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[PHOTOS] Share your pictures - ImageBam a good site for full-size upload

Share your Galaxy S4 photos and videos here - now with PocketNow Camera guide!
This thread is dedicated to user photos, videos and discussion, ImageBam and DropBox is recommended for full-size photo sharing. I also gathered a bunch of samples made by reviewers and divided those into two categories, Exynos 5 Octa (I9500, I9502, SHV-E300S) and Snapdragon 600 (I9505, SPH-L720 etc.) as there are minor differences such as a little more detail and less saturation on the Exnos 5 version.
- use Sport Mode or higher ISO to capture fast motion
- tap on focus and release upon the right moment for fast shutter response
- use Night Mode in dark for brighter results (needs steady hands)
- take multiple images or use burst mode and choose the best result later
- set volume keys for comfortable zooming
- hold the phone with two hands for steady shots, index fingers on top left and right, thumbs on bottom (left on volume keys), middle fingers parallel on the sides (landscape)
- hold the phone steady after shutter sound for a few seconds to make sure there is no shake upon capture
- use voice command function so there is no shake coming from tap
- use rich tone (HDR) mode when there's big brightness difference in the foreground and background or when the sky burns out
- do NOT use HDR when you want to capture high contrast images or when the sky is not burnt out, your result will be washed out
- use flash in daylight when there's strong light behind people
- geotag your photos to save location (drains battery)
- please, for the love of god, don't shoot videos in portrait mode
Samples taken with the Exynos Octa version (includng this post):
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=39803805&postcount=29 Daylight outside and in hotel
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=39809588&postcount=31 Night shots in various ISO modes
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=39853177&postcount=43 Daylight and some insides
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=39879818&postcount=44 Sunset and night
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=39915727&postcount=49 Daylight and macro
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=39988910&postcount=56 Panorama shots (Exynos, Snapdragon)
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40001853&postcount=62 Various conditions
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40096363&postcount=69 Studio shots
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40140757&postcount=73 Food macros
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40200900&postcount=74 Various shots
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40250108&postcount=80 Photos and videos
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40359369&postcount=93 Thai indoors and low-lights
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40424324&postcount=101 Indoors and outdoors in good conditions
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40542257&postcount=113 Bad weather, night
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40701266&postcount=172 Hong Kong at night
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40725770&postcount=175 Panoramas
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40805475&postcount=197 Korean samples
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40956057&postcount=248 HDR, night shots, inside
Samples taken with the Snapdragon 600 version:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=39751521&postcount=9 Daylight, sunset and low-light shots
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=39887623&postcount=48 HDR vs. normal
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40310570&postcount=89 Drama shot mode
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40336531&postcount=92 Day and night
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40384077&postcount=98 Daytime
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40457560&postcount=103 Daytime, panorama on retail version
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40661953&postcount=152 US version samples, daytime. nighttime, indoors
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40688873&postcount=169 US samples, outdoors
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40725770&postcount=175 Panoramas
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=40765409&postcount=184 More US samples

Nice samples.
S4 photo quality is more than enough for me.

Re: [PHOTOS] The Galaxy S4 user photos and camera discussion thread
Pictures look far superior than what the Sony Xperia Z can produce!
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app

scott2121210 said:
Pictures look far superior than what the Sony Xperia Z can produce!
Sent from my C6603 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which is very strange as the Oppo Find 5 (also Sony Exmor RS, and like the S4, F2,2) also beats the Xperia Z in details, noise amount, post-processing (or lack of it)... I suspect most troubles are coming from the IP57 certified F2.4 lens, which is different to Sony's original IU135F3-Z (Exmore RS sensor + F2.2 lens).

BoneXDA said:
Which is very strange as the Oppo Find 5 (also Sony Exmor RS, and like the S4, F2,2) also beats the Xperia Z in details, noise amount, post-processing (or lack of it)... I suspect most troubles are coming from the IP57 certified F2.4 lens, which is different to Sony's original IU135F3-Z (Exmore RS sensor + F2.2 lens).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sony applies overcompression algorithms to its camera modules.
As a result the final picture has small size and low details.
Xperia Z is around 3 mb maximum.

very good
they look very good.....:good:

WOW they looks great! Very happy with suit. Can't wait to get my hands on this BIG.little beauty

i know someone already got S4 and send me a recorded video with it
here's the properties of the video if it could help

Snapdragon 600 samples:
http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Samsung-Galaxy-S4-Review_id3280/page/3
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S-4-camera-samples-vs-iPhone-5_id40873#7-Galaxy-S-4
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s4_vs_htc_one-review-913p8.php
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s4-review-910p6.php
Strong light, medium light, low light, flash, low light face shot, low light late afternoon:

I'll bite if Samsung gives me a Galaxy S4 - Aluminum Edition. Don't care about removable battery or storage. Why can't Samsung give options? The plastic build is probably the biggest complaint people have for all Samsung phones. They do make niche metal phones (e.g. Samsung Wave, Omnia) and plenty in the past, so its not a matter of lack of experience. They are luring me back in with Adobe RGB mode. Now how about a metal version? If its the problem of yields, you can make it a slight premium and sell it online only. Everyone else who doesn't care about the plastic build can be happy with their GS4, while those of us who want a premium metal phone can eat our cake too!

Re: [PHOTOS] The Galaxy S4 user photos and camera discussion thread
The reason for the lack of aluminum build is simple and Samsung has explained this is in the past. The HTC One takes 200 minutes to machine the aluminum for one device, now think about the amount of devices Samsung Ships, requiring 200 minutes for a device is simply not a viable option for Samsung. If they did produce an aluminum body device, expect there to be plenty of shortages.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

Re: [PHOTOS] The Galaxy S4 user photos and camera discussion thread
Camera is one the biggest improvements for me to move from note 2 to s4.
sent from: The New S-Pen

Those photos look really good. My s3 had a horrible camera. noise Noise everywhere. The s4 seems to have gotten rid of that "feature"!

Very good photo's

katamari201 said:
I'll bite if Samsung gives me a Galaxy S4 - Aluminum Edition. Don't care about removable battery or storage. Why can't Samsung give options? The plastic build is probably the biggest complaint people have for all Samsung phones. They do make niche metal phones (e.g. Samsung Wave, Omnia) and plenty in the past, so its not a matter of lack of experience. They are luring me back in with Adobe RGB mode. Now how about a metal version? If its the problem of yields, you can make it a slight premium and sell it online only. Everyone else who doesn't care about the plastic build can be happy with their GS4, while those of us who want a premium metal phone can eat our cake too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The "premium metal build" of the HTC One failed the AndroidAuthority drop test losing the top front part on the smallest drop which cannot be clicked just glued back, and was heavily dented with a broken screen on the highest drop. It also got the worst repairability score of all times by ifixit cause the glued body is impossible to open without effectively destroying the back panel, so if the smallest issue appears or your battery dies, it's weeks in repair and easily a $100 once warranty's over.
In comparison the latest Samsung flagship AA tested passed all 3 drops with small scratches and no broken parts, and the battery which sooner or later loses half the power or dies, is 5 seconds to replace. Mind too that the polycarbonate Lumia 920 is the toughest flagship out there, so while aluminum looks nice, it is ABSOLUTELY NOT an advantage in terms of build and far less practical cause you give things up you'll miss when trouble kicks in. Plus you'll put the metal beauty in an ugly case on day one. Slip metal body doesn't make premium requirements.

katamari201 said:
I'll bite if Samsung gives me a Galaxy S4 - Aluminum Edition. Don't care about removable battery or storage. Why can't Samsung give options? The plastic build is probably the biggest complaint people have for all Samsung phones. They do make niche metal phones (e.g. Samsung Wave, Omnia) and plenty in the past, so its not a matter of lack of experience. They are luring me back in with Adobe RGB mode. Now how about a metal version? If its the problem of yields, you can make it a slight premium and sell it online only. Everyone else who doesn't care about the plastic build can be happy with their GS4, while those of us who want a premium metal phone can eat our cake too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why ranting all over the place, your post is way out of topic and just inappropriate for this thread. There are in fact other threads for such complaints. This is Android world of options bro, if Samsung device doesn't meet your needs, I think you will be better with other competing devices.
Thanks.
@OP, sorry for the off topic.

Re: [PHOTOS] The Galaxy S4 user photos and camera discussion thread
Could someone here advise re camera please.
I originally had a 3gs and now had a GS2 since release and prefer android but I have missed some things from apple.
1. When I make a video from video camera for what ever length and I want to email or mms it it would say video too long and then let you trim it to an acceptable size file to send. So far I cannot see any android phone that does this including SGS4 ? The htc one does have a clever trim option and was wondering what gs4 has as still on the fence
Forgot the other thing ?
Custom Stock Rom 4.1 Eternity
Brilliantly Stock

Re: [PHOTOS] The Galaxy S4 user photos and camera discussion thread
I found it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23nQyOpixiU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
but am hoping samsung can do this too ? Anyone know as my wife has s3 I have s2 and they don't have this feature
Custom Stock Rom 4.1 Eternity
Brilliantly Stock

the Vid rec On GS4 seems suck
lets hope the final version will be better
http://www.gsmarena.com/vidcmp.php3?idType=3&idPhone1=5125&idPhone2=3621&idPhone3=4238
http://www.gsmarena.com/vidcmp.php3?idType=3&idPhone1=5125&idPhone2=5204&idPhone3=4238

nice !!

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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] Point and Shoot cameras still viable?

So I've been noticing a lot of Smartphones, especially the flagships have really great photos. One of my family members or maybe even me might get one of these flagships soon and it'll be nice to have that as our main camera device but another possibility is that we'll get a cheaper smartphone and a point and shoot in just around the same price as one flagship phone so...
With the cameras of current flagships such as G2/G3, S5, Note 3(excluding those types such as K Zoom, Lumia 1020), is it more cost efficient to just use that as both a phone and a camera or is it better to just buy a seperate point and shoot while getting a cheaper smartphone?
And given we'll be considering stuff like the Lumia 1020, K Zoom, would they completely make getting a point and shoot not viable altogether?
Criteria here is mostly the ability to control ISO, details, lowlight photos. This is more of a curiosity kind of question

WilhelmPrice said:
So I've been noticing a lot of Smartphones, especially the flagships have really great photos. One of my family members or maybe even me might get one of these flagships soon and it'll be nice to have that as our main camera device but another possibility is that we'll get a cheaper smartphone and a point and shoot in just around the same price as one flagship phone so...
With the cameras of current flagships such as G2/G3, S5, Note 3(excluding those types such as K Zoom, Lumia 1020), is it more cost efficient to just use that as both a phone and a camera or is it better to just buy a seperate point and shoot while getting a cheaper smartphone?
And given we'll be considering stuff like the Lumia 1020, K Zoom, would they completely make getting a point and shoot not viable altogether?
Criteria here is mostly the ability to control ISO, details, lowlight photos. This is more of a curiosity kind of question
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly if you want to get a galaxy s5 you should grab a s4 instead there is very little difference in the phones and is still a great phone. the Galaxy k just looks just as good as a Galaxy Camera, the Galaxy camera NX is supposed to be a great point and shoot as in with what you want in Iso control, and other Settings. i think you should grab a S4 and one of the three Galaxy cameras or a Nikon Coolpix S800c/S810c (both run android). currently my S800c just arrived and photo shooting wise is Alright its defiantly not perfect but its a great camera, the videos it takes are AMAZING 10/10 MUCH WOW SUCH GREAT PHOTO. only bad parts some apps randomly close, it does not have the best android specs but it does the job. the Battery life is supposed to be terrible as well but i haven't noticed anything too bad, ordering another spare battery. mine the s800c runs gingerbread 2.3.3 but the s810c runs 4.2.2 and i wouldn't know the other differences since this one was a little cheaper, the s810c is supposed to be the same price which the first galaxy camera is so i would recommend the galaxy camera over the nikon any day. whatever you end up doing i hope you enjoy it!

Camera auto mode is horrible

Is anyone experiencing this, I don't see many threads?
Tonight I did a camera comparison with a friends IPhone 6 and the IPhone 6 was far superior in every sense. Images from the Z3 generally seem grainy and lack detail and sharpness.
I see a few people have mentioned that the camera is better of you manually set the options. This isn't what a smartphone is for when you need to snap a quick shot, by the time you've done all that you've missed the moment.
I swapped my LG G3 (which also took better shots) for this and I'm really underwhelmed by the camera on the Z3, which ironically is its main selling point.
Can anyone suggest some third party camera apps which would perform better?
Also do you think Sony will fix this, i owned the original Z and can recall having some camera issues. I didn't think they would still be present 4 years on.
The Z3 camera was hyped up so much, I really can't see why. Great on paper, not so good in the real world.

Xperia Z3 D6603
rm83855 said:
Is anyone experiencing this, I don't see many threads?
Tonight I did a camera comparison with a friends IPhone 6 and the IPhone 6 was far superior in every sense. Images from the Z3 generally seem grainy and lack detail and sharpness.
I see a few people have mentioned that the camera is better of you manually set the options. This isn't what a smartphone is for when you need to snap a quick shot, by the time you've done all that you've missed the moment.
I swapped my LG G3 (which also took better shots) for this and I'm really underwhelmed by the camera on the Z3, which ironically is its main selling point.
Can anyone suggest some third party camera apps which would perform better?
Also do you think Sony will fix this, i owned the original Z and can recall having some camera issues. I didn't think they would still be present 4 years on.
The Z3 camera was hyped up so much, I really can't see why. Great on paper, not so good in the real world.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
superior auto mode is basically a 8 mp with hdr and flash with some adjustments better go with the manual so you can choose a higher mega pixel.

nolihowell said:
superior auto mode is basically a 8 mp with hdr and flash with some adjustments better go with the manual so you can choose a higher mega pixel.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I installed Pro Capture and it seems a lot better. Sony is doing half a job. You cannot supply excellent hardware and not take advantage of it with the software. It seems most people are impressed by the specs of the camera more than its ability to actually take a picture! I cannot believe how much hype surrounding this camera there was.
Have you tried the xposed module 'superiorauto 20mp'? which forces the SA mode to shoot at 20megapixels?

Camera Quality

Hi everyone,
So I've been looking at the mate 8 as my next purchase, and Some reviews state the camera quality isn't good due to software/firmware issues. Other reviews state the camera quality is really good. I was wondering what owners opinions are? If it does have exposure and focus issues, are they sorted if you use a different camera app? I don't know if different apps can alter issues that might be related to firmware?
Thanks
Ian

I wouldn't consider myself a power user but I'm very happy with the camera so far. I would mostly be taking pictures of friends and family etc and quality is just fine for me

I'm the same, mainly I'll be taking pictures of the family and scenery, that kinda thing. I'm not what you'd call a professional photographer by any means. But it is said the best camera you have is the one on you at the time, so I just want to make sure it's a relatively good one
Thanks
Ian

Camera was bad with the first update
But with latest update it became better
But if you are seeking for great camera go for lg or sam
If you wanna a power horse phablet go for mate 8

That's the thing, I've had both Samsung and LG phones before, and while the cameras were good I wasn't keen on the phones themselves. I've had a G3, a Note 4, an S6 and a Oneplus One. I was half considering a Oneplus 2, but only because of the price. £249 is cheap for a high spec phone. I'm not keen on the nexus line of phones either. I know they are popular, and you probably think I'm mad. But they are just a bog standard android phone. If I'm paying more than £400 for a phone I want it to do more than the straight forward stuff, straight out the box. Other wise id just get an iPhone. Half the stuff on the Mate 8 I'll probably never use I admit, but the fact its there is what I like. Does that make sense?
Has anybody tried a different camera app from the play store to see if that improves the pictures, or isn't it as simple as that? I'm not sure how apps, firmware, API's and hardware all tie in together, so I apologise in advance if that was a stupid question.
Thanks
Ian

The camera is a so and so in my eyes. It's ok, but very soft, in daytime but I wouldn't pick it to take pictures of kids indoor. Right now the best all around camera I have is the Nexus 6P, mostly because it will do really good indoors and most of my pics are indoors. I read that there will be a upgrade for the camera after 162 firmwarewize. Otherwise, it's a really good phone. Apps doesn't do better than stock camera.
Skickat från min HUAWEI NXT-L29 via Tapatalk

The camera is fine. It's not the best camera out there in terms of image quality when you zoom in on the pictures but it does the job. It has good colors and good exposure. It's fun to shoot with. I think quality should be able to be fixed with software update. I find that some indoor night shots almost have the same amount of detail as some of the ones shoot in daylight. The processing seems to heavy creating artefacts in images taken even in daylight.
The Mate 8 is pretty much the perfect phone in every way except the camera is not top notch. Excellent screen that is more clear and has better contrast than the screen on my iPhone 6S Plus. The battery life is the best you can get on any phone now. The build quality is fantastic. Audio quality in headphones is top notch, best I've every heard in any phone the dynamic range and clarity is amazing. Even better than my Meizu Pro 5 that has an internal DAC and amplifiers in it. It is super fast and has a very smooth and responsive UI.

Thank you for your input. You guys have confirmed the fact that the mate 8 will be my next phone just got to wait for it to come into stock again now!
Thanks
Ian

http://forum.xda-developers.com/mate-8/general/post-camera-picture-t3303629
next time just use ForumSearch