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[Q] Why is the camera so bad in the inspire

I made the switch just this past weekend to the Inspire and gave my iPhone 4 to my wife. I don't miss the iPhone except for its camera. Compared to the Inspires camera, the iPhone 4 camera is like a 20982340823 megapixel camera.
Please don't take this as a troll post or an Apple fanboy post, its not. I just wonder if its my phone, the inspire, or android in general that causes the absolutely awful pictures. The grain is horrific, and no matter how still I hold the camera, the shot blurs.
I'm not new to photography either, its a part-time hobby for me. Just really disappointed with the camera so far

blackwrx02 said:
I made the switch just this past weekend to the Inspire and gave my iPhone 4 to my wife. I don't miss the iPhone except for its camera. Compared to the Inspires camera, the iPhone 4 camera is like a 20982340823 megapixel camera.
Please don't take this as a troll post or an Apple fanboy post, its not. I just wonder if its my phone, the inspire, or android in general that causes the absolutely awful pictures. The grain is horrific, and no matter how still I hold the camera, the shot blurs.
I'm not new to photography either, its a part-time hobby for me. Just really disappointed with the camera so far
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is this on the stock rom? is it any different on custom roms?

Apple has had 4 years to adjust one camera app. Simple as that. Android has 197941218894 camera apps. by that I mean that come stock
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA App

I have read a few post claiming what you are, I personally have owned iphone 4 and compared with mine I definately can say its not a big difference if any, I dont have any grainy problems that some talk about. The pictures are real clear. Maybe go check out a demo model at att and take pic and see if it is any different.

I agree the Camera on this phone leaves something to be desired. I am hoping they will update this with an OTA. If I remember right HTC did something like that with the Incredibles Camera. My wife has an iPhone 4 and that is pretty much the benchmark by which all cellphone camera's are measured (N8 excluded of course). This camera seams to work OK if nothing is moving, but trying to get any picture of my 4 year old is impossible with the Inspire.

bmolloy said:
I agree the Camera on this phone leaves something to be desired.
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I c wut u did thar

My inspire is completely stock.
I haven't used any if the market apps for the inspire yet, so maybe there is some hope in a different app.
Are any of the other roms different/better?

I use android revolution and notice a significant improvement in the camera. Not sure why but it is much better. Hard to beat iphone 4 camera...
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

I've got the opposite problem. My DSLR makes lousy phone calls.

Cannibul said:
I've got the opposite problem. My DSLR makes lousy phone calls.
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Are you holding it right?
sent from my HTC Inspired Desire HD 4G

If you change the iso to 400 or so things tend to improve. Htc has never been known for their camera. It is passable.

Its because the iPhone 4 has a larger sensor in its camera. While the iPhone is only 5 megapixels, the larger sensor makes a very noticeable difference in quality so it is less grainy and takes better low light shots. An update to the Inspire can't fix the quality, it needs a bigger sensor.

I think the camera in the inspire 4g is great. However, i am comparing to my dell streak which sux. I feel more like im shooting with my hd2 now, which had an amazing camera

it may be an inaccurate observation on my part but it seems like after the camera focuses and i take a shot, the picture ends up being blurred just slightly. it's never as sharp as immediately after the auto focus.

substance12 said:
it may be an inaccurate observation on my part but it seems like after the camera focuses and i take a shot, the picture ends up being blurred just slightly. it's never as sharp as immediately after the auto focus.
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Yes that's accurate. It definitely has a tendency to do that from what I've seen. One way to minimize that is to press and hold the camera/shutter button until the picture takes instead of waiting for it to focus and then tapping the button. Don't know if you already do that or not, but if you don't it might be worth a try. Hope it helps.

As someone else mentioned, it is the sensor that matters, not MP (as you know). Unfortunately, other than Nokia (and Apple, to a lesser extent) phone manufacturers seem to randomly pick an available sensor in the price/MP range they want for the camera, stick it in, and forget about it. Unfortunately this is an industry-trend, so I don't see anyone changing soon. Can't wait to see what Nokia does with some WP7 goodness in their hardware. *notatroll*

getabetterpic said:
As someone else mentioned, it is the sensor that matters, not MP (as you know). Unfortunately, other than Nokia (and Apple, to a lesser extent) phone manufacturers seem to randomly pick an available sensor in the price/MP range they want for the camera, stick it in, and forget about it. Unfortunately this is an industry-trend, so I don't see anyone changing soon. Can't wait to see what Nokia does with some WP7 goodness in their hardware. *notatroll*
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sony ericsson takes great photos too

mcca555 said:
sony ericsson takes great photos too
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True, although they haven't had a good camera-centric phone since the K850.

I actually have had good experiences with my camera.. hmm...

I think the camera does a pretty good job. Does this have the same camera as the EVO? If so I saw some pics that the EVO took compared to iPhone 4 and they look pretty damn close.

Our Touch Phone was beaten by Windows Phone 8X?

Hi,Take a look ?
Search Youtube
The Cook Family's match: The Windows Phone 8X by HTC - Full Length
Even that is a MyTouch 3G
But I still felt uncomfortable
If window phone 8x compare to MyTouch 4G
is there any chance 4G could beat 8X?
Sorry, I can not post the youtube link.

plusyou88 said:
Hi,Take a look ?
Search Youtube
The Cook Family's match: The Windows Phone 8X by HTC - Full Length
Even that is a MyTouch 3G
But I still felt uncomfortable
If window phone 8x compare to MyTouch 4G
is there any chance 4G could beat 8X?
Sorry, I can not post the youtube link.
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He compared using the front-facing camera. Nobody seriously uses the front camera, it is a lame VGA 1.3MP sensor. Had he used the rear camera, the MyTouch would have held its own against the Nokia.

Fuzi0719 said:
He compared using the front-facing camera. Nobody seriously uses the front camera, it is a lame VGA 1.3MP sensor. Had he used the rear camera, the MyTouch would have held its own against the Nokia.
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I beg to differ!
Anyone using phone for what it is - a communication device - normally uses the front camera a lot, not the rear one, don't you agree?
Personally I could live without rear camera at all, all those hailed "great features" of MT4GS' built-in rear camera's (and any other phone's cameras!) are easily beaten by any crappiest $20 standalone photo camera toys with a 1 inch lens (or more), and that's a fact... This rear camera module cost mere $2 or less from manufacturer (depending on quantity) and either same or very similar ones are built-in into many toys (i.e. latest Barbie with camera and screen)... Anyways, I never understood why anyone would even consider taking any more or less serious photos with the phone's tiny plastic single-optic lens. It's not like photo/video cameras with proper optics cost arm and leg nowadays... I can hardly think of more than very few situations where the rear camera may be needed instead of front camera.
Oh and having said that: Windows Phone 8 sucks. I haven't seen any difference from WP7, which IMO is the worst mobile OS ever.

MT4GS said:
I beg to differ!
Anyone using phone for what it is - a communication device - usually use the front camera a lot, don't you think?
Personally I could live without rear camera at all, all those hailed "great features" of MT4GS' built-in rear camera's are easily beaten by any crappiest $20 standalone photo camera toys with a 2 inch lens (or more), and that's a fact... This rear camera module cost mere $2-$3, either same or very similar one are built-in into many toys (i.e. latest Barbie with camera and screen)... Anyways, I never understood why anyone would even consider taking any more or less serious photos with the phone's tiny plastic single-optic lens. It's not like photo/video cameras with proper optics cost arm and leg nowadays... I can hardly think of more than very few situations where the rear camera may be needed instead of front camera.
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Really?! I'm tired of people saying their phones aren't real, respectable (ish) cameras. No offense personally, dude... I just see this as a common misconception among my fellow techies. Most 8MP and above take decent enough shots to be compared to a regular consumer grade camera. Obviously, not in ALL situations (like low light at a distance, optical zoom, etc.) but enough to be used seriously to capture a memory of loved one, day trip, unexpected wild life, etc. The MAIN point is who the hell carries a camera around with them?! Very few... so yeah, I'd say some of the newer phones can be considered serious (ish) cameras. Of course these are just opinions so we can't really prove or disprove much but I have to say that most pics are taken by mobiles and must be considered serious based on quantity alone. Remember that few people actually know what a DSLR camera is... let alone carry one. We technical minded people forget that most aren't in the same mindset we are.

I too am fond of the front facing camera of nokia phones. And that's only because nokia supports 3g Video calling unlike android that uses the front camera only for internet based video calling. Quality wise I don't really mind at all since they all are crap anyways. I would be greatful to have a 8mp front facing camera with superb compression so it wouldn't have any impacts on data transfer. But yeah it's just a dream haha

sino8r said:
Really?! I'm tired of people saying their phones aren't real, respectable (ish) cameras. No offense personally, dude... I just see this as a common misconception among my fellow techies. Most 8MP and above take decent enough shots to be compared to a regular consumer grade camera. Obviously, not in ALL situations (like low light at a distance, optical zoom, etc.) but enough to be used seriously to capture a memory of loved one, day trip, unexpected wild life, etc. The MAIN point is who the hell carries a camera around with them?! Very few... so yeah, I'd say some of the newer phones can be considered serious (ish) cameras. Of course these are just opinions so we can't really prove or disprove much but I have to say that most pics are taken by mobiles and must be considered serious based on quantity alone. Remember that few people actually know what a DSLR camera is... let alone carry one. We technical minded people forget that most aren't in the same mindset we are.
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Of course it is personal prefernce, so our discussion is actually a moot.
I do agree with you (mostly), but you missed my point, which is that almost anything you may use rear camera for - all of it can be done with the front camera, but not the other way aroound (i.e. you can't use rear camera for videocall). I'd rather have a good front camera, because 99% of the time that's the camera I use, that's all. Rear camera is a gimmick to fool people, but that's just my opinion. (edit - actually not only mine, since i.e. latest Google tablets ditched the rear cameras, yet they kept the front ones...)
Regarding the quality - there is no need to "defend" the phone cameras, because I am not "attacking" them; they are what they are: cheapest cameras around and just because at certain conditions they are able to take decent shots proves nothing. Anyways, IMO the phone cameras are akin to old disposable "analog" (35mm film) cameras, they had their market too. I have actually seen people taking wedding photos with those! And there is nothing wrong with that, it's all just personal preference, really.
The fact is that when you have no camera around, even the crappiest one is a god-send, right?
edit:
The same way death of stupid iPods was just a matter of time once the first smartphones became capable of playing music and videos, the same way the "point & shoot" cameras will disappear in the next few years. People always prefer "all-in-one" devices instead of carrying multiple single-purpose devices. Let's not forget that the "convenience" always wins over "quality" (it has been proven many times), and that's why I am sure within next few years all these typical "point & shoot" cameras will disappear completely (replaced by built-in phone cameras). Camera market will consist mostly of pro and consumer DSLRs and some more-less specialized cams (3D perhaps? assuming this current 3D TV fad keeps going on).

MT4GS said:
I beg to differ!
Anyone using phone for what it is - a communication device - normally uses the front camera a lot, not the rear one, don't you agree?
Personally I could live without rear camera at all, all those hailed "great features" of MT4GS' built-in rear camera's (and any other phone's cameras!) are easily beaten by any crappiest $20 standalone photo camera toys with a 1 inch lens (or more), and that's a fact... This rear camera module cost mere $2 or less from manufacturer (depending on quantity) and either same or very similar ones are built-in into many toys (i.e. latest Barbie with camera and screen)... Anyways, I never understood why anyone would even consider taking any more or less serious photos with the phone's tiny plastic single-optic lens. It's not like photo/video cameras with proper optics cost arm and leg nowadays... I can hardly think of more than very few situations where the rear camera may be needed instead of front camera.
Oh and having said that: Windows Phone 8 sucks. I haven't seen any difference from WP7, which IMO is the worst mobile OS ever.
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Sorry, but you really don't know WTF you're saying, so just stop. Thank you for your time.
---------- Post added at 12:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:04 AM ----------
Riyal said:
I too am fond of the front facing camera of nokia phones. And that's only because nokia supports 3g Video calling unlike android that uses the front camera only for internet based video calling. Quality wise I don't really mind at all since they all are crap anyways. I would be greatful to have a 8mp front facing camera with superb compression so it wouldn't have any impacts on data transfer. But yeah it's just a dream haha
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We can do 3G video calling on our MT4GS just fine. I've used Skype and QIK to make video calls without any problem, and not on Wi-Fi.

Fuzi0719 said:
Sorry, but you really don't know WTF you're saying, so just stop. Thank you for your time.
.
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LOL I think exactly the same about your opinion, so why you just don't stop?

I use my front facing camera like 200 times a day.... No lie

CoNsPiRiSiZe said:
I use my front facing camera like 200 times a day.... No lie
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I use the front WAY more than the back camera. I mean yeah the back camera comes in handy for weird clouding in the sky, but nothing beats sitting there doing 'self portraits' of me and my daughter
Sent from a KangBanged JellyBean

I use my FFC *MAYBE* 2x a year.
I use the rear camera daily @ work as well as at play.
YMMV. We all place different value on our devices based on our lifestyle and values.
Hastily spouted for your befuddlement

In the 14 months I've owned this phone, I've used the front camera for a photo maybe 3 times. I use the rear camera a lot, at least a dozen times a week on average and when I was living in China this past summer I took over 1000 photos and a dozen HD videos using the rear camera. I've used the front camera for webcam about 6 times.
I did an informal survey among my friends. Of the 9 friends I asked who have phones with a front camera, only 2 of them had ever used the front camera for a photo, and that's because they are self-pic whores. HAHAHA

Lol I'd hope a brand new phone beats a phone that's nearly a year and a half old. But in all seriousness, I still think the MT4GS's camera is still pretty solid. I mean not the GREATEST, but it's not very bad either. The front facing camera I do use a lot and it's not quite the BEST, but I've never needed the BEST front facing camera, if it works then I'm good to go.

Wrong thread lol!

Riyal said:
Wrong thread lol!
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I just hate it when I do that.

I bet we will see the beginning of the end for most point and shoots when they add optical zoom and dslr to smartphones. Like what MT4GS said, most end users prefer all in one devices. Very good point about death of ipod. I always thought that mp3 players were stupid since I was using my WM device/G1 as one. I eventually ran out of memory since the 16GB cards were expensive at the time and opted for a 32GB model mp3 player. These days... you can get a 64GB class 10 card for under a $100 which makes mp3 players obsolete. I'm sure cameras will never meet that end quite as dramatically or in numbers even for just consumers but I can see that cameras on smartphones will hit 12mp soon enough and become commonplace when optical zoom is introduced. I'm sure most manufacturers are concerned about thickness, how they can make the lens retreat mostly into the housing, and mostly... safe on their drop tests Personally, I wish they'd work on better lens because 12mp camera can look like **** with inferior lens. As far as the front camera goes, our little VGA doesn't cut it for picture... for me, at least. It is handy for video calls and nothing more imho. Even the latest, which usually include up to 1.3mp, is rather poor quality. I've been disappointed at the rate manufacturers have improved them thus far. I guess time will tell, huh?
As far as DSLR goes, I'm sure it will be added when they become more commonplace in the consumer realm. HDR seems to be adding to all models as a feature like panorama. The photography world has become very exciting lately

Fuzi0719 said:
In the 14 months I've owned this phone, I've used the front camera for a photo maybe 3 times. I use the rear camera a lot, at least a dozen times a week on average and when I was living in China this past summer I took over 1000 photos and a dozen HD videos using the rear camera. I've used the front camera for webcam about 6 times.
I did an informal survey among my friends. Of the 9 friends I asked who have phones with a front camera, only 2 of them had ever used the front camera for a photo, and that's because they are self-pic whores. HAHAHA
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You still don't get it.
I will try one more time slower for you
Whatever you use your rear camera for, it can be done with front camera in almost every case. If MT4GS had the 8Mpx front camera with all the same features (and no rear camera) you would be using it the same way as you already did with this camera being in the rear - AND all of us using only/mostly the current front camera would be using it the same way as we did so far too, don't you get it? The rear camera is redundant in 99% cases of use.
You have used the rear cam only because you wanted take photos or videos in a higher resolution (than the current front camera's VGA). Simply replace the front VGA cam with 8Mpx camera from the back and you don't need 2 of them anymore.
What I would actually prefer instead of 2 cameras is having a second small screen on the back (to be used as i.e. "viewfinder" for those rare occasions when the front camera would be used for taking photos of something, but anyways there are plenty of other/better uses for second small screen on the rear), but that's another matter...
edit:
I just did same survey, 6 ppl:
4 agree the rear camera is redundant and they do or would use only front camera if there was no rear cam
1 person has only front cam (and she said she don't need rear camera at all)
1 person said he would NOT buy phone without 2 cameras (front and back)
so...

MT4GS said:
You still don't get it.
I will try one more time slower for you
Whatever you use your rear camera for, it can be done with front camera in almost every case. If MT4GS had the 8Mpx front camera with all the same features (and no rear camera) you would be using it the same way as you already did with this camera being in the rear - AND all of us using only/mostly the current front camera would be using it the same way as we did so far too, don't you get it? The rear camera is redundant in 99% cases of use.
You have used the rear cam only because you wanted take photos or videos in a higher resolution (than the current front camera's VGA). Simply replace the front VGA cam with 8Mpx camera from the back and you don't need 2 of them anymore.
What I would actually prefer instead of 2 cameras is having a second small screen on the back (to be used as i.e. "viewfinder" for those rare occasions when the front camera would be used for taking photos of something, but anyways there are plenty of other/better uses for second small screen on the rear), but that's another matter...
edit:
I just did same survey, 6 ppl:
4 agree the rear camera is redundant and they do or would use only front camera if there was no rear cam
1 person has only front cam (and she said she don't need rear camera at all)
1 person said he would NOT buy phone without 2 cameras (front and back)
so...
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It is really sad when a narcissist has so pissed off everyone else in his life that he's reduced to taking his own self-pics with the front-facing camera on his phone. :laugh: And no, I would not use the front camera even if it were a higher quality. The photos I take are of other subjects, not myself. I'm not that vain.

MT4GS said:
You still don't get it.
I will try one more time slower for you
Whatever you use your rear camera for, it can be done with front camera in almost every case. If MT4GS had the 8Mpx front camera with all the same features (and no rear camera) you would be using it the same way as you already did with this camera being in the rear - AND all of us using only/mostly the current front camera would be using it the same way as we did so far too, don't you get it? The rear camera is redundant in 99% cases of use.
You have used the rear cam only because you wanted take photos or videos in a higher resolution (than the current front camera's VGA). Simply replace the front VGA cam with 8Mpx camera from the back and you don't need 2 of them anymore.
What I would actually prefer instead of 2 cameras is having a second small screen on the back (to be used as i.e. "viewfinder" for those rare occasions when the front camera would be used for taking photos of something, but anyways there are plenty of other/better uses for second small screen on the rear), but that's another matter...
edit:
I just did same survey, 6 ppl:
4 agree the rear camera is redundant and they do or would use only front camera if there was no rear cam
1 person has only front cam (and she said she don't need rear camera at all)
1 person said he would NOT buy phone without 2 cameras (front and back)
so...
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Not to tease but what do you do when you take pics other than yourself & someone/something? I agree with Fuzi... I'm just not sure how people are taking so many FFC pics.... Am I missing something? Again, no sarcasm intended. Just curious and confused

sino8r said:
Not to tease but what do you do when you take pics other than yourself & someone/something? I agree with Fuzi... I'm just not sure how people are taking so many FFC pics.... Am I missing something? Again, no sarcasm intended. Just curious and confused
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I have a folder on my sdcard that's nothing but self pics of me and my kid TOGETHER. And its around a few hundred photos, then there's me and my fiance together ect.
Also the ffc is a mirror for me when I cut my own hair and need to see the back of my head and only one mirror is there...I mean the ffc has more uses than what's being looked at.
Btw I notice this thread has gone way off track to MT and fuzi opinion thread on why this camera is better than that camera
Sent from a KangBanged JellyBean

Reasons to prefer this phone (new byer perspective). 1 . Camera.

New thread series - reasons to buy this phone from a new user, who is myself.
My Android phone history - HTC EVO, HTC EVO 3D, Sprint Epic 4G Touch, HTC Evo LTE, Galaxy S3, Galaxy S4.
---Camera---
I always have to take 3-5 consecutive shots to get a sharp picture. I think it's because my hands shake, and there's not much I can do about it - it's enough to make even the best-focused shot blurry. This has always been the case with me and smartphone cameras - hold as still as you can, take 3+ shots, and hope you got a good one.
Not so - enter the HTC One m8 camera.
I took many test shots in a Verizon store, and each shot was nearly perfectly focused, after a single try.
I also took many test shots with an S5 in a US Cellular store, and *none* of the shots were focused.
So 16 megapixels were ruined by bad focusing, while 4 megapixels were great on this phone.
I may be somewhat biased because I'm now an owner of the 4MP HTC One m8, but even S5's 16MP camera couldn't hold a candle to the 4MP in my hands.
Please discuss.

Try zooming in..
That's where the camera falls short. (only downfall I see)
I still love it though.

Ya, but that front facing camera though. Snapchat is ****ing dope though

DjCalvin said:
Try zooming in..
That's where the camera falls short. (only downfall I see)
I still love it though.
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Well, you are right in the general sense. 16MP(S5) looks MUCH better than 4MP (factor of 2 in sharpness - 2x2 vs. 4x4) under ideal circumstances. But that isn't the only variable.
But my point was like this - even if I zoom in, blurry cannot be fixed, because of bad focusing on Samsung phones. Blurring made my 13MP shots (S4) look like 1MP at best!
I was actually amazed at how well the HTC camera can help me focus shots - basically, all I had to do was press the button.
Also, the "best shot" is automatic with this camera, whereas on S4, you had to choose the best shot yourself (which makes zero sense.)
While the possibility is there to have better shots with Samsung phones, for me personally, not having to think about the quality and still get good shots is much more important.

I got my wife the S5 for "free" when I bought my m8.
While the camera on the S5 can be good with 16MP, it also makes you hold the damn phone for like 5 seconds to take the picture. Its so annoying. If you were trying to hurry and take a quick snap of something, you wouldn't stand a chance. You hit the shutter button and it seriously says something like "hold steady..." I can't remember exactly, but it take forever to snap the picture.
My m8 on the other hand, is damn instant. Sometimes I feel like I didn't even touch the shutter button yet lol.
People always get locked on the Mega Pixels. Mega Pixels does not mean better camera/pictures. I am a photographer by hobby, and any real photographer will also tell you this. Yes its true, the more mega pixels, the clearer the image usually is when you zoom in to details. (at least on a phone that is) on a real camera, a quality lens can also make or break.
My point here is, I have a 12MP Cannon DSLR that is quite a few years old now. But I have a lot of equipment (lenses, filters, etc), and even though its only 12MP it will still make any phone camera, and also most any point-and-shoot digital camera look bad. Case-in-point = Mega Pixels doesn't mean better pictures. It means bigger pictures and larger possible print sizes. Phone manufactures know that most people think "more MP=better", and they use that to market their device to attempt to sell more (Hence all the 16MP, 20mp and even 40mp phone cameras. They know people will literally say "ohhhh more mega pixels, that will take amazing photos". Lets face it, 99% of the users are NOT going to be making large 30" photo prints with their phone pictures. So IT DOESN'T MATTER.

I love this camera.
I just came from a 13 megapixel G2. It WISHES it could hold a candle to this camera. Seriously.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW

I agree. I will take this 4mp over my old s4's 12 any day.
Sent from my HTC6525LVW using xda app-developers app

[Q] Better camera app/settings?

So far, I'm pretty happy with this phone but very disappointed with the stock camera app. The camera does pretty well outdoors and in low light, but is terrible in moderate light conditions (i.e. normal indoor conditions.) I just took a bunch of blurry, grainy pictures of my kids with their Easter baskets that all snapped 1/2 a second after I clicked the shutter. The thing that makes me think the camera can do better is that everything looks great on the screen up until I ask it to take a photo, then it refocuses and everything goes to hell. I tried Samsung's sports mode, and that is only marginally better. My wife's new S5 is suffering from the same problem.
Has anyone had better luck with other camera apps or a change in settings? Camera Zoom FX and Google's new camera app don't seem any better. I don't care about effects, HDR, manual photo settings or gimmicks; all I want are sharp, in-focus photos that take without a bunch of lag.

Bazirker said:
So far, I'm pretty happy with this phone but very disappointed with the stock camera app. The camera does pretty well outdoors and in low light, but is terrible in moderate light conditions (i.e. normal indoor conditions.) I just took a bunch of blurry, grainy pictures of my kids with their Easter baskets that all snapped 1/2 a second after I clicked the shutter. The thing that makes me think the camera can do better is that everything looks great on the screen up until I ask it to take a photo, then it refocuses and everything goes to hell. I tried Samsung's sports mode, and that is only marginally better. My wife's new S5 is suffering from the same problem.
Has anyone had better luck with other camera apps or a change in settings? Camera Zoom FX and Google's new camera app don't seem any better. I don't care about effects, HDR, manual photo settings or gimmicks; all I want are sharp, in-focus photos that take without a bunch of lag.
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Turn picture stabilization off and it gets rid of the picture lag.
But yes, otherwise similar issues.
That's the thing. The HTC M8 wins on indoor/low light pics (if you don't get that purple blob effect), this will on outdoors. That's where the whole MP vs. sensor size come into play as larger sensor means more light but not as sharp vs. more MP means sharper but due to smaller sensor less light thus not always great.
Anyway I've found it takes me about 2 pictures to get one I like with HDR and image stabilization off. With that on that all seem to suck due to the delay. Would have been nice to have some true optical image stabilization too. Samsung just doesn't seem to learn/care though.
We get good HW but they cheap out on the little things that make it better.

Yeah, turning off stabilization, HDR etc helps, but there's still a noticeable lag. The lag bothers me less than the fact that my near-stationary subject is coming out blurry. If the camera would simply capture the exact image that is on-screen at the moment I hit the shutter, I would be thrilled...
Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

So here's kinda the problem. And it happens a lot with people taking pictures on your phone.
A phone was not meant to be a camera. It just wasn't. In the early days of low resolution things went faster. When you try to run 16 megabit... things are necessarily going to be harder.
Here's the easiest solution to your problems: Practice taking pictures with the phone. Keep your arms tucked in at your sides, keep the phone closer to your body. Shoot in landscape instead of portrait so your hands are in better position. I use the flip case for this phone which means I can use that as well to have better grip and stability. Take the picture... and keep the camera pointed just where you were taking the picture for at least 1/2 sec after you tap the "shutter release". Shutter lag will only be exacerbated by being too quick to move the phone. Also, you don't have to mash the on screen button, light tap and whatnot. Oh and the 1/3 of a sec focus time is their "fastest" rating. While in truth that is pretty darn decent, it's also the fastest you'll have. Expect a possible 1/2 to 3/4 sec focus time. And make sure you're PICKY about your focus. Do it over and over again if it's not right.
Also, your metering mode will have a big impact on your images. Get used to changing them to suit your subject.
I have 13+ years experience as a photographer. If it weren't absolutely absurd, and say all of my bodies died at the same time... I would be carrying a monopod or tripod for use with my GS5... Stability is the key to image quality. Who cares what you look like when you take the picture, it's the picture that matters.
Oh and one other thing, image blur is exacerbated when objects are either very close, or very far away. One because the contrast elements (edges and such) are easy to distinguish from the rest and when they're blurry... you notice it. The other because detail elements are TINY at that range, down to even 1 pixel width, so any shake makes those disappear entirely into blur.
Just some basic things to do. Honestly if it's a choice between getting the shot with my Nikons... or getting it with my GS5? the Nikons will win every time. But in a pinch, the camera on the GS5 is good enough. Just takes the right hands and the right frame of mind.

Arkanthos2015 said:
So here's kinda the problem. And it happens a lot with people taking pictures on your phone.
A phone was not meant to be a camera. It just wasn't. In the early days of low resolution things went faster. When you try to run 16 megabit... things are necessarily going to be harder.
Here's the easiest solution to your problems: Practice taking pictures with the phone. Keep your arms tucked in at your sides, keep the phone closer to your body. Shoot in landscape instead of portrait so your hands are in better position. I use the flip case for this phone which means I can use that as well to have better grip and stability. Take the picture... and keep the camera pointed just where you were taking the picture for at least 1/2 sec after you tap the "shutter release". Shutter lag will only be exacerbated by being too quick to move the phone. Also, you don't have to mash the on screen button, light tap and whatnot. Oh and the 1/3 of a sec focus time is their "fastest" rating. While in truth that is pretty darn decent, it's also the fastest you'll have. Expect a possible 1/2 to 3/4 sec focus time. And make sure you're PICKY about your focus. Do it over and over again if it's not right.
Also, your metering mode will have a big impact on your images. Get used to changing them to suit your subject.
I have 13+ years experience as a photographer. If it weren't absolutely absurd, and say all of my bodies died at the same time... I would be carrying a monopod or tripod for use with my GS5... Stability is the key to image quality. Who cares what you look like when you take the picture, it's the picture that matters.
Oh and one other thing, image blur is exacerbated when objects are either very close, or very far away. One because the contrast elements (edges and such) are easy to distinguish from the rest and when they're blurry... you notice it. The other because detail elements are TINY at that range, down to even 1 pixel width, so any shake makes those disappear entirely into blur.
Just some basic things to do. Honestly if it's a choice between getting the shot with my Nikons... or getting it with my GS5? the Nikons will win every time. But in a pinch, the camera on the GS5 is good enough. Just takes the right hands and the right frame of mind.
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Lots of truth to your post in regards to the pointers about technique and settings. I've got an EOS-1Ds I use when I plan to take photos, and you need to know how to use your gear and be practiced if you want to take a decent photo.
However, I disagree when it comes to expectations for smartphone camera performance. I used to have the same attitude you expressed about taking photos with a phone, until I recently backed up and printed some of the photos off my wife's old iPhone 4S. The photos it took were shockingly good, and my disappointment with the Galaxy S5 camera stems from the fact that it is getting severely outperformed by the 3 year old iPhone. If the Apple crowd has been able to rely on their iPhones as a competent point-and-shoot camera for years, I see no reason why my flagship Android phone should be no different.
In other news, I've been playing with different settings and apps all afternoon, and still aren't seeing any improvement in performance. Camera Zoom FX allows for ISO 1600, and that's giving me the best performance so far in terms of reducing lag and image blur. (Of course, the images are quite grainy...boo hiss.)

Camera photo quality

I've just bought the GEM-702L and I'm a bit disappointed with the main camera quality, even in very good lighting. Photos of things reasonably near are OK, but general scenic shots aren't very sharp at all particularly near the edges, regardless of whether I set it to 13 MP or 6 MP. The pictures look like they're not quite properly in focus. For comparison, the same photos on the Galaxy Note 4 are much sharper, even at the same number of pixels.
What do others think of the main camera quality? Any tips for getting better results? I'd be grateful if you could post some photos you've taken so I can see if they're similar to mine in quality.
I've linked two of my own photos for comparison, both at 6 megapixels, one from the X2, and one from the Note 4.
X2: https://app.box.com/s/8jdqn7gci9sn8nvl78apjzwi90en6qrs
Note 4: https://app.box.com/s/jl7sazpavt637em04vgbww3sudkaj67l

Auto focus is the problem
No replies - maybe this is a bit of a sore point with fellow X2 owners?
Anyway after more experimentation, I've discovered that the problem seems to be with the camera auto focus - it tries to focus too close. Tapping on a different part of the picture doesn't seem to help. However, if I assign focus to the volume keys and manually focus at infinity, scenic shots come out much better. That's not ideal, but it's a simple and easy workaround and so I'm a lot happier. Unfortunately I can't change my poll vote, but if I could I'd put it up one grade from poor to good.

Camera has been very good for me. Photos are crisp and clear

The camera isn't bad in broad daylight but it's not nearly as good as the camera on my Nexus 6.

In good light today and using manual focus I took a number of photos using manual focus and I was happy with the results, unlike the ones I took with autofocus. I've got the 702L, although I wouldn't have thought the camera software and results on the 703L would be any different. I tried using Open Camera, but that didn't help and wasn't able to control the focus.
Does anyone want to share any of their photos taken with the X2?

Moandal said:
In good light today and using manual focus I took a number of photos using manual focus and I was happy with the results, unlike the ones I took with autofocus. I've got the 702L, although I wouldn't have thought the camera software and results on the 703L would be any different. I tried using Open Camera, but that didn't help and wasn't able to control the focus.
Does anyone want to share any of their photos taken with the X2?
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Here's one I took on my X2 in NY on my way to a camping trip in NJ. The second one is a photo I took a minute later with my Nexus 6. The next two are two I just took in low light conditions in my office. The first one is from the X2, the second from the Nexus 6. The same for the third set of photos.

Moandal said:
However, if I assign focus to the volume keys and manually focus at infinity, scenic shots come out much better. That's not ideal, but it's a simple and easy workaround and so I'm a lot happier. Unfortunately I can't change my poll vote, but if I could I'd put it up one grade from poor to good.
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May I know how you did that? Sounds :good:

Go into the camera settings and look for the "Volume Button Function" option.

Camera Issues
So I know this is an old thread, but I love my phone but the camera just looks like crap. seems like there are bubbles on the lens itself. Anyone else have this issue?

t69broken said:
So I know this is an old thread, but I love my phone but the camera just looks like crap. seems like there are bubbles on the lens itself. Anyone else have this issue?
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I've never seen that. My camera in both my X2's are not bad. Here's a few I took with my 702L yesterday while looking at wedding venues. It looks like you have some kind of condensation or mold in the camera lens.

ajsmsg78 said:
I've never seen that. My camera in both my X2's are not bad. Here's a few I took with my 702L yesterday while looking at wedding venues. It looks like you have some kind of condensation or mold in the camera lens.
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Mold might be a bit extreme, but it looks like a bad tint job on my lens, it is the only reason I've thought of getting a different phone.

t69broken said:
Mold might be a bit extreme, but it looks like a bad tint job on my lens, it is the only reason I've thought of getting a different phone.
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IMHO it should be the first reason to ask retailer for replacing your phone...