Best (non-iPhone) phone for photos

Chat about non-hiking topics. The least serious of the forums on the site!
Post Reply
User avatar
sgyoung
Posts: 393
Joined: November 3rd, 2013, 7:30 pm
Location: Seattle

Best (non-iPhone) phone for photos

Post by sgyoung » September 18th, 2022, 9:26 pm

Hey all - my current Galaxy s8 needs to be replaced. As a phone it has always worked well, but the camera is mediocre. This is of course a problem since my phone camera is the main way I take pictures while hiking. Have folks here had better luck with other phones? I know iPhones are purported to have the best cameras but I really don't want to get one of those (I am old and stubborn).

Thanks!

User avatar
Bosterson
Posts: 2317
Joined: May 18th, 2009, 3:17 pm
Location: Portland

Re: Best (non-iPhone) phone for photos

Post by Bosterson » September 18th, 2022, 9:32 pm

I believe the Google Pixel 6/Pro is supposed to have one of the best cameras for Android.
#pnw #bestlife #bitingflies #favoriteyellowcap #neverdispleased

User avatar
adamschneider
Posts: 3710
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:02 pm
Location: SE Portland
Contact:

Re: Best (non-iPhone) phone for photos

Post by adamschneider » September 18th, 2022, 10:22 pm

That's interesting that you had bad luck with the Galaxy, because I've heard that you can't go wrong with any of the Apple, Google, or Samsung models when it comes to camera quality. (Maybe the newer Galaxies are better?)

AlpenGlowHiker
Posts: 81
Joined: May 14th, 2020, 6:35 am
Location: Portland

Re: Best (non-iPhone) phone for photos

Post by AlpenGlowHiker » September 19th, 2022, 5:18 am

I would go with a new Galaxy. My buddy has one and the photo's are unreal, along with the 4 or 5 different lenses that it has.

Pixel's have good cameras too (I have an aging 3a), just not the best.

User avatar
sgyoung
Posts: 393
Joined: November 3rd, 2013, 7:30 pm
Location: Seattle

Re: Best (non-iPhone) phone for photos

Post by sgyoung » September 19th, 2022, 6:19 pm

Thanks for the recommendations, everyone! This is helpful.

Adam, I'm a bit surprised that my photos have been so iffy. I've used galaxy models in the past and found the cameras to be essentially state of the art (at least for the price point). But my current one struggles with colors in particular. Photos looked dull and slightly washed out in almost all outdoor situations. Weird.

User avatar
Waffle Stomper
Posts: 3707
Joined: May 28th, 2008, 10:03 pm

Re: Best (non-iPhone) phone for photos

Post by Waffle Stomper » September 26th, 2022, 7:49 am

You might check your settings. One of them might have been turned off. I've never heard anyone complain about their Galaxy.
"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir

User avatar
pinecone
Posts: 47
Joined: August 26th, 2021, 2:50 pm
Contact:

Re: Best (non-iPhone) phone for photos

Post by pinecone » September 26th, 2022, 6:41 pm

I've got the Galaxy S21 Ultra (one model below the current I think) and have been pretty happy with it for when I'm feeling I want to be zippy or have a bundle of miles to cover on/off the trail and don't want to haul real camera.
Here are a few links to some of my website of posts taken all with the phone. (one because I forgot the SD card in the real camera, and of course was the fall colors journey to above Paradise Park).
https://elevationchanges.com/2021/10/08 ... ed-forest/
https://elevationchanges.com/2021/07/16 ... reek-loop/
https://elevationchanges.com/2021/07/12 ... ide-trail/
https://elevationchanges.com/2021/06/15 ... s-between/

I'll note too that I process these in Adobe Lightroom on the phone, so they aren't straight raw photo.

Post Reply