LG G3 S: Camera

So far the LG G3 S has made a decent, if unspectacular account of itself. But the phone’s two cameras are a let down. Neither the 8-megapixel, LED flash-enhanced primary camera nor the 1.3-megapixel forward-facing camera impress.

One problem is simply speed. The LG G3 is fast to focus thanks to its laser auto focus system, but the camera is painfully slow to load and the 8-megapixel sensor produces deeply average photos in anything other than good light,

The G3’s management of low light situations is dire. Night shots are devastatingly noisy, and contrast issues plight shots in even the most ideal of lighting set ups.

Night shots leave a lot to be desired

At least it has the high-end laser focus to fall back on right? Well, not really. Although the G3 S is quicker than most to focus, it is not a faultless system. We found that despite the fancy feature, the phone’s focusing wasn’t always on point. Although addressing the target of the shot fine, the camera’s focusing is often a little soft.

8-megapixel test shot

What’s more, given the unacceptable lag between focusing on a subject and the shutter closing, using the G3 S to capture images of a moving subject are completely ruled out. Even group shots need mannequin-esque stillness to avoid unwanted motion blur.

Colours lack impact and focus is often a little soft

Where some mid-market handsets have started targeting the selfie-loving masses with improved secondary cameras, this is not the case with the LG G3 S. Unlike the HTC Desire Eye or the Huawei Ascend P7, the G3 S’ 1.3-megapixel forward-facing camera suffers from a whole heap of familiar issues.

Selfie shots are flat and noisy

Images lack depth, colour clarity and detail. There is so much noise and graining, results are almost like stepping back to the VGA camera days of yore. Even the addition of gesture capture – close your hand to take a shot – does little to improve the situation.

Video suffers similar issues. Capable of capturing 1080p, Full HD content at 30 frames-per-second, the handset’s video credentials are plighted by similar focus problems and washed out colours. Moving objects are transformed into a blurred mess and even audio is slightly muffled and unimpressive.