[Q] Best default Camera Mode? - Xperia Z3 Compact Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Do you guys have any opinions on what the best camera mode is for general shooting?
I'm trying to pick between Superior Auto, Manual 8MP and Manual 20.7MP.
Thoughts?

My pick is 20.7 MP with image stabilizer enabled, better results without it if you have a steady hand.

I use no scene, auto white balance (unless the auto gets it wrong), 20.7 MP, multi metering mode, image stabilize enabled.
To increase sharpness and reduce noise I then downsample the image to a width of about 3500px using Irfanview, because it's much better than Sony's crappy oversampling algorithm that it uses for the 8MP images.

Info
tocirah1 said:
Do you guys have any opinions on what the best camera mode is for general shooting?
I'm trying to pick between Superior Auto, Manual 8MP and Manual 20.7MP.
Thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check out this
Manual:
- Resolution (what u like)
- Focus Mode: Touch Focus
- HDR Off
- ISO auto
- Metering Spot
- IS off (I prefer)
& Test this
:good:

Related

Improve Camera Quality in Automode?

Hello,
i just got my hands on the Z3 Compact and took it out to test it on a sunny day.
Back home i noticed that the picture quality is really bad in auto mode!
I made a quick comparison picture to my old phone: a Xiaomi Mi2 (not the S Model) with 8m Camera.
The picture shows the text quality of the Xperia Z Ultra Power Pack which is the best example i can do now.
The automode settings are: ISO-800, F/2, 1/50 Sec, no flash
The Mi2 automode settings are: ISO-488, 1/16 Sec (no data on the F), no flash
Directlink:
http://abload.de/img/neuebitmapoksb8.png
And here the same with manual mode and a lower ISO (100 instead of 800 that was used in auto mode):
The complete settings were: ISO-100, F/2, 1/8 Sec, no flash
Directlink:
http://abload.de/img/dsc_0099emqqy.jpg
Heres another example of a picture i took when i was outside (without zoom, i just cut away some parts to make it smaller):
The automode settings here: ISO-50, F/2, 1/320sec, no flash
Directlink:
http://abload.de/img/dsc_0036lujf6.jpg
Any idea why automode causes such very bad picture quality? Any ideas on how to improve it?
Thank you for help!
Why bother so much about the auto mode? You can take such great pictures in manual mode when you play with the settings. In the end auto mode will never be great, because it does what it says: auto mode, it adjusts the settings to what it thinks is best in each situation.
Playing with the manual mode will also give you more knowledge of basic photography.
Sent from my D5803
Auto mode became better over time on the Z1C, I guess they'll keep improving it. Dunno if they made a step back here.
Dsteppa said:
Why bother so much about the auto mode? You can take such great pictures in manual mode when you play with the settings. In the end auto mode will never be great, because it does what it says: auto mode, it adjusts the settings to what it thinks is best in each situation.
Playing with the manual mode will also give you more knowledge of basic photography.
Sent from my D5803
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Auto mode will always be handy.. no one wants to mess with settings most of the times.. its a phone camera and if i want manual controls i would pick a dslr. Thats why iphone wins in camera department. Take it out and snap a pic instantly with great output. Even on my galaxy s5 i take pictures on auto and i havent seen anyone setting things up manually each and every time to take a damn photo
Auto mode uses a technique called oversampling to gather information with the 20MP sensor, then heavily processes the photo to whatever the software (Sony) decided was best (post-processing). The idea is you get the detail of a 20MP sensor, in a auto-corrected and down-sized 8MP resolution photo. Oversampling is also why the Z3 has a small amount of "lossless" zoom. (ever tried "zooming" with other phone cameras? It usually leaves you with a terrible blob of digital noise)
As with any automatic post-processing, there are pros and cons. The truth is, the software doesn't really know what you're taking a picture of, so it tries to give it's best guess on correcting exposure, colour, noise, etc. The result you're seeing in the auto-mode photo is a result of heavy post-processing (Noise Reduction), bad focus, and camera shake.
The reason your "manual" photo is better is because manual mode drops the post-processing. It also looks like you were able to hold the camera steadier for the manual shot.
"Auto" mode is far from perfect, but it will often save you more times than you know. Over time, you'll learn the strengths and weaknesses of "auto mode", and you'll know when you need to switch to Manual for the better shot. Auto mode can also be easily improved upon via software updates.
PS: A little trick I use to minimize camera shake while taking a photo is to set a quick 2 second self timer. This will allow you time to press the shutter button and then stabilize the phone for minimal "camera shake"
I have read the z3 Compact camera is great, great, great...but yeah I have been grossly underwhelmed by the auto mode. The auto mode is THE mode...sure have a manual mode if you want...if you have time. But I use my phone for quick snaps...QUICK being the operative word. I want to pull it out aim and shoot. My iphone5 took very acceptable pictures. The z3 compact has shown me grainy, bland looking shots in auto.
I don't get why auto mode isn't the most important mode for designers. It's a phone...not a camera...so make the auto mode work
Yeah, camera is definitely underwhelming. That being said though, it's better than most. My Moto X took absolutely horrid shots for the most part.
Crewville96 said:
Yeah, camera is definitely underwhelming. That being said though, it's better than most. My Moto X took absolutely horrid shots for the most part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from 2 years on the iphone5...I was under the impression that camera technology was pretty well mastered across the board. iphone makes it look easy. There's even an annoying lag between pressing the button and the shot being taken on the Z3...what the hell is up with that?
Eclypz said:
Auto mode uses a technique called oversampling to gather information with the 20MP sensor, then heavily processes the photo to whatever the software (Sony) decided was best (post-processing). The idea is you get the detail of a 20MP sensor, in a auto-corrected and down-sized 8MP resolution photo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, my z3c is still on the way. I have a question. Will the 8MP pictures I take in Manual mode be oversampled as well?
Because the sensor is still 20MP and if I manually adjust it to take only 8MP pictures what advantage do I have in having a sensor that is 20MP? I never print photos. Only watch it on my phone, laptop or my LED tv which is 1080p and 50" screen. I don't want photos that are too big in file size unless it is benefiting me in some sense other than for the purpose of printing and viewing in very large resolutions. I see that oversampling in auto mode is benefiting from a 20MP sensor but is that the case if I take 8MP pics in manual mode?
coolmalayalee said:
Well, my z3c is still on the way. I have a question. Will the 8MP pictures I take in Manual mode be oversampled as well?
Because the sensor is still 20MP and if I manually adjust it to take only 8MP pictures what advantage do I have in having a sensor that is 20MP? I never print photos. Only watch it on my phone, laptop or my LED tv which is 1080p and 50" screen. I don't want photos that are too big in file size unless it is benefiting me in some sense other than for the purpose of printing and viewing in very large resolutions. I see that oversampling in auto mode is benefiting from a 20MP sensor but is that the case if I take 8MP pics in manual mode?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
By selecting 8MP in manual mode, all you're doing is resizing the photo from 20MP (post processing). The sensor will always capture at its full resolution.
If you know you only want a 8MP photo, there is a small benefit in resizing the photo at the phone:
The first benefit is obviously file size, but before I get into the second reason, I need to explain something first: A picture that has been converted to JPG is considered to be post processed. The compression that the JPG engine performs means your image loses details and thus has been altered. I know I said above that Manual mode means the image isn't processed, but I really only said that for the sake of explaining things easier. The average user does not consider JPG compression as post processing and they probably don't care to know. The truth is, unless Sony allows us to capture images in RAW format, the act of converting all our images to JPG means our images are all being post processed whether we like it or not. The difference between manual and auto mode is really about "how much" post processing occurs. In manual, Sony is most likely just compressing to JPG (and probably lens distortion correction but I won't get into that now) , and not applying corrections like noise reduction.
As for how it may be beneficial to resize at the phone; JPG compression is usually the final step in post processing. So by resizing at the phone, the theory is the image is captured in [email protected] > resized to 8MP while still in RAW format > compressed to JPG.
This means you benefit from the photo being resized before it is "post processed". In theory, this method should leave you with a higher quality 8MP photo versus resizing from a computer. Resizing from a computer means you're applying post processing to an already "post processed" photo.
For the average user, 8MP is more than enough, however, this is not to say all phone cameras should come in 8MP. Keep in mind that there is a big difference between an image captured by a 8MP sensor vs being captured by a 20MP sensor and then resized to 8MP. The 20MP sensor can capture much more detail with proper/sufficient lighting.
@wooki (OP):
Especially the first comparison "Xperia Z Ultra Power Pack", the one you made with the Z3C is nothing but blurred. So what is it you're trying to show/compare? I mean, yes, may the Z3C doesn't come with the best camera on the market, and yes, the "Auto mode" does not always provide the best results. Not really sure you're into photography or not, but what can be expected from a lens not even half the size of a fingernail? Not too much, right?! Get an SLR with decent lenses and a full frame sensor if you need more/better.
However, the attached fotos were one of the first ones I made with the Z3C (in Auto Mode) and think it's quite ok. No processing, just resized them.
@sxtester
I was comparing my Z3C with my old phone (a 2 year old Xiaomi Mi2) which seems to have a very good auto mode. Was just asking if i was the only one who has had a bad automode experience and if someone knows how to improve it.
How do your pictures look like without resizing?
As i'm owning a WQHD Screen all my automode pictures look very bad!
I don't want to set up the manual mode every time i want to take a picture, this phone has a shutter button to make fast pictures and with the setup phase i lose time even if manual mode gives me excellent pictures.
Eclypz said:
Auto mode uses a technique called oversampling to gather information with the 20MP sensor, then heavily processes the photo to whatever the software (Sony) decided was best (post-processing). The idea is you get the detail of a 20MP sensor, in a auto-corrected and down-sized 8MP resolution photo. Oversampling is also why the Z3 has a small amount of "lossless" zoom. (ever tried "zooming" with other phone cameras? It usually leaves you with a terrible blob of digital noise)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The manual mode uses oversampling as well, if you select a lower resolution. I've compared an auto mode shot with a manual mode shot of the same scene, and both were equal in terms of details and noise. The main difference was that the auto mode shot looks far worse because it tends to use that horrible HDR which just washes out the photo and ruins the contrast to near non-existence. I find that "multi" light metering mode, selectable in manual mode, gives far better results than HDR on this phone.
---------- Post added at 07:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:20 PM ----------
Auto:
http://i.imgur.com/er38iZn.jpg
Manual:
http://i.imgur.com/Oqwl3KE.jpg
---------- Post added at 07:47 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:32 PM ----------
Furthermore, the pictures from this phone's camera would look a lot better if Sony used a better algorithm for their oversampling.
Here is a comparison between a 100% crop of an image taken using Sony's oversampling (8mp) (former attachment) and a 100% crop of a photo taken at 20mp, and then downsampled to the 8mp dimensions using Irfanview (latter attachment):
I agree....Sony's software is lacking compared to everybody else. Auto mode seems kind of hit or miss. Their camera sensors are excellent, as I believe the iPhone uses a Sony sensor, but the difference being Apple is able to process better looking images with their software. I also have a iPhone 5s, and I must agree that 7/10 times, I'll get a better looking image from the iPhone. In terms of capturing details, i think Z3C is better (as expected), but all my images from the Z3C are on the "red" side when shooting in auto-mode. In the end, the iPhone comes out with the better looking photo because I'd much rather have better colour re-production over slightly more detail that you wouldn't even notice unless you had a photo to compare against.
I still think the Z3C's camera is on par with the best from Samsung's Galaxy S5 and LG's G3 (Sony sensor). It's way better than my old HTC One M8's "ultrapixel".
On the Android side of things, I think Z3C is still top 3, and Top 5 in the Smartphone world (iPhone and Lumia above it).
wooki said:
@sxtester
How do your pictures look like without resizing?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@wooki:
Here you go, all unedited made in Auto Mode:
http://imgur.com/uMiM0Sh
http://imgur.com/0mYsf5U
http://imgur.com/vJ32fjT
http://imgur.com/8g7oJD7
degraaff said:
Here is a comparison between a 100% crop of an image taken using Sony's oversampling (8mp) (former attachment) and a 100% crop of a photo taken at 20mp, and then downsampled to the 8mp dimensions using Irfanview (latter attachment):
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sony's approach looks way better because it doesn't blur that heavily. If I want to blur away all the details, I can still do that myself.
This is a bit off-topic, but I don't really want to start a new thread just to ask such a silly question.
I've been playing with the camera app some more and is there seriously no "rule of thirds grid" in Sony's Camera app? I often like to use the grids to assist in making sure my shot is straight.
Iruwen said:
Sony's approach looks way better because it doesn't blur that heavily. If I want to blur away all the details, I can still do that myself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? Sony's approach is full of over sharpening artifacts and -auras, doesn't look better at all IMO.
One dumb quetion.
If i use another camera APP, it will improve the photo quality?
point_pt said:
One dumb quetion.
If i use another camera APP, it will improve the photo quality?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It depends. I choose CFV-5 and PNG image saving (rrather than JPG) and it looks much better then Superior auto, and sometimes better than Sony's Manual mode.

Settings for camera in OOS 4.0.X?

Isn't there settings for the stock camera? Like quality and size and stuff like that? Can't find it in the camera app, and I don't get what the HQ, HDR and HDR+ do, and also, it doesn't stay until the next time I use the camera.
/Söder
Ye I also dislike that the state of the camera app resets back to defaults. For quality and size, you select the 4:3 (3480x4640 = 16.1 Megapixels), 16:9 (2610x4640, 12.1MP) and 1:1 (3488x3488 = 12.2MP).
For advanced users, you have the manual mode.
HDR = High Dynamic Resolution
HDRa = auto-High Dynamic Resolution.
HQ = High Quality
For HDR you can easily google it.
The HQ mode I think tries to use multiple images to get best exposure results (better low-light results?).
HDR should be High Dynamic Range, and is in fact what you describe with multiple exposure.
Then, what should then Auto be in this story, and still, HQ in what way?
/Söder

Camera Manual Mode Scenario Question....

I am looking for a way to be able to adjust both shutter speed and Aperture. Unfortunately cannot seem to find such option anywhere.
I wonder why there is no aperture setting in Manual Mode and then, in Aperture Mode - there is no shutter speed setting....?!
Am I missing something?
Is there any third party camera application that can do that for me?
I would like to be able to take long exposure night pictures with settings - F16, S = 8 seconds, ISO100 (or lower).
Thanks!
Aperture mode isn't true aperture mode, it's just applying software effects to simulate changes in aperture.
Specs:
40MP RGB 1/1.7in type sensor, f/1.8 aperture
20MP monochrome, f/1.6 aperture
8MP 3x zoom, f/2.4 aperture
Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS) for all
24MP front camera, f/2.0 aperture
Laser autofocus and colour temperature sensor
theboylogan said:
Aperture mode isn't true aperture mode, it's just applying software effects to simulate changes in aperture.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! That is pitty...

Possibility best camera performance settings

I know this is an old phone and the new xperia 1 is far better. However, old but not obsolete :highfive: As an owner for almost half a year. I have been using (testing actually as I am not quite sure about the camera) the camera from time to time and here are my thoughts and the settings that creat tge best overall picture quality.
Ratio : 4:3
As choosing 4:3 can have more accurate autofocus then 16:9 and better sharpness sometimes.
Megapixels : 12mp for daily use (19mp for landscape and or objects far away)
From my testing, using 12mp can actually have less blurry pictures(Taking picture handheld). As according to sony tgat reading out a 19mp picture takes the sensor 1/120 seconds, a 12mp picture might be less than that. And since people may argue that 19mp have better detail to the picture while technically it is true. However the sensor is too small and the benefit is negligible on most of the shots.(But you still can see the difference) Night shot will get less noise too. (Its a noisy mess nonetheless )
Edit : Digital zooming in 19mp mode get much better detail than 12mp
Predictive Capture : Off for image quality (Auto if you have a shaky hands)
This is an interesting one. As sony won't tell you that turning this on can reduce chances of taking blurry pictures because the prediction analyze the viewfinder in real time(taking pictures with the dram time to time) which reduce the time of focusing and reading out picture when you press the button. (But pictures taken with it turned off sometimes have better details)
Object Tracking : On
It detects motion and counter any handshake(e.g. When taking photos on a car)
Its great to track slowly moving cars and buses too.
Also, it applies Scene Detection when you focus manually (e.g. Food mode or Tripod mode) which turnning it off and focus manually with a Blue Circle will not.
Auto-capturing : don't bother as it does not affect image quality
Lens correction : image quality
Edit : (offtopic) Steadyshot on actually fix the distortion on camcorder while taking videos.
Buttom line : The xz3 have a great sensor. That's what I can say (not lens, not software )
Offtopic : It will be great if Raw noise reduction comes to xz3 :highfive:
If you have any ways of getting better pictures, I would like to hear from you!! Correct me if I am wrong:highfive:
On Android 9 with software 52.0.A.8.131 no root
Edit : Predictive Capture on may cause ghosting on moving image. Better turn it off for better image quality.

Question 50mp mode - real 50mp vs upscaled

On my Find X3 Pro the 50 megapixel mode will generate JPGs with two wildly different outputs:
Real 50mp output from the sensor. It's not amazing but has some more detail than 12mp. And importantly no over-sharpening!
Fake 50mp, it's upscaled 12mp output, which is terrible (I suspect some reviewers like gsmarena got this, and this is why they said 50mp is a waste of time).
Sometimes I get #1, and sometimes I get #2. There isn't any warning in the UI.
I'm wondering how best to control this.
Here's my findings:
PHOTO > 50mp setting enabledOther settingOutputYesPHOTO > HDR Auto50mp JPG from upscaled 12mp source YesPHOTO > HDR Off50mp JPG from real 50mp source
Is HDR Off the only way to control if you get the full 50mp?
Does it depend on anything else like AI On/Off or how much light there is?
I wish there was a warning in the camera app that you were getting the fake vs real 50mp, or some way to lock it in Expert mode. (Don't get me started on how annoying it is that Expert mode flicks back to JPG instead of RAW after some time has passed).
Btw I'm using ColorOS12 (C47).
Good find, tks

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