Z1 v Z2 v S5 Camera - Xperia Z2 General

Anyone think the even the Z1 has as good as if not better camera than the S5?
Think the Z2 will be much better than the S5.
Phonearena talk a load of crap though, last year they said the Z1 was much better than the S4 and recently they did another comparison saying the S4 was better than the Z1?
Yesterday they did a comparison involving the Z1 and S5 and said the Z1 was better indoors and detail was equal but the S5 was better in lowlight and at night? I highly doubt that.
This a proper review from Anandtech was are very reliable anandtech.com/show/7903/samsung-galaxy-s-5-review/2 this shows that the Z1 has a better camera than the S5.
Stuff say the Z2 is better than the S5 as does Wired, today trusted reviews seemed to think the S5 was better in quite a few shots? but they were using superior auto in lowlight on the Z2 so of course thats gonna make the S5 look better?
Cnet review yesterday cnet.com/uk/products/sony-xperia-z2/ shows that in all but one pic the Z2 is better than the S5.
What do you guys think? I personally think the Z1 can at least match or better the new S5 and that's before the Z2 destroys the S5.
Apologies for not being able to post full links as I don't have 10 posts yet.

justcurious31 said:
Anyone think the even the Z1 has as good as if not better camera than the S5?
Think the Z2 will be much better than the S5.
Phonearena talk a load of crap though, last year they said the Z1 was much better than the S4 and recently they did another comparison saying the S4 was better than the Z1?
Yesterday they did a comparison involving the Z1 and S5 and said the Z1 was better indoors and detail was equal but the S5 was better in lowlight and at night? I highly doubt that.
This a proper review from Anandtech was are very reliable anandtech.com/show/7903/samsung-galaxy-s-5-review/2 this shows that the Z1 has a better camera than the S5.
Stuff say the Z2 is better than the S5 as does Wired, today trusted reviews seemed to think the S5 was better in quite a few shots? but they were using superior auto in lowlight on the Z2 so of course thats gonna make the S5 look better?
Cnet review yesterday cnet.com/uk/products/sony-xperia-z2/ shows that in all but one pic the Z2 is better than the S5.
What do you guys think? I personally think the Z1 can at least match or better the new S5 and that's before the Z2 destroys the S5.
Apologies for not being able to post full links as I don't have 10 posts yet.
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Click to collapse
Looking at both reviews, I think you're correct.
Z1 is better than S5 in terms of camera capture and in turn, Z2 "should" be better than Z1.
S5 is getting hosed in low light captures which is where you will get the best bang for your buck. At decent lighting, I wouldn't call any marginal differences a compelling reason for a purchase decision.

i am rly disappointed with s5 indoor shots
but in bright light ,,, i can say the s5 is the winner

ASAB1594 said:
i am rly disappointed with s5 indoor shots
but in bright light ,,, i can say the s5 is the winner
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yeah, a clear winner. z2 pictures show lack of detials and are extremely noisy, really bad camera for daily usage.

All the reviews have been praising the z2 camera, not sure where you guys are getting that its poor.

S5 is the best camera except low light. There is a software update that will improve this but not eliminate issue.
M8 is best if you arent into cropping.
Z2 is good in bright light, not so hot otherwise. But not as good as the S5. The Z2 has the potential to be top, but Sony need more optimistation which could happen.

Lolento said:
Looking at both reviews, I think you're correct.
Z1 is better than S5 in terms of camera capture and in turn, Z2 "should" be better than Z1.
S5 is getting hosed in low light captures which is where you will get the best bang for your buck. At decent lighting, I wouldn't call any marginal differences a compelling reason for a purchase decision.
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Click to collapse
progosu said:
yeah, a clear winner. z2 pictures show lack of detials and are extremely noisy, really bad camera for daily usage.
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Click to collapse
REALLY?!?! I had the s5 and the z2 is by far the better camera. I really didn't like the over sharpened look. Colour and exposure are way better on the z2.
The s5 has a lot of features crammed into the software..of which most are pretty cack. The software is also laggy. But I suppose picture quality is subjective but to me the z2 takes the better picture overall...and more often than not for me indoor shots are more important as even if the s5 was supposedly better outdoors it is marginal... The z2 is consistent across the board!!!
But just my two pence worth.
Sent from my D6503 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

gavinfabl said:
S5 is the best camera except low light. There is a software update that will improve this but not eliminate issue.
M8 is best if you arent into cropping.
Z2 is good in bright light, not so hot otherwise. But not as good as the S5. The Z2 has the potential to be top, but Sony need more optimistation which could happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry but m8 having best camera if no cropping? It overexposes colors in bright light and is grainy!

Raggi01 said:
Sorry but m8 having best camera if no cropping? It overexposes colors in bright light and is grainy!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No it doesn't. I've used it.
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

gavinfabl said:
No it doesn't. I've used it.
Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk
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First picture the M8 is the first one, found on the top left and Z2 is the last one, bottom right. Second picture is m8. Third is Z2. I dont know about you my friend, but the m8 overexposes alot and looks very grainy
Also the Z2 has the best image stabilization.

I know topic is not about Galaxy Note 3, but as i own it. Here's a comparison of camera between Note 3 and Z2. Both in Auto mode (Note 3: 9 MP - Z2 : 8 MP)
Note 3:
Z2:
Note 3:
Z2:
Note 3:
Z2:
Note 3:
Z2:
Now some images from Z2:

Mano1982 said:
I know topic is not about Galaxy Note 3, but as i own it. Here's a comparison of camera between Note 3 and Z2. Both in Auto mode (Note 3: 9 MP - Z2 : 8 MP)
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Click to collapse
Man the rice and pizza is making me hungry. Those rusks at the end don't look too bad either.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app

mujj said:
Man the rice and pizza is making me hungry. Those rusks at the end don't look too bad either.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha :laugh: Mission accomplished

Slightly disappointed
I for one am quite disappointed with the Z2. At least from all the reviews. I will probably still get it but was expecting more from its camera.
Most reviews praise it but then it seems their photos are contradicting. There just seems to be WAY too much post processing or noise or something. not noise in the general low light sense but really annoying weird black strips and otherwise pastel color look.
I figured, well the Z2 should have a better camera with their "Sony camera tech and lens" phone compared to Samsung's S5.
But from these images, that seems not to be the case and also contradicts with the reviewers saying that the Z2 is sharper or has more detail...
Im really hoping that maybe with a custom rom, or kernel with the hacked camera parameters or code that this would be fixed.
I saw the Z1 section having better camera mods but have not had any personal experience with them.
Or maybe a camera app like fv-5 can take the raw images. I don't know.
These pictures were taken from a couple review sites and zoomed in. other sites were pretty similar in results.
I don't care too much for color of pictures taken, that can always be fixed. A destroyed details cant be fixed..
Trees
S5 - trees with flowers
Z2 - looks more like a painting with green with white spots for trees..
Grass
S5 - normal grass
Z2 - coleslaw???
Crane
S5 - more detail
Z2 - less visible branches and crane parts etc.
Wall
S5 - smooth looking
Z2 - more blurred sure, but not smooth, black strips everywhere
Clearly less detail in Z2.
Hope someone can maybe shed some light on this. These reviews are really confusing and disappointing when compared to the S5.
So if this is whats its like then I have to disagree with many here. The Z2 camera is worse than the S5, and there for there is no way the Z1 is better either.
Please prove me wrong.

Da Iceman said:
....contradicts with the reviewers saying that the Z2 is sharper or has more detail...
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Click to collapse
To be honest I haven't seen any reviews/comparisons that say that the Z2 is sharper (than the s5). Where are these reviews and do they back it up with pics?

I didn't see those reviews too. Everytime i read z2 is less sharp than others. But pls remember that all these tests were made with automatic mode 8mp. With manual mode and 20 mp z2 is equal or better than s5. I would like to see a test with manual mode on every device.
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KevinB88 said:
I didn't see those reviews too. Everytime i read z2 is less sharp than others. But pls remember that all these tests were made with automatic mode 8mp. With manual mode and 20 mp z2 is equal or better than s5. I would like to see a test with manual mode on every device.
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As someone who has been using the Z2 the last few days, I don't think this is accurate. The reality is, one mode isn't sharper than the other on the Z2. Sometimes auto is sharper, sometimes manual is sharper, generally auto seems to be sharper overall. In manual mode, unless it's placebo, from my testing the "Pet" scene option seems to yield the sharpest results compared to other modes in manual, but we're talking by a fraction.
I would say based on what I've seen, whilst the Z2 can be sharper than the S5 in shots, it's generally only on rarer occasion. By in large the S5 is sharper and more detailed in most shots comparatively. But I think that's largely down to some in-house sharpening that's added to the S5 with internal processing. You could always add some sharpness to your Z2 manually in Photoshop or whatever, though I doubt it would get rid of some of the smear that sometimes appears in Z2 shots.
Personally I think the S5 has the better camera overall, with more detail, sharpness and better white balance accuracy overall. Some of the modes work better too, like beauty mode for example. It also has more megapixels for use with scene modes (Z2 drops down to 8mp for this). But the Z2 does have it's own benefits, for example I think it's background de-focus works better, and add to that the camera is more wide angle (better for landscape and group shots), the fill flash option is awesome (flash use without glaring over exposed faces), and lastly, it seems to have just a touch more bokeh, which can make shots look a bit more DSLR like when viewed normally.
I'll do some more proper comparisons before reaching a final conclusion, and will also try and post some comparison shots on these forums if I can.

I'm coming from s3 so it doesn't matter to me if s5 is better but z2 is much better than s3. And as smartphone camera no-one should complain about it. I think dedicate camera button is an advantage over s5 too.
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gavinfabl said:
S5 is the best camera except low light. There is a software update that will improve this but not eliminate issue.
M8 is best if you arent into cropping.
Z2 is good in bright light, not so hot otherwise. But not as good as the S5. The Z2 has the potential to be top, but Sony need more optimistation which could happen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have the z2 and to put it simply, it's got the best camera on any Android smartphone. Most sites even those that hate Sony still give the win to the z2 because it's that awesome. Obviously superior auto would never produce the best images but in the z2 it does a good job unlike previous Sony devices.
Do you actually have the z2 I wonder to be posting such comments. I've only done comparisons against the iPhone 5s, S4, Z, z1, and note 3 and it beats all of them hands down especially at 8mp. If Basil over at btekt recons the z2's camera is better than the s5 then I'll take his word for it. He is one of the most honest reviewers out there.
Let's face it, no reviewer is biased towards Sony. If you think the z2's camera is ****, good luck finding a better one. Pretty sure you don't have one.
Sent from my D6503 using xda app-developers app

I'll take back the sharper, but details they do mention.
Either way, they seem to praise the camera so much, but it feels like a let down in comparison.
Plus many calling it the best android camera phone.
Those pictures were from the review and they were at full megapixels. 20mp - Z2 and 16mp - S5
I didn't choose any that were that were 8mp vs 16mp or any that were off angle as that would be very unfair.
I just cropped into them to give examples of the details of each.
Im just hoping this is maybe a software thing.

Related

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

Apparently, DxO Mark just gave out a score to Xperia Z1 and amazingly, just sits at 2nd place behind the Pureview 808 in overall Mobile Camera Ranking! :victory:
And that's without the "firmware updates" that will supposedly improve the camera!
I can't post the link as I'm still within the new user limitation of posting outside links. But if you're curious to see it, just do a quick google search for DxOMark and Xperia Z1!
More details:
Actually, the stills for Z1 stands at 5th place, however the video was deemed to be outstanding and the best in the mobile cameras and just 2nd place in their database behind the GoPro Hero 3!
If you're wondering what happened to the 1020, they also have an article on it and while they deemed the stills to be amazing and 2nd only to the 808. However, video was said to be lacking.
What are your thoughts?
bloodfire1004 said:
Apparently, DxO Mark just gave out a score to Xperia Z1 and amazingly, just sits at 2nd place behind the Pureview 808 in overall Mobile Camera Ranking! :victory:
And that's without the "firmware updates" that will supposedly improve the camera!
I can't post the link as I'm still within the new user limitation of posting outside links. But if you're curious to see it, just do a quick google search for DxOMark and Xperia Z1!
More details:
Actually, the stills for Z1 stands at 5th place, however the video was deemed to be outstanding and the best in the mobile cameras and just 2nd place in their database behind the GoPro Hero 3!
If you're wondering what happened to the 1020, they also have an article on it and while they deemed the stills to be amazing and 2nd only to the 808. However, video was said to be lacking.
What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess the big sensor is the key here. Dxomark doesn't reflect the real life though. I'm not very happy with the z1 camera... far too noisy especially at 20mp. Still better than my older nexus 4 anyway.
j0sh0 said:
I guess the big sensor is the key here. Dxomark doesn't reflect the real life though. I'm not very happy with the z1 camera... far too noisy especially at 20mp. Still better than my older nexus 4 anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just curious, what settings are you using? I'm pretty satisfied with the Z1 Camera of mine, but that was after tweaking some of the shooting settings I'm in. At first, I was pretty disappointed as well but now I think I'm good.
bloodfire1004 said:
Just curious, what settings are you using? I'm pretty satisfied with the Z1 Camera of mine, but that was after tweaking some of the shooting settings I'm in. At first, I was pretty disappointed as well but now I think I'm good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I bought the phone yesterday so I'm still testing it. At the moment I like to shoot in manual mode at 8mp with image stabiliser on.
j0sh0 said:
I bought the phone yesterday so I'm still testing it. At the moment I like to shoot in manual mode at 8mp with image stabiliser on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ah ok. That's good then. Shooting at 20MP especially in low-light results in (I'm not sure why) worse pictures than shooting at 8MP 4:3 .. in my tests, it resulted in darker images.
I also like to shoot at 8MP 4:3 to take advantage of the oversampling and leave the rest of the settings to Auto. One thing though is that I turn off the Stabilizer. I found that turning it on resulted in the camera choosing a much higher ISO than intended compared when leaving it off. This may be due to its detection of slight handshake movements and it tries to compensate by upping the ISO in favor of a faster shutter speed.
bloodfire1004 said:
Ah ok. That's good then. Shooting at 20MP especially in low-light results in (I'm not sure why) worse pictures than shooting at 8MP 4:3 .. in my tests, it resulted in darker images.
I also like to shoot at 8MP 4:3 to take advantage of the oversampling and leave the rest of the settings to Auto. One thing though is that I turn off the Stabilizer. I found that turning it on resulted in the camera choosing a much higher ISO than intended compared when leaving it off. This may be due to its detection of slight handshake movements and it tries to compensate by upping the ISO in favor of a faster shutter speed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes shooting at 20mp is useless. Pics are so noisy... it's a shame. At 8mp the image quality is pretty good and yes, with the stabiliser on the iso is higher for that reason. But I prefer a bit more noise other than a blurred image.
j0sh0 said:
Yes shooting at 20mp is useless. Pics are so noisy... it's a shame. At 8mp the image quality is pretty good and yes, with the stabiliser on the iso is higher for that reason. But I prefer a bit more noise other than a blurred image.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice. What metering and focus are you using? Particularly for macro / night shots. I find that using Single Auto Focus setting doesn't keep the whole image in focus and just the middle part, but I find that the multi-auto focus setting doesn't do too well either particularly in macro shots. Currently, I shoot in landscape mode when shooting macro.
I'm using metering average (it seems to do a better job with white balance as well). About focus I always use touch focus... I like to choose what I want in focus...
I love th bokeh management of the lens.. look at this for example
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j0sh0 said:
I'm using metering average (it seems to do a better job with white balance as well). About focus I always use touch focus... I like to choose what I want in focus...
I love th bokeh management of the lens.. look at this for example
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ohh nice, I'm gonna try that out Thanks!

			
				
j0sh0 said:
I bought the phone yesterday so I'm still testing it. At the moment I like to shoot in manual mode at 8mp with image stabiliser on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And there's you mistake - the software image stabiliser introduces noise. Switch it off.
Timaustin2000 said:
And there's you mistake - the software image stabiliser introduces noise. Switch it off.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I know... but as I said I prefer a slighty noiser image than a blurred one. I'll try again without stabiliser anyway.
j0sh0 said:
Yeah, I know... but as I said I prefer a slighty noiser image than a blurred one. I'll try again without stabiliser anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hopefully new update has improved superior auto mode...
Try night mode can reduce noise.
Sent from my GT-I9500 using xda app-developers app
Why is everyone so scared of noise I just don't get it. If the fine detail is their don't worry about the noise.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Yeah. The Z1 does lovely bokeh.
here is theDxO report for the Z1 which i could not find on DxO's website.
matheus_sc said:
I dont think samsung software is better, have more mods, but is very large and camera lags, i have gs4 9500 until last week
Sent from my C6903 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What i find telling from that review is this graph.
Above 80 lux the S4 shots have more 'texture' than the Z1.
Contrary to what people might think the Z1 has the best noise reduction indoors.
bloodfire1004 said:
Apparently, DxO Mark just gave out a score to Xperia Z1 and amazingly, just sits at 2nd place behind the Pureview 808 in overall Mobile Camera Ranking! :victory:
And that's without the "firmware updates" that will supposedly improve the camera!
I can't post the link as I'm still within the new user limitation of posting outside links. But if you're curious to see it, just do a quick google search for DxOMark and Xperia Z1!
More details:
Actually, the stills for Z1 stands at 5th place, however the video was deemed to be outstanding and the best in the mobile cameras and just 2nd place in their database behind the GoPro Hero 3!
If you're wondering what happened to the 1020, they also have an article on it and while they deemed the stills to be amazing and 2nd only to the 808. However, video was said to be lacking.
What are your thoughts?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not much of a fan of them anymore, after I wrote to them to see if they would do the Xperia Z test again after Sony updating the firmware to fix the bad camera quality, they didn't even respond to me. On the flip side it is Sony's fault for shipping substandard equipment, get all the important things right first, especially the camera when they are making such a big deal about how amazing it is.
DxO finally got around to testing the G2. Overall G2 placed 6th. However in the photo section it ties with the Z1 in terms of score. A closer examination of the parameters tested shows the Z1 edges ahead slighlty.
Where the Z1 comes out ahead : Exposure & Contrast, Colour, Noise Reduction, Flash
Where the G2 comes out ahead : Autofocus, Texture, Artifacts
4 > 3 or Z1 ahead by a little.
What lets the G2 down is video, where its ranked 15th to the Z1's 2nd place.
If you consider phones alone, Z1 has the best video out there.
Now we have to wait for DxO to test the Note 3 to see whether it will affect the Z1's ranking.
Sorry to jump here like that, I don't even know all this stuff but after read what you guys saying is like the camera on Z1 was made for experienced people who know how to set up the device. This is a phone anyway and I like to go around and shooting everything but almost of the pictures are crap. That how shouldn't be with a camera on a phone with 20mpx.

Sony Z1 vs iphone5s vs Htc One low light Camera test Shots :D

Was playing with the 3 of them today.
All set to auto and focus mode face detection except the Z1 focus set to single autofocus and gonna show you all why in the end of the thread.
All photos will be uploaded to flickr in the upcoming ours
Please Share your opinions !
So the sequence of photos is
Iphone 5s
Htc one
Sony z1
Iphone 5s 1/15sec iso 400
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Htc one 1/14sec iso 800
Sony 1/10sec iso400
NOW iphone5s duel tone led flash test vs Sony Z1 flash
Sequence is iphone then z1
Iphone 1/16sec iso 80
Sony 1/13sec iso400
Now when focus set to Face detection on the Sony Z1 it detects all faces (as the others did as well ) and thats the result:
Sony was set to Manual mode and all auto just point and shoot.
? what are your thoughts ?!
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Sample pics
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yh1lhkpzszap4t8/4i-skzPXVE
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Looks pretty good. I'm switching to tmo next week when the Z1S comes out to stores. Ill test my n5 and Z1s later.
(Sony was set to Manual mode and all auto just point and shoot) for all images or just the last one?
I just miss my HTC One!
I didn't care about the lighting situation when I wanted to take pics.
Z1 is very good but the HTC was the one for me!
1st set:
The HTC one picked a higher iso and is overexposed.
The Z1 comes across brighter than the 5s. It has 50% longer shutter.
Between the Z1 & 5s which is the more accurate in terms of lighting ?
2nd set
the 5s flash barely seems to register here. But the ISO jumped from 400 to 80. That's over 2 f-stops. So the shot seems underexposed.
Z1 kept the ISO at 400 and got a similar lighted shot.
3rd set with face detection
I'm not sure what to make of this one ? as it appears the brightest of the lot. iso > 400 & no flash ?
What advantage does face detection have and how well does it work.
The problem with tests like these is that there is a random element that gets in the way. people do not sit still and a little movement causes shake, i'm ignoring that.
Also the 5s allows no manual control whatsoever, whatever 5s decides is the best is what you get.
And The winner issssssss Honami
inviato da Note 3
Sony shots were all in Manual mode .
The lights were exactly similar to the z1 ... Although i dont know why i like the htc one shot ..something strange in it shows it so natural.
But the purple tint is affecting my friends' phone too. I tried many times and thats was the least tint in all.
Iphone is very underexposing the scene so bad for me. Even htc with the purple/red noise seems better !
And yes me too agree thats the Z1 is the best too. Seems its the best phone after 1020.
Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk
One Twelve said:
1st set:
The HTC one picked a higher iso and is overexposed.
The Z1 comes across brighter than the 5s. It has 50% longer shutter.
Between the Z1 & 5s which is the more accurate in terms of lighting ?
2nd set
the 5s flash barely seems to register here. But the ISO jumped from 400 to 80. That's over 2 f-stops. So the shot seems underexposed.
Z1 kept the ISO at 400 and got a similar lighted shot.
3rd set with face detection
I'm not sure what to make of this one ? as it appears the brightest of the lot. iso > 400 & no flash ?
What advantage does face detection have and how well does it work.
The problem with tests like these is that there is a random element that gets in the way. people do not sit still and a little movement causes shake, i'm ignoring that.
Also the 5s allows no manual control whatsoever, whatever 5s decides is the best is what you get.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would barely see anything in the iphone flash .. Just the coke cans ! While on the z1 its well bright
I guess face detection just raise the EV to expose faces better. Me too cant think of a mechanism rather than this. htc/apple face detection didnt differ with/without detection they just lock focus. While Sony locks focus and change exposure
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ashouhdy said:
I would barely see anything in the iphone flash .. Just the coke cans ! While on the z1 its well bright.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I meant when you look at the photos, was the lighting as dark as the 5s makes it out to be or as bright as the Z1 portrays it. Or some where in between ?
In this example the 5s & one underperform IMO. This is the problem with this auto business. One day it works well and other times it does not. Cannot say anything conclusive here other than to say in this round the Z1 did the best compared to the others. A few more rounds and it could go either way.
One Twelve said:
I meant when you look at the photos, was the lighting as dark as the 5s makes it out to be or as bright as the Z1 portrays it. Or some where in between ?
In this example the 5s & one underperform IMO. This is the problem with this auto business. One day it works well and other times it does not. Cannot say anything conclusive here other than to say in this round the Z1 did the best compared to the others. A few more rounds and it could go either way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was exactly as the first z1 shot
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well i'm dissapointed with Z1 camera , i've came across this Z1 vs HTC One camera test which is very detailed and good with bunch of photos and z1 trully sucked
see this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2542663
Glad you already started it, I actually did the same thing I will share my Photos then.
First photo is from HTC One HDR Off and the second one is Sony Xperia Z1 HDR On.
1.
2.
Edit:
HTC One HDR
Sony Xperia Z1 HDR Off
Edit:
HTC One HDR is kinda messed up. I am uploading it now and I didn't upload the Sony Xperia Z1 none HDR photo.
Photos from Sony was taken 8MP 16:9 and I used the manual mode cause we all know that Superior auto is really crappy but all the other featurs like ISO and exposure levels are set to auto.
pejakovic1 said:
well i'm dissapointed with Z1 camera , i've came across this Z1 vs HTC One camera test which is very detailed and good with bunch of photos and z1 trully sucked
see this:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2542663
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
all i see in those pics is OVERexposed htc photos and some under exposed (manually set) z1 pics
the htc one got blown sky (highlights) it over expose dark scenes on expense of the already bright one so the results are blown high lights.
the htc one to overcome this issue has taken some of the photos with HDr option ! while some z1 pics is manually set to -1 ev which resulted in some under-exposed (dark) photos.
But for me will take the z1 photos over the htc1 cause i can add exposure to a dark image but i will never get the lost details of the blown up high lights
Just one question: Can u get me a clear view of the blue/sunset sky in the htc photos ?!
chesterr said:
Glad you already started it, I actually did the same thing I will share my Photos then.
First photo is from HTC One and the second one is Sony Xperia Z1.
1.View attachment 2532308
2.View attachment 2532310
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
nice to see the ONE could focus before flash it was a big issue with me (x-owner of htc1) the one couldn't focus in complete darkness.
the htc1 pic is better white-balanced the z1 screwed up take it again but keep ur finger away from the flash and be sure all settings are in auto.
And another photos in my dark room, all the lights are switched off.
Only I used flashed and HTC took a while to take the photo approximately 5sec yet Xperia Z1 took it faster.
HTC One HDR off:
HTC One HDR on:
Sony Xperia Z1 HDR off:
Sony Xperia Z1 HDR on:
BTW I bought HTC One for my sister since she became a huge fan after Sensation.
and I don't have the phone now. Both phones are running on 4.3
I think Sony needs some brushing up with the camera department, I don't say it's bad but needs some polishing
I am now uploading the Pics I took from HTC One Sony Xperia Z / Z1 and iPhone 5s. all in the same windy day.
I will share them with you guys in a couple of hours to see how the phones did in the night time, plus it was a windy day and cold.
So as I told you that I have uploaded a lots of photos into my drop box.
Don't blame cause I uploded a lot and didn't really separate it like HDR photos and none HDR.
Well for fact I know that iPhone 5s's flash won't work when you turn on HDR so you'll know which one is HDR of iPhone
You do the judgement and I still think Sony needs some improving in camera department.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/g1qx7x2n8ppqwco/EPLjrQKh4w
And according to Josh Xperia Z1s(for T-mobile) camera isn't that great.and it is the same as Z1.
http://youtu.be/ekhkyjiwqtE?t=3m46s
chesterr said:
Don't blame cause I uploded a lot and didn't really separate it like HDR photos and none HDR.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Unfortunately there is no way to tell them apart for Z1 & HTC one.
I don't understand why you are taking HDR photos indoors. I don't see much improvement at all compared to non-HDR and in some cases even worse as there is blur. Which is to be expected as the dynamic range in a room isn't going to be very high unless you have bright areas mixed in with dark areas by a couple of f-stops at least. There is no benefit to using HDR in this way.
chesterr said:
Well for fact I know that iPhone 5s's flash won't work when you turn on HDR so you'll know which one is HDR of iPhone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
good to know.
chesterr said:
You do the judgement and I still think Sony needs some improving in camera department.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is an ongoing process.
chesterr said:
And according to Josh Xperia Z1s(for T-mobile) camera isn't that great.and it is the same as Z1.
http://youtu.be/ekhkyjiwqtE?t=3m46s
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
He does not mention whether its SA or manual, though i suspect its SA. Hit & miss.
He does not like 8MP photos as that's the highest you get in 16:9. But 8MP is actually better than 20MP with oversampling. 8MP is good enough for a lot unless you want to make posters. Whatever screen Josh uses cannot display more than 2MP anyway. Or 4MP if he uses a 4k screen.
He mentions losing detail in the dark areas. EV+ required.
---------- Post added at 12:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:33 PM ----------
ashouhdy said:
nice to see the ONE could focus before flash it was a big issue with me (x-owner of htc1) the one couldn't focus in complete darkness.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Focus assist light on htc one not working ?
Dark shots will be a problem with focus. Use Fenix LD01, fits on keychain
the htc one is the strongest flash i met with 5 levels by the way and no focus assist light (Hilarious!)
ashouhdy said:
the htc one is the strongest flash i met with 5 levels by the way and no focus assist light (Hilarious!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
HTC One has focus assist light lol, it didn't on 4.2.2 , it has it since 4.3 came out.
Edit: here few recent pics taken in pitch black.
6th pic ( the cat ) was taken with something similar to what you guys recently got called * defcous macro *

[PHOTOS] OnePlus One user photo and video discussion thread

This is the OnePlus One user photo and camera discussion thread
Camera features:
Image sensor: Sony BSI Exmor IMX214 CMOS, 1/3.06" sensor size
Lens: F2.0, 6-element auto-focus system
Maximum photo resolution: 4160x3120, 13 megapixels
Front facing camera: 5 megapixels w/80º wide angle
Maximum video resolution: 3840x2160 = 4k at 30FPS, 1920x1080 at 60FPS, 1280x720p at 120FPS
Features: HDR, panorama, image stabilization, face detection, tap to focus, geo-tagging, face-detection
The official OnePlus One camera samples
For more info, full size and EXIF, please visit the OnePlus website here: http://oneplus.net/one#features
If this photos are true i can only say " Its Amazing great!! "
Cheers
xenix96 said:
If this photos are true i can only say " Its Amazing great!! "
Cheers
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The IMX214 is a very capable sensor, and 1+'s ISP (Qualcomm?) looks quality too. Of course much will depend on speed, reliability and low light, I'll be looking to find more shots.
BoneXDA said:
The IMX214 is a very capable sensor, and 1+'s ISP (Qualcomm?) looks quality too. Of course much will depend on speed, reliability and low light, I'll be looking to find more shots.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As soon as the first users here own a device, this thread will be flooded with shots, I'm sure...
Not my picture but this was my favourite from some of the ones I saw from preproduction models.
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I certainly hope that with real world conditions it can deliver quality like shown above.
The best part is the 2 sensors that i have noticed that perform beautifully are the IMX179 and IMX214. Obvious 214 will be even better for sure.. Really hope they launch the phone around the different parts of the world soon.
Low light capabilities are incredible, if you search you will understand that how its better than A Nikon D3100 in low light.
Jishnu Sur™ said:
The best part is the 2 sensors that i have noticed that perform beautifully are the IMX179 and IMX214. Obvious 214 will be even better for sure.. Really hope they launch the phone around the different parts of the world soon.
Low light capabilities are incredible, if you search you will understand that how its better than A Nikon D3100 in low light.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Are you going to be picking up this device? I don't care much for cameras but this caught my eye and since you're on here I'm even more excited about the camera.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
FuMMoD said:
Are you going to be picking up this device? I don't care much for cameras but this caught my eye and since you're on here I'm even more excited about the camera.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hello Sir !
Nice to see you here too..I'm trying to get this device from Europe somehow.. Seems too good to be true! What interests me is the IMX214 sensor lol..I really need that system dump too!
Jishnu Sur™ said:
Hello Sir !
Nice to see you here too..I'm trying to get this device from Europe somehow.. Seems too good to be true! What interests me is the IMX214 sensor lol..I really need that system dump too!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can be sure to get one from me if I get picked with the first batch of invites. If I have to smash my Nexus 5 then I'll do it to get a system dump for the community lol.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Jishnu Sur™ said:
The best part is the 2 sensors that i have noticed that perform beautifully are the IMX179 and IMX214. Obvious 214 will be even better for sure.. Really hope they launch the phone around the different parts of the world soon.
Low light capabilities are incredible, if you search you will understand that how its better than A Nikon D3100 in low light.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A good Sony IMX sensor with a proper lens and image signal processor can bring wonderful images, see iPhone 5S. Which is why I'm puzzled to this day how come Sony's own Xperia Z, Z1 and even some Z2 shots look so over-processed, showing some lens inconsistencies and some SW errors too. Both the Oppo Find 7 and the OnePlus One launch with the new IMX214, and I'm curious how will they fare compared to other Exmors, the Lumias and ISOCELL. So far it is promising.
FuMMoD said:
You can be sure to get one from me if I get picked with the first batch of invites. If I have to smash my Nexus 5 then I'll do it to get a system dump for the community lol.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool ! I'll start arranging the money then! hahahaha .. Yes that would be awesome. This thing is surely worth the price they are asking.
Off topic : Thanks are over, cant press Sorry! :crying:
BoneXDA said:
A good Sony IMX sensor with a proper lens and image signal processor can bring wonderful images, see iPhone 5S. Which is why I'm puzzled to this day how come Sony's own Xperia Z, Z1 and even some Z2 shots look so over-processed, showing some lens inconsistencies and some SW errors too. Both the Oppo Find 7 and the OnePlus One launch with the new IMX214, and I'm curious how will they fare compared to other Exmors, the Lumias and ISOCELL. So far it is promising.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you on the Sony Devices part. I have seen that actually. Sony likes to complicate stuff, i really don't know why. Where they can have a easy way to fi thing, they go the other way. Trust me they have 3-4 different apps for the camera. You tell me who in 2014 does that?! lol .. And I read an article, the ISOCELL vs the IMX179 comparison. (Here). The IMX was better
I really need to have a look at the Lumia's though, they have almost DSLR type quality..
The S5 camera is much, MUCH better than the Nexus 5 to be frank. But the IMX214 is a new generation Sony sensor.
aren't you guys a bit scared about the camera app?
i've tried few phones with cyanogen camera app and they were all a lot worst than the original rom camera app (samsung devices especially)
at least this time they are working on their hardware so i really hope it'll be a lot better
Nirael said:
aren't you guys a bit scared about the camera app?
i've tried few phones with cyanogen camera app and they were all a lot worst than the original rom camera app (samsung devices especially)
at least this time they are working on their hardware so i really hope it'll be a lot better
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
their camera on this phone is completely new and we have seen the pictures right? i dont think it will suck
BoneXDA said:
The IMX214 is a very capable sensor, and 1+'s ISP (Qualcomm?) looks quality too. Of course much will depend on speed, reliability and low light, I'll be looking to find more shots.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if picture #3 is indeed the correct photo here low light looks amazing
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/contest-guess-the-oneplus-one-photo.368/
---------- Post added at 01:36 AM ---------- Previous post was at 01:29 AM ----------
FuMMoD said:
You can be sure to get one from me if I get picked with the first batch of invites. If I have to smash my Nexus 5 then I'll do it to get a system dump for the community lol.
Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you do that the community may have to buy you another nexus to have you keep developing for it :crying: "for the community"
jeremykersh said:
if picture #3 is indeed the correct photo here low light looks amazing
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Remember that these pictures are taken directly from OP's press page—they might have been doctored/photoshopped. On the other hand, I'd be amazed if the camera actually was this good.
klvnhng said:
Remember that these pictures are taken directly from OP's press page—they might have been doctored/photoshopped. On the other hand, I'd be amazed if the camera actually was this good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depending on scene and light conditions, today's smartphones can take impressive photos, see some form my S5 review. As far as dynamic range and per pixel sharpness, 1+1 fits right in among the best of Android photography based on what I've seen so far.
Some of these look really good.
She's a cutie too.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/First-camera-samples-from-the-OnePlus-One-appear_id55043#32-
She is not that bad

Sony's Camera isn't great, but it could be worse...

We all give Sony a hard time for releasing flagship devices with mediocre camera performance. I personally can verify that my previous HTC phones (One mini, One S, and even the Ville aka MyTouch 4G) dating back nearly 4 years all had better color reproduction, white balance, indoor performance, and faster focus and shutter response. None of those were even considered flagship devices at the time of release. We assumed Sony's problem was the software, so many of us searched for 3rd party camera apps such as Google Camera, A Better Camera, Camera FV-5, etc... and some even claimed to get better results using these apps. I've tried just about all of them (free versions only) and never saw any dramatic improvement to make me replace the default camera app. I finally decided to compare shots side by side on a couple of my personal favorite camera apps and here's what I noticed:
The 3rd party apps over-exposed the scene with far too much flash, giving it that cold LED light look, and washing out some of the natural colors. But worst of all, they weren't as clear when zooming in as the default app was. Pay close attention to the can of WD40 in the back. Only the stock app makes the word "Directions" visibly clear. All photos were taken using Auto Mode at 8MP - the setting the average person will use daily.
Sample Photos In Order (from left to right):
- Sony Stock Camera App
- Google Camera App
- OpenCamera App
https://goo.gl/photos/ihkstAg95Ag8rybX7
I took a few comparison shots in scenes that I thought would cause the stock app to falter, but it kept coming through and beating the competition. For example, when taking a picture of a poster that was covered by a slight shadow, the stock app was the only app smart enough to use flash; thereby making the words of the poster much clearer. In another indoor scenario, the competition once again over exposed the scene with too much flash, washing out the colors again. I may post these photos later if you request them.
Moral of the story:
Compared to other smartphones (especially flagships), Sony's camera is simply one of the worst performers. <-----(This is a click-able link to the results of a test article) There is no argument here and someone from Sony needs to do something about it. But as for the stock Sony camera app, it appears to utilize the camera better than 3rd party apps can. So if you want to make the best of out our bad situation, stick with the stock camera app.
I agree that the camera on the Z3C is somewhat lacking.
Outdoors in good light it can produce some really nice photos (some of the time) although even in good conditions it still seems to make a mess of things on occasions. Indoors and low light it's just plain terrible. I've done a back to back comparison with my rather elderly SGS3 and in most circumstances the SGS3 knocks the spots off the Z3C.
The problem is marketing.
In order to produce compelling marketing material, Sony developed the 20MP sensor and put this in all their flagship phones. This is way too many MP for such a small sensor and as such the quality suffers badly in anything other than bright sunlight. Even when interpolating the image down to 8MP you still see way more noise than the equivalent true 8MP sensor and the details are mushed to buggery. I'd be happy for the resolution on smartphones to top out at 10MP, which should be enough for 4K video and multiple aspect ratios (not that I think 4K video from a smartphone has much use).
sensor not bad, driver sometimes is...
Exmor IMX220 Shoot Out – Meizu MX4 Pro vs Sony Xperia Z3
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Wajk said:
sensor not bad, driver sometimes is...
Exmor IMX220 Shoot Out – Meizu MX4 Pro vs Sony Xperia Z3
indeed sony's pic are washed out but the looking at the "lay's" and "muji" comparision, meizu's pics are blurred.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We all know auto mode sucks isn't that right? Well Sony hasn't designed this phone for you, i have taken some absolutely stunning photos that my friends think were taken with a proper camera. The truth is that I'm a photographer that tries to push the hardware and software to the limit and if your having a good day you can produce stunning works of art. Sure there's a bit of noise but you can't expect fullframe image quality on this sensor. Taking a backwards step from my Nex7 to the Z3 compact was a great learning experience. If you're a photographer that likes to push the limits of a camera this one is for you, if your the average joe your wasting your time. Think about it, when you buy a camera what is the point of using auto mode when it limits the amount of control you have over a photo. Its like driving an automatic transmission car at a drag race.
As a photographer, you of all people should understand that a camera phone is not likely to be used when taking serious photos. This is designed to be a point and shoot replacement for selfies, pictures of food, group photos of friends in a restaurant, etc... This phone's camera isn't a complete failure by any means, but it simply doesn't perform as well as phones from 2-3 years ago under the most basic condition (indoors). I'm just finding it difficult to explain why my $500 flagship phone takes overexposed, blurry photos when my old phones (none of which were even flagship models) did not.
Starlith said:
We all know auto mode sucks isn't that right? Well Sony hasn't designed this phone for you, i have taken some absolutely stunning photos that my friends think were taken with a proper camera. The truth is that I'm a photographer that tries to push the hardware and software to the limit and if your having a good day you can produce stunning works of art. Sure there's a bit of noise but you can't expect fullframe image quality on this sensor. Taking a backwards step from my Nex7 to the Z3 compact was a great learning experience. If you're a photographer that likes to push the limits of a camera this one is for you, if your the average joe your wasting your time. Think about it, when you buy a camera what is the point of using auto mode when it limits the amount of control you have over a photo. Its like driving an automatic transmission car at a drag race.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am also a photographer (enthusiastic amateur and no expert for sure) who has worked for a software company in the digital imaging industry for 7 years. I get to sample a lot of cameras; including pre-production test mules, some of which never make it due to unrecoverable issues. I have tried the Z3C in every conceivable mode and it's still a disappointment in low light and unpredictable when it's good light. A brief summary of the biggest issues I've seen would include:
1) Poor light performance - It's not even low light, the performance is poor in moderate lighting conditions (20MP is too much for such a small sensor and lens)
2) Unpredictable auto focus - It misses what should be an easy AF fix more often than it should do
3) Too much NR - TBH this is a personal criticism of almost every camera currently made, but the NR on the Z3C is a bit nasty
4) Even the best shots seem to lack "definition"
I'm not saying that the camera is a complete dead-loss, but for a flagship smartphone it's not as good as I would expect. I don't think that I've taken a single picture with it where I've got home, uploaded it to my PC and thought it was really good. I've checked back through my SGS3 pictures and at a glance the best images look like they've come from a "proper" camera, I can't say that for many of the Z3C images. I'd really like to be able to get RAW images out of the camera to see what is possible with decent post processing, but it doesn't seem like that is going to happen any time soon.
If you could give some hints about how to get the most out of the camera, then I for one would very much appreciate it.
mad-marco said:
I am also a photographer (enthusiastic amateur and no expert for sure) who has worked for a software company in the digital imaging industry for 7 years. I get to sample a lot of cameras; including pre-production test mules, some of which never make it due to unrecoverable issues. I have tried the Z3C in every conceivable mode and it's still a disappointment in low light and unpredictable when it's good light. A brief summary of the biggest issues I've seen would include:
1) Poor light performance - It's not even low light, the performance is poor in moderate lighting conditions (20MP is too much for such a small sensor and lens)
2) Unpredictable auto focus - It misses what should be an easy AF fix more often than it should do
3) Too much NR - TBH this is a personal criticism of almost every camera currently made, but the NR on the Z3C is a bit nasty
4) Even the best shots seem to lack "definition"
I'm not saying that the camera is a complete dead-loss, but for a flagship smartphone it's not as good as I would expect. I don't think that I've taken a single picture with it where I've got home, uploaded it to my PC and thought it was really good. I've checked back through my SGS3 pictures and at a glance the best images look like they've come from a "proper" camera, I can't say that for many of the Z3C images. I'd really like to be able to get RAW images out of the camera to see what is possible with decent post processing, but it doesn't seem like that is going to happen any time soon.
If you could give some hints about how to get the most out of the camera, then I for one would very much appreciate it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree with you, it does have its limits and they are really weird limits. For example when in manual mode anything that is set to auto including white balance and focus is either hit or miss, there is no touch metering, i have taken some stunners but they required me to work hard for it such as adjusting wb, iso, focus mode. Even the background defocus app which produced amazing photos btw i had to work really hard for. All that work on a phone is exhausting. Too many apps complicate the camera app and the post processing algorithm is inconsistent. Im interested what the results would be with a lens similar to the iPhone 6. The best thing about the camera is the wide angle lens but no one really cares for that.
Starlith said:
I agree with you, it does have its limits and they are really weird limits. For example when in manual mode anything that is set to auto including white balance and focus is either hit or miss, there is no touch metering, i have taken some stunners but they required me to work hard for it such as adjusting wb, iso, focus mode. Even the background defocus app which produced amazing photos btw i had to work really hard for. All that work on a phone is exhausting. Too many apps complicate the camera app and the post processing algorithm is inconsistent. Im interested what the results would be with a lens similar to the iPhone 6. The best thing about the camera is the wide angle lens but no one really cares for that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I personally don't even like the wide angle lens. It just forces me to stand that much closer to my subject to properly frame the shot. Then, if using flash, you blind them because you're standing 1 foot in front of their face. Anyway, I thought a sony branded lens/sensor was being used on most high end phones these days... even the iPhone? We just got stuck with poor image processing.
PuffDaddy_d said:
I personally don't even like the wide angle lens. It just forces me to stand that much closer to my subject to properly frame the shot. Then, if using flash, you blind them because you're standing 1 foot in front of their face. Anyway, I thought a sony branded lens/sensor was being used on most high end phones these days... even the iPhone? We just got stuck with poor image processing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you buy a phone you don't expect it to take pictures like an SLR Camera would, that being said though I still think 20 mp is more than enough for taking snapshots. If you complain about the camera quality then you shouldn't have bought a phone in the first place and buy a DSLR instead.
and if you came from a Nokia flagship this difference is even bigger ....
Revontheus said:
When you buy a phone you don't expect it to take pictures like an SLR Camera would, that being said though I still think 20 mp is more than enough for taking snapshots. If you complain about the camera quality then you shouldn't have bought a phone in the first place and buy a DSLR instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've already got several DSLR's thanks very much. I don't think that anyone is expecting DSLR like quality, in fact you seem to be the only person who has brought this up.
I think that what people would like is the the camera on Sony's flagship smartphones to be comparable with other smartphones, especially the ones that have the same sensor hardware!!! It's a disappointment that the 2/3 year old SGS3 produces superior photos than the current Sony flagships, the current Samsung 16MP cameras are vastly superior.
Revontheus said:
When you buy a phone you don't expect it to take pictures like an SLR Camera would, that being said though I still think 20 mp is more than enough for taking snapshots. If you complain about the camera quality then you shouldn't have bought a phone in the first place and buy a DSLR instead.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have completely missed the point of this thread. It has nothing to do with expecting DSLR quality from a camera phone. We just don't want pictures to look like they were taken from a flip phone from 2006 - which is what this camera looks like when taking photos indoors. A flagship phone needs a flagship camera, and Sony's image processing has left us without, while all other major manufacturers are using some form of Sony image sensor and getting much better results.
But as my original post indicates, the best photos I've been able to get from this camera are with the stock camera app. All others seem to fall short when viewed on a larger screen.
ray_J13 said:
Wajk said:
sensor not bad, driver sometimes is...
Exmor IMX220 Shoot Out – Meizu MX4 Pro vs Sony Xperia Z3
indeed sony's pic are washed out but the looking at the "lay's" and "muji" comparision, meizu's pics are blurred.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Seems to me the camera glass on her Z3C was a bit smudged... That would explain the haze.
And the small details on the Z3C look much better and cleaner at 100% zoom than on the Meizu, even if the Z3C was a bit out of focus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm so disappointed in this camera. I took my Z3C and my old HTC Droid Incredible 2 to a concert last night. Inc2's pics were much crisper and cleaner. The videos were better as well (at 720p), though the sound on the Z3C's vids were better. Inc2 is what, 4 years old?
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
Crewville96 said:
I'm so disappointed in this camera. I took my Z3C and my old HTC Droid Incredible 2 to a concert last night. Inc2's pics were much crisper and cleaner. The videos were better as well (at 720p), though the sound on the Z3C's vids were better. Inc2 is what, 4 years old?
Sent from my D5803 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, this is our point exactly! The Z3C camera has far more advanced technology in it, yet the results are sub par to midrange and outdated phones. Care to share any of your pics for reference?
Sent from my Xperia Z3 Compact
PuffDaddy_d said:
Yes, this is our point exactly! The Z3C camera has far more advanced technology in it, yet the results are sub par to midrange and outdated phones. Care to share any of your pics for reference?
Sent from my Xperia Z3 Compact
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can upload the vids and couple pics. None of the pics are really the same for comparison since i was in the crowd at the concert though. But you can get a general idea.
PuffDaddy_d said:
Yes, this is our point exactly! The Z3C camera has far more advanced technology in it, yet the results are sub par to midrange and outdated phones. Care to share any of your pics for reference?
Sent from my Xperia Z3 Compact
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here's my vids. One is from my old Droid Incredible 2 (2011, running GB) the other is from my Z3C (2014, running LP). I'll let you guys judge which vid is better.
That concert looks like it was a lot of fun! I watched both videos on full screen and i personally think the top video looks better - less grainy and handled the bright lighting much better.
PuffDaddy_d said:
That concert looks like it was a lot of fun! I watched both videos on full screen and i personally think the top video looks better - less grainy and handled the bright lighting much better.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep, just cleaner and sharper overall. Thats the Droid Incredible 2 video (720 only as well, Z3C is at 1080 lol).

Camera produces cold photos - very disappointed! Can it be fixed? White balance?

I just bought this phone, and I'm extremely disappointed in the camera. My wife has a note4 which takes great photos, which I've been using pretty much every day as we recently had a child (our first). My main reason for buying a new phone was to always have a good camera on hand for taking photos of our son. I hate big phones though, hence why I didn't buy the note4.
Anyway, after buying the z3c, it turns out that I hate the photos it takes They are all completely lifeless and cold. When I take a photo with the note4, what I see on the screen is pretty much exactly what I see in real life. With the z3c I can clearly see the difference right away (and it's not just the phone screen). I've tried experimenting with settings in manual mode as well, but I'm not having much luck. Granted I'm not claiming to know much about these things. I don't care if it's not the highest resolution or the sharpest details (or not at this stage at least), I just want some colors that looks like what I'm seeing with my eyes. I've gone back to using the camera from my wifes phone again despite my own phone only being a week old, which is a bit sad.
Is there anything I can do about this? I feel like there should be a simple adjustment somewhere, but I can't find it. The colors on the screen were horrid as well, but I've adjusted those by using the "white balance" settings (where I significantly increased red and green while leaving blue at 0). Is there a similar setting for the camera or is there a different app I can download where I can make this adjustment?
I just want to be able to use my camera...
Here is an example. I took two photos, one after the other, using the z3c and the note4. He moved a little bit so they are not identical, but zoom in on his face and you'll see what I mean. One of the photos has got some color and in the other he looks pale and lifeless. The color in the first photo seem to match what I am seeing in real life (he is half asian, so somewhat yellow skin tone) It's a bit hard to show, but you'll just have to trust me that the photo which has more yellow in it is significantly more accurate. This is not even the worst photo either, this one is probably passable if looked at in isolation, but just one example I quickly snapped just now. They are all like this (or often worse) and it has led me to not wanting to use my camera at all.
EDIT: as a new user I was not able to add a link, but as this is just to dropbox, I hope it's OK that I present it like this. You will have to piece it together if you want to view it:
www dropbox com/sh/vb68vqquykxj13m/AAArXwsdSZHKdJCzz25Tu3Qxa?dl=0
Any suggestions on how I can fix this without having to manually post process the photos are much appreciated. I should note that I really love the phone in all other aspects so far, but the main reason I bought it was for the camera as mentioned.
EDIT: sorry, maybe this belongs in the questions forum. If so I apologize and feel free to move it.
EDIT: to clarify, I found what looks like a white balance setting, but it's only 4 preset modes. But maybe that is all we've got. I'll try and experiment with them and see if any produces better result than wb auto.
EDIT: those settings above seems to seriously mess with the colors, at least in current low light room I'm in. Despite loving the phone, I'm considering cutting my losses while it's still current and try to sell it In which case i would probably pick up a Samsung galaxy s6 instead, which should have an equivalent camera to the note 4. It's much bigger than I prefer though, and inflated price due to hype and being a new model as well
The s6 has a better camera in most conditions. That said the difference isnt that bad. On my screen both photos look very similar.
Anyway the usual thing, try in manual mode 8mp, slightly lower expo, multi, and adda tiny bit of clarity in google photos - seems to give best results on average
bilboa1 said:
The s6 has a better camera in most conditions. That said the difference isnt that bad. On my screen both photos look very similar.
Anyway the usual thing, try in manual mode 8mp, slightly lower expo, multi, and adda tiny bit of clarity in google photos - seems to give best results on average
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not the best example, you probably have to zoom in on face to see the difference. I might try and take a better example photo, but basically I lose all yellow in his skin tone and all I get is white and red.
I'll try your suggestions as well. Thanks.
You'll see from my camera thread and others that the Z3 is simply a poor performing camera indoors. There's little you can do to fix it.
Sent from my Xperia Z3 Compact
PuffDaddy_d said:
You'll see from my camera thread and others that the Z3 is simply a poor performing camera indoors. There's little you can do to fix it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've read your thread now, and it doesn't paint a very positive picture. I still don't understand why it's so bad though, especially since the hardware seems good. From my point of view, I would be OK if pictures are not sharp enough or not capturing as much details as they could, but the poor color replication is a deal breaker.
Do you know if there is any sign that they are working on improving the software? Maybe with the release of z4/z3+ they might release a software update applicable to z3 as well? I know I'm grasping at straws, but still. You'd think they'd try and fix it. If nothing else, it's embarrassing that all competitors are significantly better despite using sonys sensor. This should be their absolute strongest point, their ace card, and instead they are getting destroyed.
White balance is the key for my photos... Auto WB always produces unatractive photos. Cloudy, and sunny settings add some warmth to the photo.
tompab said:
I've read your thread now, and it doesn't paint a very positive picture. I still don't understand why it's so bad though, especially since the hardware seems good. From my point of view, I would be OK if pictures are not sharp enough or not capturing as much details as they could, but the poor color replication is a deal breaker.
Do you know if there is any sign that they are working on improving the software? Maybe with the release of z4/z3+ they might release a software update applicable to z3 as well? I know I'm grasping at straws, but still. You'd think they'd try and fix it. If nothing else, it's embarrassing that all competitors are significantly better despite using sonys sensor. This should be their absolute strongest point, their ace card, and instead they are getting destroyed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I couldn't agree with you more. I read an article where someone managed to compare the display of the Z3 vs the Z3+ and noticed that the plus has a warmer tone. Probably still to early to know is the camera software has improved any though. Sadly, I've started to use filters on the shots that look too cold to help earn them up a bit... More of a workaround than a solution.
Sent from my Xperia Z3 Compact
tompab said:
I just bought this phone, and I'm extremely disappointed in the camera. My wife has a note4 which takes great photos, which I've been using pretty much every day as we recently had a child (our first). My main reason for buying a new phone was to always have a good camera on hand for taking photos of our son. I hate big phones though, hence why I didn't buy the note4.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've got a Z1c(not Z3c) and S6 but I think I can share you some ideas here. Sony tends to like cold WB while S6 produces warm WB. Indeed, they both got pros and cons in my experiences bcoz Samsung is also easy to produce over-warm coast and sometimes not real good, it is just too warm, though in your case I admit this time warm WB got real better result.
If you want a smaller phone, you can consider the upcoming S6 mini(SM-G9198) with 4.6" 720P, s808, 2GB ram, 16GB rom, NFC, 16MP rear camera, 5MP front camera. Sony focus is just all bad(actually the image quality isn't bad though you can't compete it with Note4/S6) and Samsung is like 10 times better when you talking about the speed and focus part.
TheEndHK said:
I've got a Z1c(not Z3c) and S6 but I think I can share you some ideas here. Sony tends to like cold WB while S6 produces warm WB. Indeed, they both got pros and cons in my experiences bcoz Samsung is also easy to produce over-warm coast and sometimes not real good, it is just too warm, though in your case I admit this time warm WB got real better result.
If you want a smaller phone, you can consider the upcoming S6 mini(SM-G9198) with 4.6" 720P, s808, 2GB ram, 16GB rom, NFC, 16MP rear camera, 5MP front camera. Sony focus is just all bad(actually the image quality isn't bad though you can't compete it with Note4/S6) and Samsung is like 10 times better when you talking about the speed and focus part.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I will be very interested to see how that 16mp cam performs, if its anything like the S5 or S6 I may very well convert. Especially if they get the nicer build of the S6 in too, Just please no glass back.
S6 build also means glass back. I have no problems with glass. I'm not too fond of the diplay, Pentile matrix means less subpixels (=less sharpness) and effective resolution similar to qHD. It's clearly visible (rubbih harpness/dottiness) and just bad for the money.
PuffDaddy_d said:
I couldn't agree with you more. I read an article where someone managed to compare the display of the Z3 vs the Z3+ and noticed that the plus has a warmer tone. Probably still to early to know is the camera software has improved any though.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Z3+ takes warmer pictures indeed but there's even more digital noise reduction:
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majaczos said:
S6 build also means glass back. I have no problems with glass. I'm not too fond of the diplay, Pentile matrix means less subpixels (=less sharpness) and effective resolution similar to qHD. It's clearly visible (rubbih harpness/dottiness) and just bad for the money.
Z3+ takes warmer pictures indeed but there's even more digital noise reduction:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, I can't even see the difference in color tone between these photos. At most, I see that the plus didn't focus properly in this shot.
Sent from my Xperia Z3 Compact
PuffDaddy_d said:
Honestly, I can't even see the difference in color tone between these photos. At most, I see that the plus didn't focus properly in this shot.
Sent from my Xperia Z3 Compact
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here... its splitting hairs to say there is any difference in color tone. That could easily be randomness with the Z3 being warm in the next shot.
Look at the concrete. It's much warmer. Another pictures (from gsmarena):
Z3:
http://cdn.gsmarena.com/vv/reviewsimg/sony-xperia-z3/camera/gsmarena_015.jpg
Z3+:
http://cdn.gsmarena.com/vv/reviewsimg/sony-xperia-z3plus/camera/gsmarena_102.jpg
majaczos said:
Look at the concrete. It's much warmer. Another pictures (from gsmarena):
Z3:
http://cdn.gsmarena.com/vv/reviewsimg/sony-xperia-z3/camera/gsmarena_015.jpg
Z3+:
http://cdn.gsmarena.com/vv/reviewsimg/sony-xperia-z3plus/camera/gsmarena_102.jpg
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, yeah, the concrete does look warmer with the plus, but these are very obvious. Though, I question why it appears that so much time passed between shots. The sky is clear in one photo but is cloudy in the next. Overcast conditions will affect the white balance as well. Still a bit too soon for me to judge.
Sent from my Xperia Z3 Compact
Cronis said:
I will be very interested to see how that 16mp cam performs, if its anything like the S5 or S6 I may very well convert. Especially if they get the nicer build of the S6 in too, Just please no glass back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is no much info yet so I can't tell about S6 Compact but we can make some safe guess here and probably quite close to the true specification.
1. Probably used the new ISOCell 16MP to save cost. We all know that S6 got two sensors which is Sony IMX240 and Samsung ISOCell. This time the ISOCell is improved and better than the one on S5, so it is a 2nd gen. It got better color during at low light while IMX240 got more details. On day time, both sensors are almost identical. Mine S6 got IMX240.
2. OIS is removed for cost.
3. Aperture down to f/2.2 or f/2.4 depending the price strategic
If Samsung willing to give it a f/2.2 then it is safe to say it is a killer for Z3c though Z3c will still own some advantages like waterproof and best battery life. Not sure about microSD card thing. Consider it got a powerful s808 so as a small flagship, very possible to own a f/2.2 aperture.
https://shopmeenova.appspot.com/st/p/mrg2.html
I use this otg to solve my storage problem on S6.
Aperture eans nothing without sensor's size. Z3 can have higher aperture because IMX220 one of the biggest sensors on the (mobile) market right now.
We know nothing about the S6 mini, SM-G9198 sounds like SM-G9098's replacement:
http://gadgets.ndtv.com/samsung-sm-g9098-1608
majaczos said:
Aperture eans nothing without sensor's size. Z3 can have higher aperture because IMX220 one of the biggest sensors on the (mobile) market right now.
We know nothing about the S6 mini, SM-G9198 sounds like SM-G9098's replacement:
http://gadgets.ndtv.com/samsung-sm-g9098-1608
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Click to collapse
I think it is impossible to be the next G9098 bcoz it got only 3.7" size while G9198 is 4.6" with such powerful s808 cpu, they are in total different market segment.
Aperture is real meaningful in any size bcoz my One S(8MP 1/3.2") got f/2.0 so I know about it and Iphone 5s/6/6+ got only 8MP 1/3" f/2.2 but they are doing very well at low light too.
TheEndHK said:
I think it is impossible to be the next G9098 bcoz it got only 3.7" size while G9198 is 4.6" with such powerful s808 cpu, they are in total different market segment.
Aperture is real meaningful in any size bcoz my One S(8MP 1/3.2") got f/2.0 so I know about it and Iphone 5s/6/6+ got only 8MP 1/3" f/2.2 but they are doing very well at low light too.
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Click to collapse
Maybe they want to reduce bezels? Or make it bigger? SM-G9098 has very powerful CPU as well, actually it was the most powerful back in 2014..
They're ok in low light situations (partially thanks to decent image processing) but you can't trick physics.
majaczos said:
Maybe they want to reduce bezels? Or make it bigger? SM-G9098 has very powerful CPU as well, actually it was the most powerful back in 2014..
They're ok in low light situations (partially thanks to decent image processing) but you can't trick physics.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
G9098 is 3.7" size while G9198 is 4.6", the different is big enough because there is no 4.6" size flip phone becoz when you put a 4.6" screen together with a physical keyboard, the phone will be very fat and large and customer will end up prefer to get a Note4/5 instead with similar size. But I like the good old day flip phone style, actually I want to see more coming out.
Thanks for all the help guys. Just thought I'd give an update if anyone is interested.
I still really dislike the z3c camera and was considering selling the phone and picking up a galaxy s6. I do however like the other aspects of the z3c, so I ended up buying a proper camera instead. I can use my wife's note4 for a quick snap if I don't have my camera nearby. It's a compromise, but I think it made more sense.

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