Qotd

The iPhone 5s and the HTC One M8 are among the most affordable smartphones on the market with prices as low as $1 with a two-year contract. For shutterbugs on a budget, these two models offer some of the best lens and camera values in a mobile device. Read on to find out how these two smartphones compare in the picture-taking department.

Specifications

The iPhone 5s and the One M8 take vastly different approaches to camera technology. Though both cameras utilize a back-illuminated sensor to help with low-light photos, the iPhone 5s employs a single 8-megapixel iSight camera with a 5-element lens, a 1.5µ pixels sensor and an aperture of f/2.2. The One M8 attempts to improve its photo-taking ability by utilizing not one, but two rear cameras — a 4-megapixel primary lens along with a secondary lens designed to gather depth information. The main camera module in the One M8 sports a 4 megapixel (1520 × 2688) UltraPixel sensor with 2.0µ pixels and an f/2.0 aperture.

Performance

Given the hardware in each camera, it’s not surprising that reviews show that the One M8 performs well at low-light photography but struggles in bright light thanks to its larger 2.0µ pixels sensor and higher f/2.0 aperture. The One M8 also shows excellent white balance, more accurately capturing the whites of a photo than the iPhone 5s, which tends to shoot with a yellowish tinge.

One area that One M8 stands out from the iPhone 5s is depth of field. Because of its dual camera, the One M8 produces photos with a pleasing bokeh effect that highlights the subject of the picture and blurs out the background. The One M8 employs Ufocus, a proprietary technology that allows you to change the focus of a photo and other helpful settings for achieving a shallow depth of field. In comparison, the iPhone lacks this secondary depth lens and is unable to produce photos with a strong bokeh effect.

The iPhone 5s performed strongly in bright light with a sensor and software combination that captures a scene without blowing out the whites. In motion shots, the iPhone 5s edges out the M8, capturing the action with minimal blur and adequate lighting. The iPhone also handles flash photography quite well — most sample photos have adequate and not overblown lighting and capture natural skin tones and hues. Consistency also was the hallmark of the iPhone with the camera performing repeatedly well in most situations.

Summary

If you are looking for excellent depth perception in a camera, you can’t go wrong with the One M8. It is an adequate smartphone camera that is great for capturing photos with a shallow depth of field. The iPhone 5s is the stronger choice for most consumers. It may struggle sometimes with white balance, but it excels at everyday photography, producing pleasing photos in most situations.