Samsung has always stood out for its cameras! They pack one of the best smartphone cameras in the market every time they launch a flagship-level smartphone. The cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S10 are no exception. They definitely are one of the best smartphone cameras available in the market right now. But how good are they? Well, let’s find the answer to that question in this camera review.
Samsung Galaxy S10 Camera Review
The Samsung Galaxy S10 packs a triple camera set up! It is made by an f/1.5-2.4 12MP wide, an f/2.4 12MP telephoto, and an f/2.2 16MP ultra-wide lens. These three cameras work in conjunction to provide some mind-boggling images. Among the three, the two 12MP sensors pack Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) hardware. This inclusion comes in handy if you are someone like me who has rather shaky hands. They are also a great help for night time photography.
In good lighting conditions, the S10 delivers an excellent image quality. It produces some eye-catching images with good target exposure and punchy contrast. It also a wide dynamic range with vivid color enhancement. The images usually come out a bit punchy which is just the way I like it.
The Autofocus system on the S10 also works wonderfully with great accuracy. The phone uses a Dual Pixel Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF). This helps the phone get a bull’s eye focus even in less than ideal lighting situations. The phone also has zero shutter lag and buffer, to help the images stay sharp when you click it. And adding to these is the S10’s advanced OIS and EIS technology.
The Galaxy S10 has both telephoto and an ultra-wide-angle lens. These two sensors help take images as per the situation at hand. When taking large group photos or a snap of some scenery, I made use of the ultra-wide lens. A great way to fit everything in a frame! On the other hand, the telephoto lens came in handy when I wanted to get a little close to a subject I was shooting. Although 2X is not that much of a zoom, it did come in handy at times. I do wish Samsung had added a better telephoto camera with at least 5x zooming capability.
Nonetheless, the telephoto camera on the S10 does help take some bokeh rich portrait shots. The Live Focus mode helps take some amazing portraiture with accurate cut-outs separating the foreground and background. I also love the black and white filter which turns the background into black and white while keeping the subject in color. The S10 also comes with a bunch of modes like the Night mode, Pro mode, Food, and a direct Instagram mode. There are also a bunch of filters that help to further enhance the photos.
The low light performance of the camera also has improved compared to the Note9. The images have more details in them with a decrease in the graininess. Although, the camera still struggles with properly exposing night time shots. A manual reduction of exposure is needed to get the best low-light image. Samsung definitely needs to work on improving this!
Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S10: Long Term Review
The phone also comes with a 10MP selfie shooter with an aperture of f/1.9. Initially, I was disappointed at the decreased aperture of f/1.9 compared to the f/1.7 on the Note 9. But the S10’s selfie camera took much or less the same quality of selfies as the S10. The low-light performance, surprisingly, is a bit better. Not the best but it gets the job done!
One weird thing with the selfie camera on the S10 is the zoom. Although the S10 doesn’t have a dual-camera it has a zoom and wide mode. I like the fact that Samsung is giving the option to take a close up shot. But the issue for me is the fact that it defaults to the zoomed-out mode. In the stock app, it is somewhat manageable as you can easily switch between the mode. But for third-party apps like Snapchat and Instagram, the option is unavailable. So you end up with selfies too close to your face. Come on Samsung just give us an updated to use the wide selfie camera by default. It will be more useful!
Verdict: Galaxy S10 Camera Review
The Samsung Galaxy S10 has one of the best cameras on the market right now. It performs extremely well even under less than optimal lighting situations. The software behind the shooters is also great with a slew of modes to boast.
That said, Samsung still has a lot to improve upon in the camera department. First and foremost, the exposure and color profile of the camera needs a bit of tuning. And what’s up with the zooming situation of the front camera? I wish Samsung just gave us the wide mode instead of the zoom option the phone provides. And on that topic, a 5X zoom lens would have been appreciated in the rear camera instead of the limited 2x snapper.
With all that being said, the S10 still packs a pretty good set of cameras. It will suffice the needs of the average consumer who expects their photos to be social media ready every time they hold down the shutter button.
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