We've previously tested the iPhone 5 and the Nokia Lumia 920 where both fared well, but the iPhone still came out on top - in our opinion. At the time the Lumia 920 was on the cusp of having some software issues updated, so it's with much anticipation that we're are back to do some more tests with the Nokia Lumia 925 vs HTC One vs Apple iPhone 5.
Specs of the contenders are...
| Nokia Lumia 925 | HTC One | Apple iPhone 5 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maximum resolution | 8.7 megapixels | 4 megapixels | 8 megapixels |
| Maximum aperture | f/2.0 | f/2.0 | f/2.4 |
| Maximum ISO | 3200 | 1600 | 3200 |
And the rules of engagement...
No extra sharpening, no HDR mode, no zooming (duh), no colour correcting, no 3rd party apps used (just the built-in camera app), no tripods (hand-held only), no exposure overrides on the phones (they choose whatever ISO/aperture/shutter speed combination they think is best).
Note: You can click on each image below to view the full size original.
Example 1: Bright scene in full sun
It's worth noting in each of these results how large each photo is in file size - as this indicates not only the number of megapixels (more equals larger file size) but also the amount of compression used in each phone when it saves a jpg file. It looks like Apple are using less compression, making for slightly larger files. HTC and Nokia are compressing their files 'harder' which makes for smaller files (and the ability to have more photos on your phone per MB of available space) but also more jpg/compression artefacts in the files.
File sizes of originals:
Lumia 925: 3.1MB , HTC One: 3.1MB, iPhone 5 - 3.7MB
Immediately I like the wider lenses on the HTC One and Lumia 925 as opposed to the iPhone. Big zooms are too often touted as a feature - I'd much prefer a wider angle lens if given the choice. The downside in a wider lens is potential for images to be not quite as sharp towards the edge of the frame.
The Nokia Lumia 925 shot (below) felt a little too yellow. The exposure felt spot on to cater for the bright highlights, but left the dark shadow areas with not much detail. Sharpness drops away towards the edge of the frame though - which isn't surprising given that very wide angle lens.
The colour from the HTC One is pretty good, perhaps a little yellow. There is good detail in the shadow areas but the highlights are a bit blown out. On closer inspection the number of megapixels available limited it against the competition though. HTC apply quite a high level of sharpening to the image which looks ok when scaled down, but is quite visible, and a little harsh, in the full size version. It did feel quite sharp towards the edge of the frame though which is impressive given how wide it is.
The iPhone shot retained very good detail in the brightest highlight areas, perhaps with a very slight magenta/purple cast. Sharpness was quite good/even across the whole scene. The lower level of compression is visible in the full size version.
Winner: iPhone 5, with the Lumia 925 a very close second.
Test 2: Tricky lighting - into the sun
For each of these shots I tapped to focus/expose in the middle of the frame - on the rocks. Tapping on the sun may have produced a more striking sunset type of shot, but for this purpose I wanted to see how well each sensor coped with a very wide latitude with extreme highlights
The Lumia 925 came up with the best exposure I think. There's no lens flare, and the highlights, while blown out to white, are limited to a small area.
The HTC One shot has highlights that are a bit too blown out.
The iPhone 5 produced some noticeable lens flare and the notorious purple fringing in the blown out highlight areas.
Winner: Lumia 925
Test 3: Shadow detail
For these shots I tapped on the pool railing that is furthest away - on the other side of the pool.
The Lumia 925 retained impressive detail in the shadow areas, while the areas in full sun don't appear blown out. Colour balance feel about right and the sharpness towards the edge of the frame is good.
The HTC One chose a good exposure but the high level of sharpening is visible in the shadow areas when viewed full size.
The iPhone 5 chose to expose for the bright sun, forgetting about the shadow areas. The result is too dark, and quite a lot of detail is lost in the shadows.
Winner: Lumia 925
Test 4: Close-Up Detail
The Lumia exposure is spot on. Detail is good, although the fixed f2.0 aperture makes for a very shallow depth of field. Sometimes this is great thing, other times not so much (if you want more detail to be sharp).
The HTC One shot had a magenta/purple cast but otherwise ok. The high level of sharpening kind of worked in its favour here with the sandstone appearing very highly detailed - but when viewed full size it's still a little harsh and unnatural.
The iPhone 5 had a spot on exposure and colour. It was sharp, and retained sharpness across more areas with the slight advantage in this case of the f2.4 aperture.
Winner: iPhone 5
Test 5: Sharpness across the frame
The Lumia 925 appears a little uneven in sharpness across the frame. In the full size version you can see areas of blur creeping in, towards the edge of the frame. Curiously not evenly though, it seems to go a bit blurry towards the edge and then snap back to some sharpness in some areas right at the edge of the frame.
The HTC One was super sharp edge to edge here. The detail played into the hands of the aggressive sharpening applied by the software. It's just lacking in megapixels again when compared alongside the others. I'd love to try a 8+ megapixel HTC camera next.
The iPhone 5 had very even sharpness across the frame and the low level of compression applied made the detail retain high sharpness but still look very natural.
Winner: iPhone 5
Test 6: Low Light
This scene was almost dark. Those hanging lights are very low light LED globes.
The Lumia 925 did an impressive job or lowering the noise in the shot, but probably overexposed the scene slightly, allowing the lights to get a little blown out.
The HTC One produced the most pleasing exposure, and the software smarts removing noise were at their best here.
The iPhone 5 was terrible. Unusable due to the amount of noise. I was surprised at how much better the other 2 were.
Winner: HTC One
The Verdict
The tests are not laboratory conclusive. We'd wager you could run tests from other challenging scenes and the winners may well be different - depending on how each phone handled the exposure, but on balance we'd still call the iPhone 5 the winner, although it's getting left behind when it comes to low light shots.
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