Database Users

Using the camera: best practices

Would be great if we had a thread with some tips how to get the best photos with the Z1.
Any tips? Please share. I for one would love to dive in the magical world of digital photography. Think the Z1 is a great starting point.
Maybe we could even use this knowledge to create an awesome camera app for our z1.

I dont have a Z1 yet (planning to get one soon as my contract expires) but from what I have reading, Manual mode + Iso 50-200 seems to get the best result.

appelflap said:
Would be great if we had a thread with some tips how to get the best photos with the Z1.
Any tips? Please share. I for one would love to dive in the magical world of digital photography. Think the Z1 is a great starting point.
Maybe we could even use this knowledge to create an awesome camera app for our z1.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, here's a couple of tips to start you off:-
1. Noise is an issue with the current camera firmware.
The best way to address this is to shoot in Manual mode where you will have a greater control over the shot.
Look at the ISO value and where possible change it to ISO 50. This will give the clearest noise free image possible.
2. Don't use Digital Zoom. Frame correctly and crop your images.
Often I hear of owners looking to zoom in as much as possible before taking the shot.
Whilst that is fine and dandy on cameras which have lens that support optical zoom, never ever use digital zoom.
Instead, take the shot using the full coverage of the shot (no zoom). This will then allow you to 'crop' the image to whatever zoom you wish and you can perform as many crops as you wish from one shot (top, bottom, left, right, centre of a shot)
---------- Post added at 09:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:10 AM ----------
Morlock O said:
I dont have a Z1 yet (planning to get one soon as my contract expires) but from what I have reading, Manual mode + Iso 50-200 seems to get the best result.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apologies..... You posted this whilst I was compiling my post above.

Morlock O said:
I dont have a Z1 yet (planning to get one soon as my contract expires) but from what I have reading, Manual mode + Iso 50-200 seems to get the best result.
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Click to collapse
Beards said:
Well, here's a couple of tips to start you off:-
1. Noise is an issue with the current camera firmware.
The best way to address this is to shoot in Manual mode where you will have a greater control over the shot.
Look at the ISO value and where possible change it to ISO 50. This will give the clearest noise free image possible.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Aha! And which resolution do you advice in this mode? The full 20 MP resolution?
Beards said:
2. Don't use Digital Zoom. Frame correctly and crop your images.
Often I hear of owners looking to zoom in as much as possible before taking the shot.
Whilst that is fine and dandy on cameras which have lens that support optical zoom, never ever use digital zoom.
Instead, take the shot using the full coverage of the shot (no zoom). This will then allow you to 'crop' the image to whatever zoom you wish and you can perform as many crops as you wish from one shot (top, bottom, left, right, centre of a shot)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I saw an ad off Sony in which they suggested that one could do a 3x digital zoom without a compromise in quality. But I agree, why not take a full frame shot and zoom afterwards.
Btw nice to see you here Beards. How is your HD2

appelflap said:
Aha! And which resolution do you advice in this mode? The full 20 MP resolution?
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Click to collapse
Depends on the shot...
If I still want to use Image Stabiizer or HDR I will change from 20MP to 8MP as 20MP does not support either of these features.
Further, for night shots the camera lens is not looking for stacks of detail. As such often for night shooting you can get away with a lower pixel shot.
I saw an ad off Sony in which they suggested that one could do a 3x digital zoom without a compromise in quality. But I agree, why not take a full frame shot and zoom afterwards.
Btw nice to see you here Beards. How is your HD2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, you can do the 3x digital but once you have done it this can lead to the next shot being over zoomed, that and it's always better to crop as you know.
P.S. Yes mate..... Nice to see you too.
And yes, I still have the HD2. Kept it for sentimental reasons

If Sony fixes the camera software, we'll all see a enormous difference in quality! Setting everything to manual will give you much better results. Now I tried the "Focal" camera app from the Playstore, and the low light shots are really, really awesome! The app itself is very minimalistic, but produces stunning results with the Z1! Give it a go, I'll try to upload some shots I took when I'm home!

Beards said:
And yes, I still have the HD2. Kept it for sentimental reasons
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Click to collapse
kept and still using mine hehe, anyway shouldnt we zoom in 3x losless(?) first then crop the photo? any further zoom than 3x is going to substantially lose the quality then?
im hoping to get my Z1 tmorrow so i can try out my theory hehe

Anadinolin said:
kept and still using mine hehe, anyway shouldnt we zoom in 3x losless(?) first then crop the photo? any further zoom than 3x is going to substantially lose the quality then?
im hoping to get my Z1 tmorrow so i can try out my theory hehe
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ahh a fellow HD2 user. We are but a dying breed...
Re the 3x lossless digital zoom.
There are two issues here:-
1. All the 3x lossless zoom does is do what cropping does . It just restricts it to 3x to avoid over zooming where the shot would then look too pixelated.
2. Once you apply 3x zoom on any image that is it, you can't go back and say "blast! I should have zoomed in a bit less".
At least with the full frame you can make as many different crops as you like and apply it to any part of the image.
In other words where digital shooting is concerned shoot full then crop. 9 times out of 10 the software PP will handle it better anyway.

I would advice to download a more capable camera app for the moment until Sony fixes the severa problems they are having.
Otherwise I would NOT recommend using the Auto mode because right now it's seriously underperforming choosing the Manual setting would allow you for more options of course.
Turn off stabilization when capturing videos if you value the field of view because it's not OIS, this is Digital meaning it is cropping the picture instead otherwise the Steayshot feature is pretty solid

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

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

Nexus 6 Ultimate 4K Video Test

Change to 4K/2160p in Quality Settings! The only real compression is on youtube's side. And I will say I see a little better quality on my Master File than on youtube.
I decided to test the 4k video recording on the Nexus 6 by shooting my entire vacation with it. I've compiled a recap video showcasing the camera's abilities.
-There conditions recorded in are: high light, low light, sunny, overcast, indoors and outdoors, etc.
-I've zoomed in a few times and moved the phone to force refocus in a few clips.
-There has been NO post editing to the footage such as color correction, cropping, stabilizing, etc.
-Crossfading, fade to black, muting of audio, and title overlays are the only alterations made to compile this video
ENJOY!

Looks like OIS keeps making things a bit juttery and focusing in and out at times.

knitler said:
Looks like OIS keeps making things a bit juttery and focusing in and out at times.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes Google camera does that. Same on nexus 5

rootSU said:
Yes Google camera does that. Same on nexus 5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does using another camera app prevent it?

knitler said:
Does using another camera app prevent it?
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Click to collapse
I've never tried. I doubt it

Then it's a hardware issue I assume.

knitler said:
Then it's a hardware issue I assume.
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Click to collapse
No... But 3rd party cameras are not a complete solution. They use the existing libs and camera HAL etc, which is software.
But you can try it, who knows?

i need to look around to see if there are any apps that lock focus.
That would come in handy

Robert_W said:
i need to look around to see if there are any apps that lock focus.
That would come in handy
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try with Cinema FV-5

I watched the whole thing before realizing my monitor at work isn't 4K
nice video - I'll have to watch it later at home to really see the quality. The focusing issue sucks and is really pronounced on this phone, I wonder if L Camera is any better at it.

springer.music said:
Try with Cinema FV-5
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Click to collapse
I have that app in my wish list. Gotta do some more research to see if it offers what I want. I prefer simplicity like the stock app is designed, but I don't think google will ever include these especiall features.. Including 60/120/240 fps.

springer.music said:
Try with Cinema FV-5
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
camera focus doesnt seem to be an issue with cinema fv-5. pretty sure its an android issue as my nexus 5 had the same problem (as mentioned above). anyway i just shot a few minutes of 4k video w cinema fv-5 and i dont see any re-focusing nonsense going on

rman18 said:
I watched the whole thing before realizing my monitor at work isn't 4K
nice video - I'll have to watch it later at home to really see the quality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you get to watch it in all its glory? Lol

Cinema FV-5 seems to fix the constant jittery focus issue. Wish I make this video test in that app instead

Manual Camera is, by far, the most feature-packed camera app for the Nexus 6. Full support with the new camera API's too ?

StrizzMatik said:
Manual Camera is, by far, the most feature-packed camera app for the Nexus 6. Full support with the new camera API's too
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Click to collapse
fv5 supports the new apis as well. i read manual camera has issues. like you can't zoom and theres no way to switch between front and rear cameras...
but on topic, does manual camera support video recording?

indianajonze said:
fv5 supports the new apis as well.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hope they add 60/120 fps soon. That's the only camera feature I really want

Open camera supports everything people!!!! Just downloaded it and is now my default camera!!!! It support all resolutions for stills and recording, shows amount of memory left in real time, and a lot of other things and you get really check the options for a lot and best part of all its open source!!! So always free and never ad filled, I think Google should have hired this guy to make their camera app!
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.sourceforge.opencamera
Sent from my Nexus 6 using XDA Free mobile app

I started watching the video on my phone, then decided to stream it to my 42 inch flat screen tv to check out the quality on a larger scale, and then realized my 42 inch TV is lower resolution than my phone as a result. lol!
i was recently looking around for other camera apps so as to see how the device's ability to shoot in RAW compares to various cameras. I was considering trying FV5 but was checking out the free alternatives first.
I tried L Camera, which did let me adjust ISO, white balance, and so on, but it had some pretty major issues that need to be worked out still.
While I haven't tried FV5 yet (so I can't say much about that app specifically) I just tried out Open Camera (the above post caused me to remember it showing up in the app store several times while I was browsing) and wowee it's actually really good so far. Only one bug so far that I've encountered and it's very minor. The customization and various settings are really well thought out.
It says it can do 60/120 fps with a disclaimer that it may not always reach the designated fps if the hardware doesn't support it..so maybe?
auto-focus seemed quite a bit faster compared to google's stock camera app and it's much easier to adjust the lighting quickly than any other camera apps I've tried so far.
Right now the only thing I can really find "wrong" with it is the overall design and layout of the app, but it's not poorly designed at all.
I'll be using Open Camera as my default camera app until a major flaw presents itself or google amps up it's own app to compete. Very pleasantly surprised so far.

Robert_W said:
Change to 4K/2160p in Quality Settings! The only real compression is on youtube's side. And I will say I see a little better quality on my Master File than on youtube.
I decided to test the 4k video recording on the Nexus 6 by shooting my entire vacation with it. I've compiled a recap video showcasing the camera's abilities.
-There conditions recorded in are: high light, low light, sunny, overcast, indoors and outdoors, etc.
-I've zoomed in a few times and moved the phone to force refocus in a few clips.
-There has been NO post editing to the footage such as color correction, cropping, stabilizing, etc.
-Crossfading, fade to black, muting of audio, and title overlays are the only alterations made to compile this video
ENJOY!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Awesome video and very helpful. Thank you.

Alternative App that makes best quality photos

Hi there,
As everyone knows, default camera app of sony sucks. I have tried a lot of alternative applications. For me the best results is from Snap Camera with settings 20mpx, camera api2, jpeg quality Best, opengl2, auto scene auto whitebalance, auto flash. These settings allows me to take much sharper images tested on my small facial hair. BUT! Camera is very overheating, after few minutes (5-6 shots) i have started sony camera and it alerted that camera is too hot, so it shuts down.
Snap camera allows HDR in 20mpx also any scene, its not limited as sony-s camera
Also snap camera produced the best images on my old low quality mtk based phone. So i recommend it, its paid but as far i know it have trial version.
I will be happy if someone will tell how is satisfied with this app.
PS.: FV-5 is worse, for my eyes.

in the play store info, there is setting for ISO. but why is there non when i check in setting...?

ive taken some kick ass photos in good light/ low light / bad light with the stock app. IDK what everyone is on about. but to each their own =)

`Ghost` said:
ive taken some kick ass photos in good light/ low light / bad light with the stock app. IDK what everyone is on about. but to each their own =)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In Auto mode or Manual?

Both.

Basically, when you unlock your boot loader, the great photo quality will be gone. If you have backed up your "TRIMM area" before unlocking it (where the DRM keys are stored), then you'll be able to get it back, by re-locking the BL, but this means you'll lose your ability to use costom ROMs, only modified stock ROMs are possible after that.
The reason for this is that Sony uses some pretty amazing software magic to get great pictures in low light (noise reduction algorithms) which aren't meant to be accessible for others to reverse engineer, so they lock them away with the DRM keys. So with a locked boot loader, the camera makes awesome pictures even in low light, with an unlocked BL, meh... (not so much any more)
Of course, these algorithms are only available to the Sony default camera app for the same reasons...

Have you tried this
It will let you have scene's and HDR in 20mp, also it has more ISO options.

I've used FV-5 from the start and imo it's a lot better for me then the stock app. I can't work with the stock app that has limited control
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app

stock camera is the only one...'cause of manual iso... fv-5 has good auto but you can't force iso 100, 200 and so on

Recently I have the Z3 Compact therefore not yet tried everything, but the camera does not seem anywhere near what they sold me in reviews. The original camera seems poor choices, the automatic mode leaves much to be desired, especially in low light because when you have a lighthouse in front can not interpret well and properly handle white balance and contrast.
I was testing the Open Camera app and gives me better results than stock. The only thing I use it now for the stock camera is for timeshift and sometimes for panoramic shots.

I have almost forgot about this post, thanks for cleaning my bookmarks.
Thanks for everyone’s reply, I have figured out that another phones also uses that sensor and they make better pics, so probably problem is with sony's software developers who are doing a weak job. I am very addicted to zooming pictures and when I compare zoomed 5mpx downscale shot of lumia 1020 and 8 or 20mpx shot of Z3C, then shot of lumia is sharp and clear, full of details.... the shot of sony is like blurred and without details. So i think that they algorithm is wrong somewhere or they are compressing raw to too low quality and when jpeg is created then its final quality will be even worse regardless of 97% or 100% jpeg quality. Need to note that nokia's sensor is three times bigger in its physical size that captures the light.
But the video quality is epic i have never seen so good video quality from phone.
Currently i am waiting for availability of 5.1.1 in slovakia

U11 video recording nitpicking

I've been using the Galaxy S8 Plus until I received my solar red U11 yesterday (glad I waited, it's very nice looking). Anyway, I am very impressed with the photo image quality of the phone (it is very comparable to the S8), but I have a few nitpicks about the video recording:
1) No 1080p/60 mode. I really don't understand why it doesn't have a 60fps mode when even phones from 2016 had it? It has 1080p/30 and 1080p/120 (for slow motion), so why no 1080/60? Is it overheating concern?
2) No way to turn of EIS in 1080p video recording mode? While 1080p is very stable due to its combined OIS and EIS, it also crops the view significantly when recording video in this mode (compare it to 4k, which is quite a bit wider but has no EIS). Anyway, the EIS is nice if you want that, but I think there needs to be a toggle or option to turn off EIS and have the wide recording mode in 1080p that is like the 4k mode. As it stands, there does not appear to be a way to change this.
3) 6 minute recording limit in 4k. I guess it's also due to overheating concerns, but why not just make it unlimited and have the phone's temperature monitoring stop recording automatically if it gets to a certain temp? Some people are reporting overheating stoppages even before the 6 minutes, but in cooler environments, we may be able to record indefinitely in 4k.
Things I DO like about the U11's camera though...
1) Photo app and quality are excellent. Nice Pro mode too.
2) Glad I can lock exposure and focus during video recording very easily.
3) Focusing pulling with the touch screen is very nice on the U11 (it doesn't rock back and forth when focusing like many other phone cameras).
4) Audio recording options are very nice (3d audio vs hi-res, and acoustic focus)

https://www.xda-developers.com/htc-u11-updates-srgb-1080p60/

Conan1986 said:
https://www.xda-developers.com/htc-u11-updates-srgb-1080p60/
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Click to collapse
Thanks! It's good to see that they are working on adding 1080p/60, though it appears to be a ways off.
Another thing that bothers me (when compared to the S8 or iPhone 7) is that I can't seem to take a photo while recording in 4k. I'm not sure if that's a software or hardware limitation, but I used that all the time on those phones. I really like using the squeeze to open the camera, take a photo, and switch between front and rear cameras though!

Travisimo said:
Thanks! It's good to see that they are working on adding 1080p/60, though it appears to be a ways off.
Another thing that bothers me (when compared to the S8 or iPhone 7) is that I can't seem to take a photo while recording in 4k. I'm not sure if that's a software or hardware limitation, but I used that all the time on those phones. I really like using the squeeze to open the camera, take a photo, and switch between front and rear cameras though!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try Open Camera on XDA, it works shooting 1080P without EIS and no time length limitation on 4K.

I've also see the same issue on the HTC 10 in regards to the 4k and taking a photo while recording if you can call it an issue. I suppose no one had complained about it and they left it unchanged

TheEndHK said:
Try Open Camera on XDA, it works shooting 1080P without EIS and no time length limitation on 4K.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a nice camera app, thanks. Tried various settings in the app for video recording. Looks like no matter what framerate you choose, it can't go above 30fps. I thought maybe it would let me shoot 1080p/60, but nope (even when setting it to 60fps, it still records at 30). Also doesn't seem to be a way to take a photo while shooting video in this app? Nice that you can shoot longer than 6 minutes in 4k though (I didn't try it yet, but I assume it works).

wilpang said:
I've also see the same issue on the HTC 10 in regards to the 4k and taking a photo while recording if you can call it an issue. I suppose no one had complained about it and they left it unchanged
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I call it an "issue" only because I have come to expect it when shooting video now. In fact, I used it quite frequently on my iPhone and Galaxy S8. Being able to take a photo without interrupting the video recording is a pretty important feature, in my opinion. I suppose one could load up the video in software and capture a frame manually, but it's a feature that other flagships have, so I miss it.

Travisimo said:
It's a nice camera app, thanks. Tried various settings in the app for video recording. Looks like no matter what framerate you choose, it can't go above 30fps. I thought maybe it would let me shoot 1080p/60, but nope (even when setting it to 60fps, it still records at 30). Also doesn't seem to be a way to take a photo while shooting video in this app? Nice that you can shoot longer than 6 minutes in 4k though (I didn't try it yet, but I assume it works).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
60fps will come with one of the next OTA updates.
Sent from my htc_pmeuhl using XDA Labs

Travisimo said:
I call it an "issue" only because I have come to expect it when shooting video now. In fact, I used it quite frequently on my iPhone and Galaxy S8. Being able to take a photo without interrupting the video recording is a pretty important feature, in my opinion. I suppose one could load up the video in software and capture a frame manually, but it's a feature that other flagships have, so I miss it.
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Click to collapse
Indeed, my old year 2012 HTC One S supported shooting FHD video and taking a real photo at the same time and I owned a Galaxy S6 support that feature too. However, I think during 4K recording that no phone could take a real photo, all they do is just capture a frame from video clip and pretend that is a photo.

TheEndHK said:
Indeed, my old year 2012 HTC One S supported shooting FHD video and taking a real photo at the same time and I owned a Galaxy S6 support that feature too. However, I think during 4K recording that no phone could take a real photo, all they do is just capture a frame from video clip and pretend that is a photo.
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Right, I understand it's not an actual "photo" at the highest resolution, but I would still like the convenience of capturing a frame during 4k video recording like I can on all of the other flagships phones.

Wow I'm glad I found this post, I thought I was going crazy with the issues you mentioned, especially the cropped 1080p video! I hope they can fix that with the 60fps update, because it is really annoying.

Hi, 60fps still not possible?

vojta20vt said:
Hi, 60fps still not possible?
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1080p60 is being introduced in stock ROMs with versions 1.26 and higher.

Do you know if EIS for 4k video is planned? Thinking about buying the U11 instead of the much too expensive Pixel 2, but the lack of EIS in this case is a bit of a bummer.