Xperia Z3 camera purple tint and lots of noise - similar to HTC One M7 issue? - Xperia Z3 General

Hi everyone, let me first introduce you to the infamous HTC One (M7) camera issue with purple tint. This issue arise after using the camera on the phone for some duration, creating excessive heat that ultimately destroys the camera's sensors. When taking photos in mainly dark areas, one would then see purple tint in their photos. But when taking photos in bright daylight, photos are completely normal. This became a hardware defect for many owners of the M7 that HTC refused to fix or recall. A sample of said defect:
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I was one of the victims that once owned the HTC One (M7) with the issue, so I am concerned about cameras on any of my new phones. Upon receiving my Experia Z3 earlier this week, I immediately tested the camera in dark areas, even putting my hand over the camera to see if there are any irregularities. I confirmed the normal behavior, which is a dark picture with little to no purple tint. Today, I took photos and found a fun camera app that came with the phone called AR Effects. I spent almost an hour messing around with the app and camera. My girlfriend with another Z3 (white) was doing the same, but only for a few minutes. We then took photos of the same subject to find out that my photos had noise and some purple tint around the border, while hers look perfectly normal. Both using SUPERIOR AUTO with the exact settings under all tab settings:
A comparison of GF's Z3 (top) and mine (bottom) camera on covered face down:
Screenshot from GF's Z3 with camera covered:
Screenshot from mine with camera covered:
A shot in medium lighting from GF's Z3 (full version):
Same shot using mine (full version). Notice the noise difference and a hint of purple tint around the borders:
Very lowlight shot with GF's Z3 (full version):
Same lowlight shot with mine (full version). Notice the drastic noise and purple tint:
As a result, you can clearly see that there are more noise and purple tint of some kind in darker environments on my Z3, compared to my GF's. Can we conclude that not all phones are created equal? It is either (1) I have a defective unit, or (2) Xperia Z3 has the same issue as the HTC One (long exposure to heat issue). I am going to try to do an exchange while my phone is still under warranty. But if anybody has the same issue, please share and comment in this thread. One way to test this is to turn on the camera, put it on SUPERIOR AUTO, and cover the camera (or lay it flat) in a dark space.
Let this be a known issue if it becomes a common defect.

I don't have that problem you should definitely get it replaced

I'm having same issue. My pictures are very grainy in low light and dark.
I'll try to post a screenshot
On top and bottom is red grainy.
Sent from my D6708 using XDA Free mobile app

ex0dusk3 said:
I'm having same issue. My pictures are very grainy in low light and dark.
I'll try to post a screenshot
On top and bottom is red grainy.
Sent from my D6708 using XDA Free mobile app
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I see it does have some grainy red tint, but it is not has bad as mine. Can you please post more shots in low light with objects? Thanks!

Wow it's really bad. Try setting ISO 50 on manual, here is mine in ISO 50 covered with sweatshirt.
(Original: http://www.mediafire.com/view/fhj6nsdjrk1hjd4/2014-10-25_11.21.43.jpg)
Also a night shot:
(Original: http://www.mediafire.com/view/rr97gcl6zc3egq2/2014-10-24_19.22.03.jpg#)

Here is mine at ISO 50, manual mode (full version). You can see the noise on the sides of the photo:
Daytime photo indoor. Auto mode (full version):
Daytime photo indoor. ISO 50, manual mode (full version):

did you unlock your BL?

se1000 said:
did you unlock your BL?
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That is a good question.

se1000 said:
did you unlock your BL?
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No, I am too afraid to do any of that early this stage.

hanime said:
No, I am too afraid to do any of that early this stage.
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You should send your phone back for a replacement, that is definitely not normal!

I am sending this back for exchange. Hopefully it will work out!

I have this on my z3 compact but it seem to only appear when I shoot things that are blue in lower light without flash

I really hated this on my old m7
I guess I'll be selling my z3 soon
As soon as I see something like this on my z3, I'm selling it with my nexus 4 and buying a note 4

Mine is currently being shipped for exchange (return would cost me some restocking fees). I noticed both of our Z3s (GF and I) do not output crisp photos. It is either we are forced to use MANUAL MODE on this phone, or Z3's cameras are not sharp as other flagships. I look into some photos taken with Note 4 and Z3, and I can clearly see Note 4 photos are more crisp. :shrugs:

hanime said:
Mine is currently being shipped for exchange (return would cost me some restocking fees). I noticed both of our Z3s (GF and I) do not output crisp photos. It is either we are forced to use MANUAL MODE on this phone, or Z3's cameras are not sharp as other flagships. I look into some photos taken with Note 4 and Z3, and I can clearly see Note 4 photos are more crisp. :shrugs:
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Restocking is $50 and sadly the Note 4 and iPhones use Sony sensors and take better pics due to better cam software, hopefully Sony will fix it soon in an update. I'm keeping mine as for the most part its good.

abhinav.tella said:
Restocking is $50 and sadly the Note 4 and iPhones use Sony sensors and take better pics due to better cam software, hopefully Sony will fix it soon in an update. I'm keeping mine as for the most part its good.
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I agree. I am going to keep mine as well, hoping for an update from Sony to improve the camera software. And also, the Z3 just looks so nice!

Defective camera. You will get new XPERIA Z3.

Pink spot issue made it to Phonearena, hope Sony is listening.
Article:
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Xper...t-a-pink-blotch-issue-with-the-camera_id62206

wolf0491 said:
When testing in dark places like the original post I didn't have issue. However when shooting a picture of a white wall for example you can. Also it happens on both front and back camera. Which makes me think it's software? http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/27/ebf64b1b7da397816a086d50f2248126.jpg http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/27/e2366fb5f2734b6a025be4338a2547f1.jpg
First is front cam second back.
I however don't have have problems with the things I have taken pictures of so keeping mine lol.
Sent from my Xperia Z3
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The purple tint/noise from my original post and the pink spot are different issues from what I observed. The purple tint/noise is hardware related. The pink spot is probably software related, seeing that both the front and rear cameras are doing it.

wolf0491 said:
I'm in US and bought international model so warranty is obnoxious to do. Not doing it for minor pinkish. Maybe if it was worse. I honestly tool 1 picture a month with my last phone haha
Sent from my Xperia Z3
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Same deal here. I bought mine from eBay. However, if you register your phone, you do have warranty in the US it seems: http://forum.xda-developers.com/z3/help/sonys-warranty-buy-ebay-t2920049/post56319419

Related

.257 artifact issues (camera, image inside)

After posting the camera comparison between old and .257 firmware I went out and did some more testing. This is one (actually, one of the better) shot done indoors at ISO 250, manual, slight +EV, 8MP 4:3.
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I have boxed the three main complaints with this image:
green: heavy artifacts at color bridges, this is likely still the same issue of oversharpening and next-pixel balancing getting into each others' faces
red: in flat color areas it introduces huge noise
orange: fine detail such as faces is washed out and unusably so
Three things are different here: I'd used the phone for a while and it had gotten a little warmer than it'd been when I took the outdoors photos. In general do I notice a distinct reduction in image quality as the phone gets warmer, I took the same picture twice, sandwiching a ten second video (and we know how hot the phone gets from even short video). After the "your phone is too hot" message went away I took a second picture and it looked like crap. It's indoors, ISO 250 instead of 50 ... and it's a very color and detail intensive image.
But the two girls at the back still look fit
deleted
gioiellino said:
+1
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When it comes to perving on a 16 and 17 year old cooks' apprentice I never thought XDA would be the place to go.
jluster said:
When it comes to perving on a 16 and 17 year old cooks' apprentice I never thought XDA would be the place to go.
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be quiet, but only joking here, i delete the post...
for the photo i have your problem too, and im searching other camera app, to try if is a hardware o software problem.
in app section i post a new camera app, very good, if you want try this.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2499518
jluster said:
After posting the camera comparison between old and .257 firmware I went out and did some more testing. This is one (actually, one of the better) shot done indoors at ISO 250, manual, slight +EV, 8MP 4:3.
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That's a tricky shot to get because of the back lighted window. Ideally a fill flash situation but not an option in your case given the apparent distance. It isn't surprising to see the problem areas you noted tend to cluster around the window. So how do you find the detail in the rest of the shot where the food is for example, its hard to say anything more because this is a downsampled image with no orignal provided.
green: heavy artifacts at color bridges, this is likely still the same issue of oversharpening and next-pixel balancing getting into each others' faces
red: in flat color areas it introduces huge noise
orange: fine detail such as faces is washed out and unusably so
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Did you use spot metering here ? Where you metered off will influence how the detail appears. Its properly exposed from what i can see. Nice shot
jluster said:
Three things are different here: I'd used the phone for a while and it had gotten a little warmer than it'd been when I took the outdoors photos. In general do I notice a distinct reduction in image quality as the phone gets warmer, I took the same picture twice, sandwiching a ten second video (and we know how hot the phone gets from even short video). After the "your phone is too hot" message went away I took a second picture and it looked like crap. It's indoors, ISO 250 instead of 50 ... and it's a very color and detail intensive image.
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I've seen mixed reports about heating when using the camera. Some say it does not heat up too much whereas other say it does. had chatted with someone about this and was told even videoing for ten minutes did not heat it up too much. Too much is relative here with other devices i suppose.
One Twelve said:
Did you use spot metering here ? Where you metered off will influence how the detail appears. Its properly exposed from what i can see. Nice shot
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That's why I avoid making statements about exposure. What I am attempting (and I think I am being successful) to show is the introduction of fringing, halos, artifacts, oversharpening noise, and next-pixel supersample blur. This is by the way not a downsample, it's a 1:1 100% crop (as, I believe, any camera comparison should be. Worse are those passing off AutoAwesome and AutoEnhance pictures as "in camera," but that's another rant for another time.
I had a chance to chitchat with some Sony engineers on Saturday and they seem to be reluctantly aware (and considering they're dogfooding 4.3 right now, I think we'll see little improvement in that arena) of the next-pixel issues and artifacts.
Let me make this clear: I don't think this is bad camera mojo. It's acceptable (5th after iPhone, Nokia, and Samsung Galaxy S4 isn't all that bad) but given the amazing hardware we have it makes me sad that we don't get better.
Also you did not mention whether this is a 20MP or 8MP photo.
I wondered whether there was any advantage to taking a 20MP shot and oversampling on a pc to a lower resolution. Whether that may produce a better photo that in-phone as pc has more processing power and also more time to work and produce a better quality image. I understand that the oversampling is a chip level implementation so its quick whether any advantage can be gained doing this in post is unclear to me atm.
The thing about exposure is if there is enough light or the sensor was more sensitive then would those halos, artifacts etc be less. You got those artifacts because perceived light was lower than ideal. I might take a worse shot than you did with that picture where it could be even more pronounced. If there was a way to lock exposure like on other cameras do we get a better shot or not.
The answer which you do not want to hear is i would try to avoid that window during framing the shot. Its too hard to fix without a fill flash.
As for capabilities of Z1, i look forward and hope to see manual shutter speed control. If you compare with procamera on lumia that's the only parameter missing in the sony manual interface.
jluster said:
After posting the camera comparison between old and .257 firmware I went out and did some more testing. This is one (actually, one of the better) shot done indoors at ISO 250, manual, slight +EV, 8MP 4:3.
I have boxed the three main complaints with this image:
green: heavy artifacts at color bridges, this is likely still the same issue of oversharpening and next-pixel balancing getting into each others' faces
red: in flat color areas it introduces huge noise
orange: fine detail such as faces is washed out and unusably so
Three things are different here: I'd used the phone for a while and it had gotten a little warmer than it'd been when I took the outdoors photos. In general do I notice a distinct reduction in image quality as the phone gets warmer, I took the same picture twice, sandwiching a ten second video (and we know how hot the phone gets from even short video). After the "your phone is too hot" message went away I took a second picture and it looked like crap. It's indoors, ISO 250 instead of 50 ... and it's a very color and detail intensive image.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had exactly these problems on the new .257 firmware so I changed back to the older one and what a difference the older one I have found to take much better photo's then the newer .257. I know a lot of people will disagree and say the 257 is much better but on my z1 I have found it to be the complete opposite
One Twelve said:
Also you did not mention whether this is a 20MP or 8MP photo.
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Yes, I do: "ISO 250, manual, slight +EV, 8MP 4:3"
The thing about exposure is if there is enough light or the sensor was more sensitive then would those halos, artifacts etc be less. You got those artifacts because perceived light was lower than ideal. I might take a worse shot than you did with that picture where it could be even more pronounced. If there was a way to lock exposure like on other cameras do we get a better shot or not.
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The other thing about exposure is, however, that the best way to establish the (non-scientific) usability of a camera is to aim it around and take pictures of things the way people would, then look at them and ask yourself: would that make me/them happy? Heck, go to Walmart and print some glossies, whatever, find out if you can make photos you'd share.
As for capabilities of Z1, i look forward and hope to see manual shutter speed control. If you compare with procamera on lumia that's the only parameter missing in the sony manual interface.
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Lumia's HDR stitching is more accurate and it doesn't fall off along the edges in luminescence. Where the Z1 has it beat is in color retention in lower lights, though.
jluster said:
Yes, I do: "ISO 250, manual, slight +EV, 8MP 4:3"
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My mistake
jluster said:
The other thing about exposure is, however, that the best way to establish the (non-scientific) usability of a camera is to aim it around and take pictures of things the way people would, then look at them and ask yourself: would that make me/them happy? Heck, go to Walmart and print some glossies, whatever, find out if you can make photos you'd share.
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Would like you to comment on the other areas of the photo. Since you did not mention it do we assume the three areas are the only ones you were not satisfied with. For me the cluster around the window indicates a backlighting problem. underexposed subjects etc. Though i have to say you got a very well exposed photo there. So as to make me think this is the best that one can expect under the circumstances.
Will you tell us how you took that photo, back light scn mode or spot metering ?
Here is another old vs new fw camera comparison:
http://www.soyacincau.com/2013/10/2...a-performance-compared-after-software-update/
In this particular photo, I don't see any improvements:
Cheers,
Miki
Here's one comparison with the c6903
.534
.257
DIfference is subtle, slightly cleaner in the .257
miki_69 said:
Here is another old vs new fw camera comparison:
http://www.soyacincau.com/2013/10/2...a-performance-compared-after-software-update/
In this particular photo, I don't see any improvements:
Cheers,
Miki
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I have not this... but unfocus area
logzz said:
I had exactly these problems on the new .257 firmware so I changed back to the older one and what a difference the older one I have found to take much better photo's then the newer .257. I know a lot of people will disagree and say the 257 is much better but on my z1 I have found it to be the complete opposite
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I thought I was the only one.
Kept reading everyone say the new firmware was a big improvement for the camera but every photo I took looked grainy. I took a photo of 2 of my boys yesterday in low light. Had -ev and it was the first 'decent' picture I had taken since I upgraded the firmware.
Then I realised that one of my kids was sharp/clear, but my other boy sitting beside him was out of focus.
Maybe he moved slightly and because of the longer shutter speed it caused the problem?
Although that's still only one good pic out of maybe 50.
It's not a big deal, I'll just downgrade the firmware after work as before the new firmware every photo was great.
Low light as well as sunny conditions the camera was a boss.
Another thing, my viewing angles are perfect.
Why do some Z1's look **** when viewed on a slight angle AND benefit from a newer firmware, and others look no different when looking at the phone almost flat AND suffer after a firmware upgrade?
When I check out my pics/videos from a mad angle the screen is bright as ****. I've seen footage where the phone is tilted and the screen looks ****. Definitely not the case with my phone.
Have they all got different parts in them?
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
LJE said:
I thought I was the only one.
Kept reading everyone say the new firmware was a big improvement for the camera but every photo I took looked grainy. I took a photo of 2 of my boys yesterday in low light. Had -ev and it was the first 'decent' picture I had taken since I upgraded the firmware.
Then I realised that one of my kids was sharp/clear, but my other boy sitting beside him was out of focus.
Maybe he moved slightly and because of the longer shutter speed it caused the problem?
Although that's still only one good pic out of maybe 50.
It's not a big deal, I'll just downgrade the firmware after work as before the new firmware every photo was great.
Low light as well as sunny conditions the camera was a boss.
Another thing, my viewing angles are perfect.
Why do some Z1's look **** when viewed on a slight angle AND benefit from a newer firmware, and others look no different when looking at the phone almost flat AND suffer after a firmware upgrade?
When I check out my pics/videos from a mad angle the screen is bright as ****. I've seen footage where the phone is tilted and the screen looks ****. Definitely not the case with my phone.
Have they all got different parts in them?
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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I am starting to wonder if they do all have different parts I can confirm there is a difference in screens as I bought two z1 phones just for compare and I found one had a better screen with more contrast and saturated colours. And the one with the better screen had a slightly better camera too. But this new firmware really pissed me off for me it was a huge step backwards the camera I found to be a lot worse as I have said earlier. The battery life on the new firmware I found to be pathetic and also the screen colour I found to be worse. The only thing it did fix was the screen going all black but back light staying on. How ever I got random reboots twice on the new firmware.
Now on the other hand my friend bought a Samsung note 3 and the camera on that performs far better then the xperia z1 also. Im starting to wonder weather I should change to a note 3 as im starting to feel im just wasting my time with sony. The software engineers they have working on the firmware updates need to be shot. How hard can it really be to make a good firmware???? What is sony doing???? I suspect they will never get it right for everyone because of different parts being used all the time.
logzz said:
I am starting to wonder if they do all have different parts I can confirm there is a difference in screens as I bought two z1 phones just for compare and I found one had a better screen with more contrast and saturated colours. And the one with the better screen had a slightly better camera too. But this new firmware really pissed me off for me it was a huge step backwards the camera I found to be a lot worse as I have said earlier. The battery life on the new firmware I found to be pathetic and also the screen colour I found to be worse. The only thing it did fix was the screen going all black but back light staying on. How ever I got random reboots twice on the new firmware.
Now on the other hand my friend bought a Samsung note 3 and the camera on that performs far better then the xperia z1 also. Im starting to wonder weather I should change to a note 3 as im starting to feel im just wasting my time with sony. The software engineers they have working on the firmware updates need to be shot. How hard can it really be to make a good firmware???? What is sony doing???? I suspect they will never get it right for everyone because of different parts being used all the time.
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You bought 2 Z1's so you could compare the screen?
Really?
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
LJE said:
You bought 2 Z1's so you could compare the screen?
Really?
Sent from my C6903 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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yes and they both had a very similar serial numbers but the screens were different, I have sold the other one now tho and kept the better one.
logzz said:
yes and they both had a very similar serial numbers but the screens were different, I have sold the other one now tho and kept the better one.
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I've never had two phones of the same model with screens that look identical side by side. I'm sure the same applies to other displays and also TVs, which is why anyone in graphic design will pay to have monitors calibrated properly - and when you have video walls, these also need to be calibrated so one panel doesn't stand out.
But on their own, it's hard to tell which screen is 'right' or not.
I love my Xperia Z1. I have nothing to complain about aside from speaker and viewing angles which could be better, still it's not bad and improves on the Z. And the viewing angle issue seems to be less visible when you play a video. The only thing the camera is lacking is optical image stabilization. The focus is sometimes hit and more miss too. But overall, pictures are stunning for a phone (even in low light) but maybe I don't set the bar high enough. I've had the old and new firmware, was already happy with the old one and now I am happy with the new one. I quickly compared pictures with an iPhone 5 and it's easily on par.

What's wrong with Sony's G-lens? Picture analysis

I don't have to tell you how Android phones suffer on camera SW side, but while the Z1 improved on the Z's problematic image quality, it introduced unexpected issues in optics. The G-lens is a multi-element plastic lens system, and something inside the design and arrangement causes certain areas of the image to lose sharpness, Z1 owners know this. Unfortunately, while Sony's sure to work on image quality improvements, the optics of the Z2 are unchanged, here is a picture analysis.
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This is a downsampled Z2 image taken at 8MP (Auto Mode), because it's reduced to 40% of original pixel size, it should be super sharp (and not over-sharpened) at ALL AREAS, cause if this photo is not sharp, how the full 20MP result would look?
http://www.xataka.com/galeria/xperia-z2-muestras-barcelona/2/
1) But anyways, details in the middle are quite good, highly detailed, although you can spot quite a sharpening, but tolerable at this resolution (100% crop)
2) Moving just a bit away from the middle however, and look at how the buildings, trees, construction site are all of the sudden soft and lack of accurate focus
3) The left middle side of the lens is worst, this image would be just as sharp as in the middle on a say Samesong Note 3, LG Pro 2, iPhone 5S, Lumia 1520 whatever. Remind you this is still a crop from an 8MPs image, not 20, full size would have the same amount of detail spread over 2,5 larger area!
4) The left bottom corner is... relatively sharp again? Huh?
Right now Sony has a monumental mountain to climb to make their SW for their great sensor work reliable, cause the Z1 is not, it's not too high on detail either, and is badly over-processed (sharpening, noise reduction). But even if they get it right, optical issues won't go away, something is just wrong with the G-lens that is not addressed on the Z2, which is a pity.
Really? Pixel peeping on a cameraphone?! Something like this could have easily been a fingerprint or smudge on only half of the front lens cover.
Literally every camera in existance ranging from a phone camera to a high end DSLR has this 'problem'. The corners of the image sensor is always the softest. Its not a Sony issue.
Relax man. Had a Z1 myself and the lens rather soft on the corner at times, probably due to the f2.3 apeture.
But the blur on the middle right, the guy was taking aerial photo in behind the glass of a helicopter, so blur might present due to the helicopter panel.
kantk20111 said:
Literally every camera in existance ranging from a phone camera to a high end DSLR has this 'problem'. The corners of the image sensor is always the softest. Its not a Sony issue.
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Yes it is. There is no softness around on a say iPhone 5S or Galaxy S4 Exmor RS, if the subject is sharp, the image is sharp all around. It is an undeniably crippling feature of the Z1, and apparently the Z2, and anyone with any sense of photography can spot these issues, see some Sony forums. I'm expecting a quality discussion here not "ur crazy dude, no camera is perfect homes".
BoneXDA said:
Yes it is. There is no softness around on a say iPhone 5S or Galaxy S4 Exmor RS, if the subject is sharp, the image is sharp all around. It is an undeniably crippling feature of the Z1, and apparently the Z2, and anyone with any sense of photography can spot these issues, see some Sony forums. I'm expecting a quality discussion here not "ur crazy dude, no camera is perfect homes".
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What discussion is there to have? Do you want people to agree with you and reply 'ohhh yuhh z1 camera sux' or 'sony u suck lolol'? I stated my opinion, and it's true. I'm a pretty avid photographer, I have a Nikon D7100 and have a decent eye for photography. My D7100 with the 18-105 lens has the same problems at large aperture. Granted it's not as bad as the Z1's, but the softness is still there. Large aperture lenses have softness on the corners. I guarantee you will find the same result with the 5S or S4.
I could show you pictures that came out perfectly with my Z1 as well with none of the problems you mentioned. There are a ton of reasons why you could have got that blurriness in the middle. The camera lens could've been smudged, they might've got a bad phone, or, most probably, the guy was taking pictures out of a helicopter which was moving and might have had smudges on the window?
Let's take a look at another picture in this set:http://img.xataka.com/galleries/xperia-z2-muestras-barcelona/DSC_0046.JPG
Overall, it's a bit soft, but the random blurriness you mentioned is not present. Detail is sharp at the center and fuzzy at the edges, just like any camera, but the random blurs are not there. Why? Because the picture you showed was an abnormality.
This plagued my old Z also, thought it was a smudge or lens had become scuffed but this was not the case. I thought it was an isolated problem but this is a big concern as im eyeing the Z2 (obviously)
kantk20111 said:
What discussion is there to have? Do you want people to agree with you and reply 'ohhh yuhh z1 camera sux' or 'sony u suck lolol'? I stated my opinion, and it's true. I'm a pretty avid photographer, I have a Nikon D7100 and have a decent eye for photography. My D7100 with the 18-105 lens has the same problems at large aperture. Granted it's not as bad as the Z1's, but the softness is still there. Large aperture lenses have softness on the corners. I guarantee you will find the same result with the 5S or S4.
I could show you pictures that came out perfectly with my Z1 as well with none of the problems you mentioned. There are a ton of reasons why you could have got that blurriness in the middle. The camera lens could've been smudged, they might've got a bad phone, or, most probably, the guy was taking pictures out of a helicopter which was moving and might have had smudges on the window?
Let's take a look at another picture in this set:http://img.xataka.com/galleries/xperia-z2-muestras-barcelona/DSC_0046.JPG
Overall, it's a bit soft, but the random blurriness you mentioned is not present. Detail is sharp at the center and fuzzy at the edges, just like any camera, but the random blurs are not there. Why? Because the picture you showed was an abnormality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm also a photographer, and even when using L glass (yea I have a Canon, screw you Nikon...just kidding) there will be abnormalities. The z1 takes great photos. The blur is no big deal. It is just a phone. Now if my $2,000+ lens gave me these problems...that's another story lol
Sent from my LG Optimus G using xda app-developers app
kantk20111 said:
What discussion is there to have? Do you want people to agree with you and reply 'ohhh yuhh z1 camera sux' or 'sony u suck lolol'?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please stop trolling my thread. This is a camera lens discussion thread. Don't reply to this.
liliha said:
This plagued my old Z also, thought it was a smudge or lens had become scuffed but this was not the case. I thought it was an isolated problem but this is a big concern as im eyeing the Z2 (obviously)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you for a reasonable response, Sony won't address the issue if ppl. play down the lens problems. Interestingly zoom lenses suffer from similar issues, but phones have fixed focal length, so there should be no softness all over the place. Unfortunately there is, I'll be looking to add full-size photos, maybe a few Z1s.
BoneXDA said:
Please stop trolling my thread. This is a camera lens discussion thread. Don't reply to this.
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
...did you seriously ignore the rest of my post because of that? I wrote that to reply directly to what you said.
BoneXDA said:
"ur crazy dude, no camera is perfect homes".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you don't have a response to my actual argument, don't reply, and don't call me a troll.
kantk20111 said:
Literally every camera in existance ranging from a phone camera to a high end DSLR has this 'problem'.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope.
The OP sample is terrible even for a phone. As for DSLRs, even the cheapest ones with a kit lens will give you amazing results compare to this.
Relayers said:
Nope.
The OP sample is terrible even for a phone. As for DSLRs, even the cheapest ones with a kit lens will give you amazing results compare to this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, obviously, but the corners/edges of an image are the softest part of the image, that's a fact. The level of softness depends on the quality of the lens, which is why it doesn't make much of a difference in DSLRs. OP's sample is very poor but probably not a problem due to the lens.
kantk20111 said:
Well, obviously, but the corners/edges of an image are the softest part of the image, that's a fact. The level of softness depends on the quality of the lens, which is why it doesn't make much of a difference in DSLRs. OP's sample is very poor but probably not a problem due to the lens.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its almost certainly a lens issue, maybe not all G-lenses are equal, but having read through extensive Z1 & Z1 Compact reviews, quite a few spot those soft areas. It's hard to see the software causing it, cause why are other parts sharper? But since there's a lot of noise filtering and sharpening going on, and manual and superior auto results can differ quite a bit, I can't rule that out.
BoneXDA said:
Its almost certainly a lens issue, maybe not all G-lenses are equal, but having read through extensive Z1 & Z1 Compact reviews, quite a few spot those soft areas. It's hard to see the software causing it, cause why are other parts sharper? But since there's a lot of noise filtering and sharpening going on, and manual and superior auto results can differ quite a bit, I can't rule that out.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I took these two pictures seconds from each other, about 10 minutes ago. The blurrier one with the soft spots you mentioned was taken with Superior Auto. The sharper and brighter one was taken in manual, ISO 400 and +0.7 EV. Other than the slightly overblown whites in the manual one due to the increased EV, it's much sharper and has none of the soft spots you mentioned. I should mention that this was in reasonable low light, taken with the blinds down.
I've said this before and I'll say it again. There is nothing wrong with the G lens. The softness you mention is because of the software. Superior auto causes extreme compression as well as being very conservative with ISO levels leading to a fuzzy image. I have more examples comparing SA to manual and the trend remains. The Z1 hardware is more than capable. It is let down by a very poor auto mode.
Can you share the full-size photos?
BoneXDA said:
Can you share the full-size photos?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://speedyshare.com/v8u7y/DSC-0086.JPG
http://speedyshare.com/nqQhB/DSC-0087.JPG
kantk20111 said:
http://speedyshare.com/v8u7y/DSC-0086.JPG
http://speedyshare.com/nqQhB/DSC-0087.JPG
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can't analyze too much there, superior out choose much higher ISO (2000 vs manual's 400), of course it's softer. But the subject on my shot (city) is properly focused and sharp... in some parts, soft in others. So if you have full 20MP photos with high background details, I'd have a look at it. So far, the Z2 shows sharpness inconsistencies, will post other photos if I find them.
BoneXDA said:
Can't analyze too much there, superior out choose much higher ISO (2000 vs manual's 400), of course it's softer. But the subject on my shot (city) is properly focused and sharp... in some parts, soft in others. So if you have full 20MP photos with high background details, I'd have a look at it. So far, the Z2 shows sharpness inconsistencies, will post other photos if I find them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well for that, I can say Z2's SW is still not in its stable mode, but there are parts in my mind fighting that the Z2's camera SW is the same with the current Z1's camera SW. But well, this is in 4.4 KK so we never know if Sony has done again improvements (or maybe disruptions) with the camera SW.
Expect camera SW to be the same once Z1 got its 4.4 KK. Dunno but SD801 on Z2 has dual ISP chips compared to single ones on 800 on Z1, also dunno if it is also contributing to that BIONZ for mobile "fake" better image processing.
PS: I have a Z1 and it's really great to be with Sony. Just expecting them to topple again on cameraphone making, just like what they did to K750i and K800i way way back its time.
Thank you for raising concern about the camera here.. Gonna stay and absorbing the discussion now...
While I am at it, will this lens problem affect video results as well?
Because Z2 now support 4k video recording right? Just asking because I think 4K is the future and it's nice to have a future-proof documentations..
opensourcenoob said:
Thank you for raising concern about the camera here.. Gonna stay and absorbing the discussion now...
While I am at it, will this lens problem affect video results as well?
Because Z2 now support 4k video recording right? Just asking because I think 4K is the future and it's nice to have a future-proof documentations..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There isn't any concern

Purple Tint Explanation

Before reading it try this.
1. Open camera and go to a place with light and long press the screen to lock AE & AF
2. Cover the lens, you won't have the purple tint anymore. No matter how hot your phone gets.
This is a fact you can try it yourself!
Now do it the other way around, open the camara and lock AE & AF with the screen completely covered (long press screen) and then try to take a normal photo. You will be impressed how much light the camera can take even with total darkness.
The camera components that they are replacing are just offering higher resistant to heat, which covers up the problem! but in the end the problem will appear again, hope they can solve this as it is a heat-software-hardware problem (the sensor is not defective though, it is just too exagerated and this problem normally appears when given heat is present).
mariosanoguera said:
Before reading it try this.
1. Go to a place with light and lock AF by long pressing the screen
2. Cover the lens, you won't have the purple tint anymore. No matter how hot your phone gets.
This is a fact you can try it yourself!
Now do it the other way around, lock with the screen completely covered and then try to take a normal photo. You will be impressed how much light the camera can take even with total darkness.
The camera components that they are replacing are just offering higher resistant to heat, which covers up the problem! but in the end the problem will appear again, hope they can solve this as it is a heat-software-hardware problem (the sensor is not defective though, it is just too exagerated and this problem normally appears when given heat is present).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is actually an interesting find. I guess the camera software isn't calibrated properly and helps make the sensor problem even worse.
spartan268 said:
This is actually an interesting find. I guess the camera software isn't calibrated properly and helps make the sensor problem even worse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
probably the ultrapixel isn't working correctly, there should be an option to disable UP in low light conditions, today I've cancelled the htc official repair I had, I'm too afraid after waiting 2 weeks my phone is dmged or has another new problem
I'm not sure why you would cancel it to be honest. Go and check the huge purple tint thread and see how many people with replaced sensors have the purple tint come back. Mine has been rock solid for months on end now, no reason not to get it fixed. My phone is even hotter than normal since it's summer time and it's fine in low light
Galactus said:
I'm not sure why you would cancel it to be honest. Go and check the huge purple tint thread and see how many people with replaced sensors have the purple tint come back. Mine has been rock solid for months on end now, no reason not to get it fixed. My phone is even hotter than normal since it's summer time and it's fine in low light
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So, that is the point, I suppose you were lucky and fine, but checking the service repair center they send it to here in Spain (Regenesis) you are lucky if you get it replaced at the first time and with no dmg.
Many people have been months sending it and getting it back in and it is a MUST to do a video and photos to your phone to proove if they do any scratches, I don't do that much photos and normally they are very good photos with light or flash in the night ^^ so I don't want to risk it and start a battle with htc having my phone replaced many times
mariosanoguera said:
So, that is the point, I suppose you were lucky and fine, but checking the service repair center they send it to here in Spain (Regenesis) you are lucky if you get it replaced at the first time and with no dmg.
Many people have been months sending it and getting it back in and it is a MUST to do a video and photos to your phone to proove if they do any scratches, I don't do that much photos and normally they are very good photos with light or flash in the night ^^ so I don't want to risk it and start a battle with htc having my phone replaced many times
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess quality of service varies but Regenersis UK sorted my phone out quickly and efficiently. Took 4 working days including the day UPS came to my house to collect the phone. Exact same story for three friends I know. All of ours came back in good condition. I even got new speakers and the back of the phone replaced (had a few tiny tiny dents and beats logo was missing) so I can't really complain
man its right,when i locked AF the camera in low light is very dark and no purple issue,but no AF too for good photo. What can we do now for fixing this ??? It's now soft problem i think and need to find way.
haykweb said:
man its right,when i locked AF the camera in low light is very dark and no purple issue,but no AF too for good photo. What can we do now for fixing this ??? It's now soft problem i think and need to find way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess if we renounce to the ultrapixel stuff when there are low light conditions photos would be much worse but without the pink stuff.
I'm glad you were lucky I don't know if I selling it or try sending it..
@mariosanoguera I did not understand lock with screen completely covered. You mean cover screen while AF lock??
3n3rg1c said:
@mariosanoguera I did not understand lock with screen completely covered. You mean cover screen while AF lock??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cover camera then long press on screen and then uncover it.
It means HTC is covering there ass by just saying that camera module is faulty. Is it the time to say HTC bye bye??
Sent from my HTC One using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
3n3rg1c said:
@mariosanoguera I did not understand lock with screen completely covered. You mean cover screen while AF lock??
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry I edited my first post to make it clearer, this doesn't proove anything in fact it just a way of stopping the purple tint happen, but if in the future (when we are out of warranty and problem appears again) it is a software proof that it can be avoided without reducing the iso to 100 (which only takes good photos on good light conditions)
kartik.kayz said:
It means HTC is covering there ass by just saying that camera module is faulty. Is it the time to say HTC bye bye??
Sent from my HTC One using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still think it is still faulty under extreme light conditions, but they could easily cover it up by auto-disabling "ultrapixel" for those users who choose it, but in fact, its sad... this is the main reason why I acquired an htc one.
mariosanoguera said:
sorry I edited my first post to make it clearer, this doesn't proove anything in fact it just a way of stopping the purple tint happen, but if in the future (when we are out of warranty and problem appears again) it is a software proof that it can be avoided without reducing the iso to 100 (which only takes good photos on good light conditions)
I still think it is still faulty under extreme light conditions, but they could easily cover it up by auto-disabling "ultrapixel" for those users who choose it, but in fact, its sad... this is the main reason why I acquired an htc one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's still a faulty sensor from the way I see it. Otherwise I'll need to keep a lightsource with me at night to lock the AF on at all times.
Now I use GPE rom and google camera. How can i lock AF & AE?
tolakhla said:
Now I use GPE rom and google camera. How can i lock AF & AE?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can't
Question, after doing this , the pictures are taking with the AE FA lock on all the time ,
I Did it , but the phone still gets the purple tint
Even backwards to test , the phone still has it . But when the pictures are taken with the lock on , the tint seems to go away.
I'm I doing it wrong ?
The phone is using sense 6
I still think it is still faulty under extreme light conditions, but they could easily cover it up by auto-disabling "ultrapixel" for those users who choose it, but in fact, its sad... this is the main reason why I acquired an htc one.
The reason that this does this is very straight forward, and I was able to do the same thing on my nexus. All sensors have noise and when the sensor dips further into lowlight, the noise is more pronounced to the point where it is visible. The color of the noise is dependent on the white balance. These phones have an exceptionally sensitive sensor and auto adjusts ISO, white balance, and exposure. The result is the "purple" tint in low light at normal (5300k) white balance. You can fake other colors by hard setting white balance to another setting rather than auto. One can simulate the same thing by adjusting color balance on any camera-on-phone and as long as the your white balance is set, and the software boosts the iso/exposure level until the noise shows, that one will get it too.
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Galactus said:
I guess quality of service varies but Regenersis UK sorted my phone out quickly and efficiently. Took 4 working days including the day UPS came to my house to collect the phone. Exact same story for three friends I know. All of ours came back in good condition. I even got new speakers and the back of the phone replaced (had a few tiny tiny dents and beats logo was missing) so I can't really complain
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How did you get yours fixed?
and how much did it cost?
Mine ahs the Purple tint Camera issue, plus my Volume button is wearing off, a few scratches and minor dents on the back as well...
was thinking of getting it fixed,
any idea how much it would cost?
regards
raziel123 said:
How did you get yours fixed?
and how much did it cost?
Mine ahs the Purple tint Camera issue, plus my Volume button is wearing off, a few scratches and minor dents on the back as well...
was thinking of getting it fixed,
any idea how much it would cost?
regards
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Phoned HTC and told them about the purple tint
They said they'd send UPS to collect the phone the next day
Few days later got an email saying the camera had been repaired
UPS returned it the next day.
All covered under warranty so it was free. I have no idea how much it would cost if out of warranty

Camera Pink Spot Poll

I'm curious how many people see a pink patch in the middle of photos in certain lighting conditions. Can't tell if mine is better, worse or the same as everyone else's.
The "pink spot" seems pretty common with cellphones and I find that in certain conditions it's pretty evident in my Z3c photos -- the lighting is usually filtered sun and/or tungsten, the background a fairly light, neutral color, and the overall lighting is on the low side causing the camera to boost the sensor gain. It seems related to auto white balance because I can change the WB manually and watch the pink spot miraculously disappear, although that's not to say there's not also some lens/sensor problem. My Nexus 4 does the same thing, although that's the least of the problems with that crummy camera :laugh:
in case anyone's not aware of the issue, here's a report and examples from Xperia Blog: http://www.xperiablog.net/2014/10/27...g-in-pictures/
And here's the growing thread about it from Z3 owners on Sony's own support forum: https://talk.sonymobile.com/t5/Xperia-Z3-Z3-Dual/Pink-spot-with-xperia-z3-camera/td-p/839421
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pipspeak said:
I'm curious how many people see a pink patch in the middle of photos in certain lighting conditions. Can't tell if mine is better, worse or the same as everyone else's.
The "pink spot" seems pretty common with cellphones and I find that in certain conditions it's pretty evident in my Z3c photos -- the lighting is usually filtered sun and/or tungsten, the background a fairly light, neutral color, and the overall lighting is on the low side causing the camera to boost the sensor gain. It seems related to auto white balance because I can change the WB manually and watch the pink spot miraculously disappear, although that's not to say there's not also some lens/sensor problem. My Nexus 4 does the same thing, although that's the least of the problems with that crummy camera :laugh:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have no idea what on earth you are talking about.
Try providing an image as an example maybe?
I'll take some pics tomorrow, but just Google "xperia pink spot" and you'll see what I'm talking about
Stevles said:
I have no idea what on earth you are talking about.
Try providing an image as an example maybe?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://www.xperiablog.net/2014/10/2...porting-issues-with-pink-shading-in-pictures/
FYI, my camera is fine even with white backgrounds, no pink spot at all.
adamk7 said:
http://www.xperiablog.net/2014/10/2...porting-issues-with-pink-shading-in-pictures/
FYI, my camera is fine even with white backgrounds, no pink spot at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
White backgrounds are not a problem with mine, either. The white balance has an easier time with white. It's the off-white colors that generate the pink spot for me -- light gray, beige etc. and only in low-light daylight settings such as indoors with no artificial light. In full daylight outside the same colors have no pink spot evident.
Maybe some cameras really don't have a problem, or perhaps some people just don't happen to experience the same lighting combinations as others. It would be nice if Sony could comment, however. So far their only advice is "set the white balance manually", which is not really much of a solution.
adamk7 said:
http://www.xperiablog.net/2014/10/2...porting-issues-with-pink-shading-in-pictures/
FYI, my camera is fine even with white backgrounds, no pink spot at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
pipspeak said:
White backgrounds are not a problem with mine, either. The white balance has an easier time with white. It's the off-white colors that generate the pink spot for me -- light gray, beige etc. and only in low-light daylight settings such as indoors with no artificial light. In full daylight outside the same colors have no pink spot evident.
Maybe some cameras really don't have a problem, or perhaps some people just don't happen to experience the same lighting combinations as others. It would be nice if Sony could comment, however. So far their only advice is "set the white balance manually", which is not really much of a solution.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If we could get the OP updated with that link, that would be great
Not that big a deal, it just makes a lot more sense to provide details in the OP as opposed to having to scroll down.
By the way, I'm experiencing this too under certain circumstances (new phone and hardly used the camera so far until I tested it on my rug a minute ago)
Shots added.
By the way the one with a shot of my pool is just because it looks gorgeous, it doesn't actually have a pink dot. So I guess you could say it is an example of when it doesn't happen lol
The one looking at the mat on an angle is showing the middle part of the mat without the pink dot, to show the proper colour.
This is not problem of the camera. The Camera is Perfect.
This happened because you use Superior Auto with the flash off and you got a big ISO metering (maybe 12800).
You have to lower the ISO in manual mode and play with the other settings to get the proper image.
The big ISO is ideal when you shoot in low light conditions in order to get the less noise possible.
Like here:
http://www.martinbaileyphotography.com/2013/07/29/why-expose-to-the-right-podcast-381/
or here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGr_hXgJVGs
The Big ISO is not for shooting the dark walls of your rooms!
Katsigaros said:
See my post here:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=56670432&postcount=9
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It looks like that thread is about the font camera, not the main one. The problem with the main camera that's causing the issue is white balance, which has been acknowledged by Sony (and my own tests). I'm sure high ISO also plays a part by boosting the sensor gain and amplifying any problems, but the point is that "intelligent" auto mode and the white balance algorithm should handle this far better.
Of course, if Sony were to give us the option for RAW files with the next update then this point might become moot
pipspeak said:
It looks like that thread is about the font camera, not the main one. The problem with the main camera that's causing the issue is white balance, which has been acknowledged by Sony (and my own tests). I'm sure high ISO also plays a part by boosting the sensor gain and amplifying any problems, but the point is that "intelligent" auto mode and the white balance algorithm should handle this far better.
Of course, if Sony were to give us the option for RAW files with the next update then this point might become moot
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes i was meaning the main camera. I edited my post. I
From the tests i have made i believe that this issue happens only when you have big ISO level and fast shutter speed, and not by white balance.
But in manual mode you always get better results than superior auto without resulting to these issues.
You only have to experiment with 4 settings:
1) White Balance
2) EV Settings
3) ISO
4) Metering
There's definitely a color spot in the middle, color differs and it's always there (no matter iso, auto, manual, wb...)
Just received my handset and instead of a pink spot per say, mine is exhibiting a yellow spot that gradually turns into pink.... the camera quality of this phone is appalling.
dlau77 said:
Just received my handset and instead of a pink spot per say, mine is exhibiting a yellow spot that gradually turns into pink.... the camera quality of this phone is appalling.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wouldn't say the camera on it is appalling.. I would say thej software is. If you set it to manual mode and adjust the white balance you can get rid of it. I recommend an app like pro capture as it has a lot of manual settings. I really do think it's the software though because I can get much better ffc pics if I use pro capture and can get rid of the pink spot even with the sony software. I took one selfie with the sony software and it too had a purple hue (think m7) but then I used pro capture and no purple tint at all.
graffixnyc said:
I wouldn't say the camera on it is appalling.. I would say thej software is. If you set it to manual mode and adjust the white balance you can get rid of it. I recommend an app like pro capture as it has a lot of manual settings. I really do think it's the software though because I can get much better ffc pics if I use pro capture and can get rid of the pink spot even with the sony software. I took one selfie with the sony software and it too had a purple hue (think m7) but then I used pro capture and no purple tint at all.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've downloaded the free version of ProCamera and tried using multiple combinations of settings in manual and essentially, if I take a snap on a plain white background, the pink spot is really obvious. On my iPod touch 5th gen, there is no pink spot. However, on my iPhone 4 (4-5 years old now), there is.
No matter what camera app I use, the temperamental nature of the camera makes the camera appalling. The fact that Sony simply doesn't say anything about clear software/hardware issues, means consumers have no confidence that a 'fix', if indeed it can be fixed, is forthcoming.
This level of hardware/software algorithms is simply not acceptable for a 2014 flagship device that brags so much about its imaging capabilities.
This, and with the constant face blur mode on the front-facing camera that simply doesn't turn off, is a deal breaker.
Just a friendly little bump for this thread... I've actually had a replacement handset delivered and it still exhibits this really obvious 'yellow circle/fade out into pink' issue.
I tried all the sample phones around town and none of them were as obvious/never even had the issue. However, they were also running earlier software... think it ended in 93(?)
My Sony is currently on 23.0.A.2.105 (14W44)
If anyone else has this build number, can you please double check if there is a yellow blob in the middle of all pictures? (Really stands out on anything white)
******UPDATE WITH EXAMPLE PICTURES******
http://i59.tinypic.com/24ydaap.jpg
dlau77 said:
Just a friendly little bump for this thread... I've actually had a replacement handset delivered and it still exhibits this really obvious 'yellow circle/fade out into pink' issue.
I tried all the sample phones around town and none of them were as obvious/never even had the issue. However, they were also running earlier software... think it ended in 93(?)
My Sony is currently on 23.0.A.2.105 (14W44)
If anyone else has this build number, can you please double check if there is a yellow blob in the middle of all pictures? (Really stands out on anything white)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The newer firmware must have changed the blob to yellow! I'm on 23.0.A.2.93 and have the pink blob.
pipspeak said:
The newer firmware must have changed the blob to yellow! I'm on 23.0.A.2.93 and have the pink blob.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Have you tried getting this issue fixed in any way?
I voted "never noticed it" on the poll, because in regular day to day use this has never come up. However, when I took a photo of my walls and ceiling (off white and white, respectively), there is a very slight spot in the center of the frame.
However, as soon as you introduce a non-neutral subject, of any kind (I used a whiteboard with text, a notice board, a silver down light), the issue disappears. I can't imagine many real world scenarios where you're going to be taking a photo of a single tone background with no colours for the software to balance greys from, isn't this a bit of a non-issue?
andycore said:
I voted "never noticed it" on the poll, because in regular day to day use this has never come up. However, when I took a photo of my walls and ceiling (off white and white, respectively), there is a very slight spot in the center of the frame.
However, as soon as you introduce a non-neutral subject, of any kind (I used a whiteboard with text, a notice board, a silver down light), the issue disappears. I can't imagine many real world scenarios where you're going to be taking a photo of a single tone background with no colours for the software to balance greys from, isn't this a bit of a non-issue?
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Click to collapse
Can I ask what firmware your phone is currently running?
What you say kind of holds some truth in my situation as it is definitly more noticeable on neutral coloured backgrounds. However, it is also noticeable in other photos and I think my 2nd unit is worse than the first one!
I have the same issue with pink spot. On the picture, you can see that pink spot can be spotted on black background also. I think it depends on light conditions. I really love this phone but im worried about this.

What's up with the horrible camera distortion in the corners?

I understand that the Z5 has a wider field of view than other phones, e.g. my Samsung Galaxy S5. But the problem is that the distortion in the corners is rather ridiculous.
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My spherical exercise ball looks like a f'in egg. What's the point of a wider lens if things in the corner are so badly distorted? Here's the picture in full distorted glory.
Here is a comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S5:
How do people correct for this?
Do you crop the image, correct in Photoshop, or just ignore? PTLens doesn't have lens information for any Xperia devices.
I wanted kind of the same answers and I was told to buy new phone basically... Oh well
I was gona make a thread abt this, i am also a former user of galaxy s5 ( n still use it as back up) the 16mp camera on the s5 is day and night better, my s5 atleast never had blurr watsoever, and the black was black ( specaily in dark shot) but on the z5 anything shot gotta be blurred ( well shooting 1080 gets me more details when i zoom than the 23mp stillshots) oh and in dark stillshots u gota have the blueish black. Seriously sony ?
Am not a photographer by any means or really use my fone to take lots of pics , but u kno when u get a good scene that u have to atleast take one pic for good memories? Well the z5 fails u big time.
Ps i dont have any kind of distortion on my z5, however the noise and the blurr ruin the whole 23mp thingy, manual mode is a joke bcuz the camera just goes crazy in 1st place if there is anything black or blue in dark shots
Vcaddy said:
Ps i dont have any kind of distortion on my z5
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Are you sure you don't have any kind of distortion on your Z5? Try taking a picture of a row of windows that looks like a grid (like this), and see what you get.
I ran a monitor test and took a photo of that.
Is the result bad enough to ask for a replacement Z5 or should I just accept it as a feature?
Apparently i didnt play with camera as much u hence i never noticed the distortion, yes i can confirm that i have the same distortion on every corner of the camera, its even visible without taking a picture. Is this how the wider lens should be ? As i dont think all our z5 cameras r broken
I noticed the distortion as soon as I took my first picture. It really bothers me. On top of that you can see how black objects come out blue in low light. Very disappointed. The front right stove burner is considerably smaller than that back left. In one picture they look the same size.
You can see in the first picture the actual size of the furthest burners. The closest two are the same difference in size from one another. They look the same.
I would say there is nothing that cant be fixed with a firmware update from sony as i dont think the camera is the problem here but rather its firmware
As a DLSR photographer, this is the kind of thing you get with such a wide angle lens--it requires very large and expensive lenses to get around (like the Canon L series) so I wouldn't worry about it. If it bothers you that much, then take a picture in the 8MP mode and zoom in so the phone crops out the corners.
Alternatively, you can profile the distortion of the lens and then apply correction in post-processing, but day-to-day shots don't warrant this level of obsession.
More pictures of Z5 corner distortion
sovanyio said:
As a DLSR photographer, this is the kind of thing you get with such a wide angle lens--it requires very large and expensive lenses to get around (like the Canon L series) so I wouldn't worry about it. If it bothers you that much, then take a picture in the 8MP mode and zoom in so the phone crops out the corners.
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Doing that every time I take a picture is a pain and defeats the purpose of having a dedicated camera key to take photos fast.
sovanyio said:
Alternatively, you can profile the distortion of the lens and then apply correction in post-processing,
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Click to collapse
I've done that sort of thing for regular camera pictures, but my question is:
With this much processor power in the phone, why doesn't it automatically apply this correction? If you say "for performance", I'll counter with:
the camera's hardware could have highly optimized code for correcting the distortion, since its parameters are known
correction could be queued and done by software after the photos are taken
sovanyio said:
but day-to-day shots don't warrant this level of obsession.
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Click to collapse
Fair enough, unless ordinary shots look downright comical. I've had smartphones before and am aware of the problem (see my comparison with the S5 above), but it never really bothered me. With the Z5, it does. The distortion is kind of "in your face", and not easy to ignore. Make the pictures look badly Photoshopped:
Try taking a picture of a group of people and it will look closer to the last pic from the page.
Anyway, here are more Z5 shots illustrating the distortion. This one shows both the pincushion and left-side blur:
dandv said:
Doing that every time I take a picture is a pain and defeats the purpose of having a dedicated camera key to take photos fast.
I've done that sort of thing for regular camera pictures, but my question is:
With this much processor power in the phone, why doesn't it automatically apply this correction? If you say "for performance", I'll counter with:
the camera's hardware could have highly optimized code for correcting the distortion, since its parameters are known
correction could be queued and done by software after the photos are taken
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I, for one, prefer that my original shots are not processed beyond the camera's noise reduction algorithms. But its a fair point, they could enable this in settings. But that would require user configuration since each phone/lens combination will have unique lens calibration values--something that is probably too top heavy for the manufacturing process.
The thing that bothers me the most is the blue tint on the edges of photos in low light. What is up with that?
Also, if I cover the lens entirely with my hand and take a photo of the blackness, there is heavy blue tint on the edges, particularly on the left side..
xevious_ said:
The thing that bothers me the most is the blue tint on the edges of photos in low light. What is up with that?
Also, if I cover the lens entirely with my hand and take a photo of the blackness, there is heavy blue tint on the edges, particularly on the left side..
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Click to collapse
I, too, left side blue, wants to try to change the camera module.
vyshgorado said:
I, too, left side blue, wants to try to change the camera module.
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Click to collapse
It's call "left hand blur issue".no word from Sony regarding this!!!!!it's a hardware issue on most of
The z5 families..only option is to change the camera module..
dandv said:
I understand that the Z5 has a wider field of view than other phones, e.g. my Samsung Galaxy S5. But the problem is that the distortion in the corners is rather ridiculous.
My spherical exercise ball looks like a f'in egg. What's the point of a wider lens if things in the corner are so badly distorted? Here's the picture in full distorted glory.
Here is a comparison with the Samsung Galaxy S5:
How do people correct for this?
Do you crop the image, correct in Photoshop, or just ignore? PTLens doesn't have lens information for any Xperia devices.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Common on all lenses, even $5,000 and upward lenses have more blur at the edges than the centre. Worse on wide angle lenses.
I am guessing the Sony Lens is;
1. A faster lens (f stops)
2. Wider angle.
Yep and yep on both counts, sure enough
Z5 23 MP, f/2.0, 24mm
16 MP, f/2.2, 31mm
dodo1515 said:
It's call "left hand blur issue".no word from Sony regarding this!!!!!it's a hardware issue on most of
The z5 families..only option is to change the camera module..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you go about changing the camera module? Do I have to get a replacement phone?
xevious_ said:
How do you go about changing the camera module? Do I have to get a replacement phone?
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Click to collapse
Check those links for your answer:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z5/general/sony-mobile-problems-camera-z5-family-t3262292
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z5/general/im-doing-tally-z5-series-affected-left-t3242302
dodo1515 said:
Check those links for your answer:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z5/general/sony-mobile-problems-camera-z5-family-t3262292
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xperia-z5/general/im-doing-tally-z5-series-affected-left-t3242302
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Click to collapse
I am in the USA (New York), so I don't think there's any service center I can visit for this blue tint issue..
xevious_ said:
I am in the USA (New York), so I don't think there's any service center I can visit for this blue tint issue..
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Click to collapse
Me too l can't return it l have both z5 and premium with the same issue..
L'm just hoping that it's can be adjusted with a software update...
vyshgorado said:
I, too, left side blue, wants to try to change the camera module.
dodo1515 said:
It's call "left hand blur issue".no word from Sony regarding this!!!!!it's a hardware issue on most of
The z5 families..only option is to change the camera module..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The blue color at the edges in dark shots is perfectly avoidable by using manual mode with the night scene program. It occurs mainly in superior auto.
It has nothing to do with blur of any kind. It's failed post processing I think.

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