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[Q] Z3C Camera... a dealbreaker?

I am in the market for a new phone. I use an old Samsung S3 now. The Z3Compact seems perfect, but my only concern is the camera. I use my phone as my main camera, but general consensus seems to be that it is not as good as the camera on the S5 of iPhone6. I like to shoot directly in HDR mode, but that seems to be a problem on the Z3. Without rooting, could I install the Google Camera apk and if so, would the Z3C be able to use the HDR mode from the Google Camera app?
Or should I change my plans and go for the S5?

The Google camera app on the Play Store installs fine. I'll post some comparison shots later this morning.
My sister has an S3 and we were taking comparison photos in her kitchen yesterday - obviously the z3c is a significant step up in quality from the S3, though I realize that's not really your question.

Thanks! And it is no problem to use the HDR setting in the Google Camera app? On my Nexus 7 the HDR is greyed-out in the Google Camera App, it will nog show up on every device i read in the Google Q&A

Google camera app permits HDR on the z3c.
Sony camera app also has HDR toggle in manual mode, but is grayed out if resolution is set higher than 8mp.
I know of several reviews claiming that Sony's Superior Auto mode isn't HDR, but since that mode captures at 8mp I'm wondering if it doesn't use it's internal HDR algorithm in auto mode, despite what I've seen the reviewers claim. I can't really tell the difference between Superior Auto and Manual 8mp HDR photos taken with the Sony camera app.
---------- Post added at 12:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:08 PM ----------
Ok, here are some comparison pictures of the Z3C's camera, using both the Sony Camera App, and the Google Camera App from the Play store.
I have uploaded the pictures to an imgur album, and added descriptions for the six photos. Just for clarity's sake, I should mention I am not really into photography that much, and my skills are probably not up to par for composing or technique, so take that into account.
There are six pictures (they're labeled appropriately in the album, but I'm reproducing them here so people can decide if they're interested before viewing them, since the images are large):
1) Sony App, Superior Auto setting (8mp), No Flash
2) Sony App, Superior Auto setting (8mp), Flash
3) Sony App, Manual Setting at 20mp, No Flash
4) Sony App, Manual Setting at 20mp, Flash
5) Google App, HDR setting at 20mp, No Flash
6) Google App, HDR setting at 20mp, Flash
Here is the link to the imgur album:
http://imgur.com/a/KjL4D#0
Hope this is helpful.

I just did a quick Google cam vs stock cam test myself. The stock cam in auto mode definitely takes pics that are a little on the cold side. In manual mode though, it was more accurate. The google cam seemed more or less the same. I'm sticking with the stock Sony cam.

DrPanz said:
I am in the market for a new phone. I use an old Samsung S3 now. The Z3Compact seems perfect, but my only concern is the camera. I use my phone as my main camera, but general consensus seems to be that it is not as good as the camera on the S5 of iPhone6. I like to shoot directly in HDR mode, but that seems to be a problem on the Z3. Without rooting, could I install the Google Camera apk and if so, would the Z3C be able to use the HDR mode from the Google Camera app?
Or should I change my plans and go for the S5?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
People shouldn't act as if the camera is bad, it's not bad at all. Just in some situations it under performs against iOS and the S5 for example, but in other situations it' better.
Check out the topic I made for people with doubts, you can see samples there:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3-compact/themes-apps/post-pictures-xperia-z3-compact-t2889119

Thank you. Not quite made up my mind yet. I read a lot of horrorstories on broken glass... maybe the S5 proves out to be a more secure option. Good camera, waterresistant and plastic - which in my S1 and S3 has survived a lot of drops.

I think it comes down to how important the form factor and potential battery life advantages are over other stuff.
There are choices with slightly better cameras and certainly ones less vulnerable to accidental damage.
For me, coming off Nexus 5 and Note 3, I am really prioritizing battery longevity, pocket friendliness and better one-handed comfort and use. So far I'm pleased but it's still early days so the jury's still out for me.
Be sure you can live with TouchWiz and other Samsung bloat (bugs with erroneous Knox warnings on the AT&T Note 3 model nearly drove me crazy). It really ruined my Note 3 experience for me and is what drove me to the Nexus 5, which in turn was somewhat spoiled by awful battery life despite rooting and aggressively optimizing (to the point of limiting usefulness) power consumption. Never got more than 8-10 realistic hours on the 5 no matter what I tried.

Form factor is great. As is battery life. That's one side. Other side is the camera, and how it stands up to a drop from the pocket. That last bit worries me.

Well I haven't had the Sony long enough to try and convince you the advantages outweigh the drawbacks - I may drop mine and destroy it this afternoon!
But I'm not sure any unprotected high end smartphone stands all that good a chance of surviving any particular dropping incident, and adding a protective case to a smaller device still nets you a slightly larger small device that is still a a lot smaller profile than a bigger device with a protective case. Just my. 02 worth.

It's not only dropping, but also spontanious cracks when carrying the Z3C in te front pocket. of your jeans. Been reading a lot of reports on that the last days.

Most of those reports are duplicates. Only a few confirmed cases.
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

As far as I'm concerned, every other phone has more so-called "dealbreakers" than the Z3C. This phone has so many plusses that outweigh any possible negatives that people need to imagine faults and come up with ridiculous issues not to get it, and that's their loss.

In this German test of the Z3C the back panel cracked spontaniously:
http://www.areamobile.de/handys/4275-sony-xperia-z3-compact/testbericht
Sony states it was an isolated incident. Yeah...

DrPanz said:
I am in the market for a new phone. I use an old Samsung S3 now. The Z3Compact seems perfect, but my only concern is the camera. I use my phone as my main camera, but general consensus seems to be that it is not as good as the camera on the S5 of iPhone6. I like to shoot directly in HDR mode, but that seems to be a problem on the Z3. Without rooting, could I install the Google Camera apk and if so, would the Z3C be able to use the HDR mode from the Google Camera app?
Or should I change my plans and go for the S5?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you like to take nature photos, and if you are planning to watch the photos on something larger than the phone display, the Z3/compact is a bad choice. In this post is a comparison with the galaxy note 3
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=55980596&postcount=127
Now, this is viewing the pixels 1:1, which probably most people won't bother with. But even when scaling down this particular photo to about 2MP, the compression artifacts can still be noticed, and the GN3 photo is the better one! And it definitely proves that in certain cases, like photos with much detail, there are much better cameras out there.
But in other cases the Z3 camera produces beautiful images (if you don't look too closely), and it is great for low light photos. But for anything with trees or grass - definitely no!

radicans said:
If you like to take nature photos, and if you are planning to watch the photos on something larger than the phone display, the Z3/compact is a bad choice. In this post is a comparison with the galaxy note 3
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=55980596&postcount=127
Now, this is viewing the pixels 1:1, which probably most people won't bother with. But even when scaling down this particular photo to about 2MP, the compression artifacts can still be noticed, and the GN3 photo is the better one! And it definitely proves that in certain cases, like photos with much detail, there are much better cameras out there.
But in other cases the Z3 camera produces beautiful images (if you don't look too closely), and it is great for low light photos. But for anything with trees or grass - definitely no!
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Click to collapse
Thanks. the camera performance issues, the fact that HDR is a bit of a hustle to reach, and the reports of cracking displays have made me nervous enough to put my plans for buying the Z3C on hold, and maybe buy the S5. Not as pretty as the Z3C, but it may prove out to be a safe choice for now.

DrPanz said:
Thanks. the camera performance issues, the fact that HDR is a bit of a hustle to reach, and the reports of cracking displays have made me nervous enough to put my plans for buying the Z3C on hold, and maybe buy the S5. Not as pretty as the Z3C, but it may prove out to be a safe choice for now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The HDR is easy, you just have to set it to 8MP or less, then HDR switch becomes available. And with the Z3 there is no point whatsoever to shoot in anything larger than 8MP anyway!
But yeah, if I would have known about the camera compression/oversharpening issues I would have settled for another phone. And speaking of compression, the funny thing is that in the comparison photos i posted, the file size of the inferior Z3 photo is about twice as large over the galaxy note photo!! Nice one Sony..

What would have been the smartphone you would have chosen in stead?

Well, there are not many options, if you want to keep pocketability, form factor and dedicated camera button.
I have some nice results with Pro Capture, but compared to stock camera app with a little touch of post processing (Snapseed e.g.), the camera is capable of some nice shots. But it's nothing THAT special really.
Still, beats my Nexus5 in terms of focus speed, which is kinda important for me, so...
But, YMMV.

DrPanz said:
What would have been the smartphone you would have chosen in stead?
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Click to collapse
Well, I really want the "small" form factor of Z3c, but without compromises. So that leaves most phones out I guess. Samsung galaxy alpha would have been nice, if it wasn't for the battery time and the big price tag. Probably would have waited with the purchase another 6 months or so, and see what the market looked like at that point.
I know I have ranted lots on the camera, but all things considered, it's still a great phone!

Improvememts they could make in the next update for the Nexus 6...

Make the encryption optional
Make the LED light work without rooting

-Camera software tweaks to improve shutter speed, vid recording in Hangouts, etc
-Unlink notification/ringer sounds

-Make the ascending ringtones optional!
-Optimize the sw to get better battery life.

optional ascending ringtones
Faster Autofocus/Picture taking
Better focusing in Video

Yes, better battery life is a must also.

Better video quality ,it looks really bad . improve the camera its all software issues that need fixing. My battery life is better than my note 3 so no complaints about that. Change the really big dumb icons to a normal size. The DPI on this phone should be between 400/450. Make the dial app one process to get to instead of two. I shouldn't have to click the dial icon to have to click another icon just to get to the dial.

Better battery
Much slimmer body (7mm or less)
Best QHD/4K Display (dont want it, but it will happen regardless...so might as well make it the best display possible, unlike the N6's sub-par one)
4gig DDR4
64bit top processor
Front facing speakers
Tiny front bezels
6.2inch screen in the same body size as a Nexus 6
IR blaster
Camera software that actually can better an iPhone 7 in all lighting conditions; optimize the stock camera software to Apple/Samsung levels.
20mp rear dual camera with dual tone flashes (dual camera phones are producing better images)
5-10mp front camera with flash
NFC
Wireless charging
Completely water proof
Notification LED
Fingerprint scanner (the same kind as the iPhone where you press your finger, not swipe it)
Better designed phone in terms of aesthetics, the giant NEXUS logo is a bit tacky
Full metal phone
support for the fastest LTE available and fastest WiFi & Bluetooth
Battery life that lasts 3days at least
4K video recording that works
OIS - but an advanced version
Decently priced
The list goes on...
In all seriousness while my list is completely doable and Google is capable of making such a phone, it likely wont. This is not how companies work - since when did any company release a phone that perfectly matched what your expectations were? In my opinion, never, there is always something left out which could've been added. For example the PS4/Xbox One were made on a budget to be cost effective, and as a result they are not powerful machines like their predecessors were when released. The next 'Nexus' phone (or whatever it will be called) will be a minor upgrade on the Nexus 6. Sure, it will likely have 64bit processor, a new camera sensor and different design. But it will also likely be outclassed by other phones on the market, like the Note 5, just like how the Nexus 6 is outdone by the Note 4 in terms of features (not just talking software; Note 4 has a better screen, camera hardware and arguably better quality battery despite being the same size). Phones are increasingly receiving smaller and smaller upgrades. Are phone cameras from 3 years ago dramatically worse than today? Not really. Are phones from 2+ years ago that much slower in normal use (calls, texts etc) compared to today's new phones? They are slower, but in normal use, completely fine and not that bad. The rate of progression in phones is slowing down a little, so the next Nexus wont be a huge upgrade in terms of everyday use.

spartanm99 said:
Better battery
Much slimmer body (7mm or less)
Best QHD/4K Display (dont want it, but it will happen regardless...so might as well make it the best display possible, unlike the N6's sub-par one)
4gig DDR4
64bit top processor
Front facing speakers
Tiny front bezels
6.2inch screen in the same body size as a Nexus 6
IR blaster
Camera software that actually can better an iPhone 7 in all lighting conditions; optimize the stock camera software to Apple/Samsung levels.
20mp rear dual camera with dual tone flashes (dual camera phones are producing better images)
5-10mp front camera with flash
NFC
Wireless charging
Completely water proof
Notification LED
Fingerprint scanner (the same kind as the iPhone where you press your finger, not swipe it)
Better designed phone in terms of aesthetics, the giant NEXUS logo is a bit tacky
Full metal phone
support for the fastest LTE available and fastest WiFi & Bluetooth
Battery life that lasts 3days at least
4K video recording that works
OIS - but an advanced version
Decently priced
The list goes on...
In all seriousness while my list is completely doable and Google is capable of making such a phone, it likely wont. This is not how companies work - since when did any company release a phone that perfectly matched what your expectations were? In my opinion, never, there is always something left out which could've been added. For example the PS4/Xbox One were made on a budget to be cost effective, and as a result they are not powerful machines like their predecessors were when released. The next 'Nexus' phone (or whatever it will be called) will be a minor upgrade on the Nexus 6. Sure, it will likely have 64bit processor, a new camera sensor and different design. But it will also likely be outclassed by other phones on the market, like the Note 5, just like how the Nexus 6 is outdone by the Note 4 in terms of features (not just talking software; Note 4 has a better screen, camera hardware and arguably better quality battery despite being the same size). Phones are increasingly receiving smaller and smaller upgrades. Are phone cameras from 3 years ago dramatically worse than today? Not really. Are phones from 2+ years ago that much slower in normal use (calls, texts etc) compared to today's new phones? They are slower, but in normal use, completely fine and not that bad. The rate of progression in phones is slowing down a little, so the next Nexus wont be a huge upgrade in terms of everyday use.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kinda hard to change all that in a simple software update.

knitler said:
Kinda hard to change all that in a simple software update.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read the thread as update to the Nexus 6, did not think of it as a software update.
However better camera software would be good. When I say better, I mean far better post-processing, faster focus and better use of the hardware. Not sure that will ever happen though, since it really hasn't ever happened before to make any major upgrades. Encryption being a choice would be good too.

spartanm99 said:
I read the thread as update to the Nexus 6, did not think of it as a software update.
However better camera software would be good. When I say better, I mean far better post-processing, faster focus and better use of the hardware. Not sure that will ever happen though, since it really hasn't ever happened before to make any major upgrades. Encryption being a choice would be good too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just bought manual camera from the play store. The app is pretty awesome. It supports raw... Pictures snap instantly. So far im impressed. Huge upgrade over the Google camera.

Smallsmx3 said:
I just bought manual camera from the play store. The app is pretty awesome. It supports raw... Pictures snap instantly. So far im impressed. Huge upgrade over the Google camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Until it supports video it's a no-go for me.

Smallsmx3 said:
I just bought manual camera from the play store. The app is pretty awesome. It supports raw... Pictures snap instantly. So far im impressed. Huge upgrade over the Google camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've just read about this app. It appears to be a huge improvement over the stock camera but it does need to have the option to save your settings, use the front camera and use video recording on both front and rear cameras. I'm sure they will implement these features though, it is the next logical step with this app. Happy that someone is making a high quality camera app - it is a good start.
I'll likely buy it eventually if video recording is supported for both cameras as well as the front camera being supported, naturally. So far, it looks good.
Thanks for sharing this info!

bonebeatz1234 said:
Better video quality ,it looks really bad . improve the camera its all software issues that need fixing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am an Android fan, and a professional photographer. I know what really upscale gear costs, as I use it almost daily.
The video recording quality of the N6 is atrocious. Very poor encoding, very poor S/N. And this applies to both 1080p and 4k. I know the 4k video recording was a marketing gimmick - a test so to speak - but I fully expected the 1080p to be without the same artifacts and poor S/N when recording.
My beef is easily replicated - the background brightness "stairsteps" instead of smoothly transitioning if you move your camera (up and down slowly - watch the background adjust as the angle changes) to change the angle of view. If a blank wall is behind the subject, you can see the brightness "click" up and down as the brightness/contrast level changes. Same thing occurs with the sky if it happens to be the background. It should be like a smooth volume control, not a click-stop. This results in it being unusable when viewed.
I am not suggesting it work in extremely low light. I'm talking bright, indirect lighting (always better than harsh direct light). It just fails in these mild conditions.
I have no way to know if this can be upgraded in software.
Side by side with an iPhone 6Plus shooting simple 1080p video there is simply no comparison, The N6 sucks, and it otherwise pleases me very much.
I have all of the third party apps and really enjoy the flexibility they impart. My favorite is Cinema FV-5. Unfortunately, they do nothing whatsoever except leverage the APIs. They do not introduce better encoding, etc.
The way this camera behaves with video recording is not even close to parity with other upscale devices. Remember, i am not talking about still photo capture, nor am I referring to video playback. I am perfectly fine with those on this device. I have very upscale gear, mostly I rent Red, and I shoot 4K weekly. I just want reasonable video.
I am hoping for the best.
Insights are welcomed. I love my phone, except for this and it frustrates me to sense video recording is a marketing buzz word versus a core feature.

Multi window.

dan04103 said:
Multi window.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are alternatives on the play store, but not as powerful/clean as Samsung's integrated framework of course.

C00lBeanz said:
Make the encryption optional
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
DEFINITELY will not happen. Best you can hope for is HWCRYPTO, which will yield the performance of no-crypto, so problem solved regardless.
Make the LED light work without rooting
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I realllllllly doubt you'll see this. Google is not known for altering user facing features after a device is launched.

1. No forced encryption.
2.Fix USB OTG so flash drives actually mount.

One hand mode.

bench_strength said:
I am hoping for the best.
Insights are welcomed. I love my phone, except for this and it frustrates me to sense video recording is a marketing buzz word versus a core feature.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you are a professional. What are you expecting?
There is a cost of miniaturization.
The sensors are so small compared to the REDs you use or SLRs.
Phone to phone comparison is probably a better way to look at it. Without looking at the specs and hardware for iphone 6+ and nexus 6, apple just sourced a better camera on the market. It's the same deal with the fingerprint scanner as well. They bought it all up, and left none of the 'good' stuff for moto/google.

8Fishes said:
So you are a professional. What are you expecting?
There is a cost of miniaturization.
The sensors are so small compared to the REDs you use or SLRs.
Phone to phone comparison is probably a better way to look at it. Without looking at the specs and hardware for iphone 6+ and nexus 6, apple just sourced a better camera on the market. It's the same deal with the fingerprint scanner as well. They bought it all up, and left none of the 'good' stuff for moto/google.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with your analysis, up to the point where I use the camera for still shots. It works very well, especially with stock HDR+ or with a third party app to control all of the core tools. I am completely OK with it.
Your points about sensors is true, no debating that.
The still photos and the video use the same lens. The photos are tack sharp if care is taken (3rd party) or HDR+ is used exclusively.
The video appears to be almost completely dependant upon processing. Processing is software. I would like to think they could improve this significantly IF they gave two hoots.

[Q] Third Party Camera for Nexus 6

I am a bit confused whether to go ahead and buy a Nexus 6, given the fact that I am die hard fan of Nexus line up or to go back to other phones which I don't prefer doing. Although, I hear the camera sensor and the optics have improved from the older gen Nexus devices the performance based on review are still not on par with the top notch iPhone and Note 4 cameras.
Comparing the Nexus' usage of the new camera sensor compared to the old and smaller sensors in iPhones - the analysis from review and my reference across many websites only indicates that the end result is mainly the product of post processing software. I am not sure whether I am correct in saying so. The same applies for Xperia line up as well, inspite of Sony producing the latest sensors and bigger sensors in their devices iPhone continues to better those.
Therefore I am assuming Nexus 6 is having all the capacity to produce great low light and quality images additionally with the latest Camera APIs present in Lollipop - can we improve the shots by using a third party software? Will this work? If so please name a few good ones that can beat or on par with iPhones or Note 4?
The response will decide whether I will continue to be a Nexus loyalist or going back to the rumored Galaxy S6 that might come with a light packaging in terms of OEM softwares keeping the Android as pure as possible to enable faster updates in the future.
Thanks for all your responses in advance.

Hi, I'm using Camera FV-5 and I'm getting great results! It has also RAW capability and plenty of settings. I'm sure, that photos from N6 using this app are comparable to photos from iP6+ or Note4
Check these links bellow to make your own decision:
youtube.com/watch?v=tdLgf9DmALY&feature=youtu.be
phonearena.com/news/Nexus-6-beats-the-iPhone-6-Plus-by-a-mile-in-our-blind-camera-comparison_id64437
camerafv5.com/pages/nexus6-raw-samples.php
(i wanted to include these links as urls, but because I'm new here I can't do it)
IMHO it's just about user how good or bad results can be. Of course, you can do bad photos with every phone.

I honestly get great photos from my nexus 6. There is a whole thread in general where we show our pictures. Check it out.

I have personally used the iphone 6 (my fiancee owns an iphone 6) along with the sony xperia phones. I currently own a nexus 6 and I have to say when it comes to taking pictures or recording video, the sony xperia is the winner, but the nexus 6 is a close second. I was very surprised at the iphones picture capability but still does not keep up with the nexus 6 or the sony. You have to remember sony controls about 90% of the movie production cameras along with the leader is 4k technology (in the USA) they have an enormous budget for video recording equipment and lens equipment hence that is their largest area of business. My background is through BestBuy. I worked in the home theater department (TV's and video gaming) for a while now and recently moved to geek squad. Through my experience with using all these devices, I still have to say the nexus 6 is a better phone as a whole. They each have their pros and cons but overall I am very satisfied with my nexus and wouldn't trade it in for a sony xperia. I am also a huge Sony fan because of their television panels (I own a sony 4k TV) but the nexus took the cake for me because of the more up to date processor components and overall processor speeds along with other small details about the device that i admire. even the Sony representative at my store will admit the nexus is a better phone.
I hope my opinion of the devices are helpful.

Thanks for the input
Hi all three, very useful opinions and convinces me. Not sure why these reviewers are always boasting about iPhone cameras while they use some of the old Sony sensors. Not sure when they plan to stop singing this praise.
Having said that, I hope apps like Camera L and Camera FV5 would improve the camera on an Xperia Z3 as well as I also love that phone for it's water resistance and underwater capabilities.
I would be interested to see a sample from FV5 and an iPhone side by side. But after reading all the inputs here, I am bit relieved from my dilemma between Note 4 or Nexus 6. Now I just need to wait for Galaxy S6 launch and their plans on March 1st and see whether Mi Note Pro is launching by then and finally decide.
My other option I had was for a Lumia 930, although not pretty sure what I would be losing in terms of other functions when I move into Windows OS. I have heard that on iOS you are limited in terms of sharing anything to anything while in Android it is more flexible. Not sure how Windows OS behaves. Definitely shortage of apps persists.

I have always stayed away from windows based phones and even computers. I use Linux and I love android. Through many debates with colleagues and friends the one thing we all agree on is iOS is more of a basic user friendly system but with many limitations and android is a much more customizable platform where you have many more capabilities to do practically anything you want. I have heard that windows based OS is first of all, a huge installation and runs slow unless you have a basic computer for a phone. Windows based devices tend to crash too. I feel they are limited as well in their overall capabilities. So if you like having full control over your devices and like customized themes then android is the way to go. If you like simple then iOS. Remember there are no 2 alike android devices but everyone who has an iPhone has the same basic layout except maybe a wallpaper.

iPhone X portrait mode depth of field algorithm vs Note 8 - why aren't they similar?

Note8 + iPhoneX both have dual rear cameras however in some portrait photos especially your hair, ears etc is blurred out incorrectly. iPhone X seems to do this job a lot better despite having similar hardware specs.
Is this something a software could fix/enhance?

everybodylovesfebs said:
Note8 + iPhoneX both have dual rear cameras however in some portrait photos especially your hair, ears etc is blurred out incorrectly. iPhone X seems to do this job a lot better despite having similar hardware specs.
Is this something a software could fix/enhance?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. two TOTALLY different devices
2. I've made some "portrait"-pic's: no problems at all

Ah okay, yes agreed that Note is a phablet and other a phone. However I'd assume that in the camera department at least they would both perform similar.
Particularly, portrait modes where Note 8 blurs out lot more than your face where IPhone X does the same lot more accurately.

They are both phones, the ill-term "phablet" is no longer valid, as it was only referring to big screen sized phones in the days of the first Note, now all flagship phones are even bigger than the first galaxy note, the differences that henklbr refers to, are mainly how both OEM design, build and manage their devices

Found the reason. IPhone uses Kinect like 3D imaging for its algorithm. Samsung uses 2D which unfortunately isn't anywhere as accurate as the iPhone for pleasing bike and portrait photos.
Hopefully the next iteration will have something as good or better.

everybodylovesfebs said:
Found the reason. IPhone uses Kinect like 3D imaging for its algorithm. Samsung uses 2D which unfortunately isn't anywhere as accurate as the iPhone for pleasing bike and portrait photos.
Hopefully the next iteration will have something as good or better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 3D imaging is only for front camera when used to unlock the phone. So no that's not the reason. Its software.

Not according to the internet.
https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/255771-apple-iphone-x-truedepth-camera-works
http://bgr.com/2017/10/02/iphone-vs-android-camera-truedepth-face-id/

What does it really matter.. Ultimately, it's (a camera, any camera), is just a tool.. I've seen terrible (and I mean terrible, terrible) shots with the X, and I've taken some bad ones with my 8 in the learning process. Ultimately, it's up to the user to learn what the camera can and cannot do, and it's shortcomings.
I(and I'm sure many others)don't know why there is always someone "iPhone can do this".. Ok.. and, so what... Go buy an iPhone and see all that it cannot do, that the note can. And then, go post in an isheep (which the op sounds like) forum and see how many sensible responses you get..
We deal with notes.. Not iPhones here.. Who cares what that overpriced and over hyped single task piece of yesterday's hardware can or can't do(which can't, is a massive lot!).. I'll take my note on the worst day and night over that ugly screen and lack of multitasking on that ijunk..
Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

the only thing these two phones have in common is that they both have cameras

WaxysDargle said:
the only thing these two phones have in common is that they both have cameras
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And that both can do voice calls and text messaging :laugh:

rodrigofd said:
And that both can do voice calls and text messaging :laugh:
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that is debatable! lol

everybodylovesfebs said:
Not according to the internet.
https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/255771-apple-iphone-x-truedepth-camera-works
http://bgr.com/2017/10/02/iphone-vs-android-camera-truedepth-face-id/
Click to expand...
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Both of those articles are referring to the front facing camera, not the rear cameras.

Geez I'm not an i sheep I've owned s2,3 4 5, s7e, s8 and now note 8. My close friend is however an apple fanboy and likes to compare both and up until the iPhone x I always had the upper hand in most things.
I spent hours trying to find a camera that takes portrait photos(both front and rear) with bit more accuracy when it comes to blurred background.
The 3D imaging is apparently only for the front camera which explains why the front self portraits are a lot better on the iPhone X where as the rear camera portraits are a lot closer in good lighting.
In dim lighting such as a restaurant, the Note 8 selective focus, live focus doesn't fire up due to "no contrast detected.." error.
I'm pretty happy with the Note and use proper mirrorless cameras (a6500 + 18-105 and Samsung NX500+45/1.8) for photography needs however thought I could ask the question here and see if I'm doing something wrong or get some constructive advice on ways to improve the portrait modes. Thanks

Well, yes, your reason is valid, but, in the end, it is always a matter of balance, even the mere fact of using a cell phone to take pictures ultimately reflects this, if taking pictures is the most important factor, a camera is the choice, but you have to pay a price, as I said, it is all about balance, Samsung tried to adress it with the galaxy cameras, but they abandoned it

Camera - Old sensor (again!) Have the competition finally overtaken Google?

So Google used that same sensor for pretty much the 4th year, their computational photography remains excellent but this year compated to other devices I own I think Google have slipped slightly behind the pack and ultimately brute force hardware coupled with improving software. The iPhone (12 pro) is now better across the board in my opinion in everything except maybe edge detection on portrait shots.
Compared to other droids it is less clear cut. I do think that the Pixel still delivers the best images on a consistent basis i.e. take 100 pictures on your Pixel and most will come out good whereas on a Samsung or OnePlus for example you will get less keepers especially on the Samsung if people and pets are involved. I do think however that the overall technical quality has fallen behind and I see a lot more grain in Pixel shots vs. the competition these days due I am sure to the bigger newer sensors on other droids.
Don't get me wrong if I had to choose 1 droid to take to Disney World I'd still go with the Pixel but if I had to choose a phone full stop to take it would be the iPhone hands down.
Here is hoping that transfering all the learnings to a new main sensor will not prove too challenging for them next year!

i think overall it's pretty clear that the pixel still competes at the top with a lower price which is great. But i'd like to know how good the camera of the pixel 5 works in all kind of third party apps because i have red that googles magic only works if you use the camera app. I have red multiple times that the video quality in whatsapp is horrible and i wonder how it performs in snapchat, duo and whatever other apps are popular right now.
For some reason people nowadays tend to go to extremes way to fast, so i don't know what to think of it. If anyone has tried out a few apps i'd like to read some short reviews.

Floge999 said:
i think overall it's pretty clear that the pixel still competes at the top with a lower price which is great. But i'd like to know how good the camera of the pixel 5 works in all kind of third party apps because i have red that googles magic only works if you use the camera app. I have red multiple times that the video quality in whatsapp is horrible and i wonder how it performs in snapchat, duo and whatever other apps are popular right now.
For some reason people nowadays tend to go to extremes way to fast, so i don't know what to think of it. If anyone has tried out a few apps i'd like to read some short reviews.
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This is a complicated one as 3rd party camera apps do not get the full access needed for a fair comparison.

this is likely because they got things just right with the current sensor and any hardware change would require reworking and potential loss of prominence on the camera-phone stage.

Not that bad after all...
Blind camera comparison @Phonearena

The wide angle lens is absolutely terrible in low light and that's not using an old sensor is it?

Google pixel focus on over all experience i think itis great . End of day all of them i 12 mp camera with decent size sensor how much do you think make different not a lot. It all about personal choice