[Q] Better camera app/settings? - Sprint Galaxy S 5 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

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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Click to collapse
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.)

Related

Fix blurry photos

Not a GS4 problem, more of an Android problem. Just learned how to fix. Hold the snap button instead of tapping, and release when in focus.
Hope this helps others.
If it's a universal android problem, why can I pick up any HTC phone made in the last year and a half and snap instant, crystal clear photos without waiting for them to focus? The problem is just that the S4 has a crappy camera.
Sent from my SGH-I337
I get super sharp pictures out of my S4. I too had some blurryish and some extra light in my first pictures. Then I discovered, There is yet another piece of protective film on the camera. It has a hole in the middle for the sensor but the edge of the protective film in the "donut hole" both messes with the focus and causes halos.
Personally I find every camera will be blurry if just held. I have pretty shaky hands....
I will say this camera needs better Macro focuses. I wish it was an option or there was a way to adjust focus. Samsung camera have long seemed to lack in the Macro areas.
Sent from my awesome AT&T SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 SGH-I337 using xda developers app.
CAG-man said:
I get super sharp pictures out of my S4. I too had some blurryish and some extra light in my first pictures. Then I discovered, There is yet another piece of protective film on the camera. It has a hole in the middle for the sensor but the edge of the protective film in the "donut hole" both messes with the focus and causes halos.
Personally I find every camera will be blurry if just held. I have pretty shaky hands....
I will say this camera needs better Macro focuses. I wish it was an option or there was a way to adjust focus. Samsung camera have long seemed to lack in the Macro areas.
Sent from my awesome AT&T SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 SGH-I337 using xda developers app.
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Wow I didn't even see that. I hate when company's apply some film and make it almost impossible to see.
If you hold the shutter many phones will do burst shots. Blurry photos are caused by too slow a shutter speed, i.e. low light shots.
geoff5093 said:
If you hold the shutter many phones will do burst shots. Blurry photos are caused by too slow a shutter speed, i.e. low light shots.
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Click to collapse
em, go into setting and turn burst shot off?
Came from iPhone 4S. 8MP camera on there took 10x better photos than this 12MP camera on this... Don't get me wrong the camera on the S4 _CAN_ get some decent photos.. if you're in a extremely well lit area, or using flash, and your subject is completely still... but the shutter speed on the S4 just seems way to slow. Let alone the aperture and sensor doesn't seem big enough to get good low light photos.
FYI. Samsung galaxy s4 have 13 MP camera and pictures are cristal clear. iPhone 4s have no chance with appeture speed against Galaxy s4. On other hand nothing like good camera in hands , let say canon EOS D60 or Nikon D3200 with good f1.4 lens if you want to take good pictures. This is just a phone so relax everydody.
WoodburyMan said:
Came from iPhone 4S. 8MP camera on there took 10x better photos than this 12MP camera on this... Don't get me wrong the camera on the S4 _CAN_ get some decent photos.. if you're in a extremely well lit area, or using flash, and your subject is completely still... but the shutter speed on the S4 just seems way to slow. Let alone the aperture and sensor doesn't seem big enough to get good low light photos.
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I have to agree, I came from an iPhone 5 and the camera seems to be a lot better than the S4's.
Unless you changed to the 13MB, the camera default it actually 9.6MB for the widescreen photo... not really the topic though
nakedninja42 said:
Unless you changed to the 13MB, the camera default it actually 9.6MB for the widescreen photo... not really the topic though
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my S4 takes amazing pictures, all of them are clear, no blurryness. Maybe its not about the camera and more about the camera man
polish_pat said:
my S4 takes amazing pictures, all of them are clear, no blurryness. Maybe its not about the camera and more about the camera man
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Click to collapse
The only time I notice blurry pictures is when I am drunk :laugh:... maybe its my eyes
The S4 does take awesome photos, but I am a little biased since I bought a new Nikon D5200 two weeks before I got the phone... 24MP vs the 13/9.6MP
The recording on the phone is great too! I was at a Sharks playoff game during the first round. I was recording them coming onto the ice and the arena went into a roar. LOOOOOOUUUUUD. There is no audio clipping considering how crazy it was in there.
For those that are getting blurry shots, make sure you are holding the phone still when you take the picture. As long as I hold the phone still, my pictures come out sharp.
WoodburyMan said:
Came from iPhone 4S. 8MP camera on there took 10x better photos than this 12MP camera on this... Don't get me wrong the camera on the S4 _CAN_ get some decent photos.. if you're in a extremely well lit area, or using flash, and your subject is completely still... but the shutter speed on the S4 just seems way to slow. Let alone the aperture and sensor doesn't seem big enough to get good low light photos.
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I agree completely.
polish_pat said:
my S4 takes amazing pictures, all of them are clear, no blurryness. Maybe its not about the camera and more about the camera man
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Click to collapse
It makes me so angry when people make this argument. I've used both the iPhone 4S and the Galaxy S4 to take pictures. Same camera man. The iPhone pictures always come out better. Plus, they are much easier to take because I don't have to worry that if I move the camera a tenth of a millimeter, the picture will come out blurry.
GeorgeP said:
For those that are getting blurry shots, make sure you are holding the phone still when you take the picture. As long as I hold the phone still, my pictures come out sharp.
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Click to collapse
Not the issue. The issue is phone vs. phone, not person vs. person or technique vs. technique. The fact is, some phones have fast shutter speeds and take crystal clear pictures even with a little movement, and some phones have slower speeds and a little movement causes blurry pictures. The S4 falls into the latter category.
mattdm said:
It makes me so angry when people make this argument. I've used both the iPhone 4S and the Galaxy S4 to take pictures. Same camera man. The iPhone pictures always come out better. Plus, they are much easier to take because I don't have to worry that if I move the camera a tenth of a millimeter, the picture will come out blurry.
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Click to collapse
Well, you obviously have an issue i don't. My GF has an iphone 5 and i always think to myself how "crappy" her pictures are, there is always some glare or pixeling to the picture i don't have with my s4. I have compared both phones directly and i do like the s4 better. The s4 tends to oversaturate the colors, which, for me, is a total +. I like vivid colors. Also, you make it sound like i take picture with a tripod or something, i dont, i always take them standing or sitting, just like you, i obviously dont run with the camera, but i'll go back to what i said earlier, my photos always come our crystal clear and beautiful.
Both the S4 and iPhone have the 2 best cameras in town, if your pictures always come out blurry, or most of the tiem, then you have a problem, with you, or with the phone. take your guess
mattdm said:
If it's a universal android problem, why can I pick up any HTC phone made in the last year and a half and snap instant, crystal clear photos without waiting for them to focus? The problem is just that the S4 has a crappy camera.
Sent from my SGH-I337
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Click to collapse
perhaps you don't understand the meaning of the word "crappy"....my s4 takes great pics...better than my htc for sure:victory:
im pretty sure people can testify with the picts theyve taken themselves
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2251755
mattdm said:
Not the issue. The issue is phone vs. phone, not person vs. person or technique vs. technique. The fact is, some phones have fast shutter speeds and take crystal clear pictures even with a little movement, and some phones have slower speeds and a little movement causes blurry pictures. The S4 falls into the latter category.
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I was just trying to make a suggestion to help out those that are getting blurry pictures. But comparing the facts - phone vs phone:
My wife has an iphone 5. My pictures definitely come out clearer than hers. But this does not have to be a matter of opinion. For the facts, one can look at the specs of the camera and the EXIF information of the pictures taken. The shutter speed set by any camera is largely a function of the camera's maximum aperture (along with camera's ISO selection algorithm). The S4 has a larger maximum aperture, 2.2 vs 2.4, and tends to set a higher ISO, meaning that all else held equal, the S4 will set a faster shutter speed. Comparing the EXIF information on pictures taken with the S4 and iphone 5 confirms this. Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com) did a comparison of 4 camera phones including the S4 and the iphone 5. In their tests, the S4 set the fastest shutter speed. For example, in the side-by-side low light test, the S4 set a shutter speed of 1/30 second and the iphone set a speed of 1/17 second.
Finally, the S4 has a slightly shorter focal length 31mm vs 33mm (35mm equivalent) meaning that the S4 will be less sensitive to camera shake, i.e., the same amount of camera shake, at the same shutter speed, will result in less motion blur.
GeorgeP said:
I was just trying to make a suggestion to help out those that are getting blurry pictures. But comparing the facts - phone vs phone:
My wife has an iphone 5. My pictures definitely come out clearer than hers. But this does not have to be a matter of opinion. For the facts, one can look at the specs of the camera and the EXIF information of the pictures taken. The shutter speed set by any camera is largely a function of the camera's maximum aperture (along with camera's ISO selection algorithm). The S4 has a larger maximum aperture, 2.2 vs 2.4, and tends to set a higher ISO, meaning that all else held equal, the S4 will set a faster shutter speed. Comparing the EXIF information on pictures taken with the S4 and iphone 5 confirms this. Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com) did a comparison of 4 camera phones including the S4 and the iphone 5. In their tests, the S4 set the fastest shutter speed. For example, in the side-by-side low light test, the S4 set a shutter speed of 1/30 second and the iphone set a speed of 1/17 second.
Finally, the S4 has a slightly shorter focal length 31mm vs 33mm (35mm equivalent) meaning that the S4 will be less sensitive to camera shake, i.e., the same amount of camera shake, at the same shutter speed, will result in less motion blur.
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Click to collapse
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM! This guy dropped the bomb!
Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk 2
GeorgeP said:
I was just trying to make a suggestion to help out those that are getting blurry pictures. But comparing the facts - phone vs phone:
My wife has an iphone 5. My pictures definitely come out clearer than hers. But this does not have to be a matter of opinion. For the facts, one can look at the specs of the camera and the EXIF information of the pictures taken. The shutter speed set by any camera is largely a function of the camera's maximum aperture (along with camera's ISO selection algorithm). The S4 has a larger maximum aperture, 2.2 vs 2.4, and tends to set a higher ISO, meaning that all else held equal, the S4 will set a faster shutter speed. Comparing the EXIF information on pictures taken with the S4 and iphone 5 confirms this. Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com) did a comparison of 4 camera phones including the S4 and the iphone 5. In their tests, the S4 set the fastest shutter speed. For example, in the side-by-side low light test, the S4 set a shutter speed of 1/30 second and the iphone set a speed of 1/17 second.
Finally, the S4 has a slightly shorter focal length 31mm vs 33mm (35mm equivalent) meaning that the S4 will be less sensitive to camera shake, i.e., the same amount of camera shake, at the same shutter speed, will result in less motion blur.
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If that's all true, I have to conclude I have a defective unit. -_-
Sent from my SGH-I337

Anyone found a decent camera app that's not laggy?

Hi Folks,
I visited the fair today with my boy which arrives in the city once a year.
My boy was on the rides and I tried getting a few photos of him with my 20mp Sony Xperia Z3....
By the time the photo was taken, my boy had already gone by....
The camera is soooooooooo disappointing, but has so much potential to be good.
Has anybody discovered a decent camera app yet, that has no shutter lag and one that makes full use of the camera?
If I don't find something by November, I'm going for the Nexus 6 :silly:
@rseHoyle said:
Hi Folks,
I visited the fair today with my boy which arrives in the city once a year.
My boy was on the rides and I tried getting a few photos of him with my 20mp Sony Xperia Z3....
By the time the photo was taken, my boy had already gone by....
The camera is soooooooooo disappointing, but has so much potential to be good.
Has anybody discovered a decent camera app yet, that has no shutter lag and one that makes full use of the camera?
If I don't find something by November, I'm going for the Nexus 6 :silly:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haven't tried a different app yet, but I may have something else for you. It's the autofocus that delays the photo.
1. Use the camera button
-push it down slightly, it should focus
-once it has found the focus, just keep holding it slightly
push the button completely if you want to take the photo, it should be without a delay now.
You can also use a different type of autofocus... Have to try the different modes for myself.
Also use manual mode, depending on the light conditions and the movement, you want a high shutter speed and if needed a higher iso, which gives you a sharper image while moving.
Damn, someone should write a guide for the camera
Thanks for this info. I'll give it a go
I'm not sure the camera is quick enough to capture moving stuff. I have tried a lot of modes and can't seem to sort it.
With an awful flash too, in sub par lighting, like parties, this is a recipe for absolute disaster. Can't believe Sony didn't sort out the camera flash.
Jonathan-H said:
I'm not sure the camera is quick enough to capture moving stuff. I have tried a lot of modes and can't seem to sort it.
With an awful flash too, in sub par lighting, like parties, this is a recipe for absolute disaster. Can't believe Sony didn't sort out the camera flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sony has the ability to film and during film to make pictures. I do that for fast moving pictures, like filming friends that pass by during marathon's. You can then decide to keep the film and the pictures. If you only want pictures, delete the film afterwards. This way you can start filming in advance and you are sure you are not too late and you have the risk your camera is not ready yet.
Jonathan-H said:
I'm not sure the camera is quick enough to capture moving stuff. I have tried a lot of modes and can't seem to sort it.
With an awful flash too, in sub par lighting, like parties, this is a recipe for absolute disaster. Can't believe Sony didn't sort out the camera flash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I haven't tried it yet, but have you tried the Timeshift burst? I think this is what we should use when trying to capture moving objects.
Yep, that is even better than my idea!
As a general rule, I only use auto on any camera when there is no more than one thing away from perfect conditions:
If it's motion but in great lighting, auto is ok.
If it's dark but the subject is still, auto is ok.
If it's a bit dark AND there is motion, you are gonna need to set up some manual settings or a mode like burst to get a good result. That said, as above, focussing first is essential for moving objects. Find something that is at the same distance as the subject you want, half hold the button to get the focus point, then hold it until the subject comes into frame, then depress fully. This, combined with burst, is the best way for fast movement.
Ok, I was at a scary halloween function last night, and by the time I took photos of scary subjects, they'd gone...
There's no excuse for this camera, it's a mess...
I have a Fuji XT1 camera and I know how photography works, apparently the Xperia Z3 has 20 mega pixels - Maybe it does, but only if you want a grainy shot....It's shocking!
KurtHoyle said:
Ok, I was at a scary halloween function last night, and by the time I took photos of scary subjects, they'd gone...
There's no excuse for this camera, it's a mess...
I have a Fuji XT1 camera and I know how photography works, apparently the Xperia Z3 has 20 mega pixels - Maybe it does, but only if you want a grainy shot....It's shocking!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can you say you understand photography when all you point to is the megapixel count? There is so much more to a good photo than resolution.
The reason I point to the 20 mega pixel is because the photos taken with this camera should be of a good enough standard to print out at a size of 18" x 12" however, the photos look grainy on screen so I'd hate to see how crap they look any bigger.
The camera is shocking, the 4k videos are too so please dont try to defend it. Its very poor!
A Better Camera is a good alternative.

My biggest complaint so far: Front Facing Camera Image Quality

Hi all,
Just picked up a v10 from tmo yesterday and been playing around with it. I've seen two different V10's and both have had very unimpressive front facing image quality. I know that it's 5 MP vs the G4's 8 MP. However, whenever I open it up, it looks very grainy and soft in low light. During the day in bright light outside, it looks very oversharpened and the dynamic range is poor. The sky is typically completely blown out, and my face looks a bit unrealistic with the oversharpening. I've played around with the beauty feature and tried it at different levels. Indoors, even with beauty set to 0, the image was still very soft. I also did HDR off and on and it didn't make a difference. When recording video, it looks a lot better. These do seem like software issues. I'm just really surprised since LG is really pushing photography/video with this phone, but the front camera images just don't look good at all to me. I'm going to be using the V10 for a bit to see if I want to keep it, or if I want to go back to the 6P. I don't expect the same quality of front facing camera on the V10, as the 6P. I just didn't expect it to be this much worse. I also compared it to a G4, and the G4 looked great. I don't think the 3 MP difference should make that much of a difference.
Anyway, let me know if you guys have experienced this too.
You need to remember the V10 ups the screen gamma (everything looks pastel/washed out) and adds software sharpening when you're in sunlight, so what you're seeing on the screen in sunlight is not really what the camera is capturing.
siraltus said:
You need to remember the V10 ups the screen gamma (everything looks pastel/washed out) and adds software sharpening when you're in sunlight, so what you're seeing on the screen in sunlight is not really what the camera is capturing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does look a bit better after I take it. I also uploaded it to drive and looked at it on my computer. It's still somewhat oversharpened. Can you explain the screen gamma? So, everything that's on the screen will look pastel like? So, if I send someone a picture or upload it to instagram/FB it will look better to other people?
Edit: In decent light, the front facing camera looks better in snapchat, however it tends to be fairly dark. I guess it uses a lower ISO? not sure. But it also looks less processed. The back camera is also pretty dark in snapchat.
I will say I LOVE the wide angle selfie... I mean I have NEVER been a selfie kinda guy but it really does capture alot. I can get me and my family of 4 easily in one pic.
The image quality could be better but it's nice to be able to get more into the picture.
Sent from my LG-H901 using XDA Free mobile app
PsychDrummer said:
Hi all,
Just picked up a v10 from tmo yesterday and been playing around with it. I've seen two different V10's and both have had very unimpressive front facing image quality. I know that it's 5 MP vs the G4's 8 MP. However, whenever I open it up, it looks very grainy and soft in low light. During the day in bright light outside, it looks very oversharpened and the dynamic range is poor. The sky is typically completely blown out, and my face looks a bit unrealistic with the oversharpening. I've played around with the beauty feature and tried it at different levels. Indoors, even with beauty set to 0, the image was still very soft. I also did HDR off and on and it didn't make a difference. When recording video, it looks a lot better. These do seem like software issues. I'm just really surprised since LG is really pushing photography/video with this phone, but the front camera images just don't look good at all to me. I'm going to be using the V10 for a bit to see if I want to keep it, or if I want to go back to the 6P. I don't expect the same quality of front facing camera on the V10, as the 6P. I just didn't expect it to be this much worse. I also compared it to a G4, and the G4 looked great. I don't think the 3 MP difference should make that much of a difference.
Anyway, let me know if you guys have experienced this too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Coming from Note 4, I do agree with you that the FCC is a little bit lacking on the sharpness department. It seems like there's an overly-aggressive noise-reduction being applied even with the "Beauty" mode turned to 0. I just that the selfies looks smushy compared to the ones taken by my note 4.
PsychDrummer said:
Hi all,
Anyway, let me know if you guys have experienced this too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does it make a difference which ffc you're using? The wide angle lens tends to be slightly grainier compared to the solo lens. It defaults to wide..
I wonder what's the actual megapixel capability of the front sensor as well as it's pixel size..
Note. I need beauty mode setting of 10. I'm still hella oogly set at highest... :silly:
baymon said:
Coming from Note 4, I do agree with you that the FCC is a little bit lacking on the sharpness department. It seems like there's an overly-aggressive noise-reduction being applied even with the "Beauty" mode turned to 0. I just that the selfies looks smushy compared to the ones taken by my note 4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, what I've noticed is that when using the stock camera it tends to oversharpen making it look artificial. But, if I use snapchat, or google camera, it makes it seem like it can't focus or something. The image looks very, very soft and even a bit blurred. In low light, it just looks dark and noisy.
clockcycle said:
Does it make a difference which ffc you're using? The wide angle lens tends to be slightly grainier compared to the solo lens. It defaults to wide..
I wonder what's the actual megapixel capability of the front sensor as well as it's pixel size..
Note. I need beauty mode setting of 10. I'm still hella oogly set at highest... :silly:
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Nope, both look the same to me. Honestly, I compared a front facing image with a Nexus 5, and while the nexus 5 is obviously low resolution it actually didn't look THAT much worse. I really wish they kept the single camera from the G4. It looked great when I checked it out. I'm still debating about keeping this or going back to the 6P. If the V10 had the same FFC as the 6P/G4, had the same slow motion capabilities as the 6P, and maybe have a slightly more saturated screen I would have to say the V10 is definitely a much better phone. I still might end up keeping it though. I do like the manual control, better video capture and of course the sd card/removable battery. Also, I prefer the design/build of the V10.
horrible camera
just got the LG V10 around mid November. Mostly bought it for the camera...was supposed to be the top of the line and have great reviews. I HATE this camera. The pics all looked washed out and dull. I have told Verizon about this twice and the last time the kid was kinda smart assy about it and said I'm not gonna get saturated pretty pics. I'm going to get detail pics of what I'm actually seeing. I want my beautiful, colorful pics back. I mean who doesn't want colorful vibrant pics! He told me if I want that then I'm going to have to edit my pics. Very disappointed in this phone...if I could get rid of it I would...
You think a software (firmware) update can fix the camera issues.
mv522 said:
You think a software (firmware) update can fix the camera issues.
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I don't know...I'm trying Verizon one more time here in a few minutes. I will ask them about that. I sure hope so. I'm already looking into selling the phone and coming up with the difference to pay it off to get a new one. I show people all the time and they all say the same thing. I like bright, beautiful pics. With this camera there's no vibrant colors and some of the pics look like there's like a "hazy" over them. After I use and editor...they look really nice (I will admit) but I'm not going to edit every pic I take when my Samsung Galaxy s5 they all looked good and I would pic just a few to tweak up to make look even better. Not edit every pic to have it look as it should!
PsychDrummer said:
Hi all,
Just picked up a v10 from tmo yesterday and been playing around with it. I've seen two different V10's and both have had very unimpressive front facing image quality. I know that it's 5 MP vs the G4's 8 MP. However, whenever I open it up, it looks very grainy and soft in low light. During the day in bright light outside, it looks very oversharpened and the dynamic range is poor. The sky is typically completely blown out, and my face looks a bit unrealistic with the oversharpening. I've played around with the beauty feature and tried it at different levels. Indoors, even with beauty set to 0, the image was still very soft. I also did HDR off and on and it didn't make a difference. When recording video, it looks a lot better. These do seem like software issues. I'm just really surprised since LG is really pushing photography/video with this phone, but the front camera images just don't look good at all to me. I'm going to be using the V10 for a bit to see if I want to keep it, or if I want to go back to the 6P. I don't expect the same quality of front facing camera on the V10, as the 6P. I just didn't expect it to be this much worse. I also compared it to a G4, and the G4 looked great. I don't think the 3 MP difference should make that much of a difference.
Anyway, let me know if you guys have experienced this too.
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really, you went through all that? but i do wear bifocals

Over sharpening of camera image

Can anyone confirms this? Almost 4 units i tested from sony stalls has this issue.
The photos taken by camera turns out to be overly sharpened, with lots of artifacts.
Turning on or off image enhancements does not help.
I am seeing this as well. And most of the reviews I saw also reported this.
Currently I am trying a few third party camera apps to see if they do the same
Haiz.. Why can't they make the camera right for once?
I concurred this. Mine focused good. I learned a trick that you actually have to tap the screen then press and hold the camera button on screen or side until it is clear. When i first got it, all my photos was focusing on the wrong spot. However, now with that trick i could get sharp images but zooming in they look very blurry and a lot of noise.
Do you experience this is good or low light? You do have to work a little bit harder with the camera settings as the light drops off to get the right image. And use the designated camera button too rather than the on screen one.
Good lightings... Not to mention if its poor lighting conditions. Guess have to wait for a new firmware.
Yep so much sharpening in all lighting conditions. Hoping for a software update soon.
Here is samples pictures from my XZ. It has undoubtedly the best selfies camera under daylight. Lowlight shooting takes a bit to get used to it. It was bad as first but if you toggle on "tap - focus and brightness" in setting it will improve tremendously as it uses it light sensor to automatically brighten the photos. Overall, I'm happy with the camera. It beats Iphone 7 Plus and on par with the S7Edge. My beef with the XZ is the small size and 3GB. I would prefer 5.5 and 4GB for a $600 phone. But if you can get it for $450 or $500, this phone is definitely worth every penny.
http://imgur.com/a/1S4Si
I am not talking about selfies. I am talking about the main camera. Very bad quality here. So fall 8 sets i have tried, same issues
Noticed this myself, not impressed with the image quality. Seems to be worse than my Z2. Hoping when they eventually drop Nougat it'll iron out some of the issues.
About blure and noise, increse ev to +0.7 or 1
A very good example of xz camera samples. You can guess which photos are by xz. The oversharpening of images when zoomed in.. Soo much artifacts.
http://m.gsmarena.com/blind_shootout_iphone7_galaxy_s7_xperia_xz_lg_g5

S8+ Camera - should it behave like this?

Hey everyone,
I'm just trying to figure out if my S8+'s camera is working the way it should. I am transitioning from an S6 which was super-sharp at the cost of also being noisy sometimes. I do love my S8+, but will you have a look at these samples? All in AUTO mode. Please make sure you zoom in.
https://ibb.co/dA5hz5
https://ibb.co/mKMBsQ
So in the first picture, the church is in focus which is great. But look at the rest of the image... The white building on the left, the 'BUS' inscription on the left bus lane... It looks terrible. And what's even more confusing, the closest part of the crosswalk seems to be in focus as well.
The second one has the left bus lane in focus, that was intended. And I am very pleased with the sharpness of the crosswalk this time, but look at the rest of the picture. Everything is blurry! The street, the buildings, the church.
I have another set for comparison. This time, from the other side of the church
https://ibb.co/dOyPCQ
https://ibb.co/mC6Y6k
I focused on the horse statue in the first picture and it is just right I would say. But look at the second one...
I focused on a random point, on the church, for the second picture. See how blurry the horse statue became? And the part of the church vertically inline with the statue seems blurry as well.
What do you think? These were like the perfect shooting conditions. The camera chose shutter speeds like 1/3000s which should eliminate any camera shaking I guess (assuming that's not handled well by the OIS).
As a side-note, I also tried an indoor shot (with the lights turned on) to capture a flower bouquet. The camera chose 1/11s shutter and I was not able to get the shot right (all came out blurry) until I used vocal commands. Presumably pressing the on-screen button was causing a shake that couldn't be compensated by OIS. Is that expected, really?
Thanks, looking forward to see others' thoughts.
Looks like a misplaced lens. Sony smartphone users are getting the same issues with almost every model. Better to exchange it, I think.
Thanks for your reply.
Shouldn't always behave the same if it's a misplaced lens? I mean, I once had a lens that had this issue and it was more noticeable at specific apertures. But all the time, not just in some photos. These were all taken at the same aperture I believe.
I'm convinced, that this is the normal behaviour of the S8's camera.
The S6 has got a 1/2,6" sensor and a f/1.9 aperture.
The S8 has got a 1/2,5" sensor and a f/1.7 aperture.
Either a larger sensor and a more open aperture results in a picture in which the area of maximum sharpness becomes smaller, this is just physics.
For the same reason, you get these nice bokeh on a DSLR, because of the large sensor.
It's not possible to change that behaviour, you have to more carefully decide, which is the most important part of your picture and manually focus on it.
Thanks for your reply. Samsung seems to agree with you because...
I had a live-chat with Samsung today and they offered to remotely check the camera and the sensor which we did. They, indeed, claimed that the camera is expected to only display the area in focus as being sharp, the rest of the image should be at some level blurry.
Do I like it? I don't know. Do pictures look better than on my old S6? Absolutely! I think they got it right in the end. For what it is, it's a good compromise.

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