Is it just my Z2 or is camera focus a problem. - Xperia Z2 General

I love the camera on the Z2... when it focuses properly.
I've never had such a bad phone at focussing!
I also get the odd shot that's over processed into a mush but that's another story and something all mobile cameras can do on occasions.
Went to my eldest's first nativity play today and tried to film it, end result the back of people's heads in front of us were in focus but the kids on stage?
Nah they were a blurry mess.
It's not just the constant focus seeking for no reason in videos that annoys me either.
With stills, generally it's 50/50 if I get a focussed shot or not.
When I do the results are fantastic (as long as you use manual white balance)
Half the time the camera doesn't focus properly with touch focus or doesn't focus where you want it.
If I just try infinity focus and let the camera sort itself out I get a few pictures that the camera focuses on nothing, the entire shot is out of focus.
Never had these problems with the M8, Note2, GS2 that preceded my Z2 so I don't think it's me.
I know that the Z2 has focus problems in less than brilliant light which doesn't help (unlike the M8) but it's making my mobile photography pretty hit and miss.
Unfortunately the shot often looks fine on the phone but when viewed on a large PC monitor it's obvious the shot is useless.
It's seriously making me consider leaving the Sony stable in the next generation next year which would be a real shame because the phone itself is the best Android out there for me at the moment.
Sony really have to sort out their camera processing, if Apple can do it with a Sony lens there should be no excuse for Sony.
Either it's just a Sony thing or my phone is faulty but like I said some of the pictures I take have stellar focus and colour balance but on the whole... not.
Sorry just needed to vent some frustration!

First of all this must be moved to Q & A threat,second - After the 4.4.4 update the Superior auto mode is even crappier then 4.4.2,so if you make your photos that way...its normal.Try playing with the Manual mode with 20mpxls and if you want a full focused picture - go with Multifocus mode and Multi metering,and ofcourse this is just the beginning.If you still experience those kind of focus problems see if ur camera glass antireflection coating is not removed. / scratched/ (the glass itself is not scratched.) If so - give it to sony centre for repair. You can check when putting the glass on bright light.

effective said:
First of all this must be moved to Q & A threat,second - After the 4.4.4 update the Superior auto mode is even crappier then 4.4.2,so if you make your photos that way...its normal.Try playing with the Manual mode with 20mpxls and if you want a full focused picture - go with Multifocus mode and Multi metering,and ofcourse this is just the beginning.If you still experience those kind of focus problems see if ur camera glass antireflection coating is not removed. / scratched/ (the glass itself is not scratched.) If so - give it to sony centre for repair. You can check when putting the glass on bright light.
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Click to collapse
Thanks, for the advice.
I must admit I have started using Manual mode more often than Auto now because under artificial light all the auto shots turn out orange and over processed.
I'll try Multifocus and metering now.

kibbster said:
Thanks, for the advice.
I must admit I have started using Manual mode more often than Auto now because under artificial light all the auto shots turn out orange and over processed.
I'll try Multifocus and metering now.
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Try to configure the focus tô touch or center,may solve you problems .

FrosteezBR said:
Try to configure the focus tô touch or center,may solve you problems .
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Click to collapse
No, touch focus is ropy as hell on this phone, often it won't actually focus where I want it to, and if it does often it'll focus on a pin point area and blur everything else.

kibbster said:
I love the camera on the Z2... when it focuses properly.
I've never had such a bad phone at focussing!
I also get the odd shot that's over processed into a mush but that's another story and something all mobile cameras can do on occasions.
Went to my eldest's first nativity play today and tried to film it, end result the back of people's heads in front of us were in focus but the kids on stage?
Nah they were a blurry mess.
It's not just the constant focus seeking for no reason in videos that annoys me either.
With stills, generally it's 50/50 if I get a focussed shot or not.
When I do the results are fantastic (as long as you use manual white balance)
Half the time the camera doesn't focus properly with touch focus or doesn't focus where you want it.
If I just try infinity focus and let the camera sort itself out I get a few pictures that the camera focuses on nothing, the entire shot is out of focus.
Never had these problems with the M8, Note2, GS2 that preceded my Z2 so I don't think it's me.
I know that the Z2 has focus problems in less than brilliant light which doesn't help (unlike the M8) but it's making my mobile photography pretty hit and miss.
Unfortunately the shot often looks fine on the phone but when viewed on a large PC monitor it's obvious the shot is useless.
It's seriously making me consider leaving the Sony stable in the next generation next year which would be a real shame because the phone itself is the best Android out there for me at the moment.
Sony really have to sort out their camera processing, if Apple can do it with a Sony lens there should be no excuse for Sony.
Either it's just a Sony thing or my phone is faulty but like I said some of the pictures I take have stellar focus and colour balance but on the whole... not.
Sorry just needed to vent some frustration!
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Click to collapse
I have the same issue. Touch focus for video is useless and it takes forever to track into focus even when looking at sharp edges and keeping still. Google Camera does MUCH better but no 4K video or 60 fps.

sam_conrad said:
I have the same issue. Touch focus for video is useless and it takes forever to track into focus even when looking at sharp edges and keeping still. Google Camera does MUCH better but no 4K video or 60 fps.
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I may try a different camera then.
I don't use 4k or 60fps usually so probably no loss there.
Thanks.

sam_conrad said:
I have the same issue. Touch focus for video is useless and it takes forever to track into focus even when looking at sharp edges and keeping still. Google Camera does MUCH better but no 4K video or 60 fps.
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Thanks for the tip!
Been playing with Google camera today and I've got to say it's far more accurate for focus than the stock app!
HDR in Google camera works better than stock as well, although it's slow.
Shame I can't override the default camera button behaviour because the hardware button is a handy way to get into the camera quickly.

kibbster said:
Thanks for the tip!
Been playing with Google camera today and I've got to say it's far more accurate for focus than the stock app!
HDR in Google camera works better than stock as well, although it's slow.
Shame I can't override the default camera button behaviour because the hardware button is a handy way to get into the camera quickly.
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HDR in Google Camera used to be exclusive to Nexus devices but Google opened it up in the last few updates. It also does HDR at 20.7 MP but Google Camera lacks extended options like ISO speed control and such.
I switch between manual mode in the Sony app and Google Camera depending on the situation. For videos, the Google Camera app definitely wins in focus speed and accuracy. The software developers and engineers at Sony really need to get on the same page!

sam_conrad said:
HDR in Google Camera used to be exclusive to Nexus devices but Google opened it up in the last few updates. It also does HDR at 20.7 MP but Google Camera lacks extended options like ISO speed control and such.
I switch between manual mode in the Sony app and Google Camera depending on the situation. For videos, the Google Camera app definitely wins in focus speed and accuracy. The software developers and engineers at Sony really need to get on the same page!
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The only shame with Google cam video is it doesn't have the steady shot that Sony camera does.
I guess the lack of constant focus shifting makes up for that though.
Oh and there's no doubt Sony's software engineers are the cause of most of the camera issues and need to sort it out!

Related

Is the cam so bad?

Im dont know, every where I read, thay say that the cam is s..., and it takes 5 secs. from when I press till it takes the picture.
Is that right?
Stick with the Diamond, much better IMO. Only advantages of a HD is the bigger screen and more RAM, but I think the Diamond is much more useable.
To answer your question, that appears to be the case for me, yes.
"Only" the screen is a pretty major advantage, it's almost double the size. The Diamond isn't seriously usable for web browsing - the HD is. Ditto for video.
ChrisB said:
Im dont know, every where I read, thay say that the cam is s..., and it takes 5 secs. from when I press till it takes the picture.
Is that right?
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That's rubbish and completely untrue. I find the camera to be quite excellent and picture quality very good in fact.
I don't blame you though for getting that impression. Before I got my own unit, I also had that false impression from reading all the complaints on this forum. But after getting my own HD, I'm really happy with it. This is despite not having flash.
eaglesteve said:
That's rubbish and completely untrue. I find the camera to be quite excellent and picture quality very good in fact.
I don't blame you though for getting that impression. Before I got my own unit, I also had that false impression from reading all the complaints on this forum. But after getting my own HD, I'm really happy with it. This is despite not having flash.
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Exactly the HTC Touch HD is a great phone. Some people reading forum like this think they get a good sampling of what people using the phone think about it. That is not true since it is mostly the maybe 1% that have troubles of some kind with their phone that write here. The rest of the people that are happy with their phone do not write about.
The only thing I can recommend for people considering buying the phone is to get the phone and try it out. You will most likely like it a lot.
Camera is not bad, but also not good. Don't buy it as a camphone.
I've got a nokia n82 and a touch hd.
If the cam is ****? Yeah, it is. Don't let people let you think different. I guess it's not worse than other htc-phones though, I haven't had one since the original touch (elf).
If it was daylight out here now (denmark, actually) I should have taken comparision shots for you, but it's not, and with the xenon flash on the n82 it is even more superior in this light.
That said, the touch hd is a fantastic device in every other aspect! I didn't buy it for the cam, and don't care about it's picture quality, since I've got my n82.
The camera is only suitable for taking pictures in well-lit area.
Forget about dark areas.
All in all I'm sufficiently pleased with it, as I did not expect anything great.
Hello
Yes the Cam is ****
very slow slow slow and it only does pictures in very light areas.
In the drak they are very dark - the missing flash is a desaster.
Do not buy the hd for taking pictures or videos
But also safe you monry on fu.. nokia modells
IMHO...
The quality of the photos that the Touch HD can take is far better than the three HTC devices I've used before. It's actually pretty good in my limited experience with it. However, the camera remains virtually unusable because of two things:
1 - the delay between tapping the screen and the photo taking the image while the camera fusses over the focussing and then thinks for a couple of seconds
2 - the lack of hardware button makes camera shake very hard to avoid
These two factors make it almost impossible to take a photo of a moving scene because of the unpredictability of the timing of the shot and the likelihood of camera shake.
Attached is a photo I've just taken in the low evening light that illustrates what should be a perfectly easy photo. I couldn't avoid camera shake even standing still and being ultra-careful. The exposure isn't bad though.
the cam is bad... only usable by normal daylight also video recording is very bad
well in normal daylight the cam is better than my n73. video is realy better...
Are there some tweaks or settings to speed up taking images? It's really slooooow...
TIP: Disable the "Auto Whiteness" in the camera.
I have spent the last 2 weeks playing with the camera and was very disappointed with low level lighting pictures at first, BUT! now I have ressolved this problem.
There is an option in the camera "Auto Whiteness", the sensor or software in the camera seems to be useless at judging lighting, so if you set this to manual and select the indoor lighting icon (looks like a light bulb) then the camera gives quite impressive low level lighting pictures.
Speed of the camera between pressing and taking a picture is about 3 seconds, not the worst shutter delay I have seen on a camera phone, but not the best. Hopefully HTC can address this with future software updates??
For me the main issue is the blurryness of virtually all pictures,
if its a picture of a person I have to ask them to be still, then I take a pic and then I have to ask them once more to be DEAD STILL.
Most people take stay still to mean don't walk off any where but with the Touch HD stay still means don't let one muscle move.
If you want a phone that takes decent picture then its not or you.
Its a multimedia phone (pics not included)
I have been playing with the HD for two days now, which meant finding all of the tweaks and then removing them until it works for me. The excellent tweak app (search for it here) recommends enabling the sport and burst modes of photo (works great) and then changing the maximum res to 3M (makes my phone crash!)
Anyway if you want to take really good SHAKE FREE pics the ONLY way is through the burst/sport options. The auto focus for the 'normal' cam is so crap that the shutter stays open forever. In sport or burst mode the camera has to ditch the refocus and just shoot - out of the 5 in sport or 30 in burst you will have two or 10 decent pictures. This was exactly the same on my old HTC P3900.
The video is still completely crap - although much improved if you shoot as for MMS.
If we're talking about very low light, even my Canon camera does not give good result. So I don't expect miracle from HD. Having said that, I have taken quite a lot of indoor shots with lights on and the result is not noticeably worst than what my Canon camera can deliver.
As for motion, I actually don't find any problem there. I have taken quite many shots with car moving towards and away from me and the sharpness is still there. No blurring at all.
I find vido recording to be really good.
The lack of hardware button is a non-issue for me. I find it very easy to just touch the screen, the try to hold it still for the process to be completed.
This is the best camera I've ever had in a phone, and I find myself using it quite a lot since getting my HD.
This is seriously the worst camera I've ever had in a phone. And the sad part is the auto focus which is way too slow and cannot be disabled. No other tweak will help really unless somebody will figure out how to set focus to infinity permanently.
Attached are photos taken with the HTC Touch HD at night in New York City last week:
YESSSSSS IT SUCKSSSSSSS!
Auto light balance is useless, shutter speed is miserably slow (not even for a still photo) , no flash , video is worthless. 5 MP not in full screen (in full screen it is 4MP) .
If you have kids and want to take a photo for them then please wait till thy sleep and start shooting , other wise you will be wasting only your time and battery .
It is even too bad in watching movies without setting hours and hours converting them!
I hope it is not a hardware issue and only software that can be updated later .
No cam-mobile , yes surf-mobile and nav-mobile.

Camera quality is bad

So I've been taking a few pictures on my phone, and I have noticed that the Galaxy S2 is very very inconsistent in taking quality photos. I can have a great clear shot of some mid-ranged photos, but far distanced photos have horrible quality. I understand if you take pictures of something really far, obviously it won't be that good, but when I compared to my friends iPhone 4, the 8MP is barely on par with it. Do any of you know what might be the problem? I've tried using auto focus and manual focus, but it is always blurry.
It seems to be an hardware problem. I find the sgsw camera pretty good, especially the dynamic range. My only concern is with indoor pictures, a bit noisy and cold.
Can you upload and provide some shots samples?
Everything on auto? It might help to know which ROM/mod you are using.
I'm not an expert in mobile digital photography but if I can see your blurry distant shots it might be able to tell if I get better result with my device.
The S2 tends to like low shutter speeds (1/4s - 1/20s) ALL the frigging time.
It will select this slow shutter speed even when it should raise the ISO and get a faster shutter speed.
This is why the S2 often takes blurry photos, because even 1/15 or 1/19sec is not fast enough to take a photo sharply with a 28mm lens (effectively what the S2 is).
The slowest shutter speed the S2 should use is 1/30sec to ensure the photos aren't blurred by *camera* vibration/shake. (But, if the *subject* is moving, like a child, then 1/60s or 1/80s are the minimum that are needed to freeze the subject).
This is why the photos are so often blurry as soon as the light gets slightly low - cloud day, in shade, etc. I don't have a solution sorry!
Proof: check the EXIF data of the blurry photos you take. Most will have a stupidly low ISO (like ISO25, ISO50) and a stupid low shutter speed.
Yes I have noticed that the shutter speeds are quite low...now I'm assured that its not just me
I can take SOME really good photos, but almost every other pictures are very blurry even at a close distance.
Everything is on default, except I have enabled Anti-Shake or something like that, and I am using CheckROM 3.1.1 (KJ3)
The first 2 are taken at a considerably good range, with no zoom or any effects, just a normal shot, but then the outcome was very weird.
The last one was a closer shot, but in a darker area, and that one was a little bit more clear
I don't want to be captain obvious, and I am sure you are a better photographer than me but can you check if the focus mode is set to macro if it is then change to auto focus.
Since this happened to me once i set to macro and forgot and all the photos were blurry.
I just felt that might be the reason.
I am guessing that what you're doing is pressing on the "Capture" button without focusing on the subject yet?
I do find that it's best to press to focus on the area you want to take and then press the main capture button to capture it. It seems like the focus hasn't focused on what you want to take.
It's quite annoying because then that means I have to press in the middle and then press the capture button to take a decent shot. I wish I could just hold down the capture button to focus, then release to shoot.. which works sometimes but not as good as what I said above.
Here you have 2 images, far and close focus. You can see the great quality of the camera. Take a look at the focus settings: better in auto mode if you don't want to manage it in all photos. Maybe you have some problem in the camera hardware... so warranty is the best option here.
There are at least 2 types of camera modules in SGS II.
Check this:http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1098834
Mine also had this problem (blury at far objects), the soultion is set the metering to matrix in camera menu.It works for me.
iocar said:
Yes I have noticed that the shutter speeds are quite low...now I'm assured that its not just me
I can take SOME really good photos, but almost every other pictures are very blurry even at a close distance.
Everything is on default, except I have enabled Anti-Shake or something like that, and I am using CheckROM 3.1.1 (KJ3)
The first 2 are taken at a considerably good range, with no zoom or any effects, just a normal shot, but then the outcome was very weird.
The last one was a closer shot, but in a darker area, and that one was a little bit more clear
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Click to collapse
are you using macro mode to take farer objects ?
thats why it is more clear when you are taking photo of the specimen (3rd one)
or the camera firmware is broken , if not ,it may be the hardware issue
I always touch the place where I want to focus, and that is why I am confused
Yes I was using Macro, but only because it had the best quality...Auto-Focus doesn't really help as it never focus properly, as in when I press the "Capture" button, most of the time it goes to red and doesn't turn green. I am holding the phone still and don't know why
The camera firmware is also up to date
What I don't get is that my old HTC Desire can take photos that are much more crisp than my Galaxy S2
Try resetting the camera settings see if that works,try a third party HDR camera app or Camera 360,if quility is still bad in the 3rd party app then it could be a hardware fault
Sichroteph said:
My only concern is with indoor pictures, a bit noisy and cold.
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auto contrast I find helps take better indoors
Cant say I've had any problems with the camera. Love the macro focussing.
It seems obvious that your device doesn't behave like it should and have focus problems. I can have the exact same results with macro mode activated (and not shooting close objects)
I would suggest :
- trying another camera app (like TheiPhoneKiller suggested)
- trying a totally stock rom
- trying a rom like CM7 or MIUI
If you still got totally unfocused shots, you may very well have an faulty device. Try to get a replacement unit if you can.
(And did you try the fix kisstom suggested?)
Well... my shots is certainly much more grainy, since i upgraded to 2.3.5 - even if shot outside in bright sunshine. And many of the pictures is becoming more yellow than before - especially when using the flash-LED, so something has happened when i upgraded... this is one of my big complaints about the new upgrade. My old W800i 2Mpx beats the SGS2 in pure quality of the pictures now (but that was also, and still is, a VERY good camera for a phone)...
When comparing the newest pictures to some of the old pictures i have shot in the past, it's clear to me that i have a loss of quality since upgrading. How do i check manually, if there's a new camera-software version available - as i can't seem to find any in the Samsung apps, even if i have read somewhere that there's a newer one, comparing to my version of the camera-software???
But a least it's still not as crappy as my old HTC's camera - THAT was lousy...
Frankly speaking, 'Camera quality is bad' makes no sense. If you've said it's bad than this or that then I'd take it. Have used all the SE phones as I loved their image quality and I'll say after playing with the Satio, C905 I don't think this one would beat them. We are talking about a small image sensor here. So the main job is how good the post image processing is, some part still depends on the lens though.
The thing is I didn't buy this one for camera, believe me or not, after purchase, that is almost six months now, I've shot barely 10 pics with it. For normal usage and as a professional can't go without 350D, and for short tours and holidays I still shoot with my C905 , but not GSII.
But still this Camera is capable of taking some great pics, posting some of them here, after seeing them you certainly can't say Camera quality is bad.
The very bests I've found,
-> ithehappy
Well - i used to have that image quality too, but it has become somewhat impossible to shot such good pictures, since upgrading... i suspect that it's because my camera firmware still is TBEC28 (but of course not sure of it)
iocar said:
I always touch the place where I want to focus, and that is why I am confused
Yes I was using Macro, but only because it had the best quality...Auto-Focus doesn't really help as it never focus properly, as in when I press the "Capture" button, most of the time it goes to red and doesn't turn green. I am holding the phone still and don't know why
The camera firmware is also up to date
What I don't get is that my old HTC Desire can take photos that are much more crisp than my Galaxy S2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Confused!!! Are you saying that you always have macro focus on?
If so then turn it off. My cousin complained about the exact same thing, blurry and red box when trying to focus. Went through his settings, turned macro off and everything was good again.
Also auto focus will not work correctly if macro is on, unless your taking really close range pics, which is what macro focus is for.
Sent from my GT-I9100 using xda premium
well i am on 2.3.5 Images are really Perfect for me am seriously impressed the Quality iam on kI8 here is one example
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/708/20111118205552.jpg
iocar said:
Yes I was using Macro, but only because it had the best quality
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Click to collapse
That's exactly why your pictures are blurry at a distance.
Macro focus is for close-up pictures, use auto focus for longer distances

Stock Camera or Google Camera?

I honestly can't figure out which is better for the life of me.
Stock camera is awesome. But if only I am taking photos with shutter button. On screen button makes the camera focus again after initially locking focus with touch, although it remembers where to focus.
This may cause some lost moments due to delay in shutter speed.
Now, Google Camera, on the other hand, takes photos instantaneously. Much faster than stock camera from my observation. Lock focus with touch, then either on-screen or shutter button takes photos instantly. This makes me a very happy photographer.
But this might mean that I am losing out on Sony-powered enhancements they made for the stock camera, so I am doing various of tests to see which camera is superior.
As for now, both camera takes exceptional photos, but I can noticing differences in color, where Stock makes colors colder where Google makes it bit warmer.
Which camera do you guys prefer?
rickyoon.vegas said:
I honestly can't figure out which is better for the life of me.
Stock camera is awesome. But if only I am taking photos with shutter button. On screen button makes the camera focus again after initially locking focus with touch, although it remembers where to focus.
This may cause some lost moments due to delay in shutter speed.
Now, Google Camera, on the other hand, takes photos instantaneously. Much faster than stock camera from my observation. Lock focus with touch, then either on-screen or shutter button takes photos instantly. This makes me a very happy photographer.
But this might mean that I am losing out on Sony-powered enhancements they made for the stock camera, so I am doing various of tests to see which camera is superior.
As for now, both camera takes exceptional photos, but I can noticing differences in color, where Stock makes colors colder where Google makes it bit warmer.
Which camera do you guys prefer?
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Click to collapse
can you post some samples from both apps
For me stock all the way. I had a phone with very Shutter speed without focus before. Problem was half of my pictures came out blurry. I'd rather wait a milisec for the focus and have a sharp picture than hammering that button and hope for the best plus for me it's always really hard to keep the cam steady when pressing the touch button. As I said half my pictures came out blurry and out of focus with my sgs3. With the z3 every picture is perfect so far. Never had so much fun with a smartphone camera. And that because of the ergonomics and not because of megapixlz.
But why not have both apps side by side and use the one better suited for the situation?
clouds5 said:
For me stock all the way. I had a phone with very Shutter speed without focus before. Problem was half of my pictures came out blurry. I'd rather wait a milisec for the focus and have a sharp picture than hammering that button and hope for the best plus for me it's always really hard to keep the cam steady when pressing the touch button. As I said half my pictures came out blurry and out of focus with my sgs3. With the z3 every picture is perfect so far. Never had so much fun with a smartphone camera. And that because of the ergonomics and not because of megapixlz.
But why not have both apps side by side and use the one better suited for the situation?
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Click to collapse
Galaxy phones are the same i guess. I have an s5, previously moto x and iphone 5 user. Never had blur in my photos, but with galaxy s5 out of 10 i take 7 will be blurry but camera quality is really good if its not blurry on the s5 especially day light
Speaking of cameras, can you turn off the shutter sound in either of these camera apps?
I could turn it off on my old xperia acro s, but apparently Sony has decided this feature was too powerful for the z3 compact.
Sony stock cam offers "no sound" option in settings
Bäcker said:
Sony stock cam offers no sound option in settings
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The Sony camera on my Z3C has an option to disable sound.
mattdm said:
The Sony camera on my Z3C has an option to disable sound.
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yes, actually I was trying to say the same, just should have added the quotation marks or a dash right away
What settings are you guys using for the stock sony cam? I cant seem to get photos that are as sharp as I'd like. They look great on the z3c display, then i look at them on my laptop and am disappointed. Tried SA, manual, 8mp, 15mp, and all sorts of other settings.
Bäcker said:
yes, actually I was trying to say the same, just should have added the quotation marks or a dash right away
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Click to collapse
Haha ok. Sometimes it's hard to figure tone on the internet. :silly:
Last time I tried the Google Camera it didn't like the 2 stage shutter. I think Sony did a decent number on the Camera app, so will be using it for the time being.
I am also using the default camera app. Its awesome!
I think the google camera needs a overhaul. Its good for just point and shoot but it lacks features. Lets hope Android L apis can help with this.
I figure I'll keep the stock camera as well as Google camera installed for different purposes. Stock camera for everything else, and Google camera for panoramas and photo spheres. Have not compared the difference in panorama shots between stock and google camera yet though.
I found google camera to be worse in low light situations. However the app Camera jb+, gave me better results allround compared to the stock camera.
Sorry to dig up that rather old thread...but something is bugging me! I can't seem to find the setting to turn out ff the sound
Can someone help me?
Sorry, the menu is in German but you guys will probably understand what it means...there is no SOUND ...
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app
oTToToTenTanz said:
Sorry to dig up that rather old thread...but something is bugging me! I can't seem to find the setting to turn out ff the sound
Can someone help me?
Sorry, the menu is in German but you guys will probably understand what it means...there is no SOUND ...
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is quite weird since I have a "sound" option in the same menu as you posted.. What firmware are you on?
Crazy...then I'd think its based on what country's firmware is installed...I'm from Germany and some users report (on older Sony xperia z's) that they can't disable the shutter sound.
What coutry are you from? Is there a way to get the camera app from another software? I heard there are also complications with DRM
oTToToTenTanz said:
Crazy...then I'd think its based on what country's firmware is installed...I'm from Germany and some users report (on older Sony xperia z's) that they can't disable the shutter sound.
What coutry are you from? Is there a way to get the camera app from another software? I heard there are also complications with DRM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sweden :good:
Maybe with the google camera app you can switch off the sound
The DRM complications might relate to unlock/root where some lowlight functions get lost for good - but if rooting/unlocking isn't a matter of life and death I wouldn't do it until a safe method is found.
I'm from germany (german stock .77 ROM, no branding etc.) and I have this option.
I'm a Google camera fanboy now. The stock app isn't consistent enough and too much time consuming. I like simplicity above the ultimate shot. Also like the photosphere ability. This way I can relive the moment in VR.

How good is the camera when someone is moving, specially kids?

So I myself own a Z3 compact that has been amazing, I love everything about it, now, I have an aunt that wants a good phone to take pictures of her kids, but the issue is that kids are always moving, so with the ads that say this has the fastest auto focus, and specifically the video ad shows a parent taking pictures of his daughter jumping around and while for me, I enjoy the Z3c, the camera it's not that good when someone is moving. Can anyone with little kids confirm this, all she wants is non blurry subjects on the photo.
I was considering the gs6 but I would rather go with Sony to support them.
Thanks everyone.
In my experience with a 4 year old, pictures turn out blurry if she is moving. I've only used automatic mode as most of my shots don't allow me the time and luxury of setting up an ideal manual mode. Perhaps manual mode can handle action better, but auto mode is not good for action.
The camera is extremely blurry and the horrible shuttertime makes this otherwise fantastic phone useless for taking pictures of kids. The moment will pass and a blurry useless picture will be the result. I have these 3 phones which all take fantastic pictures of my kid.
iPhone 6s
Samsung s6 Edge
Lumia 950(possibly the best i have)
Dont buy the z5 compact if you want great photos.
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
I've got both S6 and Z5c. You have to turn Sports mode on to capture movement, otherwise both phones will result blur. Focusing indeed S6 faster and more accurate because of existing Z5c software not yet a mature version, I think it will get improvement when Android 6.0 to arrive later.
The best thing on Z5c is the stock camera remember your last setting, so you can always set Sports as default(I think I'll more recommend Z5c for this reason). On S6 every time you have to click on Mode and pick Sport, pretty time consuming.
Camera is useless with kids, takes great pictures if you can make your kids sit still. But that's not the shots you want, you want to capture moments and thats not possible.
you can try motion shot
I can also confirm that the camera is absolutely useless in whichever option you pick! Really disappointed in Sony (again). Bragging: yes, delivering: no.
I will pitch in, Yeah the camera is cack. Any less than full daylight and they just come out blurry or noisy. Can't say I am surprised. At least I won't rue loosing the DRM keys when I unlock the bootloader, as I don't see how the camera could be much worse.
Recording video is better than my g4. However, photos are better in g4
Enviado desde mi E5823 mediante Tapatalk
Coming from a LG G2, I am pretty happy with the Z5C. But if you have a Z3C, I think you'd be getting pretty much the same experience. It is unfortunate that the shutter speed can't be set manually in the standard camera app. I haven't tried 3rd party apps, as I mostly get the photos I need of my kids (also indoors) with Sonys app. Of course, blur depends on shutter speed which depends on the amount of lighting that you have - possibly I have more lighting where I live compared to the posters above.
On my G2 the problem was that it had OIS - knowing this, the phone defaulted to a slow shutter speed to take advantage of the OIS. Which obviously doesn't work when it is the subject and not the photographer's hand that is moving...
Will try Sports mode more myself after reading the suggestion above.
Luckily Sony's open source camera driver will allow to fix all the... strange decisions they've made in the default camera app.
The focus problem on Z1~Z3 finally get fixed and with camera 2.0 image quality is reasonable now, just the video quality still not clear enough which clearly a software issue. Sony tends to has realistic WB and exposure which I much prefer over Samsung/LG/Apple, others phone always with over saturated color(though some actually like it).
It's already the best camera phone without OIS I've ever used, overall it's still worth to upgrade. Sure it won't beat S6/G4 with OIS at low light. I understand at this price a new phone now have no OIS is very suck, this is my last Sony too if no OIS.
karimero said:
I can also confirm that the camera is absolutely useless in whichever option you pick! Really disappointed in Sony (again). Bragging: yes, delivering: no.
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zakiwashi said:
I will pitch in, Yeah the camera is cack. Any less than full daylight and they just come out blurry or noisy. Can't say I am surprised. At least I won't rue loosing the DRM keys when I unlock the bootloader, as I don't see how the camera could be much worse.
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Click to collapse
Agree. By far an away my biggest disappointment with this phone. I have now resorted to the machine gun principle - if I have to use this camera. Take loads of shots in the hope one will be OK. However my preference is to avoid using it altogether.
To my mind a decent phone camera has to be point and shoot, with a high rate of keepers in the shots. Unfortunately I find most of the pics from my Z5C are plain average. I have nothing good to say about it.

Photo quality

Say "cheese", then rate this thread to express how photos taken with the Moto Z2 Force come out. A higher rating indicates that photos offer rich color (without over-saturating), sharp detail (with all subjects in-focus), and appropriate exposure (with even lighting).
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!
So far I'm pretty pissed off with the camera. I recently tested the LG G6, Huawei Mate 9, OnePlus 5, and now the Moto Z2 Force which I was hoping would be my dream phone. I owned the Z Force and so far and a bit disappointed. The Camera seems to have potential but the software is terrible, at least on my specific device. The camera is plagued with shutter lag which really seems to take a toll on picture quality. Pro mode is what really upset me with only having the option of 1/4 for shutter speed as the longest time for exposure. I have taken a great deal of pictures to compare with the phones listed above, so far the Huawei Mate 9 has had the best camera in my opinion. Obviously, this is totally objective as views will change per individual. I am by no means a photography expert, but I am always in search of a great camera in a smartphone. The biggest reason for my angry toward the quality of the Z2F camera is the retail cost of the phone, I really thought this would be a camera I would have loved. It seems like I may wait to see how the Essentials Phone turns out and am very curious about the Nokia 8, both in terms of camera. To date I think the use of a dual camera, one being monochrome and the other RGB, is the best implementation. Please let me know if the inconsistent shutter I'm facing is just a problem with my unit or if other's share it as well. I really had my heart/mind set on this phone being able to go toe to toe with others in its price range. Side note, the LG G6 wide angle lens was great for taking pictures, I was surprised that I liked the secondary camera being a wide angle lens as it allowed for unique perspective. I let go of the LG G6 because my father broke his phone and really thought the Z2F would be the phone of my dreams.
Update: Twist for camera sometimes hangs and after some time force closes. This has also happened on 2 occasions when opening camera app, viewfinder is black followed by hang and crash.
Ksehwail said:
So far I'm pretty pissed off with the camera. I recently tested the LG G6, Huawei Mate 9, OnePlus 5, and now the Moto Z2 Force which I was hoping would be my dream phone. I owned the Z Force and so far and a bit disappointed. The Camera seems to have potential but the software is terrible, at least on my specific device. The camera is plagued with shutter lag which really seems to take a toll on picture quality. Pro mode is what really upset me with only having the option of 1/4 for shutter speed as the longest time for exposure. I have taken a great deal of pictures to compare with the phones listed above, so far the Huawei Mate 9 has had the best camera in my opinion. Obviously, this is totally objective as views will change per individual. I am by no means a photography expert, but I am always in search of a great camera in a smartphone. The biggest reason for my angry toward the quality of the Z2F camera is the retail cost of the phone, I really thought this would be a camera I would have loved. It seems like I may wait to see how the Essentials Phone turns out and am very curious about the Nokia 8, both in terms of camera. To date I think the use of a dual camera, one being monochrome and the other RGB, is the best implementation. Please let me know if the inconsistent shutter I'm facing is just a problem with my unit or if other's share it as well. I really had my heart/mind set on this phone being able to go toe to toe with others in its price range. Side note, the LG G6 wide angle lens was great for taking pictures, I was surprised that I liked the secondary camera being a wide angle lens as it allowed for unique perspective. I let go of the LG G6 because my father broke his phone and really thought the Z2F would be the phone of my dreams.
Update: Twist for camera sometimes hangs and after some time force closes. This has also happened on 2 occasions when opening camera app, viewfinder is black followed by hang and crash.
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Click to collapse
Camera shutter speed seems to be a stock app issue mostly. I have CameraZoom FX and that works better at taking the picture quickly. I do expect this to improve as the device matures and some updates get pushed out to it.
That being said, the overall photo quality seems to be pretty good overall. The S8 I am leaving does a better job of handling multiple light levels (like say bright window light in an otherwise dimly lit room), but I do think the Z2F has some promise for sure.
I do agree that I think the shutter lag is very 2015.....so hoping Moto does fix that
disappointing camera
Ksehwail said:
The Camera seems to have potential but the software is terrible, at least on my specific device. The camera is plagued with shutter lag which really seems to take a toll on picture quality. Pro mode is what really upset me with only having the option of 1/4 for shutter speed as the longest time for exposure.
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Click to collapse
I agree with this. The camera app is terrible. I came from the HTC 10 into this phone and the HTC blows it out of the water as far as camera quality goes, and I doubt there's any reason for that as far as the sensor/hardware goes There are also other apps that don't seem to access the front flash on this phone, I.E. Instagram, snapchat, etc. could be a driver issue or something, but motorola needs to get it together with the Android O update.
Has any compared picture quality with Open Camera and the google camera app?
Camera App Update
I just noticed that they added two features to the camera app. Object recognition and landmark recognition.They said that they included some bug fixes but did not elaborate. Hopefully they will continue to work on the app and image quality will improve as the phone matures. I think there is potential to improve low light photo's seeing that the black and white sensor should aid low light photography.
So far I am very happy with my photo's. I am a casual user and happy with the images. Realistically I do not think one can expect DSLR quality on a mobile phone. Maybe one day....
I've used several third party apps, and this camera is total trash compared to even my nearly three year old Galaxy S6.. I have to place dramatic Instagram-style filters on everything to hide how crappy this camera is.
I took this picture with full manual mode and it's quite good for me
why not use Hasellblad?
RE910177 said:
why not use Hasellblad?
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It's only useful for its optical zoom.
Does anyone have problem with autofocus....? The autofocus on this device is absolutely terrible.
Google Camera port is your friend when it comes to the Z2 Force. Also, Snapseed is a great editor.
Sent from my Moto Z (2) using Tapatalk
xRogerxC said:
Google Camera port is your friend when it comes to the Z2 Force. Also, Snapseed is a great editor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, I'm reading through this thread: https://forum.xda-developers.com/z2-force/themes/app-modded-gcam-hdr-t3735494 ; there seems to be no gcam available for Z2, which would be fully functional. Are you saying you solved this issue and have one that works? Perhaps you can post to the thread with your findings if you did?

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