Hi all,
After reading this, especially this part:
"Suggestions for Google:
1. Eliminate the primitive 16-bit display interface and fix the Browser, Gallery and other applications.
2. The White Point is too blue, lower it to D6500, which will improve color accuracy, slow the aging of the Blue OLED, reduce power consumption, and improve battery run time.
3. Improve the factory display calibration to correct the large color and gray-scale tracking errors and the irregular and non-standard display contrast and Gamma.
4. The color saturation of the display is way too high. You can trade this excess color saturation to boost the screen brightness by adjusting the software color calibration matrices. This will also improve the color accuracy of the display.
5. Take full advantage of the OLED display: the ambient light sensor now just controls the screen brightness. You should also use it to control the gamma, color gamut, color saturation, and edge enhancement so that in low ambient light the display delivers beautiful and accurate image and picture quality, but as the ambient light increases slowly turn up these parameters to counter-balance the washed out appearance of the images in bright ambient light. Also add a display Vivid or Pizzazz control because some people prefer punchy images and pictures, while other people do not.
Nexus One Conclusion: The Nexus One Display Looks Like a Prototype
The Nexus One OLED display has many spectacular qualities, but it is also loaded with lots of rough edges, hasty unfinished beta display drivers and Android software including principal applications like the Browser and Gallery, poorly implemented image processing, poor system integration together with sub-standard factory display calibration. It really looks and behaves like a prototype for a very nice future display, not a finished production display for a world class mobile device that Google markets it to be. It will be interesting to see the degree to which existing units will be corrected and improved with software updates."
My toughts are: could it be possible to tweak video drivers, or at least modify gallery and browser apks to achieve a better viewing quality?
Someone give this man a beer I couldn't have said that better myself.
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
+1000
Any devs watching this?
Wow...even more improvement possibilities! Modding this phone seems endless!
Yeah, I seriously believe we could improve display performance with some tweaks. I noticed that on the iphones 2g,3g,3gs and 4g, the screen kept changing color and it really did make a difference. Like the 3g screen seemed a bit yellow and 3gs was more natural and they kept on improving.
I would like to hear some dev's opinion because I think it's pretty hard to modify video drivers, as we are seeing in the "porting video drivers" thread...so I'm not too optimist...but let's see what happens
Sent from my Nexus One using XDA App
As a pro video calibrator I would LOVE to have an app that allows me to change the RGB levels so I can set the grayscale.
I will watch this thread with great interest. Here is to hope.
I think the start is with the rendering tweaks that is being used in cm6. Where that is, I have no clue on the technical specifications..... Sorry.
How many of the issues are hardware related though? They're certainly not going to be updating those.
I'm pretty sure I read that article a few months ago, Google appear to be quite reluctant to do anything specific to the N1 and prefer to just keep trucking along with the generic AOSP development. If anything that can be done is going to happen, it'll be due to the clever developers on this and other forums.
The N1 display looks like it's permanently in store-presentation mode, very sharp and contrasty, unfortunately it's not very realistic. If changes can be made in software to improve things, that'd be great, but I doubt it'll be Google doing it.
grayscale
Would it be possible to have a setting to make the entire display grayscale instead of color? If so, would this then allow us to punch up the brightness past it's default levels? Battery life is not my concern. Seeing my screen in the bright sun is though
Alright, I checked it out using the patch that enables nightvision mode in later CM builds, a calibration profile can most likely be done. I'll get my colorimeter tomorrow and use changing linear transformations to turn one of the modes into a calibrated profile. It's up to Cyanogen whether or not it should be added "officially," but I can just overwrite salmon or something and post an update.zip in the meantime if I can get it to work.
Lowering the contrast (and calibrating for that matter) will lower the total colors that can be rendered, so you'd have to keep that in mind. I'm not sure if the screen is 16 bit minimum (at the lowest brightness and thus the more detail the brighter it is) or 16 bit maximum (at highest brightness) as darkening the "backlight" would just narrow the gamut on the device, anyone know? The gamut may already be too narrow to justify a LUT, but I'll see soon.
From what I know, the system is capable of 24bit color, but only 16 bit native. You see, OLED displays have really high refresh rates, so they show the color above and below the target in the right ratios to trick the eye. I don't think the system does these calculations when it expects the screen to move, too high a load, and that's why tapping on the screen in the browser changes colors. This is probably just the application using the wrong settings with regards to it.
The pentile matrix can show fonts really nicely if it has the right font hinting. I've heard that it doesn't, however. I'm not sure where you'd find the best place to go about that, but it's probably out of the kernel and thus outside of my knowledge..
Edit: heavily edited for cleanliness and new knowledge.
Great contribution Storm...do you think we can correct issues noticed in FIGURE 1 (nexus vs iphone comparison) ? It would be AWESOME ...
Maybe should I open a similar thread on cyanogenmod?
knightnz said:
How many of the issues are hardware related though? They're certainly not going to be updating those.
I'm pretty sure I read that article a few months ago, Google appear to be quite reluctant to do anything specific to the N1 and prefer to just keep trucking along with the generic AOSP development. If anything that can be done is going to happen, it'll be due to the clever developers on this and other forums.
The N1 display looks like it's permanently in store-presentation mode, very sharp and contrasty, unfortunately it's not very realistic. If changes can be made in software to improve things, that'd be great, but I doubt it'll be Google doing it.
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we all doubt it...that's why we're unlocking FM radio and add 720p recording...N1 could really have been the iphone killer if Google did the job ENTIRELY...but really seems that N1 is an unfinished prototype, combine this with huge errors (no marketing and online-only distribution) and you have a partial failure, I know it's sad to say...
Still love my N1!
Well, it looks like the calibration profile is going to be [1, .98, .69] [R,G,B] or thereabouts. Can anyone test the temperature with their own calibrator? I'm getting 9300K when we want 6500K, the website noted earlier got 8900K. I'd like a few more test results but I can work with just my own.
I'm going to edit the files and try it out on my phone here soon enough. I can, if I can modify by-pixel colors, calibrate it to a 2.2 gamma, which would lower battery usage and the overly contrasty and cartoony colors significantly. It'll take a while though if it's even possible.
Anyone know any good apps that just show a specified RGB value across most or all the screen?
Edit: Alright, there are two calibration profiles, one for the lowest brightness, one for the highest. The values I'm getting (for the code junkies) are [1, green, .82] for bright screens, and [1, green, .80] for dark screens. The problem is that the level of green is pretty subjective. I can't measure it without doing extensive calculations, but comparing it to my calibrated monitor, .98 or .99 seems good. 1.00 should be ok, as .98 will add banding.
I'll upload the libsurfaceflinger.so with the modified profile for people to test in another thread (to be linked once I make it here)
storm99999 said:
Well, it looks like the calibration profile is going to be [1, .98, .69] [R,G,B] or thereabouts. Can anyone test the temperature with their own calibrator? I'm getting 9300K when we want 6500K, the website noted earlier got 8900K. I'd like a few more test results but I can work with just my own.
I'm going to edit the files and try it out on my phone here soon enough. I can, if I can modify by-pixel colors, calibrate it to a 2.2 gamma, which would lower battery usage and the overly contrasty and cartoony colors significantly. It'll take a while though if it's even possible.
Anyone know any good apps that just show a specified RGB value across most or all the screen?
Edit: Alright, there are two calibration profiles, one for the lowest brightness, one for the highest. The values I'm getting (for the code junkies) are [1, green, .82] for bright screens, and [1, green, .80] for dark screens. The problem is that the level of green is pretty subjective. I can't measure it without doing extensive calculations, but comparing it to my calibrated monitor, .98 or .99 seems good. 1.00 should be ok, as .98 will add banding.
I'll upload the libsurfaceflinger.so with the modified profile for people to test in another thread (to be linked once I make it here)
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This is awesome! I will certainly test tonight with my X-rite i1 Pro meter. Just curious, where are you getting the IRE images from?
wrinklefree said:
This is awesome! I will certainly test tonight with my X-rite i1 Pro meter. Just curious, where are you getting the IRE images from?
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As of now, I don't have IRE images. I just calibrated the white point, and even then, kinda inprecisely. Your data and inputs are valued, but I can't do anything more than a linear equation on the pixels. Currently, I keep red as it is, multiply green by .98, and multiply blue by .82 . It's not accurate, but it's close, and it uses less power. The gamma is still skewed to hell though.
Please look at this post, maybe this has something to do with anything relevant to the ideas presented in this post?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=745248
Seems like a good idea
ywindlass said:
Please look at this post, maybe this has something to do with anything relevant to the ideas presented in this post?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=745248
Seems like a good idea
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Click to collapse
Of course it's relevant, this thread gave me the idea for that. A few posts up is me debating whether or not it would work.
Ok all, I have spent a lot of time testing the Rezound camera, taking hundreds of pictures of different subjects in different lighting conditions, constantly tweaking the settings, and have figured out a couple of things about the camera and some tricks or even 'necessities' to be able to take really great shots.
The first thing I figured out, which, from comments I've seen on the forum, others have noticed as well, is that the hardware is actually pretty capable, but the software is kind of stupid in many situations. Coming from the Incredible, which to me had one of the best camera software setups I'd ever seen on a phone, the Rezound comes close, but lost some of what it needs to capture those awesome pictures.
So, here I will go over the features, some not-so-apparent tips, and the settings of the camera app to give those of you who want the best picture quality some ideas to help achieve this.
- The main viewfinder, and tap to focus: This first item highlights two good features that the Incredible had that the Rez mysteriously lacks. The first, is while the Rez does allow you to tap anywhere on the screen to focus on that point, it does not allow you to take a shot by holding your finger in that spot for 1-2 seconds like the Inc did. The second, kind of indirect thing, is that it highlights that the Rez does not have any options to change the metering mode. HOWEVER, be aware, that when you tap to focus, the Rez will base it's light metering on whatever area you tapped to focus on, i.e.: tap to focus on a darker object or less lit area in the frame, and the Rez will automatically increase the overall exposure, tap in a well lit area or on a bright object, and the overall exposure will decrease.
Now, here is a trick you can use in conjuction with this feature. This will only work if you turn OFF auto-focus (more on that later). Let's say you've framed your subject, a person who isn't standing front and center, but is off to one side. You tap on them to focus on them, but they happen to be wearing a white T-shirt. The Rez will then lower the exposure of the shot thinking you're focusing on a bright spot. Briefly aim your camera away from the scene then line up your shot again, the Rez will automatically re-adjust exposure based on the overall scene brightness, and your shot won't come out too dark from focusing on your white-shirt-wearing friend.
Ok, now let's go through the settings/options, in order as they are found along the right edge of the viewfinder:
- Scenes... stay away from them!: Seriously, most of the scenes seem fairly useless to me, with a couple exceptions. Most of them do NOT allow changing of any of the picture settings and will use the default exposure/contrast/saturation etc., which for many types of shots are just going to look like crap. This especially applies for any low light/nighttime/indoor shots. Outdoors on a bright sunny day, you can often get good results with the default settings and choosing one of the optional scenes, but again, few of them offer any type of improvement.
Now there are a couple that are useful:
Action burst: only good in very well lit shots, figure outside daylight shots. Runs a very low ISO and fast shutter speed, takes multiple pics in rapid succession. Can definitely help get good pics of your kids/pets playing outside in the daytime.
Panorama: self explanatory. I love that this mode DOES still allow for custom image adjustments/white balance/iso. Can get very impressive results with patience and a steady hand.
Backlight HDR: this one is kind of weird... it doesn't seem to work well as a true HDR, but looking at the name, *backlight* HDR... i.e.: works well when there is bright light behind your subjects. Improves the dynamic range. Lets you take a picture of say, your friend in the foreground with the setting sun in the background, and not have the sun completely blown out or your friend a black silhouette. Shame this one doesn't allow custom image adjustments, again limiting it's usefulness to mostly outdoors/natural lighting.
Close-up: macro mode. The Rez actually has the ability to focus on VERY close subjects, though it can be reluctant to do so and may require several attempts. Again, this mode mysteriously locks out all custom adjustments... a real shame. However, here's another trick for you... you can change to Close Up mode, focus on your subject, then switch back to Auto mode to take your picture. This only works if Auto Focus is DISABLED, it will leave the focus set as is while switching modes, and you get your awesome macro shot.
I have found ZERO use for the other scenes and recommend not wasting your time, YMMV.
- The shutter button: Seems obvious right? Nothing special here.... well hold on, there are a couple small tricks and things to be aware of. The Rez has a very fast shutter speed for a camera phone, tap the shutter button and it takes the pic almost instantaneously. This is great... and bad. The problem is, when you are tapping that icon, you are moving the camera. Your whole hand moves from the simple action of extending your thumb that fraction of an inch. Which will often result in you getting a blurry shot, especially in less-than-optimal lighting.
Three ways I have found to combat this:
1. Some of you may have already figured out that you can tap and HOLD the shutter button, and after 1-2 seconds, it will refocus and take the shot. Additionally, if you have tapped a specific spot on the screen to focus, and then tap and hold the shutter, it will refocus on the same spot you tapped to focus. UNLESS YOU MOVE THE CAMERA. Remember that tip I mentioned for changing the light metering? That won't work here... if you aim the camera away and then back again, and then tap and hold the shutter, it will refocus on the center of the frame. Which brings me to method number two for getting non-blurry shots:
2. The two-hand, two-step. Holding the camera with both hands, use your left to tap to focus anywhere on the screen. AS SOON AS YOU TAP WITH YOUR LEFT, during that brief moment that the camera is refocusing, tap the shutter with your right and release, then hold still as possible. This basically delays the shot by a fraction of a second, as it won't snap the pic until it has finished focusing. By then you have pressed and released the shutter, and are hopefully holding still, and getting your non-blurry pic.
3. Use the self timer. This won't work with kids-at-play, but will work with any other subject that will hold still for you. Set the self timer to two seconds. This lets you tap and release the shutter, hold your breath, do whatever you have to do to get as still as possible. This also works if you tap and hold the shutter button.. it will automatically refocus, then count down the two seconds and shoot. This can be used in combination with some of the above described tips
- The flash: mostly self explanatory. One thing to note, enabling the flash seems to speed up the shutter a bit. In other words, if you have an antsy/fast moving subject (kids!), enabling the flash, even when it's bright enough not to need it, can result in a faster shot and less motion blur of your moving subject. I'll discuss a little more about using the flash even at times that the amount of lighting doesn't call for it in the white balance section. There are times it's best to turn it off in dim lighting as well. The Rez sensor actually does pretty good in low light and can do without the flash in many circumstances. Experiment. The flash can also help with white balance and color (more on this later), as well as causing the camera to use a lower ISO. The downsides are that it often causes red-eye (why does such a high end camera phone not have a feature for getting rid of red eye is beyond me), and that it will often blow out subjects, especially closer subjects. This can be mitigated with tap to focus or adjusting the overall exposure setting. Experiment.
Now we get the settings menu, and each item you can adjust therein
Self timer has already been discussed, and other than that little trick, it's use is self evident, so, moving on to Image Adjustments:
- Exposure: self explanatory. Increases/decreases brightness of the overall scene. I find that in any dim or artificially lit shots, the Rez tends to over-expose, so I often turn this down to -1. Use this in conjuction with tap to focus to get the brightness just right. Remember though, the Rez has a fairly narrow dynamic range. If the exposure is too high, whites will be blown out, which is almost impossible to fix with post processing. It's almost always better to go to low rather than too high. Better to have a dark shot, which you can then bring the brightness up without blowing out the light colors.
- Contrast: adjusts the "difference" between the light areas and the dark areas. Lower contrast brings out the detail in darker/shaded areas, but can make the scene look washed out or faded. Higher can result in striking shots, but dark areas will become darker and often lose all detail. 95% of the time I leave this setting at 0.
- Saturation: this is one of the settings I adjust the most often. Low/artificial light seems to confuse the Rez and often results in the saturation getting WAY too high. This setting is also directly affected by the white balance setting, and I find if I adjust one I usually have to adjust the other. More often than not though I am turning this DOWN to -1. Occassionally, I do have to turn it up to +1 but this is rare (certain fluorescent lighting situations).
- Sharpness: TURN IT DOWN!! The Rez WAY oversharpens pictures by default. I turn this down to -2 and recommend everyone do the same. SOME times I turn it to -1 (if I'm taking pics of something with text, for instance), but for almost everything I leave it at -2. This will sometimes result in soft shots, but this is another thing that is much easier to fix in post-processing than a pic that is oversharp. Lowering the sharpness also lessens the noisiness of lower light pics.
- White Balance: This is the other setting I adjust fairly frequently. The Rez is retarded when it comes to compensating for artificial lighting. Incandescent lit shots will often have a yellow or orange tint to them, fluorescent shots will be green tinted. Switching to the appropriate white balance for these types of lighting will usually correct this, but often necessitates adjusting the Saturation setting as well. For Incandescent especially, I find I usually have to turn the Saturation down to -1, for Fluorescent, I SOMETIMES have to turn it up to +1
Now, using the flash seems to "fix" the auto white balance in artificial lighting, and the saturation as well. In other words, if you turn the flash on, or if the lighting is dim enough that the camera uses it in auto, you will generally want the white balance set to auto and the saturation at 0. Sometimes, it's better to use the flash on artificial lighting even when it's bright enough already, so you don't have to struggle to get the right white balance and saturation. Most pics I've taken with the flash seem to come out "just right", as long as nothing gets blown out.
- ISO: Auto works for bright or natural lighting, but the Rez loves to default to way too high of an ISO for mid or low lighting, resulting in very noisy pics. This is suprising given the backside illuminated sensor which is supposed to alleviate the need for a high ISO in low light. And it somewhat has. Depending what you are shooting, you can usually get away with ISO as low as 200 in low light or indoor lighting, and get a MUCH nicer, MUCH less noisy pic. But if your subject is moving around, or you can't keep your hands still, you will likely get blurry shots... it's a trade off and you have to figure out what you can get away with. Either way, in low light shots, it's better to manually pick an ISO when possible and convenient to get less noise.
- Resolution: self explanatory. I notice almost no difference between 5 MP and 8 MP shots, quality wise, when viewed on a 19" laptop monitor, so consider that if you would like to save some space on your SD card by going with 5 MP. I leave it at 8.
Review duration: Here is a tip that can a) help you get better shots of moving subjects (kids!), b) get the same effect as the "Action Shot" scene mode BUT be able to use your custom image settings, and c) show smug Galaxy Nexus owners that they aren't the only ones with "zero shutter lag". Simply set review duration to "no review". You can shoot photos in rapid succession with very little delay between shots. When I'm shooting my four year old, I generally take 3-5 pics in a row and usually end up with at least two good, blur free shots. It's easier to take several quickly, review them later and delete the ones you don't want, then to take one, look at it, see that it's no good, take another one, get frustrated as your kid got impatient and won't hold still.... etc etc.
Storage, wide-screen, geotagging, all self explanatory
- Auto-enhance: leave this OFF, it ruins pics past the point of saving. It can completely muddy fine details in pics, it doesn't eliminate noise, it makes things look smudged... turn it off... please... offfffffffffffff... if you really think it helps, you can always apply it AFTER the pic is taken and saved... I'll cover this in a minute.
- Auto-focus/face detection: For reasons discussed above, I usually leave this off. It works fine for center focused shots, but limits some of the things you can do to enhance your shots. Face detection is hit or miss, and you can do better just tapping to focus on your subjects face.
Shutter sound is self explanatory. Grid is preference, I leave it on, helps to line up shots.
A note about AFTER you have taken your picture: most of you probably already know this, the Rez allows you to do some things with the pic AFTER it's saved. In addition to the usual cropping and rotating, if you tap the pic, then tap Edit, then Effects, there are options to adjust the look of the picture, including the Auto Enhance feature that you have HOPEFULLY disabled in the settings menu before taking your shots. There are also several frames you can choose from to make your pics more interesting. The best thing here is that if you apply an effect or frame after the shot is taken vs. before, it will save a second copy, leaving the first, unaltered copy there as well.
Another kind of side note... I've had great results using third party camera software. I LOVE Vignette, it is VERY feature rich, and can get much better shots than the stock app. It has many more settings, including some of the 'missing' ones that I mentioned at the beginning of this post, such as the ability to change metering modes. It also allows much finer adjustment of the custom image settings, exposure, saturation, sharpness, etc. It has many more scene modes to choose from, and has a 'steady shot' mode, which will not let the camera snap the pic until you are holding relatively still... this eliminates 98% of the blur that results when you tap the shutter button and the shot is snapped immediately. It is in the market and I highly recommend it.
Well, I hope this has been helpful for anyone who has taken the time to read it. Don't forget to hit the thanks button if it did you any good. The hardware on the Rez is pretty damn good, the software just ... needs some help... to get the best out of it.
Nice, thanks. I'm going to really play with the camera this week and will take all of this into consideration.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using Tapatalk
Biggest thing I found is that auto white balance is rarely ever right. I always find myself making incandescent my default for most indoor photos.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA App
dude, i read that entire post, and i thank you for writing it all out.
i bought camera 360 ages ago, but i can't find it in the market anymore! i used to just load it from titanium on my inc, but it's just gone now..wtf!? i paid for that app! anyone have any ideas
Camera 360 is another good one. Two things wrong with it on the Rezound: 1) adjusting the exposure does nothing, 2) it only displays on 2/3 of the display. But it works well and takes good pics.
Another good app is HDR Camera +, which does much better HDR than the stock app
Very well written post. Thank you. I think everyone, including people who shoot with a DSLR like myself, can benefit from some of the tips that you brought up.
So I might as well give up on that for this phone until it's put back into the market then huh?
bast525 said:
Camera 360 is another good one. Two things wrong with it on the Rezound: 1) adjusting the exposure does nothing, 2) it only displays on 2/3 of the display. But it works well and takes good pics.
Another good app is HDR Camera +, which does much better HDR than the stock app
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Sent from my ADR6425LVW using XDA App
One of the best options using Vignette is you can shoot the pic using either the search or the volume buttons.
~John
ok here is the odd thing about vignette AND 360.... last I checked, the FREE versions of both apps were still in the market, but the PAY versions were not....
Both can still be found elsewhere in their full versions.
Thanks for taking the time for typing this out.
Edit: Does Vignette not take as high resolution pictures as the stock camera software? To above post the pay version is in the market.
Hmm nvm seems the picture I took with Vignette is 3264x2448 vs 3264x1840 from stock.
in vignette, how can get full screen 16:9 shots by going into the "frames" drop down. By default it does full resolution 4:3 shots
Also, when possible, use some type of stabilization - a table top, lean against a wall, use timer and hold breath, whatevs. Movement is the enemy of sharpness. As for fast moving subjects, since the shutter speed seems to be static, your stuck trying your luck with flash and hoping for the best. Usually 1/500 is the minimum to capture motion without blur, I don't know what it is on this phone as it uses an electronic shutter
As for the "flash", do not use for subjects or scenes (e.g. landscapes) that are far away. It is pointless beyond the effective range of the flash (which varies based on ambient light) and can throw off the "cameras" metering. If your subject is backlit (lots of light behind them), turn your flash on (and hope its enough).
ISO - use the lowest setting possible to get the shot. ISO is the sensor's sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive to light it is (meaning you can take photos in a darker settings) BUT the more digital noise your photo will have. Or go the lazy way and let the camera figure it out for you (auto). I suppose on a sensor this small, it doesn't matter too much.
"The best camera is the one you have with you."
On the subject of stillness... I agree, any help you can find should be taken advantage of. For one, I ALWAYS hold the phone with both hands when taking photos. And yes, if there is anything I can lean or rest on, I use it.
My wife purchased a cell phone tripod off Amazon, but the mount is too small for the Rez... I looked at a few and they all seem sized for the iPhone and nothing larger...
Thank you for the write up. Just got Vignette, is the scene change to steadyshot the only change you would make? Cheers!
I do take 98% of my pics using steadyshot also, I turn the exposure and saturation down one notch. Leave sharpness all the way down. I turn the jpeg setting to "fine" from "super fine", which drops the file size of one 8 MP photo from 4-5 MB down to 1-2, with no discernible drop in picture quality on my laptop screen. I use some of the effects and frames sometimes. I tend to usw center weighted light metering vs average but it depends what you're shooting.
Updated the first post with some tips on disabling review duration to take shots rapidly.
bast, do you think it's worth it to get that camera FX 10 cent app today? have you tried it?
jayochs said:
bast, do you think it's worth it to get that camera FX 10 cent app today? have you tried it?
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did you even read your question? is it worth it to get a 10 cent app.
i think this might be the end of the internet.
Very well written, thanks!
argh no flaming please.... I worked hard on this post and don't want to see it go to crap.
yes I tried camera fx and I was not impresses, uninstalled it five mins later. It is very limited on options compared to stock or vignette. There are no adjustments for exposure, sharpness, saturation, etc. No tap to focus. It is not an app for people who want to maximize the camera potential. Stick with stock, vignette, or to a lesser extent, camera 360.
Has anyone noticed since the April update that when zooming in (by pressing the shortcut buttons with eg. from 1X to 3X, or 3X to 10X), there is an obvious "jitter/jolt" just at the end of zooming? I can't remember it being like this prior to the update. Testing this on the S21 Ultra and S22 is all smooth without any of this "jitter/jolt" at the end of zooming. Interestingly, zooming out doesn't have this issue.
Can anyone with the April update confirm this also?
EDIT: I realised my initial description above is pretty poor - so I'll add this in this original post:
"...it's almost as if a "filter" is suddenly added on at the end of the zooming, thus giving this "jitter/jolt" appearance (often you can see this "filter" effect quite obviously when going to the 10x zoom). Again, I've just tested this on the S21 Ultra and S22, and both don't have this behaviour. This especially affects video recording when zooming in, as this "real-time filter effect" isn't pleasant to watch.
-I've seen numerous YouTube videos now (mostly before the April update, and at least one after) which confirm this behaviour, and I think must be present on all S23 (Ultra) devices."
Are you sure it's not the effect of switching which camera it's using?
dottat said:
Are you sure it's not the effect of switching which camera it's using?
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Yes I think that's indeed the case, but I'm almost certain that it's got a much more obvious "jitter/jolt" at the end of zooming than before the update. Practically, this isn't really an issue for photo taking obviously, but it certainly makes video less smooth when zooming in on things.
EDIT: it's almost as if a "filter" is suddenly added on at the end of the zooming, thus giving this "jitter/jolt" feel. Again, I've just tested this on the S21 Ultra and S22, and both don't have this issue. As previously stated, it will make video recording with zooming in much less smooth in appearance.
Not only smoothness, the 3x telephoto zoom in stills is also not having the same color reproduction as other lenses. It's more on the cooler side, especially indoors in normal/off white lighting conditions
ZayaanAhyaan said:
Not only smoothness, the 3x telephoto zoom in stills is also not having the same color reproduction as other lenses. It's more on the cooler side, especially indoors in normal/off white lighting conditions
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I managed to find an example of what I mean:
It's much more obvious particularly in that specific scenario when he goes from 3X to 10X - you can see that sudden "jitter/jolt" feel right at the end of the zooming in, as if a "filter" is placed over the lens. As stated above, the S21 Ultra and S22 don't have this, and thus video recording while zooming in on things is much smoother.
I can't actually remember if this was present before the April update - to be honest, I've only really just started using the cameras more since the April update haha.
Looks like this "issue" was actually present before the April update:
You can see it quite clearly when he goes from 1X to 3X - that sudden "jolt" right at the end of the zoom.
I suppose I hadn't been using the cameras much until yesterday, so hadn't really observed/processed this in my mind. Again, you can see with older Samsung phones, this "jolt" doesn't happen at all. The fact that it's still present after the April update makes me wonder if it will ever be "fixed".
I've edited my original post for clarity of the issue.
Conclusion so far is that it seems to be a universal behaviour, and perhaps something that Samsung isn't worried about. I've seen some videos that show the iPhone side by side with the S23 Ultra and you can see it's not present on the iPhone. As I said, even the S21 Ultra didn't have this, and I'm quite surprised not more reviewers and posters are commenting on this, as it makes video recording when zooming in less pleasant to watch - somewhat a pity, as the zoom quality of Samsung's "Ultra" devices since the S20/S21 has been quite impressive otherwise.