the next stepping stone and another marketing strategy for a carrier to pull in customers. 2.1 is great and so is this phone. But with the N1 getting 2.2 and no single carrier actually holding a device sold by them running the 2.2 OS. Well my friend, the carrier that sees this opportunity with a device that is more then capable of putting Froyo to the ultimate test. if it can increase the Nexus by 450% imagine what the Galaxy S/Vibrant/Captive whatever it is, would be able to achieve with the dedicated GPU.
Didn’t Samsung say that this phone would NOT be receiving any android updates? Or does that only count when their UI is on the phone?
Cho Yung Tea Trial
I don’t see why it wouldn’t. The Behold II isn’t getting an update. With TouchWiz 3.0 being a light UI It wouldn’t take as much work to move to 2.2 as say the HTC phones with sense UI. It is already rumored that 2.2 is coming for the overseas versions of the galaxy s. with that being rolled out, the only thing holding back an update would be the carriers. With each carrier tailor making applications for the devices it wouldn’t be difficult to incorporate the files in an update package. With the number of Galaxy S phones out already and millions more to roll off the shelves when all 4 carriers launch it it would be stupid and unreasonable for any carrier to not get an update out to 2.2 just as fast as the rest of em. I would almost put money on the update turning into a race between the carriers. It would be the next stepping stone and another marketing strategy for a carrier to pull in customers. 2.1 is great and so is this phone. But with the N1 getting 2.2 and no single carrier actually holding a device sold by them running the 2.2 OS. Well my friend, the carrier that sees this opportunity with a device that is more then capable of putting Froyo to the ultimate test. if it can increase the Nexus by 450% imagine what the Galaxy S/Vibrant/Captive whatever it is, would be able to achieve with the dedicated GPU.
I saw a pic of someone taking a night shot indoors and it was useless. It is such a shame that they didn’t put a flash because those other pics look awesome and i didn’t realize all the features it had. People who have said that this ruins it are absolutely correct due to the fact that most shots are taken at night. Other than that the camera seems great based on this review.
I saw a pic of someone taking a night shot indoors and it was useless. It is such a shame that they didn’t put a flash because those other pics look awesome and i didn’t realize all the features it had. People who have said that this ruins it are absolutely correct due to the fact that most shots are taken at night. Other than that the camera seems great based on this review.
There are some comparison of the vibrant with no flash versus the mytouch and evo on tmobile’s forum and the vibrant takes way better pictures in night mode than phones with dual flash.
“There are some comparison of the vibrant with no flash versus the mytouch and evo on tmobile’s forum and the vibrant takes way better pictures in night mode than phones with dual flash.”
Sorry, but I’ve gotta call B.S. on those type pictures. As a T-Mobile rep, all I had to do was take the demos for them (Vibrant, MT3G-slide and HD2) into the bathroom (only place in the store with no light, ‘cept for what comes under the door) and try to take pictures in there.
None of them came out too great of anything more than 4-5ft away, in total darkness. The Vibrant pictures barely came out at all.
If a flash is low on the list of priorities, that’s one thing… but I sincerely hope none of you are truly gullible enough to get suckered in by those demo pics, because you’d be thoroughly disappointed trying to emulate those in a real-world situation.
There are some comparison of the vibrant with no flash versus the mytouch and evo on tmobile’s forum and the vibrant takes way better pictures in night mode than phones with dual flash.
“There are some comparison of the vibrant with no flash versus the mytouch and evo on tmobile’s forum and the vibrant takes way better pictures in night mode than phones with dual flash.”
Sorry, but I’ve gotta call B.S. on those type pictures. As a T-Mobile rep, all I had to do was take the demos for them (Vibrant, MT3G-slide and HD2) into the bathroom (only place in the store with no light, ‘cept for what comes under the door) and try to take pictures in there.
None of them came out too great of anything more than 4-5ft away, in total darkness. The Vibrant pictures barely came out at all.
If a flash is low on the list of priorities, that’s one thing… but I sincerely hope none of you are truly gullible enough to get suckered in by those demo pics, because you’d be thoroughly disappointed trying to emulate those in a real-world situation.
I talked to a Samsung rep in a T-Mobile store on Vibrant launch day and the first thing I asked him about was the missing flash. He responded by saying if you take a lot of close-up pictures in very dark situations the Vibrant wasn’t a good choice. There was about 12 other customers standing in line with me and my question sparked a lively Q&A session with the Samsung rep. He basically said that after doing a ton of research Samsung found that most “high-end” smart phone users placed a flash far down on a list of features they felt were important and in our little group of 12 or so, only one said they would miss having a flash. The rep asked me when I last used the flash on my N1 and I couldn’t even remember. He wrapped it up by saying that every additional feature takes up space and adds weight and it would have been impossible to build a 4 inch phone that was this thin and light if they had stuffed it with even more features. Bottom line, it just boils down to what the buyer feels suits their needs the best.
I talked to a Samsung rep in a T-Mobile store on Vibrant launch day and the first thing I asked him about was the missing flash. He responded by saying if you take a lot of close-up pictures in very dark situations the Vibrant wasn’t a good choice. There was about 12 other customers standing in line with me and my question sparked a lively Q&A session with the Samsung rep. He basically said that after doing a ton of research Samsung found that most “high-end” smart phone users placed a flash far down on a list of features they felt were important and in our little group of 12 or so, only one said they would miss having a flash. The rep asked me when I last used the flash on my N1 and I couldn’t even remember. He wrapped it up by saying that every additional feature takes up space and adds weight and it would have been impossible to build a 4 inch phone that was this thin and light if they had stuffed it with even more features. Bottom line, it just boils down to what the buyer feels suits their needs the best.
I would rather have the fastest CPU/GPU combo in the mobile market than have a gimpy ass LED flash. Either use a xenon flash or don’t even bother.
I would rather have the fastest CPU/GPU combo in the mobile market than have a gimpy ass LED flash. Either use a xenon flash or don’t even bother.
I’m glad the epic will have a flash but even still, it is not as important to me as the other features (FFC, 5 row keyboard and cdma coverage)
I’m glad the epic will have a flash but even still, it is not as important to me as the other features (FFC, 5 row keyboard and cdma coverage)
Is there any way to take a picture and have the camera be ready to immediately take another picture without having to tell the vibrant what you want to do with the first photo that you just took? I am not talking about the mode where it shoots multiple pictures. Basically I want to shoot a photo and then shoot another different photo. I will decide later what I want to do with the photos that I take. Thank you.
In response to Felix, yes there is.. if you select settings in the top right corner and then select the wrench icon the second option is ‘Review’, you can change to OFF, 2 Sec or ON. this will disable the preview after a shot has been taken. hope that helps.
Is there any way to take a picture and have the camera be ready to immediately take another picture without having to tell the vibrant what you want to do with the first photo that you just took? I am not talking about the mode where it shoots multiple pictures. Basically I want to shoot a photo and then shoot another different photo. I will decide later what I want to do with the photos that I take. Thank you.
In response to Felix, yes there is.. if you select settings in the top right corner and then select the wrench icon the second option is ‘Review’, you can change to OFF, 2 Sec or ON. this will disable the preview after a shot has been taken. hope that helps.
Hey do you know if you can view all of the photos at once rather than using quickview and having to scroll through each individual picture.
Hey do you know if you can view all of the photos at once rather than using quickview and having to scroll through each individual picture.
i’m not sure how i did it but i know there’s a way to put frames on photos that say “FAIL”, “WIN”, and some that are cut outs that you’re supposed to line up your subject’s face with. i can’t seem to find my way back to this feature however, and i was wondering if anyone out there knows how?
The frames are apart of the app Audio Postcard. It also has different scn settings and you can record vocal and send as a digital postcard
How can you make a camera with NO FLASH. SO dissapointing!
Thanks for such an Awesome and In depth review. The different pics you included Really helped in uderstanding what the effects really look like, for example… my idea of “cartoonized” pic was way off base.
And not that my opinion matters… but I agree, the diff between 5mp and 8mp isn’t That big if you’re just taking portrait shots of family and friends.