yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Allesa:
I currently have Nexus 6p, and pre-ordered s7e. Sure I haven't played with s7e. Hardware-wise i think the s7e/s7 will be EASIER to use to capture some lowlight scenes.

This is all only my observations based on technical specs of respective phone cameras and my current experience with N6P and s7/edge samples seen around the web and xda.

TL;DR

Nexus 6p

+daylight/good light shots

+landscape photos (day/night)

+photos of still objects @ night

s7e

+ portraits (day/night)

+ shooting moving objects @ night

+ shooting on moving cars/platforms @ night

+ macro+bokeh

+ underwater

Explanation:

Nexus 6p automatically uses the hdr+ (stock google camera) to capture low-light scenes. It combines at least two images, layer them together, process, thus the "shutter lag" / loading circle when you press the shutter and the processing bar when u try to review your shot. It results in very good low-light shots. However, the problem is when you shoot moving objects or you yourself are in a moving vehicle/platform. The combining of those multiple moving images obviously will create ghosting effect.

If you turn off hdr+, the 6p is not capable of taking good low light shots using stock google camera. It "only has f2.0 lens" which is only good at medium-good light to good light situations. Though the 1.5 uhm pixel surely helps. AFAIK, the 6p + stock google cam generally opts for faster shutter speed to counter shakes as it doesnt have OIS. f2.0 lens+faster shutter = dark images

The s7/edge on the otherhand sports a wider-aperture lens (f1.7) which seems to allow the camera to opt for lower ISO, while keeping the shutter speed high (>1/20). This is why i said EASIER. Not necessarily BETTER.

I presume, taking photos of kids running around indoor on a medium-low light scene would be easier on the s7. The same goes for taking low-light pictures from moving cars. Faster shutter-speed = better at freezing moving subjects.

However, i'm pretty sure Nexus 6p might win in good light (hdr off). 6p's F2.0 gets you more objects in focus than s7/edge's F1.7

I think both are great phones with great cameras. Each has its strengths and weaknesses.

The perfect camera phone for me would be if it has 2 lenses, one sporting a f1.6-1.8 lens+ois+narrowFOV and one sporting f2.2-2.4+widerFOV.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] xxaarraa:
When did they let all the Nexus fanbois out of the asylum?
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] samomamo:
Top Galaxy s7 edge

Bottom Nexus 6p

To me when i look at the pics the nexus 6p look real all the buttons and the colors on it are the same as i see when i look with my eyes, the S7 edge over processing makes the picture look all fake. The numbers are not that white and the red green blue yellow are fake . Thats what i see.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Beefheart:
I think if someone has a major issue with the differences between these photos then they're perhaps being a little too analytical. To me they both look good. As touched on above though, I bet the S7 photo was far easier to take looking at the available light, and that to me is as if not more important as how pinpoint accurate the colours are prior to it's first software update.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] samomamo:
You are right. Good for you well wait for that update. If we take pics we want them to be natural normal colors not just bright and over processed. I have both and can keep both amd have no problem. But people spend money on the phones and of we are comparing so in one word Galaxy s7 edge does not take better photos then the Nexus 6p and the price difference is alot Nexus 6p 32gb $550 with tax and the Galaxy s7 edge 32gb $850 with tax. Its not $300 better then the 6p.

---------- Post added at 06:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:55 AM ----------

This is crazy every time someone says anything bad about the phone thats it hes a troll. Go ahead get what you want and use what you want. Whatever I wrote against the Galaxy s7 edge its my opinion. Everyone should buy and try
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Allesa:
It's apparent that current firmware sometimes gets the colors/white balance wrong. There is this one pic in s7 normal thread (or is it this thread?) of a guy's leg standing on a grey carpet, with his feet looking so yellowish like a Simpsons character.

But this kind of flaws can usually be fixed with firmware updates (experiences with m9, zf2, z1c).
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Beefheart:
If it bothers you that much then use the pro mode and make adjustments as necessary, or save in RAW. As I've been using SLR and DSLR cameras for years that's what I'll be doing anyway unless I'm in a rush to take an impromptu snap.

Also, the way you talk about the photo taken by the S7 you would think it looks ridiculous in comparison to the 6P. It doesn't, it's simply a little more vibrant.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
I agree, I'm not seeing the phone as being $300 better (well more like $200 because I have the 128gb model) than my 6P. The phone is nice, but it has stuttered while doing some simple tasks. I think it's just an early software bug since the phone isn't officially out yet. I wonder if Samsung will push out an update on the real release date.

You can't save pictures in RAW despite it showing the option. The RAW format is grayed out, and I don't know why, maybe it will be enabled in a later update? The manual mode can take better pictures, but it's all subjective. I'm more disappointing with the way it washes out colors despite taking brighter pictures due to its f1.7 sensor.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Allesa:
Whoa we cant save RAW?

In my country sadly 64gb N6p is a bit more expensive than 32gb s7e as it's not officially released here :( we have to get it from local online marketplaces similar to ebay.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Canard caché:
lightroom app is free and really good
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
Nope not yet it seems.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Canard caché:
i said => for RAW => lightroom app
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] samomamo:
Top Gs 7 Edge

Bottom Nexus 6p
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] contentryder:
S7 is the low light performer here...
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] xxaarraa:
Lightroom is subscription based unless they changed it recently. I used lightroom last year and loved it, but it was only a 30 day trial after which it asks you to get a subscription. If you are saying we can sign-up for a new trial every 30 days, I suppose so, but its inconvenient.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Canard caché:
nope now, it's totaly free
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
It might gain exposure at the price of quality. The 6P still looks better. I know the IMX 260 is the S7E can do better than the IMX 377 in the 6P once the software cathces up on Samsung's end
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Canard caché:
6p is a lot better in term of details... incredible.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Beefheart:
Ah, the guy who's desperately trying to convince himself he shouldnt upgrade is back I see.

Owns an S6, spends the last 3 days posting in the S7 forum.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Canard caché:
hum the pics speak for theirself... no?
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
They do, as you will further see when I post pictures I took this morning and during the day. The ones I took while walking around campus did not use a tripod, but I tried to keep them consistent. The 6P has no OIS so it should suffer not the S7E.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Beefheart:
Sounds like you need to return your S7, as you're clearly not happy. The pictures look fine to me.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] jpeg42:
Wow, user posts an honest review with great information.... and your response is to return it? OP is totally correct. Something is up with the software most likely.

Edit: Also, this initial review seems to agree as well:

http://xdaforums.com/galaxy-s7/how-to/quick-review-galaxy-s7-vs-nexus-6p-t3326281
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Canard caché:
you're content with very little.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
I'm not returning a phone because the camera failed to deliver because I have my 6P for that; its still a good phone so far. I gave a honest review that I will add more to tonight. If you don't like it then I can't help you. I don't write these to be bias and bash a phone or comapny, I do it to help out and give a honest perspective.

I agree with what they said above. The 6P is the low light King, but the S7 focuses very fast, and is capable otheriwse.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Beefheart:
The idea of a camera phone is to have a camera in an impromptu situation when photo opportunities arise. It allows you to take those photos with a device you would have on you anyway. Are you going to walk around with two 5.5"+ mobile phones with you at all time? One for use as a mobile phone and one for use as a camera? Seems a little strange to me. I have two phones myself, one for work and my personal phone. My work phone is an old Nokia. Personally, I wouldn't walk around with two full sized smart phones just so I have a camera that makes the grade.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] xxaarraa:
beef don't feed the trolls man. Those two are here to bash the S7 and establish the 6P as the best no matter the facts. Let them be.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Beefheart:
I don't believe Pilz is a troll at all. The Canard kid though is another matter.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] samomamo:
Top GS7 Edge

Bottom Nexus 6p
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] samomamo:
Gs7 Edge

Nexus 6p
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] jpeg42:
I am scared to say anything. I will get called a troll "no matter the facts".
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
I have the S7E as a backup phone, or for when I go hiking/when the weather is bad. I will always use my 6P as my DD. I would like the S7E to take better pictures because I want to ensure I have the ability if I want to use it. I've been carrying them all day and it hasn't bothered me.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
OP Updated with more pictures, and some comments.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Derpling:
hmm i think 6P is a clean winner, idk what's up with S7 camera but it has nothing impressive going on for it unlike S6 camera.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Cryosx:
Some people just don't like bad news... and that's just sad. Can't fix problems if you don't admit to them. Looking at the new pics I say the maybe half go the 6P and half to the Edge. Zoomed in though it looks like the 6P is sharper.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] cc999:
Looks to me like the 6P pictures are much more natural, the post processing on the S7

is overdone.

Another thing I don't like is the Samsung and carrier bloat that cannot be removed.

That stinks. 6P with no bloat makes a huge difference.

CC
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
The lighting is a lot more natural in the 6P pictures. The S7E does gain exposure in some areas, but again it washes them out in the lost processing. The S7E is weaker in low light scenarios, but it does well during the day. The picture of the building (with the big connecting walkway) has the left side overexposed on the S7E picture. That was taken early in the morning when it was cold so I would expect the S7E to do better if my hands were shaking a little due to the OIS. The 6P still produced a more natural picture with an accurate blue sky. The same can be said for the flower picture where the S7E loses the true colors to gain light. If you look at the picture of the grass it appears washed out too; I don't know why Samsung would kill images via post processing and not allow RAW pictures. I'm not sure why the RAW option is there if it can't be enabled just yet. I'm waiting to use to the S7E more until my screen protector arrives because I noticed a tiny scratch on it already despite not getting any dirt on the screen, or putting it in my pocket at all.

On another note the Android system is a big battery drain which is making the S7E get worse battery life than my 6P despite its larger battery and more efficient processor. I disabled every app I could that was bloat and had it set up the same way as my 6P. I can only hope Samsung will push out a launch day update to all devices to address these issues.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Canard caché:
For raw => lightroom app is free and super
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Beefheart:
You haven't really had the phone long enough to be making proper battery judgements. It will take at least 5-6 cycles to bed in. I'd wait a week then see how it is.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
I've had it for 2.5 days so that was my unital impression. The same seemed to be true based on using it this morning.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] EQ2000:
On the first set the 6p is much better and doesn't resort to altering the shadow attenuation with post-proccessing. It just gives a look like faked high ISO which just seldom does look good. Now previous Samsung phones also do this but seems more on the S7. Problem is contrast and brightness gets out of balance when they try to extract the details in the shadows/dark areas that are barely visible while 6p mostly avoids this. Just launch Snapseed and alter "shadows" to a + value and you get basically same looks and results because aslong as the blacks arent clipping you can always extract detail but at a hefty IQ cost for whole image.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] microspock:
Another app to try : snap camera http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2055140 , i use it with my galaxy S5. With this app, you can totally disable (or adjust it) the denoise processing.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] xxaarraa:
OK, got the S7E all set up last night and been testing the camera against my S6E. I am happy to report that the S7 photos generally seem sharper. I value sharpness and low noise above all in my photos (over color reproduction for instance) so that is good news for me.

The 4:3 aspect ratio though... that's going to take some getting used to. I miss the wide angle 16:9 of the S6E. I do understand that upon cropping, 4:3 makes for slightly better photos, and I do a lot of creative cropping anyway. But its something to get used to, I think.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
To make things clear, any phone should take the best pictures with the stock camera app. That's where OEM's really get a chance to make their camera shine, and add in all of the 'useful' things they like. If you need to use a 3rd party app to take better pictures, then you're essentially saying there's an issue with the camera. I don't have a problem with how the S7E takes pictures, I was expecting more from it than I should have. The 6P set a high bar which isn't easy to reach, so the S7E is still by all means good just not as good as the 6P 90% of the time. Video is another story, but this OP is about photos.

I agree, however, I'm used to the 4:3 ratio because that's what my 6P shoots. The noise is substantially greater in the S7E's photos especially at night compared to the 6P. Agian I'm not inserting my bias, but I am using the 6P as a baseline for this write up since it's my other phone. Take a look at the night photos or low light ones to get a feel of how much more noise the S7E generates.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] xxaarraa:
I'm not seeing it. I just looked through all your photos on Page 1 and I don't think the S7 photos are any noisier. If anything, the 6P photos all tend to look underexposed / dark, which doesn't make for very good photos. Look, I am not bashing the 6P, (I loved my old Nexus 5) but all the photos I have seen from it and knowing it doesn't even have OIS makes me ask why that's even a serious contender.

In the hands of a talented photographer who takes his time, any darn phone will produce beautiful pictures. The more pertinent question is one of averages - if the average person takes 100 photos casually during the course of their day without doing anything different, on average, how many of those will turn out to be very-well developed compositions? If that's the test, in my eyes, the best camera phone prior to S7 is the S6 (or maybe the Note 5 with the same hardware), and that's what I am and will be comparing the S7 against in the days to come. OIS, fast focus and double-click to launch camera alone are worth their weight in gold, regardless of end photo quality. Not to mention the S7's ability to take some very creative underwater compositions. Surprised the photographers here aren't talking about that enough.

I sell my photos on eyeem and consider myself a fairly capable mobile photographer. So its not me talking out of my ass, although you are free to say that!
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
I will gladly type up a nice response touching on all of these points after my exam tomorrow. I'm going to be fairly busy until then, but have a look at the images in my drive folder. They aren't compressed like you see them on XDA.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] rodnii:
Does turning on 'Video Stabilization' in the camera settings switch it from OIS to software stabilization like it did on the S6?
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] vahdyx:
Nice comparison and I kind of expected it to be this way. What I'm interested in is how fast 6.1 makes me want a Nexus again lol.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
I think so, I'm still trying to figure out why I can't save pictures in RAW. Has anyone gotten RAW to work?
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Allesa:
i'm goin out on a limb here as i havent got the phone currently, but have u tried:

1. using pro mode

2. changing storage location to internal

3. clear camera data/cache
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
Yes I've tried all of the above and RAW is full grayed out
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Canard caché:
NO raw in the original app... like the s6.

GO with lightroom
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] AvivEliyahu:
I wanted to know , if since the s7 catches more light at night it takes longer time to acutally capture the picture or its fast / same speed as taking picture at night?
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] NaimC:
Some crops of the images in the OP. It's clear to me that the S7 shots compared to the 6P are not only considerably brighter, but retain more overall detail, dynamic range and have less noise.

Open images in a new tab and click to view them 1:1 pixel mapped. They have not been resized in any way, only cropped from the original shots.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Allesa:
[MENTION=5581268]Pilz[/MENTION] Bro, when you took the playground and miniature android photos with nexus 6p, were u using stock google camera? If u were, was the HDR+ on(auto) or off?
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
Both phones were on auto, but defaulted to HDR+ due to the lack of lighting. I had the flash off becusse I never use it, I also took one with each phone without HDR+ and it looks much worse
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Allesa:
So let me get this straight. s7 edge on auto used it's hdr feature in low-light just like nexus 6p?

I really thought with f1,7 lens, ois, s7e does not need to resort to hdr to capture lowlight photos.

Nexus 6p however, with f2.0, no ois, really needs its software-based hdr+ which essentially combines two/more images to brighten up scenes, reduce noise, etc. You can see the processing loading wheel when reviewing a photo right after you take it. The downside is it creates ghosting when shooting dynamic subjects (moving).

Can you post a low light image using s7e forcing hdr off? Preferably of the miniature androids... I'm really curious thanks!
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
I'm aware of how HDR+ works and yes it defaulted to HDR in that situation. I'll double check for the HDR in the properties but Samsung doesn't label it like Google does and the differences were only major outside not as much with the androids. I can also take another one tonight
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] lostsoul1:
can we turn hdr off, rotate it 180 deg, put the lens plastic back on and then lets see how it does against the 6p... sheesh the nit picking is amazing in here...

I'll make it simple.. s7 has the best "over all" camera on any phone for now. Does that mean every picture will be better then other phones?? no, but most will be and that number gets higher on low light shots. I'm not thrilled about the 12 4:3, but it is what it is.

(i hate that saying)
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
I can agree with that for the most part. I'm going to add a few more pictures here shortly, and possibly take some additional ones as well (just the S7E as per request). I'm conduction a charging test with Choetechs 10W qi charger, so once it hits 100% I will take some more pictures.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Cst79:
The Nexus 6P has a larger sensor (1/2.3") compared to S7 (1.2.5") and larger pixels (1.55um vs 1.4um which means the pixel area is 20% bigger). On the other hand, F1.7 versus F2.0 more than compensates this in situations where these large apertures are used (low light).

Then comes the OIS. The OIS is mandatory for non-tripod low-light pictures. You can't get a good low-light picture without OIS, since for a sharp picture you need at least like 1/50 (even 1/80) shutter speed while with OIS you can get away with as large as 1/10s shutter speed. A 3-stop OIS system means that you can take a picture at 1/20 with the same sharpness as 1/80 without OIS. If you try to take a handheld picture with the 6P at 1/10 shutter speed you will obtain a blurry mess.

Comparing night pictures taken with a tripod is mostly useless. Yes, in this case the Nexus 6P would probably win in noise levels, but how many times do you go out at night and take pictures with a tripod ? And if you do get a tripod, you can increase the exposure time and decrease the ISO such that the noise becomes a non-issue.

So basically you can't even compare the S7 with the 6P for real-world situations.
[Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge Guides, News, & Discussion] Pilz:
Well I have a nice compact Manfrotto tripod so it's really not hard to carry at all. I've taken many pictures at night without a tripod that came out really well. I can link you to a Google photos album of them if you would like. On another note I am uploading a set of photos from this morning because it was very dreary out. Neither phone really excelled in this siutaion which was interesting to see.