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Has anyone compared photos from HTC One and Note 2?

Next month I will buy a new phone for my sister as her birthday's gift.
I have a Note 2, and it's the beast in almost every area except the low light photos. Low-light mode is OK, but only in moderate and moderate-low light with non-moving objects. In very low light condition, the phone automatically put the ISO too high leading to very birght but extremely noisy pictures. My sister doesn't like it because she prefers taking pictures at night.
I saw some reviews about One's camera and felt absolutely disappointed , but the photos there are no where near tho photos I saw in this forum. Maybe the articles are bias or not the final software (or bad camera skill?). So it would be better if somebody here make a comparison between HTC One and Note 2 for me to decide buying this phone or not.
I saw a new article on pocketnow.com about the comparison (no evaluation inside the article, just pictures). And again, not sure about the firmware on One.
http://pocketnow.com/2013/03/18/htc-one-vs-samsung-galaxy-note-ii-camera

hung2900 said:
Next month I will buy a new phone for my sister as her birthday's gift.
I have a Note 2, and it's the beast in almost every area except the low light photos. Low-light mode is OK, but only in moderate and moderate-low light with non-moving objects. In very low light condition, the phone automatically put the ISO too high leading to very birght but extremely noisy pictures. My sister doesn't like it because she prefers taking pictures at night.
I saw some reviews about One's camera and felt absolutely disappointed , but the photos there are no where near tho photos I saw in this forum. Maybe the articles are bias or not the final software (or bad camera skill?). So it would be better if somebody here make a comparison between HTC One and Note 2 for me to decide buying this phone or not.
I saw a new article on pocketnow.com about the comparison (no evaluation inside the article, just pictures). And again, not sure about the firmware on One.
http://pocketnow.com/2013/03/18/htc-one-vs-samsung-galaxy-note-ii-camera
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Click to collapse
I know. It's such a disappointment given the hype by HTC.
Anyways our forum is not allowed to have any comparison thread.

You can't judge from one example. You need to do a lot of research.
I think HTC One will give better low light pictures. I mean less noise.

muayyadf1 said:
You can't judge from one example. You need to do a lot of research.
I think HTC One will give better low light pictures. I mean less noise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's why I wanna an unbias example from here.

Look at the low light photos from the photo thread in One General. Then you can decide for yourself
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2

NiCk.JaY said:
Look at the low light photos from the photo thread in One General. Then you can decide for yourself
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But I really need a comparison with the same condition...

I am thinking to trade my htc one for a galaxy s4 for my holiday(better pics)

Hello there i am going on a holiday and i am thinking to trade my htc one for a galaxy s4?
This because of the great daylight pictures of the s4..
Is this a wise decision?
Because for the rest i love the htc one...
I can always trade it back after my holiday...

Dude. Don't be insecure about your own decisions.
~ Taylor_Swift
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note II GT-N7100 using XDA Premium HD

john291 said:
Hello there i am going on a holiday and i am thinking to trade my htc one for a galaxy s4?
This because of the great daylight pictures of the s4..
Is this a wise decision?
Because for the rest i love the htc one...
I can always trade it back after my holiday...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Get a compact camera / DSLR if you want great daylight photos.
It is an extra piece to carry, but its worth it. I´d never go on vacation without my (or my parents) dslr if i know there will be some beatiful places

shox22 said:
Get a compact camera / DSLR if you want great daylight photos.
It is an extra piece to carry, but its worth it. I´d never go on vacation without my (or my parents) dslr if i know there will be some beatiful places
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello there
Yes i am thinking about that option still too..
But i like to carry not to much...
Or maybe its an option to show what the htc one can do...
But the daylight pics of the samsung are good.
Decisions

Compact camera is the way
I somewhat compared my friend s4 and my One, in full daylight scene
I can absolute say that the real touch to focus of One is clearly superior than s4 fake touch to focus ( like all samsung i owned,they focus in the touched point,but only aprox)
Also the suoeramoled screen can mask somehow your eyes and photos seems brighter and more vivid.. But on pc.. The one capture more color due to more light
Maybe you also have to adjust a bit exposure, or use hdr to make good photos
So apart for maybe little better detailed photos, the change is not a good idea
Things changes if you think to crop or print them in very big papers..
Return back to One after holidays? Lol no..
Get a good camera instead and use it for years and years..

erto90 said:
Compact camera is the way
I somewhat compared my friend s4 and my One, in full daylight scene
I can absolute say that the real touch to focus of One is clearly superior than s4 fake touch to focus ( like all samsung i owned,they focus in the touched point,but only aprox)
Also the suoeramoled screen can mask somehow your eyes and photos seems brighter and more vivid.. But on pc.. The one capture more color due to more light
Maybe you also have to adjust a bit exposure, or use hdr to make good photos
So apart for maybe little better detailed photos, the change is not a good idea
Things changes if you think to crop or print them in very big papers..
Return back to One after holidays? Lol no..
Get a good camera instead and use it for years and years..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx man...
I am gonne think about what you said......:good:

theres no better camera than your eyes mind and memories. stick with your htc

john291 said:
Thx man...
I am gonne think about what you said......:good:
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Click to collapse
And dont forget that can acquire like 300% more light, making low loght picture really better.. Who said very sunny day?
My think is
High sunlight, s4 can be better for details( but just a little) but also one can make awesome photos, for sure they are ok for record a nice moment
The rest is a favor of One, low light conditions, better video, awesome audio and zoe
Hope i clarified something not driving your decision in a bad road

If you can really trade back, then why not? The S4 will give you better pictures. If buying a standalone camera is not an option, and you can return to the better phone (the One), then why wouldn't you use what would give you the best picture?
It's a straight forward answer, considering the S4 has a better camera, why ask for people's opinion?
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

Id definitely buy a proper camera for your holiday and the One for maybe some nights out.

john291 said:
Hello there i am going on a holiday and i am thinking to trade my htc one for a galaxy s4?
This because of the great daylight pictures of the s4..
Is this a wise decision?
Because for the rest i love the htc one...
I can always trade it back after my holiday...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pick which one you want. They are both great phones. Don't base your opinion on others, seriously. No one here has "the answer" and no one here can tell you which one is right for you. You will get mostly people here that say One, and mostly people in the S4 section would say S4. Niether is a bad choice, that is for sure.
I tried both and the decision was the One hands down. My one formed a huge group of dead pixels and I had to exchange it last night, I spent some more time with the S4 while I was there and it solidified my decision in the One.
As far as pictures go, it is negligible at best. Lets be honest, they BOTH SUCK! . They are great ONLY in the mobile camera department, but the cheapest of point and shoot camera's would wipe the floor with both of them. Both of them have pro's and con's compared to each other in taking pictures and there will be some times 1 will take a better picture and other times the other will. That is about it.

And think about the maximum brightness of the s4 display in the sun.
You wont be happy with it, thats sure.

Why does another one of these topics have to be made? There is plenty of threads and even articles on the matter. Even photos up against each other.

Buy an used S4 on ebay or swappa in good condition and with all accesories and original box try both phones for a while and then sell back that smartphone you decided won't to keep, at the end you'll probably won't spend as much money as buying a compact camera.

if i want to take better pics i would buy an actual camera

Future HTC ONE User Question

Hello people!
The upcoming Friday my contract with my cell company expires so the company in order to convince me to sign a new contract is offering me:
HTC One or Sony XPERIA Z1.
Beeing for 5 years a user of various HTC devices I was pretty happy appart my latest HTC ONE X that spend last summer around 2 months in service changing twice mainboard and battery on warranty.
This last experience made me a bit skeptical about going along with the latest HTC device.
Are you happy with your HTC ONE?
Any significant problems you encountered?
Is the camera as bad on daylight as I read in the various reviews?
Do you think I should go with the ONE or maybe try something new with the Z1?
Thanks in advance for your help and feedback.
Cheers!

tasos12 said:
Hello people!
The upcoming Friday my contract with my cell company expires so the company in order to convince me to sign a new contract is offering me:
HTC One or Sony XPERIA Z1.
Beeing for 5 years a user of various HTC devices I was pretty happy appart my latest HTC ONE X that spend last summer around 2 months in service changing twice mainboard and battery on warranty.
This last experience made me a bit skeptical about going along with the latest HTC device.
Are you happy with your HTC ONE?
Any significant problems you encountered?
Is the camera as bad on daylight as I read in the various reviews?
Do you think I should go with the ONE or maybe try something new with the Z1?
Thanks in advance for your help and feedback.
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Z1. Without a doubt. Use the heck out of it for the 14 days so that you can return it if you don't like it though.
The One has a terrible camera. The Z1 doesn't have OIS, but it's better in almost every other regard unless you're a AL-phile or need stereo sound.
Seriously. There is absolutely no comparison between the One and the Z1. They are two different generations of phone and should be treated as such.
I don't like my One. It's not what it was advertised to be, and I wouldn't recommend anybody buy the H1 in light of recent phone announcements like the Z1 and the N1 and the N3 and the N5 and the G2 and the (?)S5. Wow. Those names doe.

sauprankul said:
Z1. Without a doubt. Use the heck out of it for the 14 days so that you can return it if you don't like it though.
The One has a terrible camera. The Z1 doesn't have OIS, but it's better in almost every other regard unless you're a AL-phile or need stereo sound.
Seriously. There is absolutely no comparison between the One and the Z1. They are two different generations of phone and should be treated as such.
I don't like my One. It's not what it was advertised to be, and I wouldn't recommend anybody buy the H1 in light of recent phone announcements like the Z1 and the N1 and the N5 and the G2 and the (?)S5. Wow. Those names doe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not a great pictures fan.
To tell the truth I usually post some in facebook or Instagram but thats just about it.
I was pretty happy with my HTC ONE X camera but I guess the HTC ONE camera is worse from what you are saying.....
I kind of lost you with the AL acronym.
Can you explain what you mean by AL?

sauprankul said:
Z1. Without a doubt. Use the heck out of it for the 14 days so that you can return it if you don't like it though.
The One has a terrible camera. The Z1 doesn't have OIS, but it's better in almost every other regard unless you're a AL-phile or need stereo sound.
Seriously. There is absolutely no comparison between the One and the Z1. They are two different generations of phone and should be treated as such.
I don't like my One. It's not what it was advertised to be, and I wouldn't recommend anybody buy the H1 in light of recent phone announcements like the Z1 and the N1 and the N5 and the G2 and the (?)S5. Wow. Those names doe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, someone is having a bad day?
The fact you are having troubles with your HTC One, does not mean everyone does.
Yes, they are two different phones, but the speed difference is only noticable with really heavy games and benchmarks.
With day-to-day use, a person cannot tell the difference.
A bit more neutral non-biased oppinion;
If you look holding a premium device, that feels like a premium device, you can buy the HTC One.
There is not competition in terms of build quality, not a chance.
I'm a stock Android fan, but HTC has done a REALLY good job with Sense 5 (and an even better one with Sense 5.5).
The Snapdragon 600 will hold easily for the next two years..
I'd try them both, and my suggest, if you do not take the HTC One, take a look at the new Nexus.
Updates from Google, Snapdragon 800 and a nice looking phone (dunno about the build quality though).

tasos12 said:
I am not a great pictures fan.
To tell the truth I usually post some in facebook or Instagram but thats just about it.
I was pretty happy with my HTC ONE X camera but I guess the HTC ONE camera is worse from what you are saying.....
I kind of lost you with the AL acronym.
Can you explain what you mean by AL?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Al = Aluminum. And what Justin^^^ said is true. Suddenly, anything not made out of the finest materials feels cheap to me. In terms of premium feel, nothing can beat the One. It strikes all the right chords, and fits just right. And I do a lot of gaming on the One, and I actually DO see some lag, and its noticeable.
I maintain my position on the camera though. If you're looking for a camera that can capture any detail beyond the "with so and so at so and so", look elsewhere. But for just social media, this camera is fine. It won't perform in low light unless you get a perfect unit (unlikely), so don't count on that.
The Z1 has tons of cool stuff like SD, waterproof, dustproof, snapdragon 800, 20.7 MP camera, 3000 mAh battery etc. It comes down to this: do you want a premium feeling phone that performs adequately, or do you want a beast of a phone that looks and feels only slightly worse.
AL = Aluminum, H1 = HTC One, Z1 = Sony Xperia Z1, N1 = Oppo N1, N3 = Samsung Galaxy Note 3, N5 = Nexus 5, G2 = LG G2, S5 = Samsung Galaxy S5.

sauprankul said:
Z1. Without a doubt. Use the heck out of it for the 14 days so that you can return it if you don't like it though.
The One has a terrible camera. The Z1 doesn't have OIS, but it's better in almost every other regard unless you're a AL-phile or need stereo sound.
Seriously. There is absolutely no comparison between the One and the Z1. They are two different generations of phone and should be treated as such.
I don't like my One. It's not what it was advertised to be, and I wouldn't recommend anybody buy the H1 in light of recent phone announcements like the Z1 and the N1 and the N3 and the N5 and the G2 and the (?)S5. Wow. Those names doe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol seriously ?
@ Op
Here small comparison just for you between the two
Soc = Xperia z1
Screen quality = HTC One
Sound via headphones = HTC One
Sound loudness & quality via speaker(s)= HTC - here is definetelly no comparison dual stereo speakers vs mono low quality/loudness speaker ..
Build quality = HTC One .. glass simply isn't better then aluminum
Front facing camera = HTC One
Rear facing camera = i don't know what to say here z1 with current firmware trully sux but i know it'll get better later so i'd say z1
Battery life = HTC One ..
Software = HTC One - The software is miles ahead of z1 and better optimised it's lagg/stutter free
Overall issues with the device are far less then with z1 , with 1 you can only get purple tint camera while z1 has issues pretty much with everything
As for the camera @ Op take a look at this http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=46539474&postcount=2955
HTC One - camera samples thread -- http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2169626&page=296
Xperia z1 - camera samples thread -- http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2438859&page=43
Here the whole thread with bunch of photos so take a look a bit before you decide , take a look at z1 samples as well
That's pretty much how the camera works , if this isn't good enough for you and camera is priority for you got with z1
Lastly if you need any more insights about HTC One feel free to PM me i'd be happy to tell you more about it and give you more samples from my own camera if needed from any scenario also answer every question you got about HTC One.

Closed
There is a sticky thread on top of this forum that reads "read before posting here". If you did, you would have noticed that we don't allow any comparison threads here for the reasons mentioned there.
So if you have a SPECIFIC question about a SPECIFIC difference between two phones, feel free to start a new thread with it. But please no general "Is the phone good and why?" or "Is the phone better than...."
Cheers

So camera noise is normal. Can it be fixed or is it a hardware problem?

Isn't this the big Question?
Never have I been so fuzzy about choosing a phone. I have got hold of LG G2 (which got warm, produces antutu scores of louzy 20 000, has aggressive noise reduction on photos and a screen that did not survive a 20 cm droptest after 24 hours - now in repair) and currently a 48 hour old Z1 that produces a little less noise and does not get overly hot dueing captures after the last update, but eats away battery when capturing photos. These new devices. I was actually seriously considering requesting my old xperia S back!
After googling for 12 hours I could not find answers to the following question, so I sent the questions to Sony and are waiting for an answer:
1. Is it a sensor\hardware or a software issue that produces this amount of grain and noize, particulary in the 50% peripheral part of the picture?
I used the perfectly evely lit computer screen matrix to test before and after the update. There is an actual improvement. A macro shot before the update showed marked noize in the periphery. It still does after the latest update, but it is far from as bad! It is still worse than note 3 i suspect.
This makes me inclined to say that the lenses (under macro shots at least) has peripheral distortion. The best optics one always gets when having as few lenses as possible in the objective. I guess there are quite a few in z1 compared to the competition?
2. Some rumour say that different batches of phones are of different quality. Needless to say: this has been the case on some previous massproduced gadgeds, and different fabrics might have different production quality. I have read that low quality items often are sold slightly cheaper on Ebay. So; anyone got some more "evidence" to prove such a suspicion for Z1? If so: what batches should we try to avoid?

krimskram said:
I think this is the big question. Never have I been so fuzzy about choosing a phone. I have got hold of LG G2 (which got warm, produces antutu scores of louzy 20 000, has aggressive noise reduction on photos and a screen that did not survive a 20 cm droptest after 24 hours - now in repair) and currently a 48 hour old Z1 that produces a little less noize after the last update, but eats away battery when capturing photos and occasionally gets so warm that it shuts down the camera app. Crikey! These new devices. I was actually seriously considering requesting my old xperia S back!
After googling for 12 hours I could not find answers to the following, so I sent the questions to Sony and are waiting for an answer:
1. Is it a sensor\hardware or a software issue that produces this amount of grain and noize, particulary in the 50% peripheral part of the picture?
Without uploading any picture: the computer screen matrix is evenly lit and "perfect". A macro shot before the update showed marked noize in the periphery. It still does after the latest update, but it is far from as good. This makes me inclined to say that the lenses (under macro shots at least) has peripheral distortion.
2. Some rumour say that different batches of phones are of different quality. Needless to say: this has been the case on some previous massproduced gadgeds, and different fabrics might have different production quality. I have read that low quality items often are sold slightly cheaper on Ebay. So; anyone got some more "evidence" to prove such a suspicion for Z1? If so: what batches should we try to avoid?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I have used a g2 and the z1 quite a bit. The Z1 seems to have better software. I don't care about benchmarks as they all cheat anyway. But the better software definitely makes the z1 feel snappier. I haven't noticed any major difference in apps though. The lg launcher is slow.
The camera on the g2 is OK. It is decent all round and in good light can be stunning. It takes consistently decent shots. The camera on the z1 feels totally broken even with the latest software update. I suspect there must be a hardware fault. I have yet to take a single picture I am happy with in any light conditions and it is useless in low light.
Does anyone else think we have a hardware issue here with the Z1?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

The Jones said:
So I have used a g2 and the z1 quite a bit. The Z1 seems to have better software. I don't care about benchmarks as they all cheat anyway. But the better software definitely makes the z1 feel snappier. I haven't noticed any major difference in apps though. The lg launcher is slow.
The camera on the g2 is OK. It is decent all round and in good light can be stunning. It takes consistently decent shots. The camera on the z1 feels totally broken even with the latest software update. I suspect there must be a hardware fault. I have yet to take a single picture I am happy with in any light conditions and it is useless in low light.
Does anyone else think we have a hardware issue here with the Z1?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well not mine, I also used G2 and now z1. My z1 takes better photo in low light.
Maybe its your z1 only...
Sent from my C6903 using xda app-developers app

marc_ecko28 said:
Well not mine, I also used G2 and now z1. My z1 takes better photo in low light.
Maybe its your z1 only...
Sent from my C6903 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe. I do wonder if I have a faulty unit. It is so poor and shots have no detail, a ton of noise, poor focus.
Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk

That's a real issue of viewpoint. In and by itself the Z1 camera isn't "bad" and the 245 firmware update fixed many issues, such as the purple fringing and the oversharpening. It doesn't however, bring the camera into "amazing" land.
Sony's much-touted DxOMark scores aren't all that cut out. While video pulls the device in second place, after the Nokia 808 and before the iPhone 5s, if you look at images alone it's 6th place, after Nokia, iPhone, and the Samsung Galaxy S4. In terms of clarity, if you neglect autofocus, the iPhone 5, non-S, beats it as well.
That's still great for a phone camera, it's just sad that the much hyped November model, running on excellent hardware, gets beat by the June model from Samsung. If you do a lot of video in good light and shoot only manual then you have a decent camera phone. If you want to go out and replace your point and shoot with this thing on a field trip or vacation, there are six or seven older phones that beat the Z1 in picture quality.
Now, I believe that 99% of those issues are software issues. Technically Sony's approach is sound. The BIONZ processor is one of the best IP on the market in this bracket, the Exmor RS backlit sensor used in the Z1 is also used in the iPhone 5s and RX100, and a powerhouse. So that stuff is there. The mini G-lens has great spatial properties and is one of the best when it comes to luminance. What doesn't seem to work so well is all in the software portion of the equation.
I am not giving up on Sony. I have great hardware, I hope firm- and software will catch up.

Software is something they will change, even though Sony have a bad track record in Software you should have seen the Xperia S, I had it for a few days before I had a refund, software was unbearable with the random reboots. There getting better every time.

I was not very happy with camera until last week but I received latest update and I can't be happier
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I'm still amazed that these threads are popping up. It's like I'm using a completely different product from the rest of you, I swear.
Sure, low-light images can be a little noisy and grainy but guess what; so are ones from my point-and-shoot - there are very few stand-alone cameras in this bracket (around the £150 mark) that are entirely noise free in low light. The noise is far from "terrible" especially with the most recent firmware, and the up-side to it all is that I'm able to take picture in far lower lighting than I've even been able to on a phone before.
Here's the thing: Superior Auto, though now very much improved, still uses an ISO that borders on the insane. In low light, just put the phone on manual (I'd recommend 4:3) and snap away. Less noise and very detailed results. Indeed, the latest firmware means that both 20mp and 8mp manual shots are very respectable in low light.
I was walking around the National Railway Museum in York yesterday, taking pictures with both the QX10 and the Z1 - in many instances, the Z1 was sharper or, at least, just as sharp. And the lighting was poor.
I also did a side-by-side with my old C905 the other day. Until this point, I would've (still) put it up against any smartphone camera on the market (to me, it was Sony's last "great" camera phone). The Z1's 8mp shots were consistently better, with the exception of the Zenon Flash shot.
In response to the OP, however; the G-lens is highly convex. This results in some barreling in the corners of the image and means that the centre will always be ever-so-slightly sharper than the rest of the image (the effect is small, however). Nothing can be done about this - many point and shoot cameras and DSLR's are the same. I've had quite outstanding results from mine.

Sounds like your camera might be better than mine. Maybe what we should to is to compare shots where everyone takes a photo of the same item? I cannot think of anything easier an more available perfectly lit surface than a computer or notepad screen completley white on max luminance.
Anyway, even though my camera has some obvious distortion, it is nothing more or less than what is revealed in the numerous reviews. However - some morons have posted, what seems to be, og DSLR photos on the xperia blog an some other places claiming it to be produced with a Z1. I guess some people live to annoy other people.
Regarding the last awesome cameraphone from Sony I will give xperia S my vote. It did get a lot of pepper but it shined after several updates, and after I realized there was a prefabric screenprotector that were scratched, not my screen. Not using 2 screen protectors did help. The camera on X S excelled i macro shots and were great allround. For most users sony HOWEVER decided to kill the phone with the last update making it slow and less responsive. It lost the premium feel. An obvious sales trix. Sony replied to my question about the slow XS that "It is to be expected as your phone is too slow to effextuvley handle our new update". Well well.
Xperia S had a troublesome birth and death. For most of the time it shined. I hope this is what we are experiencing with the Z1.

krimskram said:
Sounds like your camera might be better than mine. Maybe what we should to is to compare shots where everyone takes a photo of the same item? I cannot think of anything easier an more available perfectly lit surface than a computer or notepad screen completley white on max luminance.
Anyway, even though my camera has some obvious distortion, it is nothing more or less than what is revealed in the numerous reviews. However - some morons have posted, what seems to be, og DSLR photos on the xperia blog an some other places claiming it to be produced with a Z1. I guess some people live to annoy other people.
Regarding the last awesome cameraphone from Sony I will give xperia S my vote. It did get a lot of pepper but it shined after several updates, and after I realized there was a prefabric screenprotector that were scratched, not my screen. Not using 2 screen protectors did help. The camera on X S excelled i macro shots and were great allround. For most users sony HOWEVER decided to kill the phone with the last update making it slow and less responsive. It lost the premium feel. An obvious sales trix. Sony replied to my question about the slow XS that "It is to be expected as your phone is too slow to effextuvley handle our new update". Well well.
Xperia S had a troublesome birth and death. For most of the time it shined. I hope this is what we are experiencing with the Z1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had an Xperia S and, yes, it did take very detailed shots. It's white balance wasn't always the best, however, and it was fairly terrible in poor lighting. I high contrast shots, though, the C905 would give better results - I did quite a bit of testing between the two
For examples of my work with the Z1, please look here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157635983420745/

jluster said:
That's a real issue of viewpoint. In and by itself the Z1 camera isn't "bad" and the 245 firmware update fixed many issues, such as the purple fringing and the oversharpening. It doesn't however, bring the camera into "amazing" land.
Sony's much-touted DxOMark scores aren't all that cut out. While video pulls the device in second place, after the Nokia 808 and before the iPhone 5s, if you look at images alone it's 6th place, after Nokia, iPhone, and the Samsung Galaxy S4. In terms of clarity, if you neglect autofocus, the iPhone 5, non-S, beats it as well.
That's still great for a phone camera, it's just sad that the much hyped November model, running on excellent hardware, gets beat by the June model from Samsung. If you do a lot of video in good light and shoot only manual then you have a decent camera phone. If you want to go out and replace your point and shoot with this thing on a field trip or vacation, there are six or seven older phones that beat the Z1 in picture quality.
Now, I believe that 99% of those issues are software issues. Technically Sony's approach is sound. The BIONZ processor is one of the best IP on the market in this bracket, the Exmor RS backlit sensor used in the Z1 is also used in the iPhone 5s and RX100, and a powerhouse. So that stuff is there. The mini G-lens has great spatial properties and is one of the best when it comes to luminance. What doesn't seem to work so well is all in the software portion of the equation.
I am not giving up on Sony. I have great hardware, I hope firm- and software will catch up.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, that is really annoying thing with Sony, they obviously haven't learnt anything from Xperia Z launch, release substandard firmware in the final release to public that everyone uses to review, therefore gets reviews that are not as good as they could have been, which will loose them sales. If they want to reach their goal of Number 2 Android selling phone. They have to wake up, trawl through the main forums, and review sites and make sure the phone they release is top notch, and make tiny tweaks later on.
Really why can't Sony get their sensor to work as well as Apple? Surely they should be able to get the most out of their sensors than anyone else?
The only substandard part of the hardware that I have noticed moving to Sony is the accelerometer and GPS accuracy, the rest has been robust and fixed with firmware updates.
If you want to get the best from the camera, you must run in manual mode. Because the software makes some pretty bad decisions a lot of the time.

Timaustin2000 said:
I had an Xperia S and, yes, it did take very detailed shots. It's white balance wasn't always the best, however, and it was fairly terrible in poor lighting. I high contrast shots, though, the C905 would give better results - I did quite a bit of testing between the two
For examples of my work with the Z1, please look here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157635983420745/
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Nice shots! I've been scratching my head though with one of the shots you had, the one of the food / burger stall.
It seemed REALLY sharp and detailed so I looked in the exif data and saw it was ISO 64 / 100! Shutter speed was just a mere 1/8s so I'm wondering how did that happen with that particular low-light scenario?
The other pictures I can relate to
Here are a couple shots I took (though not as good as yours I am thinking)
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B6YHwWcrqzNhbEtLUGFKNmk1SVU&usp=sharing
All taken in Manual Mode too (plant / garden shots are taken in 153 firmware)

bloodfire1004 said:
Nice shots! I've been scratching my head though with one of the shots you had, the one of the food / burger stall.
It seemed REALLY sharp and detailed so I looked in the exif data and saw it was ISO 64 / 100! Shutter speed was just a mere 1/8s so I'm wondering how did that happen with that particular low-light scenario?
The other pictures I can relate to
Here are a couple shots I took (though not as good as yours I am thinking)
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B6YHwWcrqzNhbEtLUGFKNmk1SVU&usp=sharing
All taken in Manual Mode too (plant / garden shots are taken in 153 firmware)
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The burger stall image was actually taken with Superior Auto (I know!). It decided to throw the phone into "Spotlight" shooting mode and that was the result. A very good result.
By the way, I really like your Garden party image. Well exposed, nicely detailed.
I completely agree with the comments, above, about Sony missing a trick by releasing hardware with incomplete software. There was a very distinct feeling of the camera firmware being unfinished on release. It is now firing on all cylinders but the review damage has been done.
You can see the difference when you look at GSM Arena's initial review of the phone and their following camera comparisons, post update. One is "disappointed", the others are full of praise.
And Sony have no-one to blame but themselves, for that.

Timaustin2000 said:
The burger stall image was actually taken with Superior Auto (I know!). It decided to throw the phone into "Spotlight" shooting mode and that was the result. A very good result.
By the way, I really like your Garden party image. Well exposed, nicely detailed.
I completely agree with the comments, above, about Sony missing a trick by releasing hardware with incomplete software. There was a very distinct feeling of the camera firmware being unfinished on release. It is now firing on all cylinders but the review damage has been done.
You can see the difference when you look at GSM Arena's initial review of the phone and their following camera comparisons, post update. One is "disappointed", the others are full of praise.
And Sony have no-one to blame but themselves, for that.
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So, basically everyone so far think it is a software issue.
I took some afternoon shots driving in 80 . The camera performs - now- without noise and got a crisp picture at what must be a really low shutterspeed. WTF?!
A situation Im never likøey to ever use the camera in again. Sigh, at drive by shooting it excels.
At indoor shots, it is agamble. Even with thenew firmware. It i proves markedly by manual exposure.
A total conclusion: it would be interrestimg having raw file possibilties. The camera is markedly better after the firmware update, and having the features in the camera button I am very pleased, however, where Im likley to use the camera most , indoors, it really needs an overhaul. I dont aleays have the time to enter manual mode! It is annoying that it defaults to full auto. Let me diecide!

Any other opinions
krimskram said:
So, basically everyone so far think it is a software issue.
I took some afternoon shots driving in 80 . The camera performs - now- without noise and got a crisp picture at what must be a really low shutterspeed. WTF?!
A situation Im never likøey to ever use the camera in again. Sigh, at drive by shooting it excels.
At indoor shots, it is agamble. Even with thenew firmware. It i proves markedly by manual exposure.
A total conclusion: it would be interrestimg having raw file possibilties. The camera is markedly better after the firmware update, and having the features in the camera button I am very pleased, however, where Im likley to use the camera most , indoors, it really needs an overhaul. I dont aleays have the time to enter manual mode! It is annoying that it defaults to full auto. Let me diecide!
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So, any other opinions?

krimskram said:
So, any other opinions?
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One: you can set your camera to launch in Manual from the launcher dock without having to re-set it. Just add a "shortcut" to your homescreen, select camera and select manual. Pop that in the docked section at the bottom of the screen and you'll always have quick access to it.
Just a shame they don't give you the option to launch camera in manual by long-pressing the camera button.
Oh, and to the fella above who says that there are "6 other models" from earlier in the year that will beat the XZ1 in good light? With respect, I'm going to disagree: There's no way that an S4, One or G2 can beat the Z1 in good light - and I'm not sure I could point to any other Android that does. (note: the iPhone 5 isn't as good but the 5s comes darned close,... in good light. Thought it over-saturates light a *****).
The S4 over-saturates, the G2 has even worse post-processing than Sony (it's artifact central on a G2 - FAR too much artificial sharpening) and the One? Well, it's the One, isn't it? Yuck. And the Z1 has better detail and dynamic range than all of the above in good light - it has been remarked on numerous times in a good many reviews.
The only place it really falls down is exposure - sometimes it blows out light objects if left to it's own devices. But you have an exposure toggle to fix that so problem solved.
In all honesty, I don't think I've ever been as happy with a phone camera. In any light.

[Q] MotoX Camera Focus Issues

Anyone else have issues with the camera's ability to focus? I'm not talking about some of the other issues regarding low light performance, or color casts, just straight up is the picture in focus. Since getting the phone a couple months ago I hadn't taken many pics at all and they were always under low light and of stuff I just wanted to remember vs taking a picture to look at so I didn't pay any attention to the quality as most were deleted soon after.
This past weekend I was outside and noticed I could not get an in focus picture no matter what. Daytime outdoor lighting was plenty good to get a high enough shutter speed to avoid blur and I don't have shaky hands. I took a few pics to compare it with a Samsung Galaxy S2 (wife's phone). All pics were taken around the same time, the lens was definately clean and I used the same app on both phones for two of the pics. I took an extra with the stock camera app on the moto x as well. If you check out the set you can easily see the blurring on the windows on the houses across the street. And the close garden fence you can't even see the chicken wire which is totally sharp in the GS2 pic.
Pics are here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157641535964283
It looks like I may have a hardware issue. Before I try to send it back anything else to try? Its running 4.4.2 now after starting with 4.2.2, OTA almost right out of the box to 4.4 and recently to 4.4.2. Its the XT1053, GSM Dev Edition. I'm definitely out of the return period since it was bought end of November (at full price too) so it would have to be a warranty repair I'm guessing. Is it possible to get a replacement sent in advance or is the only option to send it in, wait, and be without my phone for probably 2+ weeks?

glimmer00 said:
Anyone else have issues with the camera's ability to focus?......
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I can confirm that the focus on the camera is not up to par. Did you use the manual focus setting? Also how steady are your hands?
I get blurry pictures too, I suspect that there was a trade off in the camera. really good resolution/sensor but no digital or optical stabilization feature what so ever. My prediction is based on the fact that those blurry pictures you posted look like the ones on my galaxy S 2 when the stabilization feature is off.
Also any little shakes give my moto x camera some blur which is why I suspect the stabilization is not present or is poorly functioning.
Please if anyone else is having this issue, you don't have to explain but post that you have the issue, android version, model number and if your camera software is up to date! Maybe Motorola will take notice of this thread and offer a really good camera fix in the next update!
p.s. the shutter speed is pretty slow too... comparable to my old galaxy s2 skyrocket
OS: 4.4.2
Model: XT 1053 (T-mobile - Unlocked version) same as developer edition so give us the same warranty Motorola!!

My camera sucks too, I hate the autofocus of the moto x.
But besides that i love everything else.
Enviado desde mi XT1053 mediante Tapatalk

My hands were not shaking for any of the shots and I did use manual focus.
I added 2 more shots today.
One is a building by my work. The lighting was quite bright and thus the shutter speed was over 1/4000 a second. At that level the effect of minor shaking would be greatly diminished. I can usually hold a camera steady enough to avoid blur down to about 1/40 a second if I am careful so I know its not me.
By comparision I took another shot tonight, inside with much lower light conditions. Its a battery in my hand taken while I hold the phone with the other hand. Shutter speed 1/60 a second and the shot is clear. This shows I can indeed hold it steady enough so hand shake isn't a factor. It also shows that my camera is good with macro shots. but not much else.
I looked around for the reviews I used before purchase and have this one: http://www.anandtech.com/show/7235/moto-x-review/10
The shots shown there from the MotoX show it is capable of focusing fine, at distance, compared with other phones. It may have other issues with odd colors and patterns, but the focus is solid enough.
Based on the review shots and the shots I've posted I do not think the Moto X is simply incapable of focusing as clearly it was able to focus for the review. It looks like my phone may have a defective camera module or somehow be stuck in some kind of macro mode.
Anyone know if I can get an advance replacement or something vs just sending it back and waiting?

In case anyone wonders what happened when I finally did try to get help from Moto the experience is not pleasant. I did wait a bit(still well within warranty and I don't want to be without my phone). I called them on 4/5. 2 calls later, one email though their website and a live chat tonight and I still have not gotten the promised email with return instructions and shipping label.
So, at least if you have a Dev Edition it seems Moto may be unable or unwilling to help you in any reasonable time.
I'll update this when the saga concludes. One initially happy customer getting decidedly less happy.

glimmer00 said:
I'll update this when the saga concludes.
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Sorry for the thread necro, but what happened? Did you get your original phone back, or a replacement?
I have the same problem currently with a Droid Mini, the camera was working fine but one day I noticed the auto-focus was unresponsive. Tried the software solutions but it's no good... No warranty, so I've ordered a replacement camera module and hopefully that will resolve it (bad pun).