Database Users

cameras autofocus

why is it that the autofocus never completly focuses on the object i wanna take a picture of. when im taking a picture from up close i click the screen to autofocus on the item but it zooms in clears the item up but then returns back to a blurry image. any tips or ideas on how to get this working better? the hd2 took amazing picture with the autofocus and now the evo 8 megapixel camera dosent do the same.

Mu5ic92 said:
why is it that the autofocus never completly focuses on the object i wanna take a picture of. when im taking a picture from up close i click the screen to autofocus on the item but it zooms in clears the item up but then returns back to a blurry image. any tips or ideas on how to get this working better? the hd2 took amazing picture with the autofocus and now the evo 8 megapixel camera dosent do the same.
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change your settings
i have mettering mode at center area and grid set to on

helped a little but still not quiet what the hd2 used to do. im pretty sure adjusting the contrast and stuff will help but i dont want to end up messing the setting up to much

i turned off face recognition and autofocus works 100x better now

IceCreaMan said:
i turned off face recognition and autofocus works 100x better now
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that actually helped alote. thank you

My problem is that if i'm trying to focus on something that is small in front something that is farther away, it will focus then unfocus. Like when I hold my finger 6in away and it focus's on the wall 4 feet away instead, even if i click on my finger to focus it there

Mu5ic92 said:
why is it that the autofocus never completly focuses on the object i wanna take a picture of. when im taking a picture from up close i click the screen to autofocus on the item but it zooms in clears the item up but then returns back to a blurry image. any tips or ideas on how to get this working better? the hd2 took amazing picture with the autofocus and now the evo 8 megapixel camera dosent do the same.
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You notice that specially when it's on bar code reader mode. I was testing the program, and it takes about 10 seconds to focus in the bar code clearly (it depends on your pulse). But I like that feature. I think iPhone doesn't have it.

Lumia 920 camera issues (soft photos)

I really hope nokia fixes this.
"Despite what reviews say, this isn't only a problem with daytime shots. Nighttime shots suffer from this "soft" look too. The night shots are good at capturing lots of light, but still poor on the sharpening part.
It sucks because before taking a picture, when I push the camera button down to focus, the image in the screen looks BEAUTIFUL and very sharp/detailed. As soon as I take the picture, it completely changes the look and makes it very soft and takes away detail."

They are saying it will be a software fix. They meaning Nokia.
Sent from my RM-820_nam_att_100 using Board Express

I dont like it as well but you can easily fix it with the built in autofix in windows or just use nokia creative studio app.
The main thing though for me is although the phone takes amazing low light shots.. they are only good for static objects as if your subjects moves even a bit they will become blur because of the slow shutter speed..
I guess you cant have everything

To be honest I'm not seeing the problem when taking photos of objects near. I suspect that on landscapes f2.0 aperture creates a shallow depth of field and so things in the distance aren't sharp compared to cameras with a much smaller aperture.
This is physics at work, can't do much about that with a fixed aperture.

Sure you can, set the focal point on whatever the distance is to the landscape (in effect, "infinity" by photography definition). Now, if you try and photograph a scene with things at different distances, some of them will be out of focus and look soft, yes. That is absolutely a case of "physics at work". It may be that the camera is too eager to focus on something in the foreground - even something meaningless, like the ground at your feet - when trying to take landscape shots.

[Q] Macro autofocus not working

Can any of you take macro [close up] pictures with the N4?
My problem is quite frustrating... when you take a close up shot of something, the camera will auto focus into it... as it does that, for a split second you get a crisp close up macro glimpse of the item you taking a picture of... but once you hit the button to take the shot.. it does not pick up the right level of focus needed for macro and you end up getting a blurred image!
It's very frustrating, and such a phone really needs to have a working macro shots!
Can you test this for me please? and let know if anyone knows how to fix it?
Thanks

Known problem, please star the issue in the bug tracker http://code.google.com/p/android/issues/detail?id=43153&thanks=43153&ts=1359017856

It's not a bug, it's to do with focal length. There is a minimum distance that a camera can focus. For example, my nikon has a minimum focus distance of 20cm from the sensor using a 10-30mm lens. With the nexus, I would expect a similar limitation.

rickykemp said:
It's not a bug, it's to do with focal length. There is a minimum distance that a camera can focus. For example, my nikon has a minimum focus distance of 20cm from the sensor using a 10-30mm lens. With the nexus, I would expect a similar limitation.
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But there's only one problem with that theory: the preview shows it getting good focus for nearly half a second, then it blurs out.

Macro Focus option?

Does anyone know how to enable/ toggle the macro option on the s4 or is there no such option? tried looking but couldnt find it.

sameer1807 said:
Does anyone know how to enable/ toggle the macro option on the s4 or is there no such option? tried looking but couldnt find it.
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I read in one of the reviews that the camera can take macro pictures in auto mode. There is no separate mode anymore.

sameer1807 said:
Does anyone know how to enable/ toggle the macro option on the s4 or is there no such option? tried looking but couldnt find it.
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No option, but it is unnecessary.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337

Yea focus is very good up close. Guess it doesn't need a macro. Thx for the replies
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda premium

So is there anyway to install a 3rd party camera for macro mode? I take pictures of circuit boards up close at work and it cant focus in that great.

If your work has a requirement for taking macro photos, they should be providing you with more appropriate hardware to do so.
I love the auto macro focus! Especially when I can tap where I want the phone to focus before snapping the pic.
View attachment 2174216

We have a dslr camera but its not always available. My coworkers have S3s and note 2s and tge macro focus is noticeably better than the S4 macro focus. Its just convenient having a phone that can take macro pictures like the s3 did. This pic I attached was one of the few that came out ok.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using xda app-developers app

I am very familiar with circuit boards and know there is very small detail on them. My story as close as I can get to yours--
Have a fluorescent light fixture installed over a vanity up inside a soffet. Hard to get to and even harder to read the info on the ballast with my poor eyes even with glasses--
My son said take a pic. So, I held the phone up inside the soffet to the ballast within maybe 3 inches. My positioning was awkward and could not hold phone and hit camera button at same time to take the pic. So, I used the "by some called gimmicky" feature of say cheese.
End result a good "macro" pic and with a little zoom in could read the extremely fine Lamp Info chart on the ballast. I am on Auto, so think this feature is pretty good for most situations. Still maybe not yours--

Anyone ever solve this 'issue'? I work with circuitboards as well (hobby), and I often need to retap the screen up to 20 times for a decent focus to appear. Most frustratingly, it IS sharp for a moment but continues to focus until it is way OUT of focus. So I am not keeping the subject too close, it simply fails to focus properly.
A simple manual focus would already be a great improvement!
With a decent autofocus and 13MP, I should be able to get more detail than my cheapo (20$) USB microscope pen with 2MP (or so it says on the box, I think it is probably just VGA) resolution, but I often have to turn to that instead and then photograph my computerscreen to whatsapp a pic

HTC one great phone, lacks focus

I mean it in a literal sense.
If you look at the image below, youll be able to see that its a bit blurry,
I've drawn 2 black lines in the image, notice that the top and the bottom is blurry and the center is focused.
It doesnt occur alot, but it does happen and sometimes even in videos.
Any help as to why? Perhaps 4.2.2 might fix this?

I think the DOF is so narrow because the lens has a wide aperture of F2.0 which helps in low light.

RoSonic_ said:
I think the DOF is so narrow because the lens has a wide aperture of F2.0 which helps in low light.
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Can you explain what DOF is?
Is there anyway I could fix it? You think anyone else has this problem?

"depth of field (DOF) is the distance between the nearest and farthest objects in a scene that appear acceptably sharp in an image." - (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_of_field)
And I don't think it's a problem. It's just how the lens is made with a large aperture to allow more light in to the image sensor.
You could try to compensate this a bit by increasing the sharpness from the camera menu.

I'd be more concerned with the poor dynamic range shown in the top of the pic. ;O)
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta

That`s totally normal for the one, it only exposes the focus point, instead of the whole image, could htc not have given us a choice
John.
americasteam said:
I'd be more concerned with the poor dynamic range shown in the top of the pic. ;O)
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta
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Tinderbox (UK) said:
That`s totally normal for the one, it only exposes the focus point, instead of the whole image, could htc not have given us a choice
John.
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Well that sucks. One of the reasons I bought this phone was for the camera.
Do you know anyway I could fix this? or atleast minimize it?

The problem is when the image contains both dark and bright areas, if you focus on the bright, the dark areas will be underexposed and if you focus on the dark the bright areas will be overexposed, you need to find an area to focus on that will give you an average exposure for the entire image.
I have the same problem, but some photo`s are amazing and some are utter crap.
Try using hdr mode, it takes multiple images at different exposure levels and then integrates them into one photo, but you need to keep the phone very steady, hopefully HTC will fix this problem.
John.
uzman1243 said:
Well that sucks. One of the reasons I bought this phone was for the camera.
Do you know anyway I could fix this? or atleast minimize it?
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Mine does this as well. Easiest fix I've come across is just tapping on the screen in the area you want focused...it seems to hold focus better after the first time and the photos look a lot better.
Problem is, I generally forget about this until after the first picture is taken without it. So it's a process for sure.
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium

Has anybody tried some other camera apps from the play store, maybe we can find one that exposes correctly, i wish the one had my nikon`s matrix metering
John.
---------- Post added at 06:53 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:46 PM ----------
I bought this Camera Zoom FX app for £0.50p on sale that i never used, i think it`s about time i tried it.
John.

Mine is the same way. Wasn't bashing the camera was just giving my first impression of the pic posted. I think the camera is excellent for a phone. Small sensor and tiny optics will only go so far. This device is fantastic as an overall package.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta

The sensor is great for a phone camera, but the software that does the exposure is very very poor or am i missing something???
John.

You rack focus
Sent from my HTC One using xda premium

Why are all you guys saying this is normal? Either you have defective phones or you don't know how to take pictures! ... The only time my One does this is when I use touch to focus on Macro mode. I have taken hundreds of pictures and no pictures look like yours unless I wanted them to.

Agreed. The picture in the OP looks like an issue with OIS, not depth of field.
If it was a one time thing then this thread doesn't need to exist. If it happens a lot the phone needs to be replaced.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app

NxNW said:
Agreed. The picture in the OP looks like an issue with OIS, not depth of field.
If it was a one time thing then this thread doesn't need to exist. If it happens a lot the phone needs to be replaced.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
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Well its not a repetitive condition but occurs once in a while. Even in videos.

Try camera fv-5 from playstore. DSLR style camera app with multiple metering modes.
Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4 Beta

AllAboutTheCore said:
Why are all you guys saying this is normal? Either you have defective phones or you don't know how to take pictures! ... The only time my One does this is when I use touch to focus on Macro mode. I have taken hundreds of pictures and no pictures look like yours unless I wanted them to.
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I do think it's a flaw in the camera software that exposure and focus can't be decoupled. I LOVE the shallow depth of field but can't use it property because touching-to-focus blows out highlights.

uzman1243 said:
I mean it in a literal sense.
If you look at the image below, youll be able to see that its a bit blurry,
I've drawn 2 black lines in the image, notice that the top and the bottom is blurry and the center is focused.
It doesnt occur alot, but it does happen and sometimes even in videos.
Any help as to why? Perhaps 4.2.2 might fix this?
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Click to collapse
Most of these comments come from people who have no idea what they're talking about.
Your phone is perfect. Nothing wrong with it. All you did was tap to focus on the middle of the picture.
This did 2 things.
1. It will FOCUS on the center of the pic. Other areas will be blurred. Hence the term, focus. That's how cameras work.
2. The exposure was adjusted to where you focused it to. What does that mean?
If you focused on a light area the camera will adjust the exposure to compensate. What that means is if it's light, the camera will darken the overall image. Lights become darker, farms become darker.
If the photo is focused on a dark area, the camera will adjust the photo by making the dark area brighter and the bright areas, as a result, brighter. Which is why you have super white skies.
To fix it, go to the camera settings and I think select touch to capture. But to say fix means it's a problem.
It's not.
For landscapes, use landscape mode which will focus on the entire image and bot blur. Also you can tap on the area where you want adjusted, ie brighter or darker. Blur again is only cause you focused. Don't focus on landscapes.
Photographer here. Focus on this comment and not anyone who says your phone is messed up. This is why.
Take a look at my two attached photos. One I clicked on the sky and the other I clicked on the grass. Light then dark. Can you figure out which was which and see what happened to the photo?
Note that it was overcast and cloudy. There were NO BLUE SKIES. it was grey. So the sky wasnt killed by the camera
Btw don't always use Hdr. Don't. Its not a saving grace every time. If you shoot in the sun you're shooting in the sun. Photography rule #1: DON'T.
ALWAYS USE THE SCENES WHEN YOU CAN. WHICH IS WHY THEYTE THERE AND EXIST. SLRS HAVE THEM TOO FKR A REASON!
As for the lines, panorama? Did you move too fast? That's what happens when you do - camera can't stitch properly
Sent from my HTC One

chc31 said:
Most of these comments come from people who have no idea what they're talking about.
Your phone is perfect. Nothing wrong with it. All you did was tap to focus on the middle of the picture.
This did 2 things.
1. It will FOCUS on the center of the pic. Other areas will be blurred. Hence the term, focus. That's how cameras work.
2. The exposure was adjusted to where you focused it to. What does that mean?
If you focused on a light area the camera will adjust the exposure to compensate. What that means is if it's light, the camera will darken the overall image. Lights become darker, farms become darker.
If the photo is focused on a dark area, the camera will adjust the photo by making the dark area brighter and the bright areas, as a result, brighter. Which is why you have super white skies.
To fix it, go to the camera settings and I think select touch to capture. But to say fix means it's a problem.
It's not.
For landscapes, use landscape mode which will focus on the entire image and bot blur. Also you can tap on the area where you want adjusted, ie brighter or darker. Blur again is only cause you focused. Don't focus on landscapes.
Photographer here. Focus on this comment and not anyone who says your phone is messed up. This is why.
Take a look at my two attached photos. One I clicked on the sky and the other I clicked on the grass. Light then dark. Can you figure out which was which and see what happened to the photo?
Note that it was overcast and cloudy. There were NO BLUE SKIES. it was grey. So the sky wasnt killed by the camera
Btw don't always use Hdr. Don't. Its not a saving grace every time. If you shoot in the sun you're shooting in the sun. Photography rule #1: DON'T.
ALWAYS USE THE SCENES WHEN YOU CAN. WHICH IS WHY THEYTE THERE AND EXIST. SLRS HAVE THEM TOO FKR A REASON!
As for the lines, panorama? Did you move too fast? That's what happens when you do - camera can't stitch properly
Sent from my HTC One
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The black lines on the image, I DREW to show where it gets blurred (not panaroma).
You're right, but when I focus on the center, all objects in the background should get blurred right? I mean thats how the focus works. You focus on a particular subject (lets assume in the foreground) the objects in background gets blurred.
If you see the image I uploaded (in the top line) the upper part of the tree is blurred and the lower part is focused.
It doesn't work like that right?