Database Users

Auto Camera Flash

Hi guys. This is my first time posting but I've searched through the forums and can't seem to find much. Is it possible to have an auto flash mode for the camera? I know there's limitations with 1.6 but the X10 mini has this functionality and wondered if there's any way to import this? Apologies if this is a stupid question

It would have great to get this I dont know anything, but after rooting, may be it's possible??? Or the LED light on/off button on viewfinder? then we can be able to on/off led with single click without going in settings

hi all,
ive had bad experience with the x10 camera app and i though i might have a faulty camera or something is screwed up but the problems are with the actual app, ive since started using vignette as my camera app, you can make it as default camera app, ifs got flash on/off/auto, different effects, and it doesnt compress the images as much it leave an 8mpx photo between 3.5mb - 8mb and thats actually the approx size it should be without loosing quality.
ill upload in a few min the pictures ive taken with the x10 using that app
best $3 ive spent on the android market.
S.E. should learn from its developers of how to make a camera app

the images are to big to upload here and i dont want to resize them so as not to loose quality of the originals so heres the link to view the images,
http://img375.imageshack.us/g/20100710160347439.jpg/
let me know what you think,
i think the effects are great, great quality pix

ruskival said:
ifs got flash on/off/auto, different effects
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Woww if it has on/off/auto, then it's very useful
Can you please post pictures of same object taken with stock camera & vignette, then we can see difference in quality also

ruskival said:
the images are to big to upload here and i dont want to resize them so as not to loose quality of the originals so heres the link to view the images,
http://img375.imageshack.us/g/20100710160347439.jpg/
let me know what you think,
i think the effects are great, great quality pix
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is a really wonderful application!
Thanks for pointing it out!
I love the effects, they are good for some quick unique shots,
ready for upload immediately!

Really wonderful app !

is late at night where im from (Australia) but ill take some outdoor pix tomorrow with both original camera app and the vignette one so you guys can all see the difference. so in about 12-14 hours ill upload comparison pictures

This app is pretty awesome. Funny that the developers could make the X10's flash work like, well, a flash. How the heck could SE not figure that one out?? It's now my default camera app. 4/5 and would be 5/5 if they could speed up the camera. This is my only beef with the camera on the X10. Takes too long to take the actually photo. My wife's iphone takes it instantly, and I must say that given the fact that it's only 3.2 mega pixels the quality of the photos is pretty darn good too. Must have something to do with the app itself.
Never the less Vignette is one of the best paid apps ive purchased to date.

I'm surprised the pictures aren't up lol
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

I bought this product on the recommendation from this thread.
http://picasaweb.google.com/107358427786063209630/SonyVsVignette02?feat=directlink
One of the above was taken using Vignette with the autoflash function, 8 mp setting and auto exposure. The other was taken with stock camera with flash light on. Which do you prefer!?!
I would say that I took various photos of different things to see what the difference was but I think its pretty clear to see. The images with Vignette were all poor focus. Needless to say I have uninstalled/refunded the app. I'll stick with the stock camera for the time being.
By the way never done on line pics before so dont know if above links will work!

Whoa!!
Where did you guys buy the X10 with a flash? I want that version! Mine only came with a photo light, which isn't designed to be used as a flash!

The Vignette app from the market gives you flash functionality over the photolight which is probably its most redeeming feature cos the photo quality was pants!

I've had some impressive results with Vignette - took some photo's of a document today using it and it was definitely sharper than with the stock cam..?!

Oh no, so what was I doing wrong?! Why were my pics so out of focus? The reason I sent those two in was that I even put the camera on the edge of the shelf to steady it to see if it was me with camera shake.
Don't say I've ditched a decent product cos I got the settings wrong!

suzed said:
I bought this product on the recommendation from this thread.
http://picasaweb.google.com/1073584...?authkey=Gv1sRgCMaqk_6Q2NT9Sw&feat=directlink
One of the above was taken using Vignette with the autoflash function, 8 mp setting and auto exposure. The other was taken with stock camera with flash light on. Which do you prefer!?!
I would say that I took various photos of different things to see what the difference was but I think its pretty clear to see. The images with Vignette were all poor focus. Needless to say I have uninstalled/refunded the app. I'll stick with the stock camera for the time being.
By the way never done on line pics before so dont know if above links will work!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well one is in focus while the other is out of focus, that's not an app doing it.

How do you guys use the flash with vignette app? I have it on my phone but there's no option to turn it on!

Don't you have the "flash icon" on the screen - over on the right, 2nd from bottom when in landscape mode... ??..
And Suzed - Did you change any of the "JPEG file settings" - 2nd icon from the top on the right when in landscape mode... I think mine started on 2mp normal, I've changed it to 8.0mp superfine.

personally ive not have any problems with vignette,
set flash to auto,
8mpx, superfine.
one other thing i did was set in the options to touch screen to take photo, that way it does auto focus and only take photo when you hold it steady, so photos are in focus and great, check out photos ive taken
http://img375.imageshack.us/g/20100710160347439.jpg/
only thing is it takes some times for the photos to be processed and uses up a lot of resources, in my case adw launcher reloads when i exit the vignette app, but i dont mind as long as the pictures i take come out great

i have a question for everyone using Vignette.
In daylight is taking the same overexposed as the stock app?
With the stock app i have control over exposure compensation so, after lowering EV with a stop or two everything is fine but Vignette demo doesn't have exposure compensation support.
How is it in the full version?
Can somebody take 2 images one with Vignette and one with stock outside in daylight at max quality (8 Mp, superfine)?
I bought Camera FX sometime ago but is useless as it doesn't have any EV/ISO/etc. controls.

Photographer's perspective on the LG G3

These topics have been widely discussed, I just find this funny. I do professional photography, and I thought this phone would be great for me. Not only could I show off my photos on a glorious 2k screen, but it was supposed to have a great off-duty camera as well. Ironically, it's instead hitting some photographer pet peeves real bad.
1) The screen sharpening is bad. I see amateur photographers get over enthusiastic on sharpening, cause the sharper the better, right? No, you make ugly artifacts like halos. Now my entire phone does it nonstop. It hurts! This goes beyond the font issue that's widely been talked about. I love viewing photos through my Nexus 7 or HTC M7 because it's like looking through a window. Photos on the G3 just look artifical.
2) Another is the camera noise reduction. Noise is bad, so let's crank the noise reduction. No, some grain and more detail is much preferable to pics that look like watercolors.
3) I knew this one going in, but as the Andantech review pointed out, the color accuracy is bad. I can spend time editing a photo on my phone and paste it to Facebook, just to realize once I'm viewing on a pc that the pic looks nothing like my meticulous edit. Great.
I know I'm hypersensitive to these issues because of my profession. My wife didn't notice the sharpening. But it's funny that what I thought would be my ideal phone is such the opposite.

supposedmonster said:
3) I knew this one going in, but as the Andantech review pointed out, the color accuracy is bad. I can spend time editing a photo on my phone and paste it to Facebook, just to realize once I'm viewing on a pc that the pic looks nothing like my meticulously edit. Great.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How long ago was last time you calibrated your PC monitor? Does your monitor have sRGB mode? And, BTW, maybe you even use some notebook with cheap junky TN panel in the first place? :laugh:

I use an ASUS PA246 wide gamut monitor regularly calibrated with a Colormunki Display, so yes, I have a good benchmark.
Sent from my LG-D851 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

supposedmonster said:
so yes, I have a good benchmark.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad for you, well then did you try to compare pix from the net to view both on monitor and on G3 and compare colors? Like I did
Check that topic also, maybe you bought G3 with blueish panel

Man this was not an easy shot to pull off. It's hard to tell from the pic, but LG is on the left and Nexus 7 is on the bottom. The LG would equate to quite a few notches of saturation boost in Lightroom.
This photo doesn't quite show it well, but the Nexus is actually slightly less saturated than the calibrated monitor.
The colors aren't that bad in either devices (I mean you can only expect so much, I get these aren't meant to be crazy calibrated panels), but I'd rather edit on the Nexus and find them slightly more vibrant on other devices than on the LG and find it decidedly dull.
Sent from my LG-D851 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

supposedmonster said:
These topics have been widely discussed, I just find this funny. I do professional photography, and I thought this phone would be great for me. Not only could I show off my photos on a glorious 2k screen, but it was supposed to have a great off-duty camera as well. Ironically, it's instead hitting some photographer pet peeves real bad.
1) The screen sharpening is bad. I see amateur photographers get over enthusiastic on sharpening, cause the sharper the better, right? No, you make ugly artifacts like halos. Now my entire phone does it nonstop. It hurts! This goes beyond the font issue that's widely been talked about. I love viewing photos through my Nexus 7 or HTC M7 because it's like looking through a window. Photos on the G3 just look artifical.
2) Another is the camera noise reduction. Noise is bad, so let's crank the noise reduction. No, some grain and more detail is much preferable to pics that look like watercolors.
3) I knew this one going in, but as the Andantech review pointed out, the color accuracy is bad. I can spend time editing a photo on my phone and paste it to Facebook, just to realize once I'm viewing on a pc that the pic looks nothing like my meticulous edit. Great.
I know I'm hypersensitive to these issues because of my profession. My wife didn't notice the sharpening. But it's funny that what I thought would be my ideal phone is such the opposite.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm just curious about number 3 up there, and I'm not trying to be an ass, but why would any professional photographer spend time editing a photo on a phone meticulously, instead of putting the photo on the PC and editing it with PS? I mean, if you edit it with the PC, its a lot easier, and you also get a WYSIWYG.

Haha, well my camera has WiFi. When in on vacation it's fun being able to post professional quality pics to social media from my phone.
Sent from my LG-D851 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

The G3 display can be somewhat manually adjusted in color contrast, did you tweak it a bit? Maybe it'll improve.

Thanks, I have read about that. Without being able to use a preview image to calibrate I think it'd drive me crazy. Plus I doubt it'll help because it seems to only adjust color and contrast, not saturation, which is the bigger issue.
What bugs me more though is the sharpening, but I have faith that'll be fixed either by LG or the community since enough people have raised a hallaboo.
Sent from my LG-D851 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I can live with the screen sharpening (since it's all software and don't affect the photos themselves). I can also live with so-so color reproduction. But gawd, that NR pisses me off. What's the point of having a good sensor when you're gonna mess up the photos with mediocre processing. That being said... photos still look pretty decent in good lighting ;P

supposedmonster said:
These topics have been widely discussed, I just find this funny. I do professional photography, and I thought this phone would be great for me. Not only could I show off my photos on a glorious 2k screen, but it was supposed to have a great off-duty camera as well. Ironically, it's instead hitting some photographer pet peeves real bad.
1) The screen sharpening is bad. I see amateur photographers get over enthusiastic on sharpening, cause the sharper the better, right? No, you make ugly artifacts like halos. Now my entire phone does it nonstop. It hurts! This goes beyond the font issue that's widely been talked about. I love viewing photos through my Nexus 7 or HTC M7 because it's like looking through a window. Photos on the G3 just look artifical.
2) Another is the camera noise reduction. Noise is bad, so let's crank the noise reduction. No, some grain and more detail is much preferable to pics that look like watercolors.
3) I knew this one going in, but as the Andantech review pointed out, the color accuracy is bad. I can spend time editing a photo on my phone and paste it to Facebook, just to realize once I'm viewing on a pc that the pic looks nothing like my meticulous edit. Great.
I know I'm hypersensitive to these issues because of my profession. My wife didn't notice the sharpening. But it's funny that what I thought would be my ideal phone is such the opposite.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am sorry but you have me totally confused.......
I agree the G3 does have over sharpening which depending on how and what you shoot can have detrimental effects on the scene shot.
However, why on earth are you getting so annoyed with what is in effect simply a smartphone camera sensor?
Although I do not take photos as a profession I have however owned a camera since... Hang on a second......1963. Throughout time I learned many various methods and art in photography, travelling the world shooting all manner of photos with compacts and SLR's to the more recent DSLR and smartphone.
Yet, there is no way on earth would I take a professional shot with a smartphone nor would I expect it to achieve something which could be of use in a professional manner.
I do apologies but it does annoy me when I hear from someone first stating they are a 'professional' and use this word as their basis for a debate.
If you have an issue with the G3, fine I can live with that as you are very much correct, certain aspects of the software could be improved but let us not forget.
1. It is a smartphone.
2. It is software which means if you do not like the camera app that controls the shooting then use a different camera app.
I personally use the app 'A Better Camera' which is excellent.
I am sure as a professional photographer you must have heard of this app and learned the author is not just another coder but does have an understanding of photography.
With 'A Better Camera' as your tool you will find first it gives you back the manual controls and second it then allows you to be as creative as a smartphone will allow you.
Having said all this I have never ever ever been happy letting the camera dictate the shot but the G3 is the first type of camera that I am happy shooting 'casual photography' in auto mode.

Beards said:
I am sorry but you have me totally confused.......
I agree the G3 does have over sharpening which depending on how and what you shoot can have detrimental effects on the scene shot.
However, why on earth are you getting so annoyed with what is in effect simply a smartphone camera sensor?
Although I do not take photos as a profession I have however owned a camera since... Hang on a second......1963. Throughout time I learned many various methods and art in photography, travelling the world shooting all manner of photos with compacts and SLR's to the more recent DSLR and smartphone.
Yet, there is no way on earth would I take a professional shot with a smartphone nor would I expect it to achieve something which could be of use in a professional manner.
I do apologies but it does annoy me when I hear from someone first stating they are a 'professional' and use this word as their basis for a debate.
If you have an issue with the G3, fine I can live with that as you are very much correct, certain aspects of the software could be improved but let us not forget.
1. It is a smartphone.
2. It is software which means if you do not like the camera app that controls the shooting then use a different camera app.
I personally use the app 'A Better Camera' which is excellent.
I am sure as a professional photographer you must have heard of this app and learned the author is not just another coder but does have an understanding of photography.
With 'A Better Camera' as your tool you will find first it gives you back the manual controls and second it then allows you to be as creative as a smartphone will allow you.
Having said all this I have never ever ever been happy letting the camera dictate the shot but the G3 is the first type of camera that I am happy shooting 'casual photography' in auto mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Speaking of which, is it possible to set long exposure (for night shots with a tripod, for example) with A Better Camera? Other than the automatic "Night Shot"...

fabripav said:
Speaking of which, is it possible to set long exposure (for night shots with a tripod, for example) with A Better Camera? Other than the automatic "Night Shot"...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not presently...... But note, this is not the problem with the G3 or A Better Camera.
It is Android or should I say Google who limited the speed to just under 1sec.
However, under Android L all will change as among the 400+ camera api's introduced camera speed is one of them. So 'hopefully' developers will raise to the challenge and add this vital missing setting.

Beards said:
Not presently...... But note, this is not the problem with the G3 or A Better Camera.
It is Android or should I say Google who limited the speed to just under 1sec.
However, under Android L all will change as among the 400+ camera api's introduced camera speed is one of them. So 'hopefully' developers will raise to the challenge and add this vital missing setting.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, can't wait for that update for many reasons, camera included.
It's weird though that the Oppo Find 7 camera (for example) has a shutter speed that goes up to 32 seconds. How did they manage to make it avalaible? The sensor is a simple Sony IMX214.
I wonder if all the features of Camera FV-5 work on the G3, anyone tried it yet? (my G3 has yet to arrive)

fabripav said:
Yeah, can't wait for that update for many reasons, camera included.
It's weird though that the Oppo Find 7 camera (for example) has a shutter speed that goes up to 32 seconds. How did they manage to make it avalaible? The sensor is a simple Sony IMX214.
I wonder if all the features of Camera FV-5 work on the G3, anyone tried it yet? (my G3 has yet to arrive)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Oppo Find 7's camera doesn't actually keep the lens open for 32 seconds, it does a trick similar to what Camera FV-5 does in that it takes a series of shots from a thumbnail (hence why it's small and lacks any detail).
Re your query on Camera FV-5 ~ everything with the exception of ISO works. With ISO the dials say it has altered ISO but when you take the shot you find it has altered nothing.
A Better Camera on the other hand does alter the settings and does apply them to the shot.
It's the only app out there which utilises all the manual controls that are open to write permission, this also includes AE and WB Lock which again no other camera app uses.

[/COLOR]
fabripav said:
Yeah, can't wait for that update for many reasons, camera included.
It's weird though that the Oppo Find 7 camera (for example) has a shutter speed that goes up to 32 seconds. How did they manage to make it avalaible? The sensor is a simple Sony IMX214.
I wonder if all the features of Camera FV-5 work on the G3, anyone tried it yet? (my G3 has yet to arrive)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it does. I haven't tried the long exposure in FV-5 though.
Beards said:
Re your query on Camera FV-5 ~ everything with the exception of ISO works. With ISO the dials say it has altered ISO but when you take the shot you find it has altered nothing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Camera FV-5's ISO setting works fine for me.
ISO 100 1/60 F/2.4
http://i1.minus.com/iMbhMmPuhI3Es.JPG
ISO 1600 1/680 F/2.4
http://i7.minus.com/iNJO0u9CN5xvf.JPG
I'm a photographer (;P). I know what I'm talking about.

You have the D851 which is Tmob.. which doesnt have the sharpening effect.. at least anecdotally. same model i have and theres zero sharpening going on. the colors mind you are off, but its no galaxy S4 or G2.. but as was stated dont plan to edit on your phone and you wont be frustrated by using the wrong tool for the job.
dont bring a 400mm telephoto zoom to a job that requires a 35mm prime or vice versa.

Itaintrite said:
[/COLOR]
Yes it does. I haven't tried the long exposure in FV-5 though.
Camera FV-5's ISO setting works fine for me.
ISO 100 1/60 F/2.4
http://i1.minus.com/iMbhMmPuhI3Es.JPG
ISO 1600 1/680 F/2.4
http://i7.minus.com/iNJO0u9CN5xvf.JPG
I'm a photographer (;P). I know what I'm talking about.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really...... Thank you.
When was the App last updated?

Beards said:
Really...... Thank you.
When was the App last updated?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm using v1.7.3. Updated June 27th.

Itaintrite said:
I'm using v1.7.3. Updated June 27th.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great... I'll give it another go against A Better Camera; although ABC does have many more controls.

Stock Camera or Google Camera?

I honestly can't figure out which is better for the life of me.
Stock camera is awesome. But if only I am taking photos with shutter button. On screen button makes the camera focus again after initially locking focus with touch, although it remembers where to focus.
This may cause some lost moments due to delay in shutter speed.
Now, Google Camera, on the other hand, takes photos instantaneously. Much faster than stock camera from my observation. Lock focus with touch, then either on-screen or shutter button takes photos instantly. This makes me a very happy photographer.
But this might mean that I am losing out on Sony-powered enhancements they made for the stock camera, so I am doing various of tests to see which camera is superior.
As for now, both camera takes exceptional photos, but I can noticing differences in color, where Stock makes colors colder where Google makes it bit warmer.
Which camera do you guys prefer?

rickyoon.vegas said:
I honestly can't figure out which is better for the life of me.
Stock camera is awesome. But if only I am taking photos with shutter button. On screen button makes the camera focus again after initially locking focus with touch, although it remembers where to focus.
This may cause some lost moments due to delay in shutter speed.
Now, Google Camera, on the other hand, takes photos instantaneously. Much faster than stock camera from my observation. Lock focus with touch, then either on-screen or shutter button takes photos instantly. This makes me a very happy photographer.
But this might mean that I am losing out on Sony-powered enhancements they made for the stock camera, so I am doing various of tests to see which camera is superior.
As for now, both camera takes exceptional photos, but I can noticing differences in color, where Stock makes colors colder where Google makes it bit warmer.
Which camera do you guys prefer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
can you post some samples from both apps

For me stock all the way. I had a phone with very Shutter speed without focus before. Problem was half of my pictures came out blurry. I'd rather wait a milisec for the focus and have a sharp picture than hammering that button and hope for the best plus for me it's always really hard to keep the cam steady when pressing the touch button. As I said half my pictures came out blurry and out of focus with my sgs3. With the z3 every picture is perfect so far. Never had so much fun with a smartphone camera. And that because of the ergonomics and not because of megapixlz.
But why not have both apps side by side and use the one better suited for the situation?

clouds5 said:
For me stock all the way. I had a phone with very Shutter speed without focus before. Problem was half of my pictures came out blurry. I'd rather wait a milisec for the focus and have a sharp picture than hammering that button and hope for the best plus for me it's always really hard to keep the cam steady when pressing the touch button. As I said half my pictures came out blurry and out of focus with my sgs3. With the z3 every picture is perfect so far. Never had so much fun with a smartphone camera. And that because of the ergonomics and not because of megapixlz.
But why not have both apps side by side and use the one better suited for the situation?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxy phones are the same i guess. I have an s5, previously moto x and iphone 5 user. Never had blur in my photos, but with galaxy s5 out of 10 i take 7 will be blurry but camera quality is really good if its not blurry on the s5 especially day light

Speaking of cameras, can you turn off the shutter sound in either of these camera apps?
I could turn it off on my old xperia acro s, but apparently Sony has decided this feature was too powerful for the z3 compact.

Sony stock cam offers "no sound" option in settings

Bäcker said:
Sony stock cam offers no sound option in settings
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The Sony camera on my Z3C has an option to disable sound.

mattdm said:
The Sony camera on my Z3C has an option to disable sound.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yes, actually I was trying to say the same, just should have added the quotation marks or a dash right away

What settings are you guys using for the stock sony cam? I cant seem to get photos that are as sharp as I'd like. They look great on the z3c display, then i look at them on my laptop and am disappointed. Tried SA, manual, 8mp, 15mp, and all sorts of other settings.

Bäcker said:
yes, actually I was trying to say the same, just should have added the quotation marks or a dash right away
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha ok. Sometimes it's hard to figure tone on the internet. :silly:

Last time I tried the Google Camera it didn't like the 2 stage shutter. I think Sony did a decent number on the Camera app, so will be using it for the time being.

I am also using the default camera app. Its awesome!
I think the google camera needs a overhaul. Its good for just point and shoot but it lacks features. Lets hope Android L apis can help with this.

I figure I'll keep the stock camera as well as Google camera installed for different purposes. Stock camera for everything else, and Google camera for panoramas and photo spheres. Have not compared the difference in panorama shots between stock and google camera yet though.

I found google camera to be worse in low light situations. However the app Camera jb+, gave me better results allround compared to the stock camera.

Sorry to dig up that rather old thread...but something is bugging me! I can't seem to find the setting to turn out ff the sound
Can someone help me?
Sorry, the menu is in German but you guys will probably understand what it means...there is no SOUND ...
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app

oTToToTenTanz said:
Sorry to dig up that rather old thread...but something is bugging me! I can't seem to find the setting to turn out ff the sound
Can someone help me?
Sorry, the menu is in German but you guys will probably understand what it means...there is no SOUND ...
Sent from my D5803 using XDA Free mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is quite weird since I have a "sound" option in the same menu as you posted.. What firmware are you on?

Crazy...then I'd think its based on what country's firmware is installed...I'm from Germany and some users report (on older Sony xperia z's) that they can't disable the shutter sound.
What coutry are you from? Is there a way to get the camera app from another software? I heard there are also complications with DRM

oTToToTenTanz said:
Crazy...then I'd think its based on what country's firmware is installed...I'm from Germany and some users report (on older Sony xperia z's) that they can't disable the shutter sound.
What coutry are you from? Is there a way to get the camera app from another software? I heard there are also complications with DRM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sweden :good:
Maybe with the google camera app you can switch off the sound
The DRM complications might relate to unlock/root where some lowlight functions get lost for good - but if rooting/unlocking isn't a matter of life and death I wouldn't do it until a safe method is found.

I'm from germany (german stock .77 ROM, no branding etc.) and I have this option.

I'm a Google camera fanboy now. The stock app isn't consistent enough and too much time consuming. I like simplicity above the ultimate shot. Also like the photosphere ability. This way I can relive the moment in VR.

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