It should be said that the overall internal spec of the HTC Desire EYE is quite a bit higher than the Lumia 830's - a 1080p screen and a Snapdragon 801 processor, for starters, both justifying the (at least) £80 price differential. On the other hand, Windows Phone (famously) does more with less, as it were, and the Lumia 830 flies through most tasks.
Imaging is an interesting point - the EYE does away with HTC's infamous experiment with 'ultrapixels' and brings in a standard 13MP camera instead. In fact, you get two of these, since there's another on the front, for high resolution 'selfies' - though that's not what I'm going to concentrate on here.
Notably, the Lumia 830 here was still on its initial firmware - i.e. Denim, but not using Lumia Camera 5 - watch this space for more on that in due course.
The crops below are all at 1:1 - the field of view and resolutions of the two camera phones are different, but on the whole you'll get the idea - comparing captured subjects directly, under all the various light conditions.
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Test 1: A sunny scene
A cold morning in the UK, though the sun helped. The pond was partly frozen, as you'll see, here's the overall scene, for context:
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 830 and Desire EYE, click the link to download.
Here are detailed 1:1 crops using our famed interactive comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
It's tough to pick a winner here - both photos are demonstrably imperfect. The Desire EYE gets the colours and textures right, but blows out the highlights, while the Lumia 830 makes a bit of a mess of the grass and other scenery.
Lumia 830: 7pts, Desire EYE: 8pts
Test 2: Medium foreground
Seeing as a couple of swans swam over.... here's the overall scene, for context:
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 830 and Desire EYE, click the link to download.
Here are detailed 1:1 crops using our famed interactive comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
The Desire EYE's problems with exposure and highlights are evident again. Note that if I'd been right up close then I'm sure the exposure on the swan would have been better, but a bright white object in the middle of a darkish pond is a recipe for disaster for HTC's new camera. In contrast, the Lumia 830 nails this shot in terms of colours and detail.
Lumia 830: 9pts, Desire EYE: 6pts
Test 3: Trying digital zoom
A graffiti-ed shelter, zoomed in by about 3x in each phone using digital zoom. Here's the overall (zoomed) scene, for context:
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 830 and Desire EYE, click the link to download.
Here are detailed 1:1 crops using our famed interactive comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Both phone cameras do well here, it shows how useable digital zoom is these days, thanks to better image processing. Tempting to give it to the 830, which is sharper, but both images are somewhat artificial and interpolated.
Lumia 830: 8pts, Desire EYE: 8pts
Test 4: Tricky lighting
Shooting a street light cluster against a tree and a very bright sky behind. Here's the overall (zoomed) scene, for context:
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 830 and Desire EYE, click the link to download.
Here are detailed 1:1 crops using our famed interactive comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Again there's not much in it, with the exposures varying very slightly - the 830 manages to blow out the top cowling of the light but exposes more detail on the underside - both photos are really very good and I'm not going to call a winner.
Lumia 830: 9pts, Desire EYE: 9pts
Test 5: Bright macro
Artificial poppies in bright sunlight, shot at less than 30cm. Here's the overall (zoomed) scene, for context:
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 830 and Desire EYE, click the link to download.
Here are detailed 1:1 crops using our famed interactive comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
There's certainly good detail in the HTC Desire EYE's photo, but it blows out the highlights and reflections in a very ugly manner; the Lumia 830 nails it again, thankfully. Maybe the EYE just needs some auto-exposure software tweaks? It's possible to adjust this manually, but 99% of photos will be taken on 'auto', so...
Lumia 830: 9pts, Desire EYE: 7pts
Test 6: Indoors, flash lit
A home made mural, lit mainly just by the LED flash in each phone. Here's the overall (zoomed) scene, for context:
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 830 and Desire EYE, click the link to download.
Here are detailed 1:1 crops using our famed interactive comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Despite the detail and quality (look at the full shot to see the consistency across the scene) in the Desire EYE's photo, it's ultimately too dark and would need enhancement in software. The 830 has OIS in its camera, of course, so manages a longer exposure, with the brighter results above.
Lumia 830: 8pts, Desire EYE: 7pts
Test 7: Party mock-up, flash lit
My traditional low light, moving subject test. Here are slightly scaled crops using our famed interactive comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Both are complete rubbish, of course. Do I really have to go and breakout my Nokia 808 and Lumia 1020 all over again? What I want to see from manufacturers is Xenon flash, of course - it CAN be integrated into modern chipsets and form factors. I'm sure of it...
Lumia 830: 3pts, Desire EYE: 2pts
Test 8: Dusk, very poor light
Dusk in suburbia, it was darker than the shots make it out to be - see the street lamps and distant house lights as a guide. The ultimate test of optics and noise reduction. Here's the overall (zoomed) scene, for context:
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 830 and Desire EYE, click the link to download.
Here are detailed 1:1 crops using our famed interactive comparator, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
The Desire EYE's camera doesn't do badly, considering the conditions, but the OIS built into the Lumia 830 works wonders, allowing the shutter to stay open for almost twice as long and for the scene to be perfectly sharp.
Lumia 830: 9pts, Desire EYE: 6pts
Verdict
With a score of 62 to 53, the Lumia 830 comes away, for these still image tests, as a worthy winner, even though it's by far the cheaper of the two devices. Of course, there's more to a smartphone than just taking images and videos (the 830 wins here too, thanks to the OIS and Rich Recording, by the way), and the Desire EYE has great speakers, a better display, a much faster processor, more RAM, runs Android and can be argued to be a generally more powerful smartphone, despite its less than top-tier price.
With each in different ecosystems, of course, there's no real competition: of the current Windows Phone hardware, I'd pick the 830 in a heartbeat - of the current Android hardware (and especially if it were my money, i.e. value was very important) I'd at least give serious consideration to the Desire EYE here.
PS. Unusually for Android smartphones, the EYE has a physical shutter button. Don't get excited though - it's utterly appalling. It's so stiff and recessed that the entire phone shakes with the effort of taking the shot. And there's no OIS to help take out the shake. All the shots above were taken with the on-screen shutter icon instead.