I think my camera GAS has resurfaced in disguise.

[bilzmale]

I own a fairly ancient Samsung Galaxy S2 phone. I rarely use it and buy 6 month long expiry prepay airtime. So now I have a used S7 on its way and I'm not sure why.

Is it because it's waterproof? No.
Is it because I can pay for my coffee with it? Heck no.
Is it because I can play games? No way - too old for that.
Is it because it has a 12MP f/1.7 camera that shoots RAW/DNG? Well maybe.

Busted - I've really bought another camera.

Anyone else got an S7 - do you like it? Does it take decent pics?

Tell me I'm not an old fool.

 

[bartjeej]

My s5 mini takes fairly lousy pics, but I believe that Samsungs since then have improved markedly (my 2016 era samsung work phone takes lovely pics).

Personally, my GAS has turned into PAS - print acquisition syndrome. Looking for the best materials to print on, the best printing companies, the best raw developer, etcetera...

 

[rayvonn]

Did you look at the Huawei 7X BND-L21? I've no idea what it's like as a phone, but some of the images I've seen coming out of it look mighty impressive and remind me of the GR's B&W modes.

 

[bilzmale]

I bought the cheapest S7 I could find ($269AUD) - I don't need a new phone . But yes the 2018 range of top phones have very good cameras it seems.

 

[Bobby T]

I had a S7. They do take decent photos. I think that was the first generation of Samsung phones which really put more into the camera. Samsung was trying to get even with the iPhone cameras. One Plus phones have excellent cameras if you can get those in Australia and don't like the S7

 

[gryphon1911]

Not an S7, but I did upgrade my Nexus 6P to a Pixel2XL and part of the reason was the camera. The Pixel2XL camera has made me a believer that camera phones are now actually worth something, sometimes.

 

[JoeLopez]

I own a fairly ancient Samsung Galaxy S2 phone. I rarely use it and buy 6 month long expiry prepay airtime. So now I have a used S7 on its way and I'm not sure why.

Is it because it's waterproof? No.
Is it because I can pay for my coffee with it? Heck no.
Is it because I can play games? No way - too old for that.
Is it because it has a 12MP f/1.7 camera that shoots RAW/DNG? Well maybe.

Busted - I've really bought another camera.

Anyone else got an S7 - do you like it? Does it take decent pics?

Tell me I'm not an old fool.

Great choice. I still use a Galaxy S7
This is last October, SOOC

 

[JoeLopez]

I had a S7. They do take decent photos. I think that was the first generation of Samsung phones which really put more into the camera. Samsung was trying to get even with the iPhone cameras. One Plus phones have excellent cameras if you can get those in Australia and don't like the S7

I'd bet not most anyone cannot tell a photo from a Galaxy S5, 6, 7 or iphone 5, 6, 7 personally.

 

[Bobby T]

No, most people don't know all of the phones/cameras well enough to look at a photo and say, that was shot with a Galaxy s4. But, the cameras in phones have become dramatically better. Especially in the last few models of phones. And one, especially a photographer, can easily tell the difference in the image quality between the cameras in a S2 and S7. Which was the point of the thread.

 

[Lightmancer]

I use a Sony Xperia XZ these days; much as I dislike Sony cameras, I love their portable telephones for general use (and they have been waterproof for years). 24mp, quite basic built in controls, but very malleable jpgs (no raw).

 

[Safari]

I own a fairly ancient Samsung Galaxy S2 phone. I rarely use it and buy 6 month long expiry prepay airtime. So now I have a used S7 on its way and I'm not sure why.

Anyone else got an S7 - do you like it? Does it take decent pics?

Between Self and Wife we went through Samsung Galaxy S4-5-6, each with a better camera than the previous. I also looked quite seriously at the S7 and S8, each better again. Now I have a Huawei P10+ with Leica-branded sensors (PLURAL!) that blends data from 2 lenses, one 20mp sensor and one 12mp, and saves images in either or both JPG and raw formats (Leica has adopted Adobe DNG as its raw format).
As @Bobby Tingle said, yes, the S7 is capable of far better photography than the S2. (And the S8, S9, Huawei P10+, and some others) are better again.
If you've truly reined in your camera GAS, go ahead and enjoy the new phone. You're entitled.