Tag Archives: camera showcase

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 – Review 1 Week Later + Camera Showcase 

After one week with the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, this is my detailed review so far with a few tips and a camera showcase. Also I have embedded a few other photos above and below from the Note 8. 


The above shot was edited on the Note 8 using a Bixby voice assistant. I asked Bixby to apply the vignette filter. 


The bokeh is superb. Live Focus was not used for this shot. Auto all the way. 

LG G6 Review – Quad DAC Korean G600 plus Camera Showcase

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LG G6 review. Welcome to my review of the LG G6. This is Korean G600 version of the LG G6 being reviewed. This review has been compiled by massive input from my wife Ellie and additional input by myself.

The Korean version features double the storage at 64gb versus 32gb for the UK. In addition it has a 32 bit quad DAC which can power headphones up to 600 ohms. If your reading this from the USA, you don’t get 64gb or the quad DAC but you do get wireless charging. Come on LG, one model with an equal feature set please across all markets next time!

Key Specifications

– Body: Aluminum frame, Gorilla Glass 3 front, Gorilla Glass 5 back; chamfered LCD for impact resistance; IP68 certified for water and dust resistance, 148.9 x 71.9 x 7.9 mm
– Display: 5.7″ IPS LCD, 2,880x1440px resolution, 18:9 (2:1) aspect ratio, 565ppi; HDR 10 and Dolby Vision compliant.
– Dual 13 MP rear cameras (f/1.8, OIS, 3-axis, phase detection AF) + 13 MP (f/2.4, no AF), dual-LED flash, check quality, 1/3″ sensor size, 1.12 µm pixel size
– 24-bit/192kHz stereo sound recording mics
– Front camera 5 MP, f/2.2, 1080p video
– Rear camera: 13MP f/1.8 primary camera with 71° field of view, OIS. Additional 13MP f/2.4 wide-angle camera with 125° FOV, no OIS. 1.12µm pixel size on both. 2160p/30fps video recording on both.
– Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821; quad-core CPU (2xKryo@2.35GHz + 2xKryo@1.6GHz), Adreno 530 GPU.
– Memory: 4GB of RAM; 32GB/64GB storage (region dependent); microSD slot for cards up to 2TB (practically up to 256GB).
– Battery: 3,300mAh Li-Po (sealed); QuickCharge 3.0 fast charging; WPC&PMA wireless charging (US version only).
– Misc: Fingerprint reader; ; 2 mics, single speaker on the bottom; 3.5mm jack.QUAD DAC
– LG G6 G600 Bands – GSM 850/900/1800/1900, HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100, LTE : B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B7, B8, B12, B17, B20, B26, B38, B39, B40, B41
– Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot
– Weight 163g
– Fast Charging QC3 – 50% in 30 mins

Phone Basics

The LG G6 features a 18:9 aspect ratio meaning the phone is narrow. By far it is the easier phone to hold and manage with one hand. It is doesn’t feature and curved edges, just a practical flat edge to grip. It is also drop proof too as would have noticed from the specification, something the iPhone 7 Plus or Samsung S8 doesn’t feature. The LG G6 is water and dust resistant too. The HDR+ screen is beautiful with good viewing angles. It comes with average readability in bright sunlight. The best screen for sunlight readability comes from the S8. Battery life will last a day, predominately because the standby drain is non existent. Screen on time is 4.5 hours in my heavy setup. Fortunately, the G6 comes with quick charge 3. I haven’t needed to top it up yet during the day, although I did get close one day.

Cellular coverage is excellent. It pulls LTE when Gavin’s iPhone 7 Plus on the same network is only receiving 3g. Bluetooth is superb. WiFi has been buggy from time to time. After phone has been in standby for sometime, if I went to use WiFi it shows connected, but I have had to toggle WiFi on and off for it to be working properly.

Audio vs Quad DAC Audio

If you are in the UK or USA the standard built in DAC is still excellent and IMO better than that found on the S8 or even the iPhone 7 Plus. The standard G6 also has APT-X HD, a Hi-Res Bluetooth codec providing 24bit audio over bluetooth with a compatible headphone. Fortunately, I have been able to test this APT-X HD and the quality is exceptional. However, even normal APT-X is top notch. My AirPods sound better on the G6 than on any other phone including the iPhone 7 Plus or S8.

Now lets introduce the Quad DAC. Plug in some decent wired headphones or any wired headphone to be honest. Sit back in your favourite chair and be prepared to be blown away. The Quad DAC works with headphones up to 600 ohm. I would personally recommend using no more than 300 ohm to get the optimal balance.

Camera

The LG G6 cameras are excellent. With both rear cameras at 13mp the balance is near perfect. Ellie did a 4 way camera comparison with the iPhone 7 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S8, Huawei P10 Plus and LG G6 – CLICK HERE. The LG G6 often nailed the shot better than all the other phones, although the difference is minimal now. So now its about dual lenses and the features these add to the pot. The G6 camera app is great. Lots of ways to take a photo or video in auto, but then there is a brilliant manual mode for photo and video, both of which are better by far than that found on the Samsung Galaxy S8. Square mode and all the other camera modes work really well and are fun to use. See the camera showcase for examples of each option.

Video Review

Camera Showcase Video

Conclusion

Ellie – Gavin gave me the LG G6 to take some photos and provide some first impressions. I haven’t given it back to him. It is brilliant. I adore the camera, phone and everything about it.

Gavin – Looking at the G6 versus the completion it is by far my favourite phone. The headphone output is tremendous and looking at the photos Ellie has captured makes me very envious that she has the G6 and not myself.

Useful Links

LG G6 on Amazon UK
LG G6 cases on Amazon
Samsung S8 and S8+ on Amazon UK
Samsung S8 and S8+ cases on Amazon
LG G6 G600 Quad DAC 64gb from Wondamobile

Apple iPhone 7 Plus – Camera Showcase

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Apple iPhone 7 Plus camera showcase. This week I released a video showcasing the Huawei Mate 9 camera and I was asked by several people if I could create a similar video for the iPhone 7 Plus. So I did.

The video includes a range of photos, shot using various different modes, and a selection of photos shot in raw using ProCam 4 app. Other apps used for long exposures included Nightcap Pro. Details of the modes, if raw used and apps are noted on the photos too.