Woof. Well, it seems like Samsung got caught passing off DSLR photos as smartphone captures, again. If they didn't get burned by the viral storm the first time, maybe the second time is the ticket.
And, no matter how impressive smartphone cameras are becoming, they’re not quite on the level with a DSLR in the minds of many photographers.
The Verge is reporting that Samsung tried to push a DSLR photo to hock the Samsung Galaxy A8 Star in Malaysia. The photo in question was spotted by DIY Photography’s own Dunja Djudjic who noticed that Samsung had licensed a photo of hers through EyeEm. Of course, as Djudjic points out, she didn’t take the photo with a Samsung Galaxy A8 Star but rather her own DSLR camera (the model name is unmentioned).
Samsung doesn’t explicitly say “this photo taken with a Samsung Galaxy A8 Star” but the implication is pretty heavy. On top of that, Djudjic says the original photo was heavily edited with the subject being placed on a new background and with corresponding color shifts to match the two up.
Is this just another case of stock photography gone awry?
Yes and no. As we told you earlier in the story, this isn’t Samsung’s first time passing off stock images as smartphone captures.
Using stock images is quite common and a relatively uncontroversial subject – until it comes to optical gear itself. Pasting stock images up as genuine products of a smartphone or camera is deceptive and wrong, not just a sleight of hand to push a product. Plus, it’s a little embarrassing when you get caught – not to mention the disappointment consumers will experience when they realize that something is beyond the product’s capabilities.
Then again, we told you about a huge Instagram account (sponsors and all) that subsisted purely off of stock imagery re-purposed as his own. You can read that story here.
