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Hey guys,
So I have been playing around with the camera on my Z Ultra and I wanted to share a few things with you.
1. DO NOT use Superior Auto at all!!
It destroys pretty much every photo and has too much noise and no sharpness. It's just shockingly bad.
2. Always use normal shooting mode.
3. Become comfortable adjusting settings and actually getting to know the camera so you know when to use appropriate ISO etc.
4. Adjust ISO yourself and keep it at 400 or below. Use in combination with HDR for some very pleasing results.
Those are the 4 most important tips I think. Never ever ever use superior auto. The results with normal mode are very crisp and have lots of sharpness and contrast.
Overall the camera I believe is better than the Xperia Z. I own both and with the right settings, the Z Ultras images appear sharper.
I'll post a few examples.
Thanks and how are you all liking the camera so far?
Sent from my Sony Xperia Z Ultra
Here are a few examples.
1 taking with Superior Auto. The other taking with Normal mode on ISO 100.
Be sure to zoom.in on the bottle. You can see so much noise on the photo taking with Superior Auto.
Hopefully the results speak for themselves
If you want other photos I'll be happy to provide them.
Sent from my Sony Xperia Z Ultra
Way to much red in the photos taken with Superior Auto. Hopefully Sony will fix this in the next update. Btw, do you have the old Sony UI or the new one? (Old has a dark settings menu, while the new one is white)
I have the Old UI with the Bravia Engine 2.
New UI should be released in about a months time. Hopefully sooner
When are you buying your Ultra?
Sent from my Sony Xperia Z Ultra
ScottishSwan said:
I have the Old UI with the Bravia Engine 2.
New UI should be released in about a months time. Hopefully sooner
When are you buying your Ultra?
Sent from my Sony Xperia Z Ultra
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I'm buying it as soon as it hits the stores in Norway, which i believe is in the first week of september(?), like the rest of Europe.
Unless a different beast emerges from the depths of hell somewhere, that is (which i highly doubt, so ZU it is.)
Is it not the last week of September it gets released in Europe?
Its funny right now, I am slowly becoming to accept the Z Ultras size as normal and the 6.4" display as normal.
Even when I pick up a 5" device now, it feels so tiny!! Haha
Sent from my Sony Xperia Z Ultra
According to news sources, the release date for europe is september 6th.
I had the same experience when i got my Note. I came from the Desire HD with a 4.3" display, so the Note's size was ridiculous at that time, and i remember laughing my ass of when i unboxed it! Now? Not big at all. It's the same thing with the iPhone. I had the first gen. from the states and a 3GS, and they were really big at the time, but i just laugh at its tiny body now
When do you think phones will stop growing? I imagine 7" with almost no bezels at all will be the limit.
Unboxing my Ultra though, I did laugh when I seen it and my first day carrying it to work etc, quite a surprise haha.
Me personally I love big phones though, can never understand people who say they don't want anything bigger than 4.5 - 4.7 inches.
Sent from my Sony Xperia Z Ultra
Good question, and i have no idea, but i think we are near the limit now. IF the OEM's are planning on something even bigger, then i guess they'll have to make them without any bezels. That would be awesome and i guess a little science fiction looking
Something like this:
ScottishSwan said:
Is it not the last week of September it gets released in Europe?
Its funny right now, I am slowly becoming to accept the Z Ultras size as normal and the 6.4" display as normal.
Even when I pick up a 5" device now, it feels so tiny!! Haha
Sent from my Sony Xperia Z Ultra
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I agree. I love big devices and my Xperia Z feels really tiny in comparison but one thing is for sure: I think the Ultra is the biggest size that a phablet can have and still being pocketable.
It fits my pockets but I notice that I can't carry a bigger device in them. The future development could be smaller bezels and therefore perhaps a 6,8 and perhaps even a 7 inch screen. I would even guess that the small tablets like the Nexus 7 will be replaced by phablets with the same screen size but smaller body (Ultra size).
So the future market will offer phablets up to 7 inch, then tablets starting at 8 inches and upwards followed by dockable "tablets" with screens of 12 inches and bigger. The small tablet is going to become a phablet - adding smaller bezels and a smaller body to the existing 7 inch screen and putting a dialer on is a straight forward development, especially when the Nexus 7 has connectivity to mobile networks already and the old Galaxy Tab could make calls.
I wouldn't be surprised if the 2014 edition of the Nexus 7 will be a phablet and that Sony are creating a partly new market with the Z Ultra.
Coming from iPhone 5, the UZ produces astoundingly bad overprocessed images. What's coming off the sensor is actually pretty good as you can see if you shoot in burst mode since that is the only setting that doesn't add a massive sharpness filter to the output. All other modes are crap. Massive over sharpening and then saving at what has to be 50% jpg quality. I don't get the mentality of putting in user defined ISO settings but forcing sharpening and jpg quality.
Taco Jackson said:
Coming from iPhone 5, the UZ produces astoundingly bad overprocessed images. What's coming off the sensor is actually pretty good as you can see if you shoot in burst mode since that is the only setting that doesn't add a massive sharpness filter to the output. All other modes are crap. Massive over sharpening and then saving at what has to be 50% jpg quality. I don't get the mentality of putting in user defined ISO settings but forcing sharpening and jpg quality.
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I do not have these issues. The only problems i have is when the phone is using Superior Auto.
Any other mode is perfectly sharp and noise free. I have also compared it to my iPhone 5 and the photos are very very comparable when you get the settings right.
Please tell me the about camera settings for best output of images in Xperia Z Ultra .. i donno how to configure my z ultra for best output images .. so please any one help abt best camera settings
Xperia Z Ultra said:
Please tell me the about camera settings for best output of images in Xperia Z Ultra .. i donno how to configure my z ultra for best output images .. so please any one help abt best camera settings
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sounds like u need a crash course on photography instead.
Xperia Z Ultra said:
Please tell me the about camera settings for best output of images in Xperia Z Ultra .. i donno how to configure my z ultra for best output images .. so please any one help abt best camera settings
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1. Always set the camera to Normal mode.
2. Set the ISO at a maximum of 400 and not higher.
3. Use HDR on occasions where it might be needed.
On those settings you will get sharp images. Of course, you have to learn the camera a little yourself too.
Xperia Z Ultra said:
Please tell me the about camera settings for best output of images in Xperia Z Ultra .. i donno how to configure my z ultra for best output images .. so please any one help abt best camera settings
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Frankly, that's not how you learn stuff. What's wrong with just experimenting like normal people do?
Excuse Peppa pig, this was ISO 200, hdr with center focusing
Sent from my C6802 using Tapatalk 4
Looking good
What are your thoughts on the camera?
Sent from my Sony Xperia Z Ultra
Does it miss not having any kind of flash?
Super Chimp said:
Does it miss not having any kind of flash?
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For me personally, in the 10 days I have owned the Z Ultra I have not missed flash at all.
Sent from my Sony Xperia Z Ultra
Hey guys, I have a Z Ultra and a Z1 (my dad's). He's letting me keep his Z1 in exchange for my Ultra. But I like my Ultra's screen but the Z1 has a better camera
Here are the pros of the devices as I see them:
Z Ultra -
1. Bigger screen
2. Can use a pencil
3. I've grown to like it :silly:
Z1:
1. Better ROMs (or at least, more)
2. Good camera
3. Bigger speakers
4. Smaller overall size
Now, the screen size of the Z1 is really small, I mean, it's tiny ! But it's got a better camera and 2 months of college have taught me how important a camera is . Add to that the fact that it has a better contrast ratio than the Z Ultra and I've got a sound conundrum on my hands...
Do any of you have any advice ?
@moderators this thread isn't intended to start a war between fanboys, please let it remain open. If you lock it, I'll have to take the coin-toss approach
Thank you all for taking the time to read this !
Sent from my Xperia Z Ultra using xda app-developers app
warfareonly said:
@moderators this thread isn't intended to start a war
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Okay, WAREFAREONLY (LOL), I would pick the Ultra. The screen is huge and has way better viewing angles than the Z1 (Ultra uses an AH-IPS LCD while the Z1 uses a VA LCD) and therefore it's easier to use (browsing, gaming etc.), its design is much better than the Z1 (subjective) and it's so freaking thin. We got ROMs and the Z1 and Ultra share the same internals, so cross development is expected down the road, so it's all good in that department. The only negative aspects of it is the camera.
Z1: Chubby with a nice camera
Ultra: Anorexic with a bad camera
Sent from my Z Ultra, using XDA Premium 4
warfareonly said:
Hey guys, I have a Z Ultra and a Z1 (my dad's). He's letting me keep his Z1 in exchange for my Ultra. But I like my Ultra's screen but the Z1 has a better camera
Here are the pros of the devices as I see them:
Z Ultra -
1. Bigger screen
2. Can use a pencil
3. I've grown to like it :silly:
Z1:
1. Better ROMs (or at least, more)
2. Good camera
3. Bigger speakers
4. Smaller overall size
Now, the screen size of the Z1 is really small, I mean, it's tiny ! But it's got a better camera and 2 months of college have taught me how important a camera is . Add to that the fact that it has a better contrast ratio than the Z Ultra and I've got a sound conundrum on my hands...
Do any of you have any advice ?
@moderators this thread isn't intended to start a war between fanboys, please let it remain open. If you lock it, I'll have to take the coin-toss approach
Thank you all for taking the time to read this !
Sent from my Xperia Z Ultra using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Personally, this is how I see it from the XZU point of view.
1. Camera isn't an issue. For perfectly good quality pictures, use a decent third party app. OK, no flash is an issue if night pictures are required. Personally I've never seen the appeal of phone cameras... I'd always use an slr.
2. Yes, the z1 has more developers, but I guarantee we'll be getting those roms as pretty much direct ports.
3. Speakers on a phone have never been intended as anything other than for notifications. Headphones will always be needed for actual media unless you're a bit weird.
4. If you got the XZU, there's something in you that loves this screen. I've looked at all the other 5.8 inch and lower screens and they are far too small. This is a true phablet and makes media stand out by a mile. You won't get that many other places. Thats all this phone is really about.
Stick with XZU. No comparison.
Sent from my C6833 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Stick with the Ultra.
My wife has the Z1 and I find the screen to small for my work. I have gotten used to carrying the Ultra now.
Now, the screen size of the Z1 is really small, I mean, it's tiny ! But it's got a better camera and 2 months of college have taught me how important a camera is . Add to that the fact that it has a better contrast ratio than the Z Ultra and I've got a sound conundrum on my hands...
Do any of you have any advice ?
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Well.. you are only going to get a bias opinion from us. We are ultra owners.. so we obviously want the big screen.
I moved from the Galaxy S4 to the Ultra. Purely for the screen size.
I still had my S4 a few days ago, until i sold it. I picked it up to take some better images, but didn't want to use it. It has a better camera (like the Z1) but its just too small. In fact its bordering on ugly!
The Z1 is similar, but just to fat. Like Lord says.. I can't go to a fatter device, or a smaller device... The Ultra is for me! and I would think you would hate moving to a smaller device also.
Additionally @SpyderTracks makes a good point. I've made 3 posts in the app section regarding mods that were originated on the Z1, and will work for the ultra. So expect what ever happens with the Z1 to happen to the ultra.
Well, you decide whats better for you, but there are some facts and imprecision to revaluate in your points:
Z1 has not a better Rom, they have just updates at different stage.
Z1 has not a "tiny" screen, is a top huge smartphone sized for its class.
Ultra is +- 6mm thick
Z1 has not a better screen than Ultra
Ultra is more suitable for book reading too
Z1 has a better camera but now there is the option QX10 around: Ultra + QX10 = better camera than Z1, of course..for who dont care carrying much sized stuff outside.
warfareonly said:
Hey guys, I have a Z Ultra and a Z1 (my dad's). He's letting me keep his Z1 in exchange for my Ultra. But I like my Ultra's screen but the Z1 has a better camera
Here are the pros of the devices as I see them:
Z Ultra -
1. Bigger screen
2. Can use a pencil
3. I've grown to like it :silly:
Z1:
1. Better ROMs (or at least, more)
2. Good camera
3. Bigger speakers
4. Smaller overall size
Now, the screen size of the Z1 is really small, I mean, it's tiny ! But it's got a better camera and 2 months of college have taught me how important a camera is . Add to that the fact that it has a better contrast ratio than the Z Ultra and I've got a sound conundrum on my hands...
Do any of you have any advice ?
@moderators this thread isn't intended to start a war between fanboys, please let it remain open. If you lock it, I'll have to take the coin-toss approach
Thank you all for taking the time to read this !
Sent from my Xperia Z Ultra using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
coming from the note 2 to the ZUltra was worth it. I was playing with my note 2 and couldn't adjust to the small screen. Go big or go home xD
That's it, I'm sticking with the Ultra !
I just can't be separated from this huge, beautiful screen !
Thanks for your opinions guys ! Much appreciated
Or you could just get the best of both worlds
Walking around with nearly 1500 USD stuffed in my pockets is not really an option
warfareonly said:
Hey guys, I have a Z Ultra and a Z1 (my dad's). He's letting me keep his Z1 in exchange for my Ultra. But I like my Ultra's screen but the Z1 has a better camera
Here are the pros of the devices as I see them:
Z Ultra -
1. Bigger screen
2. Can use a pencil
3. I've grown to like it :silly:
Z1:
1. Better ROMs (or at least, more)
2. Good camera
3. Bigger speakers
4. Smaller overall size
Now, the screen size of the Z1 is really small, I mean, it's tiny ! But it's got a better camera and 2 months of college have taught me how important a camera is . Add to that the fact that it has a better contrast ratio than the Z Ultra and I've got a sound conundrum on my hands...
Do any of you have any advice ?
@moderators this thread isn't intended to start a war between fanboys, please let it remain open. If you lock it, I'll have to take the coin-toss approach
Thank you all for taking the time to read this !
Sent from my Xperia Z Ultra using xda app-developers app
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Click to collapse
Same family so share! Solved.:highfive:
Now that the Ultra LTE is finally available at the Sony Stores, there is only one question - should i get this or the Z1?
I cant decide. I really like this phone but the camera is sub par with no flash. The Z1 has a decent shooter, but the design is not so thin and the screen had some negative reviews. ohh and its 1.4" smaller
what do you guys say?
X1? Haha or you mean Z1
Sent from my C6802 using xda app-developers app
soncarl said:
X1? Haha or you mean Z1
Sent from my C6802 using xda app-developers app
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lol yes, i meant z1
It really depends..overall Z1 is a better phone than the Z ultra. (unless the screen is as bad as some reviewers are saying..the screen on the z ultra is amazing)
If you like big screens than obviously Z ultra
If you take a lot of photos than obviously Z1
That's pretty much the difference between the two.
I had this same dilemma and chose Z ultra simply because I wanted a big (the biggest) screen and although the camera is not that great, it's okay because i don't take photos anyway.
bryanky5 said:
It really depends..overall Z1 is a better phone than the Z ultra. (unless the screen is as bad as some reviewers are saying..the screen on the z ultra is amazing)
If you like big screens than obviously Z ultra
If you take a lot of photos than obviously Z1
That's pretty much the difference between the two.
I had this same dilemma and chose Z ultra simply because I wanted a big (the biggest) screen and although the camera is not that great, it's okay because i don't take photos anyway.
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i guess thats the issue. although i dont take a lot of photos, but when i do, my cellphone is my main (and only) camera. lol
so i expect decent pictures. Ultra really fails at that, especially in low light
intolaomair said:
i guess thats the issue. although i dont take a lot of photos, but when i do, my cellphone is my main (and only) camera. lol
so i expect decent pictures. Ultra really fails at that, especially in low light
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In decent lighting i think the z ultra is okay for the occasional shot. It's not THAT bad but yeah in low light it really suffers.
Same here, my phone is my only camera, but since I watch much more videos, play more games and browse the web far more often than i take photos, choosing the z utlra was a no brainer..
So I guess it depends on what you need most.
If only the z ultra had a good camera, it would be a perfect phone!
bryanky5 said:
In decent lighting i think the z ultra is okay for the occasional shot. It's not THAT bad but yeah in low light it really suffers.
Same here, my phone is my only camera, but since I watch much more videos, play more games and browse the web far more often than i take photos, choosing the z utlra was a no brainer..
So I guess it depends on what you need most.
If only the z ultra had a good camera, it would be a perfect phone!
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Click to collapse
If the ultra had a good camera it would be as thick as a ****ty One Max and lose much of it's appeal.
I got both the Z1 and Z Ultra. If I had to chose I'd pick the ultra. It's just the best phone to work with in the whole world. Size is an issue but you can always manage somehow.
Zabatoozl said:
If the ultra had a good camera it would be as thick as a ****ty One Max and much of it's appeal.
I got both the Z1 and Z Ultra. If I had to chose I'd pick the ultra. It's just the best phone to work with in the whole world. Size is an issue but you can always manage somehow.
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Yeah I agree one max is too thick. Stupid actually from HTC
Actually the Z ultra still fits in my jeans pocket so for me size is not so bad!
Sent from my C6802 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Z1 is the better all round phone in my opinion. Z Ultra has the better and bigger screen, but sacrifices the camera and is less portable due to the size.
All smartphone cameras are terrible anyways when compared to a DSLR.
For me its all about the screen. Its large enough so that it can replace your tablet and forms your primary reading/media consumption device as well as phone.
Z1 is just another phone with an overrated camera.
Both cameras will be fine for social media/happy snaps.
YMMV.
Yep I agree, if camera is ok enough for social media sites, I'm a-ok with that! Hence, I decided to get the XZU. I'd rather have a unique looking phablet (in terms of size) that I can browse, read, text, call and take pics with.
I was in the same boat last week. I went with ZU because the extra screen estate was on top of my list. You need to sort out your priorities as well. For me, ZU replaced a 5 inch phone and a 7 inch tablet all together. So it was a no-brainer. I also considered z1 for its camera. Like someone else said, ZU camera is not bad at all and I never used flash to take low light pictures (it freaks people out and these cheap $1 flash on smartphones basically ruin lowlight pictures). To sum it up
For big screen, sleek profile, excellent display, tablet usage, decent camera - go for ZU. Get the Sony CP12 3000 mAh power cover and double up on battery life.
For compact size, excellent camera - go for z1.
Performance of both are pretty much the same.
So an update for the OP I looked at the Z1 in store and reviewer's were right. The Z1's screen is washed out when compared to the Z ultra's and the viewing angles are comparable to the original Z
Sent from my C6802 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
yeah i noticed the same.
I called all the sony stores in Toronto and NONE of them had the unlocked ZU in stock. Apparently they don't have stock :S
I may just order online from the sony store. Its weird how they have NO cases on the sony store website for the phone either.
all the cameras on cell phones to me are the same with the exception of the nokia lumia and HTC one because the yhave optical image stabilization. A sony store employee told me last week when choosing the Z1 or ZU that they don't have OIS because they sell the QX100 and QX 10.
Funny, probally everybody went trough this process. I also hesitated when I heard of the camera.
But this screen is awesome, its like having a new high end lcd tv. But the in your hand.
The device is very thin, it gives it a very sophisticated look. Because its so thin i've the feeling it makes the phone look smaller then it actually is. And as mentioned before in daylight pictures are ok. Pictures outside are just the same as any other phone. Actually a photo outside and subject closeby it makes very decent photos.
When people see me with the phone, they first make a joke or something. When i turn the screen on, they're openly asking themselves if they also should buy and then where they should put it
Let me tell u something in terms of picture quality. It os beaten by even the ipad and ipad mini. Video recording. Quality is pretty good. But this is the worst.shooter.
Sent from my C6833 using xda app-developers app
Not a pro when taking photos. I take photos too but not too often, sometimes at daytime and seldom in the night. actually it's terrible at night. however, as i mentioned, I'm not a pro but for normal use, under normal, ISO and other adjustments would be better than auto. Just give a shot bro.
And for z1, i think camera is the only advantage.
Zu, fails for camera, but wins for all.
Cuz i like bigger screen and thinner body more than a camera which i could buy a real camera in the future.
Sent from my C6802 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Hey Guys!
Just wanted to share a quick comparison among my XZU,ZL, and Arc S displays and lowlight shots. In my opinion, ZU has the best display. But ZL and Arc S have wonderful displays as well, especially with their Bravia engines turned on. In some cases, I actually liked the ZL display better. Besides, Arc S also has ZU like calibration (or the other way around - lol). So as a proud owner of ZL and Arc S, I consider all the 'expert' opinions about their displays as big BS :laugh: That said, ZU display really shines without any additional processing (X-reality), whereas ZL and Arc S need the help of their Bravia engines to keep up with that. I don't care much about viewing angles, but I included few shots - ZU has pretty much all the viewing angles anyone will ever need
About their cameras, I took few indoor pictures since I was feeling too lazy to go out and take some good shots. Most of my real life pictures are indoor lowlight pictures WITHOUT flash anyway. Arc/Arc S camera is an absolute winner considering its age. ZL also has an excellent camera, but I often have to switch to its 'normal' mode to beat my Arc S. Interestingly, ZU camera is good too, but its superior auto mode is junk - I'd say stick with normal mode with 400 ISO and select the white balance manually and you can get much better lowlight shots from ZU. With that said, I think Sony should go ahead and fix ZU's auto mode since most users prefer auto mode
I have Xperia Arc S and Xperia ZL, i think that ZL has the best camera. Considering that it has more beautiful view on it's screen. If we look on PC, then yes maybe the ARC beats ZL, but on the phone, The winner would be ZL or in you're case Xperia ZU!
P.s. Simply my opinion.
The ZU clearly has the best display. The Arc's display is a little too bright and the ZL is a little too dark while the ZU looks to be inbetween those two. The camera on the other hand...
yeah auto looked terrible!
Manual didn't look too bad. Although when I say 'too bad' I mean I could actually make out the shape of a TV. :laugh:
LordManhattan said:
The ZU clearly has the best display. The Arc's display is a little too bright and the ZL is a little too dark while the ZU looks to be inbetween those two. The camera on the other hand...
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Until you mentioned Arc's display is a little too bright, I was thinking ZU and Arc did look very similar I just figured that my laptop display is the culprit. I can see the difference on ZU screen :laugh:
I recently got my Sony Z2 and I was quite surprised by the camera performance. Can you please check if these night photos are okay? I have a feeling that the photos are a bit blurry. :-S Is this normal?
budapestkave said:
I recently got my Sony Z2 and I was quite surprised by the camera performance. Can you please check if these night photos are okay? I have a feeling that the photos are a bit blurry. :-S Is this normal?
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Well it does look like it's overblown a bit. Have you checked your lense glass for smudges? Is it scratched more than usual? Xperia does blur some pics taken in low light, these are taken in tricky conditions with oposite lightning. In which mode were these taken? Do you have some more samples in low light but without that heavy oposite lightning?
Here are some pics taken in ultra low light conditions from mine