P20 Pro Camera problems - Huawei P20 Pro Questions & Answers

Believe it or not, P20 pro shoots terrible photos! Zoom in and see the details they are absolutely terrible. Especially when shooting close-ups the phone performs poorly and the images are blurry. I don't know why the problem occurs but it shouldn't be how so called the worlds best camera would perform. Anyone else has this problem?

Sure. But it looks nice on the phone display. This is what people want.

all the pugs said:
Sure. But it looks nice on the phone display. This is what people want.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but why is it even worse than my old huawei p8 lite.

I don‘t know. I also wonder. For me, zoom is not usable, and I only use pro mode, because it processes the images differently. Auto, night and hdr mode are currently just outputting bad, blurry and oversharpened images. Hoping for a firmware fix but I often read that other users like the look, so it‘s probably how huawei wants them to look.

Jeph gonna Steph said:
Believe it or not, P20 pro shoots terrible photos! Zoom in and see the details they are absolutely terrible. Especially when shooting close-ups the phone performs poorly and the images are blurry. I don't know why the problem occurs but it shouldn't be how so called the worlds best camera would perform. Anyone else has this problem?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
no problem here (Macro)
Upload macro photo pls(Untouched original files /original size)
Ty

I noticed that the zoom sensor isn't always stabilized: in low light and in close up shots it loses his stabilization, thus it produces awful results. Few days ago I took a picture of a little cat with 3x zoom, in a very low light scenario. This is the result I got (see attachment).
I also have attached a video where you can clearly see the stabilized zoom lense kicking in, and how shaky the image is when the stabilization goes off (focus on how the images "stretches" when I zoom to my little Wi-Fi antenna and to my mouse).
https://photos.app.goo.gl/AJiWNjdbFyMj3UeKA

Another quick comparison (attachments):
3x Without Stabilization (closer to subject) vs 5x With Stabilization (Farther)
Same light conditions, I just moved farther and closer to reach the distance needed to lose stabilization.
I think our zoom lense is intended to work just with far objects and not to take closer macro shots.

solefero69 said:
Another quick comparison (attachments):
3x Without Stabilization (closer to subject) vs 5x With Stabilization (Farther)
Same light conditions, I just moved farther and closer to reach the distance needed to lose stabilization.
I think our zoom lense is intended to work just with far objects and not to take closer macro shots.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate! yes!
When capture close photo with 3x zoom not the TELE lense working .!!!Regular lense with DIGITAL zoom
Tele lense useless for macro shots! Minimum distance 1, 1.5 meter need.
Your absolutly right!

kabirjedi said:
Mate! yes!
When capture close photo with 3x zoom not the TELE lense working .!!!Regular lense with DIGITAL zoom
Tele lense useless for macro shots! Minimum distance 1, 1.5 meter need.
Your absolutly right!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I roughly measured the distance: it's about 50-60cm. Getting farther from this with good light conditions will enable Stabilized Zoom Lens. In low light scenario, stabilization doesn't work at any distance for me.

Jeph gonna Steph said:
Believe it or not, P20 pro shoots terrible photos!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree! Especially in scenes with high contrast (landscapes in bright sunlight...) 1. dark surfaces (mostly shadows) turn into deep black (no more structures...) and 2. all details lost when you zoom into the picture (And no, i am not a pixelpeeper, but pls compare the 100%-View with another flagship...).
Intelligent Auto-HDR has to come, like in iOS or Samsungs Galaxys...
I also agree with the statement, these p20 pro pictures were made for good looking at the small display, not more!

holgerka75 said:
I agree! Especially in scenes with high contrast (landscapes in bright sunlight...) 1. dark surfaces (mostly shadows) turn into deep black (no more structures...) and 2. all details lost when you zoom into the picture (And no, i am not a pixelpeeper, but pls compare the 100%-View with another flagship...).
Intelligent Auto-HDR has to come, like in iOS or Samsungs Galaxys...
I also agree with the statement, these p20 pro pictures were made for good looking at the small display, not more!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mate too much,,,
One of the best camera yet.
Thsi is auto with ai and ai off
Imigine pro mode...
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1IExHyzoJMEEjiQfe36m1r82PEEPNLCK9
https://drive.google.com/open?id=17WkXYeaM48DrOc1RXsVWjid9Hp_IcJuk

no camera problems here
3x Zoom by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr
5x Zoom by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr
crop from 40MP no Zoom by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr
no zoom by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr
3x zoom by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr
5x zoom by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr
10x zoom by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr

holgerka75 said:
I agree! Especially in scenes with high contrast (landscapes in bright sunlight...) 1. dark surfaces (mostly shadows) turn into deep black (no more structures...) and 2. all details lost when you zoom into the picture (And no, i am not a pixelpeeper, but pls compare the 100%-View with another flagship...).
Intelligent Auto-HDR has to come, like in iOS or Samsungs Galaxys...
I also agree with the statement, these p20 pro pictures were made for good looking at the small display, not more!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm sorry but that's not totally correct. When AI is turned on, it automatically enables HDR when needed and is surprisingly good.

All shot and edited on P20 Pro. I love it.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/

I think you may be the problem with your photos.
1st is 3x lens
2nd is 5x hybrid further away.
The 3x is clearly better.
Sent from my CLT-L29 using Tapatalk

3x
5x
10x
2018-06-19_09-22-23 by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr

Obviously there are shortcomings with the zoom which users should be aware of when using it. The big one is the aperture which if i remember correctly is only f/2,4 or something like that. A big difference from the other lenses as it let's in a lot less light to the sensor. It also answers the questions why it performs poorly when the light disappears. Use zoom only when you have enough light to get a good shot, if the light is poor shoot at 40mpix shot and then crop it in post.
I'm having no big issues with the zoom myself as i only use it in good daylight situations and i avoid the 5x zoom since it looks way to artificially enhanced. Just crop into a 1x or 3x shot is enough.
I do wish Huawei toned down on sharpening and noise reduction as it would improve detail rendering to a much greater degree. A little sensor noise is not a bad thing, it gives photos a bit more character and personality.
/ Magnus

Magnus3D said:
Obviously there are shortcomings with the zoom which users should be aware of when using it. The big one is the aperture which if i remember correctly is only f/2,4 or something like that. A big difference from the other lenses as it let's in a lot less light to the sensor. It also answers the questions why it performs poorly when the light disappears. Use zoom only when you have enough light to get a good shot, if the light is poor shoot at 40mpix shot and then crop it in post.
I'm having no big issues with the zoom myself as i only use it in good daylight situations and i avoid the 5x zoom since it looks way to artificially enhanced. Just crop into a 1x or 3x shot is enough.
I do wish Huawei toned down on sharpening and noise reduction as it would improve detail rendering to a much greater degree. A little sensor noise is not a bad thing, it gives photos a bit more character and personality.
/ Magnus
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Totally agree with you
Sent from my CLT-L29 using Tapatalk

solefero69 said:
I'm sorry but that's not totally correct. When AI is turned on, it automatically enables HDR when needed and is surprisingly good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In auto mode HDR is also used automatically when deemed appropriate with AI turned off. The only way to disable auto HDR is to use pro mode (and likely some of the other modes, but they are obviously more specialized).

Magnus3D said:
I do wish Huawei toned down on sharpening and noise reduction as it would improve detail rendering to a much greater degree. A little sensor noise is not a bad thing, it gives photos a bit more character and personality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely +1!
---------- Post added at 10:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:15 AM ----------
MikeMTS said:
In auto mode HDR is also used automatically when deemed appropriate with AI turned off. The only way to disable auto HDR is to use pro mode (and likely some of the other modes, but they are obviously more specialized).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry you both(solofero & MikeMTS)! It may be right that HDR comes with Auto (with AI or w/o AI doesn´t matter)... But that intelligence when HDR turns on is crappy, most pics I wish they had HDR comes without it. So I have to turn on HDR manually for most situations...

Related

Better to take photos in 40 or 10mpx?

Sorry if someone already explained but I've not found an answer.
I would like to understand when is better to take pictures with 40mpx sensor and when is better with 10 mpx option.
Sorry but this huawei is new for me and I would like to understand how to make the best photos
Thank you for help
if the situation permits, then 40mp. the worse the conditions, the more compromises.
As far as I can tell 40mp is useful in Pro mode and i have posted the difference it makes on my insta. HDR and night mode revert to 10mp. You can have a look if you search my feed tag justaninstaguy there is a a few pics. I can't upload on the XDA app it keeps coming up with bad request.
you can post your Photos on Flickr with hashtag #huaweip20pro > https://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/huaweip20pro
starbase64 said:
if the situation permits, then 40mp. the worse the conditions, the more compromises.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Which are the conditions for the 40 mpx?
Socialnotworking said:
As far as I can tell 40mp is useful in Pro mode and i have posted the difference it makes on my insta. HDR and night mode revert to 10mp. You can have a look if you search my feed tag justaninstaguy there is a a few pics. I can't upload on the XDA app it keeps coming up with bad request.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for your answer.
At the moment the photo I've taken are better in 10mpx. Anyway I can't see much difference with the s9 plus, to be honest many pics are better in s9 plus
marko68 said:
Thank you for your answer.
At the moment the photo I've taken are better in 10mpx. Anyway I can't see much difference with the s9 plus, to be honest many pics are better in s9 plus
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Click to collapse
Quite possibly, I think the hardware in the P20 Pro is right up there but they just don't have the development refinement of Samsung or perhaps Google as yet. It was the same on the Mate 10 Pro, on paper it was perfect but niggles made it frustrating. That's the attraction with Apple, it may not be good value or offer but 99% of users can experience 99% of the capability of the phone whereas with the P20 Pro and Mate 10 Pro you really have to try hard to get the best out of it right now.
marko68 said:
Which are the conditions for the 40 mpx?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
a sunny day or tripod in low light
Socialnotworking said:
Quite possibly, I think the hardware in the P20 Pro is right up there but they just don't have the development refinement of Samsung or perhaps Google as yet. It was the same on the Mate 10 Pro, on paper it was perfect but niggles made it frustrating. That's the attraction with Apple, it may not be good value or offer but 99% of users can experience 99% of the capability of the phone whereas with the P20 Pro and Mate 10 Pro you really have to try hard to get the best out of it right now.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree
after hundreds of shots...I prefer 10mpx. Details, sharpness , lights, everything is better
40mpx sensor is useful only for particular situations and to take compensated photos (night mode, ecc but this automatically happens)
40mp by far in daylight. In low light 10mp.
Sent from my CLT-L29 using Tapatalk
This is a good explanation I found on another site "Now, you don't actually want to take 40MP pictures. Tap that image size in the settings menu and you won't get access to the other lenses. Instead, you want to leave it on the 10MP setting. This doesn't retire the 40MP lens. Here, it will oversample the picture and make it the best it can be when it's squeezed down to the lower, 10MP resolution. It also lends a hand when zooming beyond 3x. The 8MP camera takes great detailed images at that range, but bump it up to 5x and hybrid zoom will mix in the feed from the 40MP sensor to help improve overall clarity."
At least at daylight, taking 40MP and resized to 10MP, the result is much better than taking 10MP directly.
The main problem of 10MP is it's over-sharpen, 40MP resized to 10MP reduced the problem although still some.
marko68 said:
Sorry if someone already explained but I've not found an answer.
I would like to understand when is better to take pictures with 40mpx sensor and when is better with 10 mpx option.
Sorry but this huawei is new for me and I would like to understand how to make the best photos
Thank you for help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you need to change zoom then 10 is the way as you can't with 40..
If you're stationary and perhaps taking a wide angle image like a landscape or a city or sky or a large group of people, something you need detail for them 40 is the way.

Over sharpening of photo

It look like over sharpening of photo in strong sunlight. Anyone else feel the same?
Yes. In every situation the sharpening is excessive and ruins many photos. The only way to get rid of it is to shoot in 40mp mode but then you can't zoom
You can reduce sharpening in editing after the fact on pretty much any decent editor. Snapseed mobile, Lightroom or photoshop on PC.
It very rarely damages photos. The outcry is a little over the top.
In bright sunshine 40mp is probably the best way to shoot anyway.
Jonathan-H said:
You can reduce sharpening in editing after the fact on pretty much any decent editor. Snapseed mobile, Lightroom or photoshop on PC.
It very rarely damages photos. The outcry is a little over the top.
In bright sunshine 40mp is probably the best way to shoot anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The whole point of sharpening in P20 Pro is that it simply destroys data. There is no way to get it back in software, it just isn't there. This is a huge problem
I am considering to go back to my S9+ as P20 pro is far too much over sharpening.
I hope they will do something to the camera software before I make the change
dont expect anything like it from huawei, use another camera app
possible solution?
I find that using a zoom of 2.9x with 10mb auto mode helps with avoidance of over sharpening. With the same scene, the 2.9x zoom looks more natural when viewing at 100% pixel level:
At 2.9x zoom
https:// ibb.co/ bQtRBT
At 3.0x zoom
https:// ibb.co/ niGk5o
What do you think?
Hmm, having trouble with links not showing up... Please delete the spaces
photoxd said:
I find that using a zoom of 2.9x with 10mb auto mode helps with avoidance of over sharpening. With the same scene, the 2.9x zoom looks more natural when viewing at 100% pixel level:
At 2.9x zoom
https:// ibb.co/ bQtRBT
At 3.0x zoom
https:// ibb.co/ niGk5o
What do you think?
Hmm, having trouble with links not showing up... Please delete the spaces
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I find it works even better at 3x zoom if you use the lowest resolution.
Halfspark said:
I find it works even better at 3x zoom if you use the lowest resolution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I checked the setting, there are other resolution options at 7MB, but they are of different dimensions (ie. 1:1 and 3:2), so they are really more of a crop of the same resolution rather than a different resolution.
I had the same problems with the Mate 10 Pro. The image processing was so bad that I finally decided to sell it and buy something else. I could not stand the poor quality of the pictures. Oil paint effect, lack of details even at 10-20% crop. Not acceptable for such an expensive device. I remember the P9 having NONE of these problems.
I have this problem and I figured out the fixes. Huawei users have two options to take photos where the auto sharpening ruins your photos. 1) shoot pro mode at max resolution. or 2) Shoot in aperture mode.

Even after all the updates, is it still better to shoot pictures in 10mp vs 40mp?

When this phone launched, the general concensus was to shoot pictures in 10mp mode since I had better detail. But I was wondering if that was still the case after all of the updates we've had?
I still do it at 10MP because the sensor doesn't seem to be really good at 40MP, I see blemishes everywhere.
The 40mp sensor gives awesome pics in good light situations. No were near the 10mp setting. I only use the 10mp settings in poor lighting condition.
Sent from my CLT-L29 using Tapatalk
If you are in good lighting then from my experience 40mp mode gives far better results. Its obviously not on par with a ~42mp photo from something like a Sony a7R but its still pretty impressive what it can do. Attached is 2 photos taken at basically the same time. One is a 40MP taken in Pro mode and the other is a 10mp HDR shot. Obviously the 10mp hdr shot is better when not zoomed in at all because of the properly exposed highlights, but the detail is quite inferior.
So the take away is, use the mode for what you are shooting. You cannot do 40mp hdr shots, or at least with the camera version I am using on lineage.
40MP shot
10MP HDR shot

Blurred photo on moving objects

Hi any advice please.
When taking a photo of someone who is moving or waving that body part is blurred.
Is there a certain setting required.
Many thanks
Richard
use pro mode higher iso lower shutter
Thanks for reply. Would have thought just the normal photo mode would have done a better job. I know it was a pic taken in a bowling alley but not that dark!
It all depends on the available light, auto mode cannot itself determine the shutterspeed required to freeze a subjects motion in whatever type of ambient light it has to work with. That's when you should use Pro mode as suggested and feed it with a suitable settings for the subject you are trying to capture.
/ Magnus
I find the P20 Pro to take very sharp pictures of moving objects compared to many other phones...shutter speed is instant even in dimmer conditions
For someone waving, a shutter speed of 1000 could be enough. That requires a lot of light and unless it's a bright sunny day, it's not happening on a smartphone camera.
Just buy the pixel it dies the job way better. Huawei cameras are over rated
The nokia n8, a 10 year old phone did a fantastic job of frozen motion pictures, the xenon flash made a huge difference, you didnt need pro mode and all this complicated stuff, I cant believe nobody makes phone cameras like that anymore.
nsn27 said:
Just buy the pixel it dies the job way better. Huawei cameras are over rated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pixel cameras are the one over rated, my pixel 3 do screw photos of moving object more often than my huawei P20 pro or my P30 pro, and Top shot gives AWFUL 1Megapixel size photos that are kind of a joke

Photo quality

Say "cheese", then rate this thread to express how photos taken with the Xiaomi Poco F2 Pro (Redmi K30 Pro) come out. A higher rating indicates that photos offer rich color (without over-saturating), sharp detail (with all subjects in-focus), and appropriate exposure (with even lighting).
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
So i took few photos.
1) Stock cam portrait mode on object
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50231433373/in/album-72157715505381368/
comment: very nice object separation, good detail preservation.
2) Star of this phones camera setup - macro cam
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50230897823/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50230898113/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50231760232/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50231543996/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50232080781/in/album-72157715505381368/
comment: just wow, quality, details. Best macro shot i've seen on any phone.
3) Normal shots
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50232298942/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50232080956/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50233393941/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50233396586/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50233610022/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50233615612/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50233617217/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50233617707/in/album-72157715505381368/
comment: very decent photos, great hdr, colors, details, white balance on point.
4) Snaps from 8k video
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50231585333/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50232228536/in/album-72157715505381368/
comment: anbilivable these are snaps from video, great detail, low noise - love it!
Yet to test - low light.
As for these shots i grade camera 5/5
CROrION said:
So i took few photos.
1) Stock cam portrait mode on object
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50231433373/in/album-72157715505381368/
comment: very nice object separation, good detail preservation.
2) Star of this phones camera setup - macro cam
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50230897823/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50230898113/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50231760232/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50231543996/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50232080781/in/album-72157715505381368/
comment: just wow, quality, details. Best macro shot i've seen on any phone.
3) Normal shots
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50232298942/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50232080956/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50233393941/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50233396586/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50233610022/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50233615612/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50233617217/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50233617707/in/album-72157715505381368/
comment: very decent photos, great hdr, colors, details, white balance on point.
4) Snaps from 8k video
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50231585333/in/album-72157715505381368/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/50232228536/in/album-72157715505381368/
comment: anbilivable these are snaps from video, great detail, low noise - love it!
Yet to test - low light.
As for these shots i grade camera 5/5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it possible to take photos in raw?
@Peterrrrr said:
Is it possible to take photos in raw?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes
Could you post a few raw from outdoors daylight?
Would like to see some night shoots and video too
Coming from an S8 plus, is this an upgrade when it comes to camera?
khestoi said:
Coming from an S8 plus, is this an upgrade when it comes to camera?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Off course !
khestoi said:
Coming from an S8 plus, is this an upgrade when it comes to camera?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My pro zoom edition just arrived 3 days ago. Before I had the exynos s8+. I am waiting for the bootloader unlock by xiaiomi, but I can already tell you that even with china rom and stock camera it is a big jump
Just few point and shoot pictures (k30 pro zoom edition) with stock miui camera.
https://i.imgur.com/gISwowB.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/iwFRLG0.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/Uqqq8n7.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/S8PBRfv.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/gbLHKki.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/i8YNLfu.jpg
Hello Team
Can anybody share few photos of example documents? [newspaper, school-book, book, etc]. Taken indoor [so it means under "mean" light conditions].
For me it is interested how this phone handle such photos.
One thing Ive noticed when I was taking photos of documents/book pages was that it blurs on the periphery. It's clear on the center, but becomes *very subtly* blurry on the outward edges as if you've moved your hand for a split second. I shoot in a well lit room with light (bulb and natural light, and I shoot from the above (natch) so Im not sure why the focus is not uniform and. has blurring on the edges. Also using gcam btw: Twichaya2.
BystandrX said:
One thing Ive noticed when I was taking photos of documents/book pages was that it blurs on the periphery. It's clear on the center, but becomes *very subtly* blurry on the outward edges as if you've moved your hand for a split second. I shoot in a well lit room with light (bulb and natural light, and I shoot from the above (natch) so Im not sure why the focus is not uniform and. has blurring on the edges. Also using gcam btw: Twichaya2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I noticed the same thing in the photo comparison tool from gsmarena.com: https://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=5&idPhone1=10220&idPhone2=10097&idPhone3=9816
I wonder how pronounced the effect is in real world usage, keeping in mind that for some photos of humans, the face is at the edge of the frame.
this is why I asked for real examples. I have seen the same "issue" with many other cameras.

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