Database Users

[GUIDE][REVIEW]Samsung Galaxy S3 Camera Guide/Review

I have written this guide quite some time back during the first week of launch of this Galaxy S3 and forgotten to share this here in xda too. Hope this is able to help some newbie on using their S3 camera. Advance users probably will find my guide too basic.
I do welcome any feedbacks or comments if you found any mistakes or misleading information.
Disclaimer: This is not a professional review and all the findings and opinions are based on my own experience only.
Part 1: Hardware and Features
Part 2: User Interface
Part 3: Limitations
Part 4: Shooting Mode
Part 5: Scene Mode
Part 6: Summary and Conclusion
I'm aware for the new firmware I9300XXBLFB for the camera. Check the changelog
Some sample pictures you will find in the post.

Sample pictures
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very nice review and good conclusion. well done. keep it up.
did you do any post processing at all on those pictures ? i notice less noise (compared to mine) even on high ISO ! i find lot of noise anything more ISO 200!
BTW my cam firmware ZDFE02.

nope, no PP was done. all straight out of camera..
probably have to do with the brightness of the object u r shooting i guess. indoors with ISO 200 still give quite an amount of noise too.

Camera Changelog for LFB/LF1 firmwares
blog updated with latest description for LFB/LG1 updates:
Camera Changelog for LFB/LG1 firmwares

nice work @op
can you make some comparison of pictures @ poor lighting conditions?

Great post. I know this camera isn't the best one you can get in a smartphone (probably still the iPhone 4S? Or the One X?), but it takes some really good shots, and knowing how to use it properly is all-important.
Thanks!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

I love this guide, really useful, thanks!

bala_gamer said:
nice work @op
can you make some comparison of pictures @ poor lighting conditions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what type of low light photos u looking for?
- low light indoor?
- low light outdoor?
- with flash or without flash?
i do have some poor lighting condition photos in the blog anyway. have a look.
or comparisons done by this forum member
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1771006
jgristy said:
Great post. I know this camera isn't the best one you can get in a smartphone (probably still the iPhone 4S? Or the One X?), but it takes some really good shots, and knowing how to use it properly is all-important.
Thanks!
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, and no. the One X is not a better shooter when compared to S3. Reason bcz One X is not able to capture as much detail and sharpness as S3. The One X is only capable of getting a cleaner image during low light, thanks to its f2.0 lens. Other than that, S3 is a better shooter.
iPhone 4S on the other hand comes in neck in neck. it wins S3 in indoor shots, thanks to its f2.4 lens. But it's a no match for sharpness and details as well to the S3. the metering on 4S however seems better.
i will provide some links to let u have a look on the comparison shots.
http://www.gsmarena.com/pureview_blind_test-review-773.php
http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s_iii_vs_htc_one_x-review-759p5.php
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/samsung-galaxy-s3-vs-iphone-4s-vs-htc-one-x-vs-xperia-s-camera-test-50008056/
juliano_q said:
I love this guide, really useful, thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
welcome.. just to help..

Thanks, really useful guide, especially for the point-and-hope-for-the-best user - i.e. me....
Should be stickied IMO.

farscope said:
i will provide some links to let u have a look on the comparison shots.
welcome.. just to help..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for those links. Very informative. Reading all this information about my new camera phone, I find I don't have all the new effects under the wand button (even though I've downloaded all available updates), and I don't have the button which lets you take photos during video recording.
Why do you think this might be?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

jgristy said:
Thanks for those links. Very informative. Reading all this information about my new camera phone, I find I don't have all the new effects under the wand button (even though I've downloaded all available updates), and I don't have the button which lets you take photos during video recording.
Why do you think this might be?
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
probably yr country hasn't receive the updates yet.. just wait for it..

Thanks for the guide It whas very usefull

Strangely when the update came the camera is getting worse not better , yes more options and modes but a lot of distortion .......
I'm talking about the LFB one....

A small question for those who have moved over to an AOSP rom, does the camera take longer to snap a photo? I ask this because obviously the Samsung Rom was built for the zero shutter lag and I have seen demos of the speed in which it snaps photos. But in some videos I have seen CM9 on the S3, it seems when hitting the button it has a small delay where it stills tries to focus before it snaps.
thanks!
ps: getting my S3 on Monday and debating which rom to use as I probably would like to mess around with the new S3 roms.

m00moo said:
A small question for those who have moved over to an AOSP rom, does the camera take longer to snap a photo? I ask this because obviously the Samsung Rom was built for the zero shutter lag and I have seen demos of the speed in which it snaps photos. But in some videos I have seen CM9 on the S3, it seems when hitting the button it has a small delay where it stills tries to focus before it snaps.
thanks!
ps: getting my S3 on Monday and debating which rom to use as I probably would like to mess around with the new S3 roms.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, the S3's camera is using touchwiz framework.. CM9 is not.. hence the slower performance..
demmo81 said:
Strangely when the update came the camera is getting worse not better , yes more options and modes but a lot of distortion .......
I'm talking about the LFB one....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
distortion at the corners? hmm.. i will try to check on mine.. but as far as i'm concerned, distortion mainly due to lens..

farscope said:
yes, the S3's camera is using touchwiz framework.. CM9 is not.. hence the slower performance..
distortion at the corners? hmm.. i will try to check on mine.. but as far as i'm concerned, distortion mainly due to lens..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its not only on the edges but i feel all the pics specially with low light...
anyway ill provide some samples later on today to explain ... Thanks

demmo81 said:
its not only on the edges but i feel all the pics specially with low light...
anyway ill provide some samples later on today to explain ... Thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
awaiting yr samples then.. cz i dont see any significant difference in my pictures in terms of distortion..

farscope said:
awaiting yr samples then.. cz i dont see any significant difference in my pictures in terms of distortion..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here r some I just took in the office the camera is trying to increase the light as much as it can although the light conditions r normal but the pic is coming pixeled u know...
Also I noticed the camera is trying to get all the light in that's why its getting worse....
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app

demmo81 said:
Here r some I just took in the office the camera is trying to increase the light as much as it can although the light conditions r normal but the pic is coming pixeled u know...
Also I noticed the camera is trying to get all the light in that's why its getting worse....
Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hmm.. i don't really get what u mean by distortion. my understanding of distortion is the lens distortion where u get straight lines becomes curvy like a barrel distortion for wide angle lens, or the fish eye effect for fish eye lens.
in your sample picture, i cant really get the distortion that u mean. did u mean the deviation away from normal exposures? if that's the case, then it is because most of the subjects in your picture are black/dark colours. Hence, the camera's metering is fooled, by thinking you are shooting in low light and hence increases the exposure. it happens to all camera, it's a weakness of digital metering.

Xperia Z1 2nd Place in DxO Mark's Overall Mobile Camera Ranking

Apparently, DxO Mark just gave out a score to Xperia Z1 and amazingly, just sits at 2nd place behind the Pureview 808 in overall Mobile Camera Ranking! :victory:
And that's without the "firmware updates" that will supposedly improve the camera!
I can't post the link as I'm still within the new user limitation of posting outside links. But if you're curious to see it, just do a quick google search for DxOMark and Xperia Z1!
More details:
Actually, the stills for Z1 stands at 5th place, however the video was deemed to be outstanding and the best in the mobile cameras and just 2nd place in their database behind the GoPro Hero 3!
If you're wondering what happened to the 1020, they also have an article on it and while they deemed the stills to be amazing and 2nd only to the 808. However, video was said to be lacking.
What are your thoughts?

bloodfire1004 said:
Apparently, DxO Mark just gave out a score to Xperia Z1 and amazingly, just sits at 2nd place behind the Pureview 808 in overall Mobile Camera Ranking! :victory:
And that's without the "firmware updates" that will supposedly improve the camera!
I can't post the link as I'm still within the new user limitation of posting outside links. But if you're curious to see it, just do a quick google search for DxOMark and Xperia Z1!
More details:
Actually, the stills for Z1 stands at 5th place, however the video was deemed to be outstanding and the best in the mobile cameras and just 2nd place in their database behind the GoPro Hero 3!
If you're wondering what happened to the 1020, they also have an article on it and while they deemed the stills to be amazing and 2nd only to the 808. However, video was said to be lacking.
What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess the big sensor is the key here. Dxomark doesn't reflect the real life though. I'm not very happy with the z1 camera... far too noisy especially at 20mp. Still better than my older nexus 4 anyway.

j0sh0 said:
I guess the big sensor is the key here. Dxomark doesn't reflect the real life though. I'm not very happy with the z1 camera... far too noisy especially at 20mp. Still better than my older nexus 4 anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just curious, what settings are you using? I'm pretty satisfied with the Z1 Camera of mine, but that was after tweaking some of the shooting settings I'm in. At first, I was pretty disappointed as well but now I think I'm good.

bloodfire1004 said:
Just curious, what settings are you using? I'm pretty satisfied with the Z1 Camera of mine, but that was after tweaking some of the shooting settings I'm in. At first, I was pretty disappointed as well but now I think I'm good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought the phone yesterday so I'm still testing it. At the moment I like to shoot in manual mode at 8mp with image stabiliser on.

j0sh0 said:
I bought the phone yesterday so I'm still testing it. At the moment I like to shoot in manual mode at 8mp with image stabiliser on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah ok. That's good then. Shooting at 20MP especially in low-light results in (I'm not sure why) worse pictures than shooting at 8MP 4:3 .. in my tests, it resulted in darker images.
I also like to shoot at 8MP 4:3 to take advantage of the oversampling and leave the rest of the settings to Auto. One thing though is that I turn off the Stabilizer. I found that turning it on resulted in the camera choosing a much higher ISO than intended compared when leaving it off. This may be due to its detection of slight handshake movements and it tries to compensate by upping the ISO in favor of a faster shutter speed.

bloodfire1004 said:
Ah ok. That's good then. Shooting at 20MP especially in low-light results in (I'm not sure why) worse pictures than shooting at 8MP 4:3 .. in my tests, it resulted in darker images.
I also like to shoot at 8MP 4:3 to take advantage of the oversampling and leave the rest of the settings to Auto. One thing though is that I turn off the Stabilizer. I found that turning it on resulted in the camera choosing a much higher ISO than intended compared when leaving it off. This may be due to its detection of slight handshake movements and it tries to compensate by upping the ISO in favor of a faster shutter speed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes shooting at 20mp is useless. Pics are so noisy... it's a shame. At 8mp the image quality is pretty good and yes, with the stabiliser on the iso is higher for that reason. But I prefer a bit more noise other than a blurred image.

j0sh0 said:
Yes shooting at 20mp is useless. Pics are so noisy... it's a shame. At 8mp the image quality is pretty good and yes, with the stabiliser on the iso is higher for that reason. But I prefer a bit more noise other than a blurred image.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice. What metering and focus are you using? Particularly for macro / night shots. I find that using Single Auto Focus setting doesn't keep the whole image in focus and just the middle part, but I find that the multi-auto focus setting doesn't do too well either particularly in macro shots. Currently, I shoot in landscape mode when shooting macro.

I'm using metering average (it seems to do a better job with white balance as well). About focus I always use touch focus... I like to choose what I want in focus...
I love th bokeh management of the lens.. look at this for example
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j0sh0 said:
I'm using metering average (it seems to do a better job with white balance as well). About focus I always use touch focus... I like to choose what I want in focus...
I love th bokeh management of the lens.. look at this for example
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ohh nice, I'm gonna try that out Thanks!

j0sh0 said:
I bought the phone yesterday so I'm still testing it. At the moment I like to shoot in manual mode at 8mp with image stabiliser on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And there's you mistake - the software image stabiliser introduces noise. Switch it off.

Timaustin2000 said:
And there's you mistake - the software image stabiliser introduces noise. Switch it off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I know... but as I said I prefer a slighty noiser image than a blurred one. I'll try again without stabiliser anyway.

j0sh0 said:
Yeah, I know... but as I said I prefer a slighty noiser image than a blurred one. I'll try again without stabiliser anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hopefully new update has improved superior auto mode...

Try night mode can reduce noise.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app

Why is everyone so scared of noise I just don't get it. If the fine detail is their don't worry about the noise.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Yeah. The Z1 does lovely bokeh.

here is theDxO report for the Z1 which i could not find on DxO's website.
matheus_sc said:
I dont think samsung software is better, have more mods, but is very large and camera lags, i have gs4 9500 until last week
Sent from my C6903 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What i find telling from that review is this graph.
Above 80 lux the S4 shots have more 'texture' than the Z1.
Contrary to what people might think the Z1 has the best noise reduction indoors.

bloodfire1004 said:
Apparently, DxO Mark just gave out a score to Xperia Z1 and amazingly, just sits at 2nd place behind the Pureview 808 in overall Mobile Camera Ranking! :victory:
And that's without the "firmware updates" that will supposedly improve the camera!
I can't post the link as I'm still within the new user limitation of posting outside links. But if you're curious to see it, just do a quick google search for DxOMark and Xperia Z1!
More details:
Actually, the stills for Z1 stands at 5th place, however the video was deemed to be outstanding and the best in the mobile cameras and just 2nd place in their database behind the GoPro Hero 3!
If you're wondering what happened to the 1020, they also have an article on it and while they deemed the stills to be amazing and 2nd only to the 808. However, video was said to be lacking.
What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not much of a fan of them anymore, after I wrote to them to see if they would do the Xperia Z test again after Sony updating the firmware to fix the bad camera quality, they didn't even respond to me. On the flip side it is Sony's fault for shipping substandard equipment, get all the important things right first, especially the camera when they are making such a big deal about how amazing it is.

DxO finally got around to testing the G2. Overall G2 placed 6th. However in the photo section it ties with the Z1 in terms of score. A closer examination of the parameters tested shows the Z1 edges ahead slighlty.
Where the Z1 comes out ahead : Exposure & Contrast, Colour, Noise Reduction, Flash
Where the G2 comes out ahead : Autofocus, Texture, Artifacts
4 > 3 or Z1 ahead by a little.
What lets the G2 down is video, where its ranked 15th to the Z1's 2nd place.
If you consider phones alone, Z1 has the best video out there.
Now we have to wait for DxO to test the Note 3 to see whether it will affect the Z1's ranking.

Sorry to jump here like that, I don't even know all this stuff but after read what you guys saying is like the camera on Z1 was made for experienced people who know how to set up the device. This is a phone anyway and I like to go around and shooting everything but almost of the pictures are crap. That how shouldn't be with a camera on a phone with 20mpx.

[PHOTOS] OnePlus One user photo and video discussion thread

This is the OnePlus One user photo and camera discussion thread
Camera features:
Image sensor: Sony BSI Exmor IMX214 CMOS, 1/3.06" sensor size
Lens: F2.0, 6-element auto-focus system
Maximum photo resolution: 4160x3120, 13 megapixels
Front facing camera: 5 megapixels w/80º wide angle
Maximum video resolution: 3840x2160 = 4k at 30FPS, 1920x1080 at 60FPS, 1280x720p at 120FPS
Features: HDR, panorama, image stabilization, face detection, tap to focus, geo-tagging, face-detection
The official OnePlus One camera samples
For more info, full size and EXIF, please visit the OnePlus website here: http://oneplus.net/one#features

If this photos are true i can only say " Its Amazing great!! "
Cheers

xenix96 said:
If this photos are true i can only say " Its Amazing great!! "
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The IMX214 is a very capable sensor, and 1+'s ISP (Qualcomm?) looks quality too. Of course much will depend on speed, reliability and low light, I'll be looking to find more shots.

BoneXDA said:
The IMX214 is a very capable sensor, and 1+'s ISP (Qualcomm?) looks quality too. Of course much will depend on speed, reliability and low light, I'll be looking to find more shots.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As soon as the first users here own a device, this thread will be flooded with shots, I'm sure...

Not my picture but this was my favourite from some of the ones I saw from preproduction models.
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Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

I certainly hope that with real world conditions it can deliver quality like shown above.

The best part is the 2 sensors that i have noticed that perform beautifully are the IMX179 and IMX214. Obvious 214 will be even better for sure.. Really hope they launch the phone around the different parts of the world soon.
Low light capabilities are incredible, if you search you will understand that how its better than A Nikon D3100 in low light.

Jishnu Sur™ said:
The best part is the 2 sensors that i have noticed that perform beautifully are the IMX179 and IMX214. Obvious 214 will be even better for sure.. Really hope they launch the phone around the different parts of the world soon.
Low light capabilities are incredible, if you search you will understand that how its better than A Nikon D3100 in low light.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you going to be picking up this device? I don't care much for cameras but this caught my eye and since you're on here I'm even more excited about the camera.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

FuMMoD said:
Are you going to be picking up this device? I don't care much for cameras but this caught my eye and since you're on here I'm even more excited about the camera.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Sir !
Nice to see you here too..I'm trying to get this device from Europe somehow.. Seems too good to be true! What interests me is the IMX214 sensor lol..I really need that system dump too!

Jishnu Sur™ said:
Hello Sir !
Nice to see you here too..I'm trying to get this device from Europe somehow.. Seems too good to be true! What interests me is the IMX214 sensor lol..I really need that system dump too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can be sure to get one from me if I get picked with the first batch of invites. If I have to smash my Nexus 5 then I'll do it to get a system dump for the community lol.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Jishnu Sur™ said:
The best part is the 2 sensors that i have noticed that perform beautifully are the IMX179 and IMX214. Obvious 214 will be even better for sure.. Really hope they launch the phone around the different parts of the world soon.
Low light capabilities are incredible, if you search you will understand that how its better than A Nikon D3100 in low light.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A good Sony IMX sensor with a proper lens and image signal processor can bring wonderful images, see iPhone 5S. Which is why I'm puzzled to this day how come Sony's own Xperia Z, Z1 and even some Z2 shots look so over-processed, showing some lens inconsistencies and some SW errors too. Both the Oppo Find 7 and the OnePlus One launch with the new IMX214, and I'm curious how will they fare compared to other Exmors, the Lumias and ISOCELL. So far it is promising.

FuMMoD said:
You can be sure to get one from me if I get picked with the first batch of invites. If I have to smash my Nexus 5 then I'll do it to get a system dump for the community lol.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool ! I'll start arranging the money then! hahahaha .. Yes that would be awesome. This thing is surely worth the price they are asking.
Off topic : Thanks are over, cant press Sorry! :crying:
BoneXDA said:
A good Sony IMX sensor with a proper lens and image signal processor can bring wonderful images, see iPhone 5S. Which is why I'm puzzled to this day how come Sony's own Xperia Z, Z1 and even some Z2 shots look so over-processed, showing some lens inconsistencies and some SW errors too. Both the Oppo Find 7 and the OnePlus One launch with the new IMX214, and I'm curious how will they fare compared to other Exmors, the Lumias and ISOCELL. So far it is promising.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you on the Sony Devices part. I have seen that actually. Sony likes to complicate stuff, i really don't know why. Where they can have a easy way to fi thing, they go the other way. Trust me they have 3-4 different apps for the camera. You tell me who in 2014 does that?! lol .. And I read an article, the ISOCELL vs the IMX179 comparison. (Here). The IMX was better
I really need to have a look at the Lumia's though, they have almost DSLR type quality..

The S5 camera is much, MUCH better than the Nexus 5 to be frank. But the IMX214 is a new generation Sony sensor.

aren't you guys a bit scared about the camera app?
i've tried few phones with cyanogen camera app and they were all a lot worst than the original rom camera app (samsung devices especially)
at least this time they are working on their hardware so i really hope it'll be a lot better

Nirael said:
aren't you guys a bit scared about the camera app?
i've tried few phones with cyanogen camera app and they were all a lot worst than the original rom camera app (samsung devices especially)
at least this time they are working on their hardware so i really hope it'll be a lot better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
their camera on this phone is completely new and we have seen the pictures right? i dont think it will suck

BoneXDA said:
The IMX214 is a very capable sensor, and 1+'s ISP (Qualcomm?) looks quality too. Of course much will depend on speed, reliability and low light, I'll be looking to find more shots.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if picture #3 is indeed the correct photo here low light looks amazing
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/contest-guess-the-oneplus-one-photo.368/
---------- Post added at 01:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:29 AM ----------
FuMMoD said:
You can be sure to get one from me if I get picked with the first batch of invites. If I have to smash my Nexus 5 then I'll do it to get a system dump for the community lol.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you do that the community may have to buy you another nexus to have you keep developing for it :crying: "for the community"

jeremykersh said:
if picture #3 is indeed the correct photo here low light looks amazing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Remember that these pictures are taken directly from OP's press page—they might have been doctored/photoshopped. On the other hand, I'd be amazed if the camera actually was this good.

klvnhng said:
Remember that these pictures are taken directly from OP's press page—they might have been doctored/photoshopped. On the other hand, I'd be amazed if the camera actually was this good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depending on scene and light conditions, today's smartphones can take impressive photos, see some form my S5 review. As far as dynamic range and per pixel sharpness, 1+1 fits right in among the best of Android photography based on what I've seen so far.

Some of these look really good.
She's a cutie too.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/First-camera-samples-from-the-OnePlus-One-appear_id55043#32-

She is not that bad

How to make Mi MIX camera digestible

Hi folks,
i wanted to share some of my insights from 2 days of usage of Mi Mix. As for most, camera was biggest letdown. I knew it was bad, but actual experience exceeded all expectations After some digging and thanks to some threads in xda forum i found a way to make quite decent photos with little sacrifice.
So few things first:
- I'm on rooted LineageOS with Camera API2 unlocked (to be honest i didn't have to unlock it - i suppose it is unlocked with LineageOS? )
- As some noticed before, the hardware isn't that bad, it's software that spoils photos with ugly postprocessing in most cases.
- I'm using Snap Camera HDR - i tried most of software in Google Play and only in it found something like Low Light Mode - if someone know software with similar feature - pls let me know .
So what i did is basically turning off all useless postpro in Snap Camera (sharpenning, denoising, post-processing, anti-banding) and enabled Low Light Mode in all photos . From what i understand i takes series of photos and compare them to make one clean photo. You can choose how many frames to take. More you take the better picture you will get but it will also take more time to process. The processing time is biggest letdown of this method. You can't take another photo during processing so burst mode won't work. I found 5 to be best compromise - it enhances photo noticeably and takes only 1-3s to process. If u can spare more time between photos u can crank it up to 32 - with that count i had really impressive results even with ISO around 1500-2000 but the processing can take 10-30s. Another letdown as you can probably guess is that you can have some issues with moving objects - the darker it gets, the more blurred will they be (slower shutter for every frame).
Now to main dish, examples
All photos taken in 16Mpx without flash or any tripod, all taken form hand for real life comparison. As photo is processed in Snap Camera the jpg lose photo metadata so i only write that data for stock camera, for Snap Camera i write how many frames was set for Low Light Mode. I know it's not very scientific but i take photos in both softwares almost at the same time, in same light conditions and on basic auto modes.
Stock camera on left, Snap Camera on right - I'm posting 100% crops, ill post full pictures if there will be some demand
1. [ISO 2500 1/15s] [5 LLM] - far objects in bad indoor lighting
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2. [ISO 1250 1/17s] [5 LLM] - some fine details - fur, fabric, wood texture in mediocre light
3. [ISO 1600 1/17s] [5 LLM] - small details in mediocre light
4. [ISO 160 1/33s] [32 LLM] - outdoor in good light - i took more frames to show some extra foliage details
5. [ISO 6400 1/15s] [32 LLM] - most hardcore example, very bad indoor lighting. Snap Camera algorithm made some wired border around Marshall logo, but apart form that great job.
I hope my post will help some of you with Mi Mix camera, please post your own experiences with camera - maybe there is even better solution for our phones

Download Google Camer Hdr+ from OnePlus 5 thread and all your problems will solved you wont need to do any kinds of settings and quality of photos will be much much better!!(i past this step that you are now months ago and i had tried hundred type of apps out there )

Jinthegodstyle said:
Download Google Camer Hdr+ from OnePlus 5 thread and all your problems will solved you wont need to do any kinds of settings and quality of photos will be much much better!!(i past this step that you are now months ago and i had tried hundred type of apps out there )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Big Thx, i will most certainly try it:good:

I'm considering getting this device, but the camera is the main thing holding me back (besides price for last year's SoC...)
Does the Google HDR camera make this acceptable? I don't necessarily need the BEST camera, but I'd prefer relatively fast rate of capture and at least mediocre detail. The initial reviews of the device's camera make it seem like utter trash.
Also consider I want to root the device & install something Lineage based, most devices you sacrifice camera quality when you go this route (because of lack of API 2 / hardware source).

crash4fun said:
I'm considering getting this device, but the camera is the main thing holding me back (besides price for last year's SoC...)
Does the Google HDR camera make this acceptable? I don't necessarily need the BEST camera, but I'd prefer relatively fast rate of capture and at least mediocre detail. The initial reviews of the device's camera make it seem like utter trash.
Also consider I want to root the device & install something Lineage based, most devices you sacrifice camera quality when you go this route (because of lack of API 2 / hardware source).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The camera is equally bad regardless what ROM you run

OT. Found this OP5 camera app(proted or something) on AFH by blackterroristh https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=817906626617944662

Kalisfura1001 said:
OT. Found this OP5 camera app(proted or something) on AFH by blackterroristh https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=817906626617944662
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you link the thread please? I get a parsing error during installation (stock global rom).

nr-thunder said:
Can you link the thread please? I get a parsing error during installation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No idea if there is one for it. As i said I found it on AFH, but works on my mix. Perhaps re-downloading by another browser or app?

Kalisfura1001 said:
No idea if there is one for it. As i said I found it on AFH, but works on my mix. Perhaps re-downloading by another browser or app?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately no, same with edge on desktop and yandex on mobile. Running rooted stock Global MIUI 8.5.5.0.

nr-thunder said:
Can you link the thread please? I get a parsing error during installation (stock global rom).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=817906626617944662

caballon said:
https://androidfilehost.com/?fid=817906626617944662
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's the file link, I thought there is a discussion thread where I could ask for help because of the error. I also got parsing error with other ported Google Camera apks featured in XDA news, other 3rd party camera apps work though.

It's not prerequisite to have Nougat ? Stock Global ROM is under Marshmallow...

nr-thunder said:
That's the file link, I thought there is a discussion thread where I could ask for help because of the error. I also got parsing error with other ported Google Camera apks featured in XDA news, other 3rd party camera apps work though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Today tried it on Epic 7.11.9 and got the same error. Didn't really invest why.
lesscro said:
It's not prerequisite to have Nougat ? Stock Global ROM is under Marshmallow...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps but see my above post. Anyway it's not a ''wow'' app, just saying.

Received the Nightly OTA today, updated to V9.1.1.0 . Now I am on Nougat, the OP5 port linked in this thread works now , other versions of the google camera get installed but will close immediatly. Just tested it in my room and can't say that I see an improvement, maybe when tested outside at daylight. But I use the google camera anyway because I'm using immersive mode + dpi changes which make stock camera working less stable.

Hi. I updated yesterday to V9.1.1.0 via OTA. I tried the OP5 camera and is does a better job in lower light and image stays in better focus then stock camera. Is the OP5 the same as the google HDR camera. If not, is there a version of google hdr camera that works on Mi Mix without root? Also is there there a way to turn on some type of optical stabilization on stock camera. If I hold it really still when snapping pic the image is a lot sharper. It's actually pretty good. Just not practical to take pictures that way.
EDIT: OK. I guess no OIS on Mix...

I got my mi mix a bit more than a month ago coming from a OP3 and I was shocked by the awful camera of the mi mix. Sorry, I have no other words for it.
The op5 APK seems to make it digestible, but it's still not great. I know that for a GREAT camera I should've picked a different phone, but I didn't expect it to be like this.

Photo quality

Say "cheese", then rate this thread to express how photos taken with the Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) come out. A higher rating indicates that photos offer rich color (without over-saturating), sharp detail (with all subjects in-focus), and appropriate exposure (with even lighting).
Then, drop a comment if you have anything to add!

I`ll be honest here too.
I don`t think that these sensors are true 24MP. I would say that they are at most 8MP and with heavy (and very bad) interpolation they get them to 24.
I have tried this. Shot few pictures at 24MP and the same in 8MP through the camera settings. Then I used Photoshop to interpolate the 8MP ones to 24. Guess what, at 100% crop the quality was the same, if not better.
But still if you shot something in 24MP and then reduce and resize the whole picture and do a little sharpening in PS the result will be better than just shot in 8MP.
The camera is a mess.
But then again when they are looked at the phone screen they are not all that bad. More like in the decent range.
TL;DR
If you want good camera in your phone this model is not for you.
Currently I`m not able (personal reasons) to provide raw shots for demonstration but if someone wants resource you can find some in this review https://mobile-review.com/review/samsung-galaxy-a7-2018.shtml
After week or so I`ll provide my own photographs.

I have this phone over a month now and I'm pritty happy with the camera. I was able to compare it to my previous phone - iPhone 7 and Galaxy s7. Pictures from a main sensor has better quality in terms of details, noise control and dynamic range than than Galaxy S7. Comparing to iPhone details and noise control are on pair, dynamic range much better and speed and quality of automation worse. Wide lens has quite a bit of a lens distortion which are clearly no corrected with postprocessing although those are natural with that kind of lense. Video made with A7 had natural smooth panning and good quality in good and very good light. In bad light conditions wide lens has much noise and main sensor has unnatural brown tint. There is EIS in normal and wide lens no same high class like in iPhone but with proper technique there is no problem to produce steady nice looking recording. Now some pictures made with A7. First wide lens and after that standard one:

:
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Wysłane z mojego SM-A750FN przy użyciu Tapatalka

I`m really busy lately so I have only made few example pictures but to preserve their real quality I have upload them in gdrive here A7 2018 pics. As the winter is near and everything is grey there isn`t anything interesting to photograph around so I apologize for that.
When I have more time I`ll try and snap more "macro" shots but as there isn`t any bugs around in this cold nor beautiful flowers I doubt that any of you wants to see snaps of spoons or something, haha.
Well, I can snap some electronic components and stuff, hmm.
Btw I discovered snapseed app but as I said when looked in the phone pictures doesn`t really look that bad and if I want to do good edit for desktop view I would always prefer PS anyway.
But if someone needs good editor for posting pics in social medias snapseed is the way to go.
Note that the pictures in my gdrive are not touched with any apps, they are straight from the camera app.

Belgarionbg said:
I would say that they are at most 8MP and with heavy (and very bad) interpolation they get them to 24.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
MIND = BLOWN
This stuff should be illegal.

blazzer12 said:
MIND = BLOWN
This stuff should be illegal.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me f* you up little bit more.
According to samsung this is their super mega amazing 24MP sensor at it`s best: (at 100% crop)
Some exif info: 1/220 s, f/1.7, 0.00 eV, ISO 40, Center weighted average, focal length 3.93 mm
Now lets look at what my 11 years old Canon PowerShot A550 do with his poor 7MP sensor do at 100% crop:
some exif: 1/320 s, f/7.1, ISO 80, 0.00 eV, metering mode Pattern, focal length 5.8 mm
============================
Now, tell me what do you think. Would real 24MP sensor be that f*cked up and on top on that I think was from Sony.
I would even say it`s may be even 6 or 5MP...
Again, 100% crop from some clouds, just look at this sh*t:
I really don`t understand how they managed to mess this bad.
Then again the fault lays partly with the integrated camera app. It`s really bad and it`s using bad processing. Just look at this:
But there is another problem with HD camera pro. For inside shots is amazing but when shooting outside the sharping is way, way too much to the point of loosing details. See this (100% crops)
In the end after taking over 1200 photographs in the course of the last few weeks with 7 different apps I found one that is the best all around and it`s Camera Zoom FX. (100% crops)
This is after sunset with bad light at 1600 ISO. Bad as you can get. But still camera zoom manages to stand out.

Just for the record. The firmware for the A7 (2018) has been updated. At Sammobile it says:
Firmware for the SM-A750FN with product code PHN from Netherlands. This firmware has version number PDA A750FNXXU1ARK4 and CSC A750FNOXM1ARK2. The operating system of this firmware is Android 8.0.0 , with build date Fri, 23 Nov 2018 06:05:24 +0000. Security patch date is 2018-11-01, with changelist 14377560.
Model SM-A750FN
Model name
Country
Version Android 8.0.0
Changelist 14377560
Build date Fri, 23 Nov 2018 06:05:24 +0000
Security Patch Level 2018-11-01
Product code PHN
PDA A750FNXXU1ARK4
CSC A750FNOXM1ARK2.
I did install it successfully (download via Smartswitch) on a rooted phone. It adds super slow-mo the the camera. My phone is so new that I can't really say whether it has improved on the overall quality of the camera at all.

awful
this is the simple way to describe this camera..I had a huawei with a 12MPx cam before getting this one the other day and the photo quality is waaaay worse than it was on the huawei with half the resolution (and half the lenses, lol) The images are an overprocessed mess (the preview looks better than the photo ffs) and I'm not sure why people are writing praises to its wide lens included in a medium range phone..I mean, whats the point if the pictures are pure crap? The bundled app clearly doesn't know whats its doing but there is no way to stop it messing up your pics..I hope that somebody makes a working google cam port and it fixes up things a bit..really disappointed with it

The photo looks fine in the preview, but then Samsung's processing ruin everything.

for Italian people and all SAMSUNG GALAXY A7 (2018) users
Poor quality, low details, and images are soft and muddy.
You can read and participate
on Samsung Community thread:
Foto galaxy a7 2018 sfocate o con effetto "pastello"
and facebook group:
Samsung A7 Problema Foto

Now since One UI and Android PIE is in beta, we have to wait, maybe something will change. If someone already updated, or will update soon, please provide some info about camera quality

Russia should get soon Pie update, plz tell us if this improves picture quality.
Thanks a lot for spoiler

gigiotd said:
Russia should get soon Pie update, plz tell us if this improves picture quality.
Thanks a lot for spoiler
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Camera quality is same. Same drivers, same app, and same quality. So don't get your hopes up

Erecik said:
Camera quality is same. Same drivers, same app, and same quality. So don't get your hopes up
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure?
In changelog I read something related to camera improvements...
Inviato dal mio SM-A750FN utilizzando Tapatalk

gigiotd said:
Sure?
In changelog I read something related to camera improvements...
Inviato dal mio SM-A750FN utilizzando Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I am sure. Quality is as bad as it was in oreo

OK, I am in the process of exchanging the device for an iPhone, unless Samsung service center can manually change the software settings. 
First, here is the cause of the problem: Noise reduction can not be turned off and it destroys any image, even in the daylight. SAMSUNG, give us the option to turn off noise reduction completely in the default camera app!!!
To all of you who are stuck with this device(and I might be stuck with it as well). I FOUND A TEMPORARY SOLUTION!!!
AGAIN! THERE IS A TEMPORARY SOLUTION!!! Install the app called FreeDCamera!!! It is free and allows you to turn off noise reduction and shoot normal images!!!
This, of course is not what we need. We need to be able to turn off noise in the default camera app, but this will allow you to shoot regular 24mpix images that are sharp and have good color reproduction. The wide angle camera and bokeh will not be utilized, and unfortunately this means that device is still not functioning as specified but at least you can take some really good pictures.
24mpix camera, both front and rear with noise reduction turned off is actually pretty damn good!

Freedcam denoise not work. Root is need?

I bought this and the camera quality is hugely disappointing . Such a damn shame , since everything else is very good .

How to change shutter speed?