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Hi all,
What's up with the z2 primary cam? I've got a nexus 5, an lg g2, a galaxy s3 here at home aside from the z2. The camera pics seem to be comparable to the nexus 5 or g2? I was expecting a lot better being all the branding and the megapixels at its disposal... The images seem to be drawn on sandpaper( grainy on zooming) I don't get why... being the hardware is present am I the only one with this issue or is this a software thing that needs to be fixed? Any cam mods that solve this? Cybershot mod or the xposed mod?
Thanks a ton in advance, I'm worried I'm the only one with the grainy images...
mokaigutti said:
Hi all,
What's up with the z2 primary cam? I've got a nexus 5, an lg g2, a galaxy s3 here at home aside from the z2. The camera pics seem to be comparable to the nexus 5 or g2? I was expecting a lot better being all the branding and the megapixels at its disposal... The images seem to be drawn on sandpaper( grainy on zooming) I don't get why... being the hardware is present am I the only one with this issue or is this a software thing that needs to be fixed? Any cam mods that solve this? Cybershot mod or the xposed mod?
Thanks a ton in advance, I'm worried I'm the only one with the grainy images...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was similarly surprised when looking at the photos that I take with my Z2... However, I think it's understandable. In Superior Auto mode, the resolution is only 8MP, so that could be why your images are looking similar to that of the N5 and G2... If you switch to manual mode and up the resolution to the full 20MP, the pictures are quite clearly much higher quality. You can zoom in after taking the photo and not lose much if any clarity. As for the graininess, you have to remember that they're fitting 20700000 pixels into an area of about 1cm^2, so they're going to be tiny pixels. This means not much light will reach them. Hence why HTC have gone for a 4MP main camera, but with much bigger, more light absorbing pixels to focus on getting the minimal amount of grain, whilst sacrificing some resolution (on the M8). So in short, there's nothing wrong with the camera, the reason it's grainy is because it's ultra sensitive to low light conditions. To get amazing high resolution images with the Z2, you'll need a well lit, well balanced environment. It's a good camera, but it is designed for great photos, and that means perfect environments are required. If you leave it on Superior Auto, it will take photos that are just fine and hold up to scrutiny against those of the Nexus 5 and LG G2, they just can't hold up to all the branding and advertising that Sony have been giving, since you are unlikely to get the perfect picture taking environment in every day usage. I suggest putting the camera on Manual mode and fiddling with the in depth settings when lining up a shot. Don't push it all the way up to 20MP as you lose the ability to do HDR or Stabilisation, but at 15MP with the correct exposure and ISO settings, the photos can look incredible.
Hope that cleared things up, and sorry if it answered none of your questions x'D
Most of the time superior auto produces just as good quality as 20mp manual, and no its an insult to compare camera to g2 or nexus5, its way better
Agree with what u said but the superior auto I find takes better snaps than the max resolution in most cases. And the reason why I'm disappointed is that it is indeed comparable to the other two, which indeed is an insult!
So everybody gets the grainy images on zooming then? And is this fixable via a firmware or software update?
Put up some originals so we can see what you mean.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5whd6h9620kemdu/DSC_0036.JPG untouched pic here... Is this the best I can get? ( I have 3 more similar shots, this is the best one of the bunch)
feis said:
Most of the time superior auto produces just as good quality as 20mp manual, and no its an insult to compare camera to g2 or nexus5, its way better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The G2 with the camera mod available to it produced incredible photos and when I got my z2 I didn't really notice a difference other than the extreme amount of postprocessing that sometimes makes photos look like absolute crap... I just wished there was a way to remove all the processing of the image so we can tweak it ourselves
mokaigutti said:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/5whd6h9620kemdu/DSC_0036.JPG untouched pic here... Is this the best I can get? ( I have 3 more similar shots, this is the best one of the bunch)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try to get slightly better with manual and iso 50, yours was iso 84 but the difference will only show up in zooming.
If you're not zooming in a 3.5MP photo will be sharper still.
---------- Post added at 04:59 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:40 AM ----------
mokaigutti said:
I've got a nexus 5, an lg g2, a galaxy s3 here at home aside from the z2. The camera pics seem to be comparable to the nexus 5 or g2? I was expecting a lot better being all the branding and the megapixels at its disposal...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Do you have a similar photo from those cameras. It's best to take a shot of a similar subject, same angle and lighting conditions and let's see what you are comparing with.
s3 & n5 are 8mp so are comparable. The g2 makes 13MP so you should reduce it to the same resolution as what you are comparing with.
mokaigutti said:
The images seem to be drawn on sandpaper( grainy on zooming) I don't get why... being the hardware is present am I the only one with this issue or is this a software thing that needs to be fixed?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see a lot of grain in this picture with iso 84, zoomed in at 100%. Grain starts at 400-800 and beyond.
When the light goes down the others will struggle to keep up. They won't match video of z2 with the s3 coming the closest but stabilisation on the z2 will beat it. Z2 is a general purpose camera.
But those cameras have f2.4 or a half stop smaller apertures so this means more of the background will be in focus behind where you focus with the z2. This is the tradeoff for better bokeh and low light in video. But it only applies if you focus on a subject that is close.
mokaigutti said:
Thanks a ton in advance, I'm worried I'm the only one with the grainy images...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you put up a 20MP photo, try to take it with the on screen button instead of camera button as this reduces camera shake. Let's see how good your lens is.
xperia z1 ad z2 have poor processing algorithms. since the release of xperia z1 sony improved the image quality, but still needs improvements.
the grain in the pictures is NOT because of the tiny pixels, the xperia z2 has 1.175u pixels, larger than the 1.12u pixels in galaxy s5 and s4 for example, and both of them doesnt suffer from that level of grain and noise. if you take into consideration that sony has a bigger pixel, bigger sensor and resolution, wider aperture lens (can capture more light) than any other android smartphone and produces pictures comparable with an iphone 5 or gs4 with 1/3.2 sensor and f2.2 camera its a big shame for sony.
at 20mp you will have even more noise and grain. when shooting at 8Mp, the phone downsample the image utilizing the better pixels to provide a better picture (similar to what nokia does with its pureview lumia 1020 41Mp camera). shooting in manual mode is better for properly adjusting exposure, white balance and ISO, but the processing itself is the same, so apart from those parameters, nothing else will change
you can see the advantages of the big sensor and wide aperture lens in very low light videos for example. it produces much brighter and lower noise videos than others competitors, but the imaging from sony is terribly inconsistent. there is grain, noise and alias everywhere and and blur smeared inconsistently in pictures. and you can easily notice it in any picture taken with z1/z1c/z2. videos also suffers with lots of aliasing
with android L and the new and much improved camera API, lets hope from better camera firmwares from sony, and with DNG support, at least 3rd party camera apps will support it. then maybe we will have good quality pictures without the terrible post processing from sony
I guess the post processing is the problem. If I flash aosp or aokp the Google camera will use the stock processing right? And not sony's? Will that be better?
I'll try with the manual mode enabled and play with the iso as suggested as well.
And the 21mp are marginally worse than the superior auto so there isn't a point in uploading that... Ill upload pics from the 3 phones with a similar subject as suggested by today or tomorrow at the latest!
Thanks a ton for the feedback guys!
pepeo123 said:
xperia z1 ad z2 have poor processing algorithms. since the release of xperia z1 sony improved the image quality, but still needs improvements.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
File sizes of z2 are larger than z1 so there is less processing in z2. The numerous complaints i saw with z1 picture quality are very few with z2 largely because auto in z2 does a better job. What does auto do better in z2 ? the same thing people did in manual with z1, use the lowest iso possible.
pepeo123 said:
but the imaging from sony is terribly inconsistent. there is grain, noise and alias everywhere and and blur smeared inconsistently in pictures.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want consistent then you have to go with manual. No two ways about it.
Then you need to have a pretty good idea of how the sensor works in varying light conditions. You need to take loads of pictures to better understand which settings give the best picture depending on light. This is the same with any camera for that matter, assuming these others even allow some sort of manual intervention to begin with. With the g3 or moto x there is nothing, iphone is only marginally better in allowing exposure setting.
Don't want to do that ? then you will be taking 2 or 3 shots to get it right.
pepeo123 said:
if you take into consideration that sony has a bigger pixel, bigger sensor and resolution, wider aperture lens (can capture more light) than any other android smartphone and produces pictures comparable with an iphone 5 or gs4 with 1/3.2 sensor and f2.2 camera its a big shame for sony.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try comparing a 20MP pic with the smaller resolutions of the others and see how much more you can zoom. There may be more artifiacts in some situations but details will be better preserved. An 8mp iphone 5 cannot have the same details as a 20MP from the z2. In the same way as 13MP from the g2/s4 or 16MP from the s5 will have more detail than a 8mp auto from z2.
---------- Post added at 05:03 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:43 PM ----------
mokaigutti said:
I guess the post processing is the problem. If I flash aosp or aokp the Google camera will use the stock processing right? And not sony's? Will that be better?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doubtful. Or put it this way. i've yet to see someone make this claim in the z2 photo thread. For the simple reason that 3rd party apps cannot access iso setting in the camera libs. best camera app you can use is stock. The xposed mod allows to take auto in 20mp instead of 8mp. This i've seen to actually work. if you need it.
Whatever complaints people have about processing its better in the z2 than it is in the z1 when it came out. The only time i've seen the z1 do better is when there were lens issues with the reviewer's z2.
mokaigutti said:
And the 21mp are marginally worse than the superior auto so there isn't a point in uploading that...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just to check if the lens is ok. I've seen samples where 20MP are not as sharp with some models as others. See the pictures from this post.. Or even from an earlier post here.
Download the pictures from both posts and do a 1:1 compare, there is a subtle but noticeable difference between the two. This is a hardware defect and causes a softer than otherwise photo. You only see it in 20mp, 8mp will mask it.
What is the manufacturing date of your model ? should be in the format 14wxy, you will find it printed on a sticker under the micro-sd tray.
mokaigutti said:
Ill upload pics from the 3 phones with a similar subject as suggested by today or tomorrow at the latest!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah let's see the difference.
bear in mind that doing this sort of comparison on a sample size of a few pictures is tricky at best. Yes, in some instances some photos may be better, but what does it mean. You'd have to take many photos to draw a conclusion that this or that model is better than another, that too only in certain situations. Koreans tend to do more sharpening in their photos & videos which is perceived by some to be better. Debatable.
One Twelve said:
File sizes of z2 are larger than z1 so there is less processing in z2. The numerous complaints i saw with z1 picture quality are very few with z2 largely because auto in z2 does a better job. What does auto do better in z2 ? the same thing people did in manual with z1, use the lowest iso possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes the z2 pics are indeed larger (some are actualy 2x larger) probably mostly because lower compression. there is also processing changes too like you said, but both of them still badly processed. http://blog.gsmarena.com/sony-xperia-z2-vs-z1-camera-comparison/
One Twelve said:
If you want consistent then you have to go with manual. No two ways about it.
Then you need to have a pretty good idea of how the sensor works in varying light conditions. You need to take loads of pictures to better understand which settings give the best picture depending on light. This is the same with any camera for that matter, assuming these others even allow some sort of manual intervention to begin with. With the g3 or moto x there is nothing, iphone is only marginally better in allowing exposure setting.
Don't want to do that ? then you will be taking 2 or 3 shots to get it right.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
when i mean inconsistent, i dont mean that the camera is inconsistent trough various pictures(wich is, in superior auto, like you said, but can be solved shooting in manual adjusting correctly the parameters if you have enough knowledge in the equipment you are using, like you said too), i mean inconsistency in the picture itself. the picture is not uniform, it has random blured areas like if the lens was astigmatic or myopic giving the impression of a defocuesed image in some random areas (im not talking about the defective lens gsmarena unit)
http://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=3&idPhone1=4238&idPhone3=6144&idCamera2=30013
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/ca...ng-Galaxy-S5,LG-G3/phones/8323,8202,8347?st=2
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/camera/Sony-Xperia-Z2,Samsung-Galaxy-S5,LG-G3/phones/8323,8202,8347
One Twelve said:
Try comparing a 20MP pic with the smaller resolutions of the others and see how much more you can zoom. There may be more artifiacts in some situations but details will be better preserved. An 8mp iphone 5 cannot have the same details as a 20MP from the z2. In the same way as 13MP from the g2/s4 or 16MP from the s5 will have more detail than a 8mp auto from z2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes at 20mp you will have much more deatil thanks to the much larger resolution, but when i mean it was a big shame, i mean that at 8mp, the xperia z2 has comparable if not worse pictures in some cases than iphone 5 or lg g3, gs5, etc even with all those hardware advantages of it. and this is again caused by the processing. lots of grain, noise, alias, blur, too high contrast, etc, etc, etc (yes noise can be reduced using lower iso in manual, but when i mean more noise, i mean more noise in the same iso settings as the competitors)
an interesting thing to note is that if you compare raw pictures of the nokia 1020 with the jpeg ones from it for example, there is a HUGE diference between them, and nokia is know from doing really good processing in cameras in general. so this makes me think how much extra performance can be achieved from the z seris with it great hardware
I'm just worried this could be a hardware issue, mine is a 14W21 phone. I'm gonna do some extensive photo sessions and if they don't work out maybe try a replacement
pepeo123 said:
yes the z2 pics are indeed larger (some are actualy 2x larger) probably mostly because lower compression. there is also processing changes too like you said, but both of them still badly processed. http://blog.gsmarena.com/sony-xperia-z2-vs-z1-camera-comparison/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ok, i checked the 20MP manual mode shots at 100% and can say the z2 shot is visibly better than the z1 if you look at the balcony railings left of centre and building detail right of centre.
gsmarenas z2's lens does not have any issues that i can notice. I don't know if the z1 lens is ok though.
pepeo123 said:
when i mean inconsistent, i dont mean that the camera is inconsistent trough various pictures(wich is, in superior auto, like you said, but can be solved shooting in manual adjusting correctly the parameters if you have enough knowledge in the equipment you are using, like you said too), i mean inconsistency in the picture itself. the picture is not uniform, it has random blured areas like if the lens was astigmatic or myopic giving the impression of a defocuesed image in some random areas (im not talking about the defective lens gsmarena unit)
http://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=3&idPhone1=4238&idPhone3=6144&idCamera2=30013
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/ca...ng-Galaxy-S5,LG-G3/phones/8323,8202,8347?st=2
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/camera/Sony-Xperia-Z2,Samsung-Galaxy-S5,LG-G3/phones/8323,8202,8347
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, i see the underlined bit at 20MP with the z2 , but check out the SA of the iso chart from gsmareana (phonearena did not have SA images to compare)
http://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=1&idPhone1=6033&idPhone3=6144&idCamera2=30013
Much clearer to see the chart in SA than 20MP isn't it. Note that you see same blur with 20MP here too.
I added z1 into comparison in phonearena's chart, can you see the difference between z1 & z2.
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/ca...ony-Xperia-Z1/phones/8323,8202,8347,8000?st=2
z1 is less blurred but the compression is much more than z2. If you try to reduce the size of the image in phonearena, the z2 image remains blurred but if you look at the SA, its much more clear as shown in gsmarena.
pepeo123 said:
yes at 20mp you will have much more deatil thanks to the much larger resolution, but when i mean it was a big shame, i mean that at 8mp, the xperia z2 has comparable if not worse pictures in some cases than iphone 5 or lg g3, gs5, etc even with all those hardware advantages of it. and this is again caused by the processing. lots of grain, noise, alias, blur, too high contrast, etc, etc, etc (yes noise can be reduced using lower iso in manual, but when i mean more noise, i mean more noise in the same iso settings as the competitors)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Underlined bit is somewhat true in good light, but not in low light.
Why the pictures look better, requires explanation of what better means. Did you see DxO's tests. compare z1, 5s, s5 & z2 on 7 parameters for still photo. Exposure, ontrast & Noise is very well controlled in the Z2. Artifacts is the only parameter where the Z2 trails the others. To notice that you will have to zoom into edges to see it. Not very apparent without zooming.
Exposure and contrast
---------------------
90 Apple iPhone 5s
88 Sony Xperia Z2
88 Samsung Galaxy S5
85 Sony Xperia Z1
80 LG G2
Colour
------
82 Apple iPhone 5S
82 Samsung Galaxy S5
80 Apple iPhone 5
77 Sony Xperia Z1
76 LG G2
74 Sony Xperia Z2
Autofocus
---------
84 Sony Xperia Z2
81 Apple iPhone 5S
74 LG G2
73 Sony Xperia Z1
69 Samsung Galaxy S5
Texture
-------
83 Sony Xperia Z2
78 Samsung Galaxy S5
69 LG G2
66 Sony Xperia Z1
59 Apple iPhone 5S
Noise
-----
84 Sony Xperia Z2
84 Sony Xperia Z1
83 LG G2
78 Samsung Galaxy S5
70 Apple iPhone 5S
Artifacts
---------
91 Apple iPhone 5S
89 LG G2
83 Samsung Galaxy S5
74 Sony Xperia Z1
68 Sony Xperia Z2
Flash
-----
85 Sony Xperia Z2
84 Sony Xperia Z1
83 Apple iPhone 5S
82 Samsung Galaxy S5
72 LG G2
DxOMark Still Photo (overall rank)
-------------------- -
81 Nokia 808 PureView
81 Sony Xperia Z2
80 Samsung Galaxy S5
78 Apple iPhone 5S
77 Sony Xperia Z1
77 LG G2
These are the differences observed after analysis of over 400 photos.
pepeo123 said:
an interesting thing to note is that if you compare raw pictures of the nokia 1020 with the jpeg ones from it for example, there is a HUGE diference between them, and nokia is know from doing really good processing in cameras in general. so this makes me think how much extra performance can be achieved from the z seris with it great hardware
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is something we will only find out when android L comes out. having said that the oppo find 7a can output raw images from its 13MP sensor, and its a sony one to boot. Lumia 1520 can already output RAW.
The question that remains to be answered is, what is the shot to shot turnaround with RAW in a mobile phone. Without dedicated image processors that specialise in it things will be slow.
---------- Post added at 05:08 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:06 AM ----------
mokaigutti said:
I'm just worried this could be a hardware issue, mine is a 14W21 phone. I'm gonna do some extensive photo sessions and if they don't work out maybe try a replacement
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So that is not an earlier build. i don't see anything to worry about given what little you have posted so far.
One Twelve said:
ok, i checked the 20MP manual mode shots at 100% and can say the z2 shot is visibly better than the z1 if you look at the balcony railings left of centre and building detail right of centre.
gsmarenas z2's lens does not have any issues that i can notice. I don't know if the z1 lens is ok though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes z2 is superior, i dont know right now since this review was done in older firmware and both z1 and z2 received some firmware upgrades and z1 is even in 4.4.4. the good new for z1 owners is that its possible to port the camera apk. for z1 like they did with the 4k mod, and therefore things will be the same
One Twelve said:
Yes, i see the underlined bit at 20MP with the z2 , but check out the SA of the iso chart from gsmareana (phonearena did not have SA images to compare)
http://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=1&idPhone1=6033&idPhone3=6144&idCamera2=30013
Much clearer to see the chart in SA than 20MP isn't it. Note that you see same blur with 20MP here too.
I added z1 into comparison in phonearena's chart, can you see the difference between z1 & z2.
http://www.phonearena.com/phones/ca...ony-Xperia-Z1/phones/8323,8202,8347,8000?st=2
z1 is less blurred but the compression is much more than z2. If you try to reduce the size of the image in phonearena, the z2 image remains blurred but if you look at the SA, its much more clear as shown in gsmarena.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
exactly, regarding the blurred areas, SA is better than 20mp downsampled to 8MP, and this could mean 2 things. either sony is using diferent processing, or the downsample algorithm is doing its job right. or maybe both. either way, this shows that sony has work to do
One Twelve said:
Underlined bit is somewhat true in good light, but not in low light.
Why the pictures look better, requires explanation of what better means. Did you see DxO's tests. compare z1, 5s, s5 & z2 on 7 parameters for still photo. Exposure, ontrast & Noise is very well controlled in the Z2. Artifacts is the only parameter where the Z2 trails the others. To notice that you will have to zoom into edges to see it. Not very apparent without zooming.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes in low light the phone really shows its big sensor and wide aperture lens advantage, pictures are brighter and capture more, while others have darker pictures and less detailed, although the focus in low light is terrible, something that is possible to be corrected using manual mode. low light videos z2 crushes its oponents too, other phones look like they are in a darker place lol
One Twelve said:
This is something we will only find out when android L comes out. having said that the oppo find 7a can output raw images from its 13MP sensor, and its a sony one to boot. Lumia 1520 can already output RAW.
The question that remains to be answered is, what is the shot to shot turnaround with RAW in a mobile phone. Without dedicated image processors that specialise in it things will be slow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, oppo, lumia 1020 and lumia 1520 can output raw and use sony sensors
maybe taking raw pictures is even faster, since it just takes the picture but doesnt process nothing else like it would do with JPEG,or maybe it could take longer because since its a large file, saving would take a little bit longer but? i really have no knowledge in what i am talking about here, so this is purely an speculation made by me
I was being dumb by comparing the images on the respective phone displays... On transferring them to my laptop the z2 has visibly better images overall, especially low light this is the good news... The bad news is the presence of graininess on full zoom. This is normal? (spoilt solid by previous phones, Sony satio, Nokia n8, and the best one n82)
mokaigutti said:
I was being dumb by comparing the images on the respective phone displays... On transferring them to my laptop the z2 has visibly better images overall, especially low light this is the good news... The bad news is the presence of graininess on full zoom. This is normal? (spoilt solid by previous phones, Sony satio, Nokia n8, and the best one n82)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Full zoom graininess? You realize there isn't a single phone that isn't completely grainy at full zoom right? Literally not one.... Because the zoom is digital vs optical.
TechSavvy2 said:
Full zoom graininess? You realize there isn't a single phone that isn't completely grainy at full zoom right? Literally not one.... Because the zoom is digital vs optical.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry I didn't mean zooming in during the shot, I meant after the shot is taken... In the album app. I just feel spoilt after seeing the first page of the"post your z2 snaps here" post.
mokaigutti said:
I was being dumb by comparing the images on the respective phone displays... On transferring them to my laptop the z2 has visibly better images overall, especially low light this is the good news...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The opposite can also apply, photos can look good on the z2 screen and when transferred over to a laptop appear dull or washed out. Simple reason is photo was taken in too much light ie sun light. The wider aperture and bsi sensor means chances of over exposure are more than with other cameras that do not do as well in low light or have narrower apertures. So you will have to use -EV if colours do not appear natural or alternatively take photos in softer light rather than harsh light. You have to understand how light works to get the best photos with any camera.
So ensure bravia engine is switched off in the Z2 otherwise you might think photos are better than they actually are. can always correct things in post but its less work if you get it more or less right at the outset.
mokaigutti said:
The bad news is the presence of graininess on full zoom. This is normal? (spoilt solid by previous phones, Sony satio, Nokia n8, and the best one n82)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What frame of reference are you using to say it is grainy ? What are you comparing it with.
You started this topic on that basis and have yet to substantiate it. So post photos of the same subject from other models.
I'm stuck at work and haven't been home in a while, the moment I am ill post some similar pics to compare with. I say grainy as in the images seem to be oversharpened. I'll upload some pics in a few minutes so it's a little easy to understand
Say "cheese", then rate this thread to express how photos taken with the Xiaomi Mi A1 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!
Nice
I just got my MI A1 as an upgrade for my 4 years old Nexus 5 daily driver. First impressions in Daylight the MI A1 outperforms the Nexus 5, but in low light the lack of OIS and relatively small 1.25 um pixel size means the A1 struggles a lot. Even getting a sharp focus is slow comparing with my Nexus 6P which has laser autofocus.
In comparison my Nexus 5 has OIS and 1.4 um pixels, and my Nexus 6P has 1.55 um pixels.
Taking into account the cost of the MI A1 however, this phone is a tip top performer and I have no compliants for what I paid. Very happy with it.
---------- Post added at 05:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:52 PM ----------
Here are some samples I shot with the MI A1, might post more soon.
Photos have been scaled down by Google Photos app.
1. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZnPCaOmsNQtHaspq2
2. https://photos.app.goo.gl/9zBmB58K2wp2JGvl1
3. https://photos.app.goo.gl/xluE7J1qFcO27Ols1
4. https://photos.app.goo.gl/IwdZ4ybNZMQtvsxq1
5. https://photos.app.goo.gl/dPQsGItVW1Cal6nr1
6. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Vv4HIUyHw3dwM5Wg1
7. https://photos.app.goo.gl/JByd6qk95BiEbriS2
Update 1: After 1 week with the device now I have to say that although daylight photos turn out great, low light shots are abysmal. Still usable in certain cases but very slow
XDA_RealLifeReview said:
Say "cheese", then rate this thread to express how photos taken with the Xiaomi Mi A1 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!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The cameras are capable of taking excellent pictures. Unfortunately not every picture is excellent. Blurred photos are fairly common.
Hopefully a fix will come with updated software. I blame the software for the problem because a downloaded camera app is much better. Unfortunately the 2X setting doesn't work with that app.
3545alg said:
The cameras are capable of taking excellent pictures. Unfortunately not every picture is excellent. Blurred photos are fairly common.
Hopefully a fix will come with updated software. I blame the software for the problem because a downloaded camera app is much better. Unfortunately the 2X setting doesn't work with that app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you tell the name of the downloaded camera app?
Aman301582 said:
Can you tell the name of the downloaded camera app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Open Camera is the name of the app. I would have used it as default if the dual camera was usable.
Leong428 said:
I just got my MI A1 as an upgrade for my 4 years old Nexus 5 daily driver. First impressions in Daylight the MI A1 outperforms the Nexus 5, but in low light the lack of OIS and relatively small 1.25 um pixel size means the A1 struggles a lot. Even getting a sharp focus is slow comparing with my Nexus 6P which has laser autofocus.
In comparison my Nexus 5 has OIS and 1.4 um pixels, and my Nexus 6P has 1.55 um pixels.
Taking into account the cost of the MI A1 however, this phone is a tip top performer and I have no compliants for what I paid. Very happy with it.
---------- Post added at 05:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:52 PM ----------
Here are some samples I shot with the MI A1, might post more soon.
Photos have been scaled down by Google Photos app.
1. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZnPCaOmsNQtHaspq2
2. https://photos.app.goo.gl/9zBmB58K2wp2JGvl1
3. https://photos.app.goo.gl/xluE7J1qFcO27Ols1
4. https://photos.app.goo.gl/IwdZ4ybNZMQtvsxq1
5. https://photos.app.goo.gl/dPQsGItVW1Cal6nr1
6. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Vv4HIUyHw3dwM5Wg1
7. https://photos.app.goo.gl/JByd6qk95BiEbriS2
Update 1: After 1 week with the device now I have to say that although daylight photos turn out great, low light shots are abysmal. Still usable in certain cases but very slow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Bokeh effect is better than moto g5s plus
Low light is better in moto g5s plus
Can we take wide angle photos with the dual camera or any other app ?
Leong428 said:
I just got my MI A1 as an upgrade for my 4 years old Nexus 5 daily driver. First impressions in Daylight the MI A1 outperforms the Nexus 5, but in low light the lack of OIS and relatively small 1.25 um pixel size means the A1 struggles a lot. Even getting a sharp focus is slow comparing with my Nexus 6P which has laser autofocus.
In comparison my Nexus 5 has OIS and 1.4 um pixels, and my Nexus 6P has 1.55 um pixels.
Taking into account the cost of the MI A1 however, this phone is a tip top performer and I have no compliants for what I paid. Very happy with it.
---------- Post added at 05:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:52 PM ----------
Here are some samples I shot with the MI A1, might post more soon.
Photos have been scaled down by Google Photos app.
1. https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZnPCaOmsNQtHaspq2
2. https://photos.app.goo.gl/9zBmB58K2wp2JGvl1
3. https://photos.app.goo.gl/xluE7J1qFcO27Ols1
4. https://photos.app.goo.gl/IwdZ4ybNZMQtvsxq1
5. https://photos.app.goo.gl/dPQsGItVW1Cal6nr1
6. https://photos.app.goo.gl/Vv4HIUyHw3dwM5Wg1
7. https://photos.app.goo.gl/JByd6qk95BiEbriS2
Update 1: After 1 week with the device now I have to say that although daylight photos turn out great, low light shots are abysmal. Still usable in certain cases but very slow
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I loved my Nexus 6P camera quality.
How far is the Mi A1 camera in good light condictions from the Nexus 6P?
Inviato dal mio Redmi Note 4 utilizzando Tapatalk
continua.mente said:
I loved my Nexus 6P camera quality.
How far is the Mi A1 camera in good light condictions from the Nexus 6P?
Inviato dal mio Redmi Note 4 utilizzando Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disclaimer: I always shoot with HDR+ on my Nexus 6P.
In good lighting the MI A1 with HDR produces results comparable to the 6P in terms of dynamic range, sharpness and saturation. However, Xiaomi's HDR processing is noticeably not as refined as Google's on the 6P. HDR photos can seem slightly exaggerated on the A1 when you compare it side by side with the same shot taken on the 6P.
This isn't noticeable if you judge the photos on their own merit, which are very respectable and will impress you on the first shot almost every time.
In short I would say that the MI A1 has inspired enough confidence for me to carry it around full time as my daily driver and main camera for weekdays and weekends, but I still bring my 6P out when going on trips/vacations for shooting video (DJI Osmo mobile + Nexus 6P).
Here's an example:
A) Taken with HDR on MI A1
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Yg0xG4lqLQHtqh9P2
B) Same shot taken with HDR+ on Nexus 6P
https://photos.app.goo.gl/hWYOsn4klJZ24BSF3
----
More samples from the MI A1:
1. https://photos.app.goo.gl/JB7n7XVSKMahvUfP2
2. https://photos.app.goo.gl/emF4EUgMyrwyrnab2
3. https://photos.app.goo.gl/5RbQKmCjDxAnJKJs1
I have a question about the camera, some people said that HDR picture takes times, about 1 to 2 seconds.
Is that correct?
viruzth said:
I have a question about the camera, some people said that HDR picture takes times, about 1 to 2 seconds.
Is that correct?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, HDR takes about a second
Great Photos using it for 4 days now.
Hi evryone, I am coming from the Moto G2 XT1068 which was my daily driver for 4 years and using clips lens on the camera and the picture quality was decent .. But I am amazed how the Mi A1 outperforms some of the over-priced same spec smartphones in its range.
I am sharing some of the shots taken from Mi A1 during my Nepal trip.
Disappointed, really,i came from mi5 to mi a1.i thought it'll be better since it has dual camera,new software,new features they claiming has better camera compared to oneplus 5 even iPhone 7,but still waaay better on mi5 even with lineage os which is known as downgrading the camera quality.
Front facing camera is the worst part,ironically i sell my mi5 to get this phone,damn!
subhoghatak said:
Hi evryone, I am coming from the Moto G2 XT1068 which was my daily driver for 4 years and using clips lens on the camera and the picture quality was decent .. But I am amazed how the Mi A1 outperforms some of the over-priced same spec smartphones in its range.
I am sharing some of the shots taken from Mi A1 during my Nepal trip.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, no. Those aren't photos taken on your Mi A1. A simple reverse-image search shows you ripped it off 500px - "Portrait of a Sadhu by Ashraful Arefin". I'm not allowed to post links but you can find it with a google search.
The photos were taken on a DSLR, over a year ago.
Just why?
This is actual footage of portrait mode but when taking photos instantly its quite often resulting blurry pictures
Another portrait mode,quite impressive but you need to hold the phone really steady
Blurry pictures when taking picture on moving object
Outdoor shots are pretty good and HDR does a good job without making the pictures look "cartoonish" which is sometimes the case. Once you take it indoors there's a rapid drop-off in quality, I find. Going out to dinner tonight and will try to make some shots in the restaurant to test.
Turning on portrait mode seems to zoom in on the object automatically, which is a bit strange. Anyone else have this?
Manual mode is a bit disappointing as the maximum exposure time is 1/60 second, which means if you want a usable low-light shot you still need to bump up the ISO quite a bit. Hope they can fix this in an update.
---------- Post added at 05:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:28 PM ----------
Just tried latest HTC camera from apkmirror (Sept. 28 version) and it shoots MUCH better pictures! Indoors pictures and selfies are MUCH sharper. You get nice depth-of-field shots even without portrait mode and it nicely focuses on items the Mi camera had trouble focusing on.
Camera works fully without root, just install the apk. I highly recommend you give this a try!
guitarsmurf2501 said:
Outdoor shots are pretty good and HDR does a good job without making the pictures look "cartoonish" which is sometimes the case. Once you take it indoors there's a rapid drop-off in quality, I find. Going out to dinner tonight and will try to make some shots in the restaurant to test.
Turning on portrait mode seems to zoom in on the object automatically, which is a bit strange. Anyone else have this?
Manual mode is a bit disappointing as the maximum exposure time is 1/60 second, which means if you want a usable low-light shot you still need to bump up the ISO quite a bit. Hope they can fix this in an update.
---------- Post added at 05:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:28 PM ----------
Just tried latest HTC camera from apkmirror (Sept. 28 version) and it shoots MUCH better pictures! Indoors pictures and selfies are MUCH sharper. You get nice depth-of-field shots even without portrait mode and it nicely focuses on items the Mi camera had trouble focusing on.
Camera works fully without root, just install the apk. I highly recommend you give this a try!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm trying htc camera on xiaomi Redmi notes 4 waiting for the Mi A1 to arrive but it does not work. I take the picture, but this is not saved in the gallery. Did you just download htc camera or even the gallery?
Inviato dal mio Redmi Note 4 utilizzando Tapatalk
Everytime I hit record the camera instantly jumps tp 16:9 mode which is cropped from 4:3 native mode of the camera, is there anyway to avoid this?
Go into camera settings, go down to Video Size, change the size.
16:9 is a pretty standard aspect ratio these days and is what most TVs, computer monitors, and such are built as. Certain phones also are, but its more likely that they are slightly wider, or slightly longer. S9+ has an aspect ratio of 18:5.9. Granted, considering 99% of people film in portrait mode rather than landscape, aspect ratio goes out the window.
I think Instagram defaults to 4:3 even for stuff filmed in widescreen or portrait but you can change it before uploading it.
I went through all of the video size option, the only one that won't crop as much will be the square 1:1 mode because it's cropping it on the horizontal side. You will retain the same vertical height as the preview.
4:3 video
I can't believe people aren't more up in arms about this. I certainly to not need to hear any explanations about aspect ratios and standards (I'm not some idiot asking "why are there black bars on my video" ).
The fact is, there's no way to record video using the native resolution if the sensor (at least not on my Galaxy note, Android Pie (9)).
This is pretty f'ing unconscionable. Someone in marketing probably gave developers the "make it simpler" directive, which has resulted in crippled video.
I'm going to look for 3rd party video apps and report back if I find anything.
---------- Post added at 04:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:16 PM ----------
Pro Cam X Lite uses the full 4:3 sensor, but at limited resolution. I went ahead and purchased the Pro version and now I'm getting 2880 x 2260. No Still not native res (4032 x 3024), but I'm happy that it's wide angle 4:3 at a decent resolution.
Todd9 said:
---------- Post added at 04:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:16 PM ----------
Pro Cam X Lite uses the full 4:3 sensor, but at limited resolution. I went ahead and purchased the Pro version and now I'm getting 2880 x 2260. No Still not native res (4032 x 3024), but I'm happy that it's wide angle 4:3 at a decent resolution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2 years, 2 months later...
Have you found a better solution? What smartphone do you currently have?
I want to know about how much noise a 30 sec exposure on iso100 with the ultra wide 0.6x lens, makes on the sensor.
The picture must be taken in a dark room and aperture and focus doesn't matter, since it's sensor noise I'm interested in.
1 picture jpg
1 picture raw
I can pay 10$ for the service in Paypal.
Best
Thue
Thuekr said:
I want to know about how much noise a 30 sec exposure on iso100 with the ultra wide 0.6x lens, makes on the sensor.
The picture must be taken in a dark room and aperture and focus doesn't matter, since it's sensor noise I'm interested in.
1 picture jpg
1 picture raw
I can pay 10$ for the service in Paypal.
Best
Thue
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I took one in a very dim bathroom. Came out terrible.
---------- Post added at 08:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:02 PM ----------
hendogg_af said:
I took one in a very dim bathroom. Came out terrible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What's your email I'll send it to you
hendogg_af said:
I took one in a very dim bathroom. Came out terrible.
---------- Post added at 08:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:02 PM ----------
What's your email I'll send it to you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks!
I have send you a PM
Got some really interesting shots from hendogg - lots of dead/stuck pixels (easy to remove afterwards), but impressed by the relative little noise on a 30 sec iso100 "warm" sensor.
Thuekr said:
Got some really interesting shots from hendogg - lots of dead/stuck pixels (easy to remove afterwards), but impressed by the relative little noise on a 30 sec iso100 "warm" sensor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you post the picture?
I buy my phone a week ago. So what do you want to see actually? Do you want to take night sky 30 seconds with 100 iso on super wide angle? Or mountain or my village?
isko01 said:
I buy my phone a week ago. So what do you want to see actually? Do you want to take night sky 30 seconds with 100 iso on super wide angle? Or mountain or my village?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant the picture from the other user that he gave to you. But if you can post some star photos or some photos in low light you have made with the phone, I will greatly appreciate it. I will also post some for comparison these days
16mm 3 RAW files tonemapped and merged in to 1 jpg.
I'm satisfied with the low noise high detail. 1, 4, 20sec iso100 exposure
https://lfgss.microco.sm/api/v1/files/50568a83945a5b4af1a59589da845595b1b201bd.jpg
As you probably already know, there is more than one way to take close-up pictures with your P30 Pro. You can use the dedicated Super Macro mode (found under More in your stock camera app) or manually set the focus to macro in Pro mode. However, two years of experience have taught me that by far the best way to take really crisp macro shots with my phone is not an obvious one. In fact, I bet you have never even tried it.
You see, our phone comes with 2 primary lenses, each with its own sensor. The main lens boasts a 40MP sensor, making it the default choice for your everyday shots, while the wide secondary lens has a 20MP sensor, which makes it sound a little underwhelming. However, when it comes to macro photography, the wide lens has one major advantage over its big brother - a much shorter minimum focus distance. This allows you to bring the lens much closer to your subject before the image becomes blurry. So to take superior close-up shots with your P30 Pro, all you have to do is switch to the wide lens by selecting the Wide picture mode in the camera app. You can combine this with the dedicated HDR mode (found under More in your stock camera app) to eliminate any unwanted shadows. However, be aware that at such close proximity to the subject the autofocus can no longer be relied on. So manual focusing is strongly recommended.
Below are some sample pictures taken by each lens at their minimum focus distance.
40MP Primary Lens at minimum focus distance:
https://ibb.co/61kjmDQ
40MP Primary Lens, Closer Look:
https://ibb.co/ftpmCnx
20MP Secondary (Wide) Lens at minimum focus distance:
https://ibb.co/f4J7rCD
20MP Secondary (Wide) Lens, Closer Look:
https://ibb.co/dktkjqH
As you can see, the wide lens was able to capture far superior detail at minimum focusing distance compared to the 40MP shot. In real life application this means less cropping and more pictures like these:
https://ibb.co/cTn6W2J
https://ibb.co/1TtJHyz
https://ibb.co/Qb8PfNh
Have fun with your Macro shots!
That's really informative, and the difference in detail in your pics is quite stark. I'll try your suggestions for myself.
Thanks
That last pic is stunning!
I would add something to this post : shoot in RAW. You'll need to post-process the pictures, but the results are way much better regarding color, sharpness and lighting than what the auto mode can provide !
Quick comparison :
Auto mode :
https://ibb.co/QfzW5F3
RAW file manually edited :
https://ibb.co/bmWmmLq
I can assure you this flower wasn't anywhere near pink !
All the colours are different between those two pics, not just the flower. What does post-processing involve?
It's actually up to you. The RAW file only offers you a lot more freedom, with greater dynamic range and sharpness than a jpg file. You can crop and still get a perfectly sharp picture, you can play with lighting, shadows, colors ... to get exactly what you want.
In my case, a better quality and a more realistic / natural look. Most of the time, I get oversaturated pictures, with an exaggerated HDR effect and lack of detail using the auto mode (and I'm not only talking about macrophotography).
Regarding this specific RAW picture, I cropped and increased saturation and texture using Photoshop. The whole process took no more than ten minutes.
To give you an idea, here is what it looks like unedited : https://ibb.co/3mVKFbX
poulos971 said:
It's actually up to you. The RAW file only offers you a lot more freedom, with greater dynamic range and sharpness than a jpg file. You can crop and still get a perfectly sharp picture, you can play with lighting, shadows, colors ... to get exactly what you want.
In my case, a better quality and a more realistic / natural look. Most of the time, I get oversaturated pictures, with an exaggerated HDR effect and lack of detail using the auto mode (and I'm not only talking about macrophotography).
Regarding this specific RAW picture, I cropped and increased saturation and texture using Photoshop. The whole process took no more than ten minutes.
To give you an idea, here is what it looks like unedited : https://ibb.co/3mVKFbX
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I do enjoy playing with RAW. However, as I only ever post my pictures on social media where their quality gets butchered by the site's own compression engine, I find it difficult to justify the time investment in RAW editing. So I stick to JPEG format in Pro mode with master AI disabled.
i can't see "wide picture "in camera app for 20mp lens??cancel that
tonybhoy said:
i can't see "wide picture "in camera app for 20mp lens??cancel that
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You need to be in Pro mode with resolution set to 10MP. Don't ask me why. Ask our friends at Huawei =)
https://ibb.co/7jcRFFc
So I took Paulos971's suggestion and combined the wide lens macro with RAW. I have to say - I am not disappointed. Below are the edited versions of the same image taken simultaneously in RAW and JPEG.
Image saved as JPEG:
https://ibb.co/nmQcXLk
Image saved as RAW (.DNG):
https://ibb.co/cTn6W2J
koi8ru said:
You need to be in Pro mode with resolution set to 10MP. Don't ask me why. Ask our friends at Huawei =)
https://ibb.co/7jcRFFc
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i just went to photo mode and slid slider down to wide,never went to pro
koi8ru said:
So I took Paulos971's suggestion and combined the wide lens macro with RAW. I have to say - I am not disappointed. Below are the edited versions of the same image taken simultaneously in RAW and JPEG.
Image saved as JPEG:
https://ibb.co/nmQcXLk
Image saved as RAW (.DNG):
https://ibb.co/cTn6W2J
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow, amazing picture ! :good:
Yeah editing takes some time indeed, but I really think it's worth it
guys, go see my page, i have a lot of photos taken by my P30 Pro. You will see a lot of macro photography
My name on instagram is Titibenze
poulos971 said:
I would add something to this post : shoot in RAW. You'll need to post-process the pictures, but the results are way much better regarding color, sharpness and lighting than what the auto mode can provide !
Quick comparison :
Auto mode :
https://ibb.co/QfzW5F3
RAW file manually edited :
https://ibb.co/bmWmmLq
I can assure you this flower wasn't anywhere near pink !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried many times to use RAW, but it works only at full res of 40mp an noise is incredibly hight, even with good light. Ho do yout set for those 2 example shot??
Leoxur said:
I tried many times to use RAW, but it works only at full res of 40mp an noise is incredibly hight, even with good light. Ho do yout set for those 2 example shot??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, the RAW file will always be a full resolution picture (i. e. 40mp using the main camera, 20mp on the ultrawide and 8mp on the telephoto).
To avoid noise, you must shoot at the lowest possible ISO setting ! It also depends on the sensor used (as the main one is bigger, it produces less noisy pictures than the ultrawide / telephoto).
This example picture was shot in 1/500s at 50 ISO using the ultrawide camera.