Over the weekend I decided to use take the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL on a hike with my 3 labradors across Dartmoor.
I would learn how to use the camera as I walked through the rugged terrain of Dartmoor. If I am being honest, the camera app is really easy to use and most of these shots below were taken in auto. I did notice how readable the screen was in the bright sunlight. Actually, the lighting was particularly hazy so I was unsure how the shots would turn out. I also had my Samsung Galaxy S7 with me and after comparing shots from both phones, it was the Lumia 950 XL that took the better quality photos. Part of the magic is the Lumia’s Rich Capture Mode that performs some nifty post processing on each photo shot. This does mean the odd saving message, especially when using burst mode.
Anyway, below are some of the shots snapped from the weekend.
I really like this one of George. He was runninig really quickly and sort of cornering at the same time.
The overall balance and colours of this photo are absolutely spot on.
Another high speed shot and beautifully balanced with accurate colours.
Merrivale stones captured in all its glory. Perfect true to life shot again.
The shade and sun along with the clouds are captured brilliantly.
And finally a shot of my local church.
The Microsoft Lumia 950 XL impressed me with the image quality over the weekend. Also, I have been viewing photos that other people have snapped using RAW which looked mighty amazing. So now, I will attempt to see if I can get close to some of their masterpieces and hope to bring you some of my handy work in a future post.
If you have any questions on the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL please let me know.
Gavin's Gadgets & Photography 
The shots are nice with the 950. However what about the colour ? Is it over done.
Found a couple to compare with the S7, taken at roughly the same time of day if not the same day, around noon so similar light.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/27303662275/
950
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/26987761190/
S7
The direction of light is different but I don’t think that alone explains the colour difference.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/27270247226/
Another with the 950 taken a couple of hours before noon. Similar rich colour as the first. No special processing here. Just the meeting.
Would shots appear less saturated on the lumia if you used centre weighted instead of the default average ?
There will be more over exposure of the background less balancing.
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It was very hazy light. So actually the 950 coped better. 950 used rich capture which might explain warm colours.
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How is it possible to do rich capture in burst mode ?
I saw no evidence in the exifs to indicate any extra processing was being done in the above two 950 examples.
http://allaboutwindowsphone.com/features/item/21151_Automatic_Rich_CaptureHDR_test.php
Steve tries his best to cajole the 950 into using HDR outdoors and gives up, but gets it to work indoors. And you can see the term ‘auto bracket’ when it kicks in.
Another way to test is to check in Photos, and see whether you get a ‘choose best lighting slider’. If you do see that slider then HDR was used but I bet you won’t 🙂
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You were right. 😀
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It is interesting how the 950 refuses to use HDR in bright light. We are so used to preferring HDR in high contrast, daytime scenes.
Instead, the 950 prefers to use HDR in low light. Have seen one shot from a review of Times square, all lit up at night. Looked good. But it’s not the norm to use HDR for scenes like that. Even though they qualify as high contrast with dark and bright lights. The other tricks it has like Dynamic exposure and dynamic flash are unique in the industry.
Does it bother you having to wait for
Applying the finishing touches…
How many shots could you get before you have to wait.
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When I first used the 950, the message “saving” did annoy me. Applying the finishing touches is only partially annoying if I am checking my shots after shooting. However, because the final shots look fab, I am slightly forgiving. Still, it would be much better without such delays.
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What the 950 needs is a way to defer processing for later. If you could throw a switch and it let you shoot at will, saving to internal. And after let you batch process the lot.
Would that be better ?
This method of doing post on top of post is becoming more prevalent, these days with Nexus and HDR+. The P9 does quite a bit from what I can see.
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Yes it would. Whilst it’s processing or saving I lost a few moments I wanted to capture.
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