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I am pretty much dissapointed with the pictures I have obtained with my Universal's built in camera.
Sometimes - most of the times - dont really beleive it is a 1.3 MPixels cam.
So,
1. Do you think using another software to take pictures would improve performance/quality?
2. It is possible to use another software to manage the camera?
3. Maybe, it's just me not being able to use it properly. Any advice to get good quality pictures?
have you checked the pictures on your pc?
i thought this until i looked on the pc and they were actually pretty impressive, dont be fooled my the on screen preview after youve taken a pic
yes... checked them out on a PC.. but no good quality. The problem is that if you're taking good quality pictures.. the it must be me.. :?
Anyway I recon that good pictures can be obtained under good conditions (light, etc.), but indoors... no way, at least for me.
i've seen on my HTC wizard that in the registery the camera can be edited things like bitrate too, havent tried it yet.
Ive gone from a D500 to this. Both 1.3 megapixel cameras, but the images from the samsung are far larger and far better quality. The images I get from my XDA are terrible.
maybe -hope so - it's just the software.
Could the camera be used with another soft? maybe from another WM5 device.
HTC has used extremely cheap and low quality camera sensors :-( Theres not much you can expect from its camera....so i guess its wise to accept the fact and move on :S
There are tons of dead pixels, and fails to reproduce the colors accurately...its just a "i have a cam on my phone too" feature, and nothing of any practical use!
cheerio
s
its enough to get the point across say car accident , for insurance or the poice, it would be enough to convince surlly.
Took some pictures yesterday for first time on Universal, on top of a hospital roof, sun shining.
So as normally happens in those situations you can not see what you are taking properly due to the screen contrast etc. in the sun. ( same on all camera phones I have had )
Just used the standard settings, didnt change anything, have just downloaded them onto the PC and I am quite impressed with the quality.
On par if not better than some of the camera phones I have had in the past.
Just checked settings and I was on 640 x 480 capture size and ambience auto.
So for me a thumbs up to the quality from a camera phone.
share one of those beautiful pics...
wanna check if it's just me..
Perhaps a silly question - but have you made sure your camera settings are at 2M (1200x1600) to take your photos. The exec defaults to a much smaller size.
cheers
hehe, yes.. thanks.
I'm just saying that quality doesnt fit in in a 1.3 Mpixels camera, my POV.
The camera is useless imho. sometimes its good to catch stupid pics of people who have parked terribly or funny signs on petrol station doors but all in all they would have been best just leaving it out.
The only solution is to get a decent camera.
JAmes
I'm an amateur photographer (with the lovely Nikon D50), and no doubt the Universal's picture quality is not very good. However, I see it as a bonus add-on for the Universal rather than a proper feature. Say, I don't carry the Nikon D50 into my lessons at school all the time (until recently, when we had our very last lessons at school for the rest of my life!); with the Universal I was able to quickly take pictures of my classmates sleeping in our maths lessons or film our chemistry teacher burning jelly babies (they literally scream and burn when they react with some solution!).
Anyway, my conclusion is that the camera on the Universal is good for quick snaps, but not good for family portraits. :wink:
PS: HTC, come on, you call yourselves "High Tech Computer Corporation" and you can't even manage a tiny camera?
Whilst on the topic, yesterday I tried to take pictures of a beautiful wheat field in the sun, but the picture I got was just a very dark image, no matter where the sun was relative to the lens. Changing the settings to "Sunlight" or "Automatic" did not help either.
Very disappointed, and you don't often get this lovely weather in the UK!
To the OP, there's no easy way to say it: the camera is crap, like 99.99% of all mobile phone cameras. The CCD they use are cheap as dirt, and unless you're experiencing optimum conditions (such as bright, bright sunshine outdoors), there's no way you'll ever take any decent pic with this phone regardless of the software.
Glad I could clear that up! :twisted:
It does not seem that bad to me,
settings = 2M(1600x1280) and daylight
I have not resized the pic , so sorry if it runs off screen :wink:
This is just before my ride to Turkey and back from UK
Stu..
Bagmanstu:
Nice outfit!
mdaexecfan said:
there's no way you'll ever take any decent pic with this phone regardless of the software.
Glad I could clear that up! :twisted:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly - it's a phone/PDA with a free camera, not a camera with a phone/PDA... Miracles you will not get!
The quality is acceptable to me but getting the best result is sometimes difficult. My major problem the handling, choosing the right settings for the occasion is a bit awkward.
@Bagmanstu: Cool
I think for the most part the reviews have said the camera is pretty decent, but how does it compare to the iPhone 4S? I think the iPhone 4S may have one of the best if not the best camera on a smartphone. Does anyone here know of a detailed comparison between the two phones? Since the Galaxy Note have essentially the same camera as the Galaxy S2, a comparison like that would be fine as well.
If you're interested in S2 camera comparison vs IPhone 4S, you may check this out.
Video Quality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TJxgaZD7Tk
Image Quality
http://www.gsmarena.com/8mp_shootout_2011-review-673p4.php
lsquare said:
I think the iPhone 4S may have one of the best if not the best camera on a smartphone. Does anyone here know of a detailed comparison between the two phones? Since the Galaxy Note have essentially the same camera as the Galaxy S2, a comparison like that would be fine as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The best camera on a smartphone is Nokia N8. Nothing can beat Finnish queen - especially in terms of sound quality in videos, and still pictures.
I have seen a lot of sample footages from Note on youtube, and I have to say - there are some issues with autofocus, and in my opinion there is something wrong with microphone (too sensitive, might be a problem when you decide to record something on windy day). LED does fair job, even in completely dark room. Shooting in poor light conditions is okay - not as good as on N8, but details can be seen. I also noticed, that camera adjust exposition little bit slower compared to SG II. I am still not sure, if both devices (SGN and SGII) are using the same camera.
For me, the biggest problem is a way to hold this device and shoot pictures. I still didn't buy my Note yet (looking for some operators to release Note on contract in Poland), but I played with it in shop. Holding is not a problem, you can even put it into pocket, but shooting a pictures or making video might be tricky. With Nokia's I was able to hold it with one hand, and for example took fancy pictures from ground level, etc.
Question to lucky Note owners - can you take nice pictures from close distance? For example - can you take a picture of a book, and read the letters easily?
With regards
TT.
lsquare said:
I think for the most part the reviews have said the camera is pretty decent, but how does it compare to the iPhone 4S? I think the iPhone 4S may have one of the best if not the best camera on a smartphone. Does anyone here know of a detailed comparison between the two phones? Since the Galaxy Note have essentially the same camera as the Galaxy S2, a comparison like that would be fine as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GOD I HOPE NOT that it's same camera as galaxy s2 .
I have Galaxy s2 and camera is peace of crap . And I just ordered galaxy note online .
TomTomczyk said:
Question to lucky Note owners - can you take nice pictures from close distance? For example - can you take a picture of a book, and read the letters easily?
TT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Absolutely. With my Xperia X10 I had to put it into macro mode, with the Note, it just gets on with it and focuses flawlessly.
In response to the OP, I think the 4S and the Note will be pretty even in good light, but the Sony backlit sensor used in the 4S would win in poor light.
Having said that, I took some video last night by the stage at a live concert, and the Note rocks.
TomTomczyk said:
The best camera on a smartphone is Nokia N8. Nothing can beat Finnish queen - especially in terms of sound quality in videos, and still pictures.
I have seen a lot of sample footages from Note on youtube, and I have to say - there are some issues with autofocus, and in my opinion there is something wrong with microphone (too sensitive, might be a problem when you decide to record something on windy day). LED does fair job, even in completely dark room. Shooting in poor light conditions is okay - not as good as on N8, but details can be seen. I also noticed, that camera adjust exposition little bit slower compared to SG II. I am still not sure, if both devices (SGN and SGII) are using the same camera.
For me, the biggest problem is a way to hold this device and shoot pictures. I still didn't buy my Note yet (looking for some operators to release Note on contract in Poland), but I played with it in shop. Holding is not a problem, you can even put it into pocket, but shooting a pictures or making video might be tricky. With Nokia's I was able to hold it with one hand, and for example took fancy pictures from ground level, etc.
Question to lucky Note owners - can you take nice pictures from close distance? For example - can you take a picture of a book, and read the letters easily?
With regards
TT.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
2 things . The BEST CAMERA ON ANDROID phone is HTC AMAZE !!
That thing takes better pictures than my wife's canon . I played with all settings and then decided to leave it on auto and I have perfect picture EVERY Time !!
Phone is peace of crap . poor battery life , it gets hot after less than 3o minutes of use . Second thing is if you want to take text photos use scan2pdf mobile app . I use it all the time . Don't have the galaxy note yet its in the mail
Note's camera is not good compared to nokia N8, yes its true.
Note's camera is better than, sensation xe, sgII, iphone, se and xl. What else you want more? Note is almost ahead of every other top selling brands. But I am not satisfied with note's camera quality, especially under dim light, but still ahead, you can compare it in gsm arena.
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
So today i traded my htc one(m7) for a oneplus one.
The htc one is still a great Phone with some better things as the one plus one..( but it was far more expensive)
But i wanted to try this Phone(oneplus one).
The things that i liked better from the htc one is audio recording at loud volumes(no distortion) when filming concerts etc.
and the screen is a little better think on the htc one.
And faster focus at low and bright light on the htc one.
But i must say after a day using this Phone,for the price....... its one hell off a Phone!
In bright light the camera blows my htc one away,only when its getting darker the htc one wins for me.
Also i like the sound with some good headphones,
i use poweramp and the audio fx together and it sounds great,
on the htc one i used a audio mod to get it more to my taste.
Even the oneplus one is a big Phone its easy to hold,and far more comfortable as i thought.
And the battery is great too,yes only after one day i can tell you its last a good while!
So the only things i miss from my htc one is the better camera mic,the fast shutter and the low light pictures with that fast shutter speed.
But for this price of this Phone i give it a 9....
I keep it for a while i think!
By the way: sorry for my bad english,
but i just wanted to give my opinion after using alot off phones wich costed me alot off more money!
Good thought. I agree with you on the camara.. There is still work to be done
The camera, is an interesting thing.
I just side loaded the 38r update, to play around with the DNG/raw output of the camera.
It rained all weekend, so I couldn't get outside, but in indoor, close up mode, incandescent
lighting, the raw mode, even after running it through photoshop, was grainy, and just a little
blurry. Even in standard jpg mode, zoomed in to 200% the image has a little blur/distortion.
Now, here is the strange thing. My daily driver, a Mate2, has basically the same 13mp sony
sensor. In standard jpg mode (both phones using the default camera app that came with it)
the same shot, zoomed in to 200%, both photos side by side, the Mate2 image is a lot clearer and
in focus.
Maybe OnePlus needs to tweak the camera sensor a bit in the OnePlus 2...
The quality of the camera has to do with the way CM makes pictures. On Color OS it's fine.
I don't really know what the problem is, but it definitely isn't a hardware problem.
Also: many people report that(for example on a Samsung phone) the Camera quality on CM lower is than stock(TouchWiz in this case).
I don't really care since I have a nice DSLR lying around which I got very cheap from my brother. The OPO just serves as a quick go-to camera.
I was little bit skeptical before buying this phone, but I have it now for few days and all has been great. The build quality is OK, even with those plastic edges, and I really like the simplistic design. I can imagine this phone lasting me for about 4-5 years!
It's fast and it's responsiveness is insane! For all the people who can't decide because of some bad experience of some users here, they are just a small fraction and there are thousands of happy owners of this beauty...
Only two things than can be improved is the storage capacity (only 16gb) and the overheating (this phone can get really hot), otherwise it's all great...
This is my small review of the features of the phone.
design: 10/10 (this design is timeless)
build quality: 9/10 (much better than I was expecting)
performance: 10/10 (can't be better)
battery life: 10/10 (about 7 hours on display)
display: 8/10 (the white balance is not perfect)
camera: 8/10 (photos are not the best, video quality is amazing)
audio quality 10/10 (it's awesome for listening to mp3 albums)
speakers: 8/10 (loud enough, not the best quality)
system UI: 10/10 (just great)
texting/calling/signal: 10/10 (no problems at all)
overall: 9.5/10 ...best phone I've ever had!
Thanks Sony, you did it!
Mine doesn't get hot. A little warm when it's working hard, but temps are very manageable.
It is a great device though.
Continue : my small review ( I had / Have a Moto G before )
design: 9/10 nice, but very 1990's
build quality: 8/10 feels fragile , plastic sides not wonderful
performance: 10/10 (can't be better)
battery life: 10/10 it goes on and on and on on
display: 8/10 not as good as some other "flagship " phones out there
camera: 9/10 all good so far , have three camera apps , google and stock is best so far
audio quality 9/10 , it has a equalizer , and can be tweaked , out of the box , not bad
speakers: 8/10 (loud enough, not the best quality)
system UI: 9/10 Not 5.0
texting/calling/signal: 9/10 sound a bit muffled ... water proofing etc
Linking with my Sony TV 10/10 seamless
overall: 8.5/10 can it beat my desire ??? so far its giving it a good go !
I am currently with MOTO G .There is a serious improvement? after
You buy Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
I love this phone too. I pair my my ANT+ strap and go out running, i take a lot o photos and i like to install many apps that make my life better. This phone never gives up whatever i do and it's unbelievable the potentials that it has for its small size. It's the phone of the decade for me!
New Sony fanboy here. I love this little powerhouse!
Sent from my D5803 using xda-developers.com, powered by appyet.com
amos700 said:
I am currently with MOTO G .There is a serious improvement? after
You buy Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My gf has the Moto g. On paper it's a serious improvement. However the Moto g is a great phone. If it's truly an improvement, depends on your personal needs. If you want specific comparisons based on your needs, ask away.
Sometimes i think my Z3c has a Ghost Touch problem. Anyone else?
I have read on Reddit and a few other places where Z3C users are not getting text and mms messages and sometimes can not get calls.
Are these people who are trying to use the wrong version
on USA Carriers instead of D 5803 ?
With the power of the Compact, how is it working as a Phone/Mini Computer?
Are you guys able to make clear audible Speakerphone calls?
Can you put 6 photos together in a slideshow and adjust timing of each slide ?
Can you easily type a Proposal in Desktop Gmail and send it
with photos and attachments ?
Problems, issues ?
Thanks.
williamgrant said:
Sometimes i think my Z3c has a Ghost Touch problem. Anyone else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has a very sensitive touch screen, although that's mitigated somewhat by having a screen protector.
I've had the phone for a few weeks now and it's been pretty good. The one feature I had high hopes for, however, is proving to be an increasing disappointment -- the camera. Between the pink spot, awful white balance, often weird choice of settings in auto mode, and different features for different resolutions, the camera is proving to be inconsistent and infuriating in equal measure. I'm jealous of my GF's iPhone camera, which just works consistently all the time. Need a quick photo with the Z3c in auto mode? Just be prepared for the lottery of whether it turns out blurry, pink, noisy or OK.
Yeah the camera is particularly awful... They should have stuck to a simple UI too, instead of having 20 different photo modes, none of which are straightforward. I actually use Google camera, way better in its ergonomics... The most impressive thing i find about this phone is its battery life and Sony's software effort on Stamina mode. Screen white balance is utterly random across devices (I've tried 3 different z3c's...) which doesn't fit the quality effort from Sony's on its screen...
amos700 said:
I am currently with MOTO G .There is a serious improvement? after
You buy Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have / had a moto g . the difference is chalk and cheese! You have a good phone but very cheap against a flagship phone... Well worth the move , loads of videos on you tube , comparing them both
phentex said:
Yeah the camera is particularly awful... They should have stuck to a simple UI too, instead of having 20 different photo modes, none of which are straightforward. I actually use Google camera, way better in its ergonomics... The most impressive thing i find about this phone is its battery life and Sony's software effort on Stamina mode. Screen white balance is utterly random across devices (I've tried 3 different z3c's...) which doesn't fit the quality effort from Sony's on its screen...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you go in and disable the various camera mode in your apps list they will not show up in the camera UI... makes things look a whole lot cleaner and if I ever want to play around with elves I can just enable the particular plugin.
On a side note the Manual mode can take some seriously impressive pictures. Been comparing the Z3c to my wife's Canon XTI DSLR and its really remarkable how good the little sony cam is. They do need a better white balance adjustment option. Colors also seem to come out a bit bluish on some of the pics for some reason. Still need to play around with a few different cam apps to see if that fixes things.
Cronis said:
If you go in and disable the various camera mode in your apps list they will not show up in the camera UI... makes things look a whole lot cleaner and if I ever want to play around with elves I can just enable the particular plugin.
On a side note the Manual mode can take some seriously impressive pictures. Been comparing the Z3c to my wife's Canon XTI DSLR and its really remarkable how good the little sony cam is.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can take impressive photos in good light, but Sony's infamous noise reduction/detail-smearing jpeg processing can also sometimes do a number on low-light photos (I took a photo in manual of a menu last night, for example, and the color of some of the text was smeared nicely into the surrounding white). But it's the auto mode lottery that annoys me the most and the auto mode is the one I tend to use the most with the dedicated shutter button. I really hope Sony fixes this in the next update. Yes, battery life is phenomenal, but I'd happily trade that for a decent camera. Plugging a phone in to recharge once a day is tolerable and easy to get used to. Having a photo you just took of a unique moment in time turn out a blurry, pink-tinged mess gets annoying very fast.
The Superior Auto mode will be improved for Z3c after the update to Android 5.0 like as it did for Z2 after the update to 4.4.4.
Katsigaros said:
The Superior Auto mode will be improved for Z3c after the update to Android 5.0 like as it did for Z2 after the update to 4.4.4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i dont believe till see it...
"Inferior Auto" will likely become slightly less inferior with the next update, but I'm not holding my breath that it will ever live up to the "Superior" moniker. Meanwhile we have a few more months of crappy photos to tolerate :crying:
Not sure why people bash this phones Camera so much. Maybe a skill issue? yes its not the type of cam you can just whip out and take great shots with(like an Iphone 5/6 or S5), but it does reward a little research/learning immensely. I would be willing to bet most people seeing a lineup of pictures taken by a reasonably skilled photographer using a Iphone 5/6 S5 G3 and Z3c could not accurately pick out the individual phones pics.
The main fault I have found with this cam is the bluish tint that seems to come out when using the auto white balance. Its hard to adjust, because the other white balance options in manual mode tend to make the pics too red or yellow. I will try playing around with other cam apps to see if I can improve things. Any recomendations on camera apps? I have heard good things about Camera FV-5.
Either way I don't mind all the complaining too much... if it gets Sony in a tizzy to get their cam software improved all the better for us!
I will say this thing blows my OG Moto X out of the water for quality of pics in virtually any setting.
Any tips for taking good pics then?
Im finding the camera appalling, the other day it was just overwhelmed by light and incredibly blurry, seriously it was like having a Motorola Razr all over again, tried taking it outside and it was exactly the same. Then 2 hours later it was back to being just mediocre. Very weird.
Cronis said:
Not sure why people bash this phones Camera so much. Maybe a skill issue? yes its not the type of cam you can just whip out and take great shots with(like an Iphone 5/6 or S5), but it does reward a little research/learning immensely. I would be willing to bet most people seeing a lineup of pictures taken by a reasonably skilled photographer using a Iphone 5/6 S5 G3 and Z3c could not accurately pick out the individual phones pics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a phone, not an SLR! I expect the majority of people (me included) simply want to use it as a simple point and shoot, which it's really not very good for that. Sure, if I find myself without my SLR gear and have the time to take a higher-quality pic then the manual mode can be good. But as a basic phone camera for quick, on-the-go photos, it's often appalling.
As for other camera apps... I've tried FV-5, and it offers almost too many options (it can also be unstable.... it kept crashing on my Nexus 4). ProCapture is another good option and I also quite like Open Camera. I'm still trying to work out if any of them do better in auto mode than the Sony software.