[Q] Photos are 'dirty' with yellow/brown bars. - Xperia Z Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

My Z is a few months old now, and has been functioning fine so far. Now and then though, the camera goes completely nuts- by taking photos with yellowish/brownish bars across it. The bars are visible on screen too. I can't figure out what's causing this (I've wiped the back panel), but it seems like it only happens for indoor shots, especially when the subject of the photo is close to the camera (about 20cm away).
Is this something to worry about? Are there many other users with the same problem, and should I send it in for servicing/ to get a replacement unit? It's still under warranty.
I'm on build 101.1.A.1.253, running stock 4.1.2, for what it's worth.

Get it replaced.
From me to you.

XperienceD said:
Get it replaced.
From me to you.
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Click to collapse
Not sure if they provide replacements under warranty here, actually... did you have the same problem?

aprilius20 said:
did you have the same problem?
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Click to collapse
No, but if my pictures were coming out like that as well as my display looking like it too whilst using the camera, it would be going back.

XperienceD said:
No, but if my pictures were coming out like that as well as my display looking like it too whilst using the camera, it would be going back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah same here, it seems more the logical. The shop you bought it can't call that a good picture.

I done some research on this
this is under fluorescent lighting @ ISO 1600
This is under fluorescent lighting @ ISO100 (still a little brownish)
This is under fluorescent lighting @ ISO 400? With HDR ON
This is under sunlight @ ISO 1600 With HDR ON
I have tested also on ther condition, did not upload it/ deleted
but i can sort of deduce this
1. The brown bars are caused by the fluorescent lighting that have a frequency clash with the camera refresh rate.
2. The problem seems minimize at ISO100, appears slightly @ ISO200 but worsen once over ISO400
3. The pictures above is taken at close range ~ 8cm away with the phone place on an elevated box.
4. with fluorescent lighting, the HDR ON affect on as low as ISO100, and causes the ghost/double image and really tits up on higher ISO. This issue lessen with natural sunlight where the image maintain crisp until ISO 1600.
5. I cannot use the self timer as the flash light for the timer sometimes f-up the focus (this is a real f-up)
6. There are still other modes i have yet to test out such as burst etc

XperienceD said:
No, but if my pictures were coming out like that as well as my display looking like it too whilst using the camera, it would be going back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Logical enough for me
mcchin said:
I done some research on this
1. The brown bars are caused by the fluorescent lighting that have a frequency clash with the camera refresh rate.
6. There are still other modes i have yet to test out such as burst etc
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Click to collapse
I didn't bother testing as much as you did, but all that does seem to make sense! Did some searching and it seems like some Sony cameras have this problem (point and shoot, or DSLR, I can't remember). It is an indoor only thing like you said, under fluorescent lighting.
Wonder if this qualifies as a bug or a hardware limitation...

Related

Anyone getting rolling bars when recording in slow motion low light?

I'm getting some seriously nasty bars during slow motion recording (I attached a screen shot which isn't as bad but when it's a video the bars move all around and are very distracting) Anyone seeing the same thing or am I looking at a defective phone? I already swapped out phones yesterday due to a stuck pixel, but best buy has been very easy about it thus far. Just wanting to see if this is hardware or software, thanks!
Yep, exactly the same here. Gets worse the more the sensor gain ramps up.
ydoucare said:
Yep, exactly the same here. Gets worse the more the sensor gain ramps up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Checked the sprint store demo and a best buy demo, All the same. Must be a low light issue. Oh well, Guess most of the time the feature will be used in the daylight (although this may be a bad thing when trying to slow mo some epic beer pong matches)
coojoe1000 said:
Checked the sprint store demo and a best buy demo, All the same. Must be a low light issue. Oh well, Guess most of the time the feature will be used in the daylight (although this may be a bad thing when trying to slow mo some epic beer pong matches)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Figures, seems like it would be a hardware issue, but maybe there will be some magic firmware update that will help.
Most serious hd cameras require a lot of light, so this should be no surprise when recording show motion videos. Just be sure to have adequate lighting in the future
Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2
I haven't looked closely at the example yet otherwise I would have put my 2 cents in earlier.
I work a lot with cameras and know them very well. One thing to keep in mind is cmos sensors don't expose every pixel at the same time. This causes what is known as the jello effect when you move quickly left and right. This can also cause what is known as rolling shutter. I believe this is caused by the shutter speed in combination with the way cmos sensors work. When I get back from this weekend trip, I'll see what is going on.
At work I have a professional Sony video camera with a backlit cmos sensor. If I drop the shutter speed down too low to help when it's too dark, especially around fluorescent lights, I get brown bars rolling across the image. It's just a physical limitation of the sensor no matter the camera. Some hide it better than others. I hope this helps clear this up.
Sent from my Evo 3D CDMA using xda app-developers app
This is nothing like traditional noise caused by high sensor gain in low light. We're talking dense horizontal lines only in slow motion recording, which I'm guessing is 120fps? 60 fps mode works fine. I've seen examples of slow motion video recorded by the euro version in low light that didn't have this problem.
ydoucare said:
This is nothing like traditional noise caused by high sensor gain in low light. We're talking dense horizontal lines only in slow motion recording, which I'm guessing is 120fps? 60 fps mode works fine. I've seen examples of slow motion video recorded by the euro version in low light that didn't have this problem.
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Click to collapse
That doesn't eliminate it as a cause. The example you saw could have been in better lighting conditions than you thought, or the euro edition might have had older firmware that didn't let the ISO go as high (thus, the whole image would appear much darker, but less noise).
120fps slow motion means the camera has to use at least 120th of a second for a shutter speed. This is relatively fast for a smartphone camera, so it has to bump up the ISO to compensate. If the light is especially low, it will have to move all the way to the upper bounds of its ISO capability to get a usable image. Meanwhile, a 60fps video will have MUCH more time (2x is a lot of time) to grab light, and so it doesn't need to force the ISO so high.
It's extremely unlikely that a firmware update will solve this issue. All they could do is just force the camera not to use that high ISO setting, resulting in slow motion videos that are too dark instead of too noisy.
(Also, BTW, this has nothing to do with the jello effect)
How do you do slow motion video recording? When I have the video camera on, there aren't any menu options available.
Vincent Law said:
(Also, BTW, this has nothing to do with the jello effect)
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Thanks for adding. I hadn't had a chance to even look at the example posted but felt like it should be addressed by someone. I'm out in the middle of nowhere right now, video streaming isn't always going to work well here.
Sent from my Evo 3D CDMA using xda app-developers app
Vincent Law said:
That doesn't eliminate it as a cause. The example you saw could have been in better lighting conditions than you thought, or the euro edition might have had older firmware that didn't let the ISO go as high (thus, the whole image would appear much darker, but less noise).
120fps slow motion means the camera has to use at least 120th of a second for a shutter speed. This is relatively fast for a smartphone camera, so it has to bump up the ISO to compensate. If the light is especially low, it will have to move all the way to the upper bounds of its ISO capability to get a usable image. Meanwhile, a 60fps video will have MUCH more time (2x is a lot of time) to grab light, and so it doesn't need to force the ISO so high.
It's extremely unlikely that a firmware update will solve this issue. All they could do is just force the camera not to use that high ISO setting, resulting in slow motion videos that are too dark instead of too noisy.
(Also, BTW, this has nothing to do with the jello effect)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The euro demo was in CONSIDERABLY worse lighting, without question. I don't have time to look for it now, but it's on Youtube.
The Euro version just got an official update regarding several problems. It also included a low light slomotion video upgrade
Sent from my PG86100 using xda app-developers app
I'm getting a stuck blue pixel when taking photos in low light... is anyone else experiencing this? The blue pixel is showing up in the actual photo taken, so I'm assuming it's a problem with the sensor.
Daylight photos aren't exhibiting this behavior.

Is my camera broken, or I need to play with settings?

Hi all,
I have bought the phone yesterday, stock, unlocked latest software.
Look at those pictures, especially white birds... Ridiculous, even some white tint over seagulls, zero details on white feathers.
No sun, normal Irish day..
Please comment... Stock camera settings.
http://db.tt/BnlPNQqy
http://db.tt/PTM8fnBE
are you on 1.29?
the photo`s are overexposed, the one sets the exposure on what it is focusing on, so i would have though it focused on the dark water and raised the exposure, that`s is why the white birds are overexposed, if you focused on a white bird, the one would reduce the exposure, and give more detail on the birds.
You know you can touch the screen to focus, but there is a setting in the menu to take a photo automatically when you click on an area of the screen.
I wish there was an total area exposure mode instead of the focus spot one.
John.
that ^
I'm not an expert but, I think you just need to focus manually (press on the screen to focus as Tinderbox said) to avoid an overexposed picture...
valdigre said:
Hi all,
I have bought the phone yesterday, stock, unlocked latest software.
Look at those pictures, especially white birds... Ridiculous, even some white tint over seagulls, zero details on white feathers.
No sun, normal Irish day..
Please comment... Stock camera settings.
http://db.tt/BnlPNQqy
http://db.tt/PTM8fnBE
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's called metering. When you tap on the water to focus (dark), the camera turns the light up so that the water is clearly visible and perfectly exposed. But since you're making dark brighter, the brights will naturally be even brighter. You want the feathers to show detail, you tap on them and it adjusts the light so that they are darker and you can see detail at the expense of even darker water.
Your best bet in these kind of high contrast situations is to use HDR mode. It takes 1 under-exposed image (dark) and 1 slightly over-exposed image (bright) and merges the 2 together. Dark areas will be brighter and bright areas will be darker, giving the image a little fake look, but evenly exposed throughout.
On dSLRs, HDR actually takes THREE images to combine (sometimes even 5). This gives the processor more choices to pick and choose the best parts of each image to merge to a final picture.
SLver said:
that ^
I'm not an expert but, I think you just need to focus manually (press on the screen to focus as Tinderbox said) to avoid an overexposed picture...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your replies, guys.
I don't remember now, what I have been focusing on - was it the swans/seagulls or dark water, pavement. I think I tried both, focusing on different areas of the screen and the result was the same.
Same goes for videos, birds are overblown and shine like some white lanterns...
My firmware is 1.29.401.16
yeah do some metering and try different types of shots,
valdigre said:
Thanks for your replies, guys.
I don't remember now, what I have been focusing on - was it the swans/seagulls or dark water, pavement. I think I tried both, focusing on different areas of the screen and the result was the same.
Same goes for videos, birds are overblown and shine like some white lanterns...
My firmware is 1.29.401.16
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just some samples to explain my previous post. First pic is me focusing on the wall, which is dark. The wall is now not but my lightsource is completely blown out.
As one pic shows me focusing on the light. Since it's bright, the camera has to darken the whole scene so I can actually see the object I focused on, turning the rest of the scene dark.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
Guys, I know what you all mean, I know how to make pictures, good ones. It is the first phone I have that in auto mode makes such a scrappy photos...
Look at those:
http://db.tt/zBmK28lA
http://db.tt/KlhAMEKs
Those are pathetic details on whites, I was focusing on white feathers and still terrible. I even lowered exposure but this is not ideal as well. Hdr photos are the same for whites, still overblown...
Camera fault?
It's just the camera. I tested it against an s4 and an Xperia z. Indoor shots were way better on the one than either of them but both beat out the one hands down when it came to outdoor shots. I have tried everything and can't get a really good outdoor shot. I would like to see the result of someone porting the Xperia z camera app to our device but I don't know if it is possible.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
valdigre said:
Guys, I know what you all mean, I know how to make pictures, good ones. It is the first phone I have that in auto mode makes such a scrappy photos...
Look at those:
http://db.tt/zBmK28lA
http://db.tt/KlhAMEKs
Those are pathetic details on whites, I was focusing on white feathers and still terrible. I even lowered exposure but this is not ideal as well. Hdr photos are the same for whites, still overblown...
Camera fault?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Those first picture is terrible...
Could you post more pictures because that kind of terrible picture i have never had with the htc one...
So we can see if its realy broken
valdigre said:
Guys, I know what you all mean, I know how to make pictures, good ones. It is the first phone I have that in auto mode makes such a scrappy photos...
Look at those:
http://db.tt/zBmK28lA
http://db.tt/KlhAMEKs
Those are pathetic details on whites, I was focusing on white feathers and still terrible. I even lowered exposure but this is not ideal as well. Hdr photos are the same for whites, still overblown...
Camera fault?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks just like what ArmedandDangerous explained. In the first picture you seem to be focused on the water and the second it looks like you're focused on the birds.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
SkizzMcNizz said:
It looks just like what ArmedandDangerous explained. In the first picture you seem to be focused on the water and the second it looks like you're focused on the birds.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hey guys,
The problem is, that some extra white/bright objects are too small for the camera to catch focus for and adjust the settings.
I played with settings a bit over the weekend and the camera focuses OK on brighter objects, as long as they are big enough...
A bit of a shame, nor my Lumia 920, nor even galaxy S2 has problems like this... I guess, I can live with it, though

Camera Focus Problem

EDIT: So, I did some more testing and the fault seems to be with the focus of the camera. Initially when you open the camera app it auto focuses and this then leaves me with an out of focus picture and touch to focus never actually changes anything. I tested Camera FV-5 and this app has an option to disable auto focus, allowing me to take a picture without the camera ever focusing, this takes a perfect picture but if I touch to focus it goes out of focus just like the stock camera.
Obviously it is faulty as it no longer makes that click when you open the camera app, well it does, but only like once every dozen times the camera is opened (still out of focus btw) ... Macro shots work perfectly, focus is spot on but anything at a distance of about more than a foot or two away just seems to blur.
Below are a few more shots that highlight the error:
.
It is more and more common failure in new HTC craphones.I have it in mine also.
Mike
sp5it said:
It is more and more common failure in new HTC craphones.I have it in mine also.
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the reply .. So it's not faulty then? Just a big negative of having so few pixels, no matter how much light they let in?
IMO it is hardware problem.
Mike
AllAboutTheCore said:
Has anybody else had problems with blurry shots when not taking a picture of something close? I recently went to the coast for the day and decided to take some pictures from the cliffs and on the beach, all of which were just scenic pictures at distance (nothing close up or in particular that could/wanted to focus on) but they all came out blurry. I don't seem to have any issues when taking pictures of close up objects or when there's something in particular to focus on but anything else is just pathetic.
I compared them to my Sony digital camera from about 4 years ago the pictures were spot on compared to the One ... See a couple of examples below. I tried focusing on various parts aswell but still the pictures are terrible ... Does this sound like a fault with the camea or focusing part in particular, or is it just that the One takes terrible pictures when not close up?
Thanks for any input. (The ones in focus are from my digital camera and everything blurry is from the One)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would honestly do more tests indoor and outdoor to see if its a hardware problem.
I was having focus problems too, and I thought the OIS should be working better.
Then i started holding the phone a bit closer to me when taking a photo making sure both hands are holding the phone, kind of like holding a regular camera.
Also take advantage of exposure/focus lock; then snap the photo. Once I starting holding the phone more like a camera my focus issues went away. This was most noticeable in lower light conditions when the shutter speed isn't as fast as outside. I think something is going on and the OIS is trying to compensate for movement.
I also drink tons of coffee so my hands get a bit shaky!
gustav30 said:
I would honestly do more tests indoor and outdoor to see if its a hardware problem.
I was having focus problems too, and I thought the OIS should be working better.
Then i started holding the phone a bit closer to me when taking a photo making sure both hands are holding the phone, kind of like holding a regular camera.
Also take advantage of exposure/focus lock; then snap the photo. Once I starting holding the phone more like a camera my focus issues went away. This was most noticeable in lower light conditions when the shutter speed isn't as fast as outside. I think something is going on and the OIS is trying to compensate for movement.
I also drink tons of coffee so my hands get a bit shaky!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol, I don't have the caffeine issue but with regards to tests, I have done lotssssssssssss lol. Pictures I've taken close up, especially ones where I want to focus on something in particular, look good, but anything at distance or ones where I don't want to focus on a certain area, just a scenic shot, they all look blurry like the examples.
AllAboutTheCore said:
I want to focus on something in particular, look good, but anything at distance or ones where I don't want to focus on a certain area, just a scenic shot, they all look blurry like the examples.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. Macro are great, standard are blurry and lack of details.
Mike
sp5it said:
Same here. Macro are great, standard are blurry and lack of details.
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm 99% sure it's software related and that's based purely on a test I just did with a 3rd party camera app and the stock one. I took the same shot with both camera apps and did nothing but let it auto focus and take the shot, one looks fine, the other looks blurry ... Doesn't take much guess work to figure out by these results, that it must be software based because both pictures use the same hardware
Check these 3 pictures. One is a nice close up with the stock camera on Sense, which looks very good. The other two pics are the two mentioned earlier, as you can see, stock Sense camera is blurry and out of focus but the 3rd party one is much, much better ...
Both look like crap, sorry. No details, no sharpness.
Mike
sp5it said:
Both look like crap, sorry. No details, no sharpness.
Mike
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're not going to be full of detail, it's dull, I didn't adjust any settings, I didn't manually focus or adjust exposure and I took them from my room ... Through the window.
I didn't take them to capture detail, purely to show how two different camera apps using the same hardware, give completely different results when it comes to backgrounds not being blurred or out of focus. If it had been a nice day and scenic then the pictures would obviously have looked better but then my issue is with focus and blur on the Sense camera, not how little detail the HTC is capable of capturing when the conditions are anything but perfect.
My camera just seems to have issues staying focused, pictures aren't bad by any means though.
OP Edited.
Bump
Camera Issue
AllAboutTheCore said:
Bump
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Click to collapse
I am on my 3rd HTC One M7 since April when I initially ordered. First two had gaps and poor build quality. I finally get a good build but have the same camera issue. Its all out of focus and bit blurred. I have reset to factory etc but no fix so its hardware problem.It's now on its way back for repair with P4U in the UK. Hopefully 4th time I will get a workable well built phone.
I seem to be experiencing the same issue. It didn't start happening until Sep. 14th. Did your issues start suddenly, or did your One always have this problem?
Here are some example shots:
Proper auto focus at a short distance
Improper auto focus from maybe 10 feet away
Improper auto focus from far away
And my phone issues, you can interview about the android4.2.2, perfect results, the focus is normal, close-range vision is normal, personal guess is driver problem, but no ability to solve, hope can help transplant drive.
please delete.

unhappy with camera

Hey new family!
Just brought my new z1 home, updated firmware and still Im totally unhappy with its camera. pictures are super blurry in auto and manual mode. Tested indoor with much daylight in the room... schould be more than plenty. My old galaxy s3 made way better pictures. Any suggestions? is it possible that i have a faulty model??
Greetz
what mode are you shooting in?
this seems to make most difference.
there are threads about the camera already so in a nutshell - 8mp is better than 20mp for sharpness/clarity
scene - landscape or night if light is low
14.1.G.2.257 perfect image quality!
I think you should share some of your pics + the modes selected to us so that our recommendation would be more accurate
I like Manual + 20mp + ISO 100 or 50 + EV 1 or 2 notches up depending on the light... I also prefer using the dedicated shutter button so that your hand is more stable... for moving objects (or very shaky hands) higher the ISO the less the blurriness but more noise...
8mp manual mode is the best and there's definitely some trouble with the autofokus.
Bromsoket said:
8mp manual mode is the best and there's definitely some trouble with the autofokus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
auto focus problem is found in all sony phones.. from xperia S to Z1...i m a long sony user...actually sony software is a mess
I have not a problem with my camera. auto focus and flash does not work when its automatic mode in the night. Just flash and picture is dark
Right?
Mighty_X said:
Hey new family!
Just brought my new z1 home, updated firmware and still Im totally unhappy with its camera. pictures are super blurry in auto and manual mode. Tested indoor with much daylight in the room... schould be more than plenty. My old galaxy s3 made way better pictures. Any suggestions? is it possible that i have a faulty model??
Greetz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i agree the camera is terrible
but i don't use camera that much do it hasn't bothered me all too much but i did expect ALOT more
the pictures are EXTREMELY noisy really bad
zzcool said:
i agree the camera is terrible
but i don't use camera that much do it hasn't bothered me all too much but i did expect ALOT more
the pictures are EXTREMELY noisy really bad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It really isn't.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157635983420745/
^^^ And that was on the last firmware.
Timaustin2000 said:
It really isn't.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157635983420745/
^^^ And that was on the last firmware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
then either my camera is broken or i am doing something wrong i tried both manual and auto in a well lit room
zooming in on anything makes a noisy mess
This was just a quick snap using superior auto, which isn't the greatest mode but that is absolutely fine to me.
I'd get it looked at
av4tar said:
This was just a quick snap using superior auto, which isn't the greatest mode but that is absolutely fine to me.
I'd get it looked at
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what are the lighting conditions in this shot? how far away was the can from the camera?
I can see the noise in the background. Also, the MON and ER are a but blurry. Other that that, the picture is ok - nothing spectacular.
I can't wait to try the camera out when I get the phone.
Mid morning with a window behind me, can was about 8-12 inches away.
Focusing on the can would make the background a little blurred
av4tar said:
Mid morning with a window behind me, can was about 8-12 inches away.
Focusing on the can would make the background a little blurred
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looks fine for those conditions albeit a bit grainy. Nothing to cry over really. I just got mine today but unfortunately the c6906 doesn't have the latest firmware yet. I'll do some test shots after I get off work to see what the the fuss is about.

Nexus 5 in the hands of a photographer

We gave our Nexus 5 in the hands of a photographer (friend of mine) for a month, and this is what we get!
Very impressive!
http://www.androidworld.it/2014/01/...i-di-un-fotografo-il-nostro-test-foto-209321/
cisoprogressivo said:
We gave our Nexus 5 in the hands of a photographer (friend of mine) for a month, and this is what we get!
Very impressive!
http://www.androidworld.it/2014/01/...i-di-un-fotografo-il-nostro-test-foto-209321/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Knowing a thing or two about taking picture taking results in some impressive pictures.
Whodathunkit!
Cirkustanz said:
Knowing a thing or two about taking picture taking results in some impressive pictures.
Whodathunkit!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yup
There's some pretty severe pink-camera-problem going on in the center of most of the photos.
Wow, these look great.
Getting excited to see if I'll be able to get shots which look are remotely as good
and you had to get a photographer for those shots? :laugh:
anyways, OP has "generating clicks" written all over it.
Nice shots! I especially like how well OIS works on the n5 when taking videos too, much better than the n4.
PoisonWolf said:
There's some pretty severe pink-camera-problem going on in the center of most of the photos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that issue is pretty common these days, you camera might even produce those with the very same conditions.
Nice Pic's, probably could have been a litter better if it was from a White N5
Grande ciso!
EarlZ said:
I think that issue is pretty common these days, you camera might even produce those with the very same conditions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My N4 has it as well, I agree, but not to the extent as observed in those photos.
ghettopops said:
Nice Pic's, probably could have been a litter better if it was from a White N5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
O_O explain
biscuitownz said:
O_O explain
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Click to collapse
Auto correct. Little. White N5's are better than the black ones
ghettopops said:
Auto correct. Little. White N5's are better than the black ones
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How are they a little better?
cisoprogressivo said:
We gave our Nexus 5 in the hands of a photographer (friend of mine) for a month, and this is what we get!
Very impressive!
http://www.androidworld.it/2014/01/...i-di-un-fotografo-il-nostro-test-foto-209321/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am assuming that your friend bit**ed and moaned about the lack of manual shutter speed and aperture control, default camera app (awful), and in general lack of a manual mode (which is how most pros shoot- manually setting everything).
Disclaimer: I'm a photographer (not the 'I have a DSLR and use AUTO mode and press this thingy' photographer, the 'I have my own successful business' kind) and the lack of manual shutter & aperture is beyond frustrating to me. Sure there are (mostly worthless) apps that give you some control of ISO, WB, burst mode, etc., but without those vital exposure controls (shutter and aperture) to me all smartphone cameras will suck.
I know, I know. It's not a pro level slr... it's a phone...
Of course having stunning locations always helps.
anactoraaron said:
I am assuming that your friend bit**ed and moaned about the lack of manual shutter speed and aperture control, default camera app (awful), and in general lack of a manual mode (which is how most pros shoot- manually setting everything).
Disclaimer: I'm a photographer (not the 'I have a DSLR and use AUTO mode and press this thingy' photographer, the 'I have my own successful business' kind) and the lack of manual shutter & aperture is beyond frustrating to me. Sure there are (mostly worthless) apps that give you some control of ISO, WB, burst mode, etc., but without those vital exposure controls (shutter and aperture) to me all smartphone cameras will suck.
I know, I know. It's not a pro level slr... it's a phone...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While I agree with you that the default camera app is incredibly awful and lacks many controls, mobile phones are replacing point and shoot cameras, not DSLRs or micro 4/3. Also, most people use photos nowadays for stupid web shots/social/ready-made-filters etc and not for printing or cropping and zooming for the perfect frame.
I replaced my Cannon P&S since I had the HTC One X two years ago, but no mobile will ever replace my Fuji X-A1
anactoraaron said:
(which is how most pros shoot- manually setting everything).
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I don't disagree with you on anything but this - most modern SLR pros I know (less than 100, but many more than 10) do NOT shoot all manual. Most may shoot A-priority or S-priority, or use P mode and wheel their way to the desired blend, but only landscape, product or portrait shooters really can practically go all manual, all the time - you need non-moving subjects and somewhat consistent lighting to rock all manual and get a decent return on your shots.
And let's be fair, manual shooting modes do not make better pictures: better photographers make better pictures.
mr.r9 said:
While I agree with you that the default camera app is incredibly awful and lacks many controls, mobile phones are replacing point and shoot cameras, not DSLRs or micro 4/3. Also, most people use photos nowadays for stupid web shots/social/ready-made-filters etc and not for printing or cropping and zooming for the perfect frame.
I replaced my Cannon P&S since I had the HTC One X two years ago, but no mobile will ever replace my Fuji X-A1
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I know this and agree with you entirely, but I do have an old Polaroid P&S that allows me to set the shutter speed (like from 1/30-1/200, but no aperture control) and that thing is 5+ years old now. But yeah, the need to own a P&S is mostly non-existent with how good smartphone cameras are getting now. It still wouldn't stop me from griping about the things I mentioned if someone gave me a smartphone to take photos with the expectation of delivering pro quality work though (OP was 'I gave my phone to my pro friend to see what he/she could do').
big_adventure said:
I don't disagree with you on anything but this - most modern SLR pros I know (less than 100, but many more than 10) do NOT shoot all manual. Most may shoot A-priority or S-priority, or use P mode and wheel their way to the desired blend, but only landscape, product or portrait shooters really can practically go all manual, all the time - you need non-moving subjects and somewhat consistent lighting to rock all manual and get a decent return on your shots.
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The only problem I have with P, A, and S priority modes is the reaction time of the camera to lighting conditions - especially outdoors. I particularly have an issue with P mode as most cameras seem to want a neutral/balanced shutter and aperture - like 1/60 @ f8 - whereas I may want 1/125 or faster @ f4.5-6.3 - and it gets worse outdoors (like wanting 1/160 @ f25 instead of 1/800 @ f8 etc) almost necessitating use of S mode if auto operation is desired. It also seems to take too long sometimes for the camera to read the amount of light and adjust the exposure (shutter speed in A mode or aperture in S mode) correctly. Shooting in manual mode for me is easier and better for me as I can read the light and pick a proper shutter, etc. based on conditions where I am shooting without having to worry about being occasionally slightly too bright (concern for a loss of detail being washed out) or too dark (where softness/pixelation comes into play).
But I suppose how you use your camera will vary on what you are taking pictures of. My gripe with the Nexus 5 is that with adequate lighting indoors and having the flash on auto the camera seems to always want to take pictures with the flash off at 1/10 or 1/20 @ f10 ISO ~400 or something like that, and that's just no good with really anything especially pictures of the kids. Why can't I at least just set the shutter? So many blurry pics... I thought there would be more emphasis on getting the camera experience better on a Nexus phone... the sad thing is that the hardware is actually really good for a phone but sadly the software side is woefully behind :crying:
And let's be fair, manual shooting modes do not make better pictures: better photographers make better pictures.
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Absolutely correct.
I always love these posts,
I have been an on again off again professional photographer for over 10 years mostly in industrial photography.
Even once owned an online photography magazine with pros writing articles from around the world.
My first thought is that it never really has much to do with the camera, its the photographer that stands behind this.
The best example I can give you of this, is the gear snobs that say you can't use mirror-less cameras in the professional setting.
Just grab a pro photographer give them a Nikon V1 or a Olympus OM-D and let them go shooting for a day.
As far as not having P/S/A/M modes, it's a phone....
1 in 100 000 people will even know what that is and about a third of those will actually know how to use it.
If we want to talk camera geek for a moment.
Sensor size is 1/3.2″
Aperture is f2.4 (fixed Aperture)
Max iso is 100 - 800
What does this mean?
Low light shots will still be grainy (Tiny sensor doesn't collect enough light)
The Lens is equivalent to about 28mm which if you have a Canon Rebel or a Nikon DXXXX camera it works out to the 18mm on a kit lens.
So why no manual control?
Well with a fixed aperture of 2.4 what can you change?
Well if you know cameras there is something called the exposure triangle, all this means is aperture, shutter speed, iso have to line up just right for an image to be exposed correctly. In A (aperture priority) you only control aperture and iso, S (shutter priority)you only control shutter and iso, and M you control everything. If you can't change the aperture then you can't use these modes.
Any app that says it gives you control of these things are just simulated.
Every photographers favorite word.... Bokeh!
The blur in the background, how to get it on a phone.
First we have to look at two things the 28mm lens and the tiny sensor. The smaller the sensor does not help at all in this case and nether does the focal length. To get Bokeh with your phone you have to get really really close to your subject almost as if your taking a macro shot.
One more trick for you guys if your still reading this, the camera phone is not ideal for taking portraits.
The reason why is at 28mm you get barrel distortion that pulls the center of the image towards the viewer. You can give people longer than usual noses and get strangeness going on. If your going to take a portrait of a person, instead of taking a close up on the face back up a bit. It will help hide this distortion.
Wow didn't mean for this to come out this long but I am at work, and bored.... lol

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