Manual Camera - Sony Xperia XZ Questions & Answers

Hello guys. I have Xperia X model right now, thinking of upgrading to XZ. For the current owners, i have a question about the manual camera. It goes full manual on all resolutions or only on 8Mp mode? Is manual focus better than auto focus in macro photography? My Xperia X has a big macro focus distance in photo mode, but it can focus closer and much faster in video, so my guess is that with manual focus, i can reach the sensor limitations. And how is photo quality in general? I used all modes possible, but i am still not impressed by xperia X quality, it's about 2015 top tier cameras, but nowhere near s7, g5, nexus 6p. Not even huawei p9 level. Is xz better in this aspect? i am not talking about fast focus, or good image stabilisation in videos. I am talking about pure quality photos, low noise, good processing and colours. Thanks in advance and sorry for my poor english, i am from Europe.

Being from Europe is absolutely no excuse for not knowing English =P But u did pretty well IMHO.
XZ manual mode is enabled on full 23MP and pretty much everything expect scene recognition is available at max resolution. About manual focus - its not better or beyond normal AF, only different, i guess, is that you can set minimal macro focus and then adjust phone distans until you catch it. Thats not much improvent in my opinion...
If I were you, i would wait until next year for next flagship, unless you have buyer for your Xperia X with good price
EDIT: I have checked macro manual focus distans and my XZ is capable of focusing on object about 11cm far from lenses.

I would get the new 5 inch pixel, but it's butt ugly. There's no other phone in 2016 that i would get...
Sent from my F5121 using Tapatalk

cornel.atomei said:
I would get the new 5 inch pixel, but it's butt ugly. There's no other phone in 2016 that i would get...
Sent from my F5121 using Tapatalk
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With this I highly agree. I had so much hope with XZ but it went down when they announced it.
Not because of the design or manual camera. It's just the battery life. I think Sony should go back to 3000+ mAh.
Don't you think?

I get pretty decent battery life despite the average battery size. The XZ consistently performs better than its specs would have you believe (everywhere except camera lol).

Related

Phone with Best Camera and Performance

Hey there,
I am looking for a new phone, kinda fed up with my previous Galaxy Wonder which was bought considering budget limits, but now I'm on to buying a new phone, for myself and for my mother.
For me, performance is the most important thing, a phone that I can keep for a couple of years without headaches, and for my mother Camera is the most important thing- she wants quality pictures with sharp images. I guess a phone which has both would be the better choice. I have come to the conclusion that just looking at MP doesn't tell you how good the camera really is (my 5 MP Carl Zeiss Nokia was way better than my friends 8 MP Sony Ericsson at the time, or it seems iPhones take very sharp pictures). So what phones do you recommend we buy (Do you guys consider iPhones and Microsoft phones like Nokia as well?)
Thankyou
Samsung Galaxy Note 4, has an incredible camera, crystal clear photo's
Note4fan said:
Samsung Galaxy Note 4, has an incredible camera, crystal clear photo's
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Click to collapse
Galaxy S5 is great too. 16MP stills and 1080p/30fps video. GSM Arena ranked it second and first for stills and video respectively. Also a good all around phone, if you don't care about using the stock Android UI!
Have a look at the Galaxy K Zoom. It's designed as a camera that you can also use as a phone, not the 'phone with a camera'.
Alternatively, the Note 4 has a good sensor, too. And it is the most powerful phone available on the market. You can keep using that without any headaches for at least 3-4 years as high-end, and mid-end for another 2-4 after that.
The most important thing to look at for camera quality is the sensor size. The bigger the sensor, the better the photographs.
The best camera phone are the Nokia Lumia, if you want Microsoft OS, or the Xperia z3 if you want android; the latest has pretty performance and battery life, but I'm sorry I don't know nothing about Nokia because I don't like the OS let me know what will you buy :thumbup:
Inviato dal mio LG-D802
Note 4 is HUGE, i don't call those things phones tbh! and it is very expensive.
What about Xperia Z3 and Galaxy S5? Any opinions on those?
ShadowLea said:
Galaxy K Zoom. It's designed as a camera that you can also use as a phone, not the 'phone with a camera'.
The most important thing to look at for camera quality is the sensor size. The bigger the sensor, the better the photographs.
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Great advise! How can I find the sensor size for a phone? Cuz I didn't see such a thing on GSM Arena Phone Specs.
K Zoom seems a fine phone, but low CPU and lots of complaints about dust getting into the phone and other issues by its users.
flywheels said:
Galaxy S5 is great too. 16MP stills and 1080p/30fps video. GSM Arena ranked it second and first for stills and video respectively. Also a good all around phone, if you don't care about using the stock Android UI!
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Well we don't mind the current UI we have now, is there anything that annoying about S5's UI that I should worry about?
goldendye said:
Great advise! How can I find the sensor size for a phone? Cuz I didn't see such a thing on GSM Arena Phone Specs.
K Zoom seems a fine phone, but low CPU and lots of complaints about dust getting into the phone and other issues by its users.
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Click to collapse
Right, I'd forgotten that the K Zoom only comes in the Exynos variant. Sorry about that.
Sometimes GSMArena does list the sensor size, It's under Camera > Features if they do. (For instance on the HTC M8 (1/3'' sensor size).) In some cases they list the sensor size in the review of the phone.
Sadly, it mostly comes down to Googling " [phone name] Sensor size".
The one in the Note 4 and S5 are 1/2.6”. The Note 4 also has Optical Image Stabilisation, which adds a clear advantage in terms of image quality.
HTC M8 and iPhone 5S are 1/3".
With sensors under 1", the lower the number behind the /, the better. (So 2.6 is better than 3). Admittedly sensor size isn't everything, but it's the deciding factor when it comes to sharpness, particularly in less than full-light conditions.
I have an explanation on sensor importance *somewhere*, let me dig around for it.. Edit: Ah, here it is: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=50953511&postcount=6
I remember one Lumia had a very good camera
honestly i always think iphone cam is not bad. but if if its android htc definitely have a decent cam
best detailing in note 4
best color reproduction and dynamic range in iphone 6
http://forum.xda-developers.com/general/general/best-camera-smartphone-comparisons-t2901826
ShadowLea said:
Sadly, it mostly comes down to Googling " [phone name] Sensor size".
The one in the Note 4 and S5 are 1/2.6”. The Note 4 also has Optical Image Stabilisation, which adds a clear advantage in terms of image quality.
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Aha, so according to his:
Z3: 1/2.3 and , 5248 х 3936 pixels, 20.7 MP
s5: 1/2.6 and, 5312 x 2988 pixels, 16 MP
K Zoom (as the ideal camera): 1/2.3, 5248 х 3936 pixels, 20.7 MP
Clearly, Z3 is the best of three. Its camera is better than S5, and the same as K Zoom. it is smaller in size, less weight (16 grams), 0.7 inch smaller Screen (which is actually a positive feature for me), better Androind version, also will upgrade to 5.0, has radio, fast charging, none of the nonsense apps of Samsung which i really hate, better performance rate
But S5 has a one third better screen quality, Corning Gorilla Glass (I'm not sure if this is better than IPS), microUSB 3.0 (I don't think that's really important), dual video recording (maybe an app can compensate for this), better battery, and it seems it is much more efficient (21 hrs talk time compared to 12 on z3!!), better contrast ratio (i dont care)
Same chipset, same CPU, same GPU, but the endurance rate on z3 is 101h compared to 72h on S5, I don't know what that is.
I think I have chosen my phone , except the battery worries me.
goldendye said:
Aha, so according to his:
Z3: 1/2.3 and , 5248 х 3936 pixels, 20.7 MP
s5: 1/2.6 and, 5312 x 2988 pixels, 16 MP
K Zoom (as the ideal camera): 1/2.3, 5248 х 3936 pixels, 20.7 MP
Clearly, Z3 is the best of three. Its camera is better than S5, and the same as K Zoom. it is smaller in size, less weight (16 grams), 0.7 inch smaller Screen (which is actually a positive feature for me), better Androind version, also will upgrade to 5.0, has radio, fast charging, none of the nonsense apps of Samsung which i really hate, better performance rate
But S5 has a one third better screen quality, Corning Gorilla Glass (I'm not sure if this is better than IPS), microUSB 3.0 (I don't think that's really important), dual video recording (maybe an app can compensate for this), better battery, and it seems it is much more efficient (21 hrs talk time compared to 12 on z3!!), better contrast ratio (i dont care)
Same chipset, same CPU, same GPU, but the endurance rate on z3 is 101h compared to 72h on S5, I don't know what that is.
I think I have chosen my phone , except the battery worries me.
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Click to collapse
Are you looking at the Z3 or the Z3 Compact? From the specs i'd say the Compact, correct?
The reason the S5 has a better batterylife is because of the AMOLED screen. AMOLED has the advantage that black pixels are off as opposed to dark grey, meaning they don't drain power. (AMOLED is also more colour intensive and crisper.)
Contrast ratio is simply because of the darkest grey vs turned off pixels. AMOLED is the only type of screen capable of true black. Oh and it has a higher readability in direct sunlight.
IPS is a type of display, not a type of glass. Corning Gorrila Glass (3) is very tough, but I don't know what's on the Z3 or how it holds out in tests. You can always look up droptests on Youtube.
MicroUSB3 isn't important, as the MTP protocol slows down transfer speed right down to the USB2 values anyway. Samsung dropped USB3 on newer devices.
The S5 doesn't have a radio, no. That bothers a great many of us, myself included.
The Snapdragon 801 is the part that has the fast charging. All S801 devices have it.
Touchwiz is a waste of time and space, on that I fully agree. (They laughed at me when I told them so, though.) Fortunately they've changed the principle a bit so that it doesn't come with 100 bloatware anymore, but there's still some of it installed. Mainly, Touchwiz. (ugh!)
The S5 has KNOX, which you can't not trip whilst flashing custom roms. It voids your warranty.
In terms of security the S5 has a fingerprint scanner.
There's one other thing to the S5 I should mention, and that's the disgustingly ugly UI colour scheme. Which you can't change.
the tl:dr version:
- The S5 screen is AMOLED, which turns black pixels off. That doubles the battery life.
- IPS is a type of LCD display, (The S5 has AMOLED) Gorrilla Glass is a type of treated scratch resistent glass.
- All Snapdragon 801 devices have Fast Charging.
- USB3 is a waste, MTP doesn't allow USB3 speed.
- The Z3 has a radio.
- S5 has KNOX.(negative thing.)
Simply put the S5 has a better, brighter and crisper screen with better battery life; the Z3 is more compact, has a better camera and an FM radio.
You can also read these two and compare the photo's for a decent camera comparison.
Z3 Compact: http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_xperia_z3_compact-review-1135p8.php
S5: http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s5-review-1064p9.php
Is the fact that Z3 Compact has non-removable battery a fact to worry about?
Obviously, Lumia has better camera. But if you want it with better performance and battery life. Z3 would be a better choice.
.SnouXza. said:
Obviously, Lumia has better camera. But if you want it with better performance and battery life. Z3 would be a better choice.
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I don't think it does, because it's a 10 MP camera with 1/3.4" sensor size. Although yes, it is Carl Zeiss.
goldendye said:
Hey there,
I am looking for a new phone, kinda fed up with my previous Galaxy Wonder which was bought considering budget limits, but now I'm on to buying a new phone, for myself and for my mother.
For me, performance is the most important thing, a phone that I can keep for a couple of years without headaches, and for my mother Camera is the most important thing- she wants quality pictures with sharp images. I guess a phone which has both would be the better choice. I have come to the conclusion that just looking at MP doesn't tell you how good the camera really is (my 5 MP Carl Zeiss Nokia was way better than my friends 8 MP Sony Ericsson at the time, or it seems iPhones take very sharp pictures). So what phones do you recommend we buy (Do you guys consider iPhones and Microsoft phones like Nokia as well?)
Thankyou
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
CAMERA
A $100-200 dedicated camera takes much better pictures than any smartphone ever could (especially with 10x+ optical zoom). Your mum would be better off with such a camera in addition to a smartphone. At any rate, all flagships have "good enough" cameras with not a lot to choose between them. Mid-range and budget models often sacrifice the camera to meet their price points (one reason buying used high-end flagships is an option to consider).
OS
For some people iPhones/WindowsPhones/Blackberry/etc are taken into consideration particularly for the convenience of having the manufacturer control everything so you don't have to. For others, the somewhat open [source] nature of Android is paramount - it permits options that the other platforms actively prevent e.g. custom roms, privacy controls, customizations.
PERFORMANCE
You say performance is the most important thing. What level of performance?. I'll bet that a Samsung Galaxy S2 (yes S2...not S3, S4 or S5) is plenty fast enough for most people today and the Moto G is faster than that. So, is a Moto G performant enough for you? Or is it more like Nexus 5? Perhaps you need Note 4's level of performance? What activities requires the most performance on your phone currently and for the next couple of years?
Personally, I rate water/dust resistance highly (Xperia Acro S, Xperia Z/Z1/Z2/Z3/M2 Aqua, Galaxy S5, HTC Butterfly2). A 720p screen should be minimum now that the 1st gen Moto G exists. I prefer both a microsd slot and a removable battery. I would certainly want both if paying for a high-end device.
The Xperia Z3/Z3C, HTC Butterfly2, Samsung S5, Nexus 5/6 are all contenders if flagship devices are what you want. If you want to pay less, the Moto G and used flagships (Galaxy S3/S3/Note3, Xperia Z1/Z2, Nexus 5) are good options.

[Q] Photography Tips?

One of the reasons I got the Zperia Z3 was because I was under the impression that it had a great camera. Now all I have read on this forum is about the poor camera quality, especially in low light.
Do you have any tips or tricks on how to take better pictures with the Z3? Special Manuel settings? Use a different Camera app like the Google Camera? What works best for taking low light pictures? Etc?
Ask some of the guys on-set the next movie you're in!
se1000 said:
Ask some of the guys on-set the next movie you're in!
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Unfortunately they are all apple fanboys.
ChristianBale said:
Unfortunately they are all apple fanboys.
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:good: hilarious!
Generally speaking, the Z3 isn't terribly different than other smartphones, but it is a lot more configurable.
In super low light, I actually find that the mode superior auto chooses will work pretty well.
In good light, I find the key is to remember that the Z3 will have a "shallower" range of focus (depth of focus) than other smartphones, so making sure you tap the area you want the picture to be focused on is important.
Finally, the dedicated camera button is dual-stage, the first is to lock focus, this is a great feature. The more you use this, the more you'll find that you'll get the pictures you want.
Pick manual mode, 20mp, touch to focus, and use the on screen camera button. Using the physical button introduces a lot of camera shake which really shows up on 20mp shots.
I find the 20mp shots come out brilliant.
Waiting on an update to improve Superior auto.
I have found that :
>for general photos default mode is ok
> for panorama shots google camera
> for macros Camera - FV-5 manual settings 15.5 MP 16:9, really good
Have a Z3 D6603 , no Pink spots
ChristianBale said:
One of the reasons I got the Zperia Z3 was because I was under the impression that it had a great camera. Now all I have read on this forum is about the poor camera quality, especially in low light.
Do you have any tips or tricks on how to take better pictures with the Z3? Special Manuel settings? Use a different Camera app like the Google Camera? What works best for taking low light pictures? Etc?
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I am not sure why people go on about poor low light, it is not the best out there but it is hardly poor. It's better than most point and shoot cameras. Each iteration of the Z series cameras improves slightly on the quality.
Here is a shot, handheld low light ISO2000, superior auto with a Sony Z1
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dan-wilson/15543990377/
Here is an early firmware Z1 low light ISO800
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dan-wilson/10819208553/
Manual mode will give you the best results, plus allow you to get 20MP shots.
Here is a macro'ish shot manual mode, at full size you can see the pollen details, depth of field shallow due to the F2 aperture (again old Sony Z1)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dan-wilson/10819208553/
Will get out and take some shots with the Z3 today or tomorrow.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dan-wilson/15750020141/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dan-wilson/15566477008/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dan-wilson/15566041399/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dan-wilson/15727931396/

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.
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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.
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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?

DXoMark Score of 83. Any thoughts?

https://www.dxomark.com/sony-xperia-xz-premium-first-sony-tested-with-our-new-protocols/
As expected, Sony's premium flagship gets an unimpressive score of 83 from DXoMark's revamped benchmarking (now including zoom, bokeh effect, artifacts, among other testing).
While i don't agree with the score per category (especially on having a low video stabilization score; seriously, Sony's 5-axis is arguably the best in video stabilization right now) but DXoMark does raise some good and valid points on what's wrong with Xperia phones. Hope Sony camera devs read the review as well so they know what to improve on (i.e. software algorithm on superior auto, noise and texture, lowlight performance, zoom in and bokeh effect).
Having said that, still one satisfied Xperia user here. The cons don't affect me that much; unless you're a person who's really nitpicking on every small detail, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium does a good job of being a solid performer in both photo and video capture.
Lawliet918 said:
https://www.dxomark.com/sony-xperia-xz-premium-first-sony-tested-with-our-new-protocols/
As expected, Sony's premium flagship gets an unimpressive score of 83 from DXoMark's revamped benchmarking (now including zoom, bokeh effect, artifacts, among other testing).
While i don't agree with the score per category (especially on having a low video stabilization score; seriously, Sony's 5-axis is arguably the best in video stabilization right now) but DXoMark does raise some good and valid points on what's wrong with Xperia phones. Hope Sony camera devs read the review as well so they know what to improve on (i.e. software algorithm on superior auto, noise and texture, lowlight performance, zoom in and bokeh effect).
Having said that, still one satisfied Xperia user here. The cons don't affect me that much; unless you're a person who's really nitpicking on every small detail, the Sony Xperia XZ Premium does a good job of being a solid performer in both photo and video capture.
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Sony no paid dxomark= dxmark trolling Sony.
Apple paid Dxomark= dxomark 96 points
Glad I don't use zoom on my XZP... Or I never even used it in my life. Truth is I cant expect from camera big as fingernail to catch photos like pro digital camera. Also every model with only one main camera will fail this test. Still I am happy with xzp camera for taking pictures, even the front camera is finally good for selfies.
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm4ZdMbV
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm4ZdMbV
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm4ZdMbV
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm4XtNwH
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm2QjnKd
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm2QjnKd
https://flic.kr/s/aHsm4AWDDW
Also we should wait for xz1 review, maybe they did some update on img processing...
Sent from my G8141 using Tapatalk
smitrovic said:
Glad I don't use zoom on my XZP... Or I never even used it in my life.
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Yeah, I'm not sure why this is even part of the test. If there is no actual optical zoom, what are they really testing? I see people zoom in on their smartphone cameras all the time and I wonder what the point is. Just crop the photo later. You get a better picture, and the "zoom" is effectively the same.
It's really sad and bit disappointing. I think most of the stuff they were saying true.
Couldn't care less. I didn't buy this phone for it's camera
Come on Sony... 83
Come on Sony'
I bought the XZ Premium because I already own Sony cameras. Sony is obviously the leader in sensor technology and by teaming up with Zeiss there should be no questions about the hardware. So... That only leaves one thing. Software! Apple uses Sony Sensors. Samsung likewise. Even Huawei. So we know their sensors are no better, it must be the software. Please Sony, get off your arrogant asses and give us something that's competitive. I know this 83 could be brought up to 93 if you can just give us a new update and a little software support.
I guess that wont happen ever, because Sony needs to save digital camera market tho. If they made this camera use all potential, they wont sell any 200-400 euro digital cameras.
Sent from my G8141 using Tapatalk
The initial purporpose of dxomark is to diminish any phone that lacks a second lens for bokeh and zoom and from the other side to favor the phones that have it. So i cannot take this test into consideration because it lacks any professionalism and puts double standards.
I know people love slating DXoMark with remarks like "Sony no paid dxomark= dxmark trolling Sony." I also know that we can't say if that is true or not but to be honest we don't even need DXoMarks score. The camera is poor compared to 2017 flagships. Just take an objective look and test for yourself. The problem on this forum is that people are so blind sighted and such massive fanboys they can't step back and go wow yeah this is awful. I spend £649 on this phone sim free and I understand a lot of people have done the same and want to back up the purchase with claims like the above.
The point of the matter though is that Sony's whole marketing for this thing was the camera and weather you look at a DXoMark score or not, it is not up to scratch . Its low light performance is miles of the competition, the dynamic range is shockingly bad compared to phone like the Pixel, Galaxy S7 or iPhone 7 all of which where released last year. Not even looking at the quality of the photos there is also many other issues such as camera distortion etc.
I just wish Sony would acknowledge these issues and say "Hey we are working on it" but they don't. What i would also like is a camera 2 API so at least we can use another camera app.
jms.flynn said:
I know people love slating DXoMark with remarks like "Sony no paid dxomark= dxmark trolling Sony." I also know that we can't say if that is true or not but to be honest we don't even need DXoMarks score. The camera is poor compared to 2017 flagships. Just take an objective look and test for yourself. The problem on this forum is that people are so blind sighted and such massive fanboys they can't step back and go wow yeah this is awful. I spend £649 on this phone sim free and I understand a lot of people have done the same and want to back up the purchase with claims like the above.
The point of the matter though is that Sony's whole marketing for this thing was the camera and weather you look at a DXoMark score or not, it is not up to scratch . Its low light performance is miles of the competition, the dynamic range is shockingly bad compared to phone like the Pixel, Galaxy S7 or iPhone 7 all of which where released last year. Not even looking at the quality of the photos there is also many other issues such as camera distortion etc.
I just wish Sony would acknowledge these issues and say "Hey we are working on it" but they don't. What i would also like is a camera 2 API so at least we can use another camera app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then go and pay 1200 pounds to get your iPhone X to shoot in auto mode, and let the people who know about photography to shoot better photos in manual mode with almost half the price.
jms.flynn said:
I know people love slating DXoMark with remarks like "Sony no paid dxomark= dxmark trolling Sony." I also know that we can't say if that is true or not but to be honest we don't even need DXoMarks score. The camera is poor compared to 2017 flagships. Just take an objective look and test for yourself. The problem on this forum is that people are so blind sighted and such massive fanboys they can't step back and go wow yeah this is awful. I spend £649 on this phone sim free and I understand a lot of people have done the same and want to back up the purchase with claims like the above.
The point of the matter though is that Sony's whole marketing for this thing was the camera and weather you look at a DXoMark score or not, it is not up to scratch . Its low light performance is miles of the competition, the dynamic range is shockingly bad compared to phone like the Pixel, Galaxy S7 or iPhone 7 all of which where released last year. Not even looking at the quality of the photos there is also many other issues such as camera distortion etc.
I just wish Sony would acknowledge these issues and say "Hey we are working on it" but they don't. What i would also like is a camera 2 API so at least we can use another camera app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can use other camera apps, just not the free versions. If you can handle a couple of euros for Camera Zoom FX you will find that the camera is not as you describe it!!! By any chance have you unlocked your bootloader? I'm sure you know that currently there is no way to backup your TA partition wich means the loss of your DRM unique key which enables camera features, and more.
I've been an xperia fan for a long time and finally Sony are releasing sw updates more frequently and this handset will get Oreo once the sony team puts it together. This will transform this handset which has great HW, as all xperia handsets
Katsigaros said:
Then go and pay 1200 pounds to get your iPhone X to shoot in auto mode, and let the people who know about photography to shoot better photos in manual mode with almost half the price.
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Click to collapse
Wasn't really my point was it. You can go buy a year old S7 or LG G6 and shoot in manual mode or in auto mode and smash the Sony out of the water.
And if you want a more stock android experience buy a Moto G5 Plus and that also beats the Sony.
The reason I know is because i have them. The way the sony was sold with improved lens, better low light due to bigger pixel size and hybrid auto focus this was supposed to be a beast of a camera. Which it isn't, not even close.
---------- Post added at 02:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:05 PM ----------
WildBit said:
I've been an xperia fan for a long time and finally Sony are releasing sw updates more frequently and this handset will get Oreo once the sony team puts it together. This will transform this handset which has great HW, as all xperia handsets
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Lets hope so, I am a huge Sony fan and want them to succeeded. I've had all the xperia's since the z3 compact. I just want a camera experience which is as good as the rest of the software and hardware.
This new DXO formula is idiotic... It gives adventages to dualcam phones.
whats the point of doing bokkeh test if there is actually no bokkeh...It should be a feature, it should not affect the score, because many other phones have their own features which are not measured by DXO tests.
for example. XZP has no bokkeh, but it has wider lens, which is a big advantage for me, but there are no additional point for that in the test.
Beside that, DXO tests started to be incomparable.
Look at Iphone 8 review and XZP review. I8 review is 10x more complex - it contains way more tests than XZP review.
There are also inconsistencies like:
At the first paragraph, in the "Test Summary" section they wrote, quote:
"the XZ Premium features relatively strong autofocus performance for both photography and video, as well as very good stabilization for video."
But at the end, in the "Conclusion" section they wrote, quote:
"Video performance is also competent, but marred by problems with loss of detail and mediocre stabilization."
it is really pathetic and not professional.
jms.flynn said:
I know people love slating DXoMark with remarks like "Sony no paid dxomark= dxmark trolling Sony." I also know that we can't say if that is true or not but to be honest we don't even need DXoMarks score. The camera is poor compared to 2017 flagships. Just take an objective look and test for yourself. The problem on this forum is that people are so blind sighted and such massive fanboys they can't step back and go wow yeah this is awful. I spend £649 on this phone sim free and I understand a lot of people have done the same and want to back up the purchase with claims like the above.
The point of the matter though is that Sony's whole marketing for this thing was the camera and weather you look at a DXoMark score or not, it is not up to scratch . Its low light performance is miles of the competition, the dynamic range is shockingly bad compared to phone like the Pixel, Galaxy S7 or iPhone 7 all of which where released last year. Not even looking at the quality of the photos there is also many other issues such as camera distortion etc.
I just wish Sony would acknowledge these issues and say "Hey we are working on it" but they don't. What i would also like is a camera 2 API so at least we can use another camera app.
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Do you even know what is a good photograph?
You don't like the camera quality? Seriously?
I take night photos like never before. Low light photos that are fantastic, videos in slow motion at night that are perfect.
And you compare with s7 and iPhone?
gengi said:
Do you even know what is a good photograph?
You don't like the camera quality? Seriously?
I take night photos like never before. Low light photos that are fantastic, videos in slow motion at night that are perfect.
And you compare with s7 and iPhone?
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Ok, now I know you're seriously trolling. ha ha
Please show me one of your "videos in slow motion at night that are perfect".
The 960FPS is cool, if not gimmicky, but it only really works well in very very good light
jms.flynn said:
Ok, now I know you're seriously trolling. ha ha
Please show me one of your "videos in slow motion at night that are perfect".
The 960FPS is cool, if not gimmicky, but it only really works well in very very good light
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960 fps, at night and 500 meters (at least) apart, I would say it's very good.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3HA5nmqdPh0SFFLVHpXRjBxRDA/view?usp=drivesdk
gengi said:
960 fps, at night and 500 meters (at least) apart, I would say it's very good.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3HA5nmqdPh0SFFLVHpXRjBxRDA/view?usp=drivesdk
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I know in certain lighting conditions it causes alot of flicker. I thought at night it would flicker but it doesnt so thats really cool. Nice video by the way.
Its like alot of people say though, as soon as Samsung or Apple do something new everyone in the world is like wow look at this. Then Sony does it and everyone is quiet about it. Our device the XZ Premium is the first to have a 4K HDR screen and is also the only device alongside the XZS and XZ1 to record at 960fps. Nobody in the world understands how cool it is to have those two features in the palm of your hand. If Samsung or Apple did it then im sure they would understand. As soon as another company besides Apple or Samsung do something cool they get criticised by their 'big bezels' which shouldnt even matter when you take into consideration the features packed into the device.
The score given for our device, I dont think its fair. If you want something fair watch a YouTube video on a comparison or review of the camera, im sure they will be more on point and accurate.
I didnt buy the phone for its camera. If someone wants to say they have an iPhone 8 with a higher score than my XZ Premium they can but I believe the scores are biased and that the rest of their scores are one-sided.
Don't want to bag Sony down but I have compared the XZ Premium(company issued to me) against the Pixel (I own), Pixel 2 (wife owns) and hands down, it is definitely inferior than the Pixels... It takes crappy low light photos with lots of noise. It also struggles with photos where the background is brighter. Again, I think Sony's problem really is software, just like with most Sony phones I owned.
However, I'm not saying that it doesn't do decent photos, it does. I think 86 is too low. Personally, I'd rate it around 90-92.
chefnoob said:
Don't want to bag Sony down but I have compared the XZ Premium(company issued to me) against the Pixel (I own), Pixel 2 (wife owns) and hands down, it is definitely inferior than the Pixels... It takes crappy low light photos with lots of noise. It also struggles with photos where the background is brighter. Again, I think Sony's problem really is software, just like with most Sony phones I owned.
However, I'm not saying that it doesn't do decent photos, it does. I think 86 is too low. Personally, I'd rate it around 90-92.
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I think everyone knows already that the Pixel has a better camera.

does the XZ2 have the same camera? how is it better then?

ive seen camera specs both are 19 MP (f/2.0, 25mm, 1/2.3") so how come XZ2 has better quality?
ive seen a video comparison in low light, its not that the XZP is a lot worse or bad at all, but xz2 does seem to have a brighter video, more realistic with the light it captures through, plus when the guy zoomed in to the max the xz2 could maintain a lil more details, which is weird because both phones have the same camera...
Is sony planning on releasing a similar camera algorithms in the next update?
if not, is it possible to make our XZP camera look just as good as the XZ2? Since they both have the same camera.
madshark2009 said:
ive seen camera specs both are 19 MP (f/2.0, 25mm, 1/2.3") so how come XZ2 has better quality?
ive seen a video comparison in low light, its not that the XZP is a lot worse or bad at all, but xz2 does seem to have a brighter video, more realistic with the light it captures through, plus when the guy zoomed in to the max the xz2 could maintain a lil more details, which is weird because both phones have the same camera...
Is sony planning on releasing a similar camera algorithms in the next update?
if not, is it possible to make our XZP camera look just as good as the XZ2? Since they both have the same camera.
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The camera hardware is identical, the software isn't. Sony tuned the processing and algorythms a lot, the image quality difference in general is noticable, and in low light it's massive. Both still and video.
You can have the XZ2 camera app on the XZP, but you have to root it.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/xz-premium/themes/camera-app-xz2-2-1-0-31-t3770138
I doubt Sony will update the XZ lineup with the new camera software, at least not soon, because they need to sell the XZ2 lineup, and the camera is a great selling point, if not the only one, compared to now a lot cheaper and still brilliant XZ1/XZP. Maybe we see some improvements in 8.1 or Android P, but I highly doubt it.
I was always amazed how rarily a company such as Sony updates the actual camera app on their phones, you'd think it would be a major focus feature.
I understand that it's not only the actual .apk that's different, probably some drivers as well and what not, but if the main hardware (and most of the surrounding hardware) is the same or similar, it shouldn't be a difficult thing to upgrade older devices.
I've asked Sony about this,still no answer. In the same mail I also asked them how come there is no option to lower the framerate of the slowmo video down from the 960FPS so that you could take longer slowmo videos. 960FPS is really cool, but almost unusable, let's face it, unless you plan the shot for half a day and everything is just perfect and still you won't get it the first time arround.
Not only has the same camera, but I'm pretty sure that the idiots from qualcomm just renamed the CPU flag as snapdragon 845 and enabled 4k60fps in drivers, which Sd835 is very capabile of. Also has 400 MHz more speed, bleah!

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