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[Q] Is the G2 camera not good?

I'm looking for switching from Lumia 920 to an Android phone with a good camera like the one in 920. I was close to getting a HTC One but I read horrible stories about purple fringing and so dropped that idea. Then I looked at HTC One X, but it seems to be an outdated phone and so dropped that plan too. All my friends have iPhone or Samsung and so I don't want to get them either.
Finally when I read the reviews for G2 it seemed to be the most perfect phone for me as it's said to have a nice camera, 5 inch display, Android and fast. On top of it AT&T has also promised an early free upgrade for G2. But when I read some of the threads here they talk about the camera being too slow and not good for indoor. I also read the thread about the Xdabbeb Mod and it seems promising but some folks in that same thread say that even after updating with that Mod the camera is still not that good.
So here I'm, so confused now knowing if I should get G2 or not. What's your opinion on G2's Camera? Again I'm looking for a decent camera that could take good pictures like my Lumia 920 whether indoor or outdoor. Any help is greatly appreciated.
(I'm sorry about the long post and for the wrong techy terms that I might have used here)

ratibars said:
I'm looking for switching from Lumia 920 to an Android phone with a good camera like the one in 920. I was close to getting a HTC One but I read horrible stories about purple fringing and so dropped that idea. Then I looked at HTC One X, but it seems to be an outdated phone and so dropped that plan too. All my friends have iPhone or Samsung and so I don't want to get them either.
Finally when I read the reviews for G2 it seemed to be the most perfect phone for me as it's said to have a nice camera, 5 inch display, Android and fast. On top of it AT&T has also promised an early free upgrade for G2. But when I read some of the threads here they talk about the camera being too slow and not good for indoor. I also read the thread about the Xdabbeb Mod and it seems promising but some folks in that same thread say that even after updating with that Mod the camera is still not that good.
So here I'm, so confused now knowing if I should get G2 or not. What's your opinion on G2's Camera? Again I'm looking for a decent camera that could take good pictures like my Lumia 920 whether indoor or outdoor. Any help is greatly appreciated.
(I'm sorry about the long post and for the wrong techy terms that I might have used here)
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G2 camera is excellent in my opinion. I never had a problem with it or had to install a modded camera on it. I didn't really use it but when I did the pictures were crisp & clear. I'm running AOSP now and the camera is still performing well. It all depends on what you want to use it for. The mods that you mentioned are great and if you ever have problems with the G2 camera flashing one of them will solve it. :victory:

It's exactly like what you've read. Shots with plenty of lighting are fantastic and stunning. Shots with lower lighting (as in indoors) are terrible with the stock camera--it takes way too long to take a shot after you hit the shutter button, as in 5 seconds sometimes. So if you have a moving target, you will miss the moment, or get a blurry mess.
Plus, the denoising algorithm is terrible. Detail on low light shots get lost and people's faces often look like a watercolor painting and unrealistic. Camera mods like xdabebb's help quite a bit, but still the camera has a lot to be desired.
Coming from the Lumia, you will be VERY disappointed.

beezar said:
Coming from the Lumia, you will be VERY disappointed.
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yes he will, but compared to other android phones it is one of the best cameras available, for the next 2-3 months or so. there are some pretty saucy rumors about the s5 camera though.

I used to have an HTC One before picking up the LG G2 earlier this month and it had a great camera. Until it started malfunctioning with the purple/blue/pink tint issue. The low light performance was awesome and the audio recording was the best I've had on a phone due to the dual microphones that it had. I haven't really had a chance to test out the G2's camera much but it's been alright so far. Just disappointed in the low light and microphone performance. The G2 does capture a lot more details with more accurate colors in normal conditions because of the higher megapixel count though.
These are really the only pictures I took to compare the two cameras before I sent in my HTC One to my insurance company:
http://imgur.com/a/OJlTa
Here are some photos I took with my HTC One before the sensor went bad:
http://imgur.com/a/9lRiz

The camera in decent light and with still objects is great. Like others have said, it doesn't do too well in low light conditions or with moving objects. I would expect that with the speed in which the phone takes pictures, that it would do much better with moving objects but you do get a blurry mess. It's a fantastic phone in every other regard, however, the camera could use some improvement.

I love the G2's camera. If you don't think it takes good photos, just look at these. None of these are edited, and straight from the camera. Photobucket reduces the quality a bit as well.

Thanks everyone. So it looks like I can't get pictures as good as the ones I get in my 920 but it seems I can still get decent pictures. I think that should be enough for me. I'm not looking for digital camera quality pictures but just the ability to capture good moments and share it with others. As long as those pictures are not bad I should be ok with that (yes, I'm convincing myself! ).
geoff5093 said:
I love the G2's camera. If you don't think it takes good photos, just look at these. None of these are edited, and straight from the camera. Photobucket reduces the quality a bit as well.
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Those are nice pictures. Were they taken using a camera MOD?

ratibars said:
Thanks everyone. So it looks like I can't get pictures as good as the ones I get in my 920 but it seems I can still get decent pictures. I think that should be enough for me. I'm not looking for digital camera quality pictures but just the ability to capture good moments and share it with others. As long as those pictures are not bad I should be ok with that (yes, I'm convincing myself! ).
Those are nice pictures. Were they taken using a camera MOD?
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A mix really, some with the stock LG camera, some using the AOSP camera, and some using the 1.5.0 camera mod.

Camera performance.

What do you guys think of the camera on the DT2? Low light? Video? Attached are some photos I took in low light with flash .. It seems to perform really good.

I haven't gotten a real chance to test it, yet. That picture does look pretty good, though.

It is a HUGE improvement over my maxx. I haven't taken to many pics but what I noticed is if you zoom in it doesn't get grainy.
Sent from my XT1585 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

Just picked it up last night but in comparison to my Edge it is not as quick to capture and low light didn't seem as good but hopefully as a few days go by I will see great pics

According to Dxomark it was rated as the third best camera. It got the same exact rating as the Nexus 6p.
http://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles/Moto...Motorola-Droid-Turbo-2-Ranking-Into-the-top-3
Only bested by the s6 and Z5.
This is seriously a killer phone when u put everything together....

I'm coming from the note 5 and the camera is just as good on the turbo 2. I took Halloween shots and they turned out great. Much improved from the original turbo.
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Same here. Coming from a gs6 (same camera as note 5) and the results are negligible to my eyes.
I always wonder about reviewers noting this extreme differences between iPhones and Samsungs vs any other phone.

Camera is a DEFINITE improvement over the orignal Turbo. that my basis of comparison.
Crisper
MUCH FASTER
low light still not amazing, but its a phone camerea, cant expect DLSR performance.
Flash is maybe a bit worse, havent tested quite as much
havent done any video recording or used front camera yet.

I don't take that many pictures, but the camera is definitely better than the turbo 1 was.
I like the camera on my note 5 more, but this one seems fine too.
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

gabo_e30 said:
Same here. Coming from a gs6 (same camera as note 5) and the results are negligible to my eyes.
I always wonder about reviewers noting this extreme differences between iPhones and Samsungs vs any other phone.
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i think the reason for this is that the Moto cam has been so sub par for so long (saying this as a Moto user) that the quality camera had been really between Sammy and iPhone when it came to large consumer purchase models so its where comparisons would start

I think the camera is good. I just don't care for the software. I'm coming from a note 5 from T-Mobile. I don't like I just can't touch to focus then hit the camera button to take a shot. I always have to drag that yellow circle around to focus my shot. Seems annoying to me. Also I really miss the 1080p 60fps video from the note 5. That made all your videos buttery smooth.

Try camera zoom fx, a better Camera, or camera fv-5. I know they have touch to focus.
Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

bigv5150 said:
It is a HUGE improvement over my maxx. I haven't taken to many pics but what I noticed is if you zoom in it doesn't get grainy.
Sent from my XT1585 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
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I noticed the EXACT same thing. True 21 MP I believe...

The N5x camera is not that good I think..

I got one to test, and I am comparing it to my N5 from 2013.
It's true that the N5X camera focus waay faster, but it's NOT as instant as the S6/G4 camera for example, unless you're in a situation with a ton of light, you got to wait till it "focus" before shooting. But it is still much faster than the N5, ok.
But in the picture quality category, my N5 makes better fotos than the N5x in this situation (detail). I still don't understand this, but it is true: if I have the patience to focus on the N5, the photo is better than the N5x one (this in middle light situations).
I am not sure if this is normal or what, shooting with the N5 was a hell because the focus issue, but the results were better than the ones im getting with the N5x, even if in low light conditions N5x gets more info.

Why you compare the 300usd device with 500-700usd devices ?
If the 300usd device can do ALL 700usd devices do, why should people buy 700usd one?
As for camera n5 and n5x, i cant comment yet. Im waiting for my friend to bring it over from usa in 2 weeks time.
Based on the review floating on the internet, N5x camera is way better than N5. Probably you get a defective N5x

Today I've tested with a Nexus 6P from a friend, and same case: even in situations with a ton of light, my N5 does photos with more detail distance (but not better real colors and muuch slower focusing..) than this N5X and his N6P. Of course, the photo where you manage to focus...
I don't know why people says that "finally google put one of the best cameras on the Nexus", because the S6 edge from a friend and the Lg G4 from another blowed our N5X and N6P cameras out of the water. And the N6p is as expensive as a S6 edge and more than an LG G4 when they came out.
It's a good camera ok, but it is not at those level (which for me is OK). But the problem is that my Nexus 5 from 2013 is making photos with more detail than those 2!!!! and I don't like this at all . It is a better camera because it doesn't have the epic slow and bad focusing issue and it makes good low light photos and videos, but it is not one of the best on the market as people say! Let's keep things real. However fixing the slow focusing problem alone makes it a worthy upgrade from the N5.

RusherDude said:
Today I've tested with a Nexus 6P from a friend, and same case: even in situations with a ton of light, my N5 does photos with more detail distance (but not better real colors and muuch slower focusing..) than this N5X and his N6P. Of course, the photo where you manage to focus...
I don't know why people says that "finally google put one of the best cameras on the Nexus", because the S6 edge from a friend and the Lg G4 from another blowed our N5X and N6P cameras out of the water. And the N6p is as expensive as a S6 edge and more than an LG G4 when they came out.
It's a good camera ok, but it is not at those level (which for me is OK). But the problem is that my Nexus 5 from 2013 is making photos with more detail than those 2!!!! and I don't like this at all . It is a better camera because it doesn't have the epic slow and bad focusing issue and it makes good low light photos and videos, but it is not one of the best on the market as people say! Let's keep things real. However fixing the slow focusing problem alone makes it a worthy upgrade from the N5.
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Every review disagrees with you, but picture quality can be subjective. 6p and 5x are regarded as some of the best right now and just about every phone made in the last year made huge strides in camera quality.
What screen are you using to compare the pictures?

RusherDude said:
Today I've tested with a Nexus 6P from a friend, and same case: even in situations with a ton of light, my N5 does photos with more detail distance (but not better real colors and muuch slower focusing..) than this N5X and his N6P. Of course, the photo where you manage to focus...
I don't know why people says that "finally google put one of the best cameras on the Nexus", because the S6 edge from a friend and the Lg G4 from another blowed our N5X and N6P cameras out of the water. And the N6p is as expensive as a S6 edge and more than an LG G4 when they came out.
It's a good camera ok, but it is not at those level (which for me is OK). But the problem is that my Nexus 5 from 2013 is making photos with more detail than those 2!!!! and I don't like this at all . It is a better camera because it doesn't have the epic slow and bad focusing issue and it makes good low light photos and videos, but it is not one of the best on the market as people say! Let's keep things real. However fixing the slow focusing problem alone makes it a worthy upgrade from the N5.
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Sell it and move to another phone if you dislike it so much.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Love it when someone has no clue what he's talking about. 6P and 5X are in the top10 best camerphones. What have you been drinking???

For my 5x the low light performance has just been incredible.

sell it or swap it. problem solved.

All this talk about photo quality and not one pic??? Show some examples....

Honestly this camera is great, especially comparing to phones around the same price point. Really, if you don't like it try to change it. Play with Manual Camera or Open Camera and see if you like it better.

Just got a N5X, my last phone was a galaxy S5, which had a good camera but there is no comparison, N5X camera its much better in all things. Some reviews put n5x camera better than iPhone 6S, I can't really say that is better but they are at the same level. Just love it. Especially the low light performance, its awesome.
Enviado de meu Nexus 5X usando Tapatalk

I'm really loving the camera. I came from a 1st gen Moto G and the camera on that wasn't too bad, especially in well lit situations. I'm extremely happy with the 5X camera. The difference is like a foggy day compared to a clear day.
Sent from my Nexus 7 (2013) using Tapatalk

The problem is not with the camera hardware itself just the software and the Google stock camera app. However, it seems that Google is having a hard time solving this issue judging for lack of fixes during the last 4 months. I did returned my Nexus 5x but it was because the combination of this camera issue with a dead pixel (and the suddenly resurrection of my old Nexus 5).

I can't get it, I've had a N4, N5, OPT and N5X and I can say without a doubt that the N5X is the best camera phone I've ever had.
Nevertheless, I had to disagree with any reviewer saying N5 camera was bad, in my opinion one of the best cameras in a phone in its year, way better SGS4 or HOM7, great pictures in almost every condition
Enviado desde mi Nexus 5X mediante Tapatalk

Hopefully they will remove the hard limit of shutter speed from the current 0.2s. I'd love to take light trails from this camera.

this is definitely the best camera in any phone i've had period.
Better than my OPO,Gnex, N5, N4, and better than my sister's iPhone 6 and 5.

The camera in my LG G4 was noticeably better. However, the 5X's camera is much better than the one on my iPhone 6s. And it's light years better than every previous Nexus phone I've owned.

RusherDude said:
Today I've tested with a Nexus 6P from a friend, and same case: even in situations with a ton of light, my N5 does photos with more detail distance (but not better real colors and muuch slower focusing..) than this N5X and his N6P. Of course, the photo where you manage to focus...
I don't know why people says that "finally google put one of the best cameras on the Nexus", because the S6 edge from a friend and the Lg G4 from another blowed our N5X and N6P cameras out of the water. And the N6p is as expensive as a S6 edge and more than an LG G4 when they came out.
It's a good camera ok, but it is not at those level (which for me is OK). But the problem is that my Nexus 5 from 2013 is making photos with more detail than those 2!!!! and I don't like this at all . It is a better camera because it doesn't have the epic slow and bad focusing issue and it makes good low light photos and videos, but it is not one of the best on the market as people say! Let's keep things real. However fixing the slow focusing problem alone makes it a worthy upgrade from the N5.
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Post examples or shoosh

RusherDude said:
I got one to test, and I am comparing it to my N5 from 2013.
It's true that the N5X camera focus waay faster, but it's NOT as instant as the S6/G4 camera for example, unless you're in a situation with a ton of light, you got to wait till it "focus" before shooting. But it is still much faster than the N5, ok.
But in the picture quality category, my N5 makes better fotos than the N5x in this situation (detail). I still don't understand this, but it is true: if I have the patience to focus on the N5, the photo is better than the N5x one (this in middle light situations).
I am not sure if this is normal or what, shooting with the N5 was a hell because the focus issue, but the results were better than the ones im getting with the N5x, even if in low light conditions N5x gets more info.
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Post a comparison of N5 and N5X where N5 is better or it did not happen.
Google nailed the IQ starting at N5X/6P only where is it as good as Galaxy S6 and certainly better than any iPhone offering to this date.
---------- Post added at 10:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:14 PM ----------
ibila said:
Love it when someone has no clue what he's talking about. 6P and 5X are in the top10 best camerphones. What have you been drinking???
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Koolaid?

Is this op serious!!! 5x camera is millions miles ahead of the Nexus 5.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using XDA-Developers mobile app

Is the camera this bad?

I've heard too many negative reviews about the camera and that it can be a deal breaker..so which camera is better iphone 6's camera or the axon 7's camera?

Bought the phone because previous one was stolen few days before I went traveling in China. Been more than happy with the pictures it takes. Panorama is cool too. It struggled with low light, but it improving noticably with every update.
Uploaded a few pics from a national park in China for you. You be the judge. All pics were made with auto mode.
https://apexalpha.stackstorage.com/index.php/s/NZeWb0ifRNf02aM
I have to say though. The iPhone costs $300 more. If you care so much go for the Galaxy S7 for camera (and Android)

Actually not that bad
I remember hearing tons of negative reviews on the camera and being worried that it wasn't going to be that good but after using the phone for about a week I can honestly say the camera is pretty good. It does struggle a bit in low light, though but that's simply because of the amount of megapixels. In my opinion, some reviewers are just a bit picky

memo45 said:
I've heard too many negative reviews about the camera and that it can be a deal breaker..so which camera is better iphone 6's camera or the axon 7's camera?
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I'm coming from a Nexus 6P and the Axon 7 camera just doesn't compare, especially in low light. The 6P had a great camera. That being said, since B27 came out things have improved noticeably and while the camera still isn't ad good as the 6P, it's more usable now and does produce decent enough shots in low and pretty good ones in good light.
Sent from my ZTE A2017U using Tapatalk

Low light scenes are very challenging for the camera. ZTE really need to improve the HDR processing, where it can't touch 2015's Nexus phones and where it trails the much cheaper Honor 7.
There's not much sun where I am and I'm really noticing the difference.
You can certainly get better-looking results by playing with white balance in manual mode but that won't help you if you want to snap a darker foreground without blowing out all the background detail - a trick the Nexus phones' HDR+ excels at. I know they are deadly slow but I'd be happy to put up with much longer exposure times if it meant better pictures.

Could you please provide some selfie snaps as I'm kindda of a selfie guy?
Also I currently have the iPhone 5 so if the axon's camera is worse than the iphone 5 I might go with the oneplus 3 even though I hate its 1080p screen

memo45 said:
Could you please provide some selfie snaps as I'm kindda of a selfie guy?
Also I currently have the iPhone 5 so if the axon's camera is worse than the iphone 5 I might go with the oneplus 3 even though I hate its 1080p screen
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There's such thing as a sefie guy?

kidnova said:
There's such thing as a sefie guy?
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At least where I live?

Could someone Post some selfies?

Extremely Disappointed with the Camera

I come from LG G4 and the only reason to buy this phone was the camera for me and boy do I hate the goddamn camera on this phone! I loathe both the Rear and Front camera shots. I hate that their image processing is terrible. Their implementation of noise reduction algorithm is horrible for the front camera, and the lack of OIS doesn't help with the shots.
So I guess I am stuck with using pro mode - clicking RAW and processing just to avoid their horrible software implementation.
I just want to get rid of this phone or I prolly will end up using this as a backup phone just for its dash charging ! That is the only thing good thing about this device.
My LG G4 shots here - https://www.flickr.com/photos/giripix/with/37340217741/
I don't have any pictures to compare with OP5 cos the camera is so horrendous !

At this stage of the phone being released 3 months ago you should've already known about the camera 'qualities' from reviews?!

Dont you go for reviews prior to purchasing anything.
The camera isnt that bad, has got better with updates, and here at XDA, smartphones are a lot more than just a camera device.

you bought the phone because of the camera but didn't do enough research for it.
Most people buy this phone because of the Google stock feeling or the overall performance and dev support of the phone.
If you bought it just for the camera might aswel return it ^.^

Agreed with the users that have replied thus far. If you read enough reviews you would know the camera didn't live up to its hype post launch. That's not to say it's a bad camera by any means, but it should have given you a better idea of whether or not this device is for you.
If your primary purchasing factor is the camera, the Google Pixel or Galaxy S8 would have been better options.
Personally I don't find the camera to be that bad, it's really solid in good lighting as well, but to each their own!

The front camera is one of the better ones I've used, and the rear camera isn't "bad" (though could be better).
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

Who buys a phone for its camera? Its not a primary feature of any phone seeing how its so small it will never receive optimal amounts of light or have a large enough lens to get quality shots at all in any circumstances. Buy a phone for software not hardware. If hardware is nice consider it a bonus. A really good camera is only about 150 dollars. Just carry a nikon around.

Actually, OnePlus heavily marketed the camera; even making a note of it on the sides of the box. It's no surprise at least some people would have bought this thinking the camera was top-notch.
Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

venkig said:
I come from LG G4 and the only reason to buy this phone was the camera for me and boy do I hate the goddamn camera on this phone...
I just want to get rid of this phone or I prolly will end up using this as a backup phone just for its dash charging ! That is the only thing good thing about this device...
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NorthernLight_ said:
At this stage of the phone being released 3 months ago you should've already known about the camera 'qualities' from reviews?!
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a senior member on xda and no research before purchase
why don't you go an get this https://www.ebay.com/p/LG-G4-H815-32GB-Metallic-Gray-Unlocked-Smartphone/218349514

It's a SMARTPHONE camera. It's never going to replace a DSLR. Its actually a good camera. I don't have a problem with the quality at all (though I'm an enthusiast Photographer and know that no phone camera will like a DSLR). Most of the reviews flame the camera as much worse then it really is. That being said... It's totally the OP's fault for there are 50 or more YouTube video reviews on the camera.
To say it's the worst phone you've bought... lol you sound bitter as this phone is the fastest, smoothest phone out there with the best battery and fastest charging phone out there. It's got a very good display, but not the best. I think that is really the only area this phone lags behind flagships... the display.

Im finding it about on par with my I7, slightly worse in low light but focuses much faster.
Worse than my note 8, better than my XZp

It's like the only device that had day 1 reviews from tons of known reviewers so you had all the time in the world to research about the product you're buying and yet you didn't. Yeah camera is crap compared to other flagships, we don't care, move along.

I don't mind the camera, it's decent.

How can you be "extremely disappointed" ?
I receive my OP5 about a week ago and is by far the best smartphone I ever had in term of photos.
I'm coming from a Galaxy S6 how he's a "one of the best photos taker". He has a better camera that the LG G4 if you read the reviews. The best part it's that I think the S6 has a decent rear camera and a awful front camera who made your skin like a doll. Do you know why ? Because Samsung use a simple trick to avoid the noise in the photos : blur all the picture in low light and we can tell that our phones are really good in low light. I can tell you that this phone is really, but really better that my previous S6.
But I have compared with a S7 too (the S8 have the same lens and is considered one of the best photos takers of the market) and a iPhone 6s. He out-performed well all this phones. I don't even talk about the front camera who is simply the best in the market.
The only issue with the rear camera is in the low light, but this can be fixed with the Pro mode or the Google Camera modded with HDR+.