Sony XZ camera quality - Xperia Z General

Having used XZ's camera for some hundred pictures in various conditions, I have to comment on the very smart automatic mode. It does produce excellent results in identifying conditions and exposure and colour rendition are trully very good. However, photograhic quality is just not there. Detail suffers a lot from either noise or too much post processing. In some cases when viewing at 1:1 zoom, it reminds me the results of applying some of photoshop's artistic filters in a subtle yet identifiable way.
Sony must have had a reason to incorporate such heavy post processing. The Exmor RS module was originally designed to handle RGBW coding (white plus the traditional RGB). Apparently somewhere along the way, Sony changed their minds as they could not make it work to their "image quality standards" and reverted back to traditional RGB (1), (2). One can only make assumptions, but perhaps the rather heavy noise processing of the image and compression may have its roots to decisions taken to correct other issues, ie. degraded light performance and consequent noise through higher ISOs.
It would be interesting to see how the sensor performs in other phones. One example is the Oppo Find 5. Unfortunately the results are pretty much the same, ie. plenty of noise which brings down detail. (3), (4) Which can only mean that the root of the problem is either any firmware handling the signal of the actual image sensor or that the design itself is flawed.
It is rumoured that the same sensor will also be used in the new SGS4 (we will know soon enough) and the revised iPhone 5S. So let's wait and see what they can make of it. It would be disappointing to see two highly anticipated phones featuring worse cameras than the models they are replacing.
In photographic terms, the way to get better pictures is larger aperture and image stabilization. Letting more light in is the secret and there are two ways of doing it: larger aperture or longer exposure times. The latter results in shaky pictures which is counteracted to some extent though image stabilization. The former usually requires a longer camera+lens module. (in DSLRs larger aperture also means small DOF but this is not an issue for phone cameras where the sensor is so small). That's why incorporating a F/2.0 or F/2.2 aperture usually means thicker phone or a lump at the back. Sony also makes a F/2.2 module which is 5.5mm thick vs 4.2mm for the F/2.4 which was selected for the XZ, probably to keep its thickness to an impressive 7.9mm. (5) The larger aperture could also an excuse for the thickness of the Nokia Lumia 920 which its F/2.0 aperture lens. (6) However, Lumia 920 does pull it off and the result of a good sensor, the F/2.0 aperture and optical image stabilization is great photographic quality. Another approach is having less pixels, something HTC implemented in the One, which again features a F/2.0 aperture @ 9.3mm thickness. However this also has obvious disadvantages in losing detail and the ability to crop a photograph.
Higher pixel count, 13MP vs 8MP, also means that to get the same exposure with the same speed, aperture and ISO rating you need MORE light. (7) Thus, when 8MP is pretty good resolution for every day photography, increasing the pixel count just for the sake of it is the wrong way to go. I do not need to use my Canon 550D at more than 8MP, even when on holidays, even though it supports 18MP resolution.
What has the future in store for us? Well, Sony has made a large investment in the new assembly line and tools to produce the Exmor RS series and they want to see it through. So, I would expect to see revised editions of the module with significant improvements.
Many thanks for reading.
Sources
(1) engadget.com/2012/09/21/sony-exmor-rs-stacked-phone-camera-sensors-detuned-over-quality/
(2) droiddog.com/android-blog/2012/09/sonys-exmor-rs-sensors-downgraded-due-to-quality-concerns/
(3) gizmochina.com/2012/12/15/oppo-find-5-using-sony-cmos-exmor-rs-sensor-camera-component/
(4) gsmarena.com/oppo_find_5-review-880p8.php
(5) imaging-resource.com/news/2012/08/20/sony-exmor-rs-sensors-to-allow-slimmer-better-camera-phones
(6) nokia.com/global/products/phone/lumia920/specifications/[/url]
(7) wpcentral.com/thoughts-and-impressions-nokia-lumia-920s-pureview-camera

so XZ camera issue is due to a software?
For the Mp count, u mean that a DSLR like nikon D800 is not only useless but pointless DSLR.
Photographer use extra MP to take pics at RAW format then convert them the way the Photographer want.

Only the engineers at Sony know if the issue can be corrected with revised algorithms or indeed the sensor can't give anything more. My view is that if this was possible they would not have resorted to so much post processing in the first place. If anything Sony knows photography photography much more than Apple or Samsung.
Of course I am not suggesting that dSLRs have the same function as a camera phone. My personal view is that as a casual photographer I don't need more than 8MPs. Of course there have been instances were I choose to shoot in RAW but I doubt that in such a situation a 13MP camera sensor will bail me out anyway. A dSLR is another beast. My message was about finding the best balance for a camera phone.
Thank you

8MP on dslr is not the same 8MP on a phone.
The sensor in dslr is way bigger than the one i a phone.
Sent from my C6602 using xda premium

Hopefully this is not the result of the Sony camera division trying to hold back on their phones. It happened before with Sony Music trying to stop them from releasing a MP3 player, thats why they were stuck with the mini disk atrac bs for a long time and enter very later into the mp3 market. Too often things like this happened in the company where we see the left hand is trying to fight the right hand making the company so far behind the competitors. Makes no sense that their phone camera is still very mediocre where they make some of the best camera out there.

comparing to my Xperia X10i i get the feeling the color is to much yellow in iAutomatic!
https://picasaweb.google.com/114460...&authkey=Gv1sRgCOO5m9yRrqu1Vw&feat=directlink
btw: Your Opinion on this Topic ?
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6777/understanding-camera-optics-smartphone-camera-trends

Is there anyway to make taken images stay at the size they are suposed to be? I mean i want to stop the compression of the image like I had on Xperia S and quality was much better (not better than on xperia Z tho )

Related

3.0 MP Camera? I have my doubts

Sure the camera doesn't have much of a lens, and the zoom is really interpolated; but I really have my doubts that the camera is actually a 3.0MP.
Have there been any in depth tests to prove the camera's resolution???
How big a file should it be with the 3.0M super fine photos?
I take photos at the highest resolution and there is still pixel 'blocking'. I know HTC is new to this, but it is a let down. My old Sony 2.0MP takes better photos.
Clearly u have mistaken abt the relationship between MP and picture quality.
Higher MP does not necessarily mean better images taken.
If u compare a logitech quickcam IM's photo to that of the microsoft 2MP one. u will realise that althought the IM only supports VGA but
picture quality is much better......
The 4 most important factors in photography: Skill, Lens quality, lens quality, lens quality.
And you did realize that when you use the 3 MP mode, there is no zoom available?
A typical 3 MP "Super fine" image will be around 900-1400 KB depending on colors and detail of the object/situation you photograph. A "Fine" photo will land around 450-750 KB.
There is no noticeable difference between "Fine" and "Super fine" modes except in close up, high contrast photos.
I have attached 2 photos for your comparison. Yes, the camera is of poor quality as seen by these 2 images.
http://bayimg.com/DAEKGaABO
http://bayimg.com/DaEkHAABO
Oh, and to double check the resolution, just take a picture, save it to your PC and open it up with any image editing program and see for yourself.
keithwwalker said:
Sure the camera doesn't have much of a lens, and the zoom is really interpolated; but I really have my doubts that the camera is actually a 3.0MP.
Have there been any in depth tests to prove the camera's resolution???
How big a file should it be with the 3.0M super fine photos?
I take photos at the highest resolution and there is still pixel 'blocking'. I know HTC is new to this, but it is a let down. My old Sony 2.0MP takes better photos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you really expect super great pictures on the data centric device? Sure SE Phones do a better job of this, but what else can they do?
If you want a high quality camera or anything else techy, always buy a dedicated device for the job. Simple.
Personally speaking I find the camera quality more than acceptable for a PPC/Phone, as a matter of fact I would go as far to say that it is the best in class out of all PPC Phones. Just MHO though.
mackaby007 said:
Personally speaking I find the camera quality more than acceptable for a PPC/Phone, as a matter of fact I would go as far to say that it is the best in class out of all PPC Phones.
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I've got the same impression about the cam,
at least compared to my old HTC Magician
Camera
The quality of the camera is probably the only reason why I have not let the X7501 fully replace my N95 as a phone!
thetruth1983 said:
The quality of the camera is probably the only reason why I have not let the X7501 fully replace my N95 as a phone!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lmao, scnr
mojo2000 said:
lmao, scnr
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Click to collapse
I've got an N95 and its camera isn't much better in my opinion, though it copes with moving subjects slightly better and video is VASTLY superior. I prefer B&W shots on the Ameo though. The flash on the Ameo is much brighter too - I still don't understand why HTC don't provide an automated flash function though - very annoying!
Sorry if I gave the impression that I was expecting a first rate camera with the 7501.
I purchased this for the following reasons, ranking in importance:
PDA
Phone
GPS
Media Player
Camera
With that said, there is another component to a good photo beside: Skill, Lens quality.
That is the software that puts all the image together.
My old Sony 2.0MP had a Carl Zeiss lens and the end product was still crap compared to the Canon's of the day. The internal software was the let down. So too the HTC.
keithwwalker said:
Sure the camera doesn't have much of a lens, and the zoom is really interpolated; but I really have my doubts that the camera is actually a 3.0MP.
Have there been any in depth tests to prove the camera's resolution???
How big a file should it be with the 3.0M super fine photos?
I take photos at the highest resolution and there is still pixel 'blocking'. I know HTC is new to this, but it is a let down. My old Sony 2.0MP takes better photos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Calavaro said:
The 4 most important factors in photography: Skill, Lens quality, lens quality, lens quality.
And you did realize that when you use the 3 MP mode, there is no zoom available?
A typical 3 MP "Super fine" image will be around 900-1400 KB depending on colors and detail of the object/situation you photograph. A "Fine" photo will land around 450-750 KB.
There is no noticeable difference between "Fine" and "Super fine" modes except in close up, high contrast photos.
I have attached 2 photos for your comparison. Yes, the camera is of poor quality as seen by these 2 images.
http://bayimg.com/DAEKGaABO
http://bayimg.com/DaEkHAABO
Oh, and to double check the resolution, just take a picture, save it to your PC and open it up with any image editing program and see for yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Dude, when was the last time you really cleaned?
another big factor of picture quality is the sensor size...
most people down know this but the bigger teh sensor the better the picture quality...
that is why a dslr with a big sensor though it may have a 3 MP pixel size will alwasy be better than a point and shoot thats 8 MP
this gets into photography .. but basicly craming more pixels into a same sized sensor will seldom yield better results ... just maybe allow you to blow up the picture a bit more thats it...
having said that i think the camera on the athena is excellent compared to other phones of the nature
I disagree with the fact that len quality is the most important factor.... Len is very important but tt is when you r using something with a gd sensor.... the image processor and sensor.... b it cmos or ccd will
b the one that makes the most difference when it comes to image quality.......
Calavaro said:
The 4 most important factors in photography: Skill, Lens quality, lens quality, lens quality.
And you did realize that when you use the 3 MP mode, there is no zoom available?
A typical 3 MP "Super fine" image will be around 900-1400 KB depending on colors and detail of the object/situation you photograph. A "Fine" photo will land around 450-750 KB.
There is no noticeable difference between "Fine" and "Super fine" modes except in close up, high contrast photos.
I have attached 2 photos for your comparison. Yes, the camera is of poor quality as seen by these 2 images.
http://bayimg.com/DAEKGaABO
http://bayimg.com/DaEkHAABO
Oh, and to double check the resolution, just take a picture, save it to your PC and open it up with any image editing program and see for yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
bLiTz^ said:
I disagree with the fact that len quality is the most important factor.... Len is very important but tt is when you r using something with a gd sensor.... the image processor and sensor.... b it cmos or ccd will
b the one that makes the most difference when it comes to image quality.......
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sensor is imp ... but like i said its sensor size...
and being how most cell phones are small... you cant fit a big sensor in it... so image quality willbe sub par always...
you made me laugh out loud with that comment....you're right!!
for gods sake calavaro if you dont want to dust, just blow that dust away.......sneeze or something!!
of course you wanted it there for effect!?!?
in keeping w/ the thread though, i have a trion w/ a 2 mp and it is the best i've had in all my pda/phones...how does the advantage compare to that camera? anyone??
dan
[email protected] said:
you made me laugh out loud with that comment....you're right!!
for gods sake calavaro if you dont want to dust, just blow that dust away.......sneeze or something!!
of course you wanted it there for effect!?!?
in keeping w/ the thread though, i have a trion w/ a 2 mp and it is the best i've had in all my pda/phones...how does the advantage compare to that camera? anyone??
dan
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Can't remember if the Trion is the same as the Hermes?! If it is, I had a Hermes and loved the camera...for a PPC, but I rate the Athena camera slightly ahead in every way.
i do find the athena camera superior to every other camera phone i have seen...
i especially like the focus... it definately makes the picture quite al ot sharper
any other camera with a fixed focal length produces far inferior results...
the reason is because it is fixed at infinity ... so it doesnt have to focus necessarily ...
basicly becaused of a fixed focal length at infinity you get a much softer picture...
and it is a common known fact among photographers the infinity focal length produces sub par results ...
for example they dont use the infinity focal length to take landscape pictures... it really depends per lens but they use a dif formula to calculate the best length...
the long and the short a variable focal lens will top a fixed focal length always...
in short if you cant focus ur lens like most pda phones athenas is better...
Haha. I do dust. I live in a 3rd world country with massive traffic in the center of a big-ass city. I even have maids helping out. That's the best that can be done on a day to day basis. So how about, you know, focus on the issue at hand?
No matter how you look at it, a camera on a phone will never be as good as even the simplest point-and-shoot camera. Yes, quality has improved, but it's still way behind.
So what's up with those red lines at the top left corner? about half the pictures I take has this "effect". Seems to happen mostly in high light conditions.
leoni1980 said:
I've got an N95 and its camera isn't much better in my opinion, though it copes with moving subjects slightly better and video is VASTLY superior. I prefer B&W shots on the Ameo though. The flash on the Ameo is much brighter too - I still don't understand why HTC don't provide an automated flash function though - very annoying!
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Click to collapse
The N95 indeed has a poor quality STILL capture, however the VIDEO capability is amazing.
Calavaro said:
Haha. I do dust. I live in a 3rd world country with massive traffic in the center of a big-ass city. I even have maids helping out. That's the best that can be done on a day to day basis. So how about, you know, focus on the issue at hand?
No matter how you look at it, a camera on a phone will never be as good as even the simplest point-and-shoot camera. Yes, quality has improved, but it's still way behind.
So what's up with those red lines at the top left corner? about half the pictures I take has this "effect". Seems to happen mostly in high light conditions.
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Click to collapse
This is becaues of teh sensor size i mentioned before ..
its just not possible unless you want to carry a huge phone... (thickness)
and though the athena is big its really not that thick...
i really don't get it. most of the comments posted praise the Athena camera. Personally i think the camera is pretty good and sharp and the fact it can produce a 3mp photo is excellent.. BUT.. after using it for 2 months.. it is only great for outdoor and scenery shots (or if your subject does not move too much). in a NORMAL (and i say normal as in if you are in doors and the lighting condition is considered very good) indoor situation, if your subject just moves a little.. the whole picture becomes blur.. try this.. take a shot outdoor while u shake ur camera.. (result.. decent picture)... go indoor and move your camera.. (result.. sucks)..
i for one bought the phone to also take pictures of my kid especially when we go out shopping.. but the camera feature simply cannot make it..
question: when indoors.. the camera is like perpetually in night mode (i mean everything is like in slow motion.. jerky..) weird?!?!? even if i am using my old xda ii, it does not do this.. why oh why?
i do understand what most of u guys are saying about a weak sensor.. but i for one is a disappointed customer.. a phone with such a powerful cpu yet the picture and video quality is terrible.. sigh...

Purplish hue on the camera.

I've seen varying degrees of the purple hue on people's cameras (the 5mp one, not the VGA), including my own. It seems worse when I'm inside. Is this a problem with the camera itself, or a software problem?
the atrix camera is really bad. all reviewers have shown the same quality in their pictures. i am reminded of the nokia e71, they promised they would fix it in software but they couldn't.
my guess is that it's the camera sensor itself, and it may be reduced (but not completely eliminated) with a software patch.
it would be a good idea to post this in the motorola forums. probably many people have done so already
I'm definitely going to be posting in the Moto forums. This is unacceptable. They had the power to have on the best smartphones on the market, but are going to start losing if they keep this up.
Any progress Here
Has anyone seen any movement or heard any news with regard to this issue? The camera is lame with this color issue. I was with a buddy and his Iphone camera beat the pants of this thing. I kind of felt jaded and jealous.
I had the same concerns but after some serious experimentaion I learned a few things...
1: The default camera app is 75% of the problem. The pupleish hue comes from a chronicaly bad auto white balance setting. This can easily be fixed in photoshop. The other solution is to download an app like camera360 which gives you control over white balance. This is not a hardware issue but is just too bad of an implementation to excuse. Camera360 has a free trial which will let you play with white balance so you can see what I mean.
2: the remaining 25% is that this camera is noisy in all situations. Even moderate daylight shots as a bit grainy. Don't expect the camera to get quite to the level of iPhone 4 which uses a higher quality backlit sensor. I have both phones and have compared. Noise issues are greater on the atrix no question. This isn't fixable except in post processing.
That being said. I carry the atrix on a daily basis and don't miss the iPhone 4 camera that much. Basically when you use camera360 or one of the several other very good camera apps you can fix most problems. Make sure you have the maximum lighting the shooting situation allows.
Other than that photoshop helps. Even my high end cameras (lumix LX3 and canon 5d) get the photoshop treatment. it offers white balance correction and serviceable noise reduction.
Picnova - you the man
That makes a huge difference. thanks for the recommendation
seriously this is a phone camera with two little led's for 'flash' and lights; clearly the cameras white balance settings are off; it appears to me that they are easily fooled (yet very sensitive to) differences in color temperatures, especially around MVL/fluorescent lamps. that is normally where your hue issue comes up. try it under some halogen lights and it does just fine. i think the AWB programming could benefit from a tweak; actually it is very sensitive to changes in color temperature, it just exaggerates the difference versus what your brain processes from your eyes; we automatically make a 'white' object appear 'white' in our minds; with any sensor/camera it is all software and it is not as dynamic and not intelligent. this indicates that the hardware is capable, but the software is lacking. for me the video mode is more useful really; i am loathe to drag around an video SLR or one of my HD cameras on random nights out etc. i would LOVE a hack/mod/app that let one manipulate the AWB settings, focus settings, and ISO settings manually for video. i dont use this camera other than for random stuff like friends or goings out without a real camera, which is very VERY rare. i own a media studio; i almost ALWAYS have at least a MagicLantern hacked T2i kit or XF305 in my trunk.
the sensor itself is tiny and not very good in the noise reduction department. if your lighting is good, the pictures will be good. 99% of people test and complain about low light situations when technically the real problem is they do not understand how to expose properly for the environment they are in. this is where camera360 helps, but could be improved with shutter speed and direct iso control. yes the iphone 4 has a backlit sensor, but still suffers from CMOS jello badly too. for what it is its fine.
day to day i work in a studio shooting a web series or tele adverts; i have 10 halogen fresnels and spots, diffused and direct lighting, aimed on set at any given time, and i guarantee you 99% of people that visit take HORRID shots by NOT knowing how or what they are doing, or how the camera works. a lot of this has to do with metering, which again the phone/camera system does not easily allow access to and i have found no apps to work with this.
but as a person intimately involved in the photo/video field, i must say for the price and the capabilities the camera is ok. actually i would like to see an android phone with an optical 1.2x zoom (for lens and sensor size this would be best for minimal distortion and maximum sharpness)/digital 2x (still technically at 720P resolution that way), 1080P backlit CMOS 1/16 single chip sensor with a glass 28mm-35mm equivalent perspective lens which is NOT coverage area (with a damn lens cover!), and image processing by nikon canon etc with some manual controls over basic functions; replace the useless point and shoot!
i would HAPPILY pay $1000 USD for such a device; double the thickness, double the weight, whatever. just give me the same image quality of a circa 2004 nikon D50 or canon digital rebel; the technology exists. the market exists. the software exists and now the hardware is MORE than capable of processing it properly. i have no point and shoot cameras; i have 7 digital SLR's (5 with HD video recording) and 4 1/3" 3CCD as well as 2 1/3" CMOS HD camcorders that i am used to full manual controls. I would leave the SLRs at home if there was any decent alternative in a mobile device.
emoose said:
I had the same concerns but after some serious experimentaion I learned a few things...
1: The default camera app is 75% of the problem. The pupleish hue comes from a chronicaly bad auto white balance setting. This can easily be fixed in photoshop. The other solution is to download an app like camera360 which gives you control over white balance. This is not a hardware issue but is just too bad of an implementation to excuse. Camera360 has a free trial which will let you play with white balance so you can see what I mean.
2: the remaining 25% is that this camera is noisy in all situations. Even moderate daylight shots as a bit grainy. Don't expect the camera to get quite to the level of iPhone 4 which uses a higher quality backlit sensor. I have both phones and have compared. Noise issues are greater on the atrix no question. This isn't fixable except in post processing.
That being said. I carry the atrix on a daily basis and don't miss the iPhone 4 camera that much. Basically when you use camera360 or one of the several other very good camera apps you can fix most problems. Make sure you have the maximum lighting the shooting situation allows.
Other than that photoshop helps. Even my high end cameras (lumix LX3 and canon 5d) get the photoshop treatment. it offers white balance correction and serviceable noise reduction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Great info regarding Camera360...totally makes a world of difference (so far - just compared a couple of pics indoors between default camera app and camera 360).
What other options does the paid version add?

Camera sensor question

Alright, so it's known that the sensor used in the N6P is the Sony IMX377. However, does anyone know if this sensor is native 16:9? 12.3mp is already pretty damn low for a "flagship" phone now-a-days, so it would kind of suck to have to go down to 9.6mp to shoot in a 16:9 aspect ratio.
I quickly googled the sensor and there are a couple of datasheets, I am no camera lens technical expert but it looks like 12.3MP is 4:3.
http://www.sony.net/Products/SC-HP/IS/sensor2/products/imx377.html
__NBH__ said:
I quickly googled the sensor and there are a couple of datasheets, I am no camera lens technical expert but it looks like 12.3MP is 4:3.
http://www.sony.net/Products/SC-HP/IS/sensor2/products/imx377.html
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Damn. I have to say, that's disappointing...
Yeah, it's 9.6mp in 16:9.
I like 4:3 MUCH better for photos, anyway.
Same, 4:3 is better
Me too...
4:3 crop sensors are fsr more common than full frame 16:9 ones. I like the 4:3 shots better anyway
I agree it is very disappointing. I don't like 4:3 photos at all and I'm use to DSLRs with 16:9 photos.
Slash8915 said:
Alright, so it's known that the sensor used in the N6P is the Sony IMX377. However, does anyone know if this sensor is native 16:9? 12.3mp is already pretty damn low for a "flagship" phone now-a-days, so it would kind of suck to have to go down to 9.6mp to shoot in a 16:9 aspect ratio.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you sure you need all that resolution? Even at 9.6 MP that's more information than could be displayed on a 4K television screen.
Keep in mind that although the IMX377 is not as high resolution sensor as some of the 16 MP and 20 MP sensors seen these days, it is a very large 1/2.3 sensor (large for a phone). So it is actually physically the largest sensor that's been put in any flagship, except the Xperia Zx phones and the great Nokia phones (like the 808, 1020, N8 that have sensors which remain years beyond anyone, even though they are no longer new phones).
So the reason the 6P has "only" 12.3 MP is not because it is a "low" or "small" sensor. It's a very large sensor (again, for a phone). But instead of using the extra size for more pixels, which is a waste for almost all purposes, they use the extra size for larger pixels. This means the images should have better color accuracy (lack of reviews of the phone proving this, notwithstanding), because the larger pixels can catch more light. The overall larger sensor also improves low light performance and noise.
Even the Z5, the only other phone with a 1/2.3 sensors, doesn't use it's full 23 MP to create unnecessarily enormous photos with details no one needs. Instead its default setting to to produce 8 MP images. The extra pixels are used to oversample, using many pixels to composite into one effectively larger pixel, for the advantages of color accuracy and lower noise. This is the "Pureview" technique pioneered by Nokia with the 808 and its huge 1/1.2 sensor, that's actually 41 MP, but defaults to "only" 5 MP final images.
So unless you have a very specialized need for more detail than the already massive amoung of detail of 9.6 MP or 12.3 MP (and assuming you even have a screen capable of displaying more than the 8 MP it takes to fll a 4K screen), the benefits of smaller images, with larger pixels, and a larger 1/2.3 sensor far outweigh pointless extra pixels that people get obsessed with but serves no purpose for most people. Remember, the megapixel race in phones and consumer cameras has always been a mistake, that produces a level of detail people don't need and can't see, that produces unnecessarily large file sizes, and that actually creates problems like reduced color accuracy and increased noise. Physical sensor size matters a lot, megapixels, beyond about 5 MP or 8 MP serve no purpose (unless you're creating billboards or printing wall sized photos).
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One side note, if your current phone is the LG G4, as your signature suggests, I would not expect to get better images out of the 6P. The G4 has arguably the best camera in a current smartphone. It already has a pretty large 1/2.6 sensor. Even though it's pretty high resolution at 16 MP, apparently they've done something to really reduce the amount of noise you'd normally expect from a 16 MP sensor. And it has one very large advantage over the 6P, which is OIS (optical image stabilization). I'd really wait for reviews that compare the G4 camera to the 6P, if this is important to you. At best, I'd expect the 6P to be as good as the G4 (and it may not be), but I'd be surprised if it surpassed the G4 for still images. And without OIS, there's no way videos will be as stable on the 6P, whatever other merits it may have.
The Z5 have a pretty stable camera, one of the best in the market right now and it doesnt have OIS. So lets hope google will arrive with a better algorithm

So the S7 camera performs better than the Z5/Z5P ? I can't stop laughing...

Ok I'm Kinda mad here... There are things I don't understand and I will probably never....
How on earth, would every review on the internet including youtube videos give the upper hand to the S7 camera which has SONY IMX260 R EXMOR that has 7.18 mm sensor size and a 1.4 μm x 1.4 μm unit cell size while the Z5/Premium has the "exclusive cutting edge" RS EXMOR IMX300 with 7.87 mm sensor size and 1.1 μm x 1.1 μm pixel size ?
And please don't tell me about image processing ? Why on earth a giant Japanese corporation such as SONY specialized and leader in photography, videography, pictures and music Entertainment without forgetting their BIONZ image processor that compete or even wins over Nikon EXPEED and
Canon DIGIC can't do image processing right on a freaking CMOS sensor ?
Now yeah the Z5/P pictures are decent and although very good on a very sunny day.... I'll remain quiet for the low light part....
So to sum it up... a Samsung with an IMX260 12MP sensor is on par or outperforms a Sony IMX300 23MP ( 25MP ) sensor...
Funny isn't it ?
It's not funny at all.
Still,I find that Z5 camera is best on market atm.
Xperia Z5 via Tapatalk
Very easy good hardware and bad software.
Sony can't compete software wise with who had nexus phones.
Samsung LG know better about android and how to create a better software cause they took lot of info from Google while they have Nexus phones.
Well money talks. S7 just cant match Z1+ line. Take a look at original S7 full resolution photos. Photo IQ is awfull on the S7. Over-sharpening that creates awfull halos and contrast, to much texture detail, texture extraction that gives a gritty look and to much noise reduction that makes for a blurry image with lost detail and plastic look. S7 has borderline the bad CRT chromatic aberration look and reminds me of old cheap digital cameras.
I'll quote one of my other posts wher one can see that even in an unfair comparision that favors the S7 my Z1 just performs much better. Much better and if making things more even by choosing 2048x1536 for my Z1 photos and same or similar for S7 my Z1 just walks all over the S7. Z5 does no worse unless in SA or the NR goes wonky.
When I look at S7 photos in good and low light it just reminds me of the bad CRT "chromatic aberration" look. Great artistic value but the persons S7 destroys IQ beyond reparation. https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/
I mean even the Z1 blows it out and Z5 even more. Look at this comparision which favors the S7 as the images are shown at 100% size which means my Z1 is showing a far bigger image aswell as in worse lighting conditions with far less photons in the ambient to capture (see shutter speed difference) yet it performs better. Would I scale it down to same size as the S7 it would be a brutal comparision leaving the S7 in the dust. One can choose 2048 pixel width to see this in the links.
Stock original photos, default camera apps.
S7 buildings.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/25743187832/sizes/o/
Z1 buildings.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/csls/25516883060/sizes/o/
S7 forest.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/25837956126/sizes/o/
Z1 forest.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/csls/25019022984/sizes/o/
Might take some time some day with the Z5c and capture photos in same locations once the sun is about same (wild weather over here).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And here are more S7 samples.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/25837956126/sizes/o/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/25208922064/sizes/o/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/25404249180/sizes/o/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/25021532094/sizes/o/
And here is low light.
Will check files once released here and compare CRC to see if they changed algorithms. As for the S7 I agree, it does moderately good but far worse than Sonys Xperia Z1+ line. The biggest issue on the S7 besides tending to go overboard with sharpening and noise reduction which smoothes out to much and gives a bad fake plastic look (often easily visible around fine-grain detail like branches and leaves) is that it also when post-processing brightens up the image by tweaking curves. Most software does this but should be catiously used to extract detail from low contrast areas. Samsung goes overboard often giving it the 'fake ISO' look where black turns grey. Xperia Z1+ phones give quite a bit better low light photos same ISO for ISO and shutter speed while not even having to resort to major curve tweaking just minor or barely any and it does it selectively in a often excellent way. I assume the BIONZ is really a power beast for such dedicated tasks but sensors in Sonys phones are just better even though older and they are coupled with great optics.
It's just now that Samsung is starting use similar tech that Sony already employed in their mobiles years ago. I think Iphone 6s also got a bit of it but it relies mostly on multi-frame photo composition to create higher ISO like the Nexus 6p HDR+ does. Xperia Z1+ also does this but only when doing ISO 6400 (atleast the Z1) else not. Problem is you need to keep scene static else you get ghosting and bluriness. Haven't checked it fully out for the Z5c though but it should do better.
I guess you could say the S6 gives more detail and less blur but it also has way to much curve tweaking as the S7 but just much worse for same low light situations. S6 just turns to a mess at ISO 1000+ and low light while S7 does better. Both S6 and S7 also automatically (atleast in auto mode) if stable does multi-frame capture in low light to create improved noise reduction. Why some S6/S7 photos at say ISO 1000 looks bad and others much cleaner. Scene has to be static though and mobile firm. Same concept you can find in ProCapture camera app and their noise reduction mode.
Photo example of the S7 post-processing and curves.
Without HDR enabled.
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With HDR enabled.
Sony avoids this in most cases and dont go overboard like that keeping blacks deep and rich aswell as colors punchy and representation of captured scene is far better.
And a Z1 sample from manual mode 8MP, 1/8 ISO 3200. Little and smart use of brightening via the changing curves despite high ISO of 3200 keeping the blacks quite well, global contrast and colors punchy despite heavy tungsten lighting!
Manual mode, 1/8 ISO 1600 of same scene two days apart around same time.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The sensor is just one part of the camera, there are so many other elements that can make it better or worse.
That's like saying one restaurant has better steak and complaining as somewhere else uses better cows - it's all about the cooking of the meat and the accompaniments that go with it.
In photography's case it's about the lens system, the image stabilisation and the post-processing. As posters above have said, the software controlling the Sony sensor in the S7 is great, no doubt.
Answer me this: if you give an amazing camera to a bad photographer will you get a better photo than giving a bad camera to a good photographer?
Answer me this: if you give an amazing camera to a bad photographer will you get a better photo than giving a bad camera to a good photographer?[/QUOTE]
Let me answer :
Are you able to drive faster in a Bentley than in a Renault even if you are a bad driver ?
Yes !!!
Same with photos quality (not photo skills)
I agree that the human factor is there but can not excuse all Sony conservative attitude plus Sony do not want to let 3rd party improve their lack of dev.
But still happy with my Z5 result... It is a phone and we do not have to expect the same quality as a Reflex
NJ72 said:
The sensor is just one part of the camera, there are so many other elements that can make it better or worse.
That's like saying one restaurant has better steak and complaining as somewhere else uses better cows - it's all about the cooking of the meat and the accompaniments that go with it.
In photography's case it's about the lens system, the image stabilisation and the post-processing. As posters above have said, the software controlling the Sony sensor in the S7 is great, no doubt.
Answer me this: if you give an amazing camera to a bad photographer will you get a better photo than giving a bad camera to a good photographer?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand what you're trying to say but is it justified ? Is it possible that SONY can't make a software that control their own sensors ? Is it acceptable that other companies using SONY sensors whether modified or not, can make better use of it ?
SONY that has been in the photography industry since decades can't deal with their own driver and post processors on a mobile phone ?
Again the pictures on the Z5P are good but try going zoom to 100%... most of the details are missing compared to rivals.... not sure if it's lack of sharpness whatsoever but certainly the post processing needs work.
Look at their Z5 camera promotion bragging about the auto-focus speed... I literally had to find one single time I could get a a clear photo of somebody moving.
Don't get me wrong I'm a huge fan of the device but it just puts me on my nerve that we have the best hardware and the " best " brand name yet we always have excuses for the camera behavior.
Xeon said:
I understand what you're trying to say but is it justified ? Is it possible that SONY can't make a software that control their own sensors ? Is it acceptable that other companies using SONY sensors whether modified or not, can make better use of it ?
SONY that has been in the photography industry since decades can't deal with their own driver and post processors on a mobile phone ?
Again the pictures on the Z5P are good but try going zoom to 100%... most of the details are missing compared to rivals.... not sure if it's lack of sharpness whatsoever but certainly the post processing needs work.
Look at their Z5 camera promotion bragging about the auto-focus speed... I literally had to find one single time I could get a a clear photo of somebody moving.
Don't get me wrong I'm a huge fan of the device but it just puts me on my nerve that we have the best hardware and the " best " brand name yet we always have excuses for the camera behavior.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my opinion it's quite obvious with the Z5 premium that Sony spent more time focussing on the display than the camera's image processing. Sony could do a lot more with the camera than they do, but there are numerous other factors Sony consider when designing a smartphone. Evidently they either A) do not have the skills, B) don't rate it high enough or C) think they nailed it when it comes to the camera.
I agree that Sony should have done more with it, but I bought the phone knowing that they hadn't and I'd buy it again over Samsung's TouchWiz interface. I prefer my DSLR for photography, for me the rest of the phone is more important.
And, in answer to your first question, yes - what I said is justified. Whether it's what you'd have done if you were part of Sony's dev team, who knows, but what they did is make a very good phone with a camera that could be better.
NJ72 said:
In my opinion it's quite obvious with the Z5 premium that Sony spent more time focussing on the display than the camera's image processing. Sony could do a lot more with the camera than they do, but there are numerous other factors Sony consider when designing a smartphone. Evidently they either A) do not have the skills, B) don't rate it high enough or C) think they nailed it when it comes to the camera.
I agree that Sony should have done more with it, but I bought the phone knowing that they hadn't and I'd buy it again over Samsung's TouchWiz interface. I prefer my DSLR for photography, for me the rest of the phone is more important.
And, in answer to your first question, yes - what I said is justified. Whether it's what you'd have done if you were part of Sony's dev team, who knows, but what they did is make a very good phone with a camera that could be better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well to be honest, SONY only brags about their camera performance in their devices.... This time in September they mentioned nothing but the 4K screen and the IMX300. No major change to the device design, software is close to stock android and the IP68 has been there for ages.
http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/phones/xperia-z5/
See ? They are so proud of their camera that this is the only marketing card in their hands for now. As for lack of expertise, I really doubt but I can nothing but believe that they thought they nailed it when in fact it's still horrible in low light conditions.
The big problem I have with the Z5 is its shutter lag and no burst shooting. So you're left with rapidly tapping the shutter button which only gives you about 3fps. On the S7 you get a burst mode at over 20fps.
It's ridiculous how their ads show an instantaneous shutter but it could be no further from the truth. Even with Marshmallow the shutter lag is still pretty bad. This seagull was standing on the bridge when I pressed the shutter and the camera captured when it already started to fly away.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/j5hcj2jeazzjs77/DSC_0988.JPG?dl=0
Even HTC M9+ Supreme Camera has faster shutter and better manual options than Z5. It uses IMX230 and is a pretty bi
FYLin21 said:
The big problem I have with the Z5 is its shutter lag and no burst shooting. So you're left with rapidly tapping the shutter button which only gives you about 3fps. On the S7 you get a burst mode at over 20fps.
It's ridiculous how their ads show an instantaneous shutter but it could be no further from the truth. Even with Marshmallow the shutter lag is still pretty bad. This seagull was standing on the bridge when I pressed the shutter and the camera captured when it already started to fly away.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/j5hcj2jeazzjs77/DSC_0988.JPG?dl=0
Even HTC M9+ Supreme Camera has faster shutter and better manual options than Z5. It uses IMX230 and is a pretty bi
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is what I'm talking about... you see... in your pic nothing looks OK, what was the focus doing ? i can't find any part of the pic clear....
One thing I noticed is that even Whatsapp camera looks awful. I understand that the pic is compressed and the post processing is non existent but on my Xperia Z the difference wasn't noticeable that much.
gm007 said:
Very easy good hardware and bad software.
Sony can't compete software wise with who had nexus phones.
Samsung LG know better about android and how to create a better software cause they took lot of info from Google while they have Nexus phones.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry but I tend to disagree. I dont think OEM release need google assistance. In fact SONY is very conservative when it comes to camera software. I bet they know how to unlock raw mode and compatibility yet they don't want to.
It's obvious that the post processing has been inconsistent across the Xperia line. A bit of trial and error if you want my opinion....
What you say about bad software is correct however unjustified. I can't accept it from an industry leader such as SONY.
OK the camera is almost perfect in manual mode if you want to go hardcore and adjust every possible value and mode for a snapshot but I don't want to spend 2 minutes for that :
Look at the difference between iPhone 6S and Z5 camera.... this lack of details is what makes me go nuts.
Xeon said:
This is what I'm talking about... you see... in your pic nothing looks OK, what was the focus doing ? i can't find any part of the pic clear....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This has been zoomed a bit using "clear image zoom" which just oversharpens things. It could be fine if they just use something that rounds off the edges for up sampling, but you see a lot of jagged circular blobs throughout the edges. I had taken a few pictures of this bird standing there but the camera kept overexposing the scene. Then I brought the exposure down and tried taking a photo - the bird a still standing there the moment I pressed the shutter.
The only thing to get around no burst mode is using 4K video. You can capture 8MP stills while you film but sometimes it causes the video to stutter and it takes a long time to save them. The stills also look worse than the video itself - the contrast is lower with washed out colours. It's better to grab frames after filming but you'l need another app to do this and I'm not sure which one as I do it on my computer using Media Player Classic. You can also crop to 1080p which is better than using the digital zoom in the app - unfortunately the bitrate of 4K video is a bit low so you can see some artifacts when cropped to 1080p ...
Is the shutter lag due to software or hardware? it's hard to say. Low resolution photos from Facebook messenger can be taken instantaneously, but all the third party apps I've tried exhibit shutter lag - I think even worse than the stock camera app... and don't forget only 8MP works with third party apps.
If the images were downscaled to 8MP or something, they would be good compared to some other cameras but that defeats the purpose of having 20/23MP.
Imagine seeing the loch ness monster and you took a photo but the shutter lag means your photo doesn't show it because it dove into the water
I will give you a small example why sony is bad software wise,
In lollipop we had fingerprint scanner test in the diagnostic menu and the test was not working.
So instead to fix it in marshmallow they removed the test completely lol.
Xeon said:
Ok I'm Kinda mad here... There are things I don't understand and I will probably never....
How on earth, would every review on the internet including youtube videos give the upper hand to the S7 camera which has SONY IMX260 R EXMOR that has 7.18 mm sensor size and a 1.4 μm x 1.4 μm unit cell size while the Z5/Premium has the "exclusive cutting edge" RS EXMOR IMX300 with 7.87 mm sensor size and 1.1 μm x 1.1 μm pixel size ?
And please don't tell me about image processing ? Why on earth a giant Japanese corporation such as SONY specialized and leader in photography, videography, pictures and music Entertainment without forgetting their BIONZ image processor that compete or even wins over Nikon EXPEED and
Canon DIGIC can't do image processing right on a freaking CMOS sensor ?
Now yeah the Z5/P pictures are decent and although very good on a very sunny day.... I'll remain quiet for the low light part....
So to sum it up... a Samsung with an IMX260 12MP sensor is on par or outperforms a Sony IMX300 23MP ( 25MP ) sensor...
Funny isn't it ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, and it's no surprise, it has been the case forever.
There was never any need for Sony to stupidly try to play the MP race again, seems they didn't learn from the point and shoot and DSLR MP race/nonsense. It's all marketing BS to say hey we've got something that no one else has.
Push the boundaries of the ideal MP for a certain sensor size, then you will always have problems with different types of noise entering your photo, due to sensor heat and the sensors small size and not being able to dissipate that amount of heat effectively, as a result to clean all this up they end up having to have pretty aggressive noise reduction algorithms, this also keeps the jpg photo size down a fair bit, handy for a phone unless you want to run your storage out in no time flat. Approx 25-35MB per photo @ 23MP low light high ISO these could have been even bigger.
Realistically would have just been better off running at 12MP and requiring much less noise reduction because due to less heat build up in the photo sites of the sensor.
danw_oz said:
No, and it's no surprise, it has been the case forever.
There was never any need for Sony to stupidly try to play the MP race again, seems they didn't learn from the point and shoot and DSLR MP race/nonsense. It's all marketing BS to say hey we've got something that no one else has.
Push the boundaries of the ideal MP for a certain sensor size, then you will always have problems with different types of noise entering your photo, due to sensor heat and the sensors small size and not being able to dissipate that amount of heat effectively, as a result to clean all this up they end up having to have pretty aggressive noise reduction algorithms, this also keeps the jpg photo size down a fair bit, handy for a phone unless you want to run your storage out in no time flat. Approx 25-35MB per photo @ 23MP low light high ISO these could have been even bigger.
Realistically would have just been better off running at 12MP and requiring much less noise reduction because due to less heat build up in the photo sites of the sensor.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ironically their sales and marketing strategy is flawed to death and it's chaotic but they wanna do marketing they do it the wrong way.
Seriously they should start recruiting...
hawker_gb said:
It's not funny at all.
Still,I find that Z5 camera is best on market atm.
Xperia Z5 via Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
post like this really make me wonder about my specific device.... because i am totally with op here: the camera may be very good (the best?) in sunny/ bright conditions, but is just useless in darker situations (not just pitch black.. darker..). a camera like that can NEVER be called the best on market.. i would say
Barthlon said:
post like this really make me wonder about my specific device.... because i am totally with op here: the camera may be very good (the best?) in sunny/ bright conditions, but is just useless in darker situations (not just pitch black.. darker..). a camera like that can NEVER be called the best on market.. i would say
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They should have less NR in low contrast areas for photos as right now it is quite aggressive. Seems the area noise reduction aint so 'clever'. Previous Z phones perform much better in low contrast areas with no smudged out detail. My Z1 for example outdoes my Z5c easily in detail clarity across all contrast variables while keeping noise as low or even lower and resorts to less post-processing. I assume some can be attributed to not as wide sensor (26mm vs 23mm) and 1,2um vs 1,1um pixel size and perhaps the focus system (less electronical noise). They might heat up differently to. Will be interesting to see how the Xperia X performs since AFAIK it uses same or similar sensor as the Z5. Also seems Z5c uses more NR in superior auto vs manual mode despite same ISO.
But despite that it stands really good against competition and overall it just beats them.
Here is an example of the area noise rduction system it uses akin to BIONZ X algorithms just that it is to aggressive. Look at tree trunk and streetlight pole. High contrast area is sharp but low contrast area is smudged by the NR. The problem is it failed to detect that there are bushes infront smudging them out. This is the area NR not working as intended.
EQ2000 said:
They should have less NR in low contrast areas for photos as right now it is quite aggressive. Seems the area noise reduction aint so 'clever'. Previous Z phones perform much better in low contrast areas with no smudged out detail. My Z1 for example outdoes my Z5c easily in detail clarity across all contrast variables while keeping noise as low or even lower and resorts to less post-processing. I assume some can be attributed to not as wide sensor (26mm vs 23mm) and 1,2um vs 1,1um pixel size and perhaps the focus system (less electronical noise). They might heat up differently to. Will be interesting to see how the Xperia X performs since AFAIK it uses same or similar sensor as the Z5. Also seems Z5c uses more NR in superior auto vs manual mode despite same ISO.
But despite that it stands really good against competition and overall it just beats them.
Here is an example of the area noise rduction system it uses akin to BIONZ X algorithms just that it is to aggressive. Look at tree trunk and streetlight pole. High contrast area is sharp but low contrast area is smudged by the NR. The problem is it failed to detect that there are bushes infront smudging them out. This is the area NR not working as intended.
Well please accept my very subjective opinion... from first look the pic is catchy, nice, really nice colors but then the disaster...... it's certainly not a focus issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xeon said:
Well please accept my very subjective opinion... from first look the pic is catchy, nice, really nice colors but then the disaster...... it's certainly not a focus issue.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Kinda hard to make out what you are reffering to but "disaster"? Z5 series applies to aggressive area based NR in low contrast areas, as for the rest the photo is quite good and natural looking. Certainly better than most S7 photos you can find of similar ISO, shutter speed and scenery type. Atleast the NR can be countered partially with texture detail and clarity filters to bring out contrast in smudged areas. S7 you cant do nothing to repair photos as they are beyond reparation.
Click on images to view them in Flickr default display size. Atrocious and beyond reparation. The Z5 IQ despite smudgy NR in low contrast areas is head and shoulders above the S7 IQ. Z5 looks to the DSLR side while S7 looks to the cheap old digital camera side.
S7. Atrocious, the borderline bad CRT chromatic aberration look. Like relief filter applied shifting pixels due to horrible post-processing and subpar sensor.
Z5. The area based NR problem is clearly visible yet it looks much more natural and better despite being taken in much worse lighting conditions as evident by shutter speed and postition of sun and shadows.
As for the highlights you made that is pretty much what I already noted though the left side is from lens problem, that unit has decentered lenses thus blurred sides, right and/or left. You can see that in S7 to depeding on unit. Such a unit should be replaced. And all cameras have to do some detail extraction in low contrast areas (shadowed/non directly lit areas) and thus wont be as detailed as lit areas.
Take a look at S7 photo with shadowed areas, see? Noisy, smudgy with blotches and horrible even though ISO is low. Atleast the Z5 smoothes it out mostly OK. (left and right side)
One more time! You see? (right side trees and bushes)
You still cant see it!? Well some more then!
To the right!
To the left!
To the left!
And all around! :laugh:

Photo quality

Say "cheese", then rate this thread to express how photos taken with the Sony Xperia 5 II 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!
Expect chromatic aberration in photos (widest lens), or I'd say CA in photos of X5 ii is a bit easier to detect than my previous Galaxy S10. Minimum focus distance is also quite long... also compared to my S10.
On the other hand, I like the Pro photo mode with AE-L and 3:2 aspect ratio option.
lokto7 said:
Expect chromatic aberration in photos (widest lens), or I'd say CA in photos of X5 ii is a bit easier to detect than my previous Galaxy S10. Minimum focus distance is also quite long... also compared to my S10.
On the other hand, I like the Pro photo mode with AE-L and 3:2 aspect ratio option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well: look at this:
https://www.androidauthority.com/google-pixel-5-camera-test-1167092/
in the HDR chapter:
"Next, I want to draw your attention to something in the following two sample sets. The Google Pixel 5 suffers badly from chromatic aberration (the purple hue seen in between the tree leaves). The Huawei P40 Pro has the same problem, but the effect is limited to the upper left corner of the lens. The Galaxy and Xperia handsets have no such issue. Once again, shadow noise rears its head in the Pixel 5’s shots"
Please see an example here https://we.tl/t-mLwMGMoF9H
ok, ultra wide angle lens?- I guess the test I linked from was for the standard lens
Picture is very good-great, the colors are natural, no over-sharpening, the noise is natural, but, it can sometimes happen to overexpose the image, sony did a great job for the camera..
Overall, camera software requires some minor tweaks to be top notch.. The best is, no pixel (finally) binning, true 12mp, large pixel size.
very good photo quality!
zujko said:
Picture is very good-great, the colors are natural, no over-sharpening, the noise is natural, but, it can sometimes happen to overexpose the image, sony did a great job for the camera..
Overall, camera software requires some minor tweaks to be top notch.. The best is, no pixel (finally) binning, true 12mp, large pixel size.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I totally quote. I am happy to find a similar look / color rendition to my Sony Full Frame mirrorless. Photo pro app does a great job, especially in "normal" (not too low) light conditions. Color rendition is natural. After Huaweis Mate (only missing the b/w sensor of the P20pro!) this Xperia is fresh air.
With good Light the Camera make good Photos, but i really have Focus issues for Quick Fotos. Its not that im Shaking or something but at 1 of 3 Photos im must repeat and then the Focus is about right. As you can see in the Attachement.
I know that Sony will fix this Problem but when 1/3 from the Photos are just not sharp for a 900 Dollar Phone its a little Dissapointing.
You are from Basel
I think, photo-quality is ok, but I would have expected more (comming from an XZ1 compact).... - Especialy the selfie-camera was better on the XZ1 compact, because it had 120° angle mode.
That certainly not encouraging to hear that. I looking at both Xperia 1 II and 5 II for quite a while already. Still not impressed with the camera system at all - the only selling point of this phone to my opinion. Can't find the proof that new Xperias can beat my old Pixel 3 or even Pixel 1 (which is the most colour accurate of all to my opinion). Can't remember of getting out of focus photos from Pixel 3.
---------- Post added at 06:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:49 AM ----------
For some reason this tread is nearly empty - no encouraging, mind-blowing photos. And this is quite suspicious. Why is that? Xperia 5 II / 1 II can't really shine in it? Or messing with Pro mode leave to time to take a great shot? Please upload more photos showing that new Xperia camera system is any better than others, especially against "so unnatural" Pixels.
skilli said:
With good Light the Camera make good Photos, but i really have Focus issues for Quick Fotos. Its not that im Shaking or something but at 1 of 3 Photos im must repeat and then the Focus is about right. As you can see in the Attachement.
I know that Sony will fix this Problem but when 1/3 from the Photos are just not sharp for a 900 Dollar Phone its a little Dissapointing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Completely agree with it. I'd be very disappointed If I bought photo-oriented $900 smartphone and found the low light photos coming out in "quality" like yours. I believe my $50 old dinky Pixel 1 does better job. In this case "Photo Pro photographer guys" will say that you have to use Photo Pro app every single time, Sony fanboys will say that you have got a faulty unit. To my opinion it's just failure to deliver the quality everyone expected from the company which makes the best camera sensors.
Here is an additional take on photo quality.
Main lens (wide angle) in AUTO mode (with standard / Pro apps):
Good:
- Noiseless pictures. Much improved from previous generation.
- Natural looking blur in out-of focus areas (ex: background). Can create natural bokeh for cats, faces, macro, etc.
- Contrary to what some people say, good dynamic range because the auto HDR mode turns on when needed in most cases. Note that in the Pro app, you can use touch metering and still keep HDR active, a nice addition.
- Good pictures in low light: very low noise and not too much unnatural brightening of scene.
- Mostly no lens flares on standard intensity lights. (improved from Xperia 5)
Not so good:
- Focus issues at night: lack of TOF and no pre-flash sometimes leads to focus misses. Solution is to use the Pro app with continuous focus ON (mode is not available in standard app). Most often this allows phones to acquire focus except in total darkness.
- Focus issues with far subjects, such as landscape. Sometimes the camera just won't focus at all. Solution is to use tap to focus (in Pro app, this means you have to turn OFF continuous focus)
- Focus issues with eye / face detection: it's just not always accurate. Again, much better results with tap to focus.
- Very bad lens flares (light streaks) when facing a brighter light at some angles. (much worse than Xperia 5). So much for the Zeiss lens!. This issue can sometimes be solved by placing your hand to block the strong light near the lens.
- Color temperature is a bit too cold. Especially visible in darker environments.
What about non-auto modes ?
Good:
- You can set everything as you wish in Pro app.
Not so Good:
- As in previous generations, you will get a lot more noise than in auto mode, esp. beyond 200 ISO. Makes is useless for me. One solution would be using RAW and applying your own denoising filters, but you loose HDR and I didn't get much better results anyways.
- Takes more time to adjust: not suitable for quick shots.
What about the other lenses ?
- Ultra wide gives ok results. Not worse than other flagships from what I've seen.
- Zoom lens is more noisy. Only suitable in daylight IMO.
- Selfie: never used.
My conclusion:
- With Xperia 5 II, you can get great pictures with a photographic look in the right situations. But some pictures may out-of-focus and some will get bad lens flares. Also it needs too much attention to settings for me.
- So I sold the phone and kept my Xperia 5 1st gen. Photos have a bit more noise, but it's more dependable in focusing and rarely misses a picture. Colors are also warmer and more accurate at least to my taste.
Note that Xperia 1 II may not have these focusing issues but I didn't try it.
Some examples:
Xperia 5 II: flares
Xperia 5: no flare
Xperia 5 II: bad focus at night
Xperia 5: better focus at night
Xperia 5 II: natural bokeh
Xperia 5: not much bokeh
Xperia 5 II: less noise
Xperia 5: more noise
Xperia 5 II: the 3 lenses:
Ultra wide
wide
zoom
Some other pics from X5 II (in right situations)
(<- with zoom lens)
(<- ultra wide lens)
skilli said:
With good Light the Camera make good Photos, but i really have Focus issues for Quick Fotos. Its not that im Shaking or something but at 1 of 3 Photos im must repeat and then the Focus is about right. As you can see in the Attachement.
I know that Sony will fix this Problem but when 1/3 from the Photos are just not sharp for a 900 Dollar Phone its a little Dissapointing.
Click to expand...
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Unfortunately this is my experience with it as well. Once light conditions aren't perfect the camera struggles with focusing and stops delivering good photos. Also the water painting effect isn't something unusual here which is not acceptable for over $900 camera-phone. Just wondering whether Xperia 1 II is better in this regard? Maybe TOF helps somehow?
For focus issues: are you using stock app or PhotoPro app in auto mode?
I haven't noticed any focus issue but I always use PhotoPro
asvaberg said:
For focus issues: are you using stock app or PhotoPro app in auto mode?
I haven't noticed any focus issue but I always use PhotoPro
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also a little bit worried about the camera quality and focus...I'm using PhotoPro but it doesn't looks so good, but I don't regret switching from P30 pro
I'm considering buying the phone and the cameras are the most important for me, so my most important questions are - is there raw format shooting for all three lenses and what are their maximum exposure settings(seconds), cause with my current mi note 10 pro I was able to shoot the milky way, and expect this phone to be able also...
bo6o said:
I'm considering buying the phone and the cameras are the most important for me, so my most important questions are - is there raw format shooting for all three lenses and what are their maximum exposure settings(seconds), cause with my current mi note 10 pro I was able to shoot the milky way, and expect this phone to be able also...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello, you can shoot raw on all the 3 lenses. Maximum exposure time it's 30 sec. Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend you this device for making photos, I'm coming from a P30 pro and I'm really disappointed with the overall quality of the photos, so you better start looking for another device....
robi101012981 said:
Hello, you can shoot raw on all the 3 lenses. Maximum exposure time it's 30 sec. Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend you this device for making photos, I'm coming from a P30 pro and I'm really disappointed with the overall quality of the photos, so you better start looking for another device....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you talking for jpg quality, or raw?
Cause I'm not planning to use jpg for serious shooting, as I did with my real camera. I like to produce my own jpgs and I know how to use the 3 main(in smartphones 2) settings.
Can anyone provide me with a raw sample from each of the lenses. Would appreciate it.
bo6o said:
Are you talking for jpg quality, or raw?
Cause I'm not planning to use jpg for serious shooting, as I did with my real camera. I like to produce my own jpgs and I know how to use the 3 main(in smartphones 2) settings.
Can anyone provide me with a raw sample from each of the lenses. Would appreciate it.
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Click to collapse
Raw, of course,I don't shoot jpeg because I like to edit my photos

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