Shooting with the Samsung Galaxy S5's 16-megapixel camera (pictures)
We took the Galaxy S5's updated app and camera optics for a spin from the MWC show floor.
Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica is a passionate content strategist and team leader across the CNET family of brands. She leads a number of teams, including commerce, performance optimization and the copy desk. Her CNET career began in 2006, testing desktop and mobile software for Download.com and CNET, including the first iPhone and Android apps and operating systems. She continued to review, report on and write a wide range of commentary and analysis on all things phones, with an emphasis on the iPhone and Samsung devices. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds.
Jessica began her leadership role managing CNET's How To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones to home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick in the UK.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 packs a 16-megapixel camera and some cool new software features within its native camera app. At Mobile World Congress, I spent a long time getting to know them both. And yes, I took this photo of the copper GS5 with another GS5.
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Galaxy Gear 2 and Gear Fit
All photos were taken in the GS5's automatic mode around Samsung's media lounge. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take the Galaxy S5 outside.
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The glamorous life of a mobile editor
This pretty much captures it perfectly.
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More gadgets!
The Samsung Gear Fit wristband and copper Galaxy S4 made the liveliest test subjects in a sterile conference room characterized by the warm yellow glow of artificial conference lighting.
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Care for a beverage?
I especially liked the detail that the phone teased out of the water glass.
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Cup of tea
Yet another press staple.
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The cropping advantage
A higher megapixel sensor means that close crops like this one here still look good (the original shot was at least twice as wide.)
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Front-facing goobers
CNET mobile editor Brian Bennett helps me ham it up for this shot on the Galaxy S5's 2-megapixel front-facing camera. The phone automatically applies the Beauty Face mode that airbrushes skin and often makes faces look better up close.
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Selective Focus
This mode lets you choose to focus on the foreground, background, or focus evenly across the image. Here, I've focused on the cup of tea in Samsung PR representative Jessica Baker's hand. It takes longer to process the shot when you use this mode.
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Keep editing
It's nice that you can continue to edit the focus after you've taken the photo.
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Revamped camera settings menu
Click the settings to see icons that lay out the camera options. You can drag and drop individual icons onto the shortcut bar.
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Camera modes
Samsung consolidates some of its camera modes into Shot & More, and adds Virtual Tour for a 360-degree view.
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Using Shot & More
When you take a photo with Shot & More, the applicable mode options light up.
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Panning mode
The purpose of this action mode is to make the dramatic subject really stand out from a blurred background.
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Control the blur
After taking the shot, you use editing tools to manipulate the blur effect.
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Move to Knox
Samsung's Knox is a private profile; a setting in the drop-down menu lets you easily lock it up.
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Cleaned-up look
Samsung's subtle changes in the look and feel of its TouchWiz interface permeate the camera layer, where icons get a refresh.
