Camera problem(s) - just an idea - Xperia Z Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

hi folks
as you all might know, sony's camera drivers for XZ are ridiculously poor quality due to vast image compression & lossy noise-cancelling/bluring mechanism.
on the contrary, we all know that SGS4's camera is the SAME chip and brand/manufacturer etc, even though pictures (and videos!) taken with SGS4 are in brilliant quality in comparison to our XZ. in addition, picture average size @ 12.8MP with SGS4 is around ~6MB while on XZ is around ~2MB in bright conditions.
just a lilttle thought i have - if those camera chips above are IDENTICAL, than why not implement SGS4 camera drivers on our FW?
it's all about the drivers right? could someone (perhaps developer) can do some effort and try to import those drivers?
if that was a n00b question - please don't judge me. it's just a logical assumption i have made.
cheers

I agree with you, hope someone can help on this, also if possible to add one more thing - Power shutter ( why waste such a beautiful button )

Related

Camera Performance on Tytn2 - my take

I have read alot of the threads involving the performance of the camera (in video mode and when operating the camera in still mode before taking a still image) and blaming this on the tytn2's lack of hardware video rendering. I have made some observations as a photographer.
My opinion is that the performance is due more to the exposure/sensitivity of the CCD than to the graphical rendering of the tytn2.
For example - in low light, the camera really suffers from low frames per second. Could this be due to the lack of sensitivity of the CCD i.e. the need to expose each frame longer per second to render the scene. The Tytns2's graphical engine can only display an image once it has received one from the camera, therefore providing slow frame per second updates.
Point the camera outdoors or directly at an indoor light and the fps of the camera shoots up to over 20 fps. The camera needs to expose the scene less , i.e. the shutter speed is quicker. The camera imagery is feeding more frames to the graphic hardware to render and therefore the fps goes up.
I would love the Tytn2 to render dark indoor scenes in a more fluid way but I feel this is a short fall of the camera hardware and not the graphic engine that is waiting for frames of imagery from it.
My orignial tytn does reproduce better results indoors and has a faster display update when framing stills or using moving video - BUT - the tytn only has a 2mp CCD.
Clearly there is a problem with lack of suitable graphic drivers from HTC but has the benefit from having a 3mp camera in the Tytn2 meant a trade off in camera video indoor performance??
Just my take!
Thanks
Stu
While what you say might make some sense I think it's a very steep performance drop. Too steep to just be explained by exposure issues?
I haven't really experienced a similair issue with any other camera. If you know of other products with similar problems is the performance drop really that bad?
I suppose wishing for an option that disables auto-brightness is going to get me no-where
I have to agree on this one; the fact that the camera performs nearly perfectly in good lighting does seem a little odd - I suppose performance issues could be introduced by the CPU rather than the GPU having to increase the brightness of each frame to display on the preview screen though?
undac said:
While what you say might make some sense I think it's a very steep performance drop. Too steep to just be explained by exposure issues?
I haven't really experienced a similair issue with any other camera. If you know of other products with similar problems is the performance drop really that bad?
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Yes I agree, which leads me believe it is the camera in the Tytn2 which is the problem. In good light the camera responds well - or should I say the graphics engine is able to do its job rendering the scene without any lag as it isn't waiting for the camera to send it data. The graphics engine either works or it doesn't. It is having to render a 320x240 image regardless of whether the camera is in low or good light.
If it can do this well in good light then, given a decent camera app, it should have no problem in low light. I am running the new V5 camera app from HTC btw.
Could I just say that I have signed the petition, as I believe there are other issues with the D3D drivers which have other implication on other apps.
Rgds
Stu
smads said:
My opinion is that the performance is due more to the exposure/sensitivity of the CCD than to the graphical rendering of the tytn2.
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Also as an amateur-photographer, I totally agree with Stu on this. I like how you explained it!
E
eddythepeddy said:
Also as an amateur-photographer, I totally agree with Stu on this. I like how you explained it!
E
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cheers Eddy
smads said:
My opinion is that the performance is due more to the exposure/sensitivity of the CCD than to the graphical rendering of the tytn2.
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CCD! Thats it! I was talking about this in another post and had CMOS stuck in my mind, not CCD! Comparing results from a proper camera set to 3MP and the Kaiser the results vary a lot, especially in poorer lighting conditions, or scenes with a lot of colour. I have also noticed image quality differs between my 3yr old Nikon D70 DSLR (6MP) and brand new Casio Exilm compact (7.2MP) (the Nikon is better) and I'm sure this has to do with the quality of the Nikon hardware compared to the Casio. With this knowledge, I don't think any driver improvements are going to increase the performance / quality of the Kaiser camera.
Then why does Qualcomm's site say the camera can record 640x480 but that is not a setting on the Kaiser? Should this be easy to change?
What you say does makes sense, haven't really thought of that.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9b1L7m7G0Y
This clip was shot on a Touch Dual (also 2mp CCD) in normal indoor lightning, is the fps anything like the Tytn?
I dont know what fps I was getting but when the device is turned away from a close bright source of light the fps drops noticeably.
Anyway, I can't say I'm pleased with the camera on my device. Nor overall video performance for that matter.
Honestly, whats the point of having the settings where you can switch different lightings when that dayum camera stays in night mode, no matter what setting you choose?
What do you mean by different lightings? If you mean the part where you can change the white balance for sunlight, light bulbs etc, then thats to stop the colour cast you would get otherwise. Sunlight would be normal, a incandescent bulb would be very orange, flourescent green (i think). If you mean something else, please clarify.
Any camera is dependent on how much light actually striikes the recording element... film or digital doesn't matter.
Also as a photog, one thing I've learn these years past is the more light you can get to strike whatever it is actually recording the image, the better the image clarity and true to life the color will be. So, a larger lens, or a lens with better glass (clarity) that lets in more light will almost always yield the better picture, all other settings and environmental variables being the same.
This likely applies to the SLR comparison above. I don't think this necessarily applies to the 8925 to 8525 comparison, as both seem equally tiny. However, my 8925 isn't yet a week old, and I've already got a scratch across the "lens" built into the battery cover. Also, this phone shoots through not one, but two pieces of plastic over the actual lens (or the outermost piece of glass that comprises said lens). I don't see how that can be good at all.
FWIW, sure the pictures are physically bigger (space on disc), but I agree with the consensus, the result isn't as good as the previous model except in bright (such as day) light.
Steve-C said:
What do you mean by different lightings? If you mean the part where you can change the white balance for sunlight, light bulbs etc, then thats to stop the colour cast you would get otherwise. Sunlight would be normal, a incandescent bulb would be very orange, flourescent green (i think). If you mean something else, please clarify.
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yes, that's what I meant, thanks, I couldn't figure out the name of those settings for the life of me!
Back to the CCD vs. driver issue. I don't believe this is a CCD issue. Doesn't the HTC Advantage use the same CCD? 3mp? If so does that camera suffer the same HORRIBLE low light performance? If not which I don't think it does it's not the CCD but the rendering. Also the Advantage uses a different chipset which would really show it's not the CCD but point directly at the chipset/lack of driver.
Also my HTC Touch performs WAY better in low light than my Kaiser. Why would HTC purchase a "newer" CCD that performs worse than their previous CCD? Why I ask?!
Does anyone else feel like the people running these smartphone manufacturing businesses do not have their finger on the pulse of the community? And I'm not talking about low expectation every day average Joe who's only phone they ever had was a Motorola Razr and could care less as long as they can check their email and get text messages... I'm talking about XDA community type people. People who want a PC in their pocket(with a phone built in). Not just a phone in their pocket that checks email...
juiceppc said:
Also my HTC Touch performs WAY better in low light than my Kaiser. Why would HTC purchase a "newer" CCD that performs worse than their previous CCD? Why I ask?!
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Because they are cøcks.
But think of it this way:
Why would HTC purchase a "newer" Graphics chip that performs worse than their previous Graphics chip?
it's all about the money guys!
just think.. they put a ****ty one that is cheaper in lots of Kaiser..
People think.. oh Kaiser.. it's the best PDA around..
It must have all the best..
and then it turns out that they can do this things..
they can make a very large profit (cause of the millions PDA's sold arround the world).. changing just a few pieces..
well it's just a theory!
comment i'm insane
well looks like i'm crazy after all
cheers.

[Q] Camera Issue - Pale Images

Although the O2x has an 8mp camera on board, its image quality is mostly pale and i can only get good images in sufficient light (sun). Even then the images mostly turn out to be pale, yellowish in colour unlike samsung phones wave 2 or gsII. This is same with almost all the cam mods, although even with them the images are below par. I have 2 O2x and the images are disgusting in both of them. Can anyone help or guide me in the right direction. Thank a ton in advance
Maybe you can upload some sample pictures for us to know whether its normal like everbody else or a hardware problem.
as a dedicated DLSR user i can tell you that you couldn't expect the phone images to be in extra good quality as those ones taken with the real photo-camera...
the image sensor in mobile phone is much smaller than in real camera, and you also don't have the real optical lens in the mobile phone...
although, my lg optimus images are good for shooting family and friends when i don't bother about the image quality itself...
did you try some camera applications that give you a possibility of ISO (100, 200, 400, 800) and EV changing (+-3)?
(higher iso/EV gives you a better result in pure light conditions but you can expect some image noise due to poor phone image sensor - even my DSLR camera starts to pull some image noise when i shoot in higher iso modes)
but as tablights said - it would be more helpful if you've posted some images here...
i hope i helped a bit... i'm a newbie to XDA so i apologize for late response...

[Q] Z3 Compact camera any better than Z1 Compact?

Hi. I've searched through some of the forum threads and can't find a direct comparison by actual owners so apologies in advance if this has been covered already....
I have a iphone 4s; the camera is good. I have tried to move to a android phone twice now, (HTC one and a Sony Z1 Compact) and was not impressed with the camera on either so I went back to my iphone 4s.
The HTC uses 4k ultra pixels so is good in low light but mediocre in normal daylight.
The Z1 compact camera just seemed flat, slow, blurred and I took several pics with my 4s and the 4s blew the sony out the water, which surprised me given it's age and much lower pixel count. (which I know isn't everything)
I want a compact phone, android with a excellent camera. Has anyone had experience using the Z3 AND the Z1 compacts?
Other than the camera on the Z3 compact which has mixed reviews, I'm very tempted by this phone as its small, has good battery life, decent specs but I'm weary after my bad experience with the Z1 compact.
Can anyone alley my fears or confirm the camera quality?
thanks
rcbmulder said:
much lower pixel count. (which I know isn't everything)
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The higher pixel count is actually counterproductive since each individual cell collects less light and there's additional space between them even increasing the effect (same with high density displays). Unless you do some kind of binning. That's been a trend since at least ten years, my ancient 4MP camera still takes very good low-light shots.
I received my Z3C yesterday so I don't have a lot of experience with it but my first impression is that you will be also disapointed with the camera like you were with the Z1C. Why that? Because I am a disappointed myself. I had the Z1C for 9 months before selling it of the Z3C. I also had the iPhone 4S before and I have to admit that the iPhone is a way more reliable device when it comes to instant photography.
What a pity to embed such a great hardware and not being able to get the most of it.
Rexet...
Thanks for the response. I feared that maybe the case. What a shame. I can't find a decent, small android phone with a top camera.... im hoping the nexus x may be the answer but who knows then that will be released..
iphone 6 (compact) seems to be the logical upgrade but i want to go back to android without sacrificing the camera and refuse to pay what is in my opinion too much for the iphone.
To answer your original question, the z3c camera is MUCH better than the z1ç. This is in both low light, and normal lighting.
HOWEVER my wife ip5s still take better pictures ...
Comparing with Z1 Compact which I had for 6 months, yes it's better with a noticeable margin.
In my opinion, the Z3c (1 week so far) takes roughly the same quality photos as the Z1c (4 months). It's a little snappier and that may be to the slightly faster chipset. The physical button is more sensitive on the Z3c which seems to capture faster.
In both cases, I think the cameras are super competitive with other phones but only if you use manual mode and learn how to shoot with it. You can take some pretty amazing photos with it but Sony makes you work for it. The Superior Auto is crap in my opinion since it often picks the wrong white balance.
Ive both and the z3c is slightly better than the z1c specially at low light. the 12800 ISO actually works (ie z1c == black picture where you see stuff on the z3c)
in bright light its hard to spot any difference.
as for the washed out colors and slight blur look, this is all post processing settings. washed out looking colors generally are actually natural colors. if you change the white balance and sharpness filter they'll look better than the iphone4 pictures.
I compared with colleague's iphone 6. In bright light (ie sun light) they look very similar once the image has been processed for the z3c. Otherwise it does look less contrasted etc. and the iphone6 picture looks better by default. All pics were taken in manual mode, they tend to suck in superior auto...
You can use the Google photo enhance for auto processing if you dont want to do it yourself, it does an okayish job of changing contrast, white balance and sharpness settings.
In low light the z3c is much better than the iphone6.
Hope it gives you an idea. Check the picture thread for samples http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-...ost-pictures-xperia-z3-compact-t2889119/page5
bilboa1 said:
as for the washed out colors and slight blur look, this is all post processing settings. washed out looking colors generally are actually natural colors. if you change the white balance and sharpness filter they'll look better than the iphone4 pictures.
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You mean applying a filter after you take the picture, or a setting you can change before and/or during taking a picture?
theres some things you can do while you take the picture, some you can do after. you can actually do the exact same changes after as you can do before except for SCN modes which change the sensor settings.. all other settings appear to be post processing (happening as you take the picture thought).
Most programs will let you do that. I change them in Gimp most of the time, when im lazy and didnt do it in the camera i just use google auto enhance from their photo app.
To look more like the iphones and galaxy phones tho, the settings i generally have to boost are whitebalance (a lot), sharpness (a fair amount) and just a bit of contrast.
I believe you cannot adjust the sharpness within the sony camera app.
With a phone camera, the last thing I want to do...and I bet many others too...is root around with post processing (what the hell??!) and with tweaking in manual mode.
I want to take it out of my pocket and press capture...snap. Done. Like the iphone.
Why is it so hard to do this?
In same position, bought the z3 compact to replace my iPhone 5.
In short, the camera is the only disappointing feature of the phone, and it really is a big disappointment. Washed out colours, terrible shutter lag, slow focus, very soft focus. Have tried all the different camera options (superior auto, different manual options, scenes options) and found nothing adequate yet.
A real shame as I really want to move away from ios, the rest of the phone is superb, if the camera isn't important then it's a fantastic device!
Yep automatic modes arent very good.
Manual modes are okay / mostly on par with competition.. That exludes phones like the lumia 1020 of course. One would hope sony work on the software a bit more in this area
News said z3/z3c camera software will be re-written on Android L(not sure about z1/z1c/z2), so now on 4.4.4 it won't be any better than z1c. I've got a z1c and only played z3c in a local phone store, the phone got faster focus but I think that is pretty much all of this. The quality is just same with Z2, not any better til Android L out. Z3/z3c used a slightly improved cmos(IMX220 vs IMX200) and G lens but you only got better at low light, day time quality has no different at all.
HTC, Samsung, Iphone all got better focus, so they always got a sharper picture and Sony is soft. Speaking for the photo quality, indeed z1/2/3 is real good at low light(when you focus right) and even slightly better than HTC/Samsung/Iphone(this is my experiences and you can notice that from many reviews too) but day time just not that good though acceptable.
TheEndHK said:
News said z3/z3c camera software will be re-written on Android L
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They did? I mean, you're not talking about the extended Android API but Sony's actual camera software?
Iruwen said:
They did? I mean, you're not talking about the extended Android API but Sony's actual camera software?
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I'd like a source on this as well. It really is a shame that Sony's camera software isn't on par with the rest of this fantastic device despite the superior hardware. I understand manually adjusting the camera is a solution, but for the layperson who doesn't have the time nor the know-how to make those adjustments, a simpler solution is preferred and a revamp/improvement of their software would go a long way in achieving that.
rcbmulder said:
I want a compact phone, android with a excellent camera. Has anyone had experience using the Z3 AND the Z1 compacts?
Other than the camera on the Z3 compact which has mixed reviews, I'm very tempted by this phone as its small, has good battery life, decent specs but I'm weary after my bad experience with the Z1 compact.
Can anyone alley my fears or confirm the camera quality?
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In my limited experience with the z3c, the camera is very poor when it comes to fine details like trees and leaves etc. If camera performance is important for you, then definitely look elsewhere. Shame on such a good phone otherwise.
radicans said:
In my limited experience with the z3c, the camera is very poor when it comes to fine details like trees and leaves etc. If camera performance is important for you, then definitely look elsewhere. Shame on such a good phone otherwise.
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The trees and leaves needs an extremely low compression rate to maintain the fine details because of JPG problem(too old). However, the compression rate is often too high on all Sony phones. RAW image is very possible being a basic requirement on Android L according from Google speaking, so this problem might be solved in the future.
---------- Post added at 01:57 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:51 AM ----------
Iruwen said:
They did? I mean, you're not talking about the extended Android API but Sony's actual camera software?
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Why not? Android L is a total new OS so Sony is forced to rewrite anythings(though I believe Sony is lazy and actually doesn't want to do it... lol)
---------- Post added at 02:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:57 AM ----------
boojay said:
I'd like a source on this as well. It really is a shame that Sony's camera software isn't on par with the rest of this fantastic device despite the superior hardware. I understand manually adjusting the camera is a solution, but for the layperson who doesn't have the time nor the know-how to make those adjustments, a simpler solution is preferred and a revamp/improvement of their software would go a long way in achieving that.
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Sony keen to Fix Image Algorithms in Xperia Z3
http://smartphonetechie.com/sony-keen-to-fix-image-algorithms-in-xperia-z3/
The SA mode works good to me, the only problem on SA for most people because it very actively detects the handshake and switch to sport mode and turn up shutter speed and ISO in the end, it will ruin the overall quality and may increase/decrease the brightness in a wrong way but it will also help for folks who got seriously handshake.
TheEndHK said:
Sony keen to Fix Image Algorithms in Xperia Z3
http://smartphonetechie.com/sony-keen-to-fix-image-algorithms-in-xperia-z3/
The SA mode works good to me, the only problem on SA for most people because it very actively detects the handshake and switch to sport mode and turn up shutter speed and ISO in the end, it will ruin the overall quality and may increase/decrease the brightness in a wrong way but it will also help for folks who got seriously handshake.
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Ah, but from the sounds of it, the fix was supposed to come with the Z3 series, but clearly that never happened. Fingers crossed with Android L then, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.
is the camera really that bad, all the reviews say its pretty good, not quite the gold standard iphone 6 level but close enough? The pics posted on this forum from the z3 compact look good too IMO.

[Q] Hope for the Nexus 6 Camera?

Alot of the reviews says, nexus 6 camera experience has been a "hit or miss" from taking a good pic even with HDR on. Would it help to install a new camera app and do some tweakings over it, or better yet use an xposed module (if any) to fix the issue?
I'm a photographer. Here's the thing.
Camera reviews on cell phones are reviewed by gadget freaks, not photographers. They're interested in specs, they think megapixels are important, they don't even mention the important stuff.
Android L is the first OS to have a decent camera api. This will allow the nexus camera - which is only inherently different from the note 4 camera in terms of software - to vastly outperform anything on the market given a good camera app.
This mythical camera app should take advantage of a few things - full manual control. Exposure compensation and AE/AF lock. Auto bracketing. Proper metering, with selections for spot through to matrix. FPS control. Video control with framerate and resolution options, and the ability to manually control or lock exposure and focus. And finally, take advantage of L's .dng output, so we can work on this in lightroom after we're done. I don't trust my $2000 camera to spit out a nice jpg processed the way I want it, I shoot raw, I sure as hell don't trust a phone.
The nexus 6 looks to have some nice hardware. Let the software take advantage of it and you'll be happy.
tripler6 said:
I'm a photographer. Here's the thing.
Camera reviews on cell phones are reviewed by gadget freaks, not photographers. They're interested in specs, they think megapixels are important, they don't even mention the important stuff.
Android L is the first OS to have a decent camera api. This will allow the nexus camera - which is only inherently different from the note 4 camera in terms of software - to vastly outperform anything on the market given a good camera app.
This mythical camera app should take advantage of a few things - full manual control. Exposure compensation and AE/AF lock. Auto bracketing. Proper metering, with selections for spot through to matrix. FPS control. Video control with framerate and resolution options, and the ability to manually control or lock exposure and focus. And finally, take advantage of L's .dng output, so we can work on this in lightroom after we're done. I don't trust my $2000 camera to spit out a nice jpg processed the way I want it, I shoot raw, I sure as hell don't trust a phone.
The nexus 6 looks to have some nice hardware. Let the software take advantage of it and you'll be happy.
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Good post. My girlfriend is a photographer but her biggest complaints were:
- The lens should've been bigger (1.5/3 at least - according to her the sheer size of this phone would have allowed for a much bigger lens, even 1.2/3).
- The dual LED flashes would likely overexpose the images due to their placement on the back of the phone. Sure, aesthetically it can look good (depending on your preference) but logically it will risk adding too much exposure to photos. The Note 4, 6+, top Nokia phones with large lenses all have the flashes further away from the lens for example (for good reason).
- The type of flash (LED) wont be as good an xenon flash (or dual). According to her the phone body is definitely thick enough to house the bigger flash; this would reduce noise in the images and provide better lighting/exposure in photos.
She also mentioned that even with a 10/10 camera app which does absolutely everything you want, the photo quality will not be much better (maybe the same as or potentially still worse) compared with the Note 4 or even iPhone 6+. Yes the hardware might be similar but the placement of the flash compared with the Note 4 will affect the way the camera captures photos with flash enabled. As, even though TW in Samsung has major issues it does have very heavily optimised camera software which will always improve - better than every camera app that I personally know of.
Front facing camera however will not complete with the Note 4. From demo's , despite being higher MP than the iPhone 6+, the results are worse. I do not know why, it could be down to the quality of the lens in the front but the Nexus 6 FF camera quality isn't much better than the Nexus 5 (it looks the same to me).
spartanm99 said:
Good post. My girlfriend is a photographer but her biggest complaints were:
- The lens should've been bigger (1.5/3 at least - according to her the sheer size of this phone would have allowed for a much bigger lens, even 1.2/3).
- The dual LED flashes would likely overexpose the images due to their placement on the back of the phone. Sure, aesthetically it can look good (depending on your preference) but logically it will risk adding too much exposure to photos. The Note 4, 6+, top Nokia phones with large lenses all have the flashes further away from the lens for example (for good reason).
- The type of flash (LED) wont be as good an xenon flash (or dual). According to her the phone body is definitely thick enough to house the bigger flash; this would reduce noise in the images and provide better lighting/exposure in photos.
She also mentioned that even with a 10/10 camera app which does absolutely everything you want, the photo quality will not be much better (maybe the same as or potentially still worse) compared with the Note 4 or even iPhone 6+. Yes the hardware might be similar but the placement of the flash compared with the Note 4 will affect the way the camera captures photos with flash enabled. As, even though TW in Samsung has major issues it does have very heavily optimised camera software which will always improve - better than every camera app that I personally know of.
Front facing camera however will not complete with the Note 4. From demo's , despite being higher MP than the iPhone 6+, the results are worse. I do not know why, it could be down to the quality of the lens in the front but the Nexus 6 FF camera quality isn't much better than the Nexus 5 (it looks the same to me).
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A lens is proportionate to the sensor. On top of that? It's a fixed lens. They can make those extremely small when we're talking about phone sensors. There is also no mechanical shutter, meaning the lens can be even more compact. This is why mirrorless cameras have small lenses. This of course goes for cell phone lenses in general, but the reason is there's really no need to put a huge lens on a phone.
The dual LED flashes won't overexpose the image, don't worry. In the studio we use a ring flash - same concept - there are some versions that operate as a regular flash, and there's some versions that operate constant on. You can shoot with either. Studio LED lighting is even becoming a thing now, it's cool because you can control the color temp directly and change the brightness.. it's also always on so WYSIWYG. Either way your flash will operate TTL and will not overexpose Xenon - what a hotshoe flash uses - will just use a lot of energy and drain your batteries. LED is very efficient.
The ring flash appears to be too small to have the "ring flash effect", which is uniform lighting around a subject that is popular in fashion and hides blemishes.. I mean it's like the size of a finger. The source of the flash is too small to produce any meaningful difference between the "ring" flash and the regular samsung/iphone flashes. It's going to look about the same. If you see a difference, it's software.
I am just excited about the RAW support in 5.0. I am okay with an f/2.0 aperture on a device in my pocket. If I needed something better, my DSLR has a 50mm f/1.5 which is only a camera bag away
The problem I'm having with my Nexus 6 is lag. That is, I went into my 9 month old's room, and turned on the light. So, okay incandescent lighting, not too bright, but I wouldn't call it 'low-light', either. My little son is standing up in his crib bouncing around, and every now and again turning and smiling at me. I go for the shot with my nice Nexus 6....and in the FOUR SECONDS it takes for the camera to actually take the picture, he's looked away again. I tried several times. Each time, the camera did NOTHING for a few seconds and then took the shot when the window of opportunity was gone. WHAT THE HECK?!?!?! It didn't even look like it was doing any autofocus hunting.
THIS is very depressing. Anyone know of any camera apps that will actually, I don't know, take the picture when I actually ask it to?
Randy
I'm waiting for devs to work their magic on the camera. It has a great sensor (Sony IMX214) so the potential is there. I really wish they could use the G3's software because its great. Is there a way to make the G3's software work on the Nexus for the camera? It processes images really well and is very fast.
rmagruder said:
The problem I'm having with my Nexus 6 is lag. That is, I went into my 9 month old's room, and turned on the light. So, okay incandescent lighting, not too bright, but I wouldn't call it 'low-light', either. My little son is standing up in his crib bouncing around, and every now and again turning and smiling at me. I go for the shot with my nice Nexus 6....and in the FOUR SECONDS it takes for the camera to actually take the picture, he's looked away again. I tried several times. Each time, the camera did NOTHING for a few seconds and then took the shot when the window of opportunity was gone. WHAT THE HECK?!?!?! It didn't even look like it was doing any autofocus hunting.
THIS is very depressing. Anyone know of any camera apps that will actually, I don't know, take the picture when I actually ask it to?
Randy
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Do you have HDR+ enabled? If so that's why your focus takes so long. It's taking 3 pictures in a row and is great for still images. I find the camera with HDR+ off plenty fast.
---------- Post added at 01:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:15 PM ----------
On another note is raw format already being supported on the 6 or is it coming in an update. I'm no photographer but I'm extremely pleased how well the camera functions. I've only had nexus devices. The last phone I had with a decent camera was the Nokia n 5
Smallsmx3 said:
Do you have HDR+ enabled? If so that's why your focus takes so long. It's taking 3 pictures in a row and is great for still images. I find the camera with HDR+ off plenty fast.
---------- Post added at 01:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:15 PM ----------
On another note is raw format already being supported on the 6 or is it coming in an update. I'm no photographer but I'm extremely pleased how well the camera functions. I've only had nexus devices. The last phone I had with a decent camera was the Nokia n 5
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No, HDR+ was NOT on, nor was the flash. I just wanted it to snap the stupid picture with as little muss n fuss as possible
I extracted the lib files and camera apk/odex from my g3 is there anything else I would need to make it work? I can get the framework from my system files if needed. I want to see if this will help the camera at all considering it had a lot of potential.
Pilz said:
I extracted the lib files and camera apk/odex from my g3 is there anything else I would need to make it work? I can get the framework from my system files if needed. I want to see if this will help the camera at all considering it had a lot of potential.
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Let us know how it goes
rmagruder said:
No, HDR+ was NOT on, nor was the flash. I just wanted it to snap the stupid picture with as little muss n fuss as possible
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Then something is broken on your phone. Completely stock N6, not even root let alone disabling encryption, without HDR+ or Flash... the phone takes pictures within half a second every time.
Smallsmx3 said:
Let us know how it goes
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It's still FC's even after I moved the camera.apk and camera.odex into the system/app and I wrote over the Nexus's libs with the G3's. I'm not sure why its FC's maybe I can install the framework.apk from my G3 and see if that works.
Try some low light shots....
tripler6 said:
I'm a photographer. Here's the thing.
Camera reviews on cell phones are reviewed by gadget freaks, not photographers. They're interested in specs, they think megapixels are important, they don't even mention the important stuff.
Android L is the first OS to have a decent camera api. This will allow the nexus camera - which is only inherently different from the note 4 camera in terms of software - to vastly outperform anything on the market given a good camera app.
This mythical camera app should take advantage of a few things - full manual control. Exposure compensation and AE/AF lock. Auto bracketing. Proper metering, with selections for spot through to matrix. FPS control. Video control with framerate and resolution options, and the ability to manually control or lock exposure and focus. And finally, take advantage of L's .dng output, so we can work on this in lightroom after we're done. I don't trust my $2000 camera to spit out a nice jpg processed the way I want it, I shoot raw, I sure as hell don't trust a phone.
The nexus 6 looks to have some nice hardware. Let the software take advantage of it and you'll be happy.
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Any chance for Slo Mo video (at least 120fps) with this "mythical camera app"?
rmagruder said:
Try some low light shots....
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I found this thread after searching for a better camera for my n6. Realized after reading your post that it is the low light shots that suffer from severe shutter lag. Pics in good light are perfect. Ugh. My original moto x Dev. Took awesome pics compared to this low light garbage
Cwoomer said:
I found this thread after searching for a better camera for my n6. Realized after reading your post that it is the low light shots that suffer from severe shutter lag. Pics in good light are perfect. Ugh. My original moto x Dev. Took awesome pics compared to this low light garbage
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The pics are great when you are in a very well lit place. The moment you start to lose even a little light (semi lit), the camera really struggles. I'm very disappointed to start, but I'm going to stay patient and wait for Google to fix this.
Pilz said:
I'm waiting for devs to work their magic on the camera. It has a great sensor (Sony IMX214) so the potential is there. I really wish they could use the G3's software because its great. Is there a way to make the G3's software work on the Nexus for the camera? It processes images really well and is very fast.
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The G3 is the best camera on a phone because of the hardware.. not sure if the software has much to do with it because I've switched camera apps on that phone many times and the pics still come out amazing
dannieloco said:
The G3 is the best camera on a phone because of the hardware.. not sure if the software has much to do with it because I've switched camera apps on that phone many times and the pics still come out amazing
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The G3 uses the IMX135 sensor while the Nexus uses the IMX214 which is a better sensor. So in theory the Nexus 6 is capable of better photos if the software can back it up. The G3 still uses the lib's and framework from LG no matter what camera app you are using from what I understand.
Anyone know anything about the Slo Mo capabilities? Im wanting to buy the N6 but the Slo Mo feature is really important to me. Hopefully it is possible with the sensor which everyone seems to regard as a pretty high quality sensor.

[Q] Xperia Z3 camera updates

Hello,
I've noticed some "artifacts/noise", with a recursive pattern, in some photos of the Sony Xperia Z3 in "some" smartphone websites (I don't know if I can say the names ).
They were made in manual mode 20mpx.
Are there updates/firmware for the camera that have improved the final result versus the early reviews?
Thanks a lot.
Looking in deep, they seems JPEG artifacts... how can Sony ruin Z3 photos like this?
The Sony Z3 Compact camera is anyways a ****ty hardware and the software that is hard protected by the DRM keyes is also a turd. Compared to my 5 years old iPhone 4S, the all new Sony phone makes very very bad photos. Less quality, no real color, too much noise, slower focusing, bad contrast and the HDR doesnt makes anything...
So I am sitting here and just waiting for the end of my carreer contract, when I will change this horrible phone to something usable.
****ty hardware? really?
The only problem with the phone is the software, automatic mode is a joke. If you have very bad photos with this phone it's either a faulty unit or your fault (by using auto). Hopefully with android 5.0 coming they tweak the auto mode so people who can just point and shoot will be happy with the device - for me RAW DNG is already enough
davebugyi said:
****ty hardware? really?
The only problem with the phone is the software, automatic mode is a joke. If you have very bad photos with this phone it's either a faulty unit or your fault (by using auto). Hopefully with android 5.0 coming they tweak the auto mode so people who can just point and shoot will be happy with the device - for me RAW DNG is already enough
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Click to collapse
I've tried a few Z3 compacts and Z3's and the results of the camera are pretty bad. Very noisy, autofocus is total hit or miss, and my biggest blunder is that all reddish colors come out with a funky purpleish tone in the pictures. The software is also pretty abysmal and unnecessarily complicated. Even my nexus 5 a year after the updates takes much more natural looking pictures although AF still sucks.
There's just something wrong with the hardware+software stack of the Xperia Z series and Sony needs to get up with the program if they want to compete. The current experience pales in comparison to the cameras of the iPhone or the Note4/Galaxy S5 which are fantastic. It would be ok if this was not supposed to be a flagship, but it is such a thing.
No man just no. The hardware is completely fine. The software is not upto par. The same Sony lenses are used by other manufacturers and they achieve good results. This 20.7 will be used on HTC M9 next probably and you'll see whether it's the problem with the hardware or software
Very noisy = turn down the ISO sensitivity, it's no APS-C or Full Frame sensor - but probably Sony's mess while on Auto
Autofocus is total hit or miss - Again, this one is not that visible on my unit, even in poor lit conditions makes a few misses, but in daylight never.
Magenta tint? nope, not here.
However without arguing the stock camera app needs improvemrnt, I am taking pictures with Camera FV-5 and those are great.
davebugyi said:
Hopefully with android 5.0 coming they tweak the auto mode so people who can just point and shoot will be happy with the device - for me RAW DNG is already enough
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Click to collapse
How do you save in RAW/DNG format on Z3C?
wpcoe said:
How do you save in RAW/DNG format on Z3C?
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At the moment, you can't. As you can see, I already wrote that feature will come in Android 5.0, and if Sony's camera won't support it, others will. Camera FV-5 already has the option.
No updates for the camera AKAIK, which sucks because it is not great right now. Pink spot, crummy white balance, almost unuseable "superior auto", funky reds, poor shutter speed selection, stupidly complicated software, and appalling jpeg processing that leaves 20MP photos in particular looking like they were saved at 30% quality.
One of the main reasons i bought the z3c was for the camera, but those reviewers who sang its praises must have been smoking something (or paid by Sony). I hope the Lollipop update brings some improvement.
Same here, I had very high hopes coming from iPhone 5 but I already miss how easy it was to take a photo with that.
There are no jpeg artifacts, only artifacts from excessive artificial sharpening.
The jpeg quality must actually be quite high here, considering the ~9 MB size of the full-res photos.

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