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Samsung used my DSLR photo to fake their phone’s “portrait mode”

diyphotography.net

11–20 of 274 posts

Re: Samsung used my DSLR photo to fake their phone’s “portrait mode”

#11
There is a small disclaimer on Samsung's site:

> The contents within the screen and images are simulated for illustrative purposes only.

I don't really have a problem with Samsung using a higher res DSLR photo for the purposes of illustration of their background blur technology. I will always check review sites to get real sample images to evaluate a phone's camera technology.

Edit: I assume this was downvoted because it comes across as cynical but that isn't what I meant to express at all. I don't expect companies to lie to me and I don't trust companies so little that I assume they would lie to me. I view this as more of an example of a company's marketing showing their product in the best possible light. It's clear most companies will want to do that so I prefer to go to review sights to get a better overview of the both the good and the bad before making a purchase decision.

Re: Samsung used my DSLR photo to fake their phone’s “portrait mode”

#12
post #2

Ah man, I immediately thought of another recent case of a smartphone manufacturer faking their phone's camera shots[0] (turns out TFA links to it as well). Just a single instance of this kind of fraud is enough for me to write off a brand forever, frankly. If you're lying to my face before I even bought your product, who knows how much else you're lying about. Zero trust for companies like this. [0] https://www.diyph…

Good luck buying a car.

Re: Samsung used my DSLR photo to fake their phone’s “portrait mode”

#13

The crazy thing is, their phones take amazing photos. Why do they need to fake it?

I can sell anything, you know? You know how many times I fake on the streets? You know? You have to fake. The guys that don't fake, they're the ones that get it the worst.

Re: Samsung used my DSLR photo to fake their phone’s “portrait mode”

#14
post #2

Ah man, I immediately thought of another recent case of a smartphone manufacturer faking their phone's camera shots[0] (turns out TFA links to it as well). Just a single instance of this kind of fraud is enough for me to write off a brand forever, frankly. If you're lying to my face before I even bought your product, who knows how much else you're lying about. Zero trust for companies like this. [0] https://www.diyph…

[deleted]

Re: Samsung used my DSLR photo to fake their phone’s “portrait mode”

#15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You'd write off an entire massive company for the mistakes of Hauwei Egypt or Samsung Malaysia? It's not like this is central company policy, it's the people localizing the marketing.

They reflect company values and culture. If this was the first incident, then I would tend to agree with you. But this is just one of a long string of similar incidents that together form a pattern that reflect on the company values.

>> They reflect company values and culture.

If it was from Samsung. This could have come down to a single decision by a very low-level person, or likely a contractor. Samsung's marketing execs dropped the ball in not supervising the campaign properly, but I'm not ready to fault Samsung generally because of a dozen poorly-managed publicity shots.

Instead, I judge them by how they react to this mistake. Do they pull the photos or not?

Re: Samsung used my DSLR photo to fake their phone’s “portrait mode”

#16

The crazy thing is, their phones take amazing photos. Why do they need to fake it?

They all fake it. Even those few that are taken with a phone are so far removed from what a phone owner has, I think it would be more honest to label them with a huge "FAKED photo" banner. Here's an example for iPhone where they're using some complex mounting frame to connect a 35mm prime lens to the front of an iPhone. The phone becomes more like a smart camera back. https://petapixel.com/2017/06/30/truth-shot-iphon…

a) your article shows that there is a disclaimer on the ads about external equipment and shows a picture that it is possible to mount crazy lenses on a phone, but you are left to connect the dots yourself.

b) there is a categorical difference between using a different camera and presenting it as if it came from the phone and using external equipment to supplement the phone.

Re: Samsung used my DSLR photo to fake their phone’s “portrait mode”

#17

The crazy thing is, their phones take amazing photos. Why do they need to fake it?

1. Not enough time to use the actual phones to take photos and then create final print materials.

2. Maybe some tops don't trust enough that the phone cameras are good and want to make a less risky bet.

Re: Samsung used my DSLR photo to fake their phone’s “portrait mode”

#18

The crazy thing is, their phones take amazing photos. Why do they need to fake it?

The same reason anybody uses a stock photo for anything. You can spend $10,000 and a bunch of time to rent a set, actors, techs and a photographer or you can spend $200 to buy a stock photo in a few minutes.

Samsung must have a nice view from somewhere within walking distance of one of their buildings. How hard could it be to have the intern go snap some pictures. Perhaps hundreds of pictures and then choose the best.

Re: Samsung used my DSLR photo to fake their phone’s “portrait mode”

#19
post #2

Ah man, I immediately thought of another recent case of a smartphone manufacturer faking their phone's camera shots[0] (turns out TFA links to it as well). Just a single instance of this kind of fraud is enough for me to write off a brand forever, frankly. If you're lying to my face before I even bought your product, who knows how much else you're lying about. Zero trust for companies like this. [0] https://www.diyph…

This is a reaction I see a lot (and used to be tempted to have as well), but it is imo a mistake, grounded in the fact that we tend to think of companies as individuals whom once they've betrayed us, are likely to do so again.

Companies like Samsung, while they claim to have a "culture" are, at the end of the day nothing but a large group of ever changing people, whose responsibilities in what the company does is quite often nil even when they are the one making them on the company' behalf.

We can't deal with companies with tools nature equipped us with to deal with other humans.

Re: Samsung used my DSLR photo to fake their phone’s “portrait mode”

#20

The crazy thing is, their phones take amazing photos. Why do they need to fake it?

They all fake it. Even those few that are taken with a phone are so far removed from what a phone owner has, I think it would be more honest to label them with a huge "FAKED photo" banner. Here's an example for iPhone where they're using some complex mounting frame to connect a 35mm prime lens to the front of an iPhone. The phone becomes more like a smart camera back. https://petapixel.com/2017/06/30/truth-shot-iphon…

This appears to be speculation that Apple is doing this, without any evidence.
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