Initial Impressions of the Galaxy S5?

[cereal killer]

For those of you who have had your S5 delivered today I'd love to hear your initial impressions. What you expected? Exceeded your expectations? Just another Android handset? Great screen? Liking the UI? etc.

All opinions and observations welcomed!

 

[bsweetness]

My initial impressions of the phone were fantastic. Good size, an amazing screen, very responsive, IP67 rating, fantastic battery life, and a toned down Touch Whiz. I was extremely excited...but then I started really testing the camera.

First let me say that the camera is really good. Honestly, I think it's the best all-around shooter currently available on an Android phone. That said, I was hoping the new ISOCELL camera would bring the quality closer to what we see in the Lumia PureView cameras and to the camera on the iPhone 5S. But sadly, it doesn't. I spent a lot of time taking the exact same shots with the S5, the Note 3, and the iPhone 5S. Outdoors during the day, the S5 reigned supreme, with both the Note 3 and 5S close behind. Outdoors at night, the 5S was the clear winner with the S5 and the Note 3 providing similar results (with the S5 coming out slightly ahead between the two). Indoors, the 5S came out on top again in every lighting situation, both without a flash and with a flash. The S5 was slightly better than the Note 3 indoors, but really not by much. And all too often, both outdoors and indoors, things in the pictures from the S5, like the S4 and the Note 3, would like an oil painting (especially people and animals). Too much post-processing going on, especially with stabilization mode on for shots with lower amounts of light.

The camera is a huge part of a phone for me (both because it has to be for work, and I use it quite a bit personally). The S5 has officially been approved as a device we can use for work, so I was hoping to replace both my Note 3 and my 5S with it and only have to carry one device for personal and business use. But so far, the camera on the S5 makes that impossible. So, at this point I'm leaning towards returning the S5 and hanging on to my Note 3. If you don't need a top notch camera, particularly for low light situations, this is an amazing device that I completely recommend. And honestly, most people probably aren't going to be as discerning as I am about the camera, so there shouldn't be any issues.

 

[Secondlaw]

My initial impressions of the phone were fantastic. Good size, an amazing screen, very responsive, IP67 rating, fantastic battery life, and a toned down Touch Whiz. I was extremely excited...but then I started really testing the camera.

First let me say that the camera is really good. Honestly, I think it's the best all-around shooter currently available on an Android phone. That said, I was hoping the new ISOCELL camera would bring the quality closer to what we see in the Lumia PureView cameras and to the camera on the iPhone 5S. But sadly, it doesn't. I spent a lot of time taking the exact same shots with the S5, the Note 3, and the iPhone 5S. Outdoors during the day, the S5 reigned supreme, with both the Note 3 and 5S close behind. Outdoors at night, the 5S was the clear winner with the S5 and the Note 3 providing similar results (with the S5 coming out slightly ahead between the two). Indoors, the 5S came out on top again in every lighting situation, both without a flash and with a flash. The S5 was slightly better than the Note 3 indoors, but really not by much. And all too often, both outdoors and indoors, things in the pictures from the S5, like the S4 and the Note 3, would like an oil painting (especially people and animals). Too much post-processing going on, especially with stabilization mode on for shots with lower amounts of light.

The camera is a huge part of a phone for me (both because it has to be for work, and I use it quite a bit personally). The S5 has officially been approved as a device we can use for work, so I was hoping to replace both my Note 3 and my 5S with it and only have to carry one device for personal and business use. But so far, the camera on the S5 makes that impossible. So, at this point I'm leaning towards returning the S5 and hanging on to my Note 3. If you don't need a top notch camera, particularly for low light situations, this is an amazing device that I completely recommend. And honestly, most people probably aren't going to be as discerning as I am about the camera, so there shouldn't be any issues.

Gotta be honest with you... I found the camera to be very good in low light. If you use the HDR feature on the S5, it makes an incredible difference.

Here are a few shots:

View attachment 70308

These are scaled down considerably. Zoom into the cash to see the detail. The coke bottle was taken approximately 2feet away. The image is the same exact picture enlarged.

I can't see how anyone can complain. Of course i can take my D800 with one of my Macro lenses and put this to shame but this is a $125.00 (2 for 1 deal. ) camera with a phone built into it among other things.

Also, there are 4 pictures there. These were all 4mb each. I shrunk the file down to 450k or so. I don't count the last photo as another picture because it's the copied from the picture directly to its left.

 

[bsweetness]

Gotta be honest with you... I found the camera to be very good in low light. If you use the HDR feature on the S5, it makes an incredible difference.

Here are a few shots:

View attachment 70308

These are scaled down considerably. Zoom into the cash to see the detail. The coke bottle was taken approximately 2feet away. The image is the same exact picture enlarged.

I can't see how anyone can complain. Of course i can take my D800 with one of my Macro lenses and put this to shame but this is a $125.00 (2 for 1 deal. ) camera with a phone built into it among other things.

Also, there are 4 pictures there. These were all 4mb each. I shrunk the file down to 450k or so. I don't count the last photo as another picture because it's the copied from the picture directly to its left.

I used all of the settings in varying combinations on the S5. I'm very familiar with them and how they work. The HDR and stability mode certainly help in low light, but they don't produce the results I was hoping for.

Like I said, it's the best all-around Android camera right now, and most people are going to be more than pleased. But for me, when it's compared to the capabilities of the Nokia PureView cameras and the iPhone 5S, it's lacking. Now, it would be one thing if it was head and shoulders above the camera on the Note 3, but it's just not. I was hoping for a bigger step forward from what Samsung had last year. Since it's not that big of a step forward, I can wait for something that is.