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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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any chance for Slo Mo video (at least 120fps) with this "mythical camera app"?
rmagruder said:
Try some low light shots....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
After a day playing with LP on the Note 4 I'm a bit disappointed in Samsung's implementation. For me, the wait for LP was actually only for core feature (as I was perfectly happy with KitKat); Better camera support with LP !! The Note 4 has pretty amazing camera hardware for a phone, which was under KitKat limited by the OS.
Well things have NOT changed with Lollipop. Still no shutter speed control, no support for RAW. It's not LP Camerav2 API compatible Not even with thirdparty camera apps, who do support this on lollipop on other devices. According some developers I spoke (for instance from Camera FV-5) this is because Samsung has been cutting corners (again?) with result that these enhanced options probably will never be available on the Note 4 devices. If they manage to work around it, it will be probably by the time I already have my S6 and Note 5. Yes I know its only a phone camera, but with more (manual) control you can create amazing effects and with RAW support touching up a picture is so flexible and easy in light-room or Photoshop.
Another annoying thing in KK was the recent app button lag. Its a little better but still it lags (I rather think this is touchwiz UI related and not Android related). Finally a crazy move of Google, is to remove the silent mode and replace it with a "partly" broken notification priority schema and Samsung made this even worse by removing scheduled priories from this new feature.
So yes, the phone feels a little snappier in use then when I was running KK, but this limited LP implementation is a bummer for everyone who uses the Note camera regularly. For me it's for sure not what I expected nor I had hoped for. Some other things that are not implemented in the Samsung's lollipop release is the Multi-user option and Ambient light option. Honestly I would have rather waited for a month (or two) to receive a proper (more complete and less bugs) Lollipop then what it is now
EDIT: FIX for recent apps button lag in TouchWiz props to @2000Hugo works on kk and lp
http://forum.xda-developers.com/note-4/help/fix-recent-apps-button-lag-touchwiz-lp-t3033000
my 2 cents
I was wondering when such a thread would show up, it was long overdue. ?
You already have an app in general section which can capture raw pics in kitkat itself, check it out if you want. This is the very first release it's not fair to talk about recent lag, hope they tweak it in subsequent releases
Texted from Note 4
marleyb said:
recent app button lag. Its a little better but still it lags.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, that is exactly and ALL I am disappointed in... Samsung seem incapable of making a phone that is as smooth as a Nexus 5, despite faster processor and more ram.
Mark.
iridaki said:
I was wondering when such a thread would show up, it was long overdue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Lol @iridaki Well its my point of view based on feedback from camera app developers I received today. But yes I'm quick on the money for sure
bala_gamer said:
You already have an app in general section which can capture raw pics in kitkat itself, check it out if you want. This is the very first release it's not fair to talk about recent lag, hope they tweak it in subsequent releases
Texted from Note 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@bala_gamer I'm aware of that, but the the beauty is (or in case of the Note 4 rather was) that with LP this could be done straight from within the stock camera app (shutter speed too). The recent apps lag was already a problem in KK so honestly I think its more TW UI then android OS related. So yes I think it would be fair if they would have fixed this by now. (But I'm perfectly happy with a lagging recent app button too) Limited camera driver implementation is a whole other story. I think that ship is sailed already for the Note4
bala_gamer said:
You already have an app in general section which can capture raw pics in kitkat itself, check it out if you want. This is the very first release it's not fair to talk about recent lag, hope they tweak it in subsequent releases
Texted from Note 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you share the link or tell me the name?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/lg-g2/general/app-mi2raw-enables-capturing-real-raw-t2837089
I know mi2raw but only works with Sony IMX135 sensor.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2753946
Freedcam seems supported Samsung but the result may not good as OP stated and it is only for Qualcomm model, no Exynos.
Samsung not pushing updates? people unhappy. Samsung pushes updates? people unhappy.
Raw support? on a phone? if you know how to use raw and what its for, you most likely have a DSLR.
Complaints! Complaints everywhere ! :laugh:
marleyb said:
Well things have NOT changed with Lollipop. Still no shutter speed control, no support for RAW. Not even with thirdparty camera apps, who do support this on lollipop on other devices. According some developers I spoke (for instance from Camera FV-5) this is because Samsung has been cutting corners (again?) with result that these enhanced options probably will never be available on the Note 4 devices. If they manage to work around it, it will be probably by the time I already have my S6 and Note 5 (still a big IF) Yes I know its a phone camera, but with more control you can create amazing effects and with RAW support touching up a picture is so flexible and easy in light-room or Photoshop.
my 2 cents
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm thinking to buy Note4 but no RAW and manual shutter really hurt me. Can you tell me is there night mode and portrait night available there in Lollipop? Because since 4.4 Samsung removed them(note2/note3) in the scene menu and only leave auto mode.
---------- Post added at 01:51 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:48 AM ----------
mih3y said:
Samsung not pushing updates? people unhappy. Samsung pushes updates? people unhappy.
Raw support? on a phone? if you know how to use raw and what its for, you most likely have a DSLR.
Complaints! Complaints everywhere ! :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's not about complaints because RAW and manual shutter will be included on Galaxy S6 but considered Note4 is still very new and no reason to not implement it for us.
RAW is even a bit more important on camera phone because the white balance, exposure and jpg compression is just too bad implemented.
TheEndHK said:
I'm thinking to buy Note4 but no RAW and manual shutter really hurt me. Can you tell me is there night mode and portrait night available there in Lollipop? Because since 4.4 Samsung removed them(note2/note3) in the scene menu and only leave auto mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
To be fair, auto mode detects low light situations very accurately and the results aren't half bad, especially for a phone.
iridaki said:
To be fair, auto mode detects low light situations very accurately and the results aren't half bad, especially for a phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really I don't think so, it may be good for you and some other guys but not me. I've tested the Note4 today in a phone store and portrait night mode will only enabled in extreme low light environment and there is even still no pure night mode available.
mih3y said:
Samsung not pushing updates? people unhappy. Samsung pushes updates? people unhappy.
Raw support? on a phone? if you know how to use raw and what its for, you most likely have a DSLR.
Complaints! Complaints everywhere ! :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Partly true, I don't have a DSLR but know my way in Adobe products. Shutter speed and f-stop control can be found on a 40 dollar camera and is basic photo making knowledge (don't have to be a rocket scientist to use it for great effects) In previous Android versions this was "as we all know" not possible due to limited hardware support from the camera API. One of the major improvements in LP is that this is now possible . Well it is on other LP devices, but not on the Note 4 and if my information is right (I'm no developer) it will not happen .
TheEndHK said:
Really I don't think so, it may be good for you and some other guys but not me. I've tested the Note4 today in a phone store and portrait night mode will only enabled in extreme low light environment and there is even still no pure night mode available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have to agree totally on this
marleyb said:
Partly true, I don't have a DSLR but know my way in Adobe products. Shutter speed and diaphragm control can be found on a 40 dollar camera and is basic photo making knowledge (don't have to be a rocket scientist to use it for great effects) In previous Android versions this was "as we all know" not possible due to limited hardware support from the camera API. One of the major improvements in LP is that this is now possible . Well it is on other LP devices, but not on the Note 4 and if my information is right (I'm no developer) it will not happen .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
While it may now be possible in LP, I'm not surprised Samsung hasn't implemented these changes yet. These are great features but also very niche. Most users wouldn't care about them or even use them in everyday situations. As such, Samsung may very well implement them down the line (which would be great), but again for most people no one would notice them being there or not...so Samsung focuses instead on other priorities (like ensuring full functionality with Gear VR, which has the potential to make them a ton of money if it gets more mainstream, etc).
TheEndHK said:
Really I don't think so, it may be good for you and some other guys but not me. I've tested the Note4 today in a phone store and portrait night mode will only enabled in extreme low light environment and there is even still no pure night mode available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, I see the need for more control over camera modes.
However, I did not quite get what you're trying to say here. Do you own the Note 4 or you just tried a display model in a store? And if you do own the device, did you try it in a store environment? It's no surprise that night mode didn't kick in, stores tend to have lights on and whatnot. ?
I'm not arguing about how the lack of Night mode may be a drawback for some, I'm just not entirely sure you have tested the device properly enough to form such a strong opinion.
Sent from my SM-N910H using Tapatalk
iridaki said:
OK, I see the need for more control over camera modes.
However, I did not quite get what you're trying to say here. Do you own the Note 4 or you just tried a display model in a store? And if you do own the device, did you try it in a store environment? It's no surprise that night mode didn't kick in, stores tend to have lights on and whatnot. ?
I'm not arguing about how the lack of Night mode may be a drawback for some, I'm just not entirely sure you have tested the device properly enough to form such a strong opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope, you exactly get what I meant. Yes, I don't really have the device but I like to shoot photo with night mode to have the best quality during at indoor environment(most people would not do that so auto mode don't turn on but this is my personal preference). And Note4 seems to lack of pure night mode, even though the screen is completely dark, there is still only portrait night mode on.
I"m started to thinking about Galaxy S6 because RAW and manual shutter speed is implemented(so I can create a night mode myself) but it is just way over priced and excess my budget.
iridaki said:
OK, I see the need for more control over camera modes.
However, I did not quite get what you're trying to say here. Do you own the Note 4 or you just tried a display model in a store? And if you do own the device, did you try it in a store environment? It's no surprise that night mode didn't kick in, stores tend to have lights on and whatnot.
I'm not arguing about how the lack of Night mode may be a drawback for some, I'm just not entirely sure you have tested the device properly enough to form such a strong opinion.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think he has the Note 4 @iridaki and I agree a store environment is not the best place to test a phones camera. But I do own the Note 4 since release and I have to agree on the night mode. Also it's not only night shots that benefit amazingly from shutter and f-stop control. You can create more dept in landscape shots and nice effects with moving objects against a steady background too. They could do it with the Nexus devices with the LP upgrade (not fair to compare I guess) but also the One plus and LG could do it. So then I'm disappointed that Samsung left a (for me at least) major LP feature on the drawingboard instead of implementing it.
Oh this a pretty good article on what it should have been (and is on other LP devices)
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8274/understanding-androids-camera-hal3
TheEndHK said:
Nope, you exactly get what I meant. Yes, I don't really have the device but I like to shoot photo with night mode to have the best quality during at indoor environment(most people would not do that so auto mode don't turn on but this is my personal preference). And Note4 seems to lack of pure night mode, even though the screen is completely dark, there is still only portrait night mode on.
I"m started to thinking about Galaxy S6 because RAW and manual shutter speed is implemented(so I can create a night mode myself) but it is just way over priced and excess my budget.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, so you don't own the device, therefore you cannot dismiss my personal opinion, because I have been using this phone for 3 months now and I've taken hundreds of photos with it in a variety of places and situations.
I understand you need Night mode and that is perfectly reasonable but posting in the forums of a device you do not own to say that its camera is not good enough for you, is a bit provoking.
I believe the S6 will indeed have an improved camera but I'm sure other devices available now and later will too. And I hope you'll be able to get one of them and be happy with it.
marleyb said:
I don't think he has the Note 4 @iridaki and I agree a store environment is not the best place to test a phones camera. But I do own the Note 4 since release and I have to agree on the night mode. Also it's not only night shots that benefit amazingly from shutter and f-stop control. You can create more dept in landscape shots and nice effects with moving objects against a steady background too. They could do it with the Nexus devices with the LP upgrade (not fair to compare I guess) but also the One plus and LG could do it. So then I'm disappointed that Samsung left a (for me at least) major LP feature on the drawingboard instead of implementing it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not saying that the lack of Night mode and shutter speed control couldn't be construed as drawbacks, I'm with you on that. It was more his attitude "It may work for you but not for me" which was very arrogant for someone who hasn't actually tried the device in everyday circumstances.
Anyway, I see the source of frustration and I agree that it'd be nice if Samsung had taken advantage of the new LP APIs.
I think that they've done a good job with Lollipop, everything works nice and smooth, the recent apps works perfectly fine for me...the only thing I dislike is that there is no animation when clicking the recent apps button while in an app...also camera works good, it's a shame there is no night mode but image stabilisation does the job pretty good(they should have added an option to turn it off or on though).
Hi.
We all want better camera control and access to manual controls for our Note 4 camera.
Google has made that possible with Camera API 2 in Android 5. But Samsung decided not to implement that into they're Android 5 build for Note 4.
This will give us Manual shutter control, more ISO control, Manual blender and so on.
I have started a petition at: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/implement-camera-api-2-in-note-4-firmware
Please sign
yeah i really want this camera2 api, i really love the custom controls on my Lumia would be perfect if they came to the note too.
I want to vote but the page you linked is not availible
Daemonum1980 said:
yeah i really want this camera2 api, i really love the custom controls on my Lumia would be perfect if they came to the note too.
I want to vote but the page you linked is not availible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ups. link fixed
..
I want this too, sure.. But isn't there a way a developer can actually transfer part of the camera firmware from the s6 to the note 4?
@arovik
Petition should also Include
-Fast Firmwares Updates
-Update Apps like Gallery and Launcher just like HTC and Sony Do
Camera2 API would be perfect, but let's face it, Samsung will not react to an online petition and give us what we want.
As far as I know the Galaxy S6 supports Camera2 API, so chances are high that we'll get a Note 5 in autumn that will also support it.
Stefan0vic said:
I want this too, sure.. But isn't there a way a developer can actually transfer part of the camera firmware from the s6 to the note 4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No no.. Closed source Sammy firmware that controls the hardware.. It would be awesome (and incredibly difficult) for a Dev to implement something like this.
foo said:
Camera2 API would be perfect, but let's face it, Samsung will not react to an online petition and give us what we want.
As far as I know the Galaxy S6 supports Camera2 API, so chances are high that we'll get a Note 5 in autumn that will also support it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes S6 does (but still NOT 100%)..Figures! Still no manual shutter and one other of the main api's (can't remember which one)
But yes you're right Sammy won't do anything about a petition.
I was however practically praying for this before their LP firmware came out! But of course Sammy didn't and I just don't know why! (left out multi-users from LP too)
But this is so sweet in LP and gives their more advanced users the pro/manual controls we all crave!
Especially this camera (which for the most part is incredible but has one major flaw) where the shutter speed is way too damn slow.. It's indoor/lower lighting shooting just causes way too much motion blur - basically my one major gripe with this awesome phone.. Us with kids who like to take lots of indoor candid shots (and lighting isn't absolutely perfect as Sammy expects) will often get motion blur in parts even with the slightest movements.. Better hope your subjects stay immaculately still and don't breathe, flinch, move an inch lol!
Damn I want Camera2 on this.. Maybe (if ever) on 5.1.x? Probably not though.. Note5 and flagships beyond
electech13 said:
No no.. Closed source Sammy firmware that controls the hardware.. It would be awesome (and incredibly difficult) for a Dev to implement something like this.
Yes S6 does (but still NOT 100%)..Figures! Still no manual shutter and one other of the main api's (can't remember which one)
But yes you're right Sammy won't do anything about a petition.
I was however practically praying for this before their LP firmware came out! But of course Sammy didn't and I just don't know why! (left out multi-users from LP too)
But this is so sweet in LP and gives their more advanced users the pro/manual controls we all crave!
Especially this camera (which for the most part is incredible but has one major flaw) where the shutter speed is way too damn slow.. It's indoor/lower lighting shooting just causes way too much motion blur - basically my one major gripe with this awesome phone.. Us with kids who like to take lots of indoor candid shots (and lighting isn't absolutely perfect as Sammy expects) will often get motion blur in parts even with the slightest movements.. Better hope your subjects stay immaculately still and don't breathe, flinch, move an inch lol!
Damn I want Camera2 on this.. Maybe (if ever) on 5.1.x? Probably not though.. Note5 and flagships beyond
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Click to collapse
They'll do nothing about it on the Note 4 and market it as a new feature on the Note 5.
Batfink33 said:
They'll do nothing about it on the Note 4 and market it as a new feature on the Note 5.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
simple .. i ll buy a nexus or an htc or a sony
Count me in!!!!!!!!!
Count me 2
electech13 said:
No no.. Closed source Sammy firmware that controls the hardware.. It would be awesome (and incredibly difficult) for a Dev to implement something like this.
Yes S6 does (but still NOT 100%)..Figures! Still no manual shutter and one other of the main api's (can't remember which one)
But yes you're right Sammy won't do anything about a petition.
I was however practically praying for this before their LP firmware came out! But of course Sammy didn't and I just don't know why! (left out multi-users from LP too)
But this is so sweet in LP and gives their more advanced users the pro/manual controls we all crave!
Especially this camera (which for the most part is incredible but has one major flaw) where the shutter speed is way too damn slow.. It's indoor/lower lighting shooting just causes way too much motion blur - basically my one major gripe with this awesome phone.. Us with kids who like to take lots of indoor candid shots (and lighting isn't absolutely perfect as Sammy expects) will often get motion blur in parts even with the slightest movements.. Better hope your subjects stay immaculately still and don't breathe, flinch, move an inch lol!
Damn I want Camera2 on this.. Maybe (if ever) on 5.1.x? Probably not though.. Note5 and flagships beyond
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is my biggest problem. Shots during the day are fantastic, but anything in "less than outside light" (not low light...) come out ... Meh... I had the 930 and the 1520, wow, those took FANTASTIC photos! In almost every lighting condition. And EVERY Review for the Note 4 said how it was just as good or better... I couldn't believe they said that... The Note 4 camera leaves a lot to be desired in the camera department. I hope they fix this. If they don't, since I change devices frequently, I can promise my next device WON'T be a Samsung device. Other than that, and the lousy lag for recent apps and reviewing picture after taking it on the camera (all very well documented), I'm very happy.
Bring Camera2.0!
The problem with too slow shutter speeds can be controlled to some extend.
When I use a real camera with a fixed focal length lens, I have control over shutter speed, aperture and ISO. This 3 variables mainly define the outcome of my picture.
On a smartphone the aperture is fixed, so only 2 variables are available in theory: Shutter speed and ISO.
If I increase the shutter speed, there is less time for the light to hit my sensor, to compensate this, I have to increase the ISO (and get more noise), but moving subjects will be less blurry. Unfortunately we need camera2 API to do this.
BUT: as ISO and shutter speed are directly related I can do it the other way round. If you increase the ISO the shutter speed will also increase, so setting the ISO to the highest value (and not "auto") will increase noise in your picture, but it will also increase the shutter speed.
You can also trick the metering to increase the shutter speed even more, by adjusting the exposure value ("EV"). If you decrease the EV by -1, your picture will be darker as you requested the camera to collect less light by doing so, but this will lead to an increase of the shutter speed as well.
Last but not least you can add more light by forcing the LED-flash to fire no matter what.
The app "Camera FV-5" allows to set a fixed ISO of 1600 while the stock camera app limits this to ISO 800.
You may want to try this out, if you're taking pictures of your moving kids indoors.
One more thing: If noise becomes too bad you may try to convert the image to black and white. As color noise is not an issue in b/w images, your image may look much better as in color (luminance noise will still be present though).
foo said:
The problem with too slow shutter speeds can be controlled to some extend.
When I use a real camera with a fixed focal length lens, I have control over shutter speed, aperture and ISO. This 3 variables mainly define the outcome of my picture.
On a smartphone the aperture is fixed, so only 2 variables are available in theory: Shutter speed and ISO.
If I increase the shutter speed, there is less time for the light to hit my sensor, to compensate this, I have to increase the ISO (and get more noise), but moving subjects will be less blurry. Unfortunately we need camera2 API to do this.
BUT: as ISO and shutter speed are directly related I can do it the other way round. If you increase the ISO the shutter speed will also increase, so setting the ISO to the highest value (and not "auto") will increase noise in your picture, but it will also increase the shutter speed.
You can also trick the metering to increase the shutter speed even more, by adjusting the exposure value ("EV"). If you decrease the EV by -1, your picture will be darker as you requested the camera to collect less light by doing so, but this will lead to an increase of the shutter speed as well.
Last but not least you can add more light by forcing the LED-flash to fire no matter what.
The app "Camera FV-5" allows to set a fixed ISO of 1600 while the stock camera app limits this to ISO 800.
You may want to try this out, if you're taking pictures of your moving kids indoors.
One more thing: If noise becomes too bad you may try to convert the image to black and white. As color noise is not an issue in b/w images, your image may look much better as in color (luminance noise will still be present though).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know all this stuff as I use DSLR's a lot but those are all unfortunate work-a-rounds or bands aids for this phone.
Other then the fixed aperture Camera2 would give access to everything else and open up a lot of possibilities.
The S6 and G4 with their f1.9 and f1.8 apertures respectively are insane.. Makes a big difference. S6 pics are phenomenal and what I've seen in G4 reviews are even better, especially in low light!
Btw I love Camera FV-5 and Snap HDR.. Amazing apps and help a bit but this note can't access all of their amazing features... Due to no camera2 of course... Grrrr
---------- Post added at 02:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 02:03 AM ----------
zkyevolved said:
This is my biggest problem. Shots during the day are fantastic, but anything in "less than outside light" (not low light...) come out ... Meh... I had the 930 and the 1520, wow, those took FANTASTIC photos! In almost every lighting condition. And EVERY Review for the Note 4 said how it was just as good or better... I couldn't believe they said that... The Note 4 camera leaves a lot to be desired in the camera department. I hope they fix this. If they don't, since I change devices frequently, I can promise my next device WON'T be a Samsung device. Other than that, and the lousy lag for recent apps and reviewing picture after taking it on the camera (all very well documented), I'm very happy.
Bring Camera2.0!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep... It sucks.. There are so many who think this is literally the best camera ever and go on and on.. And it is good but that one (in my case) big scenario, it really sucks! It was made for perfect lighting and if so the shots are incredible.
Sure.. Crank up the ISO all the way and get a super noise filled shot or try the useless "sport mode" lol.. Even then, shutter still too slow
heh just checked back on this topic and it's going great guys, we will have api2 in 2075 if we kep em going like this
But seriously, we need to spread the word for this petition or nothing will happen.
SquirtingCherry said:
heh just checked back on this topic and it's going great guys, we will have api2 in 2075 if we kep em going like this
But seriously, we need to spread the word for this petition or nothing will happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
serious, nothing will happen anyways, petition or not. Do you guys seriously think Samsung will care about the 0.0001 % of users who actually know what Camera V2 compatibility is. If you want really want it, buy a Note 5 in a couple of months or S6/edge if you want it now. Let's face it Note 4 is already outdated
Initial review and comparison after 1 day.
I am a self certified phone junky and a proud dad and here is my initial review and comparison between the OnePlus 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S8,
Design.
Well this one is a no brainer the Samsung Galaxy S8 makes the OnePlus 5 look dated even though both of the screens are excellent in terms of contrast, viewing in direct sunlight the curved edges and form factor are a massive win for me with the Samsung.
Win Samsung Galaxy S8
Build Quality
Both phones are superbly built I was very apprehensive about the OnePlus 5 due to hearing lots of horror stories about the fit and finish of the product and luckily enough mine is free of any of these defects.
Win Samsung Galaxy S8 and OnePlus 5
Features
The stock OOS has some very nice features such as gesture support, remapping the capacitive buttons to perform other functions and is very well laid out and easy to find what you need.
The Samsung is well a complete mess way too many options in way too many categories and you have to search to find anything as it can be buried very deep.
The vast majority of the features on the Galaxy S8 I do not use nor care for basically.
Win OnePlus 5
Camera
This is a big one after reading review after review I did not have very high expectations of the OnePlus 5 specially when compared to my other phone the Samsung Galaxy S8.
However until you zoom in the photo’s actually look pretty good as long as you use HQ or Pro mode (the HDR modes are very poor)
I am definitely not a camera expert and what makes a good camera for me is can it take a “Clear Photo” of my manic 4 year old daughter without any motion blur or other artifacts.
The camera on the Galaxy S8 is much better you can rely on this to take excellent photos every time you want to use it and even when zoomed in the photo’s remain clear, crisp with no water color effect which the OnePlus 5 has.
Win Samsung Galaxy S8
Performance.
This is very easy for me to state the OnePlus 5 is one of the fastest phones I have ever owned and it has none of the lag or stutter of the Galaxy S8 (why oh why with so much power under the hood does the S8 have stutters in the UI)
Easy victory for the OnePlus 5
Thanks for your summary which in many aspects copies my own experience (presently have both and have to decide which to keep).
I'm still looking for a good camera app from playstore to copy the excellent image processing of the Samsung camera app.
To add to the points above: from my comparison the OP5 is vastly superior in GPS reception to my (Eynos) S8 !
s3axel said:
Thanks for your summary which in many aspects copies my own experience (presently have both and have to decide which to keep).
I'm still looking for a good camera app from playstore to copy the excellent image processing of the Samsung camera app.
To add to the points above: from my comparison the OP5 is vastly superior in GPS reception to my (Eynos) S8 !
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Click to collapse
Try Cameringo+, that has some good processing ...
So how did the OP5 do at photos of your 4 year old? I have a 1yr and 5yr old and have the same struggles to get clear shots.
atistang said:
So how did the OP5 do at photos of your 4 year old? I have a 1yr and 5yr old and have the same struggles to get clear shots.
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It did ok although not as life like as the S8.
daleski75 said:
It did ok although not as life like as the S8.
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Looks like it focused good though. Was that HQ or HDR? I've read recently that the OP5 seems to have sharper pictures in HQ mode.
atistang said:
Looks like it focused good though. Was that HQ or HDR? I've read recently that the OP5 seems to have sharper pictures in HQ mode.
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Click to collapse
I think they where all in HQ
daleski75 said:
It did ok although not as life like as the S8.
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Click to collapse
Oh she's adorable! So cute. I'm no photographer, but the picture quality looks good to me.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Updated to 4.5.5 yesterday and took some more photos was quite surprised by the results.
Link to the originals https://goo.gl/photos/kzY2SeMxPZ5yXmXv8
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
daleski75 said:
Updated to 4.5.5 yesterday and took some more photos was quite surprised by the results.
Link to the originals https://goo.gl/photos/kzY2SeMxPZ5yXmXv8
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk
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Click to collapse
Very nice!! Moving kids was the Achilles heel of OP3T :good::good: With op3t I basically could not a get a decent picture with my kid unless she was in complete standstill*
*You need Tom Cruise for that – i.e. Mission Impossible X
Bought this phone yesterday. I'm new to Samsung. I had seen and read a lot of reviews and articles, and all were very positive about the camera, but in my experience its very disappointing. Especially the front facing camera. It's always blurry, and what is up with all that smoothing out??? Even when it's off it just does the same. I haven't changed any special settings. After looking for a solution I see that I'm not the only one experiencing this. Is this just a question of taste, or is there really something "broken" at the moment with this camera?? I'm really considiring returning this phone. 1000€ and this is the picture quality I get?
I paid considerably less than 1000€ a week after launch, I think I'd return it if I paid that much. I've had some good photos from the camera and also less impressive ones, it seems Pro mode is the place to be.
Yes the selfie cam sucks. Too much post processing causing the smoothing effect. I'm not an Instagram model, I don't need to look airbrushed.
The rear shooters though can produce some really nice pics.
It's the software that causes issues. The hardware is solid.
The other option is to download GCam which uses Google's HDR Processing from the Pixel devices. It produces really nice photos. Some GCam builds have Night Sight working as well.
You might find this link useful for installing GCam, it seems to be a bit hit and miss, the camera works for a little while and then just force closes every time it's launched.
melchiar said:
Bought this phone yesterday. I'm new to Samsung. I had seen and read a lot of reviews and articles, and all were very positive about the camera, but in my experience its very disappointing. Especially the front facing camera. It's always blurry, and what is up with all that smoothing out??? Even when it's off it just does the same. I haven't changed any special settings. After looking for a solution I see that I'm not the only one experiencing this. Is this just a question of taste, or is there really something "broken" at the moment with this camera?? I'm really considiring returning this phone. 1000€ and this is the picture quality I get?
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Click to collapse
Welcome to the esteemed club of Note 9 owners! unfortunately a lot of us are already having this issue and understand exactly how you feel! there is a thread on here already about this: see below
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/help/galaxy-note-9-camera-sharp-t3835459
and trust me its annoying having paid so much for this device and then get this rubbish picture quality!.... and I bet you any money Samsung folks read these forums so whether its a case of "cant be bothered" or "working on it", no one knows!
I hear the point about Gcam download as an option but I really feel I should not need to download additional software to make up for Samsung's lapses. We buy this device cos we love it and desperately want it to work, guess Samsung makes them only to get our money... not rocket science who the real losers are !
123
willhemmens said:
I paid considerably less than 1000€ a week after launch, I think I'd return it if I paid that much. I've had some good photos from the camera and also less impressive ones, it seems Pro mode is the place to be.
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Click to collapse
Tbh I also paid far less. But still, one expects to get a decent camera for this price and all that marketing jibberjabber. How come all big YouTube tech reviewers praise this camera ?! Money makes them dance
Mr. Orange 645 said:
Yes the selfie cam sucks. Too much post processing causing the smoothing effect. I'm not an Instagram model, I don't need to look airbrushed.
The rear shooters though can produce some really nice pics.
It's the software that causes issues. The hardware is solid.
The other option is to download GCam which uses Google's HDR Processing from the Pixel devices. It produces really nice photos. Some GCam builds have Night Sight working as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll give it a try.. but this is ffin low. That we even have to this..
willhemmens said:
You might find this link useful for installing GCam, it seems to be a bit hit and miss, the camera works for a little while and then just force closes every time it's launched.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx
william-johnson said:
Welcome to the esteemed club of Note 9 owners! unfortunately a lot of us are already having this issue and understand exactly how you feel! there is a thread on here already about this: see below
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/help/galaxy-note-9-camera-sharp-t3835459
and trust me its annoying having paid so much for this device and then get this rubbish picture quality!.... and I bet you any money Samsung folks read these forums so whether its a case of "cant be bothered" or "working on it", no one knows!
I hear the point about Gcam download as an option but I really feel I should not need to download additional software to make up for Samsung's lapses. We buy this device cos we love it and desperately want it to work, guess Samsung makes them only to get our money... not rocket science who the real losers are !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree
-----------
Now if these problems can be fixed with future updates that would be great, but is there communication from Samsung about this? And can this be fixed with (near) future updates.
william-johnson said:
Welcome to the esteemed club of Note 9 owners! unfortunately a lot of us are already having this issue and understand exactly how you feel! there is a thread on here already about this: see below
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/help/galaxy-note-9-camera-sharp-t3835459
and trust me its annoying having paid so much for this device and then get this rubbish picture quality!.... and I bet you any money Samsung folks read these forums so whether its a case of "cant be bothered" or "working on it", no one knows!
I hear the point about Gcam download as an option but I really feel I should not need to download additional software to make up for Samsung's lapses. We buy this device cos we love it and desperately want it to work, guess Samsung makes them only to get our money... not rocket science who the real losers are !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you don't have any third party apps on your device?
I'm about to return my phone and get my money back.. But i'm still doubting. .. Can these problems be fixed with future updates? Can we expect a good stock camera app in the near future?
melchiar said:
I'm about to return my phone and get my money back.. But i'm still doubting. .. Can these problems be fixed with future updates? Can we expect a good stock camera app in the near future?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only likely upgrade would be Samsung's take on Night sight, I wouldn't expect any miracles.
Guys, hey, HW is solid as someone said, i also have some issues with cam quality, i thing that we must wait till we have pie update and then see what changes. Like im working with audio eq and for example player FIIOX5 III sounds quite bad at beggining, but later firmware updates makes it much better. So i thing - wait for software update and then decide to do something with it or ask for refound.
DeVilio said:
Guys, hey, HW is solid as someone said, i also have some issues with cam quality, i thing that we must wait till we have pie update and then see what changes. Like im working with audio eq and for example player FIIOX5 III sounds quite bad at beggining, but later firmware updates makes it much better. So i thing - wait for software update and then decide to do something with it or ask for refound.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thx for your input
It's been hit and miss too for me, coming from a Pixel 2 XL.
Things are considerably better since I use the Arnova's Gcam port (better than my Pixel 2 XL in fact), and it made me realize Samsung's app/post-processing is the issue, not the Note 9 camera/sensor
Samsung needs to go back to the drawing board and do something about that agressive, over the top post-processing. Like I said, Gcam produces way better, more natural looking like pics, and most of all, they're not blurry (faster shutter time with Gcam maybe?)
Phazonclash said:
It's been hit and miss too for me, coming from a Pixel 2 XL.
Things are considerably better since I use the Arnova's Gcam port (better than my Pixel 2 XL in fact), and it made me realize Samsung's app/post-processing is the issue, not the Note 9 camera/sensor
Samsung needs to go back to the drawing board and do something about that agressive, over the top post-processing. Like I said, Gcam produces way better, more natural looking like pics, and most of all, they're not blurry (faster shutter time with Gcam maybe?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried the one via official XDA
https://www.xda-developers.com/google-camera-port-hub/
Is there difference with the Arnova port?
melchiar said:
Have you tried the one via official XDA
https://www.xda-developers.com/google-camera-port-hub/
Is there difference with the Arnova port?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More features like Advanced HDR+ and Night Sight are working for me with Arnova's builds vs the one you just posted.
https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/dev-arnova8G2/
Can you post some sample pics? This phone is consistently rated as one of the top cameras on the market and I have to say that I'm not disappointed. In good conditions it's hard to say that it's any worse than my DLSR with expensive lenses. Night shots are excellent too. If your rear camera is as bad as you claim, perhaps there is a hardware problem? The front camera does apply a lot of post processing (which I'm not a fan of either) but you can turn most of it off.
TLDR: either you have an actual hardware problem or insanely high expectations, the camera on this phone is just about the best on the market. When I say that it comes close to my DSLR, I'm not kidding.
Phazonclash said:
More features like Advanced HDR+ and Night Sight are working for me with Arnova's builds vs the one you just posted.
https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/dev-arnova8G2/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I added a screenshot. Do you install the first one or the second one?
Edit: the first one force closes every time, and the second one doesn't have all options it seems, like night vision en HDR+
melchiar said:
I added a screenshot. Do you install the first one or the second one?
Edit: the first one force closes every time, and the second one doesn't have all options it seems, like night vision en HDR+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the one you want: https://f.celsoazevedo.com/file/gcamera/MGC_6.1.021_BSG_Arnova-based_v.1.3d_TlnNeun_2.apk
If it force-closes on launch, that's because it was installed over an older version, just clear data + cache and relaunch, it will work
Reading some of these comments . . . The stock camera app takes fantastic looking pictures IF the subject is not moving. Try taking a picture of your kid or pet doing anything BUT standing still and the photo is a blurred mess. Wish the shutter speed was faster smh not holding my breath on Samsung fixing it thru an update
EclipseGST20 said:
Reading some of these comments . . . The stock camera app takes fantastic looking pictures IF the subject is not moving. Try taking a picture of your kid or pet doing anything BUT standing still and the photo is a blurred mess. Wish the shutter speed was faster smh not holding my breath on Samsung fixing it thru an update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use Pro mode if you want to be able to specify your shutter speed, I find the raw's are pretty good once they've had some basic touch-ups.