Camera - X 2014 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

Besides battery, the camera seems to be the biggest dividing factor. How much can updates improve a camera after launch?
Also, what about apps from the store. I don't mind using a 3rd party app for the camera if it's better.
Basically, hardware vs software for the camera?

J_Bone said:
Besides battery, the camera seems to be the biggest dividing factor. How much can updates improve a camera after launch?
Also, what about apps from the store. I don't mind using a 3rd party app for the camera if it's better.
Basically, hardware vs software for the camera?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nothing is going to fix the narrow field of view that the camera has. but everything else is software, which can be updated. the only way an app is going to make things better is if the app is able to process the image on its own. if you want to learn a bit more on it, the latest android central podcast, episode 203, talks about why they think the moto camera is never as good as it should be.

J_Bone said:
Besides battery, the camera seems to be the biggest dividing factor. How much can updates improve a camera after launch?
Also, what about apps from the store. I don't mind using a 3rd party app for the camera if it's better.
Basically, hardware vs software for the camera?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
phermey said:
nothing is going to fix the narrow field of view that the camera has. but everything else is software, which can be updated. the only way an app is going to make things better is if the app is able to process the image on its own. if you want to learn a bit more on it, the latest android central podcast, episode 203, talks about why they think the moto camera is never as good as it should be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Android Police and other sites did a breakdown of Android L awhile back. Guess what they found? A lot of Camera APIs. So most likely Google finally improved camera software which would definitely help the camera. In terms of hardware, the camera sensor is the same as in the G2 and G3, and those phones take good photos. It must be a software issue, since 4.4.4 isn't that good with images
http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/0...image-capture-photographers-everywhere-cheer/
http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/0...bles-burst-mode-thorough-control-photos-much/
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8274/understanding-androids-camera-hal3

0.0 said:
Android Police and other sites did a breakdown of Android L awhile back. Guess what they found? A lot of Camera APIs. So most likely Google finally improved camera software which would definitely help the camera. In terms of hardware, the camera sensor is the same as in the G2 and G3, and those phones take good photos. It must be a software issue, since 4.4.4 isn't that good with images
http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/0...image-capture-photographers-everywhere-cheer/
http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/0...bles-burst-mode-thorough-control-photos-much/
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8274/understanding-androids-camera-hal3
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
it is more than that though. the oems do not have to use those apis. and those apis really don't have anything to do with the convesion from light to a pic. this is why i referred to the podcast. here is how it was explained. a camera sensor pics up light. and it is up to the firmware to take that data and turn it into a picture. this firmware is not the api. and moto could license better firmware to give us better pics... but from the looks of it they would rather save some cash. it does not matter that the sensor is the same 'sensor' that is in the gs4, g2, and g3. the 'lenses' are most definitely different and the firmware that converts the light into a pic i also very different from that in the lg and samsung.
i think moto will improve upon it just as they did the last moto x. but i don't think it will ever take as good of pics as the g3.

phermey said:
it is more than that though. the oems do not have to use those apis. and those apis really don't have anything to do with the convesion from light to a pic. this is why i referred to the podcast. here is how it was explained. a camera sensor pics up light. and it is up to the firmware to take that data and turn it into a picture. this firmware is not the api. and moto could license better firmware to give us better pics... but from the looks of it they would rather save some cash. it does not matter that the sensor is the same 'sensor' that is in the gs4, g2, and g3. the 'lenses' are most definitely different and the firmware that converts the light into a pic i also very different from that in the lg and samsung.
i think moto will improve upon it just as they did the last moto x. but i don't think it will ever take as good of pics as the g3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
since this is the case, Moto spending money for the license will up the price in the Moto X, which I think is not what they wanted to do. also, LG, HTC, Sony, and Samsung will most likely not sell their licenses since that is what makes them produce the best pic quality by their standards. maybe old licenses would be sold? even then, I wouldn't want competition to use my stuff. other companies may not want to sell either, so Moto would have to research themselves, which takes more time and more money which will get passed onto the consumer
off topic: so based on what you're saying, maybe that's why the Nexus does not have really good pic quality. imo, Google could still fix it up in L, which will also be passed down to Moto X since it is on vanilla Android. Google did say they want the Nexus line to eventually have a good camera experience, and L may be an answer to that. I am sure Google can incorporate the firmware in for converting light

Related

Nexus 5 faulty camera software, fix on the way? (According to The Verge)

I have to say that after battery life (I knew from the moment the specs leaked, that 2300 mah wouldn't be enough) that the camera quality has been my biggest dissapointment, the phone has a HARD time focusing, the picture quality it's mediocre/sometimes decent and it really doesn't make sense since google is making a big deal out of the camera.
Check out the tag line for the nexus 5 on the play store: "Nexus 5 helps you capture the everyday and the epic in fresh new ways. It's the slimmest and fastest Nexus phone ever made, powered by Android 4.4, KitKat."
If you go the official nexus 5 website you will find lots of info about how good the camera is : http://www.google.com/nexus/5/
or the commercial ... it's all about the camera
Anyway, according to Joshua Topolsky, The Verge's Chief Editor, there's hope and we will get an update trying to fix what's broken, do you guys think it will really make a difference? Or is this camera simply a poor camera? Here's the quote:
"Representatives from the Android team say that software is to blame for the weak performance, not hardware, and reps tell me that a fix is coming to deal with the issues in the upcoming weeks. I've even seen an early build of the new software, and while it's only a minor improvement — autofocus is a hair faster, but still inconsistent, and picture quality hasn't changed — it's nice to see Google already at work.
Of course, there's no set date for a fix at this point, and I don't know how much the camera can actually be improved through software, but if the Moto X is any kind of example, there might just be a solution to this very disheartening problem."
http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/4/5062724/google-nexus-5-review
I don't have any issues with the camera. The iverge is so pro apple it isn't even funny anymore
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I've found no quality issue, in fact the opposite, though focus is slow
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Used HDR+ and took great photos for me. Also, have seen The Verge post a bunch of BS, not sure why people even read that crap.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
ishamm said:
I've found no quality issue, in fact the opposite, though focus is slow
Sent from my Nexus 5 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the deal. The camera is quite good but the issue is the focus is too slow. They need to fix that part.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
The verge are right in this case. The focus is awfully slow. Google pioneered the instant capture feature on the galaxy nexus, dont know why they abandoned it on the nexus 4 and 5.
blazeoc said:
I don't have any issues with the camera. The iverge is so pro apple it isn't even funny anymore
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's just not true, and you are very biased, it seems. Like others have said, there is significant lag in the camera focus and my Nexus 5 can take much much better photos than my Nexus S, but not any faster. And that is not okay.
I get the impression that all the effort on the software side so far has gone into HDR+
My experience playing around with it is that HDR+ not only improves detail in bright/dark areas, but it also results in sharper images overall. (This is contrary to what I have found with other HDR implementations which have resulted in blurrier images). Of course sometimes you don't want to use HDR (Maybe you want to photograph a figure silhouetted against the sunset for example).
Whilst I didn't buy the N5 as a replacement for an SLR, hopefully the non-HDR mode can be improved. After all, the best camera is the one you have with you.
(I also agree regarding the camera focus. At the very least, an option to pre-focus would make a huge difference!)
Shutter is slow... but it takes decent shots
It's no secret that Google needs to work on their camera software.
Argenist said:
It's no secret that Google needs to work on their camera software.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Working in a software company, I can imagine how this goes...
"Who wants to work on auto-awesome." - "Yay!"
"Who wants to work on photo-sphere." - "Yay!"
"Who wants to optimize the shutter lag." - "..."
Also, your lunch looks much nicer than my work canteen pizza
flonker said:
Used HDR+ and took great photos for me. Also, have seen The Verge post a bunch of BS, not sure why people even read that crap.
Sent from my SPH-L710 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The same here, very surprised by picture quality in low light using HDR+ (for landscape mainly)... I mean im sure there are better cameras but for a phone im impressed
But i've a weird problem don't know if software or hardware but the camera app stay black screen when opened from the lock screen. it happened many times, i had to put my pin code kill the app and launch again to get the camera app working again.
Anyone got the same issue?
mobilehavoc said:
This is the deal. The camera is quite good but the issue is the focus is too slow. They need to fix that part.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As a result, it's turned my shots into unfocused poo
At least the shutterlag and slow focus should be fixable, though. I hope.
I'm not expecting Note 3-level of camera, but it'd be nice if we could have say... 70% of the Note 3's camera performance.
Here's one I took and then used Snapseed. The hw is quite capable. https://plus.google.com/101858146614640675194/posts/1jwmHP58BUk
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
I'm finding the camera very usable with good results.
However, try using video mode and pinch to zoom. Does this cause Camera to freeze for seconds for others, either recovering eventually or crashing out?
Sent from my Nexus 5 using xda app-developers app
Apolyxon said:
That's just not true, and you are very biased, it seems. Like others have said, there is significant lag in the camera focus and my Nexus 5 can take much much better photos than my Nexus S, but not any faster. And that is not okay.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha, I am about as unbiased as they come. I have all apple everything including an iPhone 5, macbook pro, apple tv's, Droid Maxx and now Nexus 5. I have no brand loyalty at all. Let me make myself clear to you, I HAVE NO ISSUES WITH THE CAMERA OR THE QUALITY OF THE IMAGES THAT COME FROM IT.
I hope that is clears things up for you. And by the way, everything I said is my own opinion. I never said you didn't have issues, I said I wasn't having issues. As for the iVerge, that is pretty common knowledge.
blazeoc said:
haha, I am about as unbiased as they come. I have all apple everything including an iPhone 5, macbook pro, apple tv's, Droid Maxx and now Nexus 5. I have no brand loyalty at all. Let me make myself clear to you, I HAVE NO ISSUES WITH THE CAMERA OR THE QUALITY OF THE IMAGES THAT COME FROM IT.
I hope that is clears things up for you. And by the way, everything I said is my own opinion. I never said you didn't have issues, I said I wasn't having issues. As for the iVerge, that is pretty common knowledge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Since you have those items, why don't you compare the camera shutter lag to those other phones?
You can always say that for you it's not a problem - and that might very well be as you say, but you'll never be able to deny that there might be people that want to capture "that moment" and with that lag it's just infeasible.
If your camera does not have any worse lag than say the iPhone 5s, please make a video so we can see for ourselves.
Apolyxon said:
Since you have those items, why don't you compare the camera shutter lag to those other phones?
You can always say that for you it's not a problem - and that might very well be as you say, but you'll never be able to deny that there might be people that want to capture "that moment" and with that lag it's just infeasible.
If your camera does not have any worse lag than say the iPhone 5s, please make a video so we can see for ourselves.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no problem capturing the moment, but I am also a photographer as well so I have learned to anticipate.
Again, I don't need to make video's or prove to you, I have said FOR ME, I have ZERO issues with the camera. It is fine by me.
Definitely needs to be fixed.
Apolyxon said:
Since you have those items, why don't you compare the camera shutter lag to those other phones?
You can always say that for you it's not a problem - and that might very well be as you say, but you'll never be able to deny that there might be people that want to capture "that moment" and with that lag it's just infeasible.
If your camera does not have any worse lag than say the iPhone 5s, please make a video so we can see for ourselves.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The shutter lag is insane for a phone with these specs. I used Camera FX and it's much better, but all the images come out very dark.
blazeoc said:
I have no problem capturing the moment, but I am also a photographer as well so I have learned to anticipate.
Again, I don't need to make video's or prove to you, I have said FOR ME, I have ZERO issues with the camera. It is fine by me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look this thread is about issues with the Nexus 5's camera. What good are you doing when you tell people "It's not that bad guys! You just have to anticipate the 1-2 seconds lag, I learned it too!"
It's just ignorant to tell people there is no issue with the camera at all, because you yourself can work around the lag issue. You do see that this might annoy people, especially normal users?

Do different camera apps help the mediocracy?

Ok, I'll admit it. I had high hopes. I loved my trusty Moto X like a apple phanboi loves Steve Jobs memes. It was the most usable and intuitive phone I've ever used. It was also just the right size. However. The camera ...ahmm...uhhmmm... Sucks. It's terrible and awful and slow. So when my trusty Moto X dove headfirst into the tile and said goodbye to life I decided that the only other option in the right weight class was the Z3c. PLUS, WHOOPPEE.. I'd get a jolly good camera upgrade out of the deal. Yay me!
Now after 2 weeks of trying to convince myself that the camera is great I have to tell the truth. It's mediocre. Or maybe I have a sliver of hope left... Maybe it's just a software problem. Maybe it can be resurrected by a really good aftermarket camera app. I've tried CameraZoom and it has some neat features and I "feel like" the shutter lag is a millisecond less... Maybe.
Has anyone found a zippy and fantastical camera app that will help me get over the feeling that I wasted 2 weeks on international shipping and $530 on a pretty decent 2012 phone?
Puhleeese?
Thanks!
Chad
Chad_H said:
Ok, I'll admit it. I had high hopes. I loved my trusty Moto X like a apple phanboi loves Steve Jobs memes. It was the most usable and intuitive phone I've ever used. It was also just the right size. However. The camera ...ahmm...uhhmmm... Sucks. It's terrible and awful and slow. So when my trusty Moto X dove headfirst into the tile and said goodbye to life I decided that the only other option in the right weight class was the Z3c. PLUS, WHOOPPEE.. I'd get a jolly good camera upgrade out of the deal. Yay me!
Now after 2 weeks of trying to convince myself that the camera is great I have to tell the truth. It's mediocre. Or maybe I have a sliver of hope left... Maybe it's just a software problem. Maybe it can be resurrected by a really good aftermarket camera app. I've tried CameraZoom and it has some neat features and I "feel like" the shutter lag is a millisecond less... Maybe.
Has anyone found a zippy and fantastical camera app that will help me get over the feeling that I wasted 2 weeks on international shipping and $530 on a pretty decent 2012 phone?
Puhleeese?
Thanks!
Chad
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Google camera? The hardware is brand new btw. It's just the camera that isn't completely up to date. But it still makes some great pictures I think. It's not the best camera on the market but when you use it in manual mode it can make some good pictures.
Chad_H said:
Now after 2 weeks of trying to convince myself that the camera is great I have to tell the truth. It's mediocre. Or maybe I have a sliver of hope left... Maybe it's just a software problem. Maybe it can be resurrected by a really good aftermarket camera app. I've tried CameraZoom and it has some neat features and I "feel like" the shutter lag is a millisecond less... Maybe.
Has anyone found a zippy and fantastical camera app that will help me get over the feeling that I wasted 2 weeks on international shipping and $530 on a pretty decent 2012 phone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have tried a few apps, but the particular flaws I find annoying (the sharpening and general over processing) are still there. However, the color balance seem better in some other apps, like google camera and snap camera, and possibly slightly sharper detail. But these are all subjective opinions, it's not like I have done a proper test in controlled conditions. Definitely worth checking out tho!
I'm hoping for the RAW capabilities in Android 5, and ensuing apps, to solve this problem.

[Q] Hope for the Nexus 6 Camera?

Alot of the reviews says, nexus 6 camera experience has been a "hit or miss" from taking a good pic even with HDR on. Would it help to install a new camera app and do some tweakings over it, or better yet use an xposed module (if any) to fix the issue?
I'm a photographer. Here's the thing.
Camera reviews on cell phones are reviewed by gadget freaks, not photographers. They're interested in specs, they think megapixels are important, they don't even mention the important stuff.
Android L is the first OS to have a decent camera api. This will allow the nexus camera - which is only inherently different from the note 4 camera in terms of software - to vastly outperform anything on the market given a good camera app.
This mythical camera app should take advantage of a few things - full manual control. Exposure compensation and AE/AF lock. Auto bracketing. Proper metering, with selections for spot through to matrix. FPS control. Video control with framerate and resolution options, and the ability to manually control or lock exposure and focus. And finally, take advantage of L's .dng output, so we can work on this in lightroom after we're done. I don't trust my $2000 camera to spit out a nice jpg processed the way I want it, I shoot raw, I sure as hell don't trust a phone.
The nexus 6 looks to have some nice hardware. Let the software take advantage of it and you'll be happy.
tripler6 said:
I'm a photographer. Here's the thing.
Camera reviews on cell phones are reviewed by gadget freaks, not photographers. They're interested in specs, they think megapixels are important, they don't even mention the important stuff.
Android L is the first OS to have a decent camera api. This will allow the nexus camera - which is only inherently different from the note 4 camera in terms of software - to vastly outperform anything on the market given a good camera app.
This mythical camera app should take advantage of a few things - full manual control. Exposure compensation and AE/AF lock. Auto bracketing. Proper metering, with selections for spot through to matrix. FPS control. Video control with framerate and resolution options, and the ability to manually control or lock exposure and focus. And finally, take advantage of L's .dng output, so we can work on this in lightroom after we're done. I don't trust my $2000 camera to spit out a nice jpg processed the way I want it, I shoot raw, I sure as hell don't trust a phone.
The nexus 6 looks to have some nice hardware. Let the software take advantage of it and you'll be happy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good post. My girlfriend is a photographer but her biggest complaints were:
- The lens should've been bigger (1.5/3 at least - according to her the sheer size of this phone would have allowed for a much bigger lens, even 1.2/3).
- The dual LED flashes would likely overexpose the images due to their placement on the back of the phone. Sure, aesthetically it can look good (depending on your preference) but logically it will risk adding too much exposure to photos. The Note 4, 6+, top Nokia phones with large lenses all have the flashes further away from the lens for example (for good reason).
- The type of flash (LED) wont be as good an xenon flash (or dual). According to her the phone body is definitely thick enough to house the bigger flash; this would reduce noise in the images and provide better lighting/exposure in photos.
She also mentioned that even with a 10/10 camera app which does absolutely everything you want, the photo quality will not be much better (maybe the same as or potentially still worse) compared with the Note 4 or even iPhone 6+. Yes the hardware might be similar but the placement of the flash compared with the Note 4 will affect the way the camera captures photos with flash enabled. As, even though TW in Samsung has major issues it does have very heavily optimised camera software which will always improve - better than every camera app that I personally know of.
Front facing camera however will not complete with the Note 4. From demo's , despite being higher MP than the iPhone 6+, the results are worse. I do not know why, it could be down to the quality of the lens in the front but the Nexus 6 FF camera quality isn't much better than the Nexus 5 (it looks the same to me).
spartanm99 said:
Good post. My girlfriend is a photographer but her biggest complaints were:
- The lens should've been bigger (1.5/3 at least - according to her the sheer size of this phone would have allowed for a much bigger lens, even 1.2/3).
- The dual LED flashes would likely overexpose the images due to their placement on the back of the phone. Sure, aesthetically it can look good (depending on your preference) but logically it will risk adding too much exposure to photos. The Note 4, 6+, top Nokia phones with large lenses all have the flashes further away from the lens for example (for good reason).
- The type of flash (LED) wont be as good an xenon flash (or dual). According to her the phone body is definitely thick enough to house the bigger flash; this would reduce noise in the images and provide better lighting/exposure in photos.
She also mentioned that even with a 10/10 camera app which does absolutely everything you want, the photo quality will not be much better (maybe the same as or potentially still worse) compared with the Note 4 or even iPhone 6+. Yes the hardware might be similar but the placement of the flash compared with the Note 4 will affect the way the camera captures photos with flash enabled. As, even though TW in Samsung has major issues it does have very heavily optimised camera software which will always improve - better than every camera app that I personally know of.
Front facing camera however will not complete with the Note 4. From demo's , despite being higher MP than the iPhone 6+, the results are worse. I do not know why, it could be down to the quality of the lens in the front but the Nexus 6 FF camera quality isn't much better than the Nexus 5 (it looks the same to me).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A lens is proportionate to the sensor. On top of that? It's a fixed lens. They can make those extremely small when we're talking about phone sensors. There is also no mechanical shutter, meaning the lens can be even more compact. This is why mirrorless cameras have small lenses. This of course goes for cell phone lenses in general, but the reason is there's really no need to put a huge lens on a phone.
The dual LED flashes won't overexpose the image, don't worry. In the studio we use a ring flash - same concept - there are some versions that operate as a regular flash, and there's some versions that operate constant on. You can shoot with either. Studio LED lighting is even becoming a thing now, it's cool because you can control the color temp directly and change the brightness.. it's also always on so WYSIWYG. Either way your flash will operate TTL and will not overexpose Xenon - what a hotshoe flash uses - will just use a lot of energy and drain your batteries. LED is very efficient.
The ring flash appears to be too small to have the "ring flash effect", which is uniform lighting around a subject that is popular in fashion and hides blemishes.. I mean it's like the size of a finger. The source of the flash is too small to produce any meaningful difference between the "ring" flash and the regular samsung/iphone flashes. It's going to look about the same. If you see a difference, it's software.
I am just excited about the RAW support in 5.0. I am okay with an f/2.0 aperture on a device in my pocket. If I needed something better, my DSLR has a 50mm f/1.5 which is only a camera bag away
The problem I'm having with my Nexus 6 is lag. That is, I went into my 9 month old's room, and turned on the light. So, okay incandescent lighting, not too bright, but I wouldn't call it 'low-light', either. My little son is standing up in his crib bouncing around, and every now and again turning and smiling at me. I go for the shot with my nice Nexus 6....and in the FOUR SECONDS it takes for the camera to actually take the picture, he's looked away again. I tried several times. Each time, the camera did NOTHING for a few seconds and then took the shot when the window of opportunity was gone. WHAT THE HECK?!?!?! It didn't even look like it was doing any autofocus hunting.
THIS is very depressing. Anyone know of any camera apps that will actually, I don't know, take the picture when I actually ask it to?
Randy
I'm waiting for devs to work their magic on the camera. It has a great sensor (Sony IMX214) so the potential is there. I really wish they could use the G3's software because its great. Is there a way to make the G3's software work on the Nexus for the camera? It processes images really well and is very fast.
rmagruder said:
The problem I'm having with my Nexus 6 is lag. That is, I went into my 9 month old's room, and turned on the light. So, okay incandescent lighting, not too bright, but I wouldn't call it 'low-light', either. My little son is standing up in his crib bouncing around, and every now and again turning and smiling at me. I go for the shot with my nice Nexus 6....and in the FOUR SECONDS it takes for the camera to actually take the picture, he's looked away again. I tried several times. Each time, the camera did NOTHING for a few seconds and then took the shot when the window of opportunity was gone. WHAT THE HECK?!?!?! It didn't even look like it was doing any autofocus hunting.
THIS is very depressing. Anyone know of any camera apps that will actually, I don't know, take the picture when I actually ask it to?
Randy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have HDR+ enabled? If so that's why your focus takes so long. It's taking 3 pictures in a row and is great for still images. I find the camera with HDR+ off plenty fast.
---------- Post added at 01:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:15 PM ----------
On another note is raw format already being supported on the 6 or is it coming in an update. I'm no photographer but I'm extremely pleased how well the camera functions. I've only had nexus devices. The last phone I had with a decent camera was the Nokia n 5
Smallsmx3 said:
Do you have HDR+ enabled? If so that's why your focus takes so long. It's taking 3 pictures in a row and is great for still images. I find the camera with HDR+ off plenty fast.
---------- Post added at 01:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:15 PM ----------
On another note is raw format already being supported on the 6 or is it coming in an update. I'm no photographer but I'm extremely pleased how well the camera functions. I've only had nexus devices. The last phone I had with a decent camera was the Nokia n 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, HDR+ was NOT on, nor was the flash. I just wanted it to snap the stupid picture with as little muss n fuss as possible
I extracted the lib files and camera apk/odex from my g3 is there anything else I would need to make it work? I can get the framework from my system files if needed. I want to see if this will help the camera at all considering it had a lot of potential.
Pilz said:
I extracted the lib files and camera apk/odex from my g3 is there anything else I would need to make it work? I can get the framework from my system files if needed. I want to see if this will help the camera at all considering it had a lot of potential.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let us know how it goes
rmagruder said:
No, HDR+ was NOT on, nor was the flash. I just wanted it to snap the stupid picture with as little muss n fuss as possible
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then something is broken on your phone. Completely stock N6, not even root let alone disabling encryption, without HDR+ or Flash... the phone takes pictures within half a second every time.
Smallsmx3 said:
Let us know how it goes
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's still FC's even after I moved the camera.apk and camera.odex into the system/app and I wrote over the Nexus's libs with the G3's. I'm not sure why its FC's maybe I can install the framework.apk from my G3 and see if that works.
Try some low light shots....
tripler6 said:
I'm a photographer. Here's the thing.
Camera reviews on cell phones are reviewed by gadget freaks, not photographers. They're interested in specs, they think megapixels are important, they don't even mention the important stuff.
Android L is the first OS to have a decent camera api. This will allow the nexus camera - which is only inherently different from the note 4 camera in terms of software - to vastly outperform anything on the market given a good camera app.
This mythical camera app should take advantage of a few things - full manual control. Exposure compensation and AE/AF lock. Auto bracketing. Proper metering, with selections for spot through to matrix. FPS control. Video control with framerate and resolution options, and the ability to manually control or lock exposure and focus. And finally, take advantage of L's .dng output, so we can work on this in lightroom after we're done. I don't trust my $2000 camera to spit out a nice jpg processed the way I want it, I shoot raw, I sure as hell don't trust a phone.
The nexus 6 looks to have some nice hardware. Let the software take advantage of it and you'll be happy.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any chance for Slo Mo video (at least 120fps) with this "mythical camera app"?
rmagruder said:
Try some low light shots....
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Click to collapse
I found this thread after searching for a better camera for my n6. Realized after reading your post that it is the low light shots that suffer from severe shutter lag. Pics in good light are perfect. Ugh. My original moto x Dev. Took awesome pics compared to this low light garbage
Cwoomer said:
I found this thread after searching for a better camera for my n6. Realized after reading your post that it is the low light shots that suffer from severe shutter lag. Pics in good light are perfect. Ugh. My original moto x Dev. Took awesome pics compared to this low light garbage
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The pics are great when you are in a very well lit place. The moment you start to lose even a little light (semi lit), the camera really struggles. I'm very disappointed to start, but I'm going to stay patient and wait for Google to fix this.
Pilz said:
I'm waiting for devs to work their magic on the camera. It has a great sensor (Sony IMX214) so the potential is there. I really wish they could use the G3's software because its great. Is there a way to make the G3's software work on the Nexus for the camera? It processes images really well and is very fast.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The G3 is the best camera on a phone because of the hardware.. not sure if the software has much to do with it because I've switched camera apps on that phone many times and the pics still come out amazing
dannieloco said:
The G3 is the best camera on a phone because of the hardware.. not sure if the software has much to do with it because I've switched camera apps on that phone many times and the pics still come out amazing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The G3 uses the IMX135 sensor while the Nexus uses the IMX214 which is a better sensor. So in theory the Nexus 6 is capable of better photos if the software can back it up. The G3 still uses the lib's and framework from LG no matter what camera app you are using from what I understand.
Anyone know anything about the Slo Mo capabilities? Im wanting to buy the N6 but the Slo Mo feature is really important to me. Hopefully it is possible with the sensor which everyone seems to regard as a pretty high quality sensor.

Why the OnePlus 5 Camera is a Big Fail is real world usage

'Clearer Photos' - written on the side of the box. The biggest hype surrounding the OnePlus 5 has been about the camera. On paper the specs look great, 'benchmark' photos and scores look good too. But in real world usage it's a big Fail. This is why..
All else being equal, more mega pixels means lower quality images. This may be a surprise to some. This is the reason. More pixels on a sensor means each pixel is smaller. Which means over the same time period less light is recorded on each pixel. To solve this problem there are two solutions. 1) Hold the shutter open longer to capture more light. Longer shutter times causes blurring and softness if any movement is present. 2) Increase the amplification from the sensor (ISO). This causes noise and degrades the image. The result is lower quality photos.
So why have a high Megapixel count? Resolution. In the early days of digital photography the low resolution from cameras was a limiting factor and you could easily see the pixels if you zoomed in. 1.3MP for example is 1280x1200 pixels. That's not going to look great on a high resolution screen or blown up. So what about the 20MP sensor in the OnePlus 5? Well that's 3'600x5'400 pixels! This is only useful if you're printing images out in a large poster size. With the tiny sensors in a mobile phone you'll only be able to produce good quality images at this resolution if there's tons of light and the scene is still.
Here's a newsflash for OnePlus: We don't use our mobile phones to take photos of trees in the sun (unless you're a phone reviewer). We use our phones to take photos of family, friends, pets, activities, often inside or at night and other low light scenarios and we post them on Facebook and Instagram.
We need in focus, non blurred, 'Clearer' photos that will mostly be viewed on other phones. This translates to phones with good low light performance with fast auto-focus. We don't need or want 20MP degrading that quality. We also need a better auto-focus system. Have a look at the last couple generations of the Samsung Galaxy to see how it should be done.
This is why the OnePlus 5 camera fails in real life usage and is a disappointment. Please listen OnePlus. Look at what the other manufacturers are doing and get it right on the OnePlus 6.
surprising post perhaps dual camera understanding is requiredbefore writting so much about powerful dual camera phone
Reading this was such a waste of time
Perfect summary of whats going on. Only god knows what was going on in OP's marketeers. "Clearer photos" my ***!
I am so much disappoint!
Edit: The sad thing is that I even think (then again, I'm an idiot..) their strategy can make sense. Yes, they could have put ONE sensor in there that yields better results than the current setup. But having TWO cameras is the new trend and, thus, is way easier to market. Even the new Samsung Note will feature two sensors. So OP had to choose between a better camera and less revenue or a worse camera and more revenue.
Unfortunately they picked the latter.
How many threads are going to be create just to talk about camera ?
As already said in others threads, people expected a perfect DSLR with 40Mpx and a perfect night quality image. Come on are you serious ? This is marketing people, wake up, think with your brain sometime please.
I did not even read OP, such a waste of time to see an other person complaining about the camera.
We know what your are going to do next. RMA and send back the phone. Nice, change phone if you are not happy, but stop pollute this forum with one nth useless thread. Thanks.
casual_kikoo said:
How many threads are going to be create just to talk about camera ?
As already said in others threads, people expected a perfect DSLR with 40Mpx and a perfect night quality image. Come on are you serious ? This is marketing people, wake up, think with your brain sometime please.
I did not even read OP, such a waste of time to see an other person complaining about the camera.
We know what your are going to do next. RMA and send back the phone. Nice, change phone if you are not happy, but stop pollute this forum with one nth useless thread. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ok, creating an other topic was maybe useless but... The fact is that at the moment, the camera is very disappointing, to say the least. Especially when the device was marketed as the new camera standard, "clearer photos" etc.
I think nobody was expecting a DSLR camera, but maybe more than the overly washed, grainy or over saturated and sharpened shots that it actually produces. C'mon, I upgraded from an old Nexus 5 and expected a dramatic improvement in the camera quality. I am delighted to say this is not the case.
The big question now is : will these issues be software fixable ?
DarkAdrien said:
Ok, creating an other topic was maybe useless but... The fact is that at the moment, the camera is very disappointing, to say the least. Especially when the device was marketed as the new camera standard, "clearer photos" etc.
I think nobody was expecting a DSLR camera, but maybe more than the overly washed, grainy or over saturated and sharpened shots that it actually produces. C'mon, I upgraded from an old Nexus 5 and expected a dramatic improvement in the camera quality. I am delighted to say this is not the case.
The big question now is : will these issues be software fixable ?
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Click to collapse
If I'm good, each iteration of OnePlus device get a better camera with software update.
You are probably right but there are things you can accept when you pay 300$ that you can not accept anymore when you pay 550$. Rising the price also means raising the expectations.
Please will people stop making random rant posts and freaking out?!
The phone has been released for a week now and isn't even globally available yet.
There's been 3 software updates already to fix issues.
Just wait about a month and then if it's still crap you can complain.
The problem is that in many countries, you can freely return you device within 14 days after you purchased it. So waiting one Month with nothing but hopes and wishes is a costly option.
djsubterrain said:
Please will people stop making random rant posts and freaking out?!
The phone has been released for a week now and isn't even globally available yet.
There's been 3 software updates already to fix issues.
Just wait about a month and then if it's still crap you can complain.
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Click to collapse
A crap phone is a crap phone. There's nothing to suggest the 5 is anything but a middle tier phone with lots of problems. No excuses from One Plus.
Batfink33 said:
A crap phone is a crap phone. There's nothing to suggest the 5 is anything but a middle tier phone with lots of problems. No excuses from One Plus.
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Click to collapse
Middle tier...with specs rivalling and surpassing the most expensive phones you can buy.
OK.
Go away.
Batfink33 said:
A crap phone is a crap phone. There's nothing to suggest the 5 is anything but a middle tier phone with lots of problems. No excuses from One Plus.
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Click to collapse
Why you have to cry in every single thread, over and over again? Return it and buy a better phone.
djsubterrain said:
Middle tier...with specs rivalling and surpassing the most expensive phones you can buy.
OK.
Go away.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nonsense. A fast SOC and lots of RAM doesn't make up for fake promises of a great camera and lies about benchmarks, poor design, little features etc. Give OP credit when they deserve it and heat when they don't. The OP5 is a big let down, they need to sort themselves out.
B3501 said:
Nonsense. A fast SOC and lots of RAM doesn't make up for fake promises of a great camera and lies about benchmarks, poor design, little features etc. Give OP credit when they deserve it and heat when they don't. The OP5 is a big let down, they need to sort themselves out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's also a week old, are you telling me no other major phone manufacturer has issues when their phones have just been released? There's been plenty of those issues with Samsung, Apple and others.
Even Apple's own depth effect had to have multiple software updates before it worked properly.
bus_ter said:
We don't use our mobile phones to take photos of trees in the sun (unless you're a phone reviewer). We use our phones to take photos of family, friends, pets, activities, often inside or at night and other low light scenarios and we post them on Facebook and Instagram.
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Click to collapse
Don't you? We do; mostly pictures taken outside. I guess you need to get a phone which works for you.
thread closed,
Please use this one to discuss the camera issues you are having:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/oneplus-5/how-to/camera-thread-t3624645
thanks
Wolf

Camera quality is very disappointing. Doing smt wrong??

Bought this phone yesterday. I'm new to Samsung. I had seen and read a lot of reviews and articles, and all were very positive about the camera, but in my experience its very disappointing. Especially the front facing camera. It's always blurry, and what is up with all that smoothing out??? Even when it's off it just does the same. I haven't changed any special settings. After looking for a solution I see that I'm not the only one experiencing this. Is this just a question of taste, or is there really something "broken" at the moment with this camera?? I'm really considiring returning this phone. 1000€ and this is the picture quality I get?
I paid considerably less than 1000€ a week after launch, I think I'd return it if I paid that much. I've had some good photos from the camera and also less impressive ones, it seems Pro mode is the place to be.
Yes the selfie cam sucks. Too much post processing causing the smoothing effect. I'm not an Instagram model, I don't need to look airbrushed.
The rear shooters though can produce some really nice pics.
It's the software that causes issues. The hardware is solid.
The other option is to download GCam which uses Google's HDR Processing from the Pixel devices. It produces really nice photos. Some GCam builds have Night Sight working as well.
You might find this link useful for installing GCam, it seems to be a bit hit and miss, the camera works for a little while and then just force closes every time it's launched.
melchiar said:
Bought this phone yesterday. I'm new to Samsung. I had seen and read a lot of reviews and articles, and all were very positive about the camera, but in my experience its very disappointing. Especially the front facing camera. It's always blurry, and what is up with all that smoothing out??? Even when it's off it just does the same. I haven't changed any special settings. After looking for a solution I see that I'm not the only one experiencing this. Is this just a question of taste, or is there really something "broken" at the moment with this camera?? I'm really considiring returning this phone. 1000€ and this is the picture quality I get?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to the esteemed club of Note 9 owners! unfortunately a lot of us are already having this issue and understand exactly how you feel! there is a thread on here already about this: see below
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/help/galaxy-note-9-camera-sharp-t3835459
and trust me its annoying having paid so much for this device and then get this rubbish picture quality!.... and I bet you any money Samsung folks read these forums so whether its a case of "cant be bothered" or "working on it", no one knows!
I hear the point about Gcam download as an option but I really feel I should not need to download additional software to make up for Samsung's lapses. We buy this device cos we love it and desperately want it to work, guess Samsung makes them only to get our money... not rocket science who the real losers are !
123
willhemmens said:
I paid considerably less than 1000€ a week after launch, I think I'd return it if I paid that much. I've had some good photos from the camera and also less impressive ones, it seems Pro mode is the place to be.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tbh I also paid far less. But still, one expects to get a decent camera for this price and all that marketing jibberjabber. How come all big YouTube tech reviewers praise this camera ?! Money makes them dance
Mr. Orange 645 said:
Yes the selfie cam sucks. Too much post processing causing the smoothing effect. I'm not an Instagram model, I don't need to look airbrushed.
The rear shooters though can produce some really nice pics.
It's the software that causes issues. The hardware is solid.
The other option is to download GCam which uses Google's HDR Processing from the Pixel devices. It produces really nice photos. Some GCam builds have Night Sight working as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll give it a try.. but this is ffin low. That we even have to this..
willhemmens said:
You might find this link useful for installing GCam, it seems to be a bit hit and miss, the camera works for a little while and then just force closes every time it's launched.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx
william-johnson said:
Welcome to the esteemed club of Note 9 owners! unfortunately a lot of us are already having this issue and understand exactly how you feel! there is a thread on here already about this: see below
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/help/galaxy-note-9-camera-sharp-t3835459
and trust me its annoying having paid so much for this device and then get this rubbish picture quality!.... and I bet you any money Samsung folks read these forums so whether its a case of "cant be bothered" or "working on it", no one knows!
I hear the point about Gcam download as an option but I really feel I should not need to download additional software to make up for Samsung's lapses. We buy this device cos we love it and desperately want it to work, guess Samsung makes them only to get our money... not rocket science who the real losers are !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree
-----------
Now if these problems can be fixed with future updates that would be great, but is there communication from Samsung about this? And can this be fixed with (near) future updates.
william-johnson said:
Welcome to the esteemed club of Note 9 owners! unfortunately a lot of us are already having this issue and understand exactly how you feel! there is a thread on here already about this: see below
https://forum.xda-developers.com/galaxy-note-9/help/galaxy-note-9-camera-sharp-t3835459
and trust me its annoying having paid so much for this device and then get this rubbish picture quality!.... and I bet you any money Samsung folks read these forums so whether its a case of "cant be bothered" or "working on it", no one knows!
I hear the point about Gcam download as an option but I really feel I should not need to download additional software to make up for Samsung's lapses. We buy this device cos we love it and desperately want it to work, guess Samsung makes them only to get our money... not rocket science who the real losers are !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So you don't have any third party apps on your device?
I'm about to return my phone and get my money back.. But i'm still doubting. .. Can these problems be fixed with future updates? Can we expect a good stock camera app in the near future?
melchiar said:
I'm about to return my phone and get my money back.. But i'm still doubting. .. Can these problems be fixed with future updates? Can we expect a good stock camera app in the near future?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only likely upgrade would be Samsung's take on Night sight, I wouldn't expect any miracles.
Guys, hey, HW is solid as someone said, i also have some issues with cam quality, i thing that we must wait till we have pie update and then see what changes. Like im working with audio eq and for example player FIIOX5 III sounds quite bad at beggining, but later firmware updates makes it much better. So i thing - wait for software update and then decide to do something with it or ask for refound.
DeVilio said:
Guys, hey, HW is solid as someone said, i also have some issues with cam quality, i thing that we must wait till we have pie update and then see what changes. Like im working with audio eq and for example player FIIOX5 III sounds quite bad at beggining, but later firmware updates makes it much better. So i thing - wait for software update and then decide to do something with it or ask for refound.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thx for your input
It's been hit and miss too for me, coming from a Pixel 2 XL.
Things are considerably better since I use the Arnova's Gcam port (better than my Pixel 2 XL in fact), and it made me realize Samsung's app/post-processing is the issue, not the Note 9 camera/sensor
Samsung needs to go back to the drawing board and do something about that agressive, over the top post-processing. Like I said, Gcam produces way better, more natural looking like pics, and most of all, they're not blurry (faster shutter time with Gcam maybe?)
Phazonclash said:
It's been hit and miss too for me, coming from a Pixel 2 XL.
Things are considerably better since I use the Arnova's Gcam port (better than my Pixel 2 XL in fact), and it made me realize Samsung's app/post-processing is the issue, not the Note 9 camera/sensor
Samsung needs to go back to the drawing board and do something about that agressive, over the top post-processing. Like I said, Gcam produces way better, more natural looking like pics, and most of all, they're not blurry (faster shutter time with Gcam maybe?)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried the one via official XDA
https://www.xda-developers.com/google-camera-port-hub/
Is there difference with the Arnova port?
melchiar said:
Have you tried the one via official XDA
https://www.xda-developers.com/google-camera-port-hub/
Is there difference with the Arnova port?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More features like Advanced HDR+ and Night Sight are working for me with Arnova's builds vs the one you just posted.
https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/dev-arnova8G2/
Can you post some sample pics? This phone is consistently rated as one of the top cameras on the market and I have to say that I'm not disappointed. In good conditions it's hard to say that it's any worse than my DLSR with expensive lenses. Night shots are excellent too. If your rear camera is as bad as you claim, perhaps there is a hardware problem? The front camera does apply a lot of post processing (which I'm not a fan of either) but you can turn most of it off.
TLDR: either you have an actual hardware problem or insanely high expectations, the camera on this phone is just about the best on the market. When I say that it comes close to my DSLR, I'm not kidding.
Phazonclash said:
More features like Advanced HDR+ and Night Sight are working for me with Arnova's builds vs the one you just posted.
https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/dev-arnova8G2/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I added a screenshot. Do you install the first one or the second one?
Edit: the first one force closes every time, and the second one doesn't have all options it seems, like night vision en HDR+
melchiar said:
I added a screenshot. Do you install the first one or the second one?
Edit: the first one force closes every time, and the second one doesn't have all options it seems, like night vision en HDR+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the one you want: https://f.celsoazevedo.com/file/gcamera/MGC_6.1.021_BSG_Arnova-based_v.1.3d_TlnNeun_2.apk
If it force-closes on launch, that's because it was installed over an older version, just clear data + cache and relaunch, it will work
Reading some of these comments . . . The stock camera app takes fantastic looking pictures IF the subject is not moving. Try taking a picture of your kid or pet doing anything BUT standing still and the photo is a blurred mess. Wish the shutter speed was faster smh not holding my breath on Samsung fixing it thru an update
EclipseGST20 said:
Reading some of these comments . . . The stock camera app takes fantastic looking pictures IF the subject is not moving. Try taking a picture of your kid or pet doing anything BUT standing still and the photo is a blurred mess. Wish the shutter speed was faster smh not holding my breath on Samsung fixing it thru an update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use Pro mode if you want to be able to specify your shutter speed, I find the raw's are pretty good once they've had some basic touch-ups.

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