Timelapse video – Typhoon Matmo vs smartphone camera

Typhoons are a common occurrence in Taiwan, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t buy extra water and charge all your battery packs as a precaution. However, as Typhoon Matmo approached we decided to head up on to the roof of our office and put the Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z2, LG G3, Xiaomi Redmi Note, Nokia Lumia 930 & 1020 to a time lapse test with some fast moving clouds. The next day we took a walk to check out how National Taiwan University weathered the storm.

: Night time shot the day before Matmo

: Matmo on the Horizon – Lumia 930

: Matmo Has Arrived – Lumia 930

When a camera is put to the test in less than perfect lighting conditions, you really get to see how much noise creeps in and how much back-light can throw off the entire shot. What is really obvious in the photos below is how some cameras heavily saturate their photos with blue when faced with challenging conditions.

Here is a photo series of Matmo arriving. Below you’ll find the LG G3, Sony Xperia Z2, Samsung Galaxy S5, Lumia 930, Lumoa 1020 and the budget Xiaomi Redmi Note.

: Nokia Lumia 930

: Nokia Lumia 1020

: LG G3

: Xiaomi Remi Note

: Sony Xperia Z2

: Samsung Galaxy S5

This time lapse video was taken from the roof of our office at around 5.30pm. Matmo made land fall at around midnight, so we still had a few hours to go until we were really in the thick of it. Regardless, we took about one min of footage for each, so this should give you an idea of how fast the clouds were really moving as the typhoon approached.

If you’re looking for some additional camera specifications, the Samsung Galaxy S5 has a 5 inch screen with a 1080p display also running the Snapdragon 801 at 2.5Ghz, on the rear we’ve got a 16MP shooter capable of 2160p@30fps and 1080p@60fps. The Sony Xperia Z2 sports a 5.2 inch display with a 1080p resolution, it’s camera is 20.7MP capable of 2160p@30fps, 1080p@60fps & 720p@120fps. LG’s G3 5.5″ 1080p display supports a 16MP camera that is capable of 2160p@30fps & 1080p@30fps. We decided to include the Xiaomi Redmi Note because it’s a budget smartphone that you can get your hands on for only $160. It comes with a 13MP camera that can shoot 720p@30fps. We decided to include the new Flagship Nokia Lumia 930 and the beast of a camera on the Lumia 1020which features a 41MP camera which can handle 1080p@30fps. The 5 inch Lumia 930 comes with a 20MP camera which can take video at 1080p@30fps.

The sun sets through the clouds of Typhoon Matmo. The Nokia 930 and Xiaomi Redmi Note seem to most accurately represented what I saw in terms of colors. The Galaxy S5 and Lumia 1020 have a heavy blue hue in the photos, which was not very true to life.

: Nokia Lumia 930

: Nokia Lumia 1020

: LG G3

: Xiaomi Redmi Note

: Sony Xperia Z2

: Samsung Galaxy S5

I slept like a log and didn’t hear the 59mph winds that howled across the island, so I didn’t venture out to walk the dogs until about noon when the clean up was already well underway. I took a walk through National Taiwan University, where a few downed trees and tipped over bicycles were the only victims I found.

: Nokia Lumia 1020

: LG G3

: Xiaomi Redmi Note

: Sony Xperia Z2

Main road leading into the University.

: Nokia Lumia 930

: Nokia Lumia 1020

: LG G3

: Xiaomi Redmi Note

: Sony Xperia Z2

Matmo landed in Taiwan at 12 a.m. local time Wednesday and was heaviest on the south east coast in Taitung and Hualien which saw some 600 millimeters of rain in the mountainous areas.