Unlocked bootloader camera performance - Xperia Z5 Compact Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Hi there,
I'm sure there are many of you whom have unlocked your bootloader and rooted, obviously this has an impact on the DRM which leads to a degradation of camera quality. My question, and many others is just how much impact does it have? Are low-light shots heavily impacted quality wise or is it acceptable?
A long shot but can some rooted members post a few low light images? That would be very much appreciated
Bonus question. Does a rooted Z5's camera perform better in low-light than a Z3 which has the DRM preserved?
Many thanks

As far as I understand, wether you still have DRM Keys or not, it doesn't make a difference if you're using a third party camera app. They are only useful for the camera app that comes preinstalled with the device. Hence if you'd like to see how the camera performs (for example in lowlight) without DRM functions, try any other camera app.
(please correct me if I'm wrong)

That's what I thought too. I'm taking pictures with the official app and Google Camera to make a comparison. I'll post the results as soon as I have enough pics to show.

@android_fury how did it go?

Well, it didn't. I ended up returning the phone because of the stupid overheating. I'm back to my Z3.

comparison
If you want to know what the camera will be like with an unlocked bootloader, just use a 3rd party app (like Google's camera). I've attached two pics I just took - you can see that stock is a little better, especially when zooming in.
Stock http://imgur.com/9VCKI7S
Google http://imgur.com/kkYZSy7

Comparison
Photo above is stock and the other is third party.
Taken in the same resolution (8MP 16:9)
Not compressed by image hosting services!
Brightly lit situation
http://i.cubeupload.com/5B6bco.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/aaThVB.jpg Underexposed and blurred (look at the M logo of the white Moto G)
Dark situation
http://i.cubeupload.com/KNhAQ2.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/KplHjr.jpg Overexposed, more noise
Torch on
http://i.cubeupload.com/AorlzH.jpg
http://i.cubeupload.com/GV2ZzF.jpg Blurred, muted colours, more noise (although the stock one is ISO 2500 vs 3rd party's ISO 1000!!)

Related

8MP Camera not 8MP?

Sorry, I seem to bombard you guys with questions (and seem to answer them myself ), but that's not the problem. The problem is with my HTC One X+ not taking 8MP camera (and apps not recognizing the camera as 8MP)... including the main stock HTC One X+ camera app... or so it seems. I've tried Camera Zoom FX which recognizes up to 8MP and it went up to 5.1MP for my camera... a different app went up to 6MP, but mostly it's 5MP (as the best quality for my camera).
All my pictures that I take are very noisy and not clear (file size anywhere between .6 - 1.2MB)... that is not good. Resolution is 3264x1840 (or vise versa if it's vertical).
I don't know what the deal might be... is the camera failing on me (Camera on my previous Samsung Galaxy S3 failed completely... wouldn't open at all)... don't know how the cameras seem to die on me... I do take a lot of pictures, but most of the pictures I've taken are bad quality and very noisy... really really really disappointing since I value the camera a lot... I chose this phone for the 8MP (was afraid of the 4 UltraPixels of One so I went with regular 8MP)... now I regret, seen I'm getting a terrible quality 5MP pictures. (I've seen 5MP phone cameras take MUCH better photos then my "8MP" camera).
elitezenithweb said:
Sorry, I seem to bombard you guys with questions (and seem to answer them myself ), but that's not the problem. The problem is with my HTC One X+ not taking 8MP camera (and apps not recognizing the camera as 8MP)... including the main stock HTC One X+ camera app... or so it seems. I've tried Camera Zoom FX which recognizes up to 8MP and it went up to 5.1MP for my camera... a different app went up to 6MP, but mostly it's 5MP (as the best quality for my camera).
All my pictures that I take are very noisy and not clear (file size anywhere between .6 - 1.2MB)... that is not good. Resolution is 3264x1840 (or vise versa if it's vertical).
I don't know what the deal might be... is the camera failing on me (Camera on my previous Samsung Galaxy S3 failed completely... wouldn't open at all)... don't know how the cameras seem to die on me... I do take a lot of pictures, but most of the pictures I've taken are bad quality and very noisy... really really really disappointing since I value the camera a lot... I chose this phone for the 8MP (was afraid of the 4 UltraPixels of One so I went with regular 8MP)... now I regret, seen I'm getting a terrible quality 5MP pictures. (I've seen 5MP phone cameras take MUCH better photos then my "8MP" camera).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What rom are you on?
Also the noisy pictures thing may be caused by the fact that the back cover of the camera has a coating that gets scratched really easy and you should remove it, search in the Q&A forum on how to.
The "8MP camera bug" is one of many annoying bugs introduced in the only HOX+ update. The problem is that HTC messed one file in which there are available photo size options. That way NO external camera app will use full 8 MP. Only 5, 5.1 or 6 (square) MP. However, the stock camera should take full 8MP pictures, I can prove it. Check camera options.
This bug can be fixed if you have root access. I found a tutorial about this here at XDA, but after many, many google searches and I have no idea where it is now.
Install zero compression mod, lyaporta camera mod, 8mp photos are in 4:3, pretty sure widescreen or 16:9 option is only 6mp, as it crops the top and bottom instead of making the sides wider.
Ranomez said:
What rom are you on?
Also the noisy pictures thing may be caused by the fact that the back cover of the camera has a coating that gets scratched really easy and you should remove it, search in the Q&A forum on how to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks I'll look for it...
ryanjsoo said:
Install zero compression mod, lyaporta camera mod, 8mp photos are in 4:3, pretty sure widescreen or 16:9 option is only 6mp, as it crops the top and bottom instead of making the sides wider.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I will try that and let you know how it's going
The reason I'm looking for a new camera app is because the stock camera takes photos of terrible quality
ryanjsoo said:
Install zero compression mod, lyaporta camera mod, 8mp photos are in 4:3, pretty sure widescreen or 16:9 option is only 6mp, as it crops the top and bottom instead of making the sides wider.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I can't seem to find the lyaporta camera mod anywhere on XDA... I found a few posts that refers to it, but can't find anything else.
Is this the zero compression mod? If so, how do I flash it? Just put it on my sdcard and install it VIA TWRP? Also, how could I make a back-up of the current camera library? (I use sense 5 and the stock one that they offer there is for sense 4... or does it not matter and I can update it back to be compatible with sense 5?)
Thanks for your awesome help so far!!! I'm pretty new at this.
Zero Compression
Well, I tried that zero compression mod thing that I linked above and it does make the file size larger (also changed crop to regular and resolution to 4:3) and the image seems to be a little bit better but if you zoom in it's so noisy, it's just bad...
elitezenithweb said:
Well, I tried that zero compression mod thing that I linked above and it does make the file size larger (also changed crop to regular and resolution to 4:3) and the image seems to be a little bit better but if you zoom in it's so noisy, it's just bad...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash the zero compression driver that disables the noise reduction rubbish that HTC implements (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2339226). Camera Mod is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2221815, it`s in the modpack , you can install without other mods, it improves image quality by a good deal. How old is the phone, my phone started developing hazy, blurry photos that had a ridiculous amount of bloom in any lit area, I noticed how scratched the lens was, the fix, simply put a small dab of tooth paste and a drop of water on a microfibre cloth and rub the lens in a circular motion for about 5 mins, don`t use too much water cause it can get under the lens, now my lens is as good as new and the camera takes some darn nice photos.
ryanjsoo said:
Flash the zero compression driver that disables the noise reduction rubbish that HTC implements (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2339226). Camera Mod is here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2221815, it`s in the modpack , you can install without other mods, it improves image quality by a good deal. How old is the phone, my phone started developing hazy, blurry photos that had a ridiculous amount of bloom in any lit area, I noticed how scratched the lens was, the fix, simply put a small dab of tooth paste and a drop of water on a microfibre cloth and rub the lens in a circular motion for about 5 mins, don`t use too much water cause it can get under the lens, now my lens is as good as new and the camera takes some darn nice photos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The lyaporta camera mod breaks my phone... it's just stuck in the start-up HTC One logo screen and that's it... I restored to the backup I did before installing the mod, but it doesn't seem to work... maybe I just have to wait a little longer... I waited for like 1 minute on the logo screen before going back to the backup...

Hope for the ZU Camera! Why 5.0 may bring drastic improvements

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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/
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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

stock or aosp

Hi I am coming from s4, can someone please tell me the down side of aosp/cm comparing to stock? Any degradation of battery life, camera quality and voice call quality? And the benefi
I don't know if it is a i9500 or 9505 but first you have to forget everything you know from the Samsung world. Because every hunch of something is missing or needs workarounds to work on AOSP is not present here on Sony world. I am coming from S3 and Note 2 (there is a short Nexus 4 time between Sonys and Samsungs but it was just pure heaven so let's not talk about it)
So basically: When you go to AOSP (or CM more precisely) Sound, Screen and Camera options are reduced compared to Sony ROMs. For example, Sony ROM has some sound and visual enhancements for better music and picture quality. I use the sound enhancement all the time as it's really giving better results on especially downloaded mp3s but never needed to use XReality for picture adjusting as I prefer my pictures to "be" better instead of being "seen" better only on one screen.
What are the solutions CM is offering for above? For Xreality, there is nothing to do but only turning on Google photos backup account and let Google enhance your photos (which is a better result IMO as the quality difference is permanent on any other screen too). For sound quality, have I mentioned that this phone is already beating almost every other rival on the market when it comes to the music? Still, If you desire more there is always PowerAmp on the market and CM offers an equaliser for tuning the audio.
Let's talk about camera; you have to unlock bootloader in order to install CM or any other custom ROM. That means you have lose some specific software tuning on the camera especially for low light picturing (please remember to back them up "BEFORE" you unlock the bootloader). So basically you are left with pure Sony camera driver without Sony's patented extra technologies. This is what any unlocked bootloader-ed Sony phone has regardless of its ROM.
But CM's camera app has no options like Sony's? There are many camera alternatives on the market, my preference is on Open Camera but you want to pay Camera FX-5 will also give DSLR like control over your camera.
Any difference so far? Not that I can tell if there is enough light. I spend one week with stock Sony (on locked bootloader with camera enhancements), another with CM so far and collect all my photos on my computer and look them on the big screen (LG plasma 42" TV) and the only difference so far is on the front camera photos. Front camera is unfortunately worse on AOSP ROMs. Rear camera's difference is only and slightly visible on very dark environments but still way better than my Samsung Note 2's best camera results
Other differences? Well, CM used to have this 3 second call sound delay on phone calls and the speaker was not working on phone calls again. For the past week they were fixed and it's perfect as a daily driver. Actually I am getting better battery life on manual screen brightness and every other thing is on ( I believe Facebook for Xperia and Twitter for Xperia add-ons are eating my battery life on Stock Sony ROMs).

Redmi Note 3 Camera Quality

Hi,
A camera is a very important factor for me when buying a phone,
I bought my Redmi Note 3 after reading some underwhelming reviews about the camera, thinking "oh well, how bad can the rear camera be?" - well, the camera is really under performing, very soft images, noticeable noise in almost every scenario, very disappointing.
My question is that,
Is it really a hardware issue, or just poor camera algorithms coding?
if the former, I will just look for another phone and sell mine,
otherwise, I will (try to) wait patiently until the appropriate software update will come
Thanks
check this out
https://www.reddit.com/r/Xiaomi/comments/5ci866/why_do_people_mock_the_redmi_note_3_camera_it/
Camera is nothing but decent , specially at natural light conditions.it seems great at night condition without flash due to low aperture.miui 8 greatly improved my camera experience.i found alomost zero noise in night shots. Enough for a $200 phone
I think it takes good pictures but I found that any kind of motion will blur the picture (even just walking and snapping a pic), so motion sucks, try taking a picture of a moving dog it will just be a blur, low light also sucks, but if you take still pictures under good lighting pictures look great, I think there is a soft spot for this camera it's just hard to find, also lowering the resolution to 12MP will take 16:9 widescreen photos rather then 4:3 photos in 16MP mode
Part of the problem is it never wants to increase the shutter speed properly in order to keep iso low. It tends to take most pictures at 1/25th or so, which is great for static but not for moving objects where you need a faster shutter speed to freeze motion.
ferez said:
Hi,
A camera is a very important factor for me when buying a phone,
I bought my Redmi Note 3 after reading some underwhelming reviews about the camera, thinking "oh well, how bad can the rear camera be?" - well, the camera is really under performing, very soft images, noticeable noise in almost every scenario, very disappointing.
My question is that,
Is it really a hardware issue, or just poor camera algorithms coding?
if the former, I will just look for another phone and sell mine,
otherwise, I will (try to) wait patiently until the appropriate software update will come
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
low light shots are average.
daytime shots are great.
did you tweak the default settings?
which ROM are you on?....try to be on latest MM dev or china rom
also try using open camera.
at this price range, show me a phone which gives better images?
I tried all the tweaks available including using Open Camera, nothing really helped.
I ended up selling it and buying an Mi4C - the difference in photo quality is unbelievable (at a price of around 90$ new)
Had 7 different smart phones this year, and Redmi Note's camera was the weakest among them, for me it's very noticeable.

V30 camera quality?

When my wife got her Samsung Galaxy 10e I noticed how bad my pictures actually looked on my phone. I have tried cleaning my lens and what not but everything still seems blurry/smudged compared to her pictures. Is there a way to up the quality or does the 10e just have a better camera?
Well yes, realistically the S10e does have a better camera, especially if you're using the V30's stock camera app.
would the 10e app be able to go on the v30?
akira022 said:
would the 10e app be able to go on the v30?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can't use the 10e app on the v30, I was talking about the GCam port. Still even then, I think 10e should be better. Maybe not by much, but it's simply just a superior sensor.
Got it, thank you very much ^_^
adsubzero said:
Well yes, realistically the S10e does have a better camera, especially if you're using the V30's stock camera app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
adsubzero said:
You can't use the 10e app on the v30, I was talking about the GCam port. Still even then, I think 10e should be better. Maybe not by much, but it's simply just a superior sensor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The stock camera app is way better then G-Cam port.
Sent from my LG-H932 using XDA Labs
akira022 said:
When my wife got her Samsung Galaxy 10e I noticed how bad my pictures actually looked on my phone. I have tried cleaning my lens and what not but everything still seems blurry/smudged compared to her pictures. Is there a way to up the quality or does the 10e just have a better camera?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried putting on AI? These are old photo just trying out the AI. It's backed up to Google photos at reduced quality.
Sent from my LG-H932 using XDA Labs
BROKEN1981 said:
The stock camera app is way better then G-Cam port.
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Most definitely not. It has more features, it has a manual mode and the video is unarguably better, but the gcam kills it with pic quality.
There hasn't been a single scenario in my entire time using this phone where the stock app was better.
adsubzero said:
Most definitely not. It has more features, it has a manual mode and the video is unarguably better, but the gcam kills it with pic quality.
There hasn't been a single scenario in my entire time using this phone where the stock app was better.
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Hahahaha awesome joke. Thanks!
If it was sooooo good, custom ROM's users would not be begging for the stock LG camera app to get ported.
Sent from my LG-H932 using XDA Labs
BROKEN1981 said:
Hahahaha awesome joke. Thanks!
If it was sooooo good, custom ROM's users would not be begging for the stock LG camera app to get ported.
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Click to collapse
Like I said, more features (manual mode) and better video recording. Gcam doesn't support 4k video for the V30.
But photo quality better in the stock app? Yeah, in your dreams...
adsubzero said:
Like I said, more features (manual mode) and better video recording. Gcam doesn't support 4k video for the V30.
But photo quality better in the stock app? Yeah, in your dreams...
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Click to collapse
We agree to disagree.
I personally want to take the best photos I can, so I use stock LG camera app. Many others who run custom ROM's feel the same and would rather have the LG camera app then G-Cam.
Sent from my LG-H932 using XDA Labs
adsubzero said:
Like I said, more features (manual mode) and better video recording. Gcam doesn't support 4k video for the V30.
But photo quality better in the stock app? Yeah, in your dreams...
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Gcam has historically had issues. Green tint on front camera, slow to process successive shots. Crashing. No seamless switching between lenses.
None of that applies or has ever applied to LG camera.
I've kept up with all the threads. I'm the one who told cstark to start his own camera thread since so much interest was being shown for his versions. Exciting times back then.
Yes, those problems are being/have been addressed in most recent Gcam versions -- but it's also a pain to find those versions that work.
___
Stock LG camera of course has manual mode. See screenshot. For ease of use + excellent pictures, LG camera is better than any Gcam.
There are some instances (low light) you can take superior pictures to LG cam -- but I've seen tons of side by side shots on LG V30 Telegram thread where LG cam was as good as Gcam. You could not tell the difference.
IF you can have two cameras, sure -- add Gcam also if you want to experiment. But I will NEVER have Gcam as my only camera on my LG V30.
If I can only have one camera, I want LG camera. But on custom ROMs, you can only have one camera and it can NOT be LG camera.
One of the most frequent questions in the custom ROM threads is "how do I get LG camera back?"
I used to run custom ROMs all the time, but on those previous phones I could still have the stock camera also.
I understand the interest in Gcam, and the expectation porting it will come same superior camera capability Pixels have.
But I don't take a lot of low light time lapse pictures. I keep my LG camera in AI auto mode and I'm using Anxious V30 camera mods., which give me advanced features of G8/V40. So, it's not exactly "stock" LG camera.
I'm sorry guys, but it seems that my experience has been very different to yours. I couldn't find a single scenario where the stock app had a better photo.
Comparable? Yes. But in most of the cases the Gcam had more accurate colors, better dynamic range (losing less detail in shadows and highlights), and just overall more detailed photo when pixel peeping.
This is when using the new AI mode, otherwise there was no competition, since the stock cam can't even get close to the google's HDR+. And in the night? Yeah, the Gcam trumps it.
If you can prove me wrong, please do, I'm really interested. Make a comparison.
I'll also see if I can snap a few interesting photos.
Ok, here are two series of photos. You be the judge.
GCam HDR+:
Stock Auto:
Stock AI:
Now first of all, let me just say the AI mode surprised me a little bit here, while the stock auto is completely trash (in these examples), so I'll not even compare it.
In the first series of photos there's not much difference really, but you can see more details in the GCam , especially in the building in the distance, the road etc.
The trees (on the left) do look a bit better on the stock AI, but the colors are much better and more realistic looking on the GCam overall.
Now for a wide angle shot.
GCam HDR+:
Stock Auto:
Stock AI:
Now here is what I'm talking about. I cannot find a single way in which the stock cam is better than GCam here.
It's not even a comparison. If you have better eyes, please point it out for me.
akira022 said:
When my wife got her Samsung Galaxy 10e I noticed how bad my pictures actually looked on my phone. I have tried cleaning my lens and what not but everything still seems blurry/smudged compared to her pictures. Is there a way to up the quality or does the 10e just have a better camera?
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Samsung and LG compete with each other for best camera -- with Pixels and iPhones also. At least best rear camera. Long been noted the 2017 V30 selfie camera was not great -- but LG did improve it with software updates (portrait mode, etc) in latter Oreo updates compare to Nougat release.
However, the Samsung Galaxy S10e is a 2019 phone. It's probably going to be somewhat better, because better technology. But LG V30 camera is still good. If your pictures look horrible in comparison, maybe something is wrong with your phone?
Also, what firmware are you using? You want at least the latest Oreo firmware for the camera upgrades vs Nougat.
---------- Post added at 08:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:49 AM ----------
adsubzero said:
Ok, here are two series of photos. You be the judge.
GCam HDR+:
Stock Auto:
Stock AI:
Now first of all, let me just say the AI mode surprised me a little bit here, while the stock auto is completely trash (in these examples), so I'll not even compare it.
In the first series of photos there's not much difference really, but you can see more details in the GCam , especially in the building in the distance, the road etc.
The trees (on the left) do look a bit better on the stock AI, but the colors are much better and more realistic looking on the GCam overall.
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I use AI Auto mode, and I use Anxious V30 mod -- which ported features from G8/V40. So, my LG Camera is not fully stock.
__________
PREFACE
I work professionally in broadcast video. I have been a video editor and producer. My job right now involves QC of video content from a variety of TV networks -- so I have seen a lot of video effects, processing. I understand cinematographers on films sometimes want a washed out, darker look if the script deals with depressing content. ("The Accidental Tourist" used muted color scheme because the protagonist shut down his emotions due to murder of his son and subsequent divorce. Yet an amazing movie.) I understand brighter, more vibrant colors are called for in adventure movies like "Romancing the Stone". Both of these are creative decisions.
Yet, I also know big box stores sell HD TVs under fluorescent lighting in "demo" mode where all colors are oversaturated because the the display with the most color is deemed the "winner". When I get a new TV home or help a friend with a new TV, I have to calibrate the brightness, colors and chroma intensity to be "realistic" so content can be viewed how it was actually meant to be seen.
I worked for YEARS for a worldwide news organization, so when I see their news studios on TV I know exactly how they should look based upon seeing them in real life.
My point is, I'm an amateur photographer, but I have professional experience in a related field.
__________
You noted the first series of photos don't have much difference, but that's the only ones I have had time to look at. I'm not ignoring the 2nd set, I will look at them later.
I'm only going to discuss GCam and the AI Cam, which is what I use.
On my desktop PC monitor with "full resolution" of the pictures chosen on that website, between the two:
The parked red car looks the same in both. The parked green car looks the same in both.
TIE.
The yellow building facade looks more "vibrant" yellow in GCam -- but without seeing in person, is it really that brighter shade or is it the slightly duller shade in real life? Plus, it is an overcast day.
Do you WANT the yellow facade to "POP" out like that compared to the surrounding buildings, if it doesn't naturally? If so, then that's a creative decision.
The green foliage on the left and right and on the bushes down the street look more "realistic" green, more "natural" with LG Camera. My opinion. The Gcam looks slightly off. But again, I did not see the scene in person. POSSIBLE WIN FOR LG CAM.
Since my tendency is toward realistic, you see what I'm getting at?
Now if these were "dusk" shots and you wanted to compensate for the lower light, the brighter facade would win and the off-color of the foliage wouldn't matter so much.
I will have to look at the other set of pictures later.
While I was intensely interested in GCam (I was there at the beginning here in V30 forum when cstark make his ports), the issues really bothered me: Green tint on front camera (aka perpetual "Matrix" mode), slow to process or crashing on quick successive shots. No seamless switching between lenses. Early editions needed three different shortcuts to launch which camera you wanted!
One of the most frequent questions besides how to get LG Camera on custom ROMs was how to find a good version of GCam with the least problems. I've actually helped people with that based on other users recommendations, but I also understood it was because those people were FORCED to use Gcam.
Due to all this I decided a long time ago when I needed to take a picture, I was going with the trusted stock camera.
In the meanwhile, LG kept improving the stock camera with Oreo updates (use at least the last Oreo) and then TotallyAnxious released her Magisk mod which included LG stock camera features/improvements based on G8/V40 updated camera. She kept improving that with updates through the months.
I understand most recent Gcam versions (last couple of months) have solved the early issues, but for me I don't see any reason to switch.
@ChazzMatt Just wanted to discuss these points:
- Both the red and the green car are oversaturated on the AI cam.
- The GCam's white balance is much closer to true life (I was there lol), AI cam is way off.
- The yellow parts are oversaturated on the GCam, that's true, but the AI cam is not accurate either, it's more like something in between. Though I could have toned down the saturation in the GCam settings, I prefer it this way.
- If you open up the photos in a new window (after loading the full res) then you will actually get the full resolution. Zoom in and you start to pick up differences, eg. how the AI cam just destroys the detail in some parts of the photo, as I said in the first post.
I know you said you prefer the realistic look, but in these two series of photos, the stock cam is all over the place with the white balance and saturation is not accurate either (just check the blue street sign in the second photo and also the cars).
The greens on the trees do look more accurate on the stock cam, but that's about it, as I see it.
I'll always take better details, but in these examples the stock doesn't beat GCam with the overall accuracy either.
The GCam did have a lot of issues in the beggining but a couple of latest versions work perfectly without any issues I could find.
If not being able to swith lenses while the image is processing is an issue, then I guess there's that, lol.
EDIT:
And this is all day time photography, at night the GCam is on a whole new level.
I like the way Gcam does HDR+ highlights. I do not like the black crush. ( I am still fooling with settings to address this)The pictures tend to be vivid though, (and i think, a bit more compelling) from the gcam. I do not expect photos from a phone to supplant those from a proper camera, but I would eke out the best quality I can. I took a quick photo in the front yard with stock cam, and gcam in HDR, and HDR+ respectively. You can see some nasty color banding in the LG in the sky, very unnatural.
These were taken with the G7. I have not yet picked a gcam for the v30. That is unless Mr. Chazz could be convinced to part with an Anxious module.... By the way, if video is important to you at all, I encourage you to try opencam, and the HEVC codec. Worlds of difference in clarity. In particular, the wide camera stock nearly looks out of focus in comparison to opencam.

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