Manual camera mode auto exposure design flaw? - G4 General

Is it me or does the manual camera mode goes into auto exposure lock (AEL) whenever you manually choose the ISO?
So whenever ISO is changed, shutter speed also needs to be changed manually to get the right exposure. How dumb.
Has anyone noticed this? Hopefully I'm missing something here as this is really bad if it's by design.
Few other gripes:
1. No metering modes? (such as centre weighted, matrix, spot etc)
2. No focus mode? (face detect, fixed centre point, tracking etc)
3. It keeps the previous manual exposure setting even when you exit the camera app. (good & bad. maybe should have a setting to auto-reset)
4. No JPG compression setting.
5. No sharpening level setting.
6. No color setting. (dynamic, natural etc)
Whoever designed this camera app's manual mode certainly isn't that much into photography I reckon.

sounds like how an slr works in manual mode.

larsdennert said:
sounds like how an slr works in manual mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
All DSLR's have Program, Aperture & Shutter priority modes as well.
Many phones have full auto exposure even with manual ISO set also.
G4 only has full auto & full manual exposure. Nothing inbetween.

Ummm....sounds like you bought this phone expecting a full DSLR suite of options. It's a smartphone, you won't get ALL those features. It still has far more than any other flagship.
Also, if the AE Lock isn't on when you change the ISO, it's going to auto adjust the exposure, which will mess up your settings, removing the manual aspect.
http://www.cameradebate.com/2015/lg-g4-camera-full-manual-mode-guide/

the_scotsman said:
Ummm....sounds like you bought this phone expecting a full DSLR suite of options. It's a smartphone, you won't get ALL those features. It still has far more than any other flagship.
Also, if the AE Lock isn't on when you change the ISO, it's going to auto adjust the exposure, which will mess up your settings, removing the manual aspect.
http://www.cameradebate.com/2015/lg-g4-camera-full-manual-mode-guide/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I used to be a photographer, still am but not for money unless I get called for a job at a wedding studio etc.
So yeah, I know my way around photography. Whoever created this advanced manual mode didn't really go far enough IMO. The can, they just didn't.
I just expected the camera app to be at least as smart as previous/current phones that could already do what I stated about the ISO & auto exposure.
Yes, it's great to have full manual mode at least. But that's an extremity that even many pro's do not utilize often. Even more so on a mobile phone. =p
Whole point of changing ISO is to allow either having a varied-noise IQ or faster shutter speed. It's VERY handy when paired with auto-exposure.
e.g. You can "fix" the ISO at 200, and expect it to have low shutter speed but cleaner photos for every shot.
or fix it at its max of ISO 2700 to force the auto exposure to always give me the fastest shutter speed for a given lighting condition.
(Right now, G4 doesn't even use its max ISO of 2700 in auto exposure mode. It's limited to 2000 unless you manually set 2700.)
Heck, even the old Galaxy series, old Symbian Nokia phones had multiple metering modes & auto exposure with manual ISO.

jakiman said:
So whenever ISO is changed, shutter speed also needs to be changed manually to get the right exposure. How dumb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it's great to have full manual mode at least. But that's an extremity that even many pro's do not utilize often. Even more so on a mobile phone. =p
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's manual mode - you need to adjust everything yourself. Why is this a bad thing?
It has full auto and full manual. They can't cater for every mode that comes with a DSLR camera.
If it didn't have full manual mode, then people would complain about that too.

the_scotsman said:
It's manual mode - you need to adjust everything yourself. Why is this a bad thing?
It has full auto and full manual. They can't cater for every mode that comes with a DSLR camera.
If it didn't have full manual mode, then people would complain about that too.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
99% of the phones don't come with full manual mode for a reason.
On the G4, Simple is too simple and Auto mode is still too simple. Only can control the flash on/off pretty much.
So the only way to even go close to the iPhone's camera app (for EV Comp) is to go to the MANUAL mode.
Now in this mode, it's definitely better than the iPhone or Google Camera app. But to the majority, not by much.
I bought the phone expecting to use the ISO & EV Comp. But now I find that ISO is useless. (I'm sure for many)
Surely, they could have made the camera UI /UX at least work similar to normal cameras?
It's not like they have to really invent the camera UI. Digital cameras beeen around for 15+ years. (My first DSLR was back in 2001 - Canon EOS D30)
Especially more so when LG is boasting so much about its camera.
I just wonder what the camera development team was thinking... =<

jakiman said:
But now I find that ISO is useless. (I'm sure for many)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see why you say ISO is useless? it sounds like you want all the features, but don't want to have to do all the work setting up everything else?

jakiman said:
Is it me or does the manual camera mode goes into auto exposure lock (AEL) whenever you manually choose the ISO?
So whenever ISO is changed, shutter speed also needs to be changed manually to get the right exposure. How dumb.
Has anyone noticed this? Hopefully I'm missing something here as this is really bad if it's by design.
Few other gripes:
1. No metering modes? (such as centre weighted, matrix, spot etc)
2. No focus mode? (face detect, fixed centre point, tracking etc)
3. It keeps the previous manual exposure setting even when you exit the camera app. (good & bad. maybe should have a setting to auto-reset)
4. No JPG compression setting.
5. No sharpening level setting.
6. No color setting. (dynamic, natural etc)
Whoever designed this camera app's manual mode certainly isn't that much into photography I reckon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. This is what manual exposure is for.
2. This is what manual focus is for.
3. Ok? So what?
4. RAW.
5. This is a concern of post-editing
6. This is also a post-editing concern.
If there's anyone who isn't knowledgeable about photography, it would be you.

the_scotsman said:
I don't see why you say ISO is useless? it sounds like you want all the features, but don't want to have to do all the work setting up everything else?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How ISO is implemented in G4 is nearly useless for my pattern of usage.
As lens aperture is fixed, the only exposure variable is shutter speed & ISO.
Forcing a user to "always" set both manually for each shot is really unnecessary.
I basically want ISO priority which so many other phones & cameras all do.
Well, considering the G3 didn't even have ISO setting, I guess it's a big step up. =p
It just annoys me that they didn't put more love into it when they could have.

jakiman said:
Is it me or does the manual camera mode goes into auto exposure lock (AEL) whenever you manually choose the ISO?
So whenever ISO is changed, shutter speed also needs to be changed manually to get the right exposure. How dumb.
Has anyone noticed this? Hopefully I'm missing something here as this is really bad if it's by design.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AEL is settable i thought. What happens when you toggle it.
Is exp comp useful ? this should move both.
On the K zoom, when you enter manual mode, both ISO & shutter have to be set. However in program mode, i just use leave ISO & shutter on auto and tweak exp either way. This is the most common use i have. In certain situations its helpful to disassociate iso from shutter in manual.
Few other gripes:
1. No metering modes? (such as centre weighted, matrix, spot etc)
2. No focus mode? (face detect, fixed centre point, tracking etc)
3. It keeps the previous manual exposure setting even when you exit the camera app. (good & bad. maybe should have a setting to auto-reset)
4. No JPG compression setting.
5. No sharpening level setting.
6. No color setting. (dynamic, natural etc)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. default is centre weighted. no options here. Its odd for a rumoured sony sensor as samsung, sony have them. Don't think LG has ever offered metering modes. Missing in the G2/G3. The only modes that are useful are multi and CW. CW gives the clearest shot, multi i find adds a bit of haze but is useful with evening exposure outdoors especially when there is a big difference with sky and foreground. The workaround is to ensure yourself that isn't there ie have the sun behind you rather than off to the side otherwise you end up with silhouettes or blowing out the sky. Spot is niche, macros or when you have full control of lighting. In raw files metering indicated is spot.
2. no but face detect does something in the background. No smile shutter though.
3. reset settings before closing the camera.
4. its set to best, curious why you want this because whenever i'm offered a choice i've always set to superfine at the start and left it at that.
5, 6 you will either have to use raw or in post process the jpegs.
G4 is camera2api compliant, so hopefully 3rd party cameras should work more reliably. Keep an eye out for camera fv-5. Though it will take some work to get it to work with the G4 by the developer.
Whole point of changing ISO is to allow either having a varied-noise IQ or faster shutter speed. It's VERY handy when paired with auto-exposure.
e.g. You can "fix" the ISO at 200, and expect it to have low shutter speed but cleaner photos for every shot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree. Have seen variations on this. eg on the m9 setting ISO works as an up to, meaning it won't exceed the setting but will use a lower if possible. This is the only device i've seen that behaves this way. Otherwise. setting an ISO means all shots come with that ISO and that one only. I find setting ISO in this case limited and only when auto gets it wrong and uses a very high ISO. from the numerous G4 samples i've seen the G4 seems to be getting the ISO right in auto. You would only need to tweak it for slow shutter shots.
or fix it at its max of ISO 2700 to force the auto exposure to always give me the fastest shutter speed for a given lighting condition.
(Right now, G4 doesn't even use its max ISO of 2700 in auto exposure mode. It's limited to 2000 unless you manually set 2700.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Is it not possible to just set the shutter to what you want and let ISO pick what ever ?
Whoever designed this camera app's manual mode certainly isn't that much into photography I reckon.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let's see what the next firmware update brings. its a good start, hopefully it becomes more user friendly in the future. It was quite a surprise to see a manual interface like this given the predecessor had no manual settings whatsoever. A step back from the G2, even the crippled stock iphone camera allowed more..(!)

One Twelve said:
even the crippled stock iphone camera allowed more..(!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Ummm....what?

the_scotsman said:
Ummm....what?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Tap-hold- locked exposure on the iphone. Changed its metering as well. the iphone camera to me is a crippled camera because you cant set much on it at all.
the g3 took away options available on the G2. no way to fix anything, AUTO everything.

kyle1867 said:
1. This is what manual exposure is for.
2. This is what manual focus is for.
3. Ok? So what?
4. RAW.
5. This is a concern of post-editing
6. This is also a post-editing concern.
If there's anyone who isn't knowledgeable about photography, it would be you.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
1. Auto-exposure is much faster as you know. A good photographer doesn't need to rely on manual exposure.
2. Auto-focus is faster and more accurate (especially with no focus peaking etc) in majority of usage scenarios.
3. If you used it often, then you'll know why it can become annoying. or maybe not.
4. Yes, I do shoot RAW already from day 1. But not everyone else I assume.
5. It would be 1 less thing post edit if the setting was there. This is not a major gripe. Just something which could be nice to have.
6. It would be 1 less thing post edit if the setting was there. This is not a major gripe. Just something which could be nice to have

jakiman said:
2. Auto-focus is faster and more accurate (especially with no focus peaking etc) in majority of usage scenarios.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There are times it can misfocus and get the background in focus instead of the subject. So check your shots. it should get it right most of the time but not every time.
3. If you used it often, then you'll know why it can become annoying. or maybe not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Every camera has its quirks. annoying ones. the most intuitive interface i've seen is on the k zoom. you would have thought samsung would have used it in their following flagships. No! the note 4 was a stripped down version and the s6 went in anothe direction.
5. It would be 1 less thing post edit if the setting was there. This is not a major gripe. Just something which could be nice to have.
6. It would be 1 less thing post edit if the setting was there. This is not a major gripe. Just something which could be nice to have
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only devices i know that have this are the m9 where its an issue because it over sharpens by default and you need to set it one notch above no sharpening. And the k zoom. No other device has these tweaks in camera. The lumia users were also griping about its absence.

One Twelve said:
AEL is settable i thought. What happens when you toggle it.
Is exp comp useful ? this should move both.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AEL can be toggled off. But then it goes back into full auto-exposure for both ISO & Shutter.
EV comp is useful as always at least. So this is a big improvement over the previous G3 etc.
One Twelve said:
Agree. Have seen variations on this. eg on the m9 setting ISO works as an up to, meaning it won't exceed the setting but will use a lower if possible. This is the only device i've seen that behaves this way. Otherwise. setting an ISO means all shots come with that ISO and that one only. I find setting ISO in this case limited and only when auto gets it wrong and uses a very high ISO. from the numerous G4 samples i've seen the G4 seems to be getting the ISO right in auto. You would only need to tweak it for slow shutter shots.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This G4 is also the only device to act this way of all the cameras & phones I've owned. (too many to count)
Auto ISO is good enough in most scenarios. But yeah, there are times when I do want to fix the ISO only.
One Twelve said:
Is it not possible to just set the shutter to what you want and let ISO pick what ever ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. That's not possible. Soon as you se the shutter, AE-L gets set and so it fixes the ISO also.
When you click on the AE-L to disengage it, it resets both ISO & shutter back to automatic.
One Twelve said:
Let's see what the next firmware update brings. its a good start, hopefully it becomes more user friendly in the future. It was quite a surprise to see a manual interface like this given the predecessor had no manual settings whatsoever. A step back from the G2, even the crippled stock iphone camera allowed more..(!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree that it's a great start. I hope LG spends a bit more time on it.

One Twelve said:
Every camera has its quirks. annoying ones. the most intuitive interface i've seen is on the k zoom. you would have thought samsung would have used it in their following flagships. No! the note 4 was a stripped down version and the s6 went in anothe direction.
Only devices i know that have this are the m9 where its an issue because it over sharpens by default and you need to set it one notch above no sharpening. And the k zoom. No other device has these tweaks in camera. The lumia users were also griping about its absence.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, it's amazing that the manufacturers actually cripple these camera interfaces when it should by now be very close to digital cameras.
It's the Apple's affect I call it. They made it simple and now every other company is dumbing down their phones also.

jakiman said:
They made it simple and now every other company is dumbing down their phones also.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So now you're saying it's been made too simple? But the original issue is, it's not simple enough for you.

Hey guys, I have an old LG G3 mobile, I am fed up with this. I heard about a product calles intelmobi, to install it I have to root my mobile. Sould I do this?

jakiman said:
No. That's not possible. Soon as you se the shutter, AE-L gets set and so it fixes the ISO also.
When you click on the AE-L to disengage it, it resets both ISO & shutter back to automatic..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Damn it!
When i saw those manual controls i figured you could choose one or more and the rest would take care of themselves
One thing i want to know, is it possible to lock focus. Pick a subject, press shutter to get focus, keep shutter button pressed and recompose, then release the shutter to take the shot.
or does keeping you finger pressed on the shutter button take the shot and nothing more.
That is AE-L without having AE-L on other phones. Quick and works in auto.

Related

Is a focus-free camera possible?

My pet peeve on HD is the camera auto focus. It's nothing to write home about, but OK for a phone, to my taste. The major problem with it is the autofocus which takes forever to work. Since it's difficult (for me) to hold the device steadily for such a long time, my guess is that a "focus free" mode (setting focus to infinity IINM) would make things way better for most uses. At least it work well on my Asus P750.
Does anyone know if it's possible on HD?
This is an interesting question. I havn't got my HD yet, but I can imagine, one of the things which stops this handset being used for quick snaps, is the auto focus.... I'd be intruiged to hear suggestions on this.
....Ib a n e
Problem is these camera units often have to be wide open apertures, to compensate for the tiny sensors. If it was F8 or something most stuff would be in focus all the time, but pictures in anything but bright sun would be just a huge blur because of the long shutter time needed.
Basically, camera phones will always be useless, regardless of how many megapixels they shoehorn in there.
Well, I can live with blur, actually. As long as there's something in the picture. But this 3 second long focusing just doesn't allow me to capture anything!
I don't want to live with blur at all, no point if there IS someone in the picture but they look like tom welling in smallville using super speed
vangrieg said:
Well, I can live with blur, actually. As long as there's something in the picture. But this 3 second long focusing just doesn't allow me to capture anything!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check the user manual. It might me a user defined setting let you change the duration taken to say 1 second?

Best Camera Setting for Taking Pictures

Hey guys..been using the Touch HD for a few days now and whenever i take a pic the pic is a bit blurry even after auto focus... and the pictures also lack much brightness even though i bumped up the settings a bit.. also i cant fugure out at what lvl i should keep the sharpness, contrast n brightness too.... so any1 with a good camera comfig plz tell us what settings u are using so we can get some decent pics (of even pages filled with text)!! help plz
sephiroth_vg said:
Hey guys..been using the Touch HD for a few days now and whenever i take a pic the pic is a bit blurry even after auto focus... and the pictures also lack much brightness even though i bumped up the settings a bit.. also i cant fugure out at what lvl i should keep the sharpness, contrast n brightness too.... so any1 with a good camera comfig plz tell us what settings u are using so we can get some decent pics (of even pages filled with text)!! help plz
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Try the following:
Increase Quality of Photos
To increase the quality of photos, open the Camera, go to Settings, Advanced, then Image Properties. Increase Contrast to 5, Saturation to 5, and Sharpness to 4. Now you will have better definition and much more realistic colours. Also don't forget to choose Super Fine under Quality in Advanced Settings menu.
Reduce Blurriness in Photos
To focus better, have shutter set just to Touch. After you have touched you have the whole three seconds to steady your hand and take a non-blurry photo.
Activate Hidden Photo Modes HD Tweak can also be used for this
You can activate hidden photo modes using the 'HD Tweak' app. Make sure to leave the resolutions for these modes at 1 megapixel though or they may not work properly. For for the more advanced users, use the following reg entries:
To enable Burst mode
Mobile Device\HKLM\Software\HTC\Camera\P6
set "Enable" on "1"
To enable Sports mode:
Mobile Device\HKLM\Software\HTC\Camera\P8
set "Enable" on "1"
To enable Video Share mode:
Mobile Device\HKLM\Software\HTC\Camera\P9
set "Enable" on "1"
To enable GPS Photo mode:
Mobile Device\HKLM\Software\HTC\Camera\P10
set "Enable" on "1"
Get True 5 Mega pixel Resolution When Using Camera
To get 5MP instead of 4MP resolution when using your camera, you must switch off Widescreen mode in the 'Advanced' Menu.
Normal screen = 2592 x 1944 pixels = 5,038,848 pixels = 5MP
Widescreen = 2592 x 1552 pixels = 4,022,784 pixels = 4MP
Get Better Video Quality When Using Camera
Use MPEG format instead of H.263 for better quality video output. This option can be found by going to the Advanced Setting from the Video Settings menu. Once there, go to Capture Format and change format if necessary.
Hope this helps
thanx alot
There's nothing can be done for indoor shots, the camera unit is simply rubbish. The only way to cope is to be ultra steady, during the approx 1/4 second it takes for it to take the picture.
Outdoors shots are fine though.
Fallen Spartan said:
Try the following:
Increase Quality of Photos
To increase the quality of photos, open the Camera, go to Settings, Advanced, then Image Properties. Increase Contrast to 5, Saturation to 5, and Sharpness to 4. Now you will have better definition and much more realistic colours. Also don't forget to choose Super Fine under Quality in Advanced Settings menu.
Reduce Blurriness in Photos
To focus better, have shutter set just to Touch. After you have touched you have the whole three seconds to steady your hand and take a non-blurry photo.
Activate Hidden Photo Modes HD Tweak can also be used for this
You can activate hidden photo modes using the 'HD Tweak' app. Make sure to leave the resolutions for these modes at 1 megapixel though or they may not work properly. For for the more advanced users, use the following reg entries:
To enable Burst mode
Mobile Device\HKLM\Software\HTC\Camera\P6
set "Enable" on "1"
To enable Sports mode:
Mobile Device\HKLM\Software\HTC\Camera\P8
set "Enable" on "1"
To enable Video Share mode:
Mobile Device\HKLM\Software\HTC\Camera\P9
set "Enable" on "1"
To enable GPS Photo mode:
Mobile Device\HKLM\Software\HTC\Camera\P10
set "Enable" on "1"
Get True 5 Mega pixel Resolution When Using Camera
To get 5MP instead of 4MP resolution when using your camera, you must switch off Widescreen mode in the 'Advanced' Menu.
Normal screen = 2592 x 1944 pixels = 5,038,848 pixels = 5MP
Widescreen = 2592 x 1552 pixels = 4,022,784 pixels = 4MP
Get Better Video Quality When Using Camera
Use MPEG format instead of H.263 for better quality video output. This option can be found by going to the Advanced Setting from the Video Settings menu. Once there, go to Capture Format and change format if necessary.
Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried 3mp, widescreen, n timer settings to 2-3 seconds...the shrpnes contrast all to defalut and the quality to fine (super fine is more noise) and then wen i take pic..its completely in focus n not over colored....u try that...i tried ur settings but still crappy pics (Nokia N73 takes better pics at 3 Mp..)
aresnalfc said:
i know a developer who has developed a piece of software which will set the best settings to your phone depending on the light and movement intake. i agree the camera settings are dogey but with this software it almost gives you the quality of a 10mp camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
But be brutally honest I was very disappointed with the camera.
Outdoors
It's not bad taking pictures of scenery & buildings
Indoors
Very poor quality
Movement
Been trying to take pics of my baby son, but the wee bugger won't sit still, so pictures are crap!!
HTC have got to start improving there camera in line with other manufacturers. Generally I find them a step or 2 behind
aresnalfc said:
yeah i was too, the software and specs that are bulit into the phone you would expect a much better quality camera, not even flash is avalible. Apparently there is a flash built in the phone but not deadicated for the camera, i will assume there will be some download which will make this flash to be intergrated with the camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Flash built in it? Are you sure? Where?
Maybe Adobe Flash Plugin
sephiroth_vg said:
I tried 3mp, widescreen, n timer settings to 2-3 seconds...the shrpnes contrast all to defalut and the quality to fine (super fine is more noise) and then wen i take pic..its completely in focus n not over colored....u try that...i tried ur settings but still crappy pics (Nokia N73 takes better pics at 3 Mp..)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's to be expected - on a sensor this size 3mp will always take better pics than 5mp.
well just now tried 5 Mp mode as well.... works sometimes...other times doesnt.. totally zzzz scene...and taking indoor pics + poor light = forget it...it wont shoot a decent pic no matter what settings i choose...u got to have a SOURCE of LIGHT IN the roon ( bulb or tube lights .. else dnt even bother taking the camera out.. so im not so dissapointed with the camera (4/10)
sephiroth_vg said:
well just now tried 5 Mp mode as well.... works sometimes...other times doesnt.. totally zzzz scene...and taking indoor pics + poor light = forget it...it wont shoot a decent pic no matter what settings i choose...u got to have a SOURCE of LIGHT IN the roon ( bulb or tube lights .. else dnt even bother taking the camera out.. so im not so dissapointed with the camera (4/10)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How can you give a score of 4/10 and not be disappointed unless your expectations where already very low?
mmm
I have taken a few pics with the " new settings " ( found around the forum plus these )
And found that it has increased the camrera very well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
out of 10 ....??
7/10 ( no flash or anti shake )
aresnalfc said:
i know a developer who has developed a piece of software which will set the best settings to your phone depending on the light and movement intake. i agree the camera settings are dogey but with this software it almost gives you the quality of a 10mp camera.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And where might we find such a gem of an app...
Fallen Spartan said:
How can you give a score of 4/10 and not be disappointed unless your expectations where already very low?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep...they were already low...i bought the HD cuz wanted to chat, watch vids sometimes, annoy my mom whiles shes on the puter (remote desktop ftw) and sme decent pics...well it gives me sme pics...but still i cant have a CLEAR image of text from my registers ( am a student) so dissapointed by that...but give good light n the camera pawns...
Fallen Spartan said:
How can you give a score of 4/10 and not be disappointed unless your expectations where already very low?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep...they were already low...i bought the HD cuz wanted to chat, watch vids sometimes, annoy my mom whiles shes on the puter (remote desktop ftw) and sme decent pics...well it gives me sme pics...but still i cant have a CLEAR image of text from my registers ( am a student) so dissapointed by that...but give good light n the camera pawns...ill also be looking in to development once i get settled down with windows mobile (still playing around with roms n stuff its fun)
Fallen Spartan said:
But be brutally honest I was very disappointed with the camera.
Outdoors
It's not bad taking pictures of scenery & buildings
Indoors
Very poor quality
Movement
Been trying to take pics of my baby son, but the wee bugger won't sit still, so pictures are crap!!
HTC have got to start improving there camera in line with other manufacturers. Generally I find them a step or 2 behind
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Let me know if you figure away to take a photo of your baby and its clear, i have a month old and same thing happens, everytime i take a photo he is moving too much, end up using my g/fs s.e. to take photo and blue tooth across, but shouldnt have to go through that hassle all the time
t3rm3y said:
Let me know if you figure away to take a photo of your baby and its clear, i have a month old and same thing happens, everytime i take a photo he is moving too much, end up using my g/fs s.e. to take photo and blue tooth across, but shouldnt have to go through that hassle all the time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ur best bet is to turn the auto focus...or try sport mode
flash yr HD with latest ROM from dutty. you'll be amazed by the difference.
it seems that HTC really patched it in the latest ROMs!
here uy have an example: a snapshot of my pc screen under fluorescent light (worse conditions). is it really so bad for a PPC camera?
KukurikU said:
flash yr HD with latest ROM from dutty. you'll be amazed by the difference.
it seems that HTC really patched it in the latest ROMs!
here uy have an example: a snapshot of my pc screen under fluorescent light (worse conditions). is it really so bad for a PPC camera?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
image is still very noisy. try taking a pic of a something else indoors. not your computer screen.
elmarko99 said:
image is still very noisy. try taking a pic of a something else indoors. not your computer screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i did it intentionally. i wanted to prove a point. i know that i can take outdoors pics better than this one. i already did it. the most important thing is not to forget that the camera on any PPC is only an add-on and its use should never go beyond occasionally "i forgot my camera home" moments. if somebody wants good pics.... buy a dedicated camera!! do not have high expectations from an "accessory".
my HD is first a c o m u n i c a t i o n device and second a personal digital assistant (PDA). this are the only fields i am very "choosy". if somebody will sell me such a device without a camera....fine with me!
sephiroth_vg said:
ur best bet is to turn the auto focus...or try sport mode
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
and how do you turn off the auto focus?
touch focus setting makes little to no difference and it still tries to focus after the shutter key is pressed.

Wanting to write a camera app, how to REALLY control exposure?

Hi there. I hope I'm asking this in the right place, but I have an interest in the inner workings of cameras on android, and how an app could control them effectively.
I have noiticed that most, if not all, android cameras have autoexposure hardwired on, and that this hardware autoexposure is significantly more effective than what is user controllable (brightness sliders and the like in camera apps)
For example, if you are sitting in a dark room, with a bright window. Now matter how low you drop the "exposure slider" in an app, the window will never come into the proper exposure range. Yet, if you actually look out the window with the camera, to where the outside world fills the viewport, the camera will automatically drop into the proper exposure range. This is odd to me... So the camera CAN expose down far enough to make the outside not blown out, but I am not able to control this?
The only explanation I can figure is the exposure on cell cameras works in a two step process.
1. Light hits sensor, sensor uses autoexposure to get the right range, all on it's own (we cant control this, or can we?),
2. and then the software gets the stream and we can adjust it slightly inside of the software side.
So I guess my question is... is it possible to edit step 1? Can we manually adjust the full exposure at the sensor level? I find most HDR apps to be very lacking on Android, and I believe this is the cause. The app literally has no access to change the exposure range. It can only adjust in a small range that is exposed to software after the hardware auto-exposure has done it's magic.
I have hope that this may be changeable, thanks only to one software I have seen that can.. kinda... adjust the hardware exposure. An app called Camera FV-5 on the market, if you go outside, get your exposure correctly, you can then choose AE-L for autoexposure lock, and then go inside and look out that same window, and everything will say exposed as low as you locked it.
If this is possible, that at least means we can allow/disallow the hardware auto-exposure. And if this is possible, maybe more control is too.
Thoughts? My goal is to make a camera app that fully controls settings such as these. At their full range. Let me know what you all think!
(Specifically I am on the LG G2, and would like to get hardware level exposure control on this model, but Id love to expand after I see it's possible, if it is)
Sorry if this is the wrong forum, I am new here. if so Mods please move it for me or let me know where it goes! Thanks!
WACOMalt said:
Hi there. I hope I'm asking this in the right place, but I have an interest in the inner workings of cameras on android, and how an app could control them effectively.
I have noiticed that most, if not all, android cameras have autoexposure hardwired on, and that this hardware autoexposure is significantly more effective than what is user controllable (brightness sliders and the like in camera apps)
For example, if you are sitting in a dark room, with a bright window. Now matter how low you drop the "exposure slider" in an app, the window will never come into the proper exposure range. Yet, if you actually look out the window with the camera, to where the outside world fills the viewport, the camera will automatically drop into the proper exposure range. This is odd to me... So the camera CAN expose down far enough to make the outside not blown out, but I am not able to control this?
The only explanation I can figure is the exposure on cell cameras works in a two step process.
1. Light hits sensor, sensor uses autoexposure to get the right range, all on it's own (we cant control this, or can we?),
2. and then the software gets the stream and we can adjust it slightly inside of the software side.
So I guess my question is... is it possible to edit step 1? Can we manually adjust the full exposure at the sensor level? I find most HDR apps to be very lacking on Android, and I believe this is the cause. The app literally has no access to change the exposure range. It can only adjust in a small range that is exposed to software after the hardware auto-exposure has done it's magic.
I have hope that this may be changeable, thanks only to one software I have seen that can.. kinda... adjust the hardware exposure. An app called Camera FV-5 on the market, if you go outside, get your exposure correctly, you can then choose AE-L for autoexposure lock, and then go inside and look out that same window, and everything will say exposed as low as you locked it.
If this is possible, that at least means we can allow/disallow the hardware auto-exposure. And if this is possible, maybe more control is too.
Thoughts? My goal is to make a camera app that fully controls settings such as these. At their full range. Let me know what you all think!
(Specifically I am on the LG G2, and would like to get hardware level exposure control on this model, but Id love to expand after I see it's possible, if it is)
Sorry if this is the wrong forum, I am new here. if so Mods please move it for me or let me know where it goes! Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
As I have no idea how the camera is using the light sensor, the only logical advice I would give you is to browse the source code of the standart camera app.. Since Android is open source, I'm sure you can find something that helps you
The other way would be to write a very basic camera app that does not make use of the light sensor, and then see how much exposure is actually done without you knowing.
SimplicityApks said:
As I have no idea how the camera is using the light sensor, the only logical advice I would give you is to browse the source code of the standart camera app.. Since Android is open source, I'm sure you can find something that helps you
The other way would be to write a very basic camera app that does not make use of the light sensor, and then see how much exposure is actually done without you knowing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion. I'll start by looking at CM's camera app.

Camera2 api

It looks like we have full support of camera 2 api.
try snap camera from the store it have a option to enable..used the app if I was on aosp rom with the m8
Good to see
I forget where, but this was actually confirmed a looooooong time ago (well... long in tech time. Couple of weeks ago though).
I thought that since Samsung doesn't offer shutter speed control in pro mode that they didn't enable the full camera 2 api.
Dovigoldberger said:
It looks like we have full support of camera 2 api.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi,
According to the person who wrote this article, it seems that the camera2 api is not fully supported at the moment :
http://spectrastudy.com/camera2-api-on-mwc-2015-devices/
The manual camera checks would then bit too enthusiastic if this is true.
Can anyone who has manual camera installed try to take a picture in RAW and post the DNG file here?
I couldn't find any S6 DNG file on the web; it would be great if someone could confirm whether it is really possible to shoot in RAW with the S6.
With a Nexus 5, the 3 following apps can shoot in RAW :
- a better camera (there is a free version with limited number of shots in case)
- camera fv-5 (paid app)
- manual camera (paid app)
Dovigoldberger said:
I thought that since Samsung doesn't offer shutter speed control in pro mode that they didn't enable the full camera 2 api.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It does, but due to driver limitations, the longest shutter you can choose in Manual Camera app is 1/10. The longest shutter the S6 and edge is allowed to use (when ISO is manually set in the stock camera app) is 1/7. And when Manual Camera opens, WB is all green, so you need to long press WB to make it normal. There is now RAW support wither.
Right now the best camera SW for the S6 and edge is the stock, which is extremely fast to open, very quick to focus and snap, and offers a wide variety of options including manual settings, without shutter control. The latter is a pity, but without long exposures, you can just indirectly control it via ISO, either way, you are maxed out at 1/7. On the bright side... the lens is very bright, offering dramatically better lit details at the same SP and ISO than the S5, Note 4 or One M9, and it makes it a solid snapper indoors. Overall camera2 API is a mixed bag at it's current state and I hope full manual control comes soon with long shutter options.
Not sure this is because of camera 2 API or not, but you guys notice you can now separate auto focus from exposure point in pro mode? You can press and hold to lock the focus point, while shifting the exposure point to elsewhere on the screen. Makes it much better while shooting in situations where background and foreground are in vastly different exposure brackets.
http://spectrastudy.com/camera2-api-on-mwc-2015-devices/
"Manual camera" app doesn't work with S6
vincent2167 said:
Hi,
According to the person who wrote this article, it seems that the camera2 api is not fully supported at the moment :
... link ...
The manual camera checks would then bit too enthusiastic if this is true.
Can anyone who has manual camera installed try to take a picture in RAW and post the DNG file here?
I couldn't find any S6 DNG file on the web; it would be great if someone could confirm whether it is really possible to shoot in RAW with the S6.
With a Nexus 5, the 3 following apps can shoot in RAW :
- a better camera (there is a free version with limited number of shots in case)
- camera fv-5 (paid app)
- manual camera (paid app)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I Installed "Manual camera" app (compatibility app said that it would work) but it doesn't work.
"Manual camera" interface appears, turns green and freezes, and phone either reboots or app
just shuts down. Camera gets a little warm too.
Was hoping to get DNG files from S6, but doesn't look good.
Very disappointed about this.
Uninstalled app and was refunded.
Thanks for the feedback!
I tried the Manual Camera app as well and it all appeared to be working for me, until I attempted to save a RAW image. This crashed my camera and required a full reboot to resolve.
Jason_V said:
I tried the Manual Camera app as well and it all appeared to be working for me, until I attempted to save a RAW image. This crashed my camera and required a full reboot to resolve.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't think there's RAW support for any non-Nexus phone (maybe one of the Chinese ones, but not from the major OEMs).
Also, doesn't the shutter top out at 1/10 or 1/7?
Yeah when putting it into raw and gpeg you will get a crash we have to wait for Samsung to do an update . I have a feeling that the ois is the reason samsung cannot alow shutter speed variation as even dslr cameras don't use image stabilization when it's on long exposure and as ois cannot be switched of manually then this will be a problem .

Camera Performance

So I ran some tests - by comparing the Idol3 camera with my 4 year old Panasonic ZS7 P&S camera . What I have noticed that at low ISO - keeping both cameras stationary - the results are pretty close. For indoor pictures, what I have noticed is that the Idol3 flash does not come on easily. But this appears to be a general smartphone thing, because my Galaxy Exhibit camera is doing the same thing. Instead of turning the flash on , the Idol3 is bumping up the ISO to over 2000 ! This results in very grainy pictures.
So one way to ensure better pictures *could* be to follow this rule -- Outdoor - set ISO=100 always . Indoors - set ISO=200 , and set flash to forced.
Also - I noticed that the front camera can go to down to ISO 50 - whereas the back camera only goes down to ISO-100 .
I will do some more tests in the coming weekend. Does anyone know of a camera app that will tell me the shutter speed the camera is going to use *before* taking the picture? That way I can decide whether I need to bump up the ISO to speed up the shutter.
Some samples
Here are some sample pictures - in outdoor sunlit conditions --> https://goo.gl/photos/ckxAPRmKo3PWJTat8
I would like to hear what y'all think.
I have a slight amendment to my earlier suggestion. I noticed that for indoor shots, if I cap ISO to 200, it is slowing down the shutter leading to a shaky, and therefore, blurred picture. A grainy picture is still better than a blurred picture. So I think a better approach would be to force the flash, and then set the shutter to 1/30, and allow it to bump the ISO if it has to. The stock camera app has a manual mode where it allows setting shutter speed.
For outdoor pictures I am using 'A Better Camera' - free version. It allows me to set and save the ISO setting to ISO-100. Also it allows me to pick the auto-focus mode to AF-Lock. I think a lot of blurred pictures are because of focus issues. AF-lock allows you to focus on a specific object, and then lock it so that the phone is not constantly re-focusing. Another trick that can be considered is to use a 2-second timer, to prevent shake due to touching the screen for taking the picture. .
I will try some indoor shots next, as well as the RAW mode and then post when I have them.
Good info
i tried the oppo colorOS camera idk if its a placebo effect but i kinda notices good pictures sadly i cant take 50mp pictures like that phone yet has 13mp camera too using that same sensor it just stitches the best pics zoomed in into one making an illusion of 50mp
stl1859 said:
Here are some sample pictures - in outdoor sunlit conditions --> https://goo.gl/photos/ckxAPRmKo3PWJTat8
I would like to hear what y'all think.
I have a slight amendment to my earlier suggestion. I noticed that for indoor shots, if I cap ISO to 200, it is slowing down the shutter leading to a shaky, and therefore, blurred picture. A grainy picture is still better than a blurred picture. So I think a better approach would be to force the flash, and then set the shutter to 1/30, and allow it to bump the ISO if it has to. The stock camera app has a manual mode where it allows setting shutter speed.
For outdoor pictures I am using 'A Better Camera' - free version. It allows me to set and save the ISO setting to ISO-100. Also it allows me to pick the auto-focus mode to AF-Lock. I think a lot of blurred pictures are because of focus issues. AF-lock allows you to focus on a specific object, and then lock it so that the phone is not constantly re-focusing. Another trick that can be considered is to use a 2-second timer, to prevent shake due to touching the screen for taking the picture. .
I will try some indoor shots next, as well as the RAW mode and then post when I have them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think the photos look great. Nice dynamic range and colors.
Have you tried using the manual mode of the stock camera to change the settings?
vk135 said:
Have you tried using the manual mode of the stock camera to change the settings?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes . The problem with the stock camera app is that it always starts in the auto-mode. It would be nice if it remembered the prior setting, but does not. For someone like me that likes a lot of manual controls ( shutter , aperture, ISO etc. etc. ) , this is a big pain if I have to switch to manual mode every time I take a picture. When in manual mode, it does not save any prior settings. So not only do I have to switch to manual mode, I then have to open another dialog and set the ISO to my liking. That in my opinion is way too cumbersome. In this respect, 'A Better Camera' is slightly better. It allows me to specify which settings it should remember between launches. So I can ask it to always remember the ISO and auto-focus modes. It does appear to have a bug , in that it does not display the modes correctly. So on start-up, it is telling me that it is on ISO-Auto - when I set it to ISO-100 - and when I actually take the picture, I do see that the ISO-100 was picked. Another problem with that app is that it does not allow setting of shutter speed, which the stock camera app does.
So I really haven't found any one camera app that does everything I want . But in doing this research , I am realizing how big of a pain using a smartphone as a camera can be. I really wish Alcatel had a model with no front and back camera and for $50 less ! That would be the perfect device for me
RAW capture
I managed to try out the RAW capture functionality of the camera.
Here is the unprocessed TIFF file, created from a .DNG using dcraw >> https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B960wOI9V0CfWGpmRUxicVpLZDg/view?usp=sharing
Here is a jpeg - taken using the 'A Better Camera' app , of the same scene, at pretty much the same time >> https://goo.gl/photos/xUcHGp5B9triKSNC8
From what I can tell, the image generated from the RAW capture has better color reproduction.
stl1859 said:
I managed to try out the RAW capture functionality of the camera.
Here is the unprocessed TIFF file, created from a .DNG using dcraw >> https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B960wOI9V0CfWGpmRUxicVpLZDg/view?usp=sharing
Here is a jpeg - taken using the 'A Better Camera' app , of the same scene, at pretty much the same time >> https://goo.gl/photos/xUcHGp5B9triKSNC8
From what I can tell, the image generated from the RAW capture has better color reproduction.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What camera app are you using to get RAW captures?
Borghi said:
What camera app are you using to get RAW captures?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This one --> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=troop.com.freedcam&hl=en
is there any apps that can take 50mp pictures like the oppo camera? it uses a trick that takes and stitches various photos into one now thats awesome
Took this shot of the moon using the default camera in manual mode. iso 100, 1/1000. Strangely the exif says the aperture is 2.5 not 2.0 like the specs say.
Using the camera is probably the last thing I use my phone for. I would think that someone would have created a camera app where you can change all the settings you want and save that profile then make as many profiles as you want for various situations.
I do not use my phone as a camera either . Actually I am surprised ( at myself ) why I spent so much time testing it out ! Anyway, I found an app called 'Open Camera' - which seems to have almost all the features I was looking for. It allows me to set ISO and AF-lock - and actually saves those settings between launches. It also has a mode where if it is running and you lock the phone, hitting the power button again brings the camera right back . I find that useful because now I can lock the screen between shots - and still get the camera back relatively quickly. Without that I had to leave the screen on, and I was getting a lot of accidental shots. The UI isn't that great looking, but it is functional.
Here is the link >> https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.sourceforge.opencamera&hl=en
Shodan5150 said:
Using the camera is probably the last thing I use my phone for. I would think that someone would have created a camera app where you can change all the settings you want and save that profile then make as many profiles as you want for various situations.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Pretty sure Camera Zoom FX does what you are talking about. I made it the default camera app. It was free on amazon however at some point or another I purchased it on google play for $0.10. A special promo where a bunch of apps were $0.10 each I think. Anyway might want to check it or camera360 out....opencamera is a nice free open source one (If I remember right).
My primary usage for the camera on my phones is to run the paperkarma app so I can submit junkmail to have my name/address removed from their mailing lists. Has helped to thin the junkmail down over time.
I haven't used the camera too much but I am not disappointed in it so far. For the price, I can't complain. It seems to take the pics fairly quickly which is a good thing.
open camera is also good ive tried it and no problems for me
Has anyone found ANY camera app that allows you to save the pics to the SD card? I've tried a bunch yet they all complain that KK(!) doesn't allow saving to SD card YET the stock camera app does allow it.
ItsDon said:
Has anyone found ANY camera app that allows you to save the pics to the SD card? I've tried a bunch yet they all complain that KK(!) doesn't allow saving to SD card YET the stock camera app does allow it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In my case - both 'A Better Camera' and 'Open Camera' were unable to save to the external micro SD. It does not bother me, because it is probably better for the camera to write directly to internal storage , in the interest of speed. I can always move those files using ES File Explorer - or by plugging the phone in.
ISO_HJR
I think I found another trick that can help the picture quality with the Camera. The 'Open Camera' app supports an ISO setting called 'ISO_HJR' - HJR stands for Hand Jitter Reduction, and it is Google's way of bumping up the ISO while keeping the shutter fast, to prevent blur due to shake. I used that to take some picture under overcast conditions today, and I was pleasantly surprised with the results. The exif on the pictures say that the ISO is bumped upwards of 400 - but the picture does not appear to be too grainy . I am not sure what exactly is going on , but this seems like a good option to use.
Also 'Open Camera' allows me to save with a JPEG compression of 100% - This results in 8MB+ files for each picture .

Categories

Resources