This is presumably to counteract any camera movement during HDR capture. We have also noticed that the image is cropped compared to the standard video footage. The One does the same thing in video mode as it does in stills HDR mode and combines various exposures for each video frame into one. The HTC One is one of the first smartphones to offer HDR video in Full-HD 1080p resolution (the Sony Xperia Z is the other device we are currently aware of to offer this feature). This is the same location as above but we initiated the panorama in a dark part of the scene which resulted in overexposure of the remaining frames. When examining the 100% crops you can see that the Backlight mode also introduces shadow noise and a lot of noise reduction smearing which close up doesn't look pretty at all. The effect is quite strong which results in a slightly unnatural look. In the sample below you can see how in this contre-jour scene the dark shadows have been lifted. In high contrast scenes this mode lifts the shadow areas to create an image with less harsh contrast. On top of the usual landscape and portrait modes, which are largely contrast and saturation variations, you also get the more interesting Backlight mode. Like many compact cameras the HTC One offers a range of scene modes which can be accessed through the menu. You'll have to dive deep into the menu to add negative exposure compensation. The only way to capture the dark mood of the scene and getting some highlight detail in the flowing water of the stream is by tapping on the small area of bright sky in the top left corner, even if that's not really where you want to put the focus.
For comparison purposes we have also included a shot taken in HDR mode. The samples below illustrate how this works, the green square indicates the focus/exposure point. If you tap and focus on a bright part of your scene you'll get a darker exposure and the other way around. On the HTC One's default camera app offers "traditional" exposure buried deep in the menu but by default exposure is linked to the focus point, very much like on Apple's iPhone.
We are planning another article looking at the One's new Zoe movie feature within the next few days, so watch this space. To top things off we have also added a comprehensive sample gallery containing 45 images. To shorten the wait for the full review we thought we should give you a preview of the HTC's most interesting camera features. We are currently working on our review of the One and have already had a close look at its image quality in our recent Smartphone Super Shootout and our comparison to the iPhone 4S. The low-resolution 4 "ultrapixel sensor," fast F2.0 lens and optical image stabilization also make the new HTC flagship a very interesting option for mobile photographers. With its beautiful full-metal body and impressive spec-sheet the HTC One has been one of the highest-profile smartphone launches of 2013.
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