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The Nexus 4 is awesome.... but the Camera is driving me nuts. It's the only reason why I haven't bought this phone yet and wonder wether the S3 or Nexus 4 is better for me.
When making pictures the difference isn't that big.. but ad video recordings the Nexus 4 is terribly bad.
So I wonder, since both have a 8MP camera, could get Nexus 4 camera become better by an optimized Android OS? E.g. in the next update?
I have seen a simliar happening with my HTC Desire HD.
Or is the camera simply not as good in the Nexus 4 compared to the S3 ?
Thanks
zakazak said:
The Nexus 4 is awesome.... but the Camera is driving me nuts. It's the only reason why I haven't bought this phone yet and wonder wether the S3 or Nexus 4 is better for me.
When making pictures the difference isn't that big.. but ad video recordings the Nexus 4 is terribly bad.
So I wonder, since both have a 8MP camera, could get Nexus 4 camera become better by an optimized Android OS? E.g. in the next update?
I have seen a simliar happening with my HTC Desire HD.
Or is the camera simply not as good in the Nexus 4 compared to the S3 ?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe a bit , but not much. And yes the sensor in the s3 is much better.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
I personally think the camera is good for what it is. The photos I take are easy to edit if needed.
I think software updates could optimize the camera a little better but not by much, if you are looking to make an improvement to the camera, try out the mod in the link
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2039553
I guess I have to decide then:
Can I live with bad video recordings ?
Can I live with acceptable pictures ?
Generally my smartphone is the only camera, means even when selling stuff on ebay, making self portrait or pictures of ANYTHING -> I will use the smartphone
I honestly don't record videos that often tho.
Depends what you use your camera for. The pictures I take either go up on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook. I'm just a casual picture taker. And no one has yet to complain on the quality of them, they are clear enough for the average joe. Besides, the difference between N4 and S3 pic quality isn't that huge.
Now if you're using it to actually print photos and such... Or if you're an amateur photographer, then I guess the best possible camera phone is best for you. Which in this case would be an S3 or HTC phone.
Like I said, it all depends what you're taking pics for.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
I'm generally pleased with the way they look, I'm no professional but if they look great to my eye, then I can only guess they'll look great to the average consumer as well. The only problems I have are my two shaky hands, oh how great the pictures would look if they implemented some sort of image stabilization feature
Well I am not a amteur/hobby photograph, but then again, I use it for all kind of pictures.
Surely the pictures won't look bad but still the S3 is better.
For video recordings: The Nexus 4 is for some weird reason really bad (check comparisons on youtube.. S3 vs Nexus 4 Camera) :/
The s3 is just a horrible looking/feeling phone though IMO live the nexus and think it does videos and pictures fine for stuff like eBay and just in general
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
I agree the Nexus 4 looks better.. and I would overall prefer the Nexus 4.. but the Camera so far is my only concern. I will look for more picture comparisons today.. when it comes to pictures I think I am fine with the Nexus 4.
But those video recording.. soo bad.. that's why I thought there could be a fix coming soon ? Since pictures look "okay" but videos are rather bad.
zakazak said:
Well I am not a amteur/hobby photograph, but then again, I use it for all kind of pictures.
Surely the pictures won't look bad but still the S3 is better.
For video recordings: The Nexus 4 is for some weird reason really bad (check comparisons on youtube.. S3 vs Nexus 4 Camera) :/
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Click to collapse
Use LG Camera app for video recording. Much better results. 1080p, 20mbit bit rate, 30fps.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
jmudrick said:
Use LG Camera app for video recording. Much better results. 1080p, 20mbit bit rate, 30fps.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
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Click to collapse
Thx for the hint...you know where to get it? Googled a lil bit but didn't find the right one. Should be the newest version from Optimus G right?
greetz
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=rubberbigpepper.lgCamera
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
jmudrick said:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=rubberbigpepper.lgCamera
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
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Oh now I got you^^
Thought u mean the original LG camera app and not a play store app^^
Thanks for ur help but I think I will pass with this app.
greetz
Do you maybe have a test video/picture from the lg app ?
the video comparisons I am refering to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSlCc8A3t7A
but especially when comparing these two videos (nexus 4 vs S3) the difference is very big:
Nexus 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3jtl5EOrqA
S3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcbsWeNqy8c
anyone?
Nexus cameras/sensors have always been weak, starting with the N1.
Marks toolkit for the SGN pimped the camera with some nice mods, maybe the same will be included in the N4 kit in the near future, too.
I´m looking forward to it...
Alright, Nexus 4 it is... let's see if the camera gets optimized somehow.
Time to pack for the snapdragon S800 I suppose, that can handle 55megapixel and 4k recording.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
To be honest, I like the N4 camera. The only gripe that I have is that it applies way too much sharpening on the photos it takes. If they were able to tone that down and add native Android volume/power shutter, I wouldn't complain that much (still image-wise at least)
+1 lgcamera is good ! camera ZOOM is good
---------- Post added at 10:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:13 PM ----------
test camera : http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/C...te-II-vs-Galaxy-S-III_id3208#2-Google-Nexus-4
hi everyone,
is there a new update of tips or tricks in improving Nexus 4's default camera app photos ?
is there a way a paid camera app to way make the Nexus 4's photo quality much like the Htc one X or the iphone 5 ?
Note: I already know about the nexus 4 modified photo hack in increasing its photo file size.
souleater11 said:
hi everyone,
is there a new update of tips or tricks in improving Nexus 4's default camera app photos ?
is there a way a paid camera app to way make the Nexus 4's photo quality much like the Htc one X or the iphone 5 ?
Note: I already know about the nexus 4 modified photo hack in increasing its photo file size.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No.
My wife has a HTC One X and I don't think the difference is that great. I think it is more how the N4 displays pics than how it takes pic. I can send a pic I took with my phone to my wife and it looks better on her phone. When she sends me a pic, it doesn't look the same as it does on her phone. Regardless of which camera was used, pics on her phone look more vibrant, while pics on my phone look a little more washed out.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
fernandezhjr said:
My wife has a HTC One X and I don't think the difference is that great. I think it is more how the N4 displays pics than how it takes pic. I can send a pic I took with my phone to my wife and it looks better on her phone. When she sends me a pic, it doesn't look the same as it does on her phone. Regardless of which camera was used, pics on her phone look more vibrant, while pics on my phone look a little more washed out.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
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Click to collapse
That`s why God created devs who create custom kernels and color controll
The majority of camera quality depends on the hardware in each phone. Megapixel count is useless these days in phones and point and shoots. What matters is the sensor size/quality, ISO levels, shutter speed, etc. Software can only enhance so much of what the hardware will do the bulk of. Unfortunately, these specs typically aren't readily available on phones, normally only the megapixel count is listed.
fernandezhjr said:
My wife has a HTC One X and I don't think the difference is that great. I think it is more how the N4 displays pics than how it takes pic. I can send a pic I took with my phone to my wife and it looks better on her phone. When she sends me a pic, it doesn't look the same as it does on her phone. Regardless of which camera was used, pics on her phone look more vibrant, while pics on my phone look a little more washed out.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
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I found that the way the Nexus displays the pic AS you're taking it is pretty poor quality. Like right after you snap a pic and it shoves that shot aside so you can take another, the quality of that pic seems really poor but when I actually go into Gallery and view the picture, it has crazy-good quality. That threw me off the first few times I took pics with my Nexus. I thought the picture quality was sub-par, because I had taken around a dozen pics at different times before actually viewing them and each time they looked bad. Once I went and viewed them, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality.
I feel like if you need more than 8 megapixels to capture whatever moment you're photographing, then you should be using something more than a cellphone. Most people expect their cellphone to produce profession-grade photographs and I think that's unrealistic. And correct me if I'm wrong, I'm no photographer, but isn't it impossible to even display all of the 8 million pixels taken by the Nexus 4 on the screen, or even a standard 1920x1080 pixel screen? Again, I'm not a professional so I could be wrong, I'm just breaking down the word 'megapixel' and doing the math based on that.
after updating to 4.4.1 the camera seems better.
i went further by installing nexus 5 camera apk. the nexus 5 camera apk in 4.4.1 is about 1mb larger in size than in nexus 4. i have no idea whats the difference, but i am quiet satisfied now. atleast in daytime.. low light is still a no no. i wished they had included IS in nexus 4
Hi everyone, I am thinking about upgrading to the Nexus 4, but the only thing that is holding me back is that I have heard the camera isn't very good, especially in low light. Is that true? A good camera is a very important consideration for me when considering a phone. I currently have a Galaxy S2. Has anyone owned both phones and would be able to comment on how the pictures compare between phones? I find the camera on the S2 to be much worse than on my wife's iPhone, but I definitely don't want an iPhone. I have also considered the S3, S4 or HTC One, but they are a bit too expensive for me. I think I remember Google saying something about how they were not impressed with smartphone cameras and wanted to improve them, so the alternative is I might wait for the next Nexus phone or the rumored X Phone.
Thanks!
Based on my camera usage patterns, I find them pretty close. (I had a Galaxy S2 before switching), although I will rate the S2 marginally better, because, there are situations where I find the S2 camera resolving more detail which is indecipherable on the N4 camera; Although the HDR mode on the N4 is damn cool, which definitely helps in producing better low light images than the S2 for still objects.
If you are not in a hurry, you might want to wait for the next Nexus if the camera is important. As you said, Google is rumored to incorporate some camera-wizardy into their next phone along with Nikon. No one knows how true this is, but, safe to say that the camera on their next device should be way ahead than the one on the N4.
Thanks 3xeno!
Yeah, I'm not in a hurry so I might just stick with the S2 for now. I had been thinking about the Nexus 4 for a while, and my carrier just lowered the price (even lower than buying directly from Google! ) so I started seriously considering it, but there's no point in buying it if I'm going to be disappointed in the camera. The Nexus 4 does otherwise look like a very nice device, but then I do like the removable battery and microSD slot on my S2. I also like the UI on the stock Android camera app better than the Touchwiz camera, but I flashed the camera app on my S2 so now I have both
gc84245 said:
Thanks 3xeno!
Yeah, I'm not in a hurry so I might just stick with the S2 for now. I had been thinking about the Nexus 4 for a while, and my carrier just lowered the price (even lower than buying directly from Google! ) so I started seriously considering it, but there's no point in buying it if I'm going to be disappointed in the camera. The Nexus 4 does otherwise look like a very nice device, but then I do like the removable battery and microSD slot on my S2. I also like the UI on the stock Android camera app better than the Touchwiz camera, but I flashed the camera app on my S2 so now I have both
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Click to collapse
The N4 is pretty cheap! You still have probably about 6-7 months assuming a N5 comes out considering Google's launch history.
gc84245 said:
Hi everyone, I am thinking about upgrading to the Nexus 4, but the only thing that is holding me back is that I have heard the camera isn't very good, especially in low light. Is that true? A good camera is a very important consideration for me when considering a phone. I currently have a Galaxy S2. Has anyone owned both phones and would be able to comment on how the pictures compare between phones? I find the camera on the S2 to be much worse than on my wife's iPhone, but I definitely don't want an iPhone. I have also considered the S3, S4 or HTC One, but they are a bit too expensive for me. I think I remember Google saying something about how they were not impressed with smartphone cameras and wanted to improve them, so the alternative is I might wait for the next Nexus phone or the rumored X Phone.
Thanks!
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Click to collapse
I had a galaxy nexus and an s3, i use the camera a lot on my phones, and the nexus 4 is the worst in that field among those 3. The s3 camera was just impressive. As for galaxy nexus, 1080p was way better than on nexus4, more details, better color saturation, better bitrate.. Photos were nearly the same.
My advice is, the s2 is still a great phone, keep it for a little while longer and then get whatever's coming next..
P.s. i find the aosp camera UI crappy, minimal options, and sometimes hard to switch stuff...
But, despite that, the nexus 4 is one hell of a phone, and it looks and feels really premium.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
thfreedumb said:
The N4 is pretty cheap! You still have probably about 6-7 months assuming a N5 comes out considering Google's launch history.
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Click to collapse
Next Nexus device should come out at the same time the N4 did, around the end of 2013.
The N4 indeed has a meh camera, even compared to my Ion. But 8mpix are enough imho
My previous phone had an 8.0 MP camera with poor optics and so the N4's camera feels like a massive upgrade. No complaints from me.
Note: Megapixels mean nothing if the optics suck. My 5.0 MP point and shoot from 2005 still blows away every smartphone camera I've seen. If you know in advance that you want to take photos to keep and remember, bring along a point-and-shoot! I generally only use the phone camera for quick shots that I'll likely delete a short time later (i.e. whatsapping a photo of an item to a family member to ask if I should buy it).
Its true that pictures in low lighting or inside look absolutely horrible on the nexus 4. However if you take a lot of pictures outside (like I do myself) the camera is really good compared to my galaxy s2. I am really impressed with the autofocus on the phone. If you want check the "photos taken by your nexus 4" thread in the general section, it should give you a pretty good idea of what the camera is like.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
rayiskon said:
P.s. i find the aosp camera UI crappy, minimal options, and sometimes hard to switch stuff...
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Click to collapse
I must be in the minority for preferring the aosp camera over the touchwiz camera. I find that the touchwiz camera takes forever to load, and if I want to review the pictures it takes forever for the gallery to load. I love that the aosp camera switches back and forth between the camera and the gallery seamlessly. I also find that it's very easy to change settings on the aosp camera, just hold your finger and drag. Turning the flash on and off is particularly fast and easy to do.
aanonymoushuman said:
Its true that pictures in low lighting or inside look absolutely horrible on the nexus 4. However if you take a lot of pictures outside (like I do myself) the camera is really good compared to my galaxy s2. I am really impressed with the autofocus on the phone. If you want check the "photos taken by your nexus 4" thread in the general section, it should give you a pretty good idea of what the camera is like.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app
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I take a lot of pictures of my kid, so a lot of them are indoors and that's why the camera is so important to me. The camera on the S2 takes great pictures outside, but inside they can be grainy. I also have a point and shoot, but it's not always within arm's reach like a smartphone and I find that it is very slow taking pictures, so if I want to capture a smile it's gone by the time it takes the picture (I even tried the smile recognition feature, but it doesn't work so well).
the camera isn't too bad. probably better IQ than my old 5MP hd2, albeit alower and clunkier in use.
3rd-party camera apps make it a bit slicker and give better control over focus/ exposure/ flash etc.
one of the big drawbacks with camera phones is poor dynamic range which the HDR mode in the N4 stock camera app partially overcomes for static subjects. with fast-moving subjects unfortunately you get double-exposures.
My major gripe with the Nexus 4 camera is photos/video show in the wrong orientation. i.e. a video I filmed in portrait plays back on the PC rotated 90 degrees wrongly, so it shows as landscape. I have to put it into Windows Movie Maker, rotate to right, re-save then upload to facebook/youtube.
Thanks rayiskon, it is very helpful. I currently have a galaxy nexus, and I'm considering upgrading to nexus 4 through a boxing day deal. If the camera in nexus 4 is even worse than that in galaxy nexus. I would not choose nexus 4. Probably s3 or nexus 5 are much wiser choices.
rayiskon said:
I had a galaxy nexus and an s3, i use the camera a lot on my phones, and the nexus 4 is the worst in that field among those 3. The s3 camera was just impressive. As for galaxy nexus, 1080p was way better than on nexus4, more details, better color saturation, better bitrate.. Photos were nearly the same.
My advice is, the s2 is still a great phone, keep it for a little while longer and then get whatever's coming next..
P.s. i find the aosp camera UI crappy, minimal options, and sometimes hard to switch stuff...
But, despite that, the nexus 4 is one hell of a phone, and it looks and feels really premium.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda premium
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xdaSEx10 said:
Thanks rayiskon, it is very helpful. I currently have a galaxy nexus, and I'm considering upgrading to nexus 4 through a boxing day deal. If the camera in nexus 4 is even worse than that in galaxy nexus. I would not choose nexus 4. Probably s3 or nexus 5 are much wiser choices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
go for Nexus 5. it will be a huge upgrade from your Gnex.
Hi,
I really like the Nexus 4 but the camera currently is really feeling like a let down. Now having had many smartphones (even before they were really called smartphones) I've come a long way and for the last 18 months I've had an iPhone for doing FaceTime calls when away as Skype etc didn't work well in the UK.
Don't get me wrong, I am not an Apple fanboy and in fact hate the restrictiveness of it all. It sucks donkey balls, but I can take decent pictures with it of my son when he goofs around and send them to granny etc.
This is what I'm currently missing from the Nexus. The camera lag is more noticeable and when using HDR apps they just seem a bit grainy, like I'm using an old 2-3MP camera or something.
So, today is my last day within the 2 week returns period for the Nexus.
Is there an app or something to make the camera work nicely?
Thanks,
Joe, a firm android fan
joebongo said:
Hi,
I really like the Nexus 4 but the camera currently is really feeling like a let down. Now having had many smartphones (even before they were really called smartphones) I've come a long way and for the last 18 months I've had an iPhone for doing FaceTime calls when away as Skype etc didn't work well in the UK.
Don't get me wrong, I am not an Apple fanboy and in fact hate the restrictiveness of it all. It sucks donkey balls, but I can take decent pictures with it of my son when he goofs around and send them to granny etc.
This is what I'm currently missing from the Nexus. The camera lag is more noticeable and when using HDR apps they just seem a bit grainy, like I'm using an old 2-3MP camera or something.
So, today is my last day within the 2 week returns period for the Nexus.
Is there an app or something to make the camera work nicely?
Thanks,
Joe, a firm android fan
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I agree that the Nexus 4 camera isn't the best in the market. BUT, I also feel that, from my personal usage, it's not that bad either.
I haven't really noticed any considerable camera lag or grainy pictures, during normal usage. Of course, in low-light situations, there is def. a camera quality hit and graininess appears.
In fact, there's a thread here, with pictures taken by normal N4 users. You might wanna pop on over there and ask around - how to improve quality/speed, and stuff.
I don't really use the camera as much as you, I think. So, that thread might really help.
:good: Hope you keep your Nexus 4!
I am a new user as well, with kids and doubts about this camera indoors.
Try Camera FV-5. I've gotten better focusing with this app. And also, manually reducing ISO makes a noticeable difference in graininess. However, the app costs about $4. There is a Lite version that takes smaller sized pictures.
Yeah, the camera is pretty crappy for an 8MP, compared to an iPhone 4S or newer it's very disappointing.
Having said that, I did find that shooting at 5 or 3MP helps reduce the amount of noise in low light situations. I'm guessing the phone averages the values of neighbouring pixels, getting rid of some of the noise.
You do have to remember that this phone is about ⅓ the price of flagship phones. For example, it takes pretty crappy photos compared to my GF's Xperia Z, however she paid more than twice as much for it, so it's hard to be very disappointed. You get what you pay for I guess... It's definitely not HTC One or top end Lumia class.
But yeah, as parent of a small kid who often wants to grab that precious moment and needs the camera to focus now, not at some random point in the future, the N4 can really test your patience.
Basically, it feels like you have to roll d20 and pass a luck check every time you go to take a photo.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
Thanks. Camera FV is quite good there's lots of settings to play with. I got a trial version of it and am quite impressed with it.
I've called Google and started the RMA process off which apparently gives me a few more days before they actually send the bag for me to post it off with.
This means there's a little longer for me to get the camera sorted out.
So the results so far are:
1, stock app is to slow to capture the moving toddler in full flow and I get blurry shots.
2, camera fv is great for still shots but once again the moving toddler goes blurry at the edges. Really nice app indeed.
3, HDR camera+ is a world of blur.
There must be something out there that can do it. If crapple can do it for the iPhone then surely someone's got it licked for android.
I have an iPhone 5 and am impressed with its shots of my kids. So I am in the same boat as you.. longtime android user but don't want to jump ship to iOS fulltime.
Try the Scene mode setting in the stock camera app, so that you choose Action mode. This will increase the ISO but also increase the shutter speed. I haven't tested it yet.
I know people tout iPhone camera, but there are androids phone that take better photos like the Galaxy S4 and LG G2 (hands down no discussion), you can check GSM Arena for photos comparison. And the HTC one have good low light capability and the Zoe feature.
You can return it and get the ones I recommended or the Nexus 5 when it come out. Nexus 4 camera is average, but you get what you paid for.
As for facetime isn't that only from iPhone to iPhone, I'm sure there are plenty free video calls option on android like Google Hangouts and Vonage Mobile, both are available for iOS, and works on data connection too, not just Wi-Fi.
PS. All Skype conversation is a threesome, between you, the person you're talking to, and the nsa agent.
sent from xda premium app
The thing that the iPhone 5 camera excels at are poor light, quick focus shots. The kind of photos that get taken most often by people IRL. It's also much quicker to get the camera going, focus and take the shot. So, while under test conditions there are many phones with better cameras, when it comes to day to day usage, the iphone one is pretty unrivalled.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4
I've read around that people don't like the shutter speed or possible focus problems with the camera.
After the KitKat update, how is it? Faster/better? Manageable?
I have 2 kids and I need camera speed.
My wife has the Nexus 5 and it too has some focus problems, but the potential to take some great shots. Same here?
Anyone who can compare their camera experience with the nexus 5?
Thank you
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk
The g2 and most other smartphone cameras aren't very good except for the Nokia's bit they run windows phone 8 so that's a huge disadvantage but it has a great camera you would be better off getting a nice digital camera or a Samsung camera
Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk
spinninbsod said:
The g2 and most other smartphone cameras aren't very good except for the Nokia's bit they run windows phone 8 so that's a huge disadvantage but it has a great camera you would be better off getting a nice digital camera or a Samsung camera
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We all know that good quality digital cameras and naturally DSLRs are better than smartphone cameras but that doesn't change the fact that a phone is the one device that people will always have with them. And because of this camera quality does matter for many. So your answer doesn't really help mate - WP8 is a minority platform so if one was to choose an Android phone, is the G2 worth it camerawise?
pnut22r said:
I've read around that people don't like the shutter speed or possible focus problems with the camera.
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Click to collapse
I simply cannot get this camera to focus properly. Nothing is completely sharp. I did not have this problem on my SGS II, III and Note II. But if you don't need pictures of sharp text etc., the lighting is pretty good. Even in pretty dark situations, the pictures come out brighter and than you expect. But I miss my Note II camera which was rich in contrast, had fast and precise focus and did just as well in dark situations. This by the way is what you will also find in most reviews.
If you come from a cheaper phone, you will be impressed. If you come from a SGS III/Note II plus or iPhone 4 plus, you will be disappointed.
Edit: I have tried multiple ROMs, both AOSP and Stock and also multiple camera apps like the stock app, lenovo, CMs cam app, Open Camera, modified stock camera apps from this forum and more that I cannot remember. Same thing.
Oh and yeah, the focus is very slow compared to some of the competition. You need to prepare your shot a little in advance. Unlike Samsungs cameras that are almost instant.
All said, I would prefer this phone to any other at the moment if you look at the phone as a whole.