I received an LG G4 and compensation for this post but all words and photos (except for promotional materials) are mine.

I love working with AT&T because I get to check out all kinds of phones. I had heard some buzz about the new LG G4 and was excited to play with it, most especially because of its camera abilities. As a photographer, I am continually blown away at the features now available in smartphones that mimic DSLRs, or in some cases, take advantage of the strengths of the phone that surpass the DSLR.

In the case of the LG G4, the front-facing camera has three modes: Simple, Auto, and Manual. Simple is just as simple as is sounds; there is nothing on the screen so you just touch it to capture a photo. Auto does everything for you although you do have some control over things like flash. Manual is truly full-fledged manual with shutter speed, white balance, ISO, exposure, and histograms.

Below is an example of a photo I took in the backyard with manual mode.

Because the LG G4’s camera has an f-stop that goes down to 1.8, I was able to get the surface of the leaf in sharp focus while the background is blurry, causing nice bokeh. Also, I happened to be in a pretty shady area of my backyard, but that 1.8 lets in lots of light, allowing you to take better photos in lower light situations. Just be careful when taking photos of people! At 1.8, the depth of field is very shallow, so you may just get someone’s nose in focus and their face blurry! With groups of people, I move the f-stop up to 4 to be safe. (Or in the case of the LG G4, switch back to auto mode and let the camera take control!)

But the front-facing camera is where I think the LG G4 really shines! Literally. It shines. Hit the flash button and the preview of your face shrinks to allow the light of the phone screen to illuminate your face! Selfie Light = Genius. There is also a slider setting that I am calling the “Liz Taylor Effect,” meaning it softens your skin automatically from none…. to A LOT.

Us 45 years olds kind of need A LOT.

Below is a photo of me and my son using the Selfie Light and Skin Smoother.

You can see the smoothing pretty extremely on his skin (because he didn’t need it)… but I did need it because we had just woke up – as evidenced by my hair.

Too bad LG hasn’t invented a bed head filter yet.

No really. What is going on with my hair?

The other thing I love about using the camera in Selfie mode is you can use voice commands like “cheese” or your can use the Gesture Shutter. To start the photo timer, simply open your hand then make a fist. Want to capture photos in a sequence? Open and close your fist twice for four selfies in a row. Awesome.

Otherwise, the LG G4 is a solid Android smartphone. It’s fast and responsive and does all the things you want an Android to do.

My only complaint is the curved back. I know this is an ergonomic plus for some people, but I like to place my phone on the table and type – so with a curved back, that is a rocky proposition. Otherwise, I think the LG G4 is a really solid smartphone with a GREAT camera.

The Specs:

• OS: Android 5.1 (Lollipop) OS
• Dimensions: 5.86 x 3.0 x 0.38” (min 0.25”)
• Battery: removable 3,000 mAh that provides up to 21 hours of talk time
• Camera: Rear: 16MP with F/1.8 lens; Front: 8 MP
• Memory: Internal 32GB, 3 GB RAM; MicroSD up to 2TB capable (MicroSD card sold separately)
• Processor: 1.8 GHz 64 bit hexa-core processor
• LG’s first IPS Quantum Display (5.5″ Quad HD) is brighter, more colorful and has excellent contrast
• LG exclusive Color Spectrum Sensor uses white balance detection to determine accurate colors
• Broadcast 4K content from P1 to an HDMI enabled TV using a 4K slim port adapter

Want to win one?
AT&T is giving away 500 of them!

The LG G4 4K Seconds Sweepstakes starts May 29th, and runs through June 20th. In order to celebrate the awesome 4K capture capability and 2TB of storage, AT&T is giving away one LG G4 every 4K seconds (66 minutes) for 23 days, totaling to an impressive 500 phones.

For a chance to win:

1. Register at http://4kseconds.att.com/
2. Upload a picture you took from your current phone. This can be done from a mobile device, tablet or computer. Images need to be .jpg or .png and less than 1 MB.

But wait! There’s more!

There is also a contest component to this program. All submitted photos (deemed eligible by the Official Rules) will also be housed on a gallery on the sweepstakes website. These will be open to public voting in order to determine a public appeal score. The photos will also be judged by a panel of judges. The photo with the highest combination score from the judges and public appeal will be deemed the Grand Prize Winner and will receive a 55” Class Smart Curved 4K OLED 3D TV with webOS 2.0 and a 3D-Blu-Ray Disc Home Theatre System with Smart TV and Wireless Speakers. The second and third highest ranked photos will be deemed the First and Second Prize Winner. These winners will receive a 65” Class IPS 4K UHD Smart LED TV with webOS 2.0 and 3D-Capable Blu-ray Disc Home Theatre System with Smart TV and Wireless Speakers.  The winners will be announced upon completion of the Judging Period, which ends July 9th.

Good Luck!