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FAKE dual camera setup on Xiaomi Mi A1? [Not Really]

Greetings my dear Mi A1 brethren! Today I am the bearer of bad news for you guys. From unreleased source codes to headphone hissing. This problem is the final nail in Xiaomi's coffin for me. I will never ever buy another Xiaomi device again.
I have reason to believe that the "dual" camera setup on the Xiaomi is FAKE! Let me show you. Follow these steps:
1) Open up the camera app.
2) Cover ONE of the two camera lenses at the back with your finger.
2) Zoom in to 2x mode (or greater).
Did you notice something? THE CAMERA LENSES DO NOT SWITCH! The main point of the Mi A1's dual camera setup is that one lens is wide angle and the other is telephoto (as mentioned on their website). When you zoom in, the app should automatically switch cameras.
Another test is that the dual camera setup should provide a background blur (bokeh effect) on objects that are up close to the camera. Cover a lens with one of your fingers and you'll see that either the camera gets blocked by the finger or the blur effect still remains (regardless of the fact that TWO cameras are needed for a proper bokeh effect)!
Both these tests prove that one of the Xiaomi Mi A1 cameras is a dummy. Has Xiaomi lied to us again? Why would Google let them do this?
Or is it that I don't understand how dual cameras work? Someone please enlighten me. I feel I've wasted 250$ of my hard earned cash on a scam
EDIT: Nevermind! I just found out it does work. But only in manual mode or portrait mode. Strange that the app does not switch to telephoto mode automatically. Perhaps in a future update.

Have you tried manual mode

MayanKKaushik said:
Have you tried manual mode
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Click to collapse
Yes, I did. I've edited the OP. I feel like a goof for not trying that first

No its real!
Try that in outdoor lighting conditions.
In natural lighting cover the zoom lens, and then hit the 2x zoom.
You will notice that the zoom lens is functional in good lighting conditions, not in bad light conditions.
Same with the portrait mode, thats why it is recommended to use 2x optical zoom and portrait mode in outdoor lighting conditions.

The camera decides if it should use digital zoom or telephoto lens depending on light conditions. Telephoto zoom only works with a lot of light(like portrait). If there is not enough light, digital zoom from wide angle lens is better. This even happens on iphone 7plus/8plus camera set up(if there is not enough light they just use digital zoom). However, I think that maybe it switches to wide angle digital zoom sometimes in good light conditions.

I can understand that you were concerned but please test things thoroughly before posting (or maybe Google it out). Actually the telephoto camera have a narrower aperture then the main camera. So it captures less light then the primary camera. When who cover the telephoto camera to see if it is working or not, then hit x2, it detects that there is low light (since you are covering the lens) & hence uses the primary camera. Okay, so this is how you should have tested. First go to a very will lit environment, then select 2x zoom, and then try covering the telephone camera. You will get the proper results. Hope this helps.

It's the same in Oneplus 5, for example!
Telephoto works properly only in good light situation

RayDnafsa said:
Yes, I did. I've edited the OP. I feel like a goof for not trying that first
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
should already have done that before starting a thread like this.
2017 dumbass award goes to you. smart alec.

erimin5 said:
should already have done that before starting a thread like this.
2017 dumbass award goes to you. smart alec.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

If you want to know before clicking a photo which lens is used for 2x zoom just look at the animation when you use the zoom button. If theirs an animation of zooming then it's digital zoom & if it is directly switching to 2x or 1x then it is actually switching between the lenses. And it won't change with a future update too as the OP hopes. Works the same way even on iPhones. It OK to have questions but you went too far calling it a scam, fake & never buying from Xiaomi again.

jazzthe#1 said:
No its real!
Try that in outdoor lighting conditions.
In natural lighting cover the zoom lens, and then hit the 2x zoom.
You will notice that the zoom lens is functional in good lighting conditions, not in bad light conditions.
Same with the portrait mode, thats why it is recommended to use 2x optical zoom and portrait mode in outdoor lighting conditions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But please help me, now my stock camera app there is no portrait and 2x mode , they're disappear after i've flash it to RR custom rom, but when i back to stock rom through miflash, the camera is still facing the same problems

secondary camera

guys,dial *#*#1597#*#* and switch to the second camera...click the photo,check the resolution.. isn't it 2592x1940 (5mp) ... it's strange because the secondary camera is of 20mp and I am getting 5mp.

Mine is 3456x4608
Edit: sorry, I did not switch to the second camera, how do I do that?

rmaathuis said:
Mine is 3456x4608
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
switch to lens BACK(2). double tap to switch the camera.

Ok, did that and indeed it's 2592x1940
Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk

rmaathuis said:
Ok, did that and indeed it's 2592x1940
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
okay... isn't the secondary camera of 20mp..why does it click photos in 5mp???oneplus ?

Yep the same. Pretty weird. But the image doesn't look like 5 MP though

Wow this is some major scoop! You're indeed right, also to support your findings, the OP6 brother, the OPPO R15, has the same primary 16MP IMX519 sensor and a 5MP secondary sensors only for depth informations.
This could be a camera-gate beginning for OP! It needs deeper investigation

zonzo3 said:
Wow this is some major scoop! You're indeed right, also to support your findings, the OP6 brother, the OPPO R15, has the same primary 16MP IMX519 sensor and a 5MP secondary sensors only for depth informations.
This could be a camera-gate beginning for OP! It needs deeper investigation
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that can't be a co-incidence. i am gonna post about this in oneplus forum. let everyone know about this.

For me the primary camera is at 15.9MP and the portrait camera is at 14.2MP.
Correction: The photos made with primary camera are at 15.9 and the portrait mode ones are at 14.2MP.

neohq said:
For me the primary camera is at 15.9MP and the portrait camera is at 14.2MP.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you mean portrait photos??the resolution is 15.9 mp for portrait photos too.

The portrait photo is also made with the primary camera, helped by the secondary camera.
If I cover the secondary camera I see a message on screen and bokeh effect is gone.
@aneesh12 Yes, I meant the photos.

neohq said:
The portrait photo is also made with the primary camera, helped by the secondary camera.
If I cover the secondary camera I see a message on screen and bokeh effect is gone.
@aneesh12 Yes, I meant the photos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah... that's how all the process works. but you said the portrait photos are 14.2mp for you which is not the same for me...i am getting 15.9mp photos. i am sorry if i got you wrong again

Another thing, the pictures taken with the secondary camera capture so much more light when shooting in really (really) dark places. Try it and let me know.
I think maybe it's the same secondary sensor used in the OP5T, the Sony IMX 376k, which is a 20MP sensor that via software does a pixel interpolation to "create" bigger pixels and capture more light.
However it's a cheap move to use this sensor only for depth informations

zonzo3 said:
Another thing, the pictures taken with the secondary camera capture so much more light when shooting in really (really) dark places. Try it and let me know.
I think maybe it's the same secondary sensor used in the OP5T, the Sony IMX 376k, which is a 20MP sensor that via software does a pixel interpolation to "create" bigger pixels and capture more light.
However it's a cheap move to use this sensor only for depth informations
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try the second camera on op5t nd will see the resolution.

guys, what's the use of second camera anyways??? I've covered the second lens,still the photos came out as same as when the lens wasn't covered.

@aneesh12
For the depth of field effect/bokeh, portrait photos.

neohq said:
@aneesh12
For the depth of field effect/bokeh, portrait photos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
they could have gone for 5mp depth sensing camera then. why to waste 20mp for that. oneplus 5's camera was very well implemented. that optical zoom was actually useful and handy.

aneesh12 said:
guys, what's the use of second camera anyways??? I've covered the second lens,still the photos came out as same as when the lens wasn't covered.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have to double tap to change camera then you will see camera(2) instead of camera(0)

vitotteng said:
You have to double tap to change camera then you will see camera(2) instead of camera(0)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that is exactly what i said in the 3rd post. you didn't get what i said.

Could it be due to a software config, like using pixel binning to increase sensitivity in the dark?

Redmi note 5 AI Global front camera HDR+ and portrait mode working only in good light

After hours and hours of testing and depleting my battery twice in a day, I can safely say that I found a google camera which has front facing camera working with HDR+ and also portrait mode working.
On top of that the quality of the pictures taken with the rear camera were also very high quality. So far it's working on latest MIUI 10 Global Beta as well as custom roms like latest AEX.
The gcam I'm talking about is the CameraX-V2.apk from alone_in_dark https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/dev-alone_in_dark/
HDR+Enhanced doesn't work on front camera, so remember to switch back to HDR+ after you use it on rear camera.
Posted my settings bellow.

Saicoth said:
After hours and hours of testing and depleting my battery twice in a day, I can safely say that I found a google camera which has front facing camera working with HDR+ and also portrait mode working.
On top of that the quality of the pictures taken with the rear camera were also very high quality. So far it's working on latest MIUI 10 Global Beta as well as custom roms like latest AEX.
The gcam I'm talking about is the CameraX-V2.apk from alone_in_dark https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/dev-alone_in_dark/
HDR+Enhanced doesn't work on front camera, so remember to switch back to HDR+ after you use it on rear camera.
Posted my settings bellow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does not work with low light... ... .... ....

Destrangis said:
It does not work with low light... ... .... ....
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Click to collapse
Close the camera completely, start it again, switch to front. Then take a selfie in good light, then you can take as many as you want in low light as well. Works for me, try it.

Saicoth said:
Close the camera completely, start it again, switch to front. Then take a selfie in good light, then you can take as many as you want in low light as well. Works for me, try it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works only if you take one in good light and don't close the app/change modes/open gallery. That's not a repeatable nor reliable in any lightning condition except in daylight. So it was already known issue which is yet to be fixed.

Saicoth said:
Close the camera completely, start it again, switch to front. Then take a selfie in good light, then you can take as many as you want in low light as well. Works for me, try it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It doesn't work. It's not HDR+, it's the normal picture. Compare with MIUI or Nokia camera :/

Destrangis said:
It doesn't work. It's not HDR+, it's the normal picture. Compare with MIUI or Nokia camera :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can assure you it is HDR+

Saicoth said:
I can assure you it is HDR+
First picture taken with MIUI camera original was 7.8 MB and the second taken with Gcam was 9.7 MB. The dynamic range and colors are better for sure. Focus doesn't seem to be working on the gcam though, and google photos compressed the gcam photo more.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZZrKLRjtAZd6Jpw76
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Xzrq24EKvgwxXp8p9
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Front cam, not back cam. HDR+ works any Gcam in back cam...

Destrangis said:
Front cam, not back cam. HDR+ works any Gcam in back cam...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pls look at the resolution before posting, ofc it's front cam, back cam is 12 mpx not 13

Saicoth said:
pls look at the resolution before posting, ofc it's front cam, back cam is 12 mpx not 13
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro, It is still a good light photo and the problem has always been with low light... upload low-light photos

Destrangis said:
Bro, It is still a good light photo and the problem has always been with low light... upload low-light photos
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't know why I should provide proof lol. I've taken 4 more shots, 2 are with artificial light on and two are very low light photos with lights off, just a bit of light coming in from the window.
MIUI cam with artificial light https://photos.app.goo.gl/5VjDPsap3TkmaFZv6
Gcam with artificial light https://photos.app.goo.gl/UWDxyqSH6wj5fEEw5
MIUI cam very low light https://photos.app.goo.gl/Npdwk3Ng1qZLUypz7
Gcam very low light https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZQFfz1QLM3CF6sQH7
All photos were taken in auto mode no over or under exposure.
If it doesn't work for you I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do. I don't try to make hoaxes here, I just didn't find a Gcam with front camera working like this one, so I thought I'd share it. I guess it's better than nothing.
Another thing, if your photos load after you take them with gcam then it means they are HDR+ photos, if it's instant it's not HDR+. All the photos I take with Gcam front are loading 2 seconds before they show up.
Edit: Best thing would be to wait for someone skilled to mod a gcam for our device.

Saicoth said:
Don't know why I should provide proof lol. I've taken 4 more shots, 2 are with artificial light on and two are very low light photos with lights off, just a bit of light coming in from the window.
MIUI cam with artificial light https://photos.app.goo.gl/5VjDPsap3TkmaFZv6
Gcam with artificial light https://photos.app.goo.gl/UWDxyqSH6wj5fEEw5
MIUI cam very low light https://photos.app.goo.gl/Npdwk3Ng1qZLUypz7
Gcam very low light https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZQFfz1QLM3CF6sQH7
All photos were taken in auto mode no over or under exposure.
If it doesn't work for you I'm sorry, there is nothing I can do. I don't try to make hoaxes here, I just didn't find a Gcam with front camera working like this one, so I thought I'd share it. I guess it's better than nothing.
Another thing, if your photos load after you take them with gcam then it means they are HDR+ photos, if it's instant it's not HDR+. All the photos I take with Gcam front are loading 2 seconds before they show up.
Edit: Best thing would be to wait for someone skilled to mod a gcam for our device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the album is empty...

Destrangis said:
the album is empty...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh man sorry, I deleted around 80 test pictures I had in google photos and cleared the trash as well like a stupid idiot without thinking they'll disappear from here as well.
I'll take them again tomorrow and update the links. Sorry again.

I took some pictures outside and then inside. You don't have to turn it up. Its working. Thank you for your research.

Saicoth said:
After hours and hours of testing and depleting my battery twice in a day, I can safely say that I found a google camera which has front facing camera working with HDR+ and also portrait mode working.
On top of that the quality of the pictures taken with the rear camera were also very high quality. So far it's working on latest MIUI 10 Global Beta as well as custom roms like latest AEX.
The gcam I'm talking about is the CameraX-V2.apk from alone_in_dark https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/dev-alone_in_dark/
HDR+Enhanced doesn't work on front camera, so remember to switch back to HDR+ after you use it on rear camera.
Posted my settings bellow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nah, it wont work in lowlight.

Saicoth said:
Oh man sorry, I deleted around 80 test pictures I had in google photos and cleared the trash as well like a stupid idiot without thinking they'll disappear from here as well.
I'll take them again tomorrow and update the links. Sorry again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not only that, with Gcam minimal it also works and with HDR+ Enhanced. If you take a picture with the front panel in low light then they work in low light until you close the application or change it. Gcam is to tell the camera that you have taken a very bright picture before.

It's still not working in low light. It's not a repeatable pattern to make it work.

Cirra92 said:
It's still not working in low light. It's not a repeatable pattern to make it work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
agree, it works once for first time after rebooting device, other than that no pattern makes it work again unless reboot device again.

Cirra92 said:
It's still not working in low light. It's not a repeatable pattern to make it work.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, my pattern works with enhanced HDR+. We already know how to make it work, now we just need a dev to take an interest
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uQpXbBiG6pSBqtvL6

Destrangis said:
No, it is a pattern. With enhanced HDR+, Make yourself a selfie with good light, it works. Without closing the application and without entering the gallery, enter an interior, it will work until you close or change the application.
Therefore, if you could get the front camera to believe that you had taken a picture in good light when you entered it would work.
https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/...leCamera_5.2.025-Minimal-Beta-Final_test2.apk
https://photos.app.goo.gl/uQpXbBiG6pSBqtvL6
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was doing that before the OP found out about it, I know the trick, but that's not the point, it still doesn't trigger in conditions other than bright daylight, do you understand that?
You can't go out every time just to make the camera work, and what about conditions worse than that, where are you going to find bright enough light to trick the camera, for example when you are going out in the evening? Even indoors during the day you have a hard time triggering it.

Cirra92 said:
I was doing that before the OP found out about it, I know the trick, but that's not the point, it still doesn't trigger in conditions other than bright daylight, do you understand that?
Ok, but there is a pattern. Until now there was nothing. It's probably something to do with the default aperture value of the lens or something similar. For some reason, after taking a photo with good light conditions those values change. It would be enough to modify the initial values by the new ones.... But they need some interested developers.
No need to be angry, I'm just trying to help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Nokia 7 Plus not using Telephoto lens for zoomed images

Hi,
So the Nokia 7 plus is supposed to have a Secondary telephoto lens for 2x optical zoom. But there is no way(not that I am aware of) in the Nokia camera app to use that lens.
There is a button for 2x zoom in the camera interface. But when you click that the secondary camera is not used. It is digitally zooms with the primary lens.
I was curious if the telephoto lens is actually being used or not, so i clicked different pictures with 1x and 2x zoom and when I compared the info of the pictures, both the 1x as well as 2x pictures were using the same 12.2MP/f1.8 lens.
simpler confirmation, switch 2x button and put your thumb on second lens
This makes the secondary lens just a decoration if you can't use it. (unless for the portrait shots, which I don't think is very convenient, but that's another story).
Am I missing something here? Is there a way to use the optical zoom features or is Nokia missing so something.
I have attached pictures I took.

spark25 said:
[...]I was curious if the telephoto lens is actually being used or not[...]
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
btw:simpler confirmation, switch 2x button and put your thumb on second lens

spark25 said:
Hi,
So the Nokia 7 plus is supposed to have a Secondary telephoto lens for 2x optical zoom. But there is no way(not that I am aware of) in the Nokia camera app to use that lens.
There is a button for 2x zoom in the camera interface. But when you click that the secondary camera is not used. It is digitally zooms with the primary lens.
I was curious if the telephoto lens is actually being used or not, so i clicked different pictures with 1x and 2x zoom and when I compared the info of the pictures, both the 1x as well as 2x pictures were using the same 12.2MP/f1.8 lens.
This makes the secondary lens just a decoration if you can't use it. (unless for the portrait shots, which I don't think is very convenient, but that's another story).
Am I missing something here? Is there a way to use the optical zoom features or is Nokia missing so something.
I have attached pictures I took.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It indeed uses second lens when you click 1x button. The metadata is added by camera software. If what you say is true, it's just a bug in the camera software where it just stamps the first lens info on all photos.
Sent from my Nokia 7 plus using Tapatalk

fornix said:
It indeed uses second lens when you click 1x button. The metadata is added by camera software. If what you say is true, it's just a bug in the camera software where it just stamps the first lens info on all photos.
Sent from my Nokia 7 plus using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
@spark25 The camera app has been using only the primary camera for me since I bought the device, and 2x mode is digital zoom. Even in the latest camera update. The only place where telephoto activates is the portrait (bokeh) mode.
Maybe they will utilize it in Pie, as it includes multi-camera api so there could be smooth transition between the two camera streams.
Edit: It does use the telephoto camera lens when there is a good lighting.
Broadcasted from Zeta Reticuli

fornix said:
It indeed uses second lens when you click 1x button. The metadata is added by camera software. If what you say is true, it's just a bug in the camera software where it just stamps the first lens info on all photos.
Sent from my Nokia 7 plus using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try putting your thumb on the secondary lens when zooming.

k3dar7 said:
btw:simpler confirmation, switch 2x button and put your thumb on second lens
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, and more solid confirmation :highfive:

Noisy shots on bokeh mode
Can someone confirm if pictures taken from the bokeh mode turn out too noisy and pixelated? The picture is very grainy and loses everything on zooming in.

The tele Lens only activates under certain conditions, when it can focus on far objects with good lighting otherwise it will use the normal lens with smaller aperture.

The secondary camera only works under certain conditions and I can confirm that if you your place the finger in front of it it just digitally zooms. It probably works only in good lighting.

spark25 said:
Hi,
So the Nokia 7 plus is supposed to have a Secondary telephoto lens for 2x optical zoom. But there is no way(not that I am aware of) in the Nokia camera app to use that lens.
There is a button for 2x zoom in the camera interface. But when you click that the secondary camera is not used. It is digitally zooms with the primary lens.
I was curious if the telephoto lens is actually being used or not, so i clicked different pictures with 1x and 2x zoom and when I compared the info of the pictures, both the 1x as well as 2x pictures were using the same 12.2MP/f1.8 lens.
simpler confirmation, switch 2x button and put your thumb on second lens
This makes the secondary lens just a decoration if you can't use it. (unless for the portrait shots, which I don't think is very convenient, but that's another story).
Am I missing something here? Is there a way to use the optical zoom features or is Nokia missing so something.
I have attached pictures I took.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The 2x Tele Lens only works when there's a good amount of light is available. (Since, photos taken with 2x Lens is bad at dark)
However, there's a trick that works sometimes:
Point your camera with with 2x Zoom at a bright white spot(area) or a bright white wall, the software will automatically switch into 2x Tele lens.
Keep in mind, using 2x Lens at dark doesn't give good results. The photos quality is worse at dark with 2x Lens (because of grainy and dark pictures)

Fake telephoto camera

So the lens under the flash is supposed to be the telephoto camera but if you put your finger there use the telephoto it still shows. Am I missing something?

artungonul said:
So the lens under the flash is supposed to be the telephoto camera but if you put your finger there use the telephoto it still shows. Am I missing something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
just tested it myself and lmao, none of the settings nor no matter how far you zoom in uses that lens. according to research i've done it seems to only activate if you're trying to shoot something more than 15 feet away. even still, that's strange.

artungonul said:
So the lens under the flash is supposed to be the telephoto camera but if you put your finger there use the telephoto it still shows. Am I missing something?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Telephoto only works in good lighting conditions , it is same in all Samsung devices

Try live focus option. When you set this option the Lens will work.