Database Develop

So camera noise is normal. Can it be fixed or is it a hardware problem?

Isn't this the big Question?
Never have I been so fuzzy about choosing a phone. I have got hold of LG G2 (which got warm, produces antutu scores of louzy 20 000, has aggressive noise reduction on photos and a screen that did not survive a 20 cm droptest after 24 hours - now in repair) and currently a 48 hour old Z1 that produces a little less noise and does not get overly hot dueing captures after the last update, but eats away battery when capturing photos. These new devices. I was actually seriously considering requesting my old xperia S back!
After googling for 12 hours I could not find answers to the following question, so I sent the questions to Sony and are waiting for an answer:
1. Is it a sensor\hardware or a software issue that produces this amount of grain and noize, particulary in the 50% peripheral part of the picture?
I used the perfectly evely lit computer screen matrix to test before and after the update. There is an actual improvement. A macro shot before the update showed marked noize in the periphery. It still does after the latest update, but it is far from as bad! It is still worse than note 3 i suspect.
This makes me inclined to say that the lenses (under macro shots at least) has peripheral distortion. The best optics one always gets when having as few lenses as possible in the objective. I guess there are quite a few in z1 compared to the competition?
2. Some rumour say that different batches of phones are of different quality. Needless to say: this has been the case on some previous massproduced gadgeds, and different fabrics might have different production quality. I have read that low quality items often are sold slightly cheaper on Ebay. So; anyone got some more "evidence" to prove such a suspicion for Z1? If so: what batches should we try to avoid?

krimskram said:
I think this is the big question. Never have I been so fuzzy about choosing a phone. I have got hold of LG G2 (which got warm, produces antutu scores of louzy 20 000, has aggressive noise reduction on photos and a screen that did not survive a 20 cm droptest after 24 hours - now in repair) and currently a 48 hour old Z1 that produces a little less noize after the last update, but eats away battery when capturing photos and occasionally gets so warm that it shuts down the camera app. Crikey! These new devices. I was actually seriously considering requesting my old xperia S back!
After googling for 12 hours I could not find answers to the following, so I sent the questions to Sony and are waiting for an answer:
1. Is it a sensor\hardware or a software issue that produces this amount of grain and noize, particulary in the 50% peripheral part of the picture?
Without uploading any picture: the computer screen matrix is evenly lit and "perfect". A macro shot before the update showed marked noize in the periphery. It still does after the latest update, but it is far from as good. This makes me inclined to say that the lenses (under macro shots at least) has peripheral distortion.
2. Some rumour say that different batches of phones are of different quality. Needless to say: this has been the case on some previous massproduced gadgeds, and different fabrics might have different production quality. I have read that low quality items often are sold slightly cheaper on Ebay. So; anyone got some more "evidence" to prove such a suspicion for Z1? If so: what batches should we try to avoid?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So I have used a g2 and the z1 quite a bit. The Z1 seems to have better software. I don't care about benchmarks as they all cheat anyway. But the better software definitely makes the z1 feel snappier. I haven't noticed any major difference in apps though. The lg launcher is slow.
The camera on the g2 is OK. It is decent all round and in good light can be stunning. It takes consistently decent shots. The camera on the z1 feels totally broken even with the latest software update. I suspect there must be a hardware fault. I have yet to take a single picture I am happy with in any light conditions and it is useless in low light.
Does anyone else think we have a hardware issue here with the Z1?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4

The Jones said:
So I have used a g2 and the z1 quite a bit. The Z1 seems to have better software. I don't care about benchmarks as they all cheat anyway. But the better software definitely makes the z1 feel snappier. I haven't noticed any major difference in apps though. The lg launcher is slow.
The camera on the g2 is OK. It is decent all round and in good light can be stunning. It takes consistently decent shots. The camera on the z1 feels totally broken even with the latest software update. I suspect there must be a hardware fault. I have yet to take a single picture I am happy with in any light conditions and it is useless in low light.
Does anyone else think we have a hardware issue here with the Z1?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 4
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well not mine, I also used G2 and now z1. My z1 takes better photo in low light.
Maybe its your z1 only...
Sent from my C6903 using xda app-developers app

marc_ecko28 said:
Well not mine, I also used G2 and now z1. My z1 takes better photo in low light.
Maybe its your z1 only...
Sent from my C6903 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe. I do wonder if I have a faulty unit. It is so poor and shots have no detail, a ton of noise, poor focus.
Sent from my LG-D802 using Tapatalk

That's a real issue of viewpoint. In and by itself the Z1 camera isn't "bad" and the 245 firmware update fixed many issues, such as the purple fringing and the oversharpening. It doesn't however, bring the camera into "amazing" land.
Sony's much-touted DxOMark scores aren't all that cut out. While video pulls the device in second place, after the Nokia 808 and before the iPhone 5s, if you look at images alone it's 6th place, after Nokia, iPhone, and the Samsung Galaxy S4. In terms of clarity, if you neglect autofocus, the iPhone 5, non-S, beats it as well.
That's still great for a phone camera, it's just sad that the much hyped November model, running on excellent hardware, gets beat by the June model from Samsung. If you do a lot of video in good light and shoot only manual then you have a decent camera phone. If you want to go out and replace your point and shoot with this thing on a field trip or vacation, there are six or seven older phones that beat the Z1 in picture quality.
Now, I believe that 99% of those issues are software issues. Technically Sony's approach is sound. The BIONZ processor is one of the best IP on the market in this bracket, the Exmor RS backlit sensor used in the Z1 is also used in the iPhone 5s and RX100, and a powerhouse. So that stuff is there. The mini G-lens has great spatial properties and is one of the best when it comes to luminance. What doesn't seem to work so well is all in the software portion of the equation.
I am not giving up on Sony. I have great hardware, I hope firm- and software will catch up.

Software is something they will change, even though Sony have a bad track record in Software you should have seen the Xperia S, I had it for a few days before I had a refund, software was unbearable with the random reboots. There getting better every time.

I was not very happy with camera until last week but I received latest update and I can't be happier
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I'm still amazed that these threads are popping up. It's like I'm using a completely different product from the rest of you, I swear.
Sure, low-light images can be a little noisy and grainy but guess what; so are ones from my point-and-shoot - there are very few stand-alone cameras in this bracket (around the £150 mark) that are entirely noise free in low light. The noise is far from "terrible" especially with the most recent firmware, and the up-side to it all is that I'm able to take picture in far lower lighting than I've even been able to on a phone before.
Here's the thing: Superior Auto, though now very much improved, still uses an ISO that borders on the insane. In low light, just put the phone on manual (I'd recommend 4:3) and snap away. Less noise and very detailed results. Indeed, the latest firmware means that both 20mp and 8mp manual shots are very respectable in low light.
I was walking around the National Railway Museum in York yesterday, taking pictures with both the QX10 and the Z1 - in many instances, the Z1 was sharper or, at least, just as sharp. And the lighting was poor.
I also did a side-by-side with my old C905 the other day. Until this point, I would've (still) put it up against any smartphone camera on the market (to me, it was Sony's last "great" camera phone). The Z1's 8mp shots were consistently better, with the exception of the Zenon Flash shot.
In response to the OP, however; the G-lens is highly convex. This results in some barreling in the corners of the image and means that the centre will always be ever-so-slightly sharper than the rest of the image (the effect is small, however). Nothing can be done about this - many point and shoot cameras and DSLR's are the same. I've had quite outstanding results from mine.

Sounds like your camera might be better than mine. Maybe what we should to is to compare shots where everyone takes a photo of the same item? I cannot think of anything easier an more available perfectly lit surface than a computer or notepad screen completley white on max luminance.
Anyway, even though my camera has some obvious distortion, it is nothing more or less than what is revealed in the numerous reviews. However - some morons have posted, what seems to be, og DSLR photos on the xperia blog an some other places claiming it to be produced with a Z1. I guess some people live to annoy other people.
Regarding the last awesome cameraphone from Sony I will give xperia S my vote. It did get a lot of pepper but it shined after several updates, and after I realized there was a prefabric screenprotector that were scratched, not my screen. Not using 2 screen protectors did help. The camera on X S excelled i macro shots and were great allround. For most users sony HOWEVER decided to kill the phone with the last update making it slow and less responsive. It lost the premium feel. An obvious sales trix. Sony replied to my question about the slow XS that "It is to be expected as your phone is too slow to effextuvley handle our new update". Well well.
Xperia S had a troublesome birth and death. For most of the time it shined. I hope this is what we are experiencing with the Z1.

krimskram said:
Sounds like your camera might be better than mine. Maybe what we should to is to compare shots where everyone takes a photo of the same item? I cannot think of anything easier an more available perfectly lit surface than a computer or notepad screen completley white on max luminance.
Anyway, even though my camera has some obvious distortion, it is nothing more or less than what is revealed in the numerous reviews. However - some morons have posted, what seems to be, og DSLR photos on the xperia blog an some other places claiming it to be produced with a Z1. I guess some people live to annoy other people.
Regarding the last awesome cameraphone from Sony I will give xperia S my vote. It did get a lot of pepper but it shined after several updates, and after I realized there was a prefabric screenprotector that were scratched, not my screen. Not using 2 screen protectors did help. The camera on X S excelled i macro shots and were great allround. For most users sony HOWEVER decided to kill the phone with the last update making it slow and less responsive. It lost the premium feel. An obvious sales trix. Sony replied to my question about the slow XS that "It is to be expected as your phone is too slow to effextuvley handle our new update". Well well.
Xperia S had a troublesome birth and death. For most of the time it shined. I hope this is what we are experiencing with the Z1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had an Xperia S and, yes, it did take very detailed shots. It's white balance wasn't always the best, however, and it was fairly terrible in poor lighting. I high contrast shots, though, the C905 would give better results - I did quite a bit of testing between the two
For examples of my work with the Z1, please look here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157635983420745/

jluster said:
That's a real issue of viewpoint. In and by itself the Z1 camera isn't "bad" and the 245 firmware update fixed many issues, such as the purple fringing and the oversharpening. It doesn't however, bring the camera into "amazing" land.
Sony's much-touted DxOMark scores aren't all that cut out. While video pulls the device in second place, after the Nokia 808 and before the iPhone 5s, if you look at images alone it's 6th place, after Nokia, iPhone, and the Samsung Galaxy S4. In terms of clarity, if you neglect autofocus, the iPhone 5, non-S, beats it as well.
That's still great for a phone camera, it's just sad that the much hyped November model, running on excellent hardware, gets beat by the June model from Samsung. If you do a lot of video in good light and shoot only manual then you have a decent camera phone. If you want to go out and replace your point and shoot with this thing on a field trip or vacation, there are six or seven older phones that beat the Z1 in picture quality.
Now, I believe that 99% of those issues are software issues. Technically Sony's approach is sound. The BIONZ processor is one of the best IP on the market in this bracket, the Exmor RS backlit sensor used in the Z1 is also used in the iPhone 5s and RX100, and a powerhouse. So that stuff is there. The mini G-lens has great spatial properties and is one of the best when it comes to luminance. What doesn't seem to work so well is all in the software portion of the equation.
I am not giving up on Sony. I have great hardware, I hope firm- and software will catch up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, that is really annoying thing with Sony, they obviously haven't learnt anything from Xperia Z launch, release substandard firmware in the final release to public that everyone uses to review, therefore gets reviews that are not as good as they could have been, which will loose them sales. If they want to reach their goal of Number 2 Android selling phone. They have to wake up, trawl through the main forums, and review sites and make sure the phone they release is top notch, and make tiny tweaks later on.
Really why can't Sony get their sensor to work as well as Apple? Surely they should be able to get the most out of their sensors than anyone else?
The only substandard part of the hardware that I have noticed moving to Sony is the accelerometer and GPS accuracy, the rest has been robust and fixed with firmware updates.
If you want to get the best from the camera, you must run in manual mode. Because the software makes some pretty bad decisions a lot of the time.

Timaustin2000 said:
I had an Xperia S and, yes, it did take very detailed shots. It's white balance wasn't always the best, however, and it was fairly terrible in poor lighting. I high contrast shots, though, the C905 would give better results - I did quite a bit of testing between the two
For examples of my work with the Z1, please look here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157635983420745/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice shots! I've been scratching my head though with one of the shots you had, the one of the food / burger stall.
It seemed REALLY sharp and detailed so I looked in the exif data and saw it was ISO 64 / 100! Shutter speed was just a mere 1/8s so I'm wondering how did that happen with that particular low-light scenario?
The other pictures I can relate to
Here are a couple shots I took (though not as good as yours I am thinking)
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B6YHwWcrqzNhbEtLUGFKNmk1SVU&usp=sharing
All taken in Manual Mode too (plant / garden shots are taken in 153 firmware)

bloodfire1004 said:
Nice shots! I've been scratching my head though with one of the shots you had, the one of the food / burger stall.
It seemed REALLY sharp and detailed so I looked in the exif data and saw it was ISO 64 / 100! Shutter speed was just a mere 1/8s so I'm wondering how did that happen with that particular low-light scenario?
The other pictures I can relate to
Here are a couple shots I took (though not as good as yours I am thinking)
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B6YHwWcrqzNhbEtLUGFKNmk1SVU&usp=sharing
All taken in Manual Mode too (plant / garden shots are taken in 153 firmware)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The burger stall image was actually taken with Superior Auto (I know!). It decided to throw the phone into "Spotlight" shooting mode and that was the result. A very good result.
By the way, I really like your Garden party image. Well exposed, nicely detailed.
I completely agree with the comments, above, about Sony missing a trick by releasing hardware with incomplete software. There was a very distinct feeling of the camera firmware being unfinished on release. It is now firing on all cylinders but the review damage has been done.
You can see the difference when you look at GSM Arena's initial review of the phone and their following camera comparisons, post update. One is "disappointed", the others are full of praise.
And Sony have no-one to blame but themselves, for that.

Timaustin2000 said:
The burger stall image was actually taken with Superior Auto (I know!). It decided to throw the phone into "Spotlight" shooting mode and that was the result. A very good result.
By the way, I really like your Garden party image. Well exposed, nicely detailed.
I completely agree with the comments, above, about Sony missing a trick by releasing hardware with incomplete software. There was a very distinct feeling of the camera firmware being unfinished on release. It is now firing on all cylinders but the review damage has been done.
You can see the difference when you look at GSM Arena's initial review of the phone and their following camera comparisons, post update. One is "disappointed", the others are full of praise.
And Sony have no-one to blame but themselves, for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, basically everyone so far think it is a software issue.
I took some afternoon shots driving in 80 . The camera performs - now- without noise and got a crisp picture at what must be a really low shutterspeed. WTF?!
A situation Im never likøey to ever use the camera in again. Sigh, at drive by shooting it excels.
At indoor shots, it is agamble. Even with thenew firmware. It i proves markedly by manual exposure.
A total conclusion: it would be interrestimg having raw file possibilties. The camera is markedly better after the firmware update, and having the features in the camera button I am very pleased, however, where Im likley to use the camera most , indoors, it really needs an overhaul. I dont aleays have the time to enter manual mode! It is annoying that it defaults to full auto. Let me diecide!

Any other opinions
krimskram said:
So, basically everyone so far think it is a software issue.
I took some afternoon shots driving in 80 . The camera performs - now- without noise and got a crisp picture at what must be a really low shutterspeed. WTF?!
A situation Im never likøey to ever use the camera in again. Sigh, at drive by shooting it excels.
At indoor shots, it is agamble. Even with thenew firmware. It i proves markedly by manual exposure.
A total conclusion: it would be interrestimg having raw file possibilties. The camera is markedly better after the firmware update, and having the features in the camera button I am very pleased, however, where Im likley to use the camera most , indoors, it really needs an overhaul. I dont aleays have the time to enter manual mode! It is annoying that it defaults to full auto. Let me diecide!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, any other opinions?

krimskram said:
So, any other opinions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
One: you can set your camera to launch in Manual from the launcher dock without having to re-set it. Just add a "shortcut" to your homescreen, select camera and select manual. Pop that in the docked section at the bottom of the screen and you'll always have quick access to it.
Just a shame they don't give you the option to launch camera in manual by long-pressing the camera button.
Oh, and to the fella above who says that there are "6 other models" from earlier in the year that will beat the XZ1 in good light? With respect, I'm going to disagree: There's no way that an S4, One or G2 can beat the Z1 in good light - and I'm not sure I could point to any other Android that does. (note: the iPhone 5 isn't as good but the 5s comes darned close,... in good light. Thought it over-saturates light a *****).
The S4 over-saturates, the G2 has even worse post-processing than Sony (it's artifact central on a G2 - FAR too much artificial sharpening) and the One? Well, it's the One, isn't it? Yuck. And the Z1 has better detail and dynamic range than all of the above in good light - it has been remarked on numerous times in a good many reviews.
The only place it really falls down is exposure - sometimes it blows out light objects if left to it's own devices. But you have an exposure toggle to fix that so problem solved.
In all honesty, I don't think I've ever been as happy with a phone camera. In any light.

[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!
Click to expand...
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!

Is the Z3 camera as good as they say?

I am looking for an excellent camera. The Xperia Z3 sounds good. I do see the Z5 has a little better resolution, but I do need to root and fix up the software to run Xposed, so Z3 sounds better.
Is the Z3 camera actually excellent?

Xperia series of camera are good in my oppinion, a lot better compared to iPhones due to the number of features added.
However i suggest not getting a Z3 Compact (Or any xperia compact) as they are quite dodgy (hardware problems all the time)
But in conclusion the Z3 camera is good, but if you wanted 20MP in superior auto you need to root and install xposed anyway.

interestor said:
I am looking for an excellent camera. The Xperia Z3 sounds good. I do see the Z5 has a little better resolution, but I do need to root and fix up the software to run Xposed, so Z3 sounds better.
Is the Z3 camera actually excellent?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can tell you one thing for sure excellent it is not. on the contrary, far from that, average at best I'd say. The stock camera app is very slow compare to other flagship smartphones which were available at the time of the release of the z3. The auto focus is also pretty slow and quite bad. Moreover, the front-facing camera is also average, but I haven't seen any smartphone excel at that area. In addition, I don't really know if its a factor to you or not, but the flash is by far THE WORST flash I have ever seen a smartphone to be equipped with - a single LED flash which can with very little power to it.
The only positive thing I can say about it, that if you go manual in the stock app you can get some very good shots with it, but I doubt anyone does that with a smartphone on a daily basis.
Don't get me wrong, its a decent phone for it's price. However, the sole reason I sticked to Sony is because they are the only company to release a below 5" flagship speced smartphone in 2014.

nzzane said:
Xperia series of camera are good in my oppinion, a lot better compared to iPhones due to the number of features added.
However i suggest not getting a Z3 Compact (Or any xperia compact) as they are quite dodgy (hardware problems all the time)
But in conclusion the Z3 camera is good, but if you wanted 20MP in superior auto you need to root and install xposed anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn! I am leaning toward getting one mainly because of small size (and lanyard mount and button). What are the common problems with the compact?
What, an xposed module lets you run the camera at higher performance? What's its name? what's it do?

Sydrox said:
I can tell you one thing for sure excellent it is not. on the contrary, far from that, average at best I'd say. The stock camera app is very slow compare to other flagship smartphones which were available at the time of the release of the z3. The auto focus is also pretty slow and quite bad. Moreover, the front-facing camera is also average, but I haven't seen any smartphone excel at that area. In addition, I don't really know if its a factor to you or not, but the flash is by far THE WORST flash I have ever seen a smartphone to be equipped with - a single LED flash which can with very little power to it.
The only positive thing I can say about it, that if you go manual in the stock app you can get some very good shots with it, but I doubt anyone does that with a smartphone on a daily basis.
Don't get me wrong, its a decent phone for it's price. However, the sole reason I sticked to Sony is because they are the only company to release a flagship speced smartphone in 2014.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks. Yeah, I have read about lag, and focus hunting. Good to mention the flash.
I am interested in the manual controls, but also shooting from the hip.
Now that it is a coupla years old, price is getting better, making me think about redefining excellent.

interestor said:
Damn! I am leaning toward getting one mainly because of small size (and lanyard mount and button). What are the common problems with the compact?
What, an xposed module lets you run the camera at higher performance? What's its name? what's it do?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Commonly they will have water proofing failures, or bad batteries, but some people are lucky and get away with no problems.
Yeah i believe its called 20MP xperia or something similar and there is also this modded camera which adds many funtions to camera like more ISO options, exposure, shutter speed etc.

I have one z3c and the camera it's ok much better than most of phones. I have xposed as well and camera fx, i don't have troubles yet so far so good.

Nope, it's pretty bad and certainly a big disappointment.
In good light and with a bit of luck it can take great pictures, but most of the time it's just frustrating (mainly because you know that it is capable when it feels like it). In poor light or with the flash it's just a terrible smudgy mess, my old Galaxy S3 is considerably better. After 6 months I got sick of it and bought a Galaxy S5 which blows it away all the time.

In all reality though, if you wanted to take good photos, use a proper camera, phone cameras are only point and shoot, and are pretty crap compared to what a good camera can do

Camera quality gets me thinking to switch to another phone.. Any inputs?

Hi all,
So it has been a week that have XZ1 Compact, but as most of you aware from the forums camera is not very satisfying. I got a chance to use Galaxy S8 for two months prior to XZ1C, which is also a great phone, however I get the XZ1C just like most of us here; for the phone being in a compact size.
So with the disappointing camera, I am very torn between keeping the phone and wait for an update maybe for the issue to be fixed, or return the phone and get the taller S8.
I wonder what other fellow XDA users think on this issue whether the camera quality can be fix or why should I stay with XZ1C or leave it for S8?

i have the s8 and the XZ1C.
in my opinion, the only thing s8 really has that is special is the camera. i also think this is very overblown. most people don't use their camera that much, but it has become a strong focal point of choosing which phone to buy.
s8 has a slew of issues, including the rounded edges on the screen, the laggy interface, incompatible aspect ratio, bluetooth & wifi issues, poor battery life and a locked bootloader.
before asking if the camera is worth going to, ask yourself if the camera really matters that much. sony camera isn't as good as s8, but then again none are. if the camera means that much to you, then you are forced from here on to only buy samsung products. they really do always have the best cameras, but they pretty much suck at everything else. i don't ever miss my s8 now that i've switched. hell, i enjoy my OP5 more than the s8.
EDIT: you wanna buy my s8? lol (not joking)

The XZ1c is a great compact phone. There isn't any other compact comes close. I bought it because it fits in m pocket and I can drive it with one hand. That's why I love it.
Sure I am disappointed that it can't do close up's, but I have been using the camera a couple of weeks and for all the outdoor stuff and landscapes, it's brilliant. I think people have made too much of an issue about the distortion.
If you're asking the thread if you should get another phone, why not ask yourself what you're going to do with the phone.?
Is it going to fit in a pocket?
Are you going to be taking close up pictures of keyboards?
The sound chip is outstanding, as is the video camera and there's nothing comes close to out performing the battery life, there are so many things that this phone does right.
£500 for qualcomm 835, you're not going to beat that.

I find the issue with the camera is that you can't "just get it out and snap a pic" then expect the result to be something good every time.
With the S8 (and S7, and recent iPhones, and the Pixels) you can do that and most of the time you have a very decent picture.
On the flip side if im careful when taking the picture (mainly making sure there is zero shaking, exposure being correct, etc), the result is generally of higher quality, as long as it's not in low light. I can't easily reproduce the results with the S7/8/iPhone at least.
I suspect that whenever this gets OIS (or they somehow do even better magic with the EIS) this might solves most of this.. (XZ2C?!) but so far, it's not really as good in the "snap and boom decent pic" area.
Finally, I currently own a S7 and while the pic quality is a little less good than the S8 it performs admirably. I'm very tempted to switch full time to the XZ1C and sell the S7 though, because as other said, the XZ1C is better *everywhere else*.

I own XZ1c for 4 days now and annoyed by the camera too. 2 problems on the camera which I found followed by its solution:
1) Distortion problem. I have read various sources, it is due to wide angle lens that caused this, and this issue found too in other phones like Samsung S7 or LG G6. There is 2 solutions from what I know which is a) a software update from Sony that adds an additional step in post photo processing that corrects the distortion, and b) manual correction via software like Adobe Lightroom/Photoshop with 'lens correction' tool.
2) Dark photos during low light environment, in superior auto mode. I managed to get better photo by a) adjust 'colour and brightness' in the setting, or b) switch to manual mode and increase the 'EV' attribute.
Hope it helps.

WaxysDargle said:
i have the s8 and the XZ1C.
in my opinion, the only thing s8 really has that is special is the camera. i also think this is very overblown. most people don't use their camera that much, but it has become a strong focal point of choosing which phone to buy.
s8 has a slew of issues, including the rounded edges on the screen, the laggy interface, incompatible aspect ratio, bluetooth & wifi issues, poor battery life and a locked bootloader.
before asking if the camera is worth going to, ask yourself if the camera really matters that much. sony camera isn't as good as s8, but then again none are. if the camera means that much to you, then you are forced from here on to only buy samsung products. they really do always have the best cameras, but they pretty much suck at everything else. i don't ever miss my s8 now that i've switched. hell, i enjoy my OP5 more than the s8.
EDIT: you wanna buy my s8? lol (not joking)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the S8, have it set up with Nova Launcher, turned all animations to.05 & set the speed on Nova Launcher to the fastest. Got rid of all the bloat ware. This phone flies. It's a great phone with a little doctoring. Saying that I'm still getting the XZ1 Compact, the phone is the perfect size. Just wish the damn phone had FM Radio & more internal storage. 32 just isn't enough for today's apps.
Vinny [emoji631]
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

The distortion is annoying if you tafe photos that are straight like a building for example. in other cases you wonto notice unless its a close up foto. So yes, it is annoying. there is a rumor sony will improve this, but thats it, just rumor.
Overall the xz1c makes fotos almost as good as the s8 in daylight conditions. You can prove my statement useing the compare tool from gsmarena.
It is in the night that the thing goes bad to the Xz1c. But anyway im still kinda satisfied with its capability in night mode. definetly not good as the s8 i8, but its not bad either. You have to think how important is that to you.

vinnyjr said:
I have the S8, have it set up with Nova Launcher, turned all animations to.05 & set the speed on Nova Launcher to the fastest. Got rid of all the bloat ware. This phone flies. It's a great phone with a little doctoring. Saying that I'm still getting the XZ1 Compact, the phone is the perfect size. Just wish the damn phone had FM Radio & more internal storage. 32 just isn't enough for today's apps.
Vinny [emoji631]
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i also noted a big improvement on my s8 after some extreme debloating via ADB. performance was definitely not the worst thing about the phone. i can deal with occasional hiccups.
for me, the worst thing is the screen. my ear pressing buttons while on a call, accidental grazes on the edges and loss of the corner utility because of the roundness and curved nature. looks cool, but not practical once used. it's a beautiful device, but i never could figure out exactly how to hold it securely and still remain functional.
oh, and the speaker on that thing! i've heard mouse farts that could drown out max volume on the s8.

The only thing I don't like with the camera is the slow autofocus. The feature of holding the shutter button to take many pictures quickly apparently focuses between each shot, so why can't the first single shot have a faster autofocus?

I've just looked at my pictures on the computer and holy ****, the quality is horrible for anything not taken outdoors. Just wow. The one thing holding me from unlocking the bootloader was what I thought were the camera improvements by Sony's DRM keys, but since that does nearly nothing to the quality of the pics, I may just do it whenever there's an AOSP rom available.

android_fury said:
I may just do it whenever there's an AOSP rom available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They've been available for a while now.

legendnexus said:
Hi all,
So it has been a week that have XZ1 Compact, but as most of you aware from the forums camera is not very satisfying. I got a chance to use Galaxy S8 for two months prior to XZ1C, which is also a great phone, however I get the XZ1C just like most of us here; for the phone being in a compact size.
So with the disappointing camera, I am very torn between keeping the phone and wait for an update maybe for the issue to be fixed, or return the phone and get the taller S8.
I wonder what other fellow XDA users think on this issue whether the camera quality can be fix or why should I stay with XZ1C or leave it for S8?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't like the phone, just get another one. You won't find one where you like every aspect, so you'll have to priorize.
Regarding fixing the issues, yes, that's entirely possible.
The distortion comes from the wide-angle lense used and can be corrected in software.
The blur and loss of detail is part of Sony's smoothing algorithms and could be turned off in software.
Also, regarding the distortion: https://talk.sonymobile.com/t5/Xper...as-serious-distortion-issue/m-p/1271268#M7658

4rz0 said:
If you don't like the phone, just get another one. You won't find one where you like every aspect, so you'll have to priorize.
Regarding fixing the issues, yes, that's entirely possible.
The distortion comes from the wide-angle lense used and can be corrected in software.
The blur and loss of detail is part of Sony's smoothing algorithms and could be turned off in software.
Also, regarding the distortion: https://talk.sonymobile.com/t5/Xper...as-serious-distortion-issue/m-p/1271268#M7658
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, that message sounds promising. Lets see what the update has to bring us

In the XZP oreo update, aside from camera distortion fix, there is also addition of 3D scan feature which previously only limited to XZ1 series. And if this is the update pattern, to let all recent series capable of running the sama feature, I am sure camera fix for XZ1 will come in next update.
The other thing I really hope for in next update is tap to wake feature, which shall very handy in real life usage experience.

Who is thinking to buy it ?? (I do)

This device is catching my eyes. I hope the reviews will be good !
It's time for my good old Z5 to retire...
Who is thinking to buy it and why ??

I am thinking about buying it if supports VoLTE on T-Mobile and the new Band 71.
I travel a lot for work and need all the coverage I can get.
It will be the XZ2 or the XZ2 Premium which is supposed to be announced in May.

It depends on the price.if around 600$ I might buy it day one. anything more than 700 I will skip it and go for XZ1.

josephnero said:
It depends on the price.if around 600$ I might buy it day one. anything more than 700 I will skip it and go for XZ1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AFAIK, its price will be 799€ at its release.
But yes, sooner or later, it will be below 700€ ^^

I intend to buy both XZ2 and the Compact, for my wife and I (respectively)!

serajr said:
I intend to buy both XZ2 and the Compact, for my wife and I (respectively)!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your wife is somewhat more a spender than you
Thanks, great news !!

@nreuge Hey man,
Good to see you still up and around.
My contract is up for renewal and I was really looking forward to get my hands on a new Sony device.
I've been with Sony since Xperia Z1 and I have loved their phones very much ever since.
But the XZ2 is just to thick for me.
I don't know what the hell they were thinking when they decided that.
Plus fingerprint on the back... Is just really inconvenient for me.
Having it on the side power button has always been one of the most important features that kept me buying Sony phones again.
I hope Sony will step up soon, but for now I'm very sad and disappointed to say im skipping them this time and I'm looking at other phones to upgrade my Xperia XZ.

nreuge said:
AFAIK, its price will be 799€ at its release.
But yes, sooner or later, it will be below 700€ ^^
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's for Europe buddy. Normally USA prices are lower.
Btw great to know that master serajr will get it too.

koekoek91 said:
@nreuge Hey man,
Good to see you still up and around.
My contract is up for renewal and I was really looking forward to get my hands on a new Sony device.
I've been with Sony since Xperia Z1 and I have loved their phones very much ever since.
But the XZ2 is just to thick for me.
I don't know what the hell they were thinking when they decided that.
Plus fingerprint on the back... Is just really inconvenient for me.
Having it on the side power button has always been one of the most important features that kept me buying Sony phones again.
I hope Sony will step up soon, but for now I'm very sad and disappointed to say im skipping them this time and I'm looking at other phones to upgrade my Xperia XZ.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is thick only at the very center...
You might change your mind when you can see it, touch it.
But I understand, every design cannot satisfy every people...
About the fingerprint sensor, I don't care I never use it.
Cheers !

nreuge said:
It is thick only at the very center...
You might change your mind when you can see it, touch it.
But I understand, every design cannot satisfy every people...
About the fingerprint sensor, I don't care I never use it.
Cheers !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will go to my carrier shop once it arrives there so ill have a look how it feels.
Fingerprint really is a deal breaker for me because I always use it and I always use a case. So having it on the back would really suck for me.
Anyway I hope you will enjoy the phone if you get it

Hey, I too want to buy The XZ2, what really got me into Sony Xperia smartphones is their multimedia features and they still do, That 4K screen and the advanced X-reality, conversion from SDR to HDR is just all what I'm looking for in a smartphone (I watch alot of movies and videos on my smartphone so yeah), BTW I really like that they put the Fingerprint scanner in the center (so I won't accidentally smudge the camera) it's convenient for me.
Edit: add to it how Sony is fast to update their phones next to Google, and because of how light their stock roms I won't ever think of custom roms.

AbduSharif20 said:
Hey, I too want to buy The XZ2, what really got me into Sony Xperia smartphones is their multimedia features and they still do, That 4K screen and the advanced X-reality, conversion from SDR to HDR is just all what I'm looking for in a smartphone (I watch alot of movies and videos on my smartphone so yeah), BTW I really like that they put the Fingerprint scanner in the center (so I won't accidentally smudge the camera) it's convenient for me.
Edit: add to it how Sony is fast to update their phones next to Google, and because of how light their stock roms I won't ever think of custom roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome
The XZ2 screen resolution is not 4K, it's FHD+ (this is really sufficient because you wouldn't see at all the difference with 4K and 4K would suck more battery for nothing...)
The Sony roms overlay is clean and fast. Their updates are relatively fast (but not too fast because they usually don't release bugged roms...)

nreuge said:
You're welcome
The XZ2 screen resolution is not 4K, it's FHD+ (this is really sufficient because you wouldn't see at all the difference with 4K and 4K would suck more battery for nothing...)
The Sony roms overlay is clean and fast. Their updates are relatively fast (but not too fast because they usually don't release bugged roms...)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh really, I think I missed between the 4K HDR recording and XZ2 having a 4K screen, well that's a bummer but I hope the upcoming premium/pro will do so (just like XZ Premium), thanks for noting it out.
Yeah that's good too, still Sony's updates are always ahead of other OEMs (except for Google), and not to mention most of their smartphones comes with the newest android version (at the time) out of the box.

Im also thinking about buying this one.
But ill wait so i can se how its feels in the hand.
My previous sony phones are zr and z5.
Skickat från min E6653 via Tapatalk

Mario.D said:
Im also thinking about buying this one.
But ill wait so i can se how its feels in the hand.
My previous sony phones are zr and z5.
Skickat från min E6653 via Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can assure you that it's the most comfortable Sony Xperia smartphone on the hand, didn't touch it but it's obvious and that's what reviewers say.

Great and detailed review of gsmarena...
It seems very very good !!
https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_xz2-review-1735.php

nreuge said:
Great and detailed review of gsmarena...
It seems very very good !!
https://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_xz2-review-1735.php
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I was waiting for days to read it, and the phone did fulfill expectations on pretty much all fronts. But the thing that impressed me the most was obviously the camera. The have really stepped up their game and image processing and brought it on par with S9 duo.
Now this may seem as an exaggeration, but it's actually just like that. I've downloaded full pictures from GSMArena tests and zoomed in as much as it was on S9 and all 12mp cameras, or simply put I've scaled pictures down to 12mp (as of course you are zooming in a bit more because of higher resolution). Did a comparison with S9 directly and I can tell you, although the noise levels are higher on XZ2, the amount of detail is the same, and in some areas maybe a bit better, but also in some a bit worse, so it's balanced out.
But, here is the point, if you take into consideration that XZ2 hasn't got OIS, has notably smaller aperture, smaller individual pixels and lack of dual pixel focus while having admittedly a bit bigger sensor, and all of this contributed to ISO levels 3 times higher than on S9 (or the correct term would be 2 stops higher?) yet it produced pictures with quality that is closely comparable, that just tells you much they achieved and how good the sensor is and processing as well.
Furthermore, studio shots have proven that quality of XZ2 in low-light surpasses S9 while being on nearly the same ISO, which means that processing has matured and paid off. And if Sony improves the specs of their camera setup for the next generation, it will easily top the competition.

Cirra92 said:
Yeah, I was waiting for days to read it, and the phone did fulfill expectations on pretty much all fronts. But the thing that impressed me the most was obviously the camera. The have really stepped up their game and image processing and brought it on par with S9 duo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep, it did well. but remember that GSMArena uses a tripod for many of their shots, which the XZ2 camera software notices and then lowers the ISO and slows shutter speed, giving better detail. handheld shots won't be the same.
still, in many cases it's a marked improvement over the XZ1 and XZ Premium, which use the same sensor.
As an XZ1 owner, I'm tempted to wait and see the model that uses the new dual-sensor module coming later this year, rather than jumping on the XZ2.

eelpout said:
yep, it did well. but remember that GSMArena uses a tripod for many of their shots, which the XZ2 camera software notices and then lowers the ISO and slows shutter speed, giving better detail. handheld shots won't be the same.
still, in many cases it's a marked improvement over the XZ1 and XZ Premium, which use the same sensor.
As an XZ1 owner, I'm tempted to wait and see the model that uses the new dual-sensor module coming later this year, rather than jumping on the XZ2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They do use tripod for studio shot, however they don't use tripod for those outdoor shots in order to replicate everyday usage, you can even see that based on shutter speed, which is 1/16, mostly what is used by Superior Auto on handheld usage. When it's on tripod, it goes slower than that.
The point is that even at high ISO values, it's on par with the S9 duo, objectively speaking and when the ISO is matched, XZ2 goes ahead, due to detail preservation. I'm not saying it because I am biased, as I'm not, I've downloaded the pictures, scaled them and compared. Now, I'm far from photographer and have scarce knowledge about it, but I have good enough eyes and common sense ( I hope so ).
Anyway, the improvement is here and a big one at that, so this is a very good sign. Unfortunately it will be a while until I can buy this one, but since you have XZ1, you can wait for XZ Premium successor, it should be even better than this

Just ordered from Amazon US. Supposedly in stock. Expected delivery is March 22 - March 27. 6GB RAM model, dual SIM.
Edit: shipped March 16, delivery expected March 20