[personZ]

What a dismissive bunch of prattle. Meh.

This is about algorithms to achieve better results with a given sensor. The Nexus 5, like the various Nexii that came before, has a poor image sensor -- it's a $300 smartphone, and LG wasn't going to put the best in it. HDR+ gives rather decent results in a wide range of settings despite that, and mine has managed a large number of fantastic shots.

The Nexus 6, being twice the price, apparently has a fantastic sensor, and with that dramatically better base results, made even better with HDR+. Awesome. That's good.

[adrusi]

I'm hoping the 6's optical image stabilization will help make HDR+ even better.

[thrownaway2424]

The 5 already has OIS. Is the 6 supposed to be better?

[adrusi]

My mistake, I forgot that the 5 had OIS. That was actually the feature that compelled me to accept the camera downgrade when I bought mine. Regardless, the 6 has a much better camera than the 5, so I imagine that its OIS will be at least somewhat improved.

[thrownaway2424]

The Nexus 5 has a really excellent Sony camera module with 1.4 micron pixels. It's comparable to bordering on identical to the sensor in the iPhone 5s, which produces far better images.

[personZ]

They are entirely different sensors, and share nothing at all in common. To start, the Nexus 5 has a 1/3.2" sensor, while the 5s has a 1/3.0" sensor (making evident from the start that in no universe are they "bordering on identical"). The iPhone has a f2.2 lens assembly. The Nexus has a f2.5 lens assembly. Empirically in both of those cases the iPhone has the superior option, not even getting into the specifics of tiering and segmentation.

The Nexus 5 has a camera sensor equivalent with the iPhone 5, on paper, but is handily and easily beaten by the 5s, and it shows.

[dingaling]

> They are entirely different sensors, and share nothing at all in common.

I wouldn't say that. The 5s uses the IMX145 and the Nexus 5 uses the IMX179. Both are Sony CMOS arrays.

The 1/3.0 size of the 5s array does enable larger individual photon 'buckets' for better light sensitivity but they're both closely related in terms of contemporary Sony technology.

The faster 5s lens is a key differentiator, I agree. But it is rather outclassed by the the Galaxy S5 and the Xperia Z2 / Z3. No serious Android-using photographer looks much beyond those for a smartphone.

[thrownaway2424]

You're right, I meant the 5, not the 5s. No reason to get so upset.