Related
Not sure if something like this has already been posted:
A post on the android subreddit describes improvements to the camera API with specific mention of Sony devices:
Sony
Sony post processing isn't as good as it could be, look at this Xperia Z sample.
If you have a high end Sony phone from the last two years I wouldn't hesitate to say that your photos and video will drastically improve with this new API if implemented well in a good app.
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The full post is worth a read. There may be hope for the ZU camera after all.
http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/2lr0d2/an_indepth_analysis_of_the_new_android_50_camera/
unidentifier said:
Not sure if something like this has already been posted:
A post on the android subreddit describes improvements to the camera API with specific mention of Sony devices:
The full post is worth a read. There may be hope for the ZU camera after all.
http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/2lr0d2/an_indepth_analysis_of_the_new_android_50_camera/
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Click to collapse
We were hoping that the API and RAW format was going to arrive in KK as it was rumoured back then. Having access to the RAW data will help, but a noisy sensor is a noisy sensor.
There are some photo comparisons out there of the Nexus 5 running both Kitkat and Lollipop. The improvement in quality is very very noticeable, and I will eat a hat if we don't see some improvement on the Z Ultra too.
I believe it was Forbes that tested the Nexus 5 camera.
i hope this new camera API gets unmolested RAW data from the sensor
the JPGs this thing spits out currently is horrible
Software doesn't make miracles when hardware is at fault, just think that ZU Camera is a tablet Camera and get over it
Sm0L said:
Software doesn't make miracles when hardware is at fault, just think that ZU Camera is a tablet Camera and get over it
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Click to collapse
It's not software, but APIs, which grants direct access to the camera hardware. This is a first time on Android. What this means is that regular devs will have access to the camera hardware, and new camera apps can actually claim to take better or different photos. Want to shoot RAW? Sure. No problem. Want to dump Sony's post-processing algorythm? Not an issue.
There's probably not any issues with the sensor and module. Sony makes incredible camera modules, and even the cameras in the iPhones are from Sony. But the iPhone camera is much better than the average flagship Android, isn't it? Yes, and that boils down to the camera software. Not the hardware. So Lollipop will probably, and hopefully make a huge difference on the Ultra's camera. Low-light will still suck though.
---------- Post added at 03:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:51 PM ----------
ShadowVlican said:
i hope this new camera API gets unmolested RAW data from the sensor
the JPGs this thing spits out currently is horrible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's already a third party camera app for Lollipop that does this. It shoots RAW. The app itself is crappy (according to most users), but it's more of a proof of concept at this point.
H. E. Pennypacker said:
It's not software, but APIs, which grants direct access to the camera hardware. This is a first time on Android. What this means is that regular devs will have access to the camera hardware, and new camera apps can actually claim to take better or different photos. Want to shoot RAW? Sure. No problem. Want to dump Sony's post-processing algorythm? Not an issue.
There's probably not any issues with the sensor and module. Sony makes incredible camera modules, and even the cameras in the iPhones are from Sony. But the iPhone camera is much better than the average flagship Android, isn't it? Yes, and that boils down to the camera software. Not the hardware. So Lollipop will probably, and hopefully make a huge difference on the Ultra's camera. Low-light will still suck though.
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I don't think you are right, imho the sensor and module of the ZU is a bit of a crap and can't get better with new APIs, but i hope your are right.
Sm0L said:
I don't think you are right, imho the sensor and module of the ZU is a bit of a crap and can't get better with new APIs, but i hope your are right.
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But it might get faster. I think sonys post processing is already pretty good, when you consider the sensor being crap. Especially the video stabilization is impressive, it's doing a better job than some phones with OIS. But we will see when the GPE port arrives.
madphone said:
But it might get faster. I think sonys post processing is already pretty good, when you consider the sensor being crap. Especially the video stabilization is impressive, it's doing a better job than some phones with OIS. But we will see when the GPE port arrives.
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Sony's post-processing is the worst.
Certainly the write-up I posted suggested it's Sony's post-processing. Sony's sensor's are supposed to be best and is what's in most top phones.
Does anyone have any evidence (aside from self-referencing the XZU and Sony phones) that the 8 MP Exnor RS Sensor itself is flawed? Any other products using this sensor that also produce poor photos? Otherwise it's just a matter of opinion (without evidence) that it's sensor vs. the api.
The only other way to know for sure is to wait and see.
unidentifier said:
Certainly the write-up I posted suggested it's Sony's post-processing. Sony's sensor's are supposed to be best and is what's in most top phones.
Does anyone have any evidence (aside from self-referencing the XZU and Sony phones) that the 8 MP Exnor R Sensor itself is flawed? Any other products using this sensor that also produce poor photos? Otherwise it's just a matter of opinion (without evidence) that it's sensor vs. the api.
The only other way to know for sure is to wait and see.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, we'll just have to wait i guess No reason to fight over something that doesn't have a right or wrong answer yet.
unidentifier said:
Certainly the write-up I posted suggested it's Sony's post-processing. Sony's sensor's are supposed to be best and is what's in most top phones.
Does anyone have any evidence (aside from self-referencing the XZU and Sony phones) that the 8 MP Exnor RS Sensor itself is flawed? Any other products using this sensor that also produce poor photos? Otherwise it's just a matter of opinion (without evidence) that it's sensor vs. the api.
The only other way to know for sure is to wait and see.
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Click to collapse
Wikipedia list the Z Ultra's camera module as the IMX134 and is shared with the Xperia L and the Huawei Ascend G6, I don't know if that's correct or not but it's listed as 1/4in sensor which I can believe as that would account for poor image quality. Comparatively the Z1 and successors use 1/2.3in sensors which are much bigger although in general for cameras, that's still on the small side.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exmor
I don't believe there is any way we're going to see drastic improvements from Android 5.0, I do think Sony's image processing is an issue because they're trying to push a poor sensor too much resulting in noise reduction and sharpening which is far too aggressive. Dealing with noise is difficult, it's unsightly but the more aggressive the noise reduction is the more you lose detail but companies generally favour reducing noise at all cost on small, noisy sensors. Dialling back some of that aggressive processing will probably help the image quality a bit but ultimately it's still a small, noisy sensor and there's not much you can do with that.
John
Interestingly, this review of the Xperia L touts its "fantastic camera", concluding that "we feel that the camera is really something special. For those that want a decent camera phone, but don't want to pay loads, you might want to look at the Xperia L."
Expert Reviews say they "were impressed by the performance of its backside-illuminated camera sensor" and that it "takes some of the best low-light photos we've seen, with far more detail and less than noise than the Samsung Galaxy S4's shots. Daylight photos were acceptable if not spectacular. Contrast was impressive, with no sign of overexposure in lighter areas even on a sunlit day, but details became muddy when we zoomed in, showing the limits of the Xperia L's eight megapixels." Is the Ultra's sensor not backside-illuminated, maybe? The L also has a flash.
On the other hand, CNET is disappointed in its low-light performance. Trusted Reviews agrees, saying "Indoors, the Sony Xperia L camera is affected by yet more issues. While the camera takes balanced, good-looking photos in bright, natural light, in dim indoor lighting the white balance is off, resulting in ugly yellow tinged photos. The inbuilt flash does little to help, either." They say it does have "many positives, including a pleasing colour balance, sharp focus in shots".
PC World is generally happy with the Ascend G6's camera, saying "photo performance is generally strong — especially when you keep the Huawei’s price in mind — but we did encounter signs of flaring and feathering during testing. Image noise is present, but its at a low level, while the on-board HDR mode does a decent job at capturing detail that is otherwise lost."
These do take into consideration the price of the phones, however - they're both much cheaper than the Ultra was at launch.
Edit: All that to say, maybe there is hope in the software department.
Johnmcl7 said:
Wikipedia list the Z Ultra's camera module as the IMX134 and is shared with the Xperia L and the Huawei Ascend G6, I don't know if that's correct or not but it's listed as 1/4in sensor which I can believe as that would account for poor image quality. Comparatively the Z1 and successors use 1/2.3in sensors which are much bigger although in general for cameras, that's still on the small side.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exmor
I don't believe there is any way we're going to see drastic improvements from Android 5.0, I do think Sony's image processing is an issue because they're trying to push a poor sensor too much resulting in noise reduction and sharpening which is far too aggressive. Dealing with noise is difficult, it's unsightly but the more aggressive the noise reduction is the more you lose detail but companies generally favour reducing noise at all cost on small, noisy sensors. Dialling back some of that aggressive processing will probably help the image quality a bit but ultimately it's still a small, noisy sensor and there's not much you can do with that.
John
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Triflot said:
Interestingly, this review of the Xperia L touts its "fantastic camera", concluding that "we feel that the camera is really something special. For those that want a decent camera phone, but don't want to pay loads, you might want to look at the Xperia L."
Expert Reviews say they "were impressed by the performance of its backside-illuminated camera sensor" and that it "takes some of the best low-light photos we've seen, with far more detail and less than noise than the Samsung Galaxy S4's shots. Daylight photos were acceptable if not spectacular. Contrast was impressive, with no sign of overexposure in lighter areas even on a sunlit day, but details became muddy when we zoomed in, showing the limits of the Xperia L's eight megapixels." Is the Ultra's sensor not backside-illuminated, maybe? The L also has a flash.
On the other hand, CNET is disappointed in its low-light performance. Trusted Reviews agrees, saying "Indoors, the Sony Xperia L camera is affected by yet more issues. While the camera takes balanced, good-looking photos in bright, natural light, in dim indoor lighting the white balance is off, resulting in ugly yellow tinged photos. The inbuilt flash does little to help, either." They say it does have "many positives, including a pleasing colour balance, sharp focus in shots".
PC World is generally happy with the Ascend G6's camera, saying "photo performance is generally strong — especially when you keep the Huawei’s price in mind — but we did encounter signs of flaring and feathering during testing. Image noise is present, but its at a low level, while the on-board HDR mode does a decent job at capturing detail that is otherwise lost."
These do take into consideration the price of the phones, however - they're both much cheaper than the Ultra was at launch.
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Solid research John and Triflot. Thank you.
Personally, I will be happy if the camera works at all with unlocked bl.
You want me to put the hammer down?
Deleted
leonbarroso said:
Do as I did - buy a semipro camera on blackfriday
Serious photography with smartphone is bull****
And I am a former Lumia 1020 owner
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Why does it have to be 'serious' photography? I have many dedicated cameras from 1in sensor size up to professional full frame setups but none of those cameras are small enough to keep in my trouser pockets all the time, I tried recently going for one of the smallest dedicated cameras I could find but even that was irritating to carry in my trouser pockets alongside the phone. My phone on the other hand is always in my pocket and always to hand so it's ready to go any time when I want to take a photo unexpectedly plus its online connection means the photo is immediately ready to upload the photo if I want to as well. Some of my dedicated cameras have wifi for transferring photos but it's still a fiddle in comparison.
I don't need an amazing camera but I'm just disappointed how poor the Z ultra camera is, I find I use it like an older camera phone where it was only really handy for capturing serial numbers or information I need to quickly jot down whereas I used the Galaxy Note as a camera a fair bit and while the quality can't match the dedicated cameras it could produce reasonable pictures. I'm seriously considering going for a Note 4 and taking the hit on the screen size to get the better camera, it will be a few months before prices are reasonable so that's time to see if Sony announce anything (which I seriously doubt) or anyone else offers anything interesting with a larger screen.
With regards to the Z Ultra sensor, I'm surprised it is BSI as I thought I'd read initially when considering the phone that Sony had taken an older sensor and rebadged it as Exmor RS which made sense. There's not many sources for the camera module but the few I can find agree with Wikipedia as do sources for the Huawei and the Xperia L, is there any way to verify this in software on a Z Ultra? With regards to photo quality on the Xperia L and the Huawei G6, I am surprised by the positive comments even allowing for them being budget phones and the G6 having a faster lens (F2 rather than F2.4 on the Sony's). Then again some of the reviews of the Z Ultra aren't that hard on the camera either so it's difficult to tell objectively, DXOmark haven't tested it (admittedly I'm not convinced by their testing anyway) nor have I seen any particularly objective testing.
John
Another decent rival for the Z Ultra
http://www.androidauthority.com/huawei-p8-max-hands-on-601694/
octa-core 64-bit Kirin 930 processor (in big.LITTLE formation)
3GB RAM
16 or 64GB storage
6.8-inch Full HD
6.8mm thick
13MP rear camera with optical image stabilisation
dual-color dual-LED flash
8MP front camera
^ Nice looking device, however, some things to consider:
- Far to big to fit in most pockets
- Lack of support/customer service should something go wrong
- Roms/Kernals and customization limited since compared with the big boys such as Samsung, LG, Sony & HTC...
Otherwise it's great looking and the specification is more than decent.
We are talking mere millimetres larger than the z ultra. Unnoticeable as far as I am concerned. I'm waiting with baited breath...
Sent from my C6833 using XDA Free mobile app
I really like size of the P8Max but the LeTv Le Max has much much better specs and it's about the same size as the SZU.
http://www.androidauthority.com/letv-announces-superphones-usb-c-600978/
However, I will probably wait and see which one has better band support for Tmobile before I jump in and get one.
kanej2006 said:
^ Nice looking device, however, some things to consider:
- Far to big to fit in most pockets
- Lack of support/customer service should something go wrong
- Roms/Kernals and customization limited since compared with the big boys such as Samsung, LG, Sony & HTC...
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Click to collapse
These are all the same arguments people use about the XZU.
I'm surprised you didn't add "Would look too silly to hold against your head."
rickgillyon said:
These are all the same arguments people use about the XZU.
I'm surprised you didn't add "Would look too silly to hold against your head."
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Haha, forgot to add that one! I've had several looks and laughter when I've been talking on my Z Ultra...
Imagine talking using the 6.8'' Huawei P8 Max!!
That said, I WISH the Z4 Ultra is between 6-6.2'' and sports slim bezels. That way it won't look too big...
Anything larger than the current 6.4'' Z Ultra won't fit most of my pockets and therefore are not practical or portable.
kanej2006 said:
Imagine talking using the 6.8'' Huawei P8 Max!!
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Click to collapse
It adds like 1mm length to the XZU, the size difference with the smaller bezels is trivial, for a bigger screen. Sounds like a good trade-off to me. The main problem for phones like this is that the XZU is insanely cheap at the moment...
rickgillyon said:
It adds like 1mm length to the XZU, the size difference with the smaller bezels is trivial, for a bigger screen. Sounds like a good trade-off to me. The main problem for phones like this is that the XZU is insanely cheap at the moment...
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Yeah, here in Dubai, a brand new Z Ultra is 999 AED which is £182!!
Once the new P8 Max is released, I'll be interested to see a review. If the battery performance is great, screen is superb, camera quality is excellent then I may be interested. Should it come with stereo speakers then it's a bonus...
I don't see why Sony have stereo speakers with every high end device accept for the Z Ultra. Also flash is missing. Hopefully we'll get these in the Z4 Ultra if it is ever released.
here in the UK you can pick up a XZU for under £200 brand new.
I keep saying I will buy a spare one because if mine broke and I couldn't buy a replacement, and since there's no real alternative, I would cry.
it is Kirin 935 not 930 with 2.2 gh
the p8 is the one with Kirin 930
I decided to change mi phone (Z1 compact), but I'm very exigent and the rest of the "mini" models are extremely poor in specs, build quality, well in everything. I have to mention that my gadgets lives in an Android/Windows ecosystem.
IMO the models to choose would be the Z5 compact or Z3 compact. But It's because I don't know if there are better models on sale or coming.
I'll list the technologies I'm interested in.
Longest battery life
IPXX Certification
Magnetic/fast charging
Aptx/High-res Audio codecs
5 poles audio jack
Memory card support
ac WiFi/ LTE cat 6
FullHD Camera + the best focus at night
The fastest mobile GPU available
Mini/Compact body desing
What's your suggestion??
Thanks.
Info
[email protected] said:
I decided to change mi phone (Z1 compact), but I'm very exigent and the rest of the "mini" models are extremely poor in specs, build quality, well in everything. I have to mention that my gadgets lives in an Android/Windows ecosystem.
IMO the models to choose would be the Z5 compact or Z3 compact. But It's because I don't know if there are better models on sale or coming.
I'll list the technologies I'm interested in.
Longest battery life YES
IPXX Certification YES
Magnetic/fast charging YES
Aptx/High-res Audio codecs YES
5 poles audio jack YES
Memory card support YES
ac WiFi/ LTE cat 6 YES
FullHD Camera + the best focus at night YES
The fastest mobile GPU available YES
Mini/Compact body desing YES
What's your suggestion??
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SO YES Upgrade to XZ5c
:good:
[email protected] said:
I decided to change mi phone (Z1 compact), but I'm very exigent and the rest of the "mini" models are extremely poor in specs, build quality, well in everything. I have to mention that my gadgets lives in an Android/Windows ecosystem.
IMO the models to choose would be the Z5 compact or Z3 compact. But It's because I don't know if there are better models on sale or coming.
I'll list the technologies I'm interested in.
Longest battery life
IPXX Certification
Magnetic/fast charging
Aptx/High-res Audio codecs
5 poles audio jack
Memory card support
ac WiFi/ LTE cat 6
FullHD Camera + the best focus at night
The fastest mobile GPU available
Mini/Compact body desing
What's your suggestion??
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bro, just get the Z5 compact......unless if you are picky on the design and pricey, then get the Z3 compact
Okay
So guys are you saying that there are not another devices with those features??
In a positive way, I'm right with my idea.
In a negative way, the rest of the manufactures dissapointed me :'(
Thank you so much.
[email protected] said:
So guys are you saying that there are not another devices with those features??
In a positive way, I'm right with my idea.
In a negative way, the rest of the manufactures dissapointed me :'(
Thank you so much.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's true at this moment. The manufacturers are all looking for the big screens.[emoji174]
㊙Send from somewhere on the earth™ ?
I went from Google Nexus 5 to z5c because I felt I wanted a smaller phone. Even though the difference is not that big, it feels a lot smaller and looks a lot better.
To answer your question, I found z5c to be one of the only small phones compared to all other phones out there. It feels good in my hand, I can reach the whole screen and it is very good looking. The size is the same as z3c but with better specs and new design on the outside. If the price is a big deal, go with z3c. If not, go with z5c. It is about the same size as iPhone 5s, slightly thicker. Holding it in my hand, I recommend it. Keep in mind that I got it this Monday, I have only had it for two days. Wait a few weeks until all the cons have appeared.
Only drawback so far, the placed the volume button at a very awkward location, below the lock button..
Unfortunately, the Z5 compact is the only hi-end (2015) Android phone with small size. Your other 2015 option is the iPhone 6S but it has a totally different OS as you probably know.
Other old options are:
Z3 compact: still a good phone, still supported, not too old.
Moto X 2013: small with excellent grip and battery life, awesome phone, but I think it's no longed maintained.
itaq said:
I went from Google Nexus 5 to z5c because I felt I wanted a smaller phone. Even though the difference is not that big, it feels a lot smaller and looks a lot better.
To answer your question, I found z5c to be one of the only small phones compared to all other phones out there. It feels good in my hand, I can reach the whole screen and it is very good looking. The size is the same as z3c but with better specs and new design on the outside. If the price is a big deal, go with z3c. If not, go with z5c. It is about the same size as iPhone 5s, slightly thicker. Holding it in my hand, I recommend it. Keep in mind that I got it this Monday, I have only had it for two days. Wait a few weeks until all the cons have appeared.
Only drawback so far, the placed the volume button at a very awkward location, below the lock button..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I read that about the volume button position. But, Ok, it's nothing really severe.
I'm coming from a Nexus 5 too. Do you feel the camera better or worse? (I really like the HDR+ quality of the Nexus 5).
I have moved from Z3c into Z5c and I can't complain. The only issue i have is its little but slippy but my old iPhone was that too.
Build quality is very good as well as screen and speakers (which are btw louder than in Z3c)
New UI looks more vanilla which if you are Nexus fan a good think (I am )
I havent tested camera yet nor battery life but it drops around 4% in 7 hours standby (considering push emails, bt on)
thesebastian said:
...
Moto X 2013: small with excellent grip and battery life, awesome phone, but I think it's no longed maintained.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I recently sold an unlocked Moto X 2013 and it had Lollipop on it. I doubt it will get updated again but it was good to get it to 5.1.
About z5c vs nexus 5 camera: I can't compare because after I dropped my nexus, the camera became useless. It could not focus anymore.
I have owned both Z3 Compact and Z5 Compact. I remember the Z3c camera being utterly crap while Z5c being acceptable but less than satisfactory. Have to say that the camera on X Compact is on par with "modern" standards. Daylight Images is sharp (if not a little bit over sharped), saturated and without color cast. Sony has indeed made steps from the two predecessors.
Night photos is still a little bit smeared. However, the pictures are bright and rich in tones. It produces way way better night pictures than my iPhone SE. The dark purple vignette in Z5c is also corrected.
However, I suggest again not to trust the superior auto and HDR processing in Xc. HDR photos and "backlight corrected" scene mode produce over processed photos which are oversaturated and unrealistic (I'm sure u will not like them). Using manual mode usually yield better results.
two more surprise: 1. when half pressed the shutter, the image on screen becomes sharper and free from vignette. Sony must have done a hell lot of post processing to improve image quality. 2. The image quality when zoomed in under 8MP is not bad. Maybe some sort of oversampling technology is used. For example: this picture with 2x zoom mimicking a 50mm focal length.
Please refer to photo samples in my album (shot in Glasgow, UK), and please share ideas and more photos shot by Xc.
P.S: SOT is over 6 hours under heavy usage. 10-15% less than Z3c and 20% better than Z5c. Everything is snappy and the screen is absolutely beautiful (nearly indistinguishable from AMOLED).
Thank you for the sample photos. Your review of the device seems pretty accurate. Sony still has trouble with soft details and excess noise, but the over-all color reproduction and daytime exposure is much improved over the Z3C. I can't take a daytime shot with my Z3C without it looking washed out and over-exposed. Manual mode helps, but its too tedious for something that should be so simple.
Hi @ all,
2 Important questions, related to 2 design flaw of previous compact phone (yes, i've own z1 compact, z3 compact, z5 compact):
1) Does the camera external lens is STILL made by plastic (blurred and scratched just after some days in all compact sony phones) or finally the decided to switch to glass as EVERY phone maker?
2) Does the camera support raw api? You can try just by installing "manual camera" from play store, and try to shot raw photo.
Thanks in advance,
WZ
Wing_Zero85 said:
Hi @ all,
2 Important questions, related to 2 design flaw of previous compact phone (yes, i've own z1 compact, z3 compact, z5 compact):
1) Does the camera external lens is STILL made by plastic (blurred and scratched just after some days in all compact sony phones) or finally the decided to switch to glass as EVERY phone maker?
2) Does the camera support raw api? You can try just by installing "manual camera" from play store, and try to shot raw photo.
Thanks in advance,
WZ
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi, I have responded in your original post. Hope those help.
qwsdert4 said:
I have owned both Z3 Compact and Z5 Compact. I remember the Z3c camera being utterly crap while Z5c being acceptable but less than satisfactory. Have to say that the camera on X Compact is on par with "modern" standards. Daylight Images is sharp (if not a little bit over sharped), saturated and without color cast. Sony has indeed made steps from the two predecessors.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Actually, the Z3c and Z5c camera is much better now with mod but you'll need root.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony-themes-apps/sonyz5-family-unlocked-xz-xc-camera-t3463148
For the Z5c, we ported the XC cam to Z5c with 23MP scene mode unlocked.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony-themes-apps/mod-cyberian-camera-t3267271
You can use this one on Z3c.
TheEndHK said:
Actually, the Z3c and Z5c camera is much better now with mod but you'll need root.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony-themes-apps/sonyz5-family-unlocked-xz-xc-camera-t3463148
For the Z5c, we ported the XC cam to Z5c with 23MP scene mode unlocked.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/crossdevice-dev/sony-themes-apps/mod-cyberian-camera-t3267271
You can use this one on Z3c.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wonder how the z5compact with either of the above mods compares to the x compact out of the box camera. From what I understand we have root on the z5c but it will take quite some time before we get it for the x compact, I'm afraid.
charliebigpot said:
I wonder how the z5compact with either of the above mods compares to the x compact out of the box camera. From what I understand we have root on the z5c but it will take quite some time before we get it for the x compact, I'm afraid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
XC should better with IR sensor and laser focus assisted plus a more updated camera driver in system. However, the mod cam got 23MP unlocked in scn mode when shooting with scene I'm afraid Z5c even more better now.
It will real take a while for XC not only about rooting but you'll also need to wait for the DRM patch available for XC to fully get back the quality of camera after bootloader unlocked. We've been waited for four months on Z5/Z5c/Z5p last time, not sure about XC/XZ.
TheEndHK said:
XC should better with IR sensor and laser focus assisted plus a more updated camera driver in system. However, the mod cam got 23MP unlocked in scn mode when shooting with scene I'm afraid Z5c even more better now.
It will real take a while for XC not only about rooting but you'll also need to wait for the DRM patch available for XC to fully get back the quality of camera after bootloader unlocked. We've been waited for four months on Z5/Z5c/Z5p last time, not sure about XC/XZ.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Right - to me it seems that support for the Sony phones is gradually fading, I had a z3compact, I've been following the z5c forums and maybe it's just me, but it seems as if it's getting more complicated to root/exploit, hence less developers are interested.
I'm really torn between buying the Z5c (just because of the mods) or the XC.. price doesn't really matter, since it's only about 50$.
charliebigpot said:
Right - to me it seems that support for the Sony phones is gradually fading, I had a z3compact, I've been following the z5c forums and maybe it's just me, but it seems as if it's getting more complicated to root/exploit, hence less developers are interested.
I'm really torn between buying the Z5c (just because of the mods) or the XC.. price doesn't really matter, since it's only about 50$.
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The development is there though can't compare to Z1c/Z3c. Z5c got one custom rom(xpower) which is working good and two custom stock kernels( AndroPlus and OM5Z), Z5c also got some thermal patches to fix the heat issue. Not to mention it got TA partiton backup no avoid warranty with root.
XC hardware is better(other than no water resistance and gpu slower) but it will real take a long time for DRM patch and TA backup. At this time, Z5c is much more mature bcoz XC just born out. I'll recommend Z5c in this year with better support and cheaper price. For the user who don't root no doubt to get XC.
I'm thinking to up to XC next year when DRM, TA, cam mod all ready. I won't consider XC now bcoz without DRM the camera at low light is bad, no point to get a camera worse than Z5c, root is almost a must to me.
The Sony sales is decreased so the development is slow now.
TheEndHK said:
The development is there though can't compare to Z1c/Z3c. Z5c got one custom rom(xpower) which is working good and two custom stock kernels( AndroPlus and OM5Z), Z5c also got some thermal patches to fix the heat issue. Not to mention it got TA partiton backup no avoid warranty with root.
XC hardware is better(other than no water resistance and gpu slower) but it will real take a long time for DRM patch and TA backup. At this time, Z5c is much more mature bcoz XC just born out. I'll recommend Z5c in this year with better support and cheaper price. For the user who don't root no doubt to get XC.
I'm thinking to up to XC next year when DRM, TA, cam mod all ready. I won't consider XC now bcoz without DRM the camera at low light is bad, no point to get a camera worse than Z5c, root is almost a must to me.
The Sony sales is decreased so the development is slow now.
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At this point I'm even wondering if it's not worth buying a Z3C, I don't think that there was a big difference between the z5c and z3c from a hardware perspective and the mods seem to work on both. I think the only advantage of the z5c was the better water proofing.
charliebigpot said:
At this point I'm even wondering if it's not worth buying a Z3C, I don't think that there was a big difference between the z5c and z3c from a hardware perspective and the mods seem to work on both. I think the only advantage of the z5c was the better water proofing.
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Buying a Z3c? Do you mean XC? If you are speaking to Z3c, the different is still large enough there. The Z3c camera focus is very bad, Z5c performed much much better in this area with phase detection focus added. The Z5c screen and speaker also a bit better.
TheEndHK said:
Buying a Z3c? Do you mean XC? If you are speaking to Z3c, the different is still large enough there. The Z3c camera focus is very bad, Z5c performed much much better in this area with phase detection focus added. The Z5c screen and speaker also a bit better.
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I did mean the Z3c but it's unbelievable that where I live there's almost no price difference between the z3c and z5c. I think I'll wait until more people bought the XC and then we'll see - cheers for your pov!
charliebigpot said:
I did mean the Z3c but it's unbelievable that where I live there's almost no price difference between the z3c and z5c. I think I'll wait until more people bought the XC and then we'll see - cheers for your pov!
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Z3c .....
1. camera focus real bad
2. white balance is bad even worse than z1c
3. many have touch screen issues after 1 year
4. no android 7.0 from sony
5. front cam 2MP
I don't see any reason to get z3c again, either z5c or xc will blow it.
TheEndHK said:
Z3c .....
1. camera focus real bad
2. white balance is bad even worse than z1c
3. many have touch screen issues after 1 year
4. no android 7.0 from sony
5. front cam 2MP
I don't see any reason to get z3c again, either z5c or xc will blow it.
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This is quickly getting off topic, but there are some tradeoffs that you didn't mention:
The Z3C has:
1. Better battery life
2. Less heat issues (camera app doesn't shut down as often)
3. Personally, I think is the better looking phone
But back to the photo quality. It appears that Sony makes tiny improvements with each phone release, but none of them are enough to truly compete with Samsung and Apple. Even LG and One Plus have better cameras the past couple of years. I wish Sony would finally utilize Optical Image Stabilization so we can take better pictures. It's nice to have, but I don't need cinema quality videos from my cell phone. I'm not a movie creator, but if I was, I'd probably use a proper video recorder.
PuffDaddy_d said:
This is quickly getting off topic, but there are some tradeoffs that you didn't mention:
The Z3C has:
1. Better battery life
2. Less heat issues (camera app doesn't shut down as often)
3. Personally, I think is the better looking phone
But back to the photo quality. It appears that Sony makes tiny improvements with each phone release, but none of them are enough to truly compete with Samsung and Apple. Even LG and One Plus have better cameras the past couple of years. I wish Sony would finally utilize Optical Image Stabilization so we can take better pictures. It's nice to have, but I don't need cinema quality videos from my cell phone. I'm not a movie creator, but if I was, I'd probably use a proper video recorder.
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A bit(long) off-topic to XC now.
I've to disagree all. It's not easy to distinguish which is better nowadays in 2016, they've all got pros and cons. In the real old day, Samsung and Apple were overall much better. I've owned Z1c, Z5c, S6(sold), G3 and my friends got G5, IP6 and IP6s plus.
Z3c got excellent battery with KK, on LP/MM the battery performance decreased that had been confirmed by so many guys on net. They are pretty much identical now or Z3c leads at a small margin. Z5c does heat, the best firmware is .224 in my experiences but since charliebigpot mentioned he will root the phone, heating isn't a big problem to him bcoz we got some thermal mods working good though the phone still hot. Z1c with metal bump got best looking, Z3c and Z5c are at identical level.
In Andorid, Samsung win hands down during at focus, camera speed, photo/video artifacts handing and OIS but the white balance(heavy yellow cast) and auto exposure(always over or lower exposure) is the worst I've ever seen. The true is I never use S6 to take any serious photo but S6 is good as a camera phone or post to facebook/Internet, most people prefer Samsung bcoz they are using in this way, just shot some casual photo.
LG got best color and quality and functions. LG is the best now but Samsung somewhats better on focus and OIS. Apple stable overall and very easy to use but Sony and LG indeed got better color. The conclusion is Samsung and Apple are the fastest, more predicable so most guys prefer them for daily live photo but that doesn't mean they are best, they are just the best casual camera.
The Z5c focus is way better than my Z1c like 3x faster and accurate, not a tiny improvement.
Is it just me or the pictures with this phone are incredibly grainy? I have the impression the processing software tries to over-sharpen the photos, so in the end they look full of digital artifacts and very grainy... This is also due to the fact that in auto mode the ISO level is always very high! So it is way better to use the manual mode. However, this does not completely solve the issue... and shooting with the app "open camera" delivered better results for me.. I am considering to return the phone, because a good camera is important for me, but I'm really uncertain because I love the phone in any other respect...
vispinet said:
Is it just me or the pictures with this phone are incredibly grainy? I have the impression the processing software tries to over-sharpen the photos, so in the end they look full of digital artifacts and very grainy... This is also due to the fact that in auto mode the ISO level is always very high! So it is way better to use the manual mode. However, this does not completely solve the issue... and shooting with the app "open camera" delivered better results for me.. I am considering to return the phone, because a good camera is important for me, but I'm really uncertain because I love the phone in any other respect...
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Edit:, I attach 2 photos:, one shot in manual mode (0016) and one in auto mode (0017). The one shot in manual mode is for me more realistic (the room was not that bright as in the other one, where you also see the parts of the wall closest to the light are over-exposed). However, zoom in at the door edges, they are soft and blurry. I have never seen an issue like this. Is my device defective or is the Sony camera so crappy. Maybe my expectations are too high because I come from. Lumia 930... Please advise because I'm considering returning the phone...
vispinet said:
Edit:, I attach 2 photos:, one shot in manual mode (0016) and one in auto mode (0017). The one shot in manual mode is for me more realistic (the room was not that bright as in the other one, where you also see the parts of the wall closest to the light are over-exposed). However, zoom in at the door edges, they are soft and blurry. I have never seen an issue like this. Is my device defective or is the Sony camera so crappy. Maybe my expectations are too high because I come from. Lumia 930... Please advise because I'm considering returning the phone...
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Looks like your hand shook in the darker image. But yes, the Auto Mode will always prioritize cranking up ISO in low light photos, and the noise reduction is hyper aggressive, resulting in soft looking images. This is how Sony programs all of its phone cameras. I would never buy a Sony phone for its camera alone; otherwise, you will be disappointed. It's not a terrible phone, it just doesn't look as good or work as fast as other point and shoot cameras.
Don't get me wrong, in the end I don't find the camera to be so average... Actually I wish photos looked softer.. I think the phone over-sharpens everything and probably that is the cause of all the grains you see especially in the dark areas... E.g. I took a pic of my girlfriend in a restaurant. My hand shook and was expecting to see a blurry image. What I saw was grains all over... It's like the phone tries to sharpen things at all costs. In these cases I would prefer to see a blurry image so that I notice right away that the photo is not good and I have a chance to re-take it.. Like this you only see it when you zoom a bit (even to real size) and the photo looks terrible...
Maybe this is just camera app issue?
Today Sony announced Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 compact at the MWC 2018 so I wanted to have a look at X compact users' opinions (like myself) and see if we are deciding to let XC go or not yet...
So here's my opinion :
In the beginning when I the leaked photos I didnt like the thickness of the XZ2c but now that I have seen the Hands-on videos Im becomin more intrested in buying it (Video here)
And my other reason is that the screen is now HDR 1080p and 5" so it means more colors and more usabality!
There's also a better camera and better front facin speakers.
Btw,
Dynamic vibrations are not available in Xz2 compact
And although it has dual front cameras, its only 5 mp!!!!
So if I buy it, it would be because of the new looks amd much much better gpu performance and of course HDR screen, otherwise, XC is doin a great job for me specially now that it has android Oreo...
Feel free to share your thoughts!
bye bye Sony
Very disappointed with Sony :crying:
Xz2 compact is not compact anymore. Thick (12mm), tall (135mm), no headphone jack, fingerprint reader on the back. What the f*ck is Sony doing?
The only fast compact device on the market is no more. Well, back to Samsung
NO, I'm really sad about this, but at least we have the XZ1 Compact to upgrade to, which seems like the best Compact they've ever made, basically updating SOC and better, matte, metal back/sides compared to the slippery, glossy sides we have on the X Compact...the lack of headphone jack and side fingerprint scanner on the XZ2's are really unfortunate changes imo
Kianush said:
Today Sony announced Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 compact at the MWC 2018 so I wanted to have a look at X compact users' opinions (like myself) and see if we are deciding to let XC go or not yet...
So here's my opinion :
In the beginning when I the leaked photos I didnt like the thickness of the XZ2c but now that I have seen the Hands-on videos Im becomin more intrested in buying it (Video here)
And my other reason is that the screen is now HDR 1080p and 5" so it means more colors and more usabality!
There's also a better camera and better front facin speakers.
Btw,
Dynamic vibrations are not available in Xz2 compact
And although it has dual front cameras, its only 5 mp!!!!
So if I buy it, it would be because of the new looks amd much much better gpu performance and of course HDR screen, otherwise, XC is doin a great job for me specially now that it has android Oreo...
Feel free to share your thoughts!
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Click to collapse
5" screen is not compact. I was already pushing my limits when I started with Z1c, (127mm tall), 4 years ago. I only upgraded to Z3c and Xc because they haven't gotten any bigger. I won't do 135mm..
No.
No. No real innovations, but it's gotten bigger and lost features like head phone jack and fingerprint on the side. The camera has to be on par with Samsung and iPhone to even consider the XZ2.
Maybe XZ3 Compact they ll back to the road, is there any real one-handed phone that we can expect this year?
Blue-Haze said:
Maybe XZ3 Compact they ll back to the road, is there any real one-handed phone that we can expect this year?
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Yeah, for me after a lot of reading i just think xz1 is not worth the cost, xz2 compact is like a new model phone. I am just going to wait for xz3 or any other compact version.
My next phone will probably not be from Sony. If I convert to a "normal" size it doesn't have to be Sony anymore.