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Testing the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom's 16-megapixel shooter (pictures)

Samsung's 16-megapixel Galaxy S4 Zoom shoots like a standalone camera, and with good reason. The smartphone has all the right equipment.

Jessica Dolcourt
Jessica Dolcourt is a passionate content strategist and veteran leader of CNET coverage. As Senior Director of Commerce & Content Operations, she leads a number of teams, including Commerce, How-To and Performance Optimization. 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 iPhone and Samsung. Jessica was one of the first people in the world to test, review and report on foldable phones and 5G wireless speeds. Jessica began leading CNET's How-To section for tips and FAQs in 2019, guiding coverage of topics ranging from personal finance to phones and home. She holds an MA with Distinction from the University of Warwick (UK).
Jessica Dolcourt
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1 of 26 James Martin/CNET

Samsung's Galaxy S4 Zoom has the right camera moves

With its 10x zoom lens and easy-to-operate camera modes, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom is one heck of a camera. But it also makes for the lumpiest smartphone I've ever seen.

This gallery represents some of the best photos we took using this phone. While not every shot was successful, this should give you an idea of the kind of quality you can expect. Unless otherwise specified, these photos have been taken with automatic settings. You'll find a deeper camera comparison with the Nokia Lumia 1020 here.

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2 of 26 Josh Miller/CNET

Rings

The Zoom makes colors pop, especially yellow tones.
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3 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Statuesque

I really liked this image, which was taken in a plaza.
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4 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Full zoom

I was even more impressed by the optical zoom quality when I moved in close on the statue's loop.
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5 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Stalker shot

I used the full zoom to spy on this music lover.
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6 of 26 Josh Miller/CNET

Cactus

The Zoom has a larger depth of field, which helps keep the image more evenly in focus. However, in real life, these cacti are a lot bluer than this photo suggests.
Zoom_Cupcake_Auto_Food.jpg
7 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Deliciousness

Food mode is a new one that punches up color to make shots of your meals extra palatable.
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8 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Good enough to eat

Another cupcake angle, using Food mode. You can see the fat glisten in the frosting.
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9 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

More food mode

I used the same food-friendly settings on this turkey cheese burger.
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10 of 26 Josh Miller/CNET

Tree berries

Another example of the Zoom's automatic settings applied to nature.
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11 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Close shooter

I got close up on this $5 bill using automatic mode (left), then turned on macro to get closer still. It's interesting that the color tone cooled on macro.
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12 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Vroom zoom

I took this picture with full zoom from across a busy street.
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13 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Landscape

I also used to phone's optical zoom to frame this waterfront scene a little tighter.
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14 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

And freeze!

Lighting conditions weren't very pretty, but I did want to test the Zoom's action-freeze mode on this fountain. This is a full-resolution crop.
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15 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Goofball

I like that you can see the texture on the hat when coming in close.
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16 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Denim

I leaned in close to take this photo of a pair of jeans. The image looked crystal clear in freeze frame, but was a little softer and less defined after processing.
Zoom_SelfieTrio.jpg
17 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Front-facing friends

Here's a group portrait taken with the 1.9-megapixel front-facing camera. Skin tones are more washed out and less rich.
Zoom_BT-JC.jpg
18 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

More indoors

The Zoom tends to fire the flash when taking inside pictures.
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19 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

More zoom

I set the focus on Kent German's face when zooming in from across a crowded room at CNET's ping pong tournament finals (really!). It took several attempts to get him in focus. The Zoom kept latching onto the figures to his left.
Zoom_LynnWin.jpg
20 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

All hail the champ!

The Zoom captured cell phone editor Lynn La's moment of ping pong triumph.
Zoom_ChurroBites.jpg
21 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Hot dog

I wasn't sure if I captured this moment or not until I looked in the photo gallery.
Zoom_FluffyWhiteRabbits.jpg
22 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Text ready

Lettering is clear on this extensive beer menu.
Zoom_StBernardus.jpg
23 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Crisp edges

I was also happy with the detail and edge clarity on this bottle, but better low-light processing would have perhaps yielded a softer shot with less glass glare.
Zoom_ThirsyGroup.jpg
24 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Thirsty bears

The flash illuminated CNET writers in the front, but the ladies in back are much harder to see.
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25 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Party people

The same thing happened, but to a lesser extent, to this group, and had me wishing for better low-light performance in automatic mode.
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26 of 26 Jessica Dolcourt/CNET

Blinded by the light

Whether you want flash or no flash in dimly lit or indoor scenes is a matter of preference.

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