Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphone camera review. Useful tips for working with the camera Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge Samsung galaxy s7 all about the camera coi

Part 2: we study in detail the screen, camera, battery life and other features

We continue the story about Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge. In the first part of the article, the performance of the device was tested in detail, and its design was also described. Now we will study other key aspects, first of all, the quality of the screen and camera, battery life. And finally, we will share with you our experience of using a smartphone in extreme conditions.

Screen

As we already noted in the first part of the article, in the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge the manufacturer decided to rely on a medium screen diagonal - smaller than in the Galaxy S6 Edge+, but larger than in the Galaxy S6 Edge. At the same time, the resolution remains ultra-high (2560×1440). And visually the screen really makes a great impression. Instrumental testing of the display was carried out by the editor of the “Projectors and TV” section, Alexey Kudryavtsev. Below is his conclusion.

The front surface of the screen is made in the form of a glass plate with a mirror-smooth surface that is scratch-resistant. Judging by the reflection of objects, the anti-glare properties of the screen are no worse than those of the Google Nexus 7 (2013) screen (hereinafter simply Nexus 7). For clarity, here is a photo in which a white surface is reflected when the screens are turned off (on the left is Nexus 7, on the right is Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, then they can be distinguished by size):

The screen of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is slightly darker (photo brightness is 103 versus 111 for the Nexus 7; glare from the curved edges of the tested screen is excluded) and does not have a pronounced tint. The ghosting of reflected objects on the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge screen is very weak, indicating that there is no air gap between the layers of the screen. Due to the smaller number of boundaries (glass/air type) with very different refractive indices, screens without an air gap look better in conditions of strong external illumination, but their repair in the case of cracked external glass is much more expensive, since the entire screen has to be replaced. On the outer surface of the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge there is a special oleophobic (grease-repellent) coating (effective, better than that of the Nexus 7), so fingerprints are removed much more easily and appear at a lower speed than in the case of regular glass.

When withdrawing white field full screen and with manual brightness control, its maximum value was 410 cd/m², minimum - 1.6 cd/m². You also need to take into account the fact that in this case, the smaller the white area on the screen, the brighter it is, that is, the actual maximum brightness of the white areas will almost always be higher than the specified value. As a result, readability during the day in the sun should be sufficiently good level. The reduced brightness level allows you to use the device even in complete darkness without any problems. Automatic brightness adjustment works based on the light sensor (it is located to the left of the front speaker slot). You can make adjustments to the operation of this function by moving the settings slider. Below, for three conditions, we present the screen brightness values ​​for three values ​​of this setting - for 0%, 50% and 100%. In complete darkness in automatic mode, the brightness decreases to 1.6, 7.9 and 7.9 cd/m², respectively (the first is too dark, the second and third - after adaptation of the eye it may be normal), in an office illuminated by artificial light (approximately 400 lux) brightness is set to 1.6, 130 and 405 cd/m² (dark - just right - bright, which corresponds to the specified correction), in a brightly lit environment (corresponds to lighting on a clear day outdoors, but without direct sunlight - 20000 lux or a little more) - increases to 520, 540 and 540 cd/m². These values ​​are greater than the maximum for manual adjustment and this brightness should definitely be enough for the image on the screen to be clearly visible in any natural conditions. In general, the result of the automatic brightness adjustment function is as expected. Note that even with automatic brightness correction disabled in a dark environment, the smartphone does not allow you to set the brightness above 190 cd/m². At any brightness level there is significant modulation with a frequency of approximately 60 or 240 Hz. The figure below shows brightness (vertical axis) versus time (horizontal axis) for several brightness settings:

It can be seen that at maximum and close to it brightness, the modulation amplitude is not very large, and as a result, there is no visible flicker. However, as the brightness decreases, modulation with a large relative amplitude appears. Therefore, the presence of such modulation can already be seen in a test for the presence of a stroboscopic effect or simply with rapid eye movement. Depending on individual sensitivity, this flickering may cause increased fatigue.

This screen uses a Super AMOLED matrix - an active matrix on organic light-emitting diodes. A full-color image is created using subpixels of three colors - red (R), green (G) and blue (B), but there are twice as many green subpixels, which can be referred to as RGBG. This is confirmed by a fragment of a microphotograph:

For comparison, you can see the gallery of microphotographs of screens used in mobile technology.

In the fragment above you can count 4 green subpixels, 2 red (4 halves) and 2 blue (1 whole and 4 quarters), and by repeating these fragments, you can lay out the entire screen without breaks or overlap. For such matrices, Samsung introduced the name PenTile RGBG. The manufacturer calculates the screen resolution based on the green subpixels; based on the other two, it will be two times lower. The location and shape of the subpixels in this version is close to the case of the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and some other newer Samsung devices (and not only) with AMOLED screens. This version of PenTile RGBG is better than the old one with red squares, blue rectangles and stripes of green subpixels. However, some unevenness of contrast borders and other artifacts are still present. However, due to the very high resolution, they have a minimal impact on image quality.

The screen has excellent viewing angles. True, the white color, when deviated even at small angles, alternately acquires a light blue-green and pinkish tint, but the black color remains simply black at any angle. It is so black that the contrast setting is not applicable in this case. When viewed perpendicularly, the uniformity of the white field is excellent. For comparison, here are photos in which the screens of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge (profile Basic) and the second comparison participant, identical images were displayed, while the brightness of the screens was initially set to approximately 190 cd/m², and the color balance on the camera was forced to switch to 6500 K. White field:

We note the excellent uniformity of brightness and color tone of the white field (with the exception of darkening and changes in hue towards the curved edges). And a test picture (profile Basic):

Color rendition is good, the colors are moderately saturated, the color balance of the screens varies slightly. Note that in this case, the image occupies the height (at this screen orientation) of the entire area available for image display and extends onto the curved edges of the screen, which leads to darkening and color distortion. Also, in the light, these areas almost always glare, which makes it even more difficult to view images displayed on the entire screen. And even the picture of films with an aspect ratio of 16:9 bends, which greatly interferes with watching movies. The photo above was taken after selecting a profile Basic in the screen settings, there are four of them:

Profile Adaptive display differs in some kind of automatic adjustment of color rendering to the type of output image and environmental conditions, which is obtained by selecting the two remaining profiles shown below.

Movie AMOLED:

Saturation and color contrast are noticeably increased.

Photo AMOLED:

Saturation is still high, but color contrast is closer to normal. Now at an angle of approximately 45 degrees to the plane and to the side of the screen (profile Movie AMOLED). White field:

The brightness at an angle for both screens has noticeably decreased (to avoid strong darkening, the shutter speed has been increased compared to previous photographs), but in the case of Samsung the drop in brightness is much less pronounced. As a result, with formally the same brightness, the screen of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge visually looks much brighter (compared to LCD screens), since you often have to look at the screen of a mobile device from at least a slight angle. And a test picture:

It can be seen that the colors have not changed much on both screens and the brightness of the Samsung at an angle is noticeably higher. Switching the state of the matrix elements is performed almost instantly, but at the switching edge there may be a step with a width of approximately 17 ms (which corresponds to a screen refresh rate of 60 Hz). For example, this is what the dependence of brightness on time looks like when moving from black to white and back:

In some conditions, the presence of such a step can lead to plumes trailing behind moving objects. However, dynamic scenes in films on OLED screens they are distinguished by high clarity and even some “twitchiness” of movements.

For profiles Photo AMOLED And Basic constructed using 32 points with equal intervals according to the numerical value of the shade of gray, the gamma curve did not reveal any blockage in either highlights or shadows, and the index of the approximating power function is equal to 2.14, which is slightly less than the standard value of 2.2, while the real gamma -the curve deviates little from the power-law dependence (the captions in parentheses show the exponent of the approximating power-law function and the coefficient of determination):

For profile Movie AMOLED The gamma curve has a pronounced S-shaped character, which increases the visible contrast of the image, but in the shadows the distinguishability of shades remains.

Let us recall that in the case of OLED screens, the brightness of image fragments dynamically changes in accordance with the nature of the displayed image - it decreases for generally light images. As a result, the resulting dependence of brightness on hue (gamma curve) most likely slightly does not correspond to the gamma curve of a static image, since the measurements were carried out with sequential display of shades of gray on almost the entire screen.

Color gamut in the case of a profile Movie AMOLED very wide, it almost covers the Adobe RGB gamut:

When selecting a profile Photo AMOLED coverage is adjusted to Adobe RGB boundaries:

When selecting a profile Basic coverage is compressed to sRGB boundaries:

Without correction, the spectra of the components are very well separated:

In case of profile Basic with maximum correction, the color components are already noticeably mixed with each other:

Note that on screens with a wide color gamut, without appropriate correction, the colors of regular images optimized for sRGB devices appear unnaturally saturated. Hence the recommendation - in most cases, watching movies, photographs and everything natural is better when choosing a profile Basic, and only if the photo was taken on an Adobe RGB setting, does it make sense to switch the profile to Photo AMOLED. Profile Movie AMOLED, despite the name, is the least suitable for watching movies or anything else.

The grayscale balance is good. Color temperature in profile Movie AMOLED noticeably above 6500 K, in the remaining two - close to 6500 K, while in a significant portion of the gray scale this parameter does not change very much, which improves the visual perception of color balance. The deviation from the blackbody spectrum (ΔE) across most of the gray scale remains below 10 units, which is considered a good indicator for a consumer device, and also does not change very much:

(The darkest areas of the gray scale can be ignored in most cases, since there is no color balance of great importance, and the error in measuring color characteristics at low brightness is large.)

Let's summarize. The screen has a very high maximum brightness and has excellent anti-glare properties, so the device can be used outdoors without any problems, even on a sunny summer day. In complete darkness, the brightness can be reduced to a comfortable value. It is acceptable (and in bright light it is necessary) to use a mode with automatic brightness adjustment, which works quite adequately. The advantages of the screen include a good oleophobic coating, as well as a color gamut close to sRGB and an acceptable color balance (when choosing a profile Basic). At the same time, let us remind you about the general advantages of OLED screens: true black color (if nothing is reflected in the screen), excellent uniformity of the white field, noticeably less than that of LCDs, and a drop in image brightness when viewed at an angle. Disadvantages include modulation of screen brightness. For users who are particularly sensitive to flicker, this may cause increased fatigue. However, overall the screen quality is very high. Separately, we note that from the point of view of image quality, curved edges are only harmful, since this design discovery introduces very noticeable distortions of the color tone and reduces the brightness at the edges of the picture, and also leads to inevitable glare along at least one long side of the screen in ambient light conditions .

Playing video

We did not find the MHL interface, like Mobility DisplayPort, in this smartphone, so we had to limit ourselves to testing the output of video files on the screen of the device itself. To do this, we used a set of test files with an arrow and a rectangle moving one division per frame (see “Method for testing video playback and display devices. Version 1 (for mobile devices)”). Screenshots with a shutter speed of 1 s helped determine the nature of the output of frames of video files with various parameters: the resolution varied (1280 by 720 (720p), 1920 by 1080 (1080p) and 3840 by 2160 (4K) pixels) and frame rate (24, 25, 30, 50 and 60 fps). In the tests we used the MX Player video player in the “Hardware” mode. The test results are summarized in the table:

File	Uniformity	Passes
4K/30p	Fine	No
4K/25p	Fine	No
4K/24p	Fine	No
1080/60p	Great	No
1080/50p	Great	No
1080/30p	Great	No
1080/25p	Fine	No
1080/24p	Great	No
720/60p	Great	No
720/50p	Great	No
720/30p	Great	No
720/25p	Great	No
720/24p	Great	No

Note: If in both columns Uniformity And Passes Green ratings are given, this means that, most likely, when watching films, artifacts caused by uneven alternation and frame skipping will either not be visible at all, or their number and visibility will not affect the viewing comfort. Red marks indicate possible problems related to the playback of the corresponding files.

According to the criterion of frame output, the quality of playback of video files on the screen of the device itself is very good, since frames (or groups of frames) can be output with more or less uniform alternation of intervals and without skipping frames. When playing video files with a resolution of 1920 by 1080 (1080p) on a smartphone screen, the image of the video file itself is displayed exactly along the border of the screen, going to the bends. The clarity of the picture is high, but not ideal, since there is no escape from interpolation to the screen resolution. However, for the sake of experimentation, you can switch to the one-to-one mode by pixel; there will be no interpolation, but the features of PenTile will appear - the vertical world through the pixel will be in a grid, and the horizontal one will be slightly greenish. This is only true for viewing test worlds; the described artifacts are absent in real frames. The brightness range displayed on the screen actually corresponds to the standard range of 16-235 - in the shadows and highlights, only a couple of shades merge with black and white, respectively.

The experience of using the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has shown that the curved edges do not in any way harm the image when watching a movie - you soon forget about them completely, and the headphones do an excellent job of outputting sound: even in conditions of road noise at low volumes, the speech of the characters is intelligible, while your neighbors they don't hear the film.

Camera

On the occasion of the release of the new flagship, Samsung decided to gather journalists and take them to the “nearest Moscow region” so that they could appreciate the smartphone in harsh conditions, without being distracted by work, social networks and other machinations of dark forces. However, the closest Moscow region that corresponded to the required harsh conditions turned out to be the Karelian coast of the Kandalaksha Bay of the White Sea - in fact, the Arctic. There, our editor of the “Digital Photo” section, Anton Soloviev, tested the smartphone’s camera. Below is his detailed report.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has an updated camera module as part of an overall consumer improvement program, as is the case with many other features of this model. The lens is now characterized by an aperture ratio of 1:1.7, the pixels on the sensor have become even larger and reached a size of 1.4 microns (you can even remember the “famous” HTC ultrapixels), while each one has become double for faster focusing. The number of pixels was reduced to 12 million, which is the golden mean in this form factor (just remember the history of the development of compact cameras in the 1/2.3″ format).

However, the hardware innovations had little effect on the camera menu.

An interesting feature of the camera is the presence of a manual mode, in which it is possible to shoot in RAW. In general, manual mode, like RAW, on a smartphone are far from essential tools. Moreover, the manufacturer tries to hone and maximize the auto mode, and the built-in converter often works much more adequately than third-party ones, so in most cases it is more advisable to use it for shooting.

However, in difficult lighting, problems with white balance may arise, which can be solved manual installation temperature.

RAW will also be a nice bonus for those who like to tinker with processing, but don’t forget that to get it you need to turn the corresponding toggle switch in the camera settings, which is active only in Pro mode and is periodically reset after using other modes.

The camera has well-implemented panoramas. Moreover, the power reserve during wiring is enough for more than 360 degrees. In addition, in panorama mode you can get interesting compositions if everything you would like does not fit into the frame. However, it is worth considering that panoramas are less clear than simple photographs. Unfortunately, the HDR mode does not work when shooting panoramas, but it would be very nice.

Keeping IP68 protection in mind, you don’t have to worry about your smartphone if it falls into snow or water. And although the manufacturer does not offer to shoot underwater, it would be a shame to miss such a chance, because we tested it not just anywhere, but on the shores of the White Sea (we will tell you more about our overall impressions of using the smartphone in extreme conditions below). There were a lot of problems when shooting with a smartphone underwater: the sensor starts to go crazy, the volume buttons set to release are not very conveniently located, and the water is cold and salty. The first problem was solved by turning on the display after lowering it under water or by partial immersion, the second and third had to be endured, and the smartphone was “desalinated” after swimming in sea ​​water had to in the snow. He endured all these actions with dignity.

Examples of underwater photography

Since we are talking about convenience, it is worth noting the problems when shooting with one quite standard hand. Since we were using the Edge modification, we had to be careful with sensitive edges. (In general, these “edges” often create some discomfort when using, although if you want, you can get used to them for the sake of design.) If you grasp the smartphone as you have to do with most tablet phones, your fingers often “occupy” the sensor and the shutter button stops responding to presses.

Example of a standard one-handed grip

For such cases, you can use the volume buttons in the settings and use them as a shutter button. However, they are located in such a way that it will not be very convenient for right-handers, and it is difficult to compose a frame across the remaining third of the display. In vertical orientation, problems arise with the fact that part of the index finger periodically ends up in the corner of the frame.

The last option is to turn the smartphone over, holding it by the top so that the volume button is under your index finger. However, this is inconvenient from the point of view general use- you still have to use your second hand to turn it over. In addition, the smartphone is too thin and with such a grip it tends to slip out, and your fingers right hand constantly fall into the lens.

	Good sharpness across the field of the frame, and car license plates are distinguishable in such twilight hours.
	Good sharpness in distant shots.
	There is not much noise in the shadows, although the work of the noise reduction is visible.
	The camera pays attention to small details.
	The camera does macro photography well.
	The camera copes well with details in fairly complex scenes.
	The camera copes well with night photography, but only in manual mode.
	The sharpness across the frame is not always uniform, but the area of ​​blur at the top in this case can be attributed to composition problems.

In addition to testing in real conditions, we tested the camera on a laboratory bench using our method.

The camera turned out to be quite a flagship camera, although a little crude, which, I would like to believe, will be corrected in serial firmware. First of all, the rather obvious sharpening and the presence of blur zones in very unexpected parts of the frame are confusing. In addition, a slight soapiness is noticeable, which, however, we are already accustomed to from Samsung smartphones. Otherwise, the camera behaves very well and allows you to take pictures at the level of a good compact, both from a technical and artistic point of view.

As can be seen from the graph, in terms of resolution the camera is almost at the level of its predecessors, but the overall quality of the images has undoubtedly increased, although not much.

Focusing in a smartphone is implemented so well that you stop paying attention to it. Double pixels essentially implement the principle of phase focusing, and their presence over the entire sensor area ensures good accuracy. It's difficult to say whether the camera focuses much faster compared to other smartphones, but there were no problems with searching for sharpness, waiting for focus, or missing shots during testing. In any case, in this regard, using the camera did not cause discomfort, so we can say that focusing is quite fast.

I would like to note video shooting separately, since this time its implementation in a smartphone really does not raise any questions. The “rolling shutter” effect and other artifacts are practically absent. The image is stable, sharp, without twitching or ripples, despite only 30 fps. Focusing when shooting video is as fast as when shooting photos.

The smartphone features a slow motion mode that allows you to record in 720p format at 240 fps with sound. When viewing, you can slow down a certain fragment. Below is a video made up of various recordings taken on a smartphone during testing.

More examples of shooting with the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge camera are presented below in the gallery.

Photo gallery

Software and communications

The smartphone runs on the latest version of Android OS - 6.0.1. On top of it is installed a proprietary Samsung shell, optimized specifically for the Edge modification. We are talking about an auxiliary menu that can be pulled out from the right side, as well as the ability to use curved edges for color alerts.

By and large, there is nothing new here compared to previous Edges, and, frankly, we still think that all these features are more of an artificial attempt to justify the presence of curved edges and make this design find at least somewhat useful, rather than really useful features. After all, hypothetically, the same thing could be done with a regular screen.

A much more valuable innovation is the updated file manager. Now you can easily transfer files from your smartphone to a flash drive and back; unnecessary files can be deleted both from a flash drive and a microSD card.

As befits a flagship, the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge supports all the most modern technologies and communication standards, including Wi-Fi 802.11ac 5 GHz, LTE Cat.9, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, NFC, ANT+. The latter is valuable because it makes it possible to connect a smartphone with various fitness accessories (for example, chest heart rate monitors) using an energy-efficient protocol.

We also note that the smartphone supports two SIM cards. At least that's what Samsung claims, but we couldn't verify it. In our copy (engineering sample), the slot did not allow inserting a second Nano-SIM; the space for it was slightly less than necessary. Apparently, this should be attributed to the peculiarities of the engineering model. But if you buy a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge at a dealership, ask a consultant to show you how and where to insert the second SIM card.

Autonomous operation and heating

The smartphone is equipped with a significantly larger battery than the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge - 3600 mAh versus the previous 2600 mAh. Even the larger S6 Edge+ has only 3,000 mAh.

Of course, such an increase had the most positive effect on battery life: the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge is one of the leaders in this regard, and it is capable of operating on battery power even with moderate active use for much longer than the standard time of one day.

During active photo and video shooting, the smartphone sat down by about 50% in one busy day, working in “airplane” mode and with automatic screen brightness. Under the same conditions, watching an MP4 movie loaded into the internal memory drains the battery by about 10% per hour.

In addition, we tested the battery life of the smartphone using our method, with the brightness set to 100 cd/m².

As you can see, the less stressful the scenario, the better the smartphone performs. Thus, in the gaming scene it is inferior to the iPhone 6s Plus in terms of operating time, but in video playback it is superior. And finally, let's pay attention to the excellent results in reading mode. By the way, among the Android smartphones that we have ever tested, in this scenario the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge has no competition!

Below are thermal images back surface, obtained after 10 minutes of battery testing in the GFXBenchmark program (the lighter, the higher the temperature):

It can be seen that the heating is highly localized above the center and close to the right edge, which apparently corresponds to the location of the SoC chip. According to the heat camera, the maximum heating was 44 degrees (at an ambient temperature of 24 degrees), which is higher than the average value in this test for modern smartphones.

Separately, it is worth noting the charging speed of the smartphone. Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge supports QuickCharge fast charging technology and, when using the included power supply (9 V 1.67 A), is fully charged in about an hour and a half. The device charges up to 50% in 40 minutes, half an hour is enough to fill the battery by 38%, and 15 minutes - by 22%.

During charging, both the smartphone and the power supply heat up noticeably, but this does not go beyond comfortable values, that is, you won’t burn your hands.

In general, despite the situation with load conditions, we can recognize the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge as one of the best (if not the best) Android smartphone in terms of battery life. And, of course, the charging speed is a very big plus compared to the iPhone, since there are cases when you urgently need to charge your smartphone, but you only have a few minutes, especially when traveling or if you forgot to charge your smartphone at night.

conclusions

Well, we carefully got acquainted with one of the main smartphone innovations of this year, tested it both in the laboratory and in real life(and in extreme conditions). Based on the results of studying the device, we can safely admit that at the moment this is the real pinnacle of “smartphone manufacturing”. The device combines innovation, practicality and uncompromisingness in almost all respects. For the fourth model in the Edge line (and the third among the S Edge), Samsung found an almost ideal ratio of screen diagonal and body size, equipped the smartphone with support for memory cards and two SIM cards, and was also able to implement full-fledged moisture protection without sacrificing the dimensions of the device or external view (no plugs - hello Sony!). On top of that, the battery capacity has increased significantly, and now it is one of best smartphones in terms of autonomous operation.

The curvature of the screen and its functional use, of course, still remain controversial points (for the convenience of everyday use this is more of a minus than a plus), but one cannot argue with the fact that this feature makes the Samsung smartphone unique, which is perhaps truly valuable in our time of clones. And advanced photo capabilities and high performance make the new product an ideal choice for enthusiasts. Of course, all this could not but affect the price: the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, with a price tag of 60 thousand rubles, occupies the highest price category. However, it is also cheaper than the iPhone 6s Plus even with the smallest amount of internal memory. And therefore, this is a very, very formidable competitor to the flagship of the apple company.

Finally, we bring to your attention a video review, where we share our main impressions of the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and clearly demonstrate some of its features (including water resistance).

P.S. For the excellent combination appearance and design functionality (above all, the implementation of water resistance), we award the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge our editorial Original Design award:

In February 2016 it was shown new flagship Galaxy S7. Among other advantages, manufacturers focused on the camera of the new product, which claims to be the best in the world among mobile devices. One of the proprietary features was stated to be support for DualPixel technology, which allows focusing almost instantly.

The 2016 flagship is not only distinguished by its new focusing mechanism. The software itself has undergone changes, receiving advanced settings. The matrix is ​​also different from the sensors in other smartphones. Let's try to learn about all the features of the photographic part and its capabilities in order.

The S7 does not use the standard shooting application from Android 6, but its own, which is part of the TouchWiz shell. It differs from the stock one with richer settings and a redesigned interface. Exactly the same application was used in the S6, S6 Edge and Note 5. At the top of the window there are buttons for settings, choosing the resolution and aspect ratio of the photo, flash and timer switches, HDR and an effects selection menu. At the bottom there is a focus/shutter button, photo/video and main/front camera switches, and an access icon to the photo gallery.

When selecting modes, you can use preset scenarios: auto, pro, selective focus, panoramic photo, animation, the ability to shoot stream directly in YouTube, slowmo slow motion, 360 degree virtual shooting, food photography and accelerated video shooting.

In Pro mode, manual adjustment becomes available. You can independently control white balance, ISO value, contrast, brightness, and shutter speed.

A distinctive feature of the smartphone, which brings it closer to full-fledged cameras, is the ability to save photos in RAW and JPG simultaneously. The “raw” data from the matrix can be processed in Photoshop or another professional editor. This allows you to adjust colors, sharpness, white balance and other image parameters in a quiet environment on your computer to achieve the highest possible quality.

Specifications

In the Galaxy S7, the photo module is based on a matrix with a resolution of 12 MP. Depending on the production batch and modification (and there are only about 20 of them, for different markets and networks), Bright Cell’s own S5K2L1 or Sony Exmor IMX260 module can be used. They have identical characteristics, and, very likely, are variations of the same model, produced at different enterprises.

Despite the modest 12 MP resolution by 2016 standards, the S7 camera has some advantages. First of all, these are the dimensions of the matrix: 1/2.5" - usually this diagonal corresponds to 16 MP. Due to the large matrix, the pixel was increased to 1.4 microns (instead of the standard 1.12 microns for S6). In addition, each of It is equipped with its own phase detection autofocus sensor, a technology called Dual Pixel, previously only used in DSLR cameras.

The optics in the S7 have also changed in a positive way. The aperture (aperture) of the lens was improved from f/1.9 to f/1.7. Protection against a trembling hand is provided by a stabilization system. During the day there is practically no benefit from it (the shot is taken with an instantaneous shutter speed), but in the evening the system helps improve clarity. The flash looks somewhat modest: it consists of one diode emitting neutral white light.

There is practically no difference in the quality of photos from different matrices (Samsung and Sony) when viewed on a monitor. If you take a photo under the same conditions using different versions of the Galaxy S7, the comparison shows minimal difference. The only thing noticeable to the naked eye is that the Samsung sensor maintains color temperature a little better, while the frames from the Sony fade slightly into warm shades in the evening (the frames are slightly yellow). But the Japanese matrix shows slightly better detail, which is noticeable when the scale is increased to 100%. Below are two photographs taken on two Samsung Galaxy S7 smartphones with different matrices: at the top is a matrix from Samsung, at the bottom is from Sony.

How the camera shoots in different modes

Daytime landscape photography

The S7 shows excellent results in daytime photography. It provides an acceptable level of detail, even despite the reduced number of pixels. With the same zoom scale, photos from the S7 look more “angular” than those from the S6, but the contours of objects do not have the same blurring as their predecessor. It's difficult to immediately say which of the two evils is the lesser, but the footage from the S7 looks more attractive in this comparison.

Photo in good conditions

The dynamic range can be called rich (by the standards of mobile technology); in bright sunlight, the smartphone does not overexpose the sky, but it does not obscure the darker areas of the photo. But it is not ideal if there are enough bright details and light tones in the frame - signs of flare appear. For example, the glare of the sun, even partially falling into the lens, blinds the corner of the frame, filling it with white. This is nitpicking (not shooting into the sun is one of the first rules of a novice photographer), but the fact remains a fact.

Shot with focus on the sky

A photo with the sun in the frame

Shot with focus on a tree

Daytime photography is not the Galaxy S7's trump card at all. And this is not because the matrix is ​​bad (no, it takes excellent pictures). Simply, it is a smartphone camera, but nothing more. It will not be possible to examine every leaf of a tree standing a couple of tens of meters away. Photos from some Meizu, Xiaomi for 200 dollars, or Samsung for 250 will look the same on the monitor screen. Excellent lighting conditions allow any more or less normal matrix to open up, reducing competition to a minimum.

Portrait photography and close-ups

Not long ago, Xiaomi introduced the Redmi Pro camera phone, equipped with two matrices. The presentation focused on the magnificent bokeh effect (blurring the background and sharp focus on the foreground). The smartphone was even compared to a professional Canon DSLR for 4 thousand dollars to emphasize the “coolness” of the new product. So, S7 can do the same without any second matrix. Near focus works very clearly, portrait photography is its strong point. Beautifully blurring the background, emphasizing the contrast, is not a problem at all.

Focus on a close subject and blur the background

When shooting portraits from a couple of meters away, the sensor capabilities are enough to absorb most of the reflected light. In such conditions, the sensor practically does not lather the skin on the face and transmits its details. If you use a tripod and set a high shutter speed, the shots will turn out great. The Samsung Galaxy S7 copes well with close-up photography and portraits. In this mode, the benefits become more noticeable.

Shooting at dusk

In low light conditions (100-1000 Lux, such as in cloudy weather or in a building), the advantages of the camera become more obvious. The decent size of the sensor captures more light, making the details of objects appear more clearly. The flash mentioned above, despite only one LED, does its job conscientiously. Objects in the foreground are highlighted with high quality, their contours are smooth and quite distinguishable.

If you don't shoot from automatic switching on If you turn off the flash, near details become less clear. But this only applies to weak indoor lighting. At dusk, the lack of sunny color does not interfere. Here lies the main advantage of the Samsung Galaxy S7 over cheaper devices. They are already starting to blur the contours, applying noise reduction, and the hero of the review still allows you to highlight “ladders” of pixels in the photo - by-effect from reduced resolution. That is, if the noise suppression system is connected, it is only superficially, without distorting the details.

When trying to photograph a neighboring house at dusk, the camera produces “something similar to real outlines.” “Soap” appears, the clarity leaves much to be desired, but competitors cannot even do this, showing strange spots when the photo is zoomed in, under which it is difficult to guess the house. Here the rating is a C with a slight minus, compared to full-fledged devices, but 5 in comparison with smartphones.

Night photography

You can get a high-quality shot at night only with a flash, and at close range. No matter how much people praise the Samsung S7 camera, it is just a smartphone, albeit an expensive one. Even a tripod and long exposure times won’t help you photograph the starry sky. A tiny (by DSLR standards) matrix cannot do this. In general, in auto mode at night the camera is of no use, as in comparison with any other smartphone. If you need a photo in the dark, only a DSLR will help.

Another thing is a photo with a flash of nearby elements. The device will be able to take a photo of a group sitting around a fire. It will even (an obvious argument in defense) maintain some kind of balance. The flame will not turn into an incomprehensible yellow spot, but will remain visible, but the faces will not turn into lifeless wax figures. So this is also a positive rating.

On the Samsung Galaxy S7, you can get a passable shot under the light of street lamps. The camera will also capture a sunset or sunrise, and will even be able to convey many shades.

Frontal

In addition to the main matrix, the Samsung S7 also has a good front camera. It is also not simple: with a resolution of 5 MP, the aperture is also f/1.7 (like the main one). This is very good for a front camera. Due to the good light transmission, selfies are very detailed. Some people won’t even like it: if you don’t apply effects, the device “spoils” the portrait. At an ultra-short distance (half a meter), in sunlight, every pimple, every mole becomes visible.

The background of the front camera is a little blurry (the focus is fixed, and is set specifically to the close-up), but within reason. This is approximately how the main matrix of the iPhone 4 shot under similar conditions, even if we do not take into account the lack of autofocus in the hero of the review. The selfie camera also supports automatic HDR.

Video shooting

In terms of video shooting, the Samsung Galaxy S7 is also good. Video recording in 4K at 30 FPS is supported. But this frame rate per second is ensured only in good lighting; at dusk, the frequency decreases.

The video camera performs much better when shooting in FullHD. A frame rate of 60 FPS is enough for smoothness, and the optical stabilizer smoothes out shake when shooting handheld. The sound is recorded in stereo, thanks to the presence of a second microphone. This is not Dolby Digital, but compared to Xiaomi with two microphones, it’s heaven and earth.

If you reduce the resolution to HD 720p, you can shoot slow motion at 240 FPS. When viewed, such videos will be played back 8 times slower than they were filmed. This is not enough to capture the flapping of an insect's wing (for this you need at least 1000 FPS), but it is quite possible to view slower phenomena and processes in detail.

Are there any disadvantages to the camera as for a smartphone?

The main disadvantages of the Samsung Galaxy S7 camera (in comparison with full-size cameras) are highlighted. This is a lack of detail, low light sensitivity at night, and non-ideal dynamic range. Shooting video in 4K is noticeably inferior to video cameras (the same GoPro budget versions). But what if we compare it with smartphones, which is the Samsung Galaxy S7?

• Dynamic range. There are no shortcomings here: modest compared to DSLRs (in which the sun remains orange), but cool compared to mobile phones. Only a few can do the same.
• Detailing. There are no advantages here anymore. On a summer day, the S7 may lose out to a more budget-friendly 16 MP matrix (due to fewer pixels), but in the evening you can still watch “soap” or “ladder”.
• Focusing. The Samsung S7 definitely has no downsides here. The focus is fast, the contrast between the central composition and the periphery is emphasized perfectly, everyone would like it.
• Evening shooting. In this regard, the camera of the Samsung Galaxy S7 is capable of outperforming its rivals. The increased matrix of pixels and aperture captures light better, there are no downsides.
• Portrait. And there are no shortcomings in this nomination. Not a DSLR, but among smartphones only the Nokia 808 (which was discontinued 100 years ago) could do something better. This applies to both the main camera and the front camera (in which only models with Sony IMX179 at 8 MP can compete with the S7).

Thus, we can state: the only thing in which the Samsung Galaxy S7 camera may not be the best is the detail of photos taken in bright daylight. Here even a $200 Chinese camera with 16 MP can compare. The only difference is that the percentage of successful photos from the S7 will be higher than that of the Chinese.

iPhone leaked. Do not believe? See for yourself.

Epic battle

Every year Flickr publishes statistics for its service, and every year the iPhone becomes the most popular camera in the world. But the most popular does not mean the best.

In order not to be unfounded, I compared head-to-head the top smart phones of Samsung and Apple: and. Despite the fact that Samsung calls its new products an evolution, the cameras in the “sevens” were a real breakthrough. This was noted by all world publications, there is no arguing with that. How can the iPhone respond to this?

I took both phones and walked along the streets of Moscow and Voronezh. I filmed in different conditions: indoors, outdoors, in the evening, during the day. It's up to you to decide who comes out the winner.

Camera launch speed

In order not to miss a great moment, you have to be very fast. Therefore, it is important that the camera does not let you down.

S7 edge. The smartphone has a cool feature, thanks to which the camera opens in just 0.6 seconds. You just need to press the Home button twice, and that's it, you're ready to shoot. The camera starts instantly, it feels like it is constantly hanging in the background. It's great that the function works even if the smart phone is locked.

As a result, it takes a split second to pull the phone out of your pocket and press the button twice, which is especially important for mobile photography.

iPhone 6s Plus. In order to launch the camera on an iPhone, you must first activate the display and then swipe on the camera icon. Or unlock your smart phone using Touch ID and open the Camera app. So, it takes a long time, about 3-4 seconds. During this time, the moment may be missed.

Fast Focus

The camera started up quickly - cool! Now it is important that she focuses just as quickly.

S7 edge. The new "seven" uses Dual Pixel technology, which allows it to focus VERY quickly. He took out his phone, clicked the button twice, the camera opened and focused. The new sensor not only has high light sensitivity, but also an upgraded phase detection autofocus. Now all the pixels of the matrix are used for focusing, and not just a part, as was the case before. Similar technology can be found even in some DSLRs; this is something new for smartphones.

Smart quickly focuses both in good lighting and in poor lighting. For example, during the day the S7 edge camera focuses in 0.15 seconds, versus 0.79 seconds for the iPhone 6s Plus. In low light, 0.2 seconds, versus 1.22 seconds for the iPhone!

iPhone 6s Plus. Autofocus on iPhones was once the fastest. But not at this time. No, it focuses on the subject quite quickly, but if the camera is suddenly moved to something else, then it is not a fact that this other thing will be in focus. The 6s Plus performs even worse in low light and the focus starts to wobble, making it difficult to take a sharp photo.

Shooting in the dark

In all comparisons, the first photo was taken on an iPhone, and the second on a Samsung. By the way, if you don’t read this line, it will be even more interesting;)

The main cameras of smartphones have the same resolution of 12 megapixels. But the difference between them is colossal.

S7 edge. Compared to the Galaxy S6, the number of megapixels in the Galaxy S7/S7 edge has decreased from 16 to 12. But this is even good. Unlike its predecessor, the “seven” uses a double photodiode, resulting in images with a resolution of 4032 X 3024 and an aspect ratio of 4: 3, versus 5312 X 2988 and 16: 9 for the Galaxy S6. Paired with the new lens, you get excellent bright and sharp pictures with a minimum of noise.

The S7 also has an f/1.7 aperture. This means that the Samsung's aperture is wider and more light gets in. In addition, the size of each pixel has increased by 56% compared to last year's Galaxy S6, which also allows it to collect more light. This makes him the king of night photography. Pictures in the dark are always clear, with minimal noise and artifacts.

In addition, this aperture allows you to take photos with a very shallow depth of field. The background is greatly blurred, this is also called bokeh.

6s Plus. At the same time, the iPhone has a camera with an f/2.2 aperture. In good lighting it takes great pictures, but in the dark it is inferior to its competitor. The background turns into mush, the pictures most often come out dull and expressionless. But we must give it its due, the colors in the photos are more natural than those of the S7 edge.

Color balance

S7 edge. As for color balance, Samsung still has some work to do. S7 edge often lies with colors, turns yellow, sometimes pictures come out faded, sometimes, on the contrary, oversaturated. Yes, there is a “Pro” mode where you can set everything manually, but who needs that?

I quickly took out my phone, quickly focused on the subject and then started fiddling with the ISO and shutter speed. Somehow it's not serious.

6s Plus. But on the iPhone everything is fine with color balance. The colors in the photographs come out natural, saturated, but without excesses. The picture is as close as possible to the real one, the difference is clearly visible in the picture with the motorcycle. Where the S7 edge is pale orange, the 6s Plus is a rich red. A particularly cool picture comes out in HDR mode.

Selfie

The front cameras of the smartphones also have the same resolution of 5 megapixels. But the result is completely different.

S7 edge. The smartphone has a 5-megapixel widescreen front camera. This, firstly, makes you visually further from the camera (no selfie sticks are needed), and secondly, it allows you to take spacious group selfies. In addition, the pictures come out much better, including in low light. Hello, f/1.7 aperture.

The camera also has a lot of fun things like retouching while shooting. You can make huge eyes, adjust the tone of your face, etc.

6s Plus. In 2015, the iPhone finally received a 5-megapixel front camera. Why Apple ignored this topic for so long is unclear. Yes, the pictures have become clearer and better in quality. But it is still far from its competitors. Evening pictures turn out to be noisy, and in general, the quality, compared to the S7 edge, lags far behind.

Macro

S7 edge. Taking macro photos with a Samsung is a pleasure. Firstly, amazing sharpness. Then it’s great to zoom in on the photo as much as possible, because the details don’t disappear anywhere. Secondly, cool background blur, I already wrote about it above. This is especially noticeable on the flower. The only thing missing is the color balance. Yes, it’s clear here that the S7 edge is lying with colors; the picture is not as saturated as the iPhone’s.

iPhone 6s Plus. The iPhone also copes well with macro, the photos are clear and juicy. Yes, if you zoom in too much, the clarity disappears, the depth of field is greater. But the colors are more natural, here everyone chooses their own.

Panorama

S7 edge. The S7 edge does a great panorama and glues it together quickly, but I was not satisfied with the picture. Despite the fact that I tried not to shake the phone, the picture did not come out very clear, with overexposure and faded colors. At the same time, it is frankly yellow in comparison with the photo taken on the iPhone.

But there is a cool feature - “motion panorama”. We shoot as usual, and the end result is an animated panorama. If you scroll through the photo or tilt the smart phone, the picture will come to life. It's a funny thing, but I think it won't be any more useful than Live Photo.

iPhone 6s Plus. The iPhone did a better job with the panorama; it glued together about the same amount as the Samsung. There are natural colors here, there are no wild overexposures, the picture is clear.

Chips

S7 edge. Koreans love different features, and the S7 edge camera is full of them. There is a “Pro” mode with manual settings, and an analogue of Live Photo. After taking a photo, you can watch a small GIF. There is a familiar “interval” mode, here it is called hyperlapse. And the S7 edge also received a fantastic “selfie flash” function, when the screen acts as a flash! Oh yes, it’s on the iPhone...

But you can take photos with your voice, again, useful for selfies. We just turn on the camera and say “take a photo” or “take a video.” Smart counts down 5 seconds and the photo is ready. Or you can use the open palm gesture. Just turn on the camera, show your finger to the smartphone, and the selfie is ready.

There is an interesting virtual shooting mode. We go around the object in a circle, and it turns out to be photographed from all sides. The resulting image can be rotated on the smart screen or viewed through Samsung Gear VR virtual glasses.

iPhone 6s Plus. There are not many such things on the iPhone, but everything you need is there. I must say that Samsung has successfully skimmed most of the chips from new iPhone: Live Photo, screen flash, hyperlapse. The truth is implemented differently. To view a Live Photo on the iPhone 6s Plus, you need to use 3D Touch; in Samsung it is activated by touch.

What's the result?

As a result of comparison, the iPhone 6s Plus loses on almost all fronts.

Advantages of Galaxy S7 edge:

Shoots better in the dark

Focuses faster

From year to year, Samsung strives to ensure that the cameras in its smartphones receive the title of the best. Last year, many agreed with this, because the S6, like later the Note 5, had a high-quality module with a 16 megapixel sensor, which produced excellent results both at night and during the day. However, the manufacturer did not stop there and continued to develop this important element of a modern smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge feature a completely new camera. We'll figure out what came out of this during the test.

Equipment and management

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 edge have a Sony IMX260 sensor installed (according to information not officially confirmed, different batches use both Sony sensors and Samsung’s own chips with similar characteristics) - updated version IMX240, which was exactly what was used in the previous generation of Samsung flagships. The camera has lost four megapixels: the resolution of the new sensor is “only” 12 megapixels versus 16 megapixels for the IMX240, but, in this case, pixel to pixel is different.

The new sensor uses Dual Pixel technology for faster phase focusing, which is also used in some modern DSLR cameras. Essentially, each effective pixel on the surface of the IMX260 sensor consists of two independent photodetectors, which capture the light flux reflected from the object to perform phase detection autofocus. Dual Pixel technology delivers fast and accurate focusing without sacrificing image quality.

The pixel size in the new sensor is 1.4 microns. The camera also has optical image stabilization. But most importantly, the lens aperture has increased to f/1.7 (in the previous generation it was f/1.9). If we take into account the fact that we are talking about a smartphone, the value is amazing. This seems to be the first time a smartphone camera has had such aperture. On paper, this means more background blur in portrait and macro shots, as well as better results when shooting at night. The camera is helped by an LED flash - it has not changed for the second year in a row - one “firefly”, which is surprising against the backdrop of devices with dual LED flash that are already widespread on the market.

It’s nice that in the new flagship the camera protrudes by only 0.46 mm - thanks to changes in the design of the case, we managed to reduce this figure by almost a millimeter.

The Camera app can be launched from the lock screen by pulling the lower right corner, using the home screen icon, or double-clicking the home button. For some reason, the last function is disabled in the menu, although it makes shooting possible at almost lightning speed: I took the smartphone out of my pocket, pressed the “Home” key a couple of times and took a picture.

The application menu looks familiar to Samsung. At the top (in a vertical position) there are a number of quick settings, including: turning on the flash and HDR, an effects menu, a delayed shooting timer, choosing a resolution, and the classic gear icon to open the main settings menu.

The timer delay can be set to 2, 5 or 10 seconds, and you can also check the box so that the device takes three pictures in a row.

As always, frame size is related to aspect ratio. Maximum size images - 4032×3024 pixels (12 megapixels) with an aspect ratio of 4:3. Note that such proportions are more common in professional photography than 16:9 (in this format the camera shoots with a maximum resolution of 9.1 megapixels).

In the main settings menu, you can select video resolution from VGA (640×480 pixels) to UHD (3840×2160), including Full HD and Full HD at 60 frames per second.

You can also include some useful and fun features there. AF tracking is more of the former, while motion snapshot (a short video clip shot before each photo) is more of the latter. It also includes a screen grid, geotags, voice control, viewing images after shooting, and quick launch. When shooting in Pro mode, you can save a RAW version of the file for further post-processing - this is also enabled in the settings. There you can also select the storage location for the photos (device memory or memory card), and also assign a function to the volume keys: photo, video, or zoom.

At the bottom of the application screen, in the center, there is a shutter release and video recording button (both virtual), and on the sides there is an icon for switching to the front camera and for opening the gallery. The latter can also be done by swiping from right to left. The app also has a shooting mode menu that can be opened by swiping from left to right. The S7 edge now has the ability to not only swap modes in the menu, but also place shortcuts to individual modes on the main screen.

Interestingly, it is impossible to download additional modes directly from the Camera application - the “More” item has been removed, but the additional modes themselves are still in Galaxy Essentials in the Samsung app store. True, we didn’t find many add-ons there: Animated GIF, Dual Camera, Sports Shot and Surround Shot. There are a lot of modes in the menu, and it’s not a fact that they will all be useful: “Auto” and “Pro”, “Selective focus”, “Panorama”, “Video collage”, “Live broadcast”, “Slow motion” and “Time-lapse” video shooting, “Virtual shooting”, “Food”. There are few updates in the set of modes compared to the S6: time-lapse (also known as Timelapse) has replaced accelerated shooting, which apparently did not justify itself, and one new mode has appeared - “Food”.

The 5 MP front camera remains the same as in last year's models.

Photography

Let's start with daytime shooting. In good weather, in conditions of sufficient lighting, the camera shows itself at its best. We managed to catch good weather with bright sun and blue sky with white clouds. The pictures turned out excellent: high detail and natural colors, coupled with sufficient contrast. Simply put, you get great photos during the day. In the application, you can select the focus point and adjust the brightness. Sometimes adjusting the latter makes the photo look a little better. The quality of the resulting images is definitely sufficient for use in in social networks. It will even allow you to print your photos on an A4 sheet and hang them in a frame.

Daytime outdoor shooting:

When shooting indoors, the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge's camera also performs great. On the face there is good detail and correct color rendition. Let's remember about the high aperture of the lens (f/1.7), thanks to which we get pictures with high-quality blur of the background and precise details, right down to the inscriptions, in the foreground. When shooting indoors, phase detection autofocus also comes to the fore, which works with new technology Dual Pixel. During testing, she never missed, and her speed was extremely high.

Indoor shooting:

The Samsung flagship copes brilliantly with shooting in HDR mode. High dynamic range shooting is enabled in automatic mode by default, and can also be turned on/off manually. Photos in HDR mode turn out very impressive, while the colors remain natural: the smartphone “pulls out” areas that are too dark and too light.

HDR mode enabled HDR mode is turned off

Let us remind you that, unlike most modern smartphones (not just flagships), Samsung flagships have a single LED flash for the second year in a row. This can only be explained by the fact that the company does not rely on this element of the camera when shooting in difficult conditions, believing that in a smartphone the flash is often used as a flashlight.

Nevertheless, it does its job well, correctly highlighting and highlighting the object.

An innovation in the S7 line of cameras - in addition to the usual panorama, the device can also shoot a so-called live panorama. It looks very interesting on a smartphone: thanks to the microgyroscope, the image moves forward or backward when the user tilts the device. At the same time, if there was an action in the frame during shooting - a person walked by, a dog ran, or a car drove by - it will be reproduced in the “live” panorama. The user can save such a panorama in video format with all the movements, but on the smartphone screen it still looks much more interesting than a simple video.

The quality of panoramic photographs is very high, both when shooting during the day and at night.

View full file (73 MB)

In the dark, the Samsung camera again excels. As in the previous generation, there is literally nothing to complain about: you take out the camera, focus and shoot. Once again, you get high-quality photos that you can print and hang in a frame - only a few minor noises will allow you to distinguish a photo taken on the Galaxy S7 edge from an image taken using at least a compact camera.

At night, autofocus works perfectly and does not miss, the device correctly adapts to the shooting conditions and produces the kind of picture you expect. Moreover, all this looks good both on the smartphone screen and on the monitor and on a photo print.

The list of shooting modes includes “Selective Focus”. The smartphone takes a series of photographs with several focal points, after which the program allows you to select near or far (accordingly, the blur will be in the background or foreground). You can also make sure everything is in focus. Then you get clear and beautiful images.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge now has a “Food” mode. In it, firstly, you can highlight the subject of shooting, leaving everything else out of focus, and secondly, you can fine-tune the color temperature to get a “warmer” or “cooler” tint.

It’s worth saying a little about the “Pro” mode, in which you can adjust the shutter speed, ISO value, select the focus point and adjust the white balance, as well as use effect filters. You can also select the metering mode: center-weighted, matrix or spot. Professional mode will certainly be appreciated by people who are well versed in photography. It brings out the full potential of the device's already excellent camera.

Pictures taken in “Pro” mode can be saved not only in JPEG format, but also in RAW (file extension - DNG). Subsequently, such photographs can be processed in photo editors. However, when you compare a digital negative to a JPEG image (Samsung's built-in post-processing), the latter looks very cool and rarely needs any editing. But the ability to shoot in RAW can still be useful.

Shooting text does not cause any problems for Samsung: all letters are perfectly legible.

The 5 MP front camera takes pictures exactly the same as it did in the S6 line - with high quality. Now she has a “virtual” flash: during shooting, the Super AMOLED display illuminates the face with a soft white glow, which improves the image.

Video

The choice of resolution when shooting video in the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge is quite large: VGA, HD, 1:1 (1440×1440), Full HD, Full HD (60 fps), QHD (2560×1440), UHD (3840×2160). In addition, there are several special modes related to video shooting. First of all, this is slow motion and time-lapse photography. There is also a video collage: it allows you to record several short videos, arranging them in a mosaic in a grid. You can create collages with an aspect ratio of 1:1 or 4:3, and also use slow motion. Live broadcast mode allows you to broadcast online directly to YouTube. There is also “Virtual Shooting”, which allows you to make a video of an object with shooting from all sides, but it looks rather prosaic and is not surprising.

Note that when shooting video, a new sensor, a high-aperture lens and, of course, optical image stabilization come to the fore.

Full HD video turns out well even in the dark. The device produces high-quality images with natural colors and high detail. It is possible to record video with HDR - this function works when recording Full HD videos.

The user can also record Full HD at 60 frames per second, then movements seem smoother.

When recording at 4K resolution, fine details become more visible. Samsung Galaxy S7 edge copes well with video resolution of 3840x2160 pixels. An interesting detail is that UHD video can be zoomed on the smartphone screen.

New mode - time-lapse photography. It replaced accelerated shooting and, perhaps, looks more interesting. The user can select a speed from 4 to 32 frames per second or rely on automatic speed detection. It is important to say that for the best quality shooting in this mode, you definitely need a tripod and a smartphone holder. The video is recorded in Full HD resolution.

Slow motion video shooting remains at the same high level, as does its resolution - still only HD. This is a little upsetting.

Results

Samsung has made an interesting move by completely changing the camera after the success of the previous generation. Only after trying the new device in action, you understand that this did not happen by chance, and no one in the Korean company would have decided to exchange an excellent module for one that is worse. In the eyes of ordinary people, four megapixels are really lost, but an experienced amateur photographer will tell you that happiness is not in the number of megapixels. Things that are controversial about the new camera are the added "Food" mode. However, it makes it possible to simply and quickly change the color temperature, and can be useful not only for photographing delicious and beautiful dishes. The absence of a dual LED flash and the “Live Panorama” mode, or rather its video part, may also raise questions. But, like last year, we have a camera that will be recognized by most users as one of the best in smartphones. An excellent application, a large number of useful modes and enormous opportunities for shooting both day and night, outdoors or indoors - all this is the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge - a new benchmark in mobile photography.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 edge sets a new standard for smartphone camera quality for at least the next year. For excellent photos both day and night, spectacular videos, optical stabilization and many shooting modes, the editors of w3bsit3-dns.com honor the SGS7 edge with the “Nice Shot” sign.

Pros:

• accurate and fast autofocus;
• excellent shooting at night;
• high-quality HDR mode;
• high lens aperture;
• possibility of shooting in RAW.

Minuses:

• single LED flash;
• reduced number of megapixels.

Much has been written about the excellent cameras on both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge flagships. They are capable of taking great pictures, and are able to offer the user a lot of really interesting features, like Hyperlapse, which we have already talked about on our website. But what does it take to create impressive images without all the fuss?

First of all, the Galaxy S7's camera is great without any user intervention. Samsung made sure that the automatic mode copes with most of the tasks assigned to it. The user thus only needs to press the shutter button. This is not everything you should know about the new camera, so we suggest you familiarize yourself with the basics.

Quick start

Both the Samsung Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge have a feature that can quickly launch the camera by double-clicking the Home button. The camera app will be ready to take pictures in less than one second. This feature is enabled out of the box by default, but there have been cases where users had to enable it manually.

Tap the gear icon in the top left corner of the Camera app screen and make sure Quick Launch is turned on.

HDR

There was a time when HDR (High Dynamic Range) mode on phones was slow, rendering it virtually useless. Now, with the release of the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, this mode has become truly useful, and there is no reason not to use it by default.

On the Camera app toolbar, click on HDR to activate this mode.

Using the volume buttons as a shutter release

Another typically included feature out of the box is the ability to use the volume rocker as a shutter button. There is no need to press the shutter button on the screen. When you hold the smartphone horizontally, the volume buttons are either on your thumb or under your index finger, and are actually comfortable to press lightly.

Of course, you can use these buttons to zoom in and out. Open the camera settings, scroll down and set the desired value next to the volume buttons.

Quick exposure adjustment

The camera app on the new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge lets you adjust exposure almost instantly. There is no need to use a slider anymore. Just swipe down or up on any area of ​​the screen, just like you would to adjust the brightness in a video player.

You can also lock the current exposure value by holding your finger on the screen for a few seconds. This the simplest way, which will allow you to manually overwrite automatic exposure settings without having to familiarize yourself with the complex Pro mode.

Viewing Images

If you're familiar with Galaxy devices, you might have noticed that many of these features aren't just available on the new Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge flagships. They have appeared on various models of Galaxy devices. And even some exclusive features are available on last year's Galaxy S6 and Galaxy Note 5 after updating them to Android Marshmallow. One of these functions is “Image Viewer”.

For those who prefer speed over quality, “Image Viewer” is best left turned off. But if you often run into the problem of your gallery being filled with multiple versions of the same photo, then this feature will be more useful than ever. Open the Camera app settings again and turn on Image Viewer.

Results

After familiarizing yourself with all the above options, you can use your smartphone’s camera in automatic mode, and the photos will delight you with excellent quality. You don't need to understand all the parameters of the complex Pro mode.