Database Users

How's the camera on the Galaxy Note?

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.

S3 Camera Quality

Hi everyone. I had the one X but returned it in anticipation for the galaxy s3. I was wondering if anyone that had both phones can comment on the camera quality of both. I've read reviews and it seems like the one X has a better camera with a better aperture of f/2.0, so it has better low light photos.
I wanted to test it out in stores but they are not there yet, so i was wondering if anyone can give impressions of the quality of the s3 camera (and can compare it to the one x shots). I'm still deciding between the 2 phones...
thanks!

I too had the one X but returned and pre-ordered the S3 and got it yesterday.
The two things that I liked better on One X are the camera and the display. IMO camera is noticeably better on One X, especially in low light. Also the camera app on One X is a little bit faster which might be due to the imagesense chip that One X has.
But overall Im happier with S3. Couldnt bare with One X's retarded multi tasking.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using xda premium

S3 vs iPhone
here are 5 comparison shots of the iPhone 4 vs the Galaxy S3. To my eye the samsung lets in more light and it actually sometimes makes the photos contrast too white. But the color reproduction on the samsung is closer to what I see with my eye
Now keep in mind, Samsung/android gives you much greater control over ISO/exposure/etc. These pictures are taken on the default "auto" settings. I think people could make them look a lot better by actually adjusting the iso/exposure/contrast. I'll probably come back on later and compare the iPhone 4, iPhone 4s and the Samsung with adjusted settings later.

robamacaf said:
here are 5 comparison shots of the iPhone 4 vs the Galaxy S3. To my eye the samsung lets in more light and it actually sometimes makes the photos contrast too white. But the color reproduction on the samsung is closer to what I see with my eye
Now keep in mind, Samsung/android gives you much greater control over ISO/exposure/etc. These pictures are taken on the default "auto" settings. I think people could make them look a lot better by actually adjusting the iso/exposure/contrast. I'll probably come back on later and compare the iPhone 4, iPhone 4s and the Samsung with adjusted settings later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It almost looks like the all the iPhone photos were artificially saturated, because it's supposedly better to err on the side of too saturated than "washed out reality", for the average joe.

robamacaf said:
here are 5 comparison shots of the iPhone 4 vs the Galaxy S3. To my eye the samsung lets in more light and it actually sometimes makes the photos contrast too white. But the color reproduction on the samsung is closer to what I see with my eye
Now keep in mind, Samsung/android gives you much greater control over ISO/exposure/etc. These pictures are taken on the default "auto" settings. I think people could make them look a lot better by actually adjusting the iso/exposure/contrast. I'll probably come back on later and compare the iPhone 4, iPhone 4s and the Samsung with adjusted settings later.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm really interested in your results after the settings. Currently the only thing holding me back from jumping on the galaxy s3 is the camera. But if adjusting the settings can make the camera photos appear better, then i think i'm sold. Please do post them when you do get a chance!
thanks!

Those shots are very helpful... iPhone pics definitely look better on first glance, but the colors are artificial/over-saturated and I think the S3 provides more detail in the shadow. I had a One X, and thought that camera was terrible; everything was overexposed and washed out and if I dropped exposure by one tick it went to far. Definitely more optimistic about trying the camera on my S3 when it comes tomorrow.

Here are some updated shots. I played with the S3 and got the settings I liked. One thing I didn't point out in the first set of pictures is if you zoom in on the pictures you'll notice more detail in the S3 shots, mainly because of the higher pixel count.
I think personally, the s3 camera is quite better. It has more tweaking you can do to get the shots you want. I really love the "Smile Shot" that takes a photo when it detects a smile or the fact you can say "Cheese" and it have take photos.

those are really nice pics

S3 is same sensor as S2 from what I have read. One X is brand new backlit sensor, which is why it does so well in low light conditions. One X camera is best out there right now. And yes the f2.0 wider angle lens is pretty sweet also.
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA

Kind of weird, samsung has a photo relationship with pentax for their SLR's and these comparison pics look a lot like those between pentax and canikon SLR's. On auto settings the pentax/samsung favor darker and less saturated compared to brighter/punchier exposures on auto settings with canon or nikon. All a matter of preference just weird to see the same sort of thing happening here.
Will be fun to play with when I finally upgrade from this cracked captivate

c5satellite2 said:
S3 is same sensor as S2 from what I have read. One X is brand new backlit sensor, which is why it does so well in low light conditions. One X camera is best out there right now. And yes the f2.0 wider angle lens is pretty sweet also.
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The sensor is an upgraded iphone 4s sensor

Are you sure about the camera sensor. I read a review last week that it was same sensor design as s2 but upgraded software. Not saying you aren't correct, just want to figure out which one it has.
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA

c5satellite2 said:
Are you sure about the camera sensor. I read a review last week that it was same sensor design as s2 but upgraded software. Not saying you aren't correct, just want to figure out which one it has.
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA
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Click to collapse
From the tear down videos/sites that I have seen they have said improved iphone 4s, try to Google it and see what they say, I might be wrong too but I'm going off the info I've seen on my rss feeds and Google searches

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_...era-versus-htc-one-x-iphone-4s/?tag=cnetRiver
read this camera comparison article for s3 and others.
Sent from my BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps using Tapatalk 2

Voelker45 said:
http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-19736_...era-versus-htc-one-x-iphone-4s/?tag=cnetRiver
read this camera comparison article for s3 and others.
Sent from my BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think that comparison is pretty spot on. You can tell from the comparisons that no phone holds the win every time. They are all great phones with great cameras.

zmore said:
It almost looks like the all the iPhone photos were artificially saturated, because it's supposedly better to err on the side of too saturated than "washed out reality", for the average joe.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There's a review of the phone that mentioned that the HDR mode was the only good shots and those are really nice.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747

robamacaf said:
Here are some updated shots. I played with the S3 and got the settings I liked. One thing I didn't point out in the first set of pictures is if you zoom in on the pictures you'll notice more detail in the S3 shots, mainly because of the higher pixel count.
I think personally, the s3 camera is quite better. It has more tweaking you can do to get the shots you want. I really love the "Smile Shot" that takes a photo when it detects a smile or the fact you can say "Cheese" and it have take photos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow i love your shots. THanks so much for doing this. I think in normal conditions from all the reviews and shots i've seen, the galaxy s3's photos look washed out, but it seems like with some settings it can be adjusted for. Does this affect the low light shots? (make them worse?)

I was pretty happy with this one.

Pics from my One X
Sent from my HTC One X using XDA

Sent from my HTC One X using XDA

Note 4 Camera

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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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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Click to collapse
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....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?

Camera Blurry

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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
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.
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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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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.

Is it worth upgrading from S6 Edge Plus to S8 only for camera?

Is it worth upgrading from S6 Edge Plus to S8 only for the camera quality photos?

Yes
Sent from my [device_name] using XDA-Developers Legacy app

Yes
I had the s6 edge + and when it broke I wanted to trade for s8. the quality during the day does not change as much, but at night and for selfies the s8 was worth every penny.

Absolutely

yip, definite difference, especially in low light situations.

Only in low light there is more detail in the shots and a little more light. In good lightning conditions there is little to no difference in my opinion. I like the camera on my old S6 more. It takes pictures in full 16:9 ratio too and its better to be viewed on a widescreen after all! I am a bit disappointed with my S8 camera. The pics are 4:3 in full resolution and i have trouble focusing in low light scenarios on videos.... sometimes it refuses to focus correctly at all. At low light the pictures also comes out a little blurry at times and its hard to focus on a subject. When the focus is ok it is only ok in the spot that it focuses ...everything around is a little blurry.
For me it was not a clear upgrade! I miss my S6 camera to be fair.
If you need head to head comparison in the same condition do send me an PM and i will send you.

So You all agree that in NON-low light situations S6E+ and S8 pics quality will be the same are almost the same?

Tbh i was told the best camera is in the s7....
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I like the camera on my S6 more than my S8, HTC 11 or LG V30. I like the 16:9 aspect ratio at 16mp. I don't take extreme low light shots so the camera of the S6 is my favorite.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

I'd say no! The s6 has better amount of detail in good light. Think the 16 mega pixel allows for more cropping without degrading quality. The s8 also tends to overexpose pictures, and the noise reduction removes too much details. Very visible in skin tones in pics of faces. The s8 has better autofocus. You still get blur of moving subject in low light, because the slow shutter.

I'd wait for s9 if I were you for another 2 months than buy an s8 now.

linom said:
I'd wait for s9 if I were you for another 2 months than buy an s8 now.
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I considered that but I asked for S8 cause I have a lower price coupon for S8 lets say....