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Ive read in the research that the S4 takes beautiful pictures, but that a challenge for more casual "snapshot" usage is that it blurs pretty easily if not held very steady.
I use my phone camera mostly for things like whipping out my phone and snapping a quick pic of the kids running around, or a friend skiing by over a jump, etc.
So while I know the PQ is awesome on the S4, Im worried that maybe for my needs the camera wont be great as it may not be well suited to snapping those pictures in situations where you dont have time to really position yourself, be still, frame the pic, etc.
Can anyone share with me whether this has been your experience?
lirong said:
Ive read in the research that the S4 takes beautiful pictures, but that a challenge for more casual "snapshot" usage is that it blurs pretty easily if not held very steady.
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I also own a high-end full frame camera, but have been amazed by the S4 camera. I certainly would not say that it "blurs pretty easily if not held very steady." S4 pictures are sharper than the iphone 5 or galaxy s3, both of which I used at lot.
That said, if your primary concern is minimizing blur from fast moving objects, you might be better off with the HTC One, especially if pics are taken in low light. I say that not having tried the HTC, but just based on its specs.
If you are you are taking pictures of the kids running around or someone skiing, whether or not you are holding the camera steady doesn't matter that much. The motion of the subject will outweigh camera shake (unless you have very shaky hands). For minimizing the blur from moving objects you want a fast lens and sensor with low noise at high ISO. The specs of the HTC One camera are better in both those respects.
If your concern is motion blur from the camera itself shaking (but again, this is typically not a consideration when taking pictures of fast moving objects), the HTC One has optical image stabilization which reduces motion blur from camera shake. The S4 does not have this.
One camera is better in low light (bigger pixels, OIS) than GS4, but 4MP is usually a dealbreaker for the average joe. Overall i think the One has a better camera than the S4 (which is WAY oversharpened and oversaturated). I actually like the flatter images out of the iPhone 5, but i dont use my phone as a camera unless its a random shot and i dont have a real camera with me.
Typically i shoot Nikon D4 and GF shoots Canon 5D Mk III, but for parties or random stuff, cell pic is ok.
What I found is that you either need to switch to sports mode or lower the exposure to -1.5. This essentially raised the shutter to 1/30 instead of 1/15 which is way too slow.
The annoying part is that the camera doesn't retain the settings...
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The one is oversharpened. Its 4 megapixels the s4 tends to look sharp until you zoom it in on the phone because of so many pixels crammed in. Please know what you're saying before you go out and say it. I also do photography but that isn't relevant to this
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 2
I don't understand your post. Please improve the grammar in what you're saying before you go out and say it.
GeorgeP said:
I don't understand your post. Please improve the grammar in what you're saying before you go out and say it.
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Let me reiterate, One, I wasn't talking to you I was talking to the poster below you. And also what I stated was that the HTC One has 4 ultrapixels and such so it tends to let in more light because less pixels mean bigger pixels in the same size sensor, so more light can be let in. As well as a wider aperture that the One has over the S4.
The pictures are good in low light but in normal lighting conditions the HTC one is extremely oversharpened to compensate for the low quality the images it produces. The images aren't bad because it's 4 megapixels it's just bad because the software and optics are subpar in anything but low light.
The S4 uses a sensor even superior to the iPhone 5. Look at gsmareana for comparisons.
The HTC one got a 6 overall, the iPhone 5 an 8 and the Galaxy S4 a 9.
Anyone have any good/bad results taking photos in low-light (regular in-door to darker evening environments) or with pets/children and other quick moving subjects?
Debating between the N3 and the LG G2 and overall they are about equal to me, camera is the only area I'm still debating on.
G2 has been reported to have some funky auto focus and watery audio during video, not so hot low-light photos, and terrible for moving subjects (which I like to take photos of).
N3 seems to also to suffer in the low-light department not unlike most phones, but maybe it could be improved down the line with an update as previous Samsung devices had a Night Mode which is missing and doesn't seem to be "replaced" by the new camera features.
I haven't owned any of the Galaxy devices and have only messed around with ones friends/family have. I'm assuming with things like Drama mode, that it should do decently with pets/children running around.
So overall, just looking for any user samples or reviews that may have hit on this area. So far most of the reviews I've seen point at the GS4 for comparison, but if the N3 is using updated software and missing Night Mode, it makes it sort of hard to compare.
I'm debating between the G2 and the Note 3 and while I like both, I prefer the G2 overall, but the camera has me worried.
Note 3 so far seems to handle video fine and takes quick enough shots to capture pets/children scampering around. Low-Light isn't so good and might actually be worse then GS4 and N2 due to software changes which is annoying but hopefully fixable down the road. Overall, seems Note 3 doing well, but I'm not sure if it is worth forking over another $100 and dealing with the larger size when I prefer the smaller G2 just for the "chance" it has a better camera.
From the various reviews I've read and user reports on here, the G2 does very well in well lit situations, but may or may not be having issues in low-light and video.
I'm not big on video, but the audio and focusing problems do concern me a bit. I've read little to no feedback on taking quick photos capturing children/pets running around and am having my doubts with how the focus works (or doesn't).
While obviously low-light isn't a real strength for any phone, it's hard to get a real grasp on the G2 when review sites say it is great and does better then the rest (maybe due to office/studio perfect set ups?) and then users say it is down-right terrible without proper lighting (real world use).
Just looking for any feedback or samples of G2 users taking photos in low-light and of quick moving subjects. Search isn't working for me atm, but haven't seen any threads going into these too much. I really want the G2, but the Note 3's positive feedback is pulling me away.
Allein8 said:
While obviously low-light isn't a real strength for any phone, it's hard to get a real grasp on the G2 when review sites say it is great and does better then the rest (maybe due to office/studio perfect set ups?) and then users say it is down-right terrible without proper lighting (real world use).
Just looking for any feedback or samples of G2 users taking photos in low-light and of quick moving subjects. Search isn't working for me atm, but haven't seen any threads going into these too much. I really want the G2, but the Note 3's positive feedback is pulling me away.
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So what I'm experiencing is that the stock camera app wants to lock focus before it takes a picture. If you're ever used a DSLR that spends awhile hunting before shooting in low light, that's what it feels like. Some other non-stock apps are a little more free with the shutter and take a picture without confirming focus (like a lot of P&S camera where you get blurry out of focus shots). So you can trade a quick shutter for worse focus depending on the app you use. The flash does a weird step down thing if you're really close to a subject (focal and stock) Super Camera does a more standard flash, but its still substantial shutter delay when using flash. You might be able to find other apps that have different flash behavior. So if you're shooting things that aren't going to run off in low light you might be fine. If they're moving you might try turning off the flash. The shutter is much quicker that way and maybe OIS can help make them sharp enough for you.
While this camera is really good in lit situations low light it's just plain bad and no other apps can fully comensate.
I bought ProCapture, already had FV-5 and numerous others from back in the day, (camera zoom, camera 360), tried focal. on and on.
Photos of children and pets even in "normal" lite rooms at night come out looking like watercolor abstracts and it has to be at a ROM or firmware level since all the apps do it to some degree.
If photos are you thing then the Droid DNA with a Sense5 ROM will produce fantastic results easily.
I bought the S5 - one of the reasons was that i wanted a great phone camera.
But i'm pretty disappointed with the S5's Camera. Pictures are blurry when its not a bright day (picture stabilisation not enabled).
It could do much better - if you turn the flash on in a biig room (where the tiny LED just don't matter), the pictures taken are sharp. So i think its mainly a software problem (on NG9 ROM still no improvements).
I also dislike the shaky video.
Now i hope the Note 4 maybe can do better. If someone had their hands on the Note 4 or saw some non-Samsung pictures / videos, please let me know.
Sadly there aren't many Android phones with OIS out there
The nexus 5 and lg g3 both have OIS and take great pictures.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
kwyjibo83 said:
I bought the S5 - one of the reasons was that i wanted a great phone camera.
But i'm pretty disappointed with the S5's Camera. Pictures are blurry when its not a bright day (picture stabilisation not enabled).
It could do much better - if you turn the flash on in a biig room (where the tiny LED just don't matter), the pictures taken are sharp. So i think its mainly a software problem (on NG9 ROM still no improvements).
I also dislike the shaky video.
Now i hope the Note 4 maybe can do better. If someone had their hands on the Note 4 or saw some non-Samsung pictures / videos, please let me know.
Sadly there aren't many Android phones with OIS out there
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I had the S5 when it launched. I now have the LG G3. OIS helps the G3, but for action shots good lighting helps a lot. You can take some amazing action shots with the S5 but you need either burst mode (continuous), sport (action shot) or record in 4K. With the 4K recording, during playback, go into settings and activate screenshot option. Find the frame you want as you play back and take a screenshot. This will be superb 8mp screenshot/photo.
With the Note 4 is does have a much faster AF and lower f stop than the S5, and OIS so it will take better action shots etc....
If its low light and your shooting people or pets that are moving, you'll need xenon flash, which the Note 4 doesnt have.
---------- Post added at 03:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:33 AM ----------
And to prove that point here is my S5 flickr album which includes some shots of my dogs running https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157643875623354/
and Note 3 https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644034132513/
and some great action shots from another Samsung Galaxy K Zoom which had OIS https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157644532639249/
and the LG G3 with OIS https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/sets/72157645618979801/
What are you talking about? The youtube videos of the note 4 look very smooth. Little noise. Pictures seem the same as the S5 for now at least. There are some taken at the showroom floor if you search.
Jonnyredcorn said:
The nexus 5 and lg g3 both have OIS and take great pictures.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
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this. my g3 camera is legit. only reason i still own that phone LOL
There were maybe 2 Note 4 vids from the show, but that just isn't enough to prove the camera good or bad.
(One of them was pretty shaky also..)
I bought the Nexus 5 when it cam out, but the 20 FPS video drove me crazy.
I also had the Lumia 925 - vids were steady, but quality wise, S5's videos were much better - day & night. Sound is also good on the S5.
Hope we can see more critic reviews this time. Samsung made the bad S5's disappeared, it seems.
At the unpacked, Samsung said front lens is an F 1.9. Does anyone know about the rear cam?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwVZx6MRrMY
*Pretty much same sensor as the S5. It is an ISOCELL sensor?
IS it the same (with IOS)?
And what about the aperture? The F 1.9 was targeted to the front cam.
f stop
gavinfabl said:
With the Note 4 is does have a much faster AF and lower f stop than the S5, and OIS so it will take better action shots etc....
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Do you happen to know what the f stop for the rear camera might be? I know they announced f/1.9 for the front. No one seems to know what it might be for the back.
UPDATE:
The rear camera will have an f stop of f/2.2 based on exif data of sample pics.
kwyjibo83 said:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwVZx6MRrMY
*Pretty much same sensor as the S5. It is an ISOCELL sensor?
IS it the same (with IOS)?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
in SGS5 - Samsung sensor with ISOCELL_technology
in Note4 - Sony sensor IMX240 with OIS
It has the new Sony sensor IMX240, but it is still ISOCELL.
It has the same size as in the Galaxy S5.
Lodix said:
It has the new Sony sensor IMX240, but it is still ISOCELL.
It has the same size as in the Galaxy S5.
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Click to collapse
This doesnt make sense.
Does the Note 4 use same camera sensor as S5 then. Z2 has amazing camera in general compared to wife's S5. Z2 much better in low light but S5 much more vibrant in well lit areas. Hoping Note 4 has better optics.
ipmanwck said:
Does the Note 4 use same camera sensor as S5 then. Z2 has amazing camera in general compared to wife's S5. Z2 much better in low light but S5 much more vibrant in well lit areas. Hoping Note 4 has better optics.
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No it doesnt. S5 has isocell. Note 4 has sony imx240 with OIS. The OIS will allow for much better low light pictures. Daylight pictures will look about the same. Sony phones always look noisy and underexposed. Samsung oversharpens, brightens, denoises, and saturates their pictures.
My note 3 camera is a joke in low light, I just get a blur if the subject moves. Is it likely this won't happen with the note 4 sony sensor?
skibadee said:
My note 3 camera is a joke in low light, I just get a blur if the subject moves. Is it likely this won't happen with the note 4 sony sensor?
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Lol
Any camera will get blur if the object moves unless you have a $2,000 dslr
skibadee said:
My note 3 camera is a joke in low light, I just get a blur if the subject moves. Is it likely this won't happen with the note 4 sony sensor?
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Low light photography usually requires that you use a tripod to see the best results. OIS should be helpful, however, there are other factors like shutter speed, focal length of lens, aperture and ISO. The focal length of the N4 rear camera lens is 4.8mm with a fixed aperture of f/2.2. By dividing the focal length of the lens, 4.8mm, by the f stop, 2.2, you arrive at the diameter of the hole in the lens that lets light into the sensor, which is approximately 2.2mm. This measurement is identical to The Samsung Galaxy S5, which means the light entering the lens of each camera is identical. Now I don't know if you are able to control shutter speed on the S5, or if you will be able to in the Note 4, but by slowing down the shutter speed, you expose the sensor to that light for a longer period of time, which can result in a better photograph in low light, however the trade off is that nothing can move, neither your subject or your camera. If the camera has a higher quality sensor, that can play a roll as well. A higher ISO setting can help the sensor gather more light, usually at the expense of a noisier exposure. From what is known so far, I think the N4 will see improvements in low light with this Camera. I suspect it will rival or beat the iPhone 6+'s camera if it's true that it has a Sony sensor.
oneandroidnut said:
Lol
Any camera will get blur if the object moves unless you have a $2,000 dslr
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Sorry I think I didn't explain properly
I'm not talking low light as in dark, like trying to get shots of the moon, a city scene at night or even in a nightclub. Not even candlelight.
I mean taking shots of my son in our living room, at a soft play location or any other place where there isn't bright sunlight. Indoor pictures in general are real bad.
My compact Panasonic can handle these ok. I'm sure since the galaxy s 3 'medium' light pics are worse.
Thanks for all your inputs though. Any more advice will be appreciated.
---------- Post added at 06:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:21 AM ----------
cinnaC2C said:
Low light photography usually requires that you use a tripod to see the best results. OIS should be helpful, however, there are other factors like shutter speed, focal length of lens, aperture and ISO. The focal length of the N4 lens is 4.8mm with a fixed aperture of f/2.2. By dividing the focal length of the lens, 4.8mm, by the f stop, 2.2, you arrive at the diameter of the hole in the lens that lets light into the sensor, which is approximately 2.2mm. This measurement is identical to The Samsung Galaxy S5, which means the light entering the lens of each camera is identical. Now I don't know if you are able to control shutter speed on the S5, or if you will be able to in the Note 4, but by slowing down the shutter speed, you expose the sensor to that light for a longer period of time, which can result in a better photograph in low light, however the trade off is that nothing can move, neither your subject or your camera. If the camera has a higher quality sensor, that can play a roll as well. A higher ISO setting can help the sensor gather more light, usually at the expense of a noisier exposure. From what is known so far, I think the N4 will see improvements in low light with this Camera. I suspect it will rival or beat the iPhone 6+'s camera if it's true that it has a Sony sensor.
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Thanks for your explanation. I was aware of very low light camera workings, I've posted again as I meant what you might refer to as medium light or indoor shots.
skibadee said:
Sorry I think I didn't explain properly
I'm not talking low light as in dark, like trying to get shots of the moon, a city scene at night or even in a nightclub. Not even candlelight.
I mean taking shots of my son in our living room, at a soft play location or any other place where there isn't bright sunlight. Indoor pictures in general are real bad.
My compact Panasonic can handle these ok. I'm sure since the galaxy s 3 'medium' light pics are worse.
Thanks for all your inputs though. Any more advice will be appreciated.
---------- Post added at 06:27 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:21 AM ----------
Thanks for your explanation. I was aware of very low light camera workings, I've posted again as I meant what you might refer to as medium light or indoor shots.
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Ahh i gotcha i was gonna say! lol
skibadee said:
My note 3 camera is a joke in low light, I just get a blur if the subject moves. Is it likely this won't happen with the note 4 sony sensor?
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Main reason I moved from.note 3 to z2 but like the note line.
I've been considering the z3. I like the stereo speakers too. What makes the camera better on z2/z3? I guess being a Sony lens is why but won't the note 4 use the same lens possibly?
Hey all, received my Note 4 today and the camera quality isnt great, the pictures look blurry even when keeping the camera perfect still. I have taken the plastic film of the lens. Just wondering if anyone else is having this problem
Can you upload an example? Does this happen in low light, outdoors or both?
They were all taken indoors, some with light from room light and sun light through window and others just with a room light (on ceiling). Obviously one with a flash (flash was on auto for all of them but was only used on one after changing iso and white balance). They all just seem a bit grainy and blurry... or is it just me, ill try get some outside tomorrow
Indoor shots will look worse because the ISO will be higher and there's more chance of blurriness with a slow shutter.
Also make sure that you take a photo soon after a focus lock. When I'm indoors,I tend to use touch to shoot and touch on the part of the image I want the camera to focus on.
Sent from my SM-N910U
indoor the camera sucks. the only mini fix i have found is to take iso off auto and put it on 100 for indoor shots.
Ill use the touch to take pic and try the iso at 100, i dont understand cameras lol
Also i read somewhere to put the metering mode on matrix, its comes on centre weighted so should i leave it on that?
The Note 4 camera isn't very good. For perfectly still shots it's not so bad but any movement at all and the pictures turn into a blur fest. There is something wrong with the software on the phone, there is lag in places there should not be. The note 3 out performs the 4 by a large margin. I think this lag is the reason the camera cannot handle movement. I have tested several Note 4's. Some from TMO and some from Verizon (mine is Verizon) and it affects all the ones I tested except for the demo model I tried at Target. For some reason that one blurred much less and was much quicker when snapping pictures.
I use my camera a lot, this will probably be a deal breaker for me. I was hoping to see a good rom that would fix the lag issues and hopefully the camera problems with it.
Couldnt it be fixed in a firmware update? I have also noticed it to be a bit sluggish in places.
Theres also a hair inside the camera, underneath the glass but luckily its not over the lens,theres a hair inside the heart rate sensor bit as well. So dont know if that will affect anything
Schwuar said:
Couldnt it be fixed in a firmware update? I have also noticed it to be a bit sluggish in places.
Theres also a hair inside the camera, underneath the glass but luckily its not over the lens,theres a hair inside the heart rate sensor bit as well. So dont know if that will affect anything
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That right there would be the ultimate deal breaker for me. Any hair, human or otherwise, in my phone is an automatic return or warranty repair. I can handle some non-uniformity of the screen and stuff like that, but hair? Ick.
I've noticed that the indoor camera sucks pretty bad. Everything's a bit yellowish. Images can be adjusted a bit with the included software, but still not great. Outdoor photos are not so bad. But considering how hyped the camera was on this phone, it's a major letdown.
I think the camera is great considering it's a phone and not a digital camera (people seem to forget that sometimes) Almost all Android camera's perform bad in low light because of shuttertime limitations in de Android camera API (it simply does not provide long opening times) . Not much any Android smartphone manufacturer can do about that. Also if you're using flash indoors it's a LED not Xenon flash. Even the cheapest digital camera is using a real flash and outperforms a LED flash device.
regards
Seems it will get much better possibilities in Android L
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8274/understanding-androids-camera-hal3
marleyb said:
I think the camera is great considering it's a phone and not a digital camera (people seem to forget that sometimes) Almost all Android camera's perform bad in low light because of shutertime limitations in de Android camera API (it simply does not provide long opening times) . Not much any Android smartphone manufacturer can do about that. Also if you're using flash indoors it's a LED not Xenon flash. Even the cheapest digital camera is using a real flash and outperforms a LED flash device.
regards
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Click to collapse
All true. They just need to stop hyping these cameras as digital camera replacements and all that. It sets unrealistic expectations.
marleyb said:
I think the camera is great considering it's a phone and not a digital camera (people seem to forget that sometimes) Almost all Android camera's perform bad in low light because of shuttertime limitations in de Android camera API (it simply does not provide long opening times) . Not much any Android smartphone manufacturer can do about that. Also if you're using flash indoors it's a LED not Xenon flash. Even the cheapest digital camera is using a real flash and outperforms a LED flash device.
regards
Seems it will get much better possibilities in Android L
http://www.anandtech.com/show/8274/understanding-androids-camera-hal3
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This camera is worse than what it should be. I hate to see apologists come in and make light of something that is obviously very wrong with the note 4.
TIGGAH said:
This camera is worse than what it should be. I hate to see apologists come in and make light of something that is obviously very wrong with the note 4.
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And your information is based on what? It's no apologize that Android camera API is limited, it's a fact. What you don't understand about that? In other words you can put a professional CCD chip in a Android phone and it can only profit to certain amount of it because of OS limitations to access the hardware. Lucky the Google developers have seen the light and in Android L there will be improvement.
Hell no! Ur camera is ok! Its just ur eyes
Sent from my SM-N910C using XDA Free mobile app
marleyb said:
And your information is based on what? It's no apologize that Android camera API is limited, it's a fact. What you don't understand about that? In other words you can put a professional CCD chip in a Android phone and it can only profit to certain amount of it because of OS limitations to access the hardware. Lucky the Google developers have seen the light and in Android L there will be improvement.
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Click to collapse
I have very realistic expectations of what the camera should/can do and it doesn't do it. Also the in general lag is not right for the processor this thing has.
Like I said the note 3 has it over the 4 performance wise.
I'm hoping it's just simple software fix and things will be in an acceptable state.
TIGGAH said:
I have very realistic expectations of what the camera should/can do and it doesn't do it.
.
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That's your expectation, I can't argue with that. I do know for sure there is no Android Smartphone on the market, which camera performs better then a cheap 60 bucks digital camera . Which is logical because of OS limitations I mentioned.
TIGGAH said:
Also the in general lag is not right for the processor this thing has.
Like I said the note 3 has it over the 4 performance wise.
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The lag (if there is any) is mainly caused by TW AFAIK . I can tell you from first hand that the Note 3 does not perform better then the Note 4 as they are laying both in front of me now in my desk. Also you have take in account, that the Note 3 is longer on the market and most bugs (if any) are tackled with software updates, while the Note 4 is just 4 weeks on sale.
TIGGAH said:
I'm hoping it's just simple software fix and things will be in an acceptable state.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're disappointed in your new phone because of your own expectations, if you can't live with it ,trade it in against? Honestly I wouldn't know which phone to choose then myself.
Thanks for this thread. Its convinced me to stick with my note 3 after all. I've been waiting for an honest discussion on medium/low light shots indoors with the note 4.
Funny how no review sites pick up on this issue. Hopefully lollipop will make my note 3 take better shots anyway.
To me there is no good reason now to get a Note 4, especially with lag reports.
A n6 is maybe still a consideration having dual speakers, which is now the only significant upgrade to me. That or pass on upgrading this year.
IMO the lag on the note 4 is no worse than that on any other android phone I've had (I'm on the third plus three different tablet models) and I don't think it's all that bad.
Drop by your local store and give it a try for yourself though from what I've read, there's no compelling reason to upgrade from a note 3.
skibadee said:
Thanks for this thread. Its convinced me to stick with my note 3 after all. I've been waiting for an honest discussion on medium/low light shots indoors with the note 4.
Funny how no review sites pick up on this issue. Hopefully lollipop will make my note 3 take better shots anyway.
To me there is no good reason now to get a Note 4, especially with lag reports.
A n6 is maybe still a consideration having dual speakers, which is now the only significant upgrade to me. That or pass on upgrading this year.
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Click to collapse
Some reports did compare..... and note 4 outperforms note 3 buy a huge margin.
1. Not all cameras have ois, not even the note 3. Note 4 has it and that allows for relatively long shutter speeds like 1/8s (I've seen note 4 do 1/4 once but that's rare). That's a huge upgrade from note 3.
2 . The note 4 uses sony's IMX 240 sensor which is 1/2.6 inch size. The note 3? And older generation sensor is of a smaller 1/3.06 size. Now. Note 3 is 13MP and note 4 is 16MP. So individual pixel size of both cameras is of the same 1.12 um size. However it's a known quantity that IMX 240 's has better iso performance than I'm 135. Thus note 4 should have better low light shots.
3.its been known that the note 3 takes bad low light shots due lack of ois and the old IMX135 sensor.
4. Almost all galaxy series engage in some kind of "image stacking" software to reduce noise in low light shots. Aka night mode. This is probably low light shots EXIF data is eroded .
As for the lag. What lag ? Jerkiness in viewfinder? Lag in auto focus?
From phonearena
" Outdoors at night, the Galaxy Note 4 soaks in quite a bit more light than the Galaxy Note 3, which results in more visible illuminated details at the expense of overexposure. Photos taken by the Galaxy Note 3 look decidedly darker and noisier in comparison. They are also much softer, while the Galaxy Note 4 retains fairly sharp detail. Low-light photography has seen a big improvement in the new phablet, and by dialling down the exposure setting a notch, you will emerge with more usable night photos than before. "
From Engadget
"But low-light performance is what impressed me the most about the Note 4. While ISOCELL helped improve the GS5 over the Note 3, it still wasn't very good. Optical image stabilization has made a tremendous difference here; objects that barely show up at all on other Samsung cameras can be easily seen on the Note 4. In fairness, the images still don't look as natural here as they do on the iPhone 6 Plus, but this is by far the best nighttime imaging performance I've seen on a Samsung phone."
If your note 3 does better low light shots than note 4. Your phone is probably faulty or you picked the wrong settings for the camera.
It's funny how so many people here expect unrealistic results from this camera. Is this camera better than a PnS camera? Nope.
This this camera worse? Not really.
If you're talking about junk market for PNS cameras. They use a 1/2.3 inch sensor which is not all much bigger than note 4.
A lot of them don't have OIS or Sony's newer image sensors ( Sony's sensors are widely used in many brands).Note 4's image quality is probably better
If you're talking about the mid segment. They use approx a 1/1.7 inch sensor which can probably do a little better low light shots. But they are not really cheap anymore. Eg canon s120. Olympus xz2 etc...
Note 4 loses out a bit here. But that's cause these cameras are meant to be an upgrade from smartphone cameras
If you're talking about about the premium segment. Eg canon gx7 gx1 Sony rx100. Most of them have 1 inch sensors which boast relative great low light performance.
(They still suck compared to mirrorless or dslrs though). However they are probably as expensive as your note 4 or even more.