[Q] This 5MP camera isn't looking good, is it? - Samsung Galaxy Nexus

I've been reading about how lower MP can actually mean better low light performance and this camera may just beat the 8MP competition. Zero-shutter lag being really awesome too.
But then looking at the photos taken with it by an Android developer...
https://plus.google.com/photos/107606703558161507946/albums/5669407328146570481
Where is this awesome quality? Those pictures look no better than what my Galaxy S takes.
Not only is this outclassed by the 8MP camera in the S2 and iPhone 4S, it may be outclassed by the old 5MP Galaxy/Nexus S.
Those photos seem to have more noise and odd colour compared to photos from my Galaxy S.
Low light photos look like they might be better, but overall these don't look good.

I don't know how people manage to compare image quality between different phone cameras - they all look equally terrible to me.

Not sure how you can make a quality call based on 1 phone and 1 person operating.
How can you tell without having side by side shots of the same scenes at the same time with 2 or 3 different devices?
I find it extremely hard to believe that the Galaxy Nexus would have the same camera performance as the Nexus S.

martonikaj said:
How can you tell without having side by side shots of the same scenes at the same time with 2 or 3 different devices?
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Do you need to put a Mini and a bus side by side to tell which is bigger?

Maddmatt said:
Do you need to put a Mini and a bus side by side to tell which is bigger?
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How is that comparison even remotely similar? Size difference can be seen in anything but pitch black.
Would you be able to determine if the Mini and the bus were the exact same color (exact nuance) in completely different light? No, probably not and even then you are basically cheating because your brain will adjust the colors you see based on what it "knows" other things should look like.

Maddmatt said:
Do you need to put a Mini and a bus side by side to tell which is bigger?
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That only works because the size of a Mini and a bus are known values (relatively). The quality of this camera is not a known value, and because of that you can't make an accurate comparison.
By this analogy, you're saying that you can look at a photo of one car, and immediately tell me if its the same as another car you've never seen...
blunden said:
How is that comparison even remotely similar? Size difference can be seen in anything but pitch black.
Would you be able to determine if the Mini and the bus were the exact same color (exact nuance) in completely different light? No, probably not and even then you are basically cheating because your brain will adjust the colors you see based on what it "knows" other things should look like.
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This
People love to jump to conclusions that its a bad camera because its 5MP, and then from that initial point, they simply assume everything it does is terrible. I wonder how the tables would be turned if it were a low quality 12MP camera, and every picture it took was sh*t but everyone just said it was amazing. People see what they want to see.

Just wait until the galaxy nexus comes out, and then you'll see the true power of the 5mp camera they put in it. It will be a great shooter.
Sent from my Sensation using XDA App

Seriously? Its a phone, not a dedicated camera. If you don't like it don't get the phone.
Punched in..

It really does not look very good. I hope that it is not final version of nexus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dPe3lsoVQA

Chirality said:
I don't know how people manage to compare image quality between different phone cameras - they all look equally terrible to me.
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I agree. Phone cameras arent like absolute trash terrible but they're all so equally bad thats its incredibly hard to tell the difference.
Between the click of the light and the start of a dream.

hrcro said:
It really does not look very good. I hope that it is not final version of nexus.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dPe3lsoVQA
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And you're judging that video what about this video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhlL-ys5iOA
So you see we have two totally different videos. Which one should we believe now?
I recommend wait until it's out and test it if possible or trust your preferd reviewer when he did his job with the Nexus.

The only photos I've seen are of a shipping dock. Hard to make that look good.

I am not judging. I am shareing what I found. Video that I posted was shot in "realistic" environment, another one is heavily modified. Anyway, there is no need to be nervous or judgemental.
I agree that we should wait and see how retail model performes.

Lets judging when phone is out

hrcro said:
I am not judging. I am shareing what I found. Video that I posted was shot in "realistic" environment, another one is heavily modified. Anyway, there is no need to be nervous or judgemental.
I agree that we should wait and see how retail model performes.
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That's what the filmer says to the video.
The only processing done on the original footage was to speed it up in the first clip.
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The video clips were shot without the help of a tripod and shake a little bit. The time-lapse clips were shot using a Stage Zero Dolly from Dynamic Perception
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So it was as well made under "realistic" circumstances. Expect from the first part. But he is a Android dev so who knows if it's true or not.

I didn't really pay much attention to the camera on the Galaxy Nexus as it seems good enough. The Engadget comparisons sometimes show it on par with the Nexus S, sometimes a little worse. What I'm more interested in is the 1080p video, which looks a whole lot better than anything else on the market (I've seen a dozen videos from different places already) and even better than the Galaxy S II. The audio capture, another sadly ignored pivotal part of video recording, is quite stellar. It really irks me when all the reviewers tout the earsplitting garble of sound on HTC phones as first-class because they look at the 44khz stereo spec and somehow ignore the actual sound, which is really terrible. I would love to get a unibody HTC phone, but this has been their achilles heel for me, and their video capture as a whole.
You can't deny that the camera on a phone is important, is a very very big selling point, and many people do make their buying decisions on the phone's ability to replace a dedicated point-and-shoot camera, and many phones are at that level right now. If you are too enamored with DSLR quality photos, you might not notice that camera quality in phones has jumped up leaps and bounds, regardless of MP. My five megapixel Samsung slider I bought 4 years ago is worse than your typical 5 megapixel budget smartphone camera. It's also 50% fatter and super slow. The software and processing, backlight sensors, wide angles, apertures, and other fancy stuff have improved drastically over the years. 1080p video is leaps and bounds above the QCIF stuff only a few years back.

Um, am I alone in thinking those pictures look just dandy? It's a phone. I'm not taking artistic photos, as long as they're clear and sharp (which those are) then there's no issue.

SomeGuyDude said:
Um, am I alone in thinking those pictures look just dandy? It's a phone. I'm not taking artistic photos, as long as they're clear and sharp (which those are) then there's no issue.
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+1 on that. And Most of the pictures where shaky und unsharp but that's due to the user and not to the camera. The pictures which were sharp however are okay and look totally fine for a phone.

have we all really forgotten about the fact that if you upload a picture to most websites, the picture becomes compressed?
being a car enthusiast like others here apparently, this is like comparing the same car on the same track with the same driver.. except one lap is in the rain and one lap is in the dry. of course results will be different!

For everyone who is complaining about the quality of the camera, I don't see what you're basing your judgement on. First, admit right now that all cell phone cameras take crap pictures! It's simple physics. Your point and shoot camera is only marginally better. More to the point, the limited samples I have seen would appear on par with other current devices. But without a comprehensive side by side comparison of the Galaxy Nexus to the 4s (or others) either qualitatively or quantitatively in a controlled environment, you just can't tell much. Shooting video of the sun and then the ground demonstrates very little especially when the comparison video is un-synced and crammed into a small PIP box.
Seems some are having a knee jerk reaction to not getting all 8 megapixels. Unless you are printing 8x10s, it doesn't really matter. If you are, get a DSLR! A good quality lower resolution camera can easily spank a cheaper higher resolution camera. The glass plays a huge role. As do chromatic aberration, exposure, latitude, color balance, sensitivity, focus, speed, image stabilization, noise reduction, white balance and so on. And don't even get me started on compression.

Related

WP7 Phone with the Best Camera

Anyone have some input on the best WP7 phone to get if I want to use it to replace my Kodak digital camera? The camera on the HD7 kind of sucks.
Don't go with the LG Quantum either. In bright daylight it's sort of ok, but as soon as you need flash, it's like taking a picture on a RAZR from 2007. Awful.
-edit-
I think the HTC Mozart is the only wp with an 8mp camera. Probably the best?
I would say pretty much all of them are the same; the only phone that has more mp is the HTC Mozart (8mp). Idk if that might make a difference though as mp doesn't necessarily define the whole aspect of good pictures. I hear the focus is nice for taking pictures (in terms of clarity and color balance) as well. It also has the SAMOLED screen, which means the pictures show up more vibrant on your phone
I'm interested in hearing what other people say
Don't know about the Focus, but the Samsung Omnia 7 is definitely the best one available in Europe. I would rank them Samsung, LG, HTC - with the Mozart's 8MP not really being any better than the other HTC phones.
I've been extremely satisfied with the photo quality on my Focus.
its worth pointing out that higher MP does not equal better quality.
Most 5MP cameras will be fine in teh correct lighting conditions, low light is the biggest issue, the reason for this is down to optics and CCD size.
If you had a 12MP camera with a lense the size of the HD2/7 the pictures will be crap in low light as well, to be perfectly honest unless you get a phone with a big arse lense and 5+MP you wont get good "poor" light photos
I find the HD2/7 camera is grand in good lighting, had some cracking shots, mess with the lighting a bit and i pull out my slim line 12MP camera with its 32mm lense
yeah, don't replace your camera.
Just buy a second hand canon Ixus series (60 - 95) for less than £70 on ebay and you won't ever be disappointed! They are ultracompact but the picture quality has always been so good!
I don't really understand people who try to replace their camera with their mobile phone.. the mobile phone will take mediocre shots but i guess you have it with you all the time.
BUt even a cheapo crappy dedicated camera with LOWER MP will shoot better pictures than a 5MP-10MP phone.
Get one of the ultracompacts whcih are actually smaller than a lot of the new smartphones anyway!
I don't think I've used my Omnia 7 camera except for when taking lecture notes on Onenote!
Otherwise I stick to using my Canon 550D and Ixus 95
hboos said:
I don't really understand people who try to replace their camera with their mobile phone.. the mobile phone will take mediocre shots but at least you have it with you all the time.
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You just answered yourself - it's because you've always got your phone with you. The less gadgets you have to carry the better.
I tend to use my Omnia7 for photos several times a day. Quick snaps of just about anything. The fact they're snaps doesn't mean I'll be happy with ****ty quality though, you never know, you might get lucky enough to catch that one moment and decide you want it printed.
Now, if I'm out specifically for taking photos I'll obviously use my Nikon DSLR, but for everyday use I want a phone that gives at least half decent results.
The fact is that all WP7 cameras could be better. Especially the HTC ones.
emigrating said:
You just answered yourself - it's because you've always got your phone with you. The less gadgets you have to carry the better.
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Yeah agreed it is slightly more convenient..
But I personally don't like swapping quality for slight convenience
I still use my Cowon for music (better sound quality than phone) and carry my ultra compact when out with friends and my DSLR when I want to take decent photos!
I also find that the lens of the phone camera is always grubby resulting in slightly soft photos!
BUt coming back to the topic..I think the OMnia 7 takes fairly decent photos compared to other phones although I don't know how it compares to other WP7
Engadget reckons the Focus has an "impressive camera" and the Omnia 7 has a "good camera" while the others either aren't mentioned in the scorecard or specifically mention "subpar camera"
They've actually posted all the photos so you should have a look yourself.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/29/htc-trophy-review/
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/22/samsung-focus-review/
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/22/lg-optimus-7-review/
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/21/htc-7-mozart-review/
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/20/htc-hd7-review/
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/20/samsung-omnia-7-review/
http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/20/htc-surround-review/
I'm having real problems with the focus camera. I can't seem to get a steady shot. Maybe it's because of the hardware button, and I'm slightly moving the camera when I take it. I hope that's it, because it usually takes me 5 or 6 shots to get a decent one...
jmerrey said:
I'm having real problems with the focus camera. I can't seem to get a steady shot. Maybe it's because of the hardware button, and I'm slightly moving the camera when I take it. I hope that's it, because it usually takes me 5 or 6 shots to get a decent one...
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Have you tried holding the camera button down half-way to let it focus before taking the pic? Also, there is an anti-shake setting on Focuses (and other Samsungs, I presume), but unfortunately the setting doesn't save.
yes i use the auto-focus feature, i've tried the anti-shake setting, i've tried lowering the resolution, pretty much everything...i can get a decent shot about 1 out of 5

And this is why I hate the Nexus camera

I made a thread the other day saying how 4.0.3 seemed to fix the focus issues. Well that's great, now maybe an update needs to fix the actual quality? I mean, this is TERRIBLE. Look how dull/dark the picture is on a perfectly sunny day.
After seeing this I took a look at the exif data and it shows a shutter speed of 1/3000? SERIOUSLY?????????? It needs to be around 1/600 to look bright and not so damn dull.
We seriously need manual controls on this camera phone. I'm usually one of the first ones to say, "it's just a phone, get a real camera if you want good pictures," but this is just damn ridiculous now. Pictures look like they came from a flip phone.
What's funny is it looks bright and excellent on the phone. When I first saw it on the phone, I thought, "wow that's a nice picture." Until I looked at it on the computer...
http://i.imgur.com/HiYS6.jpg
What's wrong with the EV controls? Or even the scene settings? I feel I have pretty much control over my pictures from my GN by trying different settings or even another camera app.
I tend to take mobile shots not to seriously as I use a DSLR on a daily basis.
Mobile cameras aren't "there" yet. Period. The older nokias took great mobile pictures, but somehow the necessity for high en cameras got lost in the transitions to smartphones. I've heard the (the name we won't speak) 4S camera is one of the better ones on the market? Tried that?
brian85 said:
I made a thread the other day saying how 4.0.3 seemed to fix the focus issues. Well that's great, now maybe an update needs to fix the actual quality? I mean, this is TERRIBLE. Look how dull/dark the picture is on a perfectly sunny day.
After seeing this I took a look at the exif data and it shows a shutter speed of 1/3000? SERIOUSLY?????????? It needs to be around 1/600 to look bright and not so damn dull.
We seriously need manual controls on this camera phone. I'm usually one of the first ones to say, "it's just a phone, get a real camera if you want good pictures," but this is just damn ridiculous now. Pictures look like they came from a flip phone.
What's funny is it looks bright and excellent on the phone. When I first saw it on the phone, I thought, "wow that's a nice picture." Until I looked at it on the computer...
http://i.imgur.com/HiYS6.jpg
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Maybe your monitor isn't set correctly. There's nothing terrible about that picture for a camera phone. It's underexposed by about 1/2 to 1 EV, but not terribly. Automatic metering is often off by that much; you can easily add an EV or 2 of compensation if you're not pleased with the results. Or just run it through Auto-Fix in the built-in editor, the results are actually very good in my experience.
/spectrometer-calibrated monitor here
copkay said:
Maybe your monitor isn't set correctly. There's nothing terrible about that picture for a camera phone. It's underexposed by about 1/2 to 1 EV, but not terribly. Automatic metering is often off by that much; you can easily add an EV or 2 of compensation if you're not pleased with the results. Or just run it through Auto-Fix in the built-in editor, the results are actually very good in my experience.
/spectrometer-calibrated monitor here
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My monitor is fine. It's not like this is the only picture I've ever seen on my computer.
fregor said:
What's wrong with the EV controls? Or even the scene settings? I feel I have pretty much control over my pictures from my GN by trying different settings or even another camera app.
I tend to take mobile shots not to seriously as I use a DSLR on a daily basis.
Mobile cameras aren't "there" yet. Period. The older nokias took great mobile pictures, but somehow the necessity for high en cameras got lost in the transitions to smartphones. I've heard the (the name we won't speak) 4S camera is one of the better ones on the market? Tried that?
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No more excuses. Yes, mobile cameras are "there" now. Look at the galaxy s2. That phone takes excellent pictures, even better than the iphone 4s.
I don't usually take mobile shots seriously either unless they look absolutely terrible.
If this thing can shoot 1080p widescreen it should be able to take widescreen photos.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
brian85 said:
My monitor is fine. It's not like this is the only picture I've ever seen on my computer.
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Doesn't mean you've seen them correctly.
Explain what you think is wrong with this photo, because I'm not seeing it.
EDIT: Histogram of your image attached. As I said, 1/2 to 1 EV underexposed, but there's no clipping in the shadows or highlights.
Just use another camera...I'm using miui v17 and it shoots widescreen and takes decent pictures with control over autofocus
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk
Looks fine to me, but then again it is a phone
So many excuses.
I love my nexus, but it takes terrible photos. Simple as that.
brian85 said:
I made a thread the other day saying how 4.0.3 seemed to fix the focus issues. Well that's great, now maybe an update needs to fix the actual quality? I mean, this is TERRIBLE. Look how dull/dark the picture is on a perfectly sunny day.
After seeing this I took a look at the exif data and it shows a shutter speed of 1/3000? SERIOUSLY?????????? It needs to be around 1/600 to look bright and not so damn dull.
We seriously need manual controls on this camera phone. I'm usually one of the first ones to say, "it's just a phone, get a real camera if you want good pictures," but this is just damn ridiculous now. Pictures look like they came from a flip phone.
What's funny is it looks bright and excellent on the phone. When I first saw it on the phone, I thought, "wow that's a nice picture." Until I looked at it on the computer...
http://i.imgur.com/HiYS6.jpg
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Dude, that's not a bad pic at all. Yes, the GSII takes better pics, but that one isn't bad. If you need the best quality pics grab a DSLR or something.
You keep saying everyone is making excuses but you aren't answering any questions. I have taken great pictures with my camera. Would love to post some but I'm at work right now.
What questions?
If you guys don't think that picture looks bad, then you aren't someone who is really into photography.
Dull colors, dark, noisy as hell, grainy, etc.
Just did VERY QUICK adjustment for you. Is this more of what you're looking for??
Much better.
I think the issue here was the shutter speed. I have NO IDEA why it used a shutter speed of around 1/3000. That is WAY too fast to gather any decent amount of light on a cell phone camera.
I've been looking at other pictures I've taken with slower shutter speeds, and they look fine.
Sorry for freaking out guys. I think my issue here was I took a picture in an area with plenty of light, where the nexus camera is supposed to shine, and I was shocked when I actually saw the picture on the computer. Just wish we had manual controls on this thing (shutter speed, iso, etc).
brian85 said:
What questions?
If you guys don't think that picture looks bad, then you aren't someone who is really into photography.
Dull colors, dark, noisy as hell, grainy, etc.
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yeah your right, this is a phone forum not a camera forum...plus people who are really into photography dont do it on their phones...trust me I am married to a photographer...while she snaps pictures of the kids all day on her phone she would NEVER take it out to do a wedding or photo shoot.
madisonjar said:
yeah your right, this is a phone forum not a camera forum...plus people who are really into photography dont do it on their phones...trust me I am married to a photographer...while she snaps pictures of the kids all day on her phone she would NEVER take it out to do a wedding or photo shoot.
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Thats not what I mean.
I'm saying if people are happy with flip phone quality photos on a smartphone in 2012, then they don't really know photography at all.
Anyways, see my post above. I'm a little calmer now lol.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App
I'm no expert but it looks pretty good to me. Maybe the abundant lighter colored walls reflect too much light and require a faster shutter speed?
Interesting house. I assume the garage doors are hidden in the back.
Electronic rolling shutter vs mechanical shutter
brian85 said:
Much better.
I think the issue here was the shutter speed. I have NO IDEA why it used a shutter speed of around 1/3000. That is WAY too fast to gather any decent amount of light on a cell phone camera.
I've been looking at other pictures I've taken with slower shutter speeds, and they look fine.
Sorry for freaking out guys. I think my issue here was I took a picture in an area with plenty of light, where the nexus camera is supposed to shine, and I was shocked when I actually saw the picture on the computer. Just wish we had manual controls on this thing (shutter speed, iso, etc).
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Camera phones have shutters? This is news to me. They have electronic rolling shutters, but no mechanical shutter. It seems like the shutter speed you're relating to DSLRs is mechanical shutter speed. In this sense, 1/3000 doesn't really mean a whole lot.
In my opinion the camera takes great photos! I have taken a number of photos that are all brilliant quality. I have had the photos printed out on photo paper in a number of sizes and recently had a photo printed on a 16x16 canvas and it looks stunning! There has been no loss in quality with the photo on the canvas and I know that there will be no loss in quality if I have 46x46 canvases made!

iPhone 4S vs Nexus vs GS2-1 pic

I just went outside to snap these pics with these 3 phones. I have not altered them in any way except for resizing them. I tried to take them as close as possible (as far as angle goes) but they are gonna be slightly off. They were all set to auto and none of them fired with the flash.
I am trying to see where everybody is saying that the Nexus camera sucks so bad and that the iPhone and GS2 are amazing???
These are all "real world" pictures, a photo that you would just out of the blue.
Lighting was EXACTLY THE SAME for all of the phones.
Nexus:
iPhone4S:
SGS2:
Thanks for the pics.
Unfortunately exposure on all 3 pics is wildly different, so you can't really compare them.
Could you try again with a scene with A LOT less contrast, i.e. no extremly-bright vs. dark shadows areas?
Valynor said:
Thanks for the pics.
Unfortunately exposure on all 3 pics is wildly different, so you can't really compare them.
Could you try again with a scene with A LOT less contrast, i.e. no extremly-bright vs. dark shadows areas?
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See, that is exactly the point! When you are shooting with a camera phone, most of the time it will be a spur of the moment. You will get scenes where you don't have perfect lighting or contrast.
You have to compare the pics as they are. Looking at those 3 pictures I would say the Galaxy Nexus holds its own against the iPhone and GS2 which "don't suck."
People keep saying how much better the iPhone and S2 cameras are so I posted a pic from all 3 to get a comparison.
The argument can't be made that the iPhone and S2 cameras are 1000000000x better and then say well "we need a pic with a better scene" to judge that.
These are camera phones and that is exactly the type of scene it will be used in.
Pictures look fine to me. I actually think it looks better than the iPhone one. People who are taking bad pictures must really be doing something wrong or maybe defective device. I've taken gorgeous pics.
z06mike said:
See, that is exactly the point! When you are shooting with a camera phone, most of the time it will be a spur of the moment. You will get scenes where you don't have perfect lighting or contrast.
You have to compare the pics as they are.
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The problem is: You can't.
Even a slightly different angle will produce a different exposure. Also the different focal lengths of the 3 cameras will produce different exposures simply because the picture itself is different. If you are ignoring this you have to make pictures from more than one location so you can say with at least some certainty which camera is choosing the best exposure most of the time.
Totally agree! You cant set the picture for the phone. Real experience is the deal. Sure, the iPhone takes better pics in SOME situations and I would say probably as a whole, better pics overall. But the Nexus holds its own in most situations.
Valynor said:
The problem is: You can't.
Even a slightly different angle will produce a different exposure. Also the different focal lengths of the 3 cameras will produce different exposures simply because the picture itself is different. If you are ignoring this you have to make pictures from more than one location so you can say with at least some certainty which camera is choosing the best exposure most of the time.
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These are exactly the type of educated responses I am looking for, not just the Nexus camera sucks.
Obviously you have some photography experience and make some very valid points, which is why I agree with your above statement, but...
Looking at the above pictures, which looks best???
z06mike said:
These are exactly the type of educated responses I am looking for, not just the Nexus camera sucks.
Obviously you have some photography experience and make some very valid points, which is why I agree with your above statement, but...
Looking at the above pictures, which looks best???
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The SGS2 pic looks best under the assumption that the best possible shot of the car was the intended outcome.
But look at the Nexus picture: A white and a dark car are passing in the shadow on the right lane when you took the picture. Those cars are not in the iphone4s picture, so the scene as a whole was brighter, which likely is the reason the exposure was lowered and the picture is darker.
The SGS2 picture shows considerably more of the dark pavewalk -> higher exposure -> car looks better.
z06mike said:
These are exactly the type of educated responses I am looking for, not just the Nexus camera sucks.
Obviously you have some photography experience and make some very valid points, which is why I agree with your above statement, but...
Looking at the above pictures, which looks best???
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I'm not a photography expert by any means, but to my eye, the iPhone 4 one looks the best - I say this based solely on the fact that the bright upper half isn't burned out, whereas the shadow still retains some detail - it seemed to do pretty well given the huge range of brightness across the scene.
Having said that, I'm perfectly happy with my Nexus. I see no reason to feel bad or complain if another phone has a "better" camera than mine.
To me, the Nexus' and the iPhone's cam beat the SGSII's one by more than one detailed view. And the Nexus wins.
Having a zero-lag lense gives you much more opportunities than being able to play with saturation, angle, contrast, best point, ... .This is a mobilephone cam, not a professional one.
The iPhone's pic looks a bit more "detailed" because of the missing cars in the dark side, thus the image is less overlightened.
With those pics I think the iphone came out best (slightly), followed by the GNex, and the GS2 pulling up the rear. I really had to look closely to compare the Gnex and the iphone pic to determine which was better. As far as I'm concerned if I have to stare at a picture closely to figure out which is better then there isn't enough difference for me to concern myself with. As for the GS2 picture, I think that one is clearly poorer than the other two. I could see that at a quick glance.
The iphone4s handled contrast but not without compromise, the closest or dark side of the car is too dark. The ipone image was centered so the background was also in focus.
The GN looks best if you wanted to focus on the car, its slightly washed out on the car's dark side.
The SGII looks bad, the picture is centered/focused on the car yet the camera couldn't handle the contrast, even the dark side of the car is washed out.
I wonder if all camera settings were on auto.
Can you do a side by side testing the flash on both cameras? My GN seems to take pictures with a yellowish tint when the flash is on. Its mostly noticeable on Asian people's skin which turns out looking sickeningly yellow.
most the time complaints just fall from the 8 > 5 so 8 is better. Which doesnt hold true with photography. One of the best DSLR which could still hold its own today when everything is 12mp or more, is the Olympus E-1 which is only 5mp.

[Q] Camera quality due to hardware or software or both?

Hello all,
Do you think the issues with the Galaxy Nexus camera are due to software issues or is the camera sensor just really that bad? It seems that the low light capability of this camera is even worse than that of the Nexus S. I've never had any issues with my camera phones in the past producing such crap photos as the one this phone produces(HTC Sensation, Nexus S and original Nexus). I'm thinking about just going back to my Nexus S and selling this one.
I've attached two photos that someone posted on Google+ illustrating how bad the Galaxy Nexus compares to the Asus Transformer Prime's camera. This is really frustrating and if I were Google and/or Samsung, I'd be embarrassed.
Not the same angle, not the same focus point which impacts the validity of this comparison.
Also note that there is a little bit more detail in the more grainy shot. This is something that actually could be improved with a software update.
Valynor said:
Not the same angle, not the same focus point which impacts the validity of this comparison.
Also note that there is a little bit more detail in the more grainy shot. This is something that actually could be improved with a software update.
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Hmm...each picture look pretty close to the same angle. I'm more concerned with the graininess of the Galaxy Nexus photo. It seems that the camera's ISO is too high which is why it's producing a grainy picture.
oracleicom said:
Hmm...each picture look pretty close to the same angle. I'm more concerned with the graininess of the Galaxy Nexus photo. It seems that the camera's ISO is too high which is why it's producing a grainy picture.
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It mainly comes down to a balance of exposure time, ISO, picture quality level of the sensor at that ISO and noise reduction algorithms/general software post-processing of the image.
I agree that there is quite some room for improvement in this area on the GN camera. I hope Google/Samsung will address this in an update someday.
Apart from this, any phone camera sucks at low light.
I find the camera really good. The only thing I find kind of strange is how photo's look in a dim room with flash on close up.
Videos look godly
Coming from the SG2 the Nexus certainly is a step backwards. What has impressed me about the Nexus camera is the ability to focus and stay focused, and snap shots almost instantly. The SG2 has issues with focus and delays. In movie mode the SG2 would come in and out of focus even when I have not moved the phone at all. Taking photos of moving objects on the SG2 is a real challenge because of its inability to focus, but having said that the photos that are taken properly do come out very sharp and vibrant, especially given enough daylight.
So where the Nexus improved vastly on focus speed, it fails in image quality. Even in moderate light I see more than usual noise from photos taken with the Nexus.
I look forward to the SGIII.
I just remind myself that I'm taking pictures with a phone. So I don't care. I also have not had issues with photos. Especially when I remind myself, again, that I am using a phone to take pictures with.
mzrdisi said:
I just remind myself that I'm taking pictures with a phone. So I don't care. I also have not had issues with photos. Especially when I remind myself, again, that I am using a phone to take pictures with.
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Yeah dude, I agree. If I want yo take sick photo's, I'd use a camera anyway, even if the phone is the best "camera" phone on the market. Its for quick shots. I agree aswell that the Gnex could be better... But I've seen/used worse. = )
mzrdisi said:
I just remind myself that I'm taking pictures with a phone. So I don't care. I also have not had issues with photos. Especially when I remind myself, again, that I am using a phone to take pictures with.
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Amen!
That's why I lug a DSLR around with me when I go away for work.
REAL camera = photography, cell phone = phone with a point & shoot camera built into it.
For indoor pics just set your phone to Party preset. Works best.
You can get similar / better results by manually choosing the white balance and exposure settings depending on your light conditions. But for quick snaps, just select party mode and see the difference.
Camera is more than decent.
Personally I am using Camera Zoom FX for most of the time. But in certain low light conditions, stock camera app with party preset actually does much better job.
This is one of the worst camera I seen in years.
This is what really holds me back from buying a GN these days...I would be interested in your guys thoughts: Do you think that there will be some software based improvements within the next weeks? Or is it just the lense (or some hardware stuff like that, not my terrain here^^), which can´t be improved?
brooon said:
This is what really holds me back from buying a GN these days...I would be interested in your guys thoughts: Do you think that there will be some software based improvements within the next weeks? Or is it just the lense (or some hardware stuff like that, not my terrain here^^), which can´t be improved?
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Hardware is always limiting. No amount of software can make something better than it physically can be. I'm not saying that updates cant fix the issues we're seeing, I actually believe the contrary. There is a lot you can do with software to really tweak things. But you can't compare a phone camera to a DSLR or something like it.
I personally believe google will update the camera but the question is when. Personally I think the camera is great. I think it depends on what you're used to taking pictures with, and how ocd/picky you are about quality. The SGS2 has better camera hardware, but do try to remember the issues it had when it first came out. The camera quality issues of it were patched up really nice with a software update so don't give your hopes up.
EddieN said:
Hardware is always limiting. No amount of software can make something better than it physically can be. I'm not saying that updates cant fix the issues we're seeing, I actually believe the contrary. There is a lot you can do with software to really tweak things. But you can't compare a phone camera to a DSLR or something like it.
I personally believe google will update the camera but the question is when. Personally I think the camera is great. I think it depends on what you're used to taking pictures with, and how ocd/picky you are about quality. The SGS2 has better camera hardware, but do try to remember the issues it had when it first came out. The camera quality issues of it were patched up really nice with a software update so don't give your hopes up.
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Thanks for your input! Yeah I´m coming from an SGSII, atm I´m on a Galaxy Note...so both of my current devices do have better hardware...in the past there was the HD2, which had some terrible software bugs, that have been worked out within months. The last roms I used with the HD2 really pushed the photoquality...
I came from the sgs2 and they are almost identical, I do find the nexus a bit sharper. Great macro
Sent from my francoPhone using xda premium
I started using Shot Control over the stock camera app. It seems to do a better job of with the settings and does give a higher degree of fine tuning them. Give up the panorama mode though, which I love!
People want the highest quality, buy a freaking camera. Or get over it already, stop making this kind of threads.
i am completely dissatisfied with the camera on this phone. I came from a Nexus One to the Gnex. The Nexus one has an AMAAAZING camera on it. Of course HTC uses better hardware. Ill post comparison pics later... damn samsung!
how can i reduce the noise (or grain... i dont know the exact english term) in the pic??
the pics on first posts explain very good the problem.
thx a lot.
daffyno said:
how can i reduce the noise (or grain... i dont know the exact english term) in the pic??
the pics on first posts explain very good the problem.
thx a lot.
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In short...you can't. The hardware in a device this small can't do much more than that.

The camera is good on this?

It really is. I have no idea why so many people whine about it. My girlfriend quite often uses my phone instead of hers for pictures because the camera is so nice. Only time it sucks is if I zoom in at night with zero lighting. Basically have to try to make it anything but amazing. I can capture beautiful pictures of animals mid hop which is hard even with a real camera. OK rant over but I'm impressed by it.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
because it is apart of humanity. we as humans always like to find something to criticize about, either that or they are trolls from other phone forums trying to bash the galaxy nexus. kinda like the whole criticism of "lack of sdcard" or "plastic phone". the camera is perfectly fine as long as its focused properly.
best tip is to just ignore them and keep using the phone we all enjoy the most
zephiK said:
because it is apart of humanity. we as humans always like to find something to criticize about, either that or they are trolls from other phone forums trying to bash the galaxy nexus. kinda like the whole criticism of "lack of sdcard" or "plastic phone". the camera is perfectly fine as long as its focused properly.
best tip is to just ignore them and keep using the phone we all enjoy the most
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Hmmm true honestly I forget that people like trolling since I can't see the point. The sdcard thing is my only gripe but I keep seeing things about the camera. When I got this phone I was beyond surprised by how awesome my camera is now.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
Its definitely better the the LG Revolution. I don't mind the camera.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2
Gahh Its Lee said:
Hmmm true honestly I forget that people like trolling since I can't see the point. The sdcard thing is my only gripe but I keep seeing things about the camera. When I got this phone I was beyond surprised by how awesome my camera is now.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
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honestly i don't see a problem with 16GB, i mean yeah its nice to have a SD card slot. Verizon users have 32GB. The phone itself (in GSM form) should of came with 32GB in my opinion. But it's not a big deal for me.
I don't understand why people need to carry all their movies and music on their phone at the same time. It's not like they're going to watch everything they stored on their phone. And there is always USB OTG where you can plug a USB drive into your phone for expandable storage.
4.0.4 also improved the camera. my same ideology goes with the camera, phone cameras are for CASUAL pictures. if you're going to go out to a important event like a wedding or whatever it is... you'd have a DEDICATED camera such as a canon rebel eos or something of that sort. it would produce higher quality. same thing for GPS etc etc. yes i know its convenient, but we have to all realize that the GN is a phone. Not a superphone that can do everything in one device.
In good lighting the camera takes good shots. In low lighting the shots are extremely washed out. Coming from a rezound I like the pics better on the nexus in good light...even though the rezound has an on avg better camera. It can pass.
Knocking a phone for having a plastic build is pathetic. Mine is in a case...who cares what it is made of. As long as its in a case no one will ever know lol.
ac29593 said:
In good lighting the camera takes good shots. In low lighting the shots are extremely washed out. Coming from a rezound I like the pics better on the nexus in good light...even though the rezound has an on avg better camera. It can pass.
Knocking a phone for having a plastic build is pathetic. Mine is in a case...who cares what it is made of. As long as its in a case no one will ever know lol.
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Phone actually feels really good regardless if it's plastic. When compared to a Galaxy S1, I feel that Samsung did a really good job on the Galaxy S2 backcover. Can't say too much about Galaxy S3 though. Looks like a downgrade.
+1 with case... Ringke Slim Case + Extended Battery = Perfection!
Why not have a look at photos taken with the phone?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1392436
mentose457 said:
Why not have a look at photos taken with the phone?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1392436
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You should read the thread before posting.
The OP is not asking if the GN camera is good or not. The OP is stating his OWN opinion about the camera and he feels that the camera is good enough and wonders why people complain about the camera.
Thanks I couldn't find that thread. I think we get some damn good quality for a phone.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
****ty craftsmen blame their tools.
I've got an ET4G SGS2 until tomorrow. From the pics I've seen here and round the web I'm sure I'll get the same quality (if not better) pictures from this camera...they'll just be slightly smaller.
Also people think they are "tipped off" by their "superior intellect" that the camera must suck because it has 3mp less than most cameras. I see it as having 3mp less noise in the image. I have a 16mp digital camera....that doesn't mean that it necessarily takes better pictures--zoom in the 1:1 pixel-for-pixel and tell me that you really need all 8mp when--even on a good well focused steady shot in great lighting--you see noticeable noise in every shot. Show me a phone camera (or even ANY digital camera) that consistently doesn't do this at all.
I'm not worried at all. I'm a musician....I've been in bands....played out for more than half of my life (I'm 32). Other musicians and band guys will likely know exactly what I'm talking about....lots of people are just about to start a band, project, song, video, production company, etc....but they just need that one last key piece of equipment to get them started. An artist wants to create art with whatever they have, everyone else will blame their tools for not making them great.
zephiK said:
You should read the thread before posting.
The OP is not asking if the GN camera is good or not. The OP is stating his OWN opinion about the camera and he feels that the camera is good enough and wonders why people complain about the camera.
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Apparently you didn't read my post. I simply suggested he admire the great photos taken with the phone by others. Please refer to the OPs post below yours.
The camera on this is great. Just because it has less pixels than most other cameras it doesn't take horrible pictures. I still consider it an upgrade from my 8mp DINC.
I like it too. I installed Camera FV-5 and it has dSLR controls. Good for casual shooting
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
zephiK said:
Phone actually feels really good regardless if it's plastic.
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Agreed. And I don't see it pointed out very often that the HTC Rezound is 100% plastic, the RAZR which claims to be aluminum feels a hell of a lot like plastic to me, the Thunderbolt, Revolution, X, X2, Bionic, Charge, Evo, Evo 3D, Evo LTE and 50 other high end phones over the last couple years - plastic. Even Casio's rugged phones are plastic. It's an illogical complaint, that's my point.
You guys are kidding right? The camera is simply not that good. It's not terrible, but just very disappointing for such a new flagship phone.
It has nothing to do with megapixels. If I read a review that compares cameras solely based on megapixels, I walk away. With the Nexus, it looks great in the viewfinder, but after I take a picture, I zoom in and it's usually blurry. I have gotten into the habit of taking 3 pictures and discarding the two worst ones and almost always the first pic is blurry as hell. I came from a 5mp Sony Ericsson Hazel feature phone with dedicated shutter button and I kinda miss it. I rarely needed to retake pictures like this. I'm only on 4.0.2 right now, so hopefully they did fix it in software.
The sensor is just weak, especially in low light. Annoyingly, our phone also loses to the iPhone 4s in picture quality. will try to find the link later.
It's pretty decent for the phone. You obviously can't expect SLR kind of quality but in good light it's very good.
The ICS improvements have made it very snappy too. Love the panaroma feature if that makes you tick...
zAlbee said:
You guys are kidding right? The camera is simply not that good. It's not terrible, but just very disappointing for such a new flagship phone.
It has nothing to do with megapixels. If I read a review that compares cameras solely based on megapixels, I walk away. With the Nexus, it looks great in the viewfinder, but after I take a picture, I zoom in and it's usually blurry. I have gotten into the habit of taking 3 pictures and discarding the two worst ones and almost always the first pic is blurry as hell. I came from a 5mp Sony Ericsson Hazel feature phone with dedicated shutter button and I kinda miss it. I rarely needed to retake pictures like this. I'm only on 4.0.2 right now, so hopefully they did fix it in software.
The sensor is just weak, especially in low light. Annoyingly, our phone also loses to the iPhone 4s in picture quality. will try to find the link later.
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I believe they did fix the focusing problems with the 4.0.4 update. Give it a go and see.
zAlbee said:
You guys are kidding right? The camera is simply not that good. It's not terrible, but just very disappointing for such a new flagship phone.
It has nothing to do with megapixels. If I read a review that compares cameras solely based on megapixels, I walk away. With the Nexus, it looks great in the viewfinder, but after I take a picture, I zoom in and it's usually blurry. I have gotten into the habit of taking 3 pictures and discarding the two worst ones and almost always the first pic is blurry as hell. I came from a 5mp Sony Ericsson Hazel feature phone with dedicated shutter button and I kinda miss it. I rarely needed to retake pictures like this. I'm only on 4.0.2 right now, so hopefully they did fix it in software.
The sensor is just weak, especially in low light. Annoyingly, our phone also loses to the iPhone 4s in picture quality. will try to find the link later.
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Its not a flagship phone. The Galaxy S III is a flagship phone. The HTC One X is a flagship phone. The GALAXY Nexus is a REFERENCE device.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA
zAlbee said:
You guys are kidding right? The camera is simply not that good. It's not terrible, but just very disappointing for such a new flagship phone.
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I'm only on 4.0.2 right now, so hopefully they did fix it in software.
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And that is why the GN's camera has a bad reputation. People stuck with old firmwares giving their impression even though many camera problems were fixed.

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