Hello, all.
I'm looking at getting a N3 and am currently using a N2. The camera of my smartphone has become an increasingly important feature now that I have kids, the main targets of my picture taking. I have a 2 year old and a 3 month old. As some of you know, toddlers move A LOT. I'm wondering if anyone can chime in on using the N3 camera for photos of kids and if not, just looking for opinions on the camera in general. If you previously used a N2, I'd be interested to hear how you think the two compare. Thanks!
I have a 6yr old and take pics of her all the time. The camera works perfectly and is much better than the Note 2 (which I also had). I think you will be pleased with it over all. You can also take video in 4K resolution. I did this at night (had some lighting) and turned out awesome. It's been a while since I've taken picks with my N2 (still have it) but the N3 can take pics at 13mp (13mp is not wide screen 9.6mp is though). I also have the gear and use it quit often to take those "quick moment" pics and it takes great photos as well.
Take a sec and hit thanks if I helped or if you're in a good mood!
Hi mlin, the pictures on this phone can be amazing. Having said that I gotta say that I enjoyed the camera on the note 2 a little better.
The reason being is the stabilization they use is not good for snapping a quick picture. So you have to turn that off and most of the time I go into sports mode to take a picture of my kid. So while the note 3 does take better overall pictures it is a lot of hassle to get the settings right. Plus for me the camera never stays on sports mode. But one bonus is the stabilization feature does take better night time shots on the note 3.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
bskarpa said:
I have a 6yr old and take pics of her all the time. The camera works perfectly and is much better than the Note 2 (which I also had). I think you will be pleased with it over all. You can also take video in 4K resolution. I did this at night (had some lighting) and turned out awesome. It's been a while since I've taken picks with my N2 (still have it) but the N3 can take pics at 13mp (13mp is not wide screen 9.6mp is though). I also have the gear and use it quit often to take those "quick moment" pics and it takes great photos as well.
Take a sec and hit thanks if I helped or if you're in a good mood!
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Thanks for the input!
pwhitersxs said:
Hi mlin, the pictures on this phone can be amazing. Having said that I gotta say that I enjoyed the camera on the note 2 a little better.
The reason being is the stabilization they use is not good for snapping a quick picture. So you have to turn that off and most of the time I go into sports mode to take a picture of my kid. So while the note 3 does take better overall pictures it is a lot of hassle to get the settings right. Plus for me the camera never stays on sports mode. But one bonus is the stabilization feature does take better night time shots on the note 3.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
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This is a little of what I was afraid of, I was reading that the picture to picture times were slower than the N2. Is the pic-to-pic time faster with stabilization off?
With stabilization off and in sports mode the camera reminded me of the note 2. I remember my note 2 snapped pictures quickly and in focus. The focus is not as good on the note 3.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
mlin said:
Thanks for the input!
This is a little of what I was afraid of, I was reading that the picture to picture times were slower than the N2. Is the pic-to-pic time faster with stabilization off?
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Here's a pic I took of my daughter riding her bike. This was taken in "Auto" mode.
Take a sec and hit thanks if I helped or if you're in a good mood!
That picture looks a lot better on my phone than the one I uploaded for some reason. I can zoom in way more and can even read the Hello Kitty name on her elbow pads
Take a sec and hit thanks if I helped or if you're in a good mood!
Personally the camera is the weakest part of an otherwise perfect phone.
I had an iPhone 5 before and felt that I was able to take better pictures all around with that phone.
That being said, this phone does take great pictures in well lit areas. Pictures and videos that I took while snowboarding look phenomenal [again, well lit areas].
However, I am one of THOSE people that share what I eat, and in turn take pictures of food [don't kill me] in low light areas. There are times when the camera works well, and others where I get flatter/grainier results.
I love the phone, and just wish that Samsung put in a larger sensor to capture more light. First world problems for me. Hoping that the camera gets beefed up in the Note 4,...which I will get without a second thought!
The camera on the n3 is better when set up correctly...I still like the N2 camera tho for its ease of use.
I have to say that I hate the camera on this phone. Not that you can't get great pics, but my kid is almost 2 and maybe 20% of the pics I get are good. Video just can't seem to stay focused on her when she's moving. The droid DNA camera handled kids much better. I don't fiddle with camera settings much although on this phone,I put it in sports mode to give myself at least a chance of catching the moments when they happen. I do notice that sports mode pics aren't as nice and vibrant.
Was contemplating getting a droid maxx cuz I was so annoyed at this camera and wanted the nifty voice activation features...
Sent from my SM-N900V using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 11:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:28 PM ----------
How do you have yours set up?
Sent from my SM-N900V using xda app-developers app
pwhitersxs said:
With stabilization off and in sports mode the camera reminded me of the note 2. I remember my note 2 snapped pictures quickly and in focus. The focus is not as good on the note 3.
Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk
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Thanks, I ended up getting the N3 and so far have been really pretty happy with the camera. Having stabilization on really kills any opportunity to capture multiple pics in succession but I noticed with it off and in decent light, the pics still turn out pretty nice.
bskarpa said:
Here's a pic I took of my daughter riding her bike. This was taken in "Auto" mode.
Take a sec and hit thanks if I helped or if you're in a good mood!
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Click to collapse
Thanks for sharing the pic.
hctimin said:
Personally the camera is the weakest part of an otherwise perfect phone.
I had an iPhone 5 before and felt that I was able to take better pictures all around with that phone.
That being said, this phone does take great pictures in well lit areas. Pictures and videos that I took while snowboarding look phenomenal [again, well lit areas].
However, I am one of THOSE people that share what I eat, and in turn take pictures of food [don't kill me] in low light areas. There are times when the camera works well, and others where I get flatter/grainier results.
I love the phone, and just wish that Samsung put in a larger sensor to capture more light. First world problems for me. Hoping that the camera gets beefed up in the Note 4,...which I will get without a second thought!
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I did take a pic in a dark restaurant the other night and while the picture wasn't noisy or grainy, the lighting turned out really weird. I guess this camera isn't as dummy proof as say the camera in the iPhone, S3 or N2, but it certainly has potential to be really great. I've taken some amazingly clear pics with it so far.
droidstyle said:
The camera on the n3 is better when set up correctly...I still like the N2 camera tho for its ease of use.
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Do you have recommendations for good universal settings?
dwkeepinup said:
I have to say that I hate the camera on this phone. Not that you can't get great pics, but my kid is almost 2 and maybe 20% of the pics I get are good. Video just can't seem to stay focused on her when she's moving. The droid DNA camera handled kids much better. I don't fiddle with camera settings much although on this phone,I put it in sports mode to give myself at least a chance of catching the moments when they happen. I do notice that sports mode pics aren't as nice and vibrant.
Was contemplating getting a droid maxx cuz I was so annoyed at this camera and wanted the nifty voice activation features...
Sent from my SM-N900V using xda app-developers app
---------- Post added at 11:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:28 PM ----------
How do you have yours set up?
Sent from my SM-N900V using xda app-developers app
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My 2 year old daughter is by far the most difficult subject for pictures. So far I've been pretty happy with the pics of her that I've captured, and they're certainly as good or better than what I was able to get with my N2 but there is definitely room for improvement, I'll let you know if I find good reliable settings for capturing good pics of an active toddler.
Best bet is just to mess around with it and take pics in different lighting like you have and change settings to see what works best. Glad ya like it so far though. I've had mine since release and still think it's an awesome phone.
Take a sec and hit thanks if I helped or if you're in a good mood!
Related
Ok, I went through the first 8 or 9 pages in the Focus section and never found a thread for this. So, I decided to make one. Pretty much every other phone I owned had a thread for this and it was fun to look at pictures people take to test out there camera.
In less than a full year I have went from an HTC PURE to a HTC MAGIC to a NEXUS ONE to a XPERIA X10 to a SAMSUNG GALAXY S CAPTIVATE and now to my lovely brand new SAMSUNG FOCUS....alot of phone switching I know. But im so happy with my Focus...I think WP7 is pretty damn awesome so far and its a great break from Android (which Im a little bored with).
One of the things I have been VERY impressed with in the Focus is the camera quality. So, hopefully we can keep this thread going and take pictures and post them for other people to see.
Ill start, I only have 1 pic to post for now, but Ill get more for sure. This shot was from work, just the first day after I got my phone so I was testing the camera.
Let the picture posting begin!!!
Taken in my backyard:
naplesbill said:
Taken in my backyard:
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Nice pic man! what camera settings were you using for that?
ps. nice backyard to
I don't really remember exactly. I took a few and I was switching between macro and normal mode. I haven't had to change much in settings to get good pics on this phone. I have messed with macro, white balance most often. I have never used the antishake setting.
I think this camera is pretty good honestly.
My camera takes some great outdoor photos, but it seems to struggle with focus indoors. Anyone else notice that?
Speaking of indoor pictures:
Right before the start of Disney Princesses on Ice, taken with absolutely no skill or changes to any settings. Y'know, just to give an impression about what can be expected normally.
I have had issues with indoor focus a few times. I have also been able to get some really good indoor pictures. Unfortunately, I cannot share those pictures.
I will try to get some for this thread eventually. Here is another outdoor shot from my backyard. For this one, I used Macro mode.
One from the streets of Montreal
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthieu/5234826846/sizes/l/in/photostream/
tewmgd said:
One from the streets of Montreal
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthieu/5234826846/sizes/l/in/photostream/
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Nice pic for low lighting man!!! Shows the focus is definetly capable of making those shots good.
ps..I would hate to be paying there power bill lol
naplesbill said:
I have had issues with indoor focus a few times. I have also been able to get some really good indoor pictures. Unfortunately, I cannot share those pictures.
I will try to get some for this thread eventually. Here is another outdoor shot from my backyard. For this one, I used Macro mode.
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Nice macro shot!
Anyone try playing with the sharpness yet? its medium by default, Ive taken a few pictures with it set to max and they seem nicer.
Here's a shot I took at the auto show a few weeks ago. No tweaks applied. Just pulled it out of my pocket and snapped.
Uploaded with ImageShack.us
Since I've rarely ever posted (first time, LONG time) you'll have to visit the link manually
h||p://img834.imageshack.us/img834/5927/wp000036copy.jpg
As you can see, I had nothing else to do but take some pictures on the new phone. I rather enjoy it as my wall paper; its a friendly reminder to leave the house a bit earlier to avoid the traffic.
Note,
The when taking the picture, it also saved GPS info such as Altitude, latitude and longitude, nice touch.
Anti-shaking on, Wide Dynamic Range on, and sharpness set to high.
mrdondre said:
Anti-shaking on, Wide Dynamic Range on, and sharpness set to high.
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I like how the background is blurred out....you didn't use macro for that shot?
Mr Patchy Patch said:
I like how the background is blurred out....you didn't use macro for that shot?
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Oh wow! I didn't know there was a macro option. :x no.
Christmas time
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8424580/PS_000004.jpg
pigue said:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8424580/PS_000004.jpg
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Great pic! Did you do anything special with the camera settings?
Just shot and hit soften in Picture lap app. Thats all.
heres mine!
http://www.dropbox.com/gallery/4462649/1/focus photos?h=91af57
here's mine
After bringing up the camera issues and being attacked by Faithful EVO Thumpers, I decided to do something about it and find some easy home made fixes so that people could get HD IN DEPTH photos with out switching to a phone with a much better camera (Samsung-Clears throat)
I found that the photos are naturally over exposed and over saturated. If you have bought a EVO and taken a picture you have probably scratched your head as many times as i did trying to figure out why the camera on your old phone was WAY better.
MAIN Problem - The Evo has 2 LED flashes. This is far more that the phone ever needed for photos.
I used the stock MIUI camera app for most of these pictures. My second go to app would be Camera 360 Ultimate. Which has stunning effects.
The photos i am posting were raw images. I adjusted the saturation and contrast to suit my taste. No effects were used. In some cases i made the photo black and white
I have had the best photos with the lates MIUI ROM. Only because the camera controls allow you to change a lot of dynamic properties that will provide you with all sorts of great photos.
This is a list of the settings that work best for me.
1. FOCUS MODE- TOUCH-- Works best for DEPTH OF FEILD
2. COLOR EFFECT- NONE- MONO FOR BACK AND WHITE
3. ISO- AUTO---- YOU WILL SEE WHY IN A SEC
4. METERING- CENTER WEIGHTED
5. ANTI BANDING - OFF -
6. STABLE SHOT- 1 SEC-
7. 8 MP
8.SUPER FINE QUALITY
9. BRIGHTNESS- -1.0 TO -05
10. Contrast and Saturation at 2- For those with a non miui rom. REDUCE THOSE UNTIL ALMOST ALL COLOR IS GONE. adjust back up to your liking
11. Sharpness is at max
12. White balance should always be INCANDESCENT if indoors unless you are going for a desired effect.
13. Flash is auto or ON
These settings are pretty much universal regardless of what camera app you use.
Camera 360 allows you to reduce the compression.
***** HERE IS THE TRICK*****
Go grab some REAL D 3d glasses. They are free and most people have them laying around the house from the last 3d film they went to.
Cut a small circle from the lense of the glasses---BIG ENOUGH TO COVER THE LED LIGHTS.
Mount it over the flashes with your own prefered method. Do not block the flash--Only cover it with the shaded Plastic lense.
THATS IT. Hope this will inspire some people to take creative photos and enjoy having a phone that also takes good photos.
I was tired of watching random people get jumped by Forum trolls who would rather defend the device instead of make it better.
THE PURPOSE IS TO CONTROL OR CONVERT THE LIGHT OF THE FLASH. I also had great photos by completely covering one LED with
I took these photos in a very dim room that has an old light. Conditions do not matter. The more natural light you have the better but be creative and let me know if you find something better to cover the flash with.
Download the zip for entire photoshoot and starting ideas
That's awesome but I've gotten great quality pics just ad good ad those with no tricks. Obviously not straight from the camera app. With help from pic say pro. Are these in any way edited?
Sent From My HTC Evo 4G On The Now Network From Sprint Using Tapatalk Pro!
Support An Upcoming Artist, Buy My CD: xclusiverydah.blogspot.com/2011/02/phase-2-mixtape.html
Also, I'm loving the music inspired pics. I'm addicted.
Sent From My HTC Evo 4G On The Now Network From Sprint Using Tapatalk Pro!
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Additional pictures
Remember to set your focus on touch or manual for depth of feild pictures like these
Rydah805 said:
That's awesome but I've gotten great quality pics just ad good ad those with no tricks. Obviously not straight from the camera app. With help from pic say pro. Are these in any way edited?
Sent From My HTC Evo 4G On The Now Network From Sprint Using Tapatalk Pro!
Support An Upcoming Artist, Buy My CD: xclusiverydah.blogspot.com/2011/02/phase-2-mixtape.html
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These are raw photos. The only edit i did was black and white
I found that adjusting the saturation all the way down makes awsome black and white. add contrast to darken the backround. I took these with horrible lighting indoors.
Im sure these pics will turn out great once i get em into PHOTOSHOP. Put the app on your phone and and you almost dont even need a 700$ camera----excluding the lenses-
More pics
These are the things that were next to me. Im sure with some time i will develope new ways to capture the world.
These photos have not been edited The color pics were taken with camera 360 ultimate which did have a light hdr setting. The best photos are toooo large to upload.
http://bigpoppaphat.deviantart.com/
Check out my deviant art page, all the pics were taken with my evo and edited using pic say pro, ill try your little trick also.
Will do
phatmanxxl said:
http://bigpoppaphat.deviantart.com/
Check out my deviant art page, all the pics were taken with my evo and edited using pic say pro, ill try your little trick also.
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I have not tried pic say pro yet. Sounds popular....
Just checked out your pics and they are impressive.
This is the only light in my room
This is the only light i have in the room. I think this method works best for those with bad room conditions
Works very well. I cut out a small piece of the 3d glasses, and put it over the flash, behind the phones' back cover, so the cover holds the plastic in place. Thanks for the tip, it took me like 3 minutes, and I can see the improvement in the flash.
wow, i knew it had a good camera, but shots like these i may even use my evo as my only digital camera(not really) but still great. I hardly ever use the camera app but i think that may change.
Hmm, great tip! I'm glad it has a better camera than we all thought, and I'd be all over this, but I just bought a d7000.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
thanks dude....
i dont have any issues with my camera...and pics..
but i am not that picky.
will give this a go.. and see.
Cute trick, polarize the flash instead of the lens. I've done tricky stuff with gels with my nikon, never considered the evo to have a serious enough cam to bother, but I have a ton of these glasses lying around that I might have to try this with.
lowertar said:
Works very well. I cut out a small piece of the 3d glasses, and put it over the flash, behind the phones' back cover, so the cover holds the plastic in place. Thanks for the tip, it took me like 3 minutes, and I can see the improvement in the flash.
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DUDE. THATS AWESOME. I feel like a stoner. I taped mine on like a dumbass. LMAO
Hrshycro said:
Hmm, great tip! I'm glad it has a better camera than we all thought, and I'd be all over this, but I just bought a d7000.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
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Your going to love it more than you will know. Nothing can sub a d7000. Im not big into photography but do have a friend in that business. That camera is OUTRAGOUSLISHISHLY (Sound it out) Beautiful
awesome tips!
Thanks man!
Holy crap I have like 10 pairs of those. Definitely trying your tips out later today and see if I can get some good pics of my daughter
Sent from my (insert daily ROM name here) Evo 4g
rhymestars said:
Your going to love it more than you will know. Nothing can sub a d7000. Im not big into photography but do have a friend in that business. That camera is OUTRAGOUSLISHISHLY (Sound it out) Beautiful
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Thanks! I upgraded from a D40x, and so far, it's quite the upgrade. I'm loving it.
will this method/settings improve pictures in general or just closeups and depth-of-field shots in suboptimal lighting?
Or is mine bad?!? Seriously, is no one else getting this problem with blown highlights and over-exposure, or are y'all accepting it? I bought this phone for its "superior camera" and while yes it can take pictures in low light I was not willing to give up taking good pictures in good lighting >8(
I installed Android Revolution 8, then 9, to get the "updated" camera- stock kernel, Dev. Ed.
Attached photo taken with stock camera with auto settings, no custom settings, no hdr (though that has been disappointing as well). Oh and white balance was about 5-800 Kelvin too yellow as well... (sigh)
So do I send it back to get cameras as good as everyone else's or start watching the Sony rumors again? Because my 18 month old Galaxy Note could get this picture right...
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
The camera is awesome, its just you have to play around with the settings. Cange the sharpness to -1 and contrast to +1 for day light pictures. Also focus manually before taking pics.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using XDA Premium HD app
What were u expecting from a phone camera?
If you want realy good pictures you need to buy a good standalone camera..
The time isnt still there (and will be for along time) before phone cameras can compete with good standalone cameras...
I also find the camera disappointing. I love the software features like Zoe, but I personally can't rely on this camera to quickly capture a good picture. And I don't think the low light performance is very good either.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Those pictures do not look nearly as good as pictures I have taken with mine,using stock settings. Here's a couple for example. The pictures look a lot better in original format as well in full resolution.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium
I love this camera, it lacks the raw specs but it manages to capture those special moments very well, better than even a camera.
The camera has impressed me so far, especially the speed and the amazing colours.
Completely stock trickdroid settings for camera here
@jeeptrash love your cat
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
My camera is working fine too
it's not perfect but it works
john291 said:
What were u expecting from a phone camera?
If you want realy good pictures you need to buy a good standalone camera..
The time isnt still there (and will be for along time) before phone cameras can compete with good standalone cameras...
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John, my expectations are to not move BACKWARD in quality. Trust me I carry my X100 half the time, but the other half this phone was supposed to fill in and it doesn't cut it.
It's your phone also blowing highlights and having white balance problems? I'm trying to understand if this behavior is typical or not.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
The overexposure thing is a little annoying it's true. HDR mode seems to recover lost shadow detail but doesn't seem to help with blown-out highlights.
Setting contrast to +1 is definitely *not* going to help it.
When you know there will be difficult highlights, setting exposure to -1 in normal non-HDR mode seems like the only response. Not ideal I know. Especially when making such a simple, temporary adjustment requires a lot of fiddling around with menus.
Yep, been playin with my camera all day, had no work in. Found the adjustment settings werent fine enough - swung too much one way or the other on +/- 1.
And indoor pictures where theres any daylight showing (doors/windows etc) caused the images to be washed out, even when focused on the lightest part first.
I think the hardware is fine, just some software improvements are needed. So its not all bad.
davedigerati said:
John, my expectations are to not move BACKWARD in quality. Trust me I carry my X100 half the time, but the other half this phone was supposed to fill in and it doesn't cut it.
It's your phone also blowing highlights and having white balance problems? I'm trying to understand if this behavior is typical or not.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
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Hello yes it have the white balance problems sometimes..
I think they need to finetune the software better..
But it can also make some nice pictures too...
But a fine tuned software would be great..
---------- Post added at 10:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:07 PM ----------
davedigerati said:
John, my expectations are to not move BACKWARD in quality. Trust me I carry my X100 half the time, but the other half this phone was supposed to fill in and it doesn't cut it.
It's your phone also blowing highlights and having white balance problems? I'm trying to understand if this behavior is typical or not.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
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By the way this was a simple picture i took out of my window..
Here i like the shadow detail and the natural look of it..
The camera does over expose yes. If you want an easy to use camera. Get the S4/iPhone 5.
Can you control, ISO, shutter speed, Exposure compensation?
Turn ISO off automatic and set it to like 50
Terrorantula said:
Can you control, ISO, shutter speed, Exposure compensation?
Turn ISO off automatic and set it to like 50
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Click to collapse
You can control iso but you cant get below 100..
The shutter speed cant be controlled manual..
The exposure can be set.
Terrorantula said:
Can you control, ISO, shutter speed, Exposure compensation?
Turn ISO off automatic and set it to like 50
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Click to collapse
ISO & exposure yes, you can, and even better if you want to monkey with settings for every shot I recommend FV-5 which I use frequently
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...NvbS5mbGF2aW9uZXQuYW5kcm9pZC5jYW1lcmEucHJvIl0.
The point of my post though is not to find workarounds but to see if this is COMMON, or my camera chip has issues.
I'm puzzled by the lack of complaints out there and feel like the photo I posted was a good example of average sunny day conditions, done badly. Indoors, low light, we're fine, it's the sunny days that are the issue.
Everyone quiet means either
a) everyone is accepting poor quality sunny day photos
b) my camera has issues and everyone else's is fine
c) everyone is feeling a little bit bad that the camera they were promised would offer 'a great leap in the quality of point-and-shoot photos and video' (http://www.htc.com/www/zoe/) frankly isn't, and reluctant to say so, or
d) other?
So everyone shooting sunny day pics please chime, in I appreciate your input- if your pics are coming out great without clipping I'll start the RMA process, or if yours are getting blown I'll fire up the angry fan-boi machine and pester every HTC channel I can hit with requests for a camera update.
Cheers,
Dave
The latter option.
I second, go for the latter
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
davedigerati said:
ISO & exposure yes, you can, and even better if you want to monkey with settings for every shot I recommend FV-5 which I use frequently
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...NvbS5mbGF2aW9uZXQuYW5kcm9pZC5jYW1lcmEucHJvIl0.
The point of my post though is not to find workarounds but to see if this is COMMON, or my camera chip has issues.
I'm puzzled by the lack of complaints out there and feel like the photo I posted was a good example of average sunny day conditions, done badly. Indoors, low light, we're fine, it's the sunny days that are the issue.
Everyone quiet means either
a) everyone is accepting poor quality sunny day photos
b) my camera has issues and everyone else's is fine
c) everyone is feeling a little bit bad that the camera they were promised would offer 'a great leap in the quality of point-and-shoot photos and video' (http://www.htc.com/www/zoe/) frankly isn't, and reluctant to say so, or
d) other?
So everyone shooting sunny day pics please chime, in I appreciate your input- if your pics are coming out great without clipping I'll start the RMA process, or if yours are getting blown I'll fire up the angry fan-boi machine and pester every HTC channel I can hit with requests for a camera update.
Cheers,
Dave
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I have posted few times in this forum about disappointing camera or my expectation is too high. Maybe the next HTC software update would fix them. I like the speakers though which is undeniable to be the best.
Camera is superb.
But it's not all things to all men. If you prepared to fanny around with lighting, settings, angles etc for a photo, and expect a high res masterpiece, this isn't your bag. If you want a point and shoot camera which takes nr unbeatable pictures quickly, then this is it.
Mega bright lights will screw any photo up. Your picture is remarkable given the phone was able to cope at all.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 2
Hey guys, I've had my Moto X for a week now and I might return to my Note 3. I really like this phone overall, but man the camera really is that bad. I read all the stories but hoped the update would be good enough for me. Unfortunately it hasn't been.
I can't even imagine how bad the camera must have been before the update. The camera is simply dreadful. Do I have a defective Moto X or is it really this bad?
If I'm not outside on a sunny day or in a really well lit room, it's the worst camera I've ever had on any smartphone that I've ever owned. And that includes phones from over 4 years ago. Is it really this bad?
Here are some sample shots. I took these same shots with my Note 3, and those shots blew these away. I will try to post those later.
Sent from my XT1058 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Yes, It is that bad. Coming from a S4 and I know what you mean. But I still love being free with a unlocked bootlaoder and would not go back.
Ughh, I was afraid of that. I really like the phone, but not sure I can deal with this. Thanks bro.
Sent from my XT1058 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I don't think the camera is bad at all. I didn't get to experience how it was before any of the updates though.
So far color representation looks to be spot on. I was even impressed by the low light quality. I took a picture last night in a dimly lit room and was astounded at how good the picture came out. It's way better than my last phone (EVO 3D).
ahhh ya i came from an iPhone 4 which is 3.5 yrs old and the camera on that was better in every category except low light performance.
Are you using HDR?
I also see that your flash seems to be firing. I have Auto Flash OFF because the pictures to look very washed out with the bright white flash. I find that the camera works much better and has much better saturation in lower light with the flash off.
If I'm just taking a picture of a list or piece of paper and I only need to be able to see/read it, I use the flash, otherwise I keep the flash off for "nice" photos.
Have you tried using any camera apps. I would recommend the following two apps :"a Better Camera "almost fully functional in the free version and FV-5, a paid app and I don't believe there is a trial version. I have been experimenting with both apps and have been quiet successful getting some really decent low light shots. Both apps allow you to set the ISO level and "a Better Camera" allows you to set the amount of noise reduction for low light shots (the options are None, Minor & Hard). Worth trying out either app in my opinion.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
I've got pics of the kids inside at night, with flash on... And the pics are easy better than my s2 was. I find background light can make the pic taking tricky tho. I have to move slightly one easy or the other and when I get it right the pics are just fine. Maybe other phones handle background light easier.... But with a little practise, I find this camera pretty good.
That's just me.
Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk
---------- Post added at 12:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:08 PM ----------
And yes... Sometimes you think you need a flash inside... When you don't. And the pics are easy better with no flash. Again... I had to play around and get to know how and where the best pics turn out.
But again.... I'm one of those, it's just a phone camera guys... I'm maybe not as picky. I'm not trying to sell my pics, so I'm happy. If I know I want to take very good pics somewhere... In advance... I bring my camera.
Sent from my XT1058 using Tapatalk
Right about now it would be nice to see 4.4.2 with camera update. Noise/quality are un-exeptable for a $500+ phone. Yes S4 is night and day difference with Moto X in camera.
S4 was the FIRST camera in phone that I used and I took many pictures, most came out usable and some pretty impressive. With MX, most pictures indoors I cant even look at.....I delete all of them right away.
The only place I find camera quality to be bad is in low light, but it's not the hardware, it's the software. The camera software just sets the ISO higher than it should and overexposes everything in low light. I use FV-5 to manually set a lower ISO and manually set the metering point so that it doesn't overexpose the shot, and then I can get great shots in low light. If you don't know a little about cameras or aren't willing to take the time to manually adjust low light shots though, you'll be disappointed. In decent lighting I can get some great shots even with the stock camera app though, especially with HDR.
gtg465x said:
The only place I find camera quality to be bad is in low light, but it's not the hardware, it's the software. The camera software just sets the ISO higher than it should and overexposes everything in low light. I use FV-5 to manually set a lower ISO and manually set the metering point so that it doesn't overexpose the shot, and then I can get great shots in low light. If you don't know a little about cameras or aren't willing to take the time to manually adjust low light shots though, you'll be disappointed. In decent lighting I can get some great shots even with the stock camera app though, especially with HDR.
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Perhaps you are right. But how hard is it for a TEAM of developers at Motorola/Google to figure this out ? We are on 2nd camera update here its still ****
PS. on S4 I used only 2 modes and didnt even touch settings, Auto and Night Mode......thats all I needed to take excellent photos.
few night/low light shots from S4, last one was taken in almost complete darkness, camera just picked up light from night club flashing lights
I agree. I love this phone but the camera sucks. Snoop Dogg came to my Christmas party and I was so excited to get some shots.
They all came out blurry all my buddies with S4s got killer shots. I don't know, maybe I'll blame it on the alcohol....
That ticked me off a bit.
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
gtg465x said:
The only place I find camera quality to be bad is in low light, but it's not the hardware, it's the software. The camera software just sets the ISO higher than it should and overexposes everything in low light. I use FV-5 to manually set a lower ISO and manually set the metering point so that it doesn't overexpose the shot, and then I can get great shots in low light. If you don't know a little about cameras or aren't willing to take the time to manually adjust low light shots though, you'll be disappointed. In decent lighting I can get some great shots even with the stock camera app though, especially with HDR.
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This. For low light shots, I either use fv5 or take the photos with the stock camera and run them through Perfectly clear. I've gotten a lot of fantastic shots with my X. Low-light is the only setting in which I need to kind of finagle anything.
WizeGuyDezignz said:
Hey guys, I've had my Moto X for a week now and I might return to my Note 3. I really like this phone overall, but man the camera really is that bad. I read all the stories but hoped the update would be good enough for me. Unfortunately it hasn't been.
I can't even imagine how bad the camera must have been before the update. The camera is simply dreadful. Do I have a defective Moto X or is it really this bad?
If I'm not outside on a sunny day or in a really well lit room, it's the worst camera I've ever had on any smartphone that I've ever owned. And that includes phones from over 4 years ago. Is it really this bad?
Here are some sample shots. I took these same shots with my Note 3, and those shots blew these away. I will try to post those later.
Sent from my XT1058 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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if you take a pic of your tree with an SLR with the same exposure settings and you'll get an equally awful pic.
honestly i think the camera on the X is fine. i think it could be better but i think overall its a pretty good camera, on par with some point and shoots i've used. it all comes down to lighting, plus the HDR mode really helps.
Been using Camera FV-5 for whenever I need low light shots. First one is the stock camera app and the second shot is via Camera FV-5. These were shot in very low light conditions.
il buono said:
Been using Camera FV-5 for whenever I need low light shots. First one is the stock camera app and the second shot is via Camera FV-5. These were shot in very low light conditions.
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Gonna give it a try. Big difference there
kolyan said:
Gonna give it a try. Big difference there
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CameraZoomFX lets you pick the ISO setting too, which could increase the exposure.
640k said:
if you take a pic of your tree with an SLR with the same exposure settings and you'll get an equally awful pic.
honestly i think the camera on the X is fine. i think it could be better but i think overall its a pretty good camera, on par with some point and shoots i've used. it all comes down to lighting, plus the HDR mode really helps.
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I am curious if these photos were taken with the stock camera app or a 3rd party app?
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
telefoner said:
I am curious if these photos were taken with the stock camera app or a 3rd party app?
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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Stock. You can tell from the image properties.
EDIT: I take it back. There's no specific information that says what app took the pic, only what device. Technically we're talking about the inability of the Moto X's sensor to perform adequately. Different apps can force different settings/processing techniques, but you're still limited to the sensor/lens capability of the device.
Here's a CameraZoomFX photo taken with a DROID4:
It's all about lighting.
I'm with you on this one WizeGuy. At first I didn't think the camera was as bad as people said it was. But after using it in the wild and over the course of a week, it really is disappointing. The biggest issue for me is consistency. I CAN get a decent shot if I try to. Low light performance is terrible however and it's really tough to get a good shot most of the time. I was also coming from an S4 and didn't expect it to be on the same level obviously, but now that I've played with it enough, I'm positive even my S3 was better overall. In fact, I've been comparing it with an old iPhone 4S and I couldn't say it's better than that camera (except when there is ample lighting). I take a lot of pictures and it is important to me. Yes it is a camera phone, but downgrading is harder to accept than I thought it would be. I guess I value something that is consistent and easy in auto mode when it comes to my phone. Much sadder is the fact that I really like everything else about this phone, much more than the s4. I prefer the size the moto x by far to anything out there, but the nexus 5 is tempting me right now.
The phone has some slick features like the Moto voice services where you can wake up the phone with your custom voice command with the phone being up to 5ft away from you. It also detects when you are at home, work, in a car or sleep and automatically changes behavior of apps based on where you are. The home screen widget is nice too, it gives you up to the minute weather details and lets you know how soon it'll rain or snow down to the minute. The battery life is amazing, once you leave the house you never have to worry about using a charger for the rest of the day.
Now those are all great but the good ends there with me. The camera was subpar and all weekend I was out at events and parties and I wish I had my Note 3 with me to take pics. A lot of the pics came out blurry, the eyes on people where white devilish looking. The call quality sucked too, I had the volume as high as it can go and unless you are in a completely silent room you will have a hard time hearing. I went to the gym and had my beats headphones in and volume to the max and I could still hear the gym radio. There's no notification light on the front of the phone, this to me is a huge disappointment. I use the Lightflow app and i have a different color light for every notification and it comes in handy when you want to know what type of notification is awaiting for you without touching the phone.
I will be returning the phone this week and going back to using my Note 3 while I wait for the Nexus 6 or Galaxy Note Edge to come out.
Pros - Great battery life, premium metal feel, home screen widget, lock screen notifications look nice, Moto voice services.
Cons - Screen isn't too bright, low ear piece volume, low volume with headphones, poor camera, kind of slippery in hand, no notification light, no removable battery, no expandable memory.
Good review. I agree with all of it.
antjones21 said:
The phone has some slick features like the Moto voice services where you can wake up the phone with your custom voice command with the phone being up to 5ft away from you. It also detects when you are at home, work, in a car or sleep and automatically changes behavior of apps based on where you are. The home screen widget is nice too, it gives you up to the minute weather details and lets you know how soon it'll rain or snow down to the minute. The battery life is amazing, once you leave the house you never have to worry about using a charger for the rest of the day.
Now those are all great but the good ends there with me. The camera was subpar and all weekend I was out at events and parties and I wish I had my Note 3 with me to take pics. A lot of the pics came out blurry, the eyes on people where white devilish looking. The call quality sucked too, I had the volume as high as it can go and unless you are in a completely silent room you will have a hard time hearing. I went to the gym and had my beats headphones in and volume to the max and I could still hear the gym radio. There's no notification light on the front of the phone, this to me is a huge disappointment. I use the Lightflow app and i have a different color light for every notification and it comes in handy when you want to know what type of notification is awaiting for you without touching the phone.
I will be returning the phone this week and going back to using my Note 3 while I wait for the Nexus 6 or Galaxy Note Edge to come out.
Pros - Great battery life, premium metal feel, home screen widget, lock screen notifications look nice, Moto voice services.
Cons - Screen isn't too bright, low ear piece volume, low volume with headphones, poor camera, kind of slippery in hand, no notification light, no removable battery, no expandable memory.
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Not sure what your problems are with the camera... I have an S5 and Turbo tends to take better pictures in most situations by far, especially in low light. It's not the cameras fault that you can't hold it steady when taking a photo...
I think your only valid complaint would be the LED notifications. Which if you did any research at all before buying the device, you would of known before purchase it did not have. Everything else can and most likely will be addressed soon. The storage complaint is old, 32GB is fair & they offer 64GB at a competitive price that no one else is really matching.
Go have fun with TouchWiz & Samsung plastic I guess.
Go into settings, sound, and audio effects. Disable the equalizer. Everything will sound miles better.
Camera is kinda slow though, I'm with you on that.
Andromjb said:
Not sure what your problems are with the camera... I have an S5 and Turbo tends to take better pictures in most situations by far, especially in low light.
I think your only valid complaint would be the LED notification, which if you did any research at all before buying the device, you would of known before purchase. Everything else can and most likely will be fixed relatively soon.
Go have fun with TouchWiz I guess.
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Lol wow, you act like my review was about you. I'm going to post a few pics and you tell me if they are great or not. I've seen other post where people had to tweak settings etc but my Note 3 took way better pics. Even when I use Snapchat the focus seems slow and delayed. It seems like you have to as still as a statue to take a good pic and that's not always an option. And as far as the notification light issue, I just figured that was standard. Even if I knew it wasn't there it's still a negative against the phone.
Here are some pics from my Note 3
antjones21 said:
Here are some pics from my Note 3
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no offense but I don't think it's the camera...you're just bad at taking pictures
antjones21 said:
Lol wow, you act like my review was about you. I'm going to post a few pics and you tell me if they are great or not. I've seen other post where people had to tweak settings etc but my Note 3 took way better pics. Even when I use Snapchat the focus seems slow and delayed. It seems like you have to as still as a statue to take a good pic and that's not always an option. And as far as the notification light issue, I just figured that was standard. Even if I knew it wasn't there it's still a negative against the phone.
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Nah. I just think a lot of the comments around here are quite silly towards this phone. It's like people went and purchased the phone without even doing any research and expected it to be better than anything on the market.
I agree, those pictures are quite bad. However, it's not purely because of the camera itself.
For one, you are using 15.5 MP 16:9 and not the full 21MP 4:3, which tends to produce a much better picture. Secondly, you are most likely just randomly snapping without even selecting a proper focus exposure. The pictures are blurry in most cases because of the low light situation, you probably have HDR enable for some reason and the fact you don't have a steady hand while taking the picture does not help. Third, I notice flash in most every shot, which on any smartphone will tend to produce a horrible picture.
You just point and shoot. So your pictures are bound to be bad.
tehmanmuffin said:
no offense but I don't think it's the camera...you're just bad at taking pictures
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Funny I knew that would be your comeback, but I had other people take pics when I wanted to be in the pic and they turned out bad. And when I take pics with my Note 3, people always say how they look great and even better than iPhone 5/5s.
The camera is slow on the Turbo and I'm not the only one to say that.
antjones21 said:
Funny I knew that would be your comeback, but I had other people take pics when I wanted to be in the pic and they turned out bad. And when I take pics with my Note 3, people always say how they look great and even better than iPhone 5/5s.
The camera is slow on the Turbo and I'm not the only one to say that.
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That wasn't even me, some random guy. But he is right regardless.
At least you have taste, nice Moto 360.
---------- Post added at 04:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:14 AM ----------
Reason I do not agree with you on the camera -- here are some of the shots I took day one
http://imgur.com/a/NMd58
http://imgur.com/a/MQK0o
Unfortunately I don't have any more I have taken yet due to work. But the camera is fine.
Also see the samples here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/awmaxham/sets/72157648649197199/
antjones21 said:
Funny I knew that would be your comeback, but I had other people take pics when I wanted to be in the pic and they turned out bad. And when I take pics with my Note 3, people always say how they look great and even better than iPhone 5/5s.
The camera is slow on the Turbo and I'm not the only one to say that.
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I have the note 3 and i kinda agree with you on the camera stuff... but I think your just too used to the really good quality camera on the note 3.
I completely agree with the OP, the Turbo produces mediocre pictures compared to other flagship phones. Landscape photos in particular lack detail.
FYI, taking photos in 16:9 format is what most people do, not everyone wants 4:3 photos.
Sent from my Droid Turbo
I'm actually pleased with the camera quality. Just not the shutter speed. It could be a tad faster.
geoff5093 said:
Landscape photos in particular lack detail.
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Huh? Small Pic is cropped from larger. You can almost read the numbers on the gauge. That photo was taken yesterday through the glass on the doors which probably degraded the image slightly also.
There's like 5 guys (not the OP really, I think he's new) posting over all the forum about how "mediocre" everything about the Droid Turbo is, changed the tone to negative in this section. They know who they are. It's an exclusive device with a locked bootloader so it's a small part of XDA, 5 butthurt guys can make a lot of noise.
Jay Evans said:
Huh? Small Pic is cropped from larger. You can almost read the numbers on the gauge. That photo was taken yesterday through the glass on the doors which probably degraded the image slightly also.
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That's what I'm talking about, close up photos seem to be great, it's really lacking in the distance area such as landscapes.
Just to show you where I'm coming from, this was my G3. I know it's not a fair comparison since they are different photos, but I've found the Turbo to really lack in the landscape photo department. Up close photos are great.
geoff5093 said:
Just to show you where I'm coming from, this was my G3. I know it's not a fair comparison since they are different photos, but I've found the Turbo to really lack in the landscape photo department. Up close photos are great.
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What you see there is because of very Low light situations. Low light means a slow stutter speed and any movement (trees or camera) will degrade the image dramatically. I can't really comment on Turbos performance in low light because I haven't tested it yet. But it's ability to capture fine detail is there.
I had sort of assumed that the Droid Turbo has active notifications like the Moto X. Is that not the case? It makes an LED redundant.
Jay Evans said:
What you see there is because of very Low light situations. Low light means a slow stutter speed and any movement (trees or camera) will degrade the image dramatically. I can't really comment on Turbos performance in low light because I haven't tested it yet. But it's ability to capture fine detail is there.
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I'm aware of that, here is another low-light scenario.
Turbo:
G3:
geoff5093 said:
I'm aware of that, here is another low-light scenario.
Turbo:
G3:
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Um, ya. I personally think the Turbo took the better picture here. For instance, I can't even make out Toshiba on your G3 picture. Much more clear/crisp on the Turbo. Not to mention your G3 sample is fairly over exposed & extremely warm in color. But both pictures are relatively bad due to settings and hard to really use as a comparison. Unless you are comparing just a simple pull out of pocket point and shoot.
Your other shots (above) seem to just be point and shoot as well and not necessarily focus exposed or any effort really put into them (I could be wrong). You are also taking a lot of shots pointed/aimed in direct sunlight/sunset which will put out pretty poor quality pictures in general anyway.
Stop posting bad situations and try something that will actually yield a decent photo for comparison. The shots you are taking are really more aimed towards a more high end sensor.
In general you are expecting way too much out of a camera phone in most of your situations.
My 2ยข