Develop Bugs

Flash Bleeding: is Sony going to something about it?

Hi guys,
I have this phone for 3 weeks, and I think it's a great phone but simply can't stand the fact that when I shoot in low light condictions I got that flash bleeding simply destroing picture quality.
I've used the marker trick, but after a week or so the coloring has gone away and I had to do it againg.
Guys, so frustrating you need to paint a 400£ phone once a week come on....
Will Sony do something about it, or they consider just enough they've said "You're shooting it wrong" like reportend on Talk Sony Mobile forum?
Will they just tact as if nothing has happened and fix this on Z2 Compact?
Always loved Sony for the way they are different form Samsung, Lg etc. but really disappointed this time...

Ever heard of HTC One purple tint issue on camera? I'm pretty sure it's a hundred fold worse than this camera issue and up to now HTC didn't provide any official recall or fix for this problem. AFAIK this issue only shows up on situations where an image would be worthless. I mean who takes picture of a black sky without any objects? Or takes a picture on a empty dark room without any focused subject nor takes a portrait picture of an object which is on a far distance than normal. All I can say is take it easy... Just use the camera normally and you won't encounter the issue. I've done low light pictures from the compact already from night concerts, Selfies on night, low light shots on some friends and stuff and I haven't encountered the light bleed issue. The only way I can reproduce it is if I take a picture of the sky, taking a picture of something a few meters away from me or taking picture on a empty dark room(ghost hunting? ).
GiveMe2Beers said:
Hi guys,
I have this phone for 3 weeks, and I think it's a great phone but simply can't stand the fact that when I shoot in low light condictions I got that flash bleeding simply destroing picture quality.
I've used the marker trick, but after a week or so the coloring has gone away and I had to do it againg.
Guys, so frustrating you need to paint a 400£ phone once a week come on....
Will Sony do something about it, or they consider just enough they've said "You're shooting it wrong" like reportend on Talk Sony Mobile forum?
Will they just take our money and fix this on Z2 Compact?
Always loved Sony for the way they are different form Samsung, Lg etc. but really disappointed this time...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Riyal said:
Ever heard of HTC One purple tint issue on camera? I'm pretty sure it's a hundred fold worse than this camera issue and up to now HTC didn't provide any official recall or fix for this problem. AFAIK this issue only shows up on situations where an image would be worthless. I mean who takes picture of a black sky without any objects? Or takes a picture on a empty dark room without any focused subject nor takes a portrait picture of an object which is on a far distance than normal. All I can say is take it easy... Just use the camera normally and you won't encounter the issue. I've done low light pictures from the compact already from night concerts, Selfies on night, low light shots on some friends and stuff and I haven't encountered the light bleed issue. The only way I can reproduce it is if I take a picture of the sky, taking a picture of something a few meters away from me or taking picture on a empty dark room(ghost hunting? ).
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My HTC One and also a friend of mine's were replaced because of the purple tint camera issue. That was a hardware issue with the camera itself (or perhaps the assembly process) on the first batch, this unfortunately is 'just' a back problem probably due to the last minute change from glass to plastic and not the camera itself.

we can only speculate. They wont fix it with a fw update. Changing the back panels are the only thing sony could do. are they gona do it? i dont know, and i dont think so
ps: i also had to repaint it, but now its fixed. the paint stays longer on the second or third time that you paint it.
---------- Post added at 11:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:32 PM ----------
Riyal said:
Ever heard of HTC One purple tint issue on camera? I'm pretty sure it's a hundred fold worse than this camera issue and up to now HTC didn't provide any official recall or fix for this problem. AFAIK this issue only shows up on situations where an image would be worthless. I mean who takes picture of a black sky without any objects? Or takes a picture on a empty dark room without any focused subject nor takes a portrait picture of an object which is on a far distance than normal. All I can say is take it easy... Just use the camera normally and you won't encounter the issue. I've done low light pictures from the compact already from night concerts, Selfies on night, low light shots on some friends and stuff and I haven't encountered the light bleed issue. The only way I can reproduce it is if I take a picture of the sky, taking a picture of something a few meters away from me or taking picture on a empty dark room(ghost hunting? ).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i disagree. yes this bleed is a lot worse when taking a nightsky pic, or in a complete dark room, wich are things that you probably wont do. but you can also reproduce it under situation that you might come in the future where light is low, but not complete dark.

profyler said:
we can only speculate. They wont fix it with a fw update. Changing the back panels are the only thing sony could do. are they gona do it? i dont know, and i dont think so
ps: i also had to repaint it, but now its fixed. the paint stays longer on the second or third time that you paint it.
---------- Post added at 11:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:32 PM ----------
i disagree. yes this bleed is a lot worse when taking a nightsky pic, or in a complete dark room, wich are things that you probably wont do. but you can also reproduce it under situation that you might come in the future where light is low, but not complete dark.
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Yeah,i had blue tint in 2m my dark room and on potrait of guitar in dark pub so you can reproduce it quite easy(painting did the job after though)

Ok so I guess the color of the phone does indeed matter. Since I really can't reproduce the light bleed easily without that much effort. Also with HTC One issue. For previous owners we know that it took HTC almost a year before recognizing it as a hardware issue and keep denying it for months right? And yeah they didn't provide any recall. They just simply say that it's a software issue and will be fixed on future updates and is only fixing phones that are sent to their service centre.

on HTC One X we have green tint when using flash , but it can be fix by a software http://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=36287923&postcount=1

No light bleed here but I have black.

Riyal said:
Ok so I guess the color of the phone does indeed matter. Since I really can't reproduce the light bleed easily without that much effort. Also with HTC One issue. For previous owners we know that it took HTC almost a year before recognizing it as a hardware issue and keep denying it for months right? And yeah they didn't provide any recall. They just simply say that it's a software issue and will be fixed on future updates and is only fixing phones that are sent to their service centre.
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What color is your device mate?

gabi11 said:
What color is your device mate?
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@gabi11
Same as @Arup ZR color black.

Arup ZR said:
No light bleed here but I have black.
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How is that possible that you don't have the light bleed issue? Did you make that photograph as described (i.e. of the sky at night with flash on)? When did you buy your phone (or what is its manufacturing date)?

Riyal said:
Ok so I guess the color of the phone does indeed matter. Since I really can't reproduce the light bleed easily without that much effort. Also with HTC One issue. For previous owners we know that it took HTC almost a year before recognizing it as a hardware issue and keep denying it for months right? And yeah they didn't provide any recall. They just simply say that it's a software issue and will be fixed on future updates and is only fixing phones that are sent to their service centre.
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Actually my HTC didn't have the problem at first, it only started after the 4.3 update. Then I just waited for 4.4 in hope of a fix, obviously nothing happened so I sent it for repairs. My friend's had this issue since the beginning on 4.2.
Anyway, I think we are being a bit off topic here

vetko said:
How is that possible that you don't have the light bleed issue? Did you make that photograph as described (i.e. of the sky at night with flash on)? When did you buy your phone (or what is its manufacturing date)?
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Yes will post it later but bear in mind I have it in black and also use the included leather case.

Arup ZR said:
Yes will post it later but bear in mind I have it in black and also use the included leather case.
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I also plan to buy the black one, but all users are reporting flash bleed even with that. Also, I don't think the leather case would change anything, because the light finds its way into the camera through the plastic back, which the leather case can not prevent. Just to be sure, could you try taking those photos without the leather case?
I really hope that Sony fixed this (at least quietly in the background). When did you purchase it?

vetko said:
I also plan to buy the black one, but all users are reporting flash bleed even with that. Also, I don't think the leather case would change anything, because the light finds its way into the camera through the plastic back, which the leather case can not prevent. Just to be sure, could you try taking those photos without the leather case?
I really hope that Sony fixed this (at least quietly in the background). When did you purchase it?
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Few days back.

Arup ZR said:
Few days back.
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:good: So that may be really good news for all of us if you really don't have the bleed . Could you post those photos somewhen today? Thanks.

I was talking with the support about these cam and beelding problems.
The short version is: sony gives a fack about these problems. So dont except any update for that.

vetko said:
:good: So that may be really good news for all of us if you really don't have the bleed . Could you post those photos somewhen today? Thanks.
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Will try........overall am very pleased with this phone and its cam, I do own a 808 and spate of SLRs so this one is competing very well with them. Only thing thats needed is RAW support and more controls in manual mode, truly lacking compared to my 808.

Milltach said:
I was talking with the support about these cam and beelding problems.
The short version is: sony gives a fack about these problems. So dont except any update for that.
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Or they just don't want to make it official/public, so that they don't have to replace all already sold models. (As in case of the earlier mentioned HTC issue)

other forum do said sony has an updated version of this that solve the problem few weeks back. Not sure about credibility

camera really this god awful?

I'm wondering if my phone is defected or is HTC serious about this camera? This takes pictures like a phone from 2008 or prior. I'm talking blackberry pre 2010 era wtf!? Almost every picture snapped is blurry and not at all crisp. I have to switch it to manual and mess with a lot of settings to maybe get a decent shot (maybe). All m8 owners, how do you deal with this f'n thing? Everything else about the phone is near perfect then there is this deal breaker. What were they thinking?

Alternate Apps
puma1 said:
I'm wondering if my phone is defected or is HTC serious about this camera? This takes pictures like a phone from 2008 or prior. I'm talking blackberry pre 2010 era wtf!? Almost every picture snapped is blurry and not at all crisp. I have to switch it to manual and mess with a lot of settings to maybe get a decent shot (maybe). All m8 owners, how do you deal with this f'n thing? Everything else about the phone is near perfect then there is this deal breaker. What were they thinking?
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Try downloading a 3rd party app and see if it's a physical or software issue you're having. It might help.

Tried with Google camera. Was worse. You own this phone? How are your pics?

I've very recently had a moto X and N5...and now the M8. I find the M8 blows those both away. For what I do with it anyway.
But I learnt the hard way, missing out on good pics and a video (all blurry in the dim light and all the dancing) at my daughters dance recital.... to bring my $99 Kodak and an inexpensive camcorder I recently got, anywhere I go where I fully know I want great pics and videos.
All phone cameras are pretty crap compared to cheap cameras and camcorders. That's life. ?
You'll always be disappointed at some point when you miss something important with your cheap phone camera.

KJ said:
I've very recently had a moto X and N5...and now the M8. I find the M8 blows those both away. For what I do with it anyway.
But I learnt the hard way, missing out on good pics and a video (all blurry in the dim light and all the dancing) at my daughters dance recital.... to bring my $99 Kodak and an inexpensive camcorder I recently got, anywhere I go where I fully know I want great pics and videos.
All phone cameras are pretty crap compared to cheap cameras and camcorders. That's life. ?
You'll always be disappointed at some point when you miss something important with your cheap phone camera.
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I agree. You meant the m8 blows away the moto x camera? I don't know about that but I know the nexus 5 camera was better than this by far. A little disappointed but everything else is great.

frogman22 said:
I agree. You meant the m8 blows away the moto x camera? I don't know about that but I know the nexus 5 camera was better than this by far. A little disappointed but everything else is great.
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Well, for me, I'm thoroughly impressed compared to all my past devices anyway.
But I still will never count on my phone to capture important moments. Never again.

My iPhone 5S takes much better pictures than my M8.

AUSTIN3:16 said:
My iPhone 5S takes much better pictures than my M8.
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What defines better? The M8 can take pictures in dim lighting perfect whereas they are not even viewable on other phones including the 5S.
I would rather be able to take pictures in ANY setting than print out a huge picture.
IMO, HTC is brilliant in making sure their phones are able to take a picture ANYWHERE. Other phones struggle badly in low light to point if being useless.
Also, this is the first phone I have ever had where people who take pictures for me actually comment on the quality. Don't fall for the MP gimmick/bandwagon, HTC knows what they are doing.
There is clearly something wrong with your camera if the pictures are blurry. Are you talking about flares or blur? If you removed the AR coating of the camera, then you're going to get horrible flares. HTC had the film to aid in reducing glare but people are removing it which is puzzling.

richii0207 said:
What defines better? The M8 can take pictures in dim lighting perfect whereas they are not even viewable on other phones including the 5S.
I would rather be able to take pictures in ANY setting than print out a huge picture.
IMO, HTC is brilliant in making sure their phones are able to take a picture ANYWHERE. Other phones struggle badly in low light to point if being useless.
Also, this is the first phone I have ever had where people who take pictures for me actually comment on the quality. Don't fall for the MP gimmick/bandwagon, HTC knows what they are doing.
There is clearly something wrong with your camera if the pictures are blurry. Are you talking about flares or blur? If you removed the AR coating of the camera, then you're going to get horrible flares. HTC had the film to aid in reducing glare but people are removing it which is puzzling.
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Anywhere? I am struggling to find one place or situation it does excel. All the pictures are really poor again reminds me of pics my old Bold Blackberry used to take. Low light, outside, indoors.. it's really bad. Iphone 5s and s5 are much better at taking pics anywhere, including low light compared to this phone. I been trying all night to take pics and find even a few that are more than decent. Was the HTC One like this or better?

I would suggest you remove the coating on your camera lenses and see if the pictures quality have improved.

I moved this thread to Q&A because it's really a question. Please keep the discussion focused on how to take better pictures or otherwise overcome the shortcomings of the camera. If this becomes a bash HTC or compare devices thread, I'll have to close it and I don't really like doing that.
Thanks,
coal686

scorror said:
I would suggest you remove the coating on your camera lenses and see if the pictures quality have improved.
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Do NOT do this. It removes the anti-reflective coating on it and will produce horrible glare. It seems HTC put it there to compensate for increased lighting from the UltraPixels. If its blurry, then it is certainly defective. Take a look at the camera thread in the general section to see how clear pictures are suppose to be.

i got all happy thinking there might have been a plastic peel off on it.. nope:/

puma1 said:
i got all happy thinking there might have been a plastic peel off on it.. nope:/
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Sucks that you have a defective unit. I would give HTC a call or chat via their website support.

richii0207 said:
Sucks that you have a defective unit. I would give HTC a call or chat via their website support.
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I don't think it is defective. I will keep trying a few things, I mean this is a 4 mega pixel camera, so the pictures are probably not meant to be zoomed in on or anything. I like this phone and prefer not to swap it out.

puma1 said:
I don't think it is defective. I will keep trying a few things, I mean this is a 4 mega pixel camera, so the pictures are probably not meant to be zoomed in on or anything. I like this phone and prefer not to swap it out.
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If its blurry, then it had to be defective. Pictures should be coming out like they are in the pictures thread.

richii0207 said:
Do NOT do this. It removes the anti-reflective coating on it and will produce horrible glare. It seems HTC put it there to compensate for increased lighting from the UltraPixels. If its blurry, then it is certainly defective. Take a look at the camera thread in the general section to see how clear pictures are suppose to be.
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Known and common issue, the coating starts to scratch very easily (sometimes within weeks), which horribly blurs the photos. Removing using a variety of methods (toothpaste is common) is recommended IMO. Some folks have gotten warranty repair, but others have not (think HTC cited physical wear and tear). And who is the say the new lens cover won't just do the same after a few weeks?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-m8/general/how-to-fix-htc-one-m8-camera-issue-t2803825
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-m8/help/how-to-fix-scratches-camera-lens-t2816807
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2715784
---------- Post added at 12:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:06 PM ----------
puma1 said:
How are your pics?
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some truly beautiful pics by the M8 have been posted here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2694621
Pics with the M8 are pretty sharp under a variety of light conditions. Although its pretty subjective, many will say this phone is comparable to other current devices. If you have a fundamental issue of blurry photos, look at the camera lens and see if the coating is scratched, as I've mentioned. It should be pretty obvious to see, if this is the case.

puma1 said:
I'm wondering if my phone is defected or is HTC serious about this camera? This takes pictures like a phone from 2008 or prior. I'm talking blackberry pre 2010 era wtf!? Almost every picture snapped is blurry and not at all crisp. I have to switch it to manual and mess with a lot of settings to maybe get a decent shot (maybe). All m8 owners, how do you deal with this f'n thing? Everything else about the phone is near perfect then there is this deal breaker. What were they thinking?
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Click to collapse
Can you post up some samples, then we can help you. There are many people who love bashing HTC because of what paid reviewers have written/said about the camera.. If you always use your camera in "idiot" mode or "Auto" mode as the manufacturers call it, then your pictures will always look rubbish.
have a go at using ISO, EV, Shutter Speed and WB, they are there for a reason..look up basic photography and learn to understand light and how they work.
To me, the M8 walks over the crappy S5 camera.. then goes back for a 2nd go..

redpoint73 said:
Known and common issue, the coating starts to scratch very easily (sometimes within weeks), which horribly blurs the photos. Removing using a variety of methods (toothpaste is common) is recommended IMO. Some folks have gotten warranty repair, but others have not (think HTC cited physical wear and tear). And who is the say the new lens cover won't just do the same after a few weeks?
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-m8/general/how-to-fix-htc-one-m8-camera-issue-t2803825
http://forum.xda-developers.com/htc-one-m8/help/how-to-fix-scratches-camera-lens-t2816807
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2715784
---------- Post added at 12:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:06 PM ----------
some truly beautiful pics by the M8 have been posted here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2694621
If you have a fundamental issue of blurry photos, look at the camera lens and see if the coating is scratched, as I've mentioned. It should be pretty obvious to see, if this is the case.
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The coating scratches if you do not take care of it. It's as sensitive as the AR coating on glasses or camera lenses. If its scratched, then removing it is the only way. The best way to approach this is to take good care of the AR coating. Removing the coating will cause horrible flare/glare.
The AR coating is there for a reason. This is nothing new in lens manufacturing....DONT remove it.

richii0207 said:
Are you talking about flares or blur? If you removed the AR coating of the camera, then you're going to get horrible flares. HTC had the film to aid in reducing glare but people are removing it which is puzzling.
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Click to collapse
Because a few flares under easily avoidable conditions (don't take pics directly at a light source) is greatly preferable to every picture being horribly blurred.
I held out removing the coating as long as I could (about 3 months of ownership), since I didn't like the idea of intentionally removing it with an abrasive (even a mild one). But not what I have, the image quality is greatly improved, and glare/flares are not an issue.
How would you know if the coating makes such a difference if you've never removed yours? Coating like this don't make as much a difference as you seem to think. IMO, actually little or (more likely) no difference.
---------- Post added at 12:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:25 PM ----------
richii0207 said:
The coating scratches if you do not take care of it. It's as sensitive as the AR coating on glasses or camera lenses. If its scratched, then removing it is the only way. The best way to approach this is to take good care of the AR coating. Removing the coating will cause horrible flare/glare.
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No, it really won't.
I don't "baby" my phone. But I take pretty good care of it, and it was scratched enough to ruin picture after 3 months. I use a TPU case, that doesn't cover the camera, but the cutouts provide some protection. The phone is usually in my pocket (never anything else in that pocket) or sitting on my desk/counter.
Unless you are surgically careful with your phone, its going to happen to yours, too. Its just a matter of time.

Anyone else noticed a lot of light bleeding into images..

As the title suggests. When taking a pic, for example of a wall with a window next to it, the light from the window bleeds into the images like rays and although certain pictures would look cool with this effect, I have no desire for an image I can see clearly with my eyes to be altered by the camera, took the same pic with a galaxy s5 and an iPhone 5 and they dealt with the light just like you would expect your eyes to.
I'm finding this in most shots unless its very well lit, I haven't changed any of the settings on the phone, I'd expect HTC to have got the camera right, third time lucky etc.
Have tried other shooters, like snap camera (which is a great app) but I get the same thing.
Extremely irritating, especially seeing as its meant to be a decent camera this time.

Focus is on the plant.

After altering the image, this is the best I could get..

Try cleaning your camera lens, there may be some oil on it that causes the flares.

chong81 said:
Try cleaning your camera lens, there may be some oil on it that causes the flares.
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Have done mate, its not that. Like I said when there's perfect lighting the camera is spot on, but if the conditions aren't just right the camera just has a brain fart.

Have you tried manually lowering your ISO setting? That usually helps with lighting blowout.
Try ISO 200 as a start point, if too dark give ISO 400 a try.

I just took some similar pics yesterday, low light with a natural light source coming in thru a window in the background. While they were not they greatest, they did come out good, no light streaks like that.

spikeydoo2006 said:
Have you tried manually lowering your ISO setting? That usually helps with lighting blowout.
Try ISO 200 as a start point, if too dark give ISO 400 a try.
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Click to collapse
I've been playing with the settings, raw does enable a greater degree of control, its just that my wife was sat next to me taking the same pic with a galaxy s5, full auto and I was sitting there with my brand new m9 with a sad face her pic came out perfect, she was quite smug and I was annoyed..
Anyway, having had a play about i managed to take some decent pics especially zoomed in ones of my wife's engagement ring, something I've been unable to do on any other phone before, I don't mind working to take a pic, I just find it unusual that it doesn't compete with other devices automatically. There's nothing wrong with the device

Some other pics I took

dladz said:
Have done mate, its not that. Like I said when there's perfect lighting the camera is spot on, but if the conditions aren't just right the camera just has a brain fart.
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It looks like lens flare. That means a light is shining into your lens when you're taking the shot. Try putting your hand above it, assuming its lights above like you would shield your eyes from the sun. This has the effect of making a lens hood like you see in DSLRs. It also concentrates colour.
---------- Post added at 07:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:16 AM ----------
dladz said:
its just that my wife was sat next to me taking the same pic with a galaxy s5, full auto and I was sitting there with my brand new m9 with a sad face her pic came out perfect, she was quite smug and I was annoyed..
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This tells me two things
- she did not take the picture in the exact same position as you. So you could also try moving a bit, to avoid lens flare and try again.
- gs5 is default set to centre weighted metering. If you've not changed it. So metering isn't the problem. the m9 does not offer any choice here, its centre weighted and that's it.
I don't mind working to take a pic, I just find it unusual that it doesn't compete with other devices automatically. There's nothing wrong with the device
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what i learnt about m9 is this auto focus thing, aim it, let it get focus THEN click. As opposed to tapping to focus like with most other devices. Tapping to focus will mess up photos with the m9 and drive you nuts

One Twelve said:
It looks like lens flare. That means a light is shining into your lens when you're taking the shot. Try putting your hand above it, assuming its lights above like you would shield your eyes from the sun. This has the effect of making a lens hood like you see in DSLRs. It also concentrates colour.
---------- Post added at 07:21 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:16 AM ----------
This tells me two things
- she did not take the picture in the exact same position as you. So you could also try moving a bit, to avoid lens flare and try again.
- gs5 is default set to centre weighted metering. If you've not changed it. So metering isn't the problem. the m9 does not offer any choice here, its centre weighted and that's it.
what i learnt about m9 is this auto focus thing, aim it, let it get focus THEN click. As opposed to tapping to focus like with most other devices. Tapping to focus will mess up photos with the m9 and drive you nuts
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Click to collapse
It was the same position because I took the picture.
I hear you with the auto focus, I am used to clicking the screen and have been taking much better pics, I'm just using raw for all my pics now, haven't took a bad pic since.
Also was a little annoyed that there is no focus alteration and the manual focus only goes so far. Either way overall its still a good camera, just not what I'm used to.

Focus alteration ? you mean focus on something other than the centre.
and what did you find missing with manual focus ?

One Twelve said:
Focus alteration ? you mean focus on something other than the centre.
and what did you find missing with manual focus ?
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Focus alteration as in a different metered focus type, ie; centered, spot etc.
With manual focus although I really do like it, i found with objects which are really close up, the slider only goes so far, i'm being nitpicky about that but it's just something i noticed, to see what i mean, try to focus on something close up, the slider just doesn't got that far.

yes its limited to centre weighted.
With close up shots if you use the macro settings you will be able to get closer. thought manual would accomodate this. for a 4mm lens you should be able to get up as close as 5cm.

One Twelve said:
yes its limited to centre weighted.
With close up shots if you use the macro settings you will be able to get closer. thought manual would accomodate this. for a 4mm lens you should be able to get up as close as 5cm.
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It's a lot better than other handsets, by far, was trying to take a pic of my wife's engagement ring, was quite hard to do and up close was just not possible. Got a few good ones though.

dladz said:
It's a lot better than other handsets, by far, was trying to take a pic of my wife's engagement ring, was quite hard to do and up close was just not possible. Got a few good ones though.
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Random comment but Opo does a really good job at macros its actually one of my favorite camera phones for macros. But yeah Macro focus for this phone could be a tad bit better

Teo032 said:
Random comment but Opo does a really good job at macros its actually one of my favorite camera phones for macros. But yeah Macro focus for this phone could be a tad bit better
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Not sure if I've tried it yet, still good it a whirl. Cheers mate

Duplicated light source / ghost lights in photos

Hello,
Today when taking photos I've noticed that light sources like lightbulbs and chandeliers appear twice in photo. It's hard to describe, but attached photos should clarify what I'm talking about.
I've checked on other phone, Honor 8X and it's same.
And here's my question to you: do you observe the same behaviour, or my device is flawed?

Shogun91 said:
Hello,
Today when taking photos I've noticed that light sources like lightbulbs and chandeliers appear twice in photo. It's hard to describe, but attached photos should clarify what I'm talking about.
I've checked on other phone, Honor 8X and it's same.
And here's my question to you: do you observe the same behaviour, or my device is flawed?
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That's odd....I have to see if my phone does the same.
Are you on Auto mode?

SantinoInc said:
That's odd....I have to see if my phone does the same.
Are you on Auto mode?
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Yes, I'm on Auto. I've gone also through pro mode settings, but none of them seem to reduce it.

Shogun91 said:
Yes, I'm on Auto. I've gone also through pro mode settings, but none of them seem to reduce it.
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And Honor 8x does the same? Thought that the camera lenses cover has some reflecting residue like oil etc...it is strange.

mzsquared said:
And Honor 8x does the same? Thought that the camera lenses cover has some reflecting residue like oil etc...it is strange.
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Yes, Honor does the same. Actually I've just checked LG V30 and Huawei P10 Lite, and it's almost the same.
I'm kinda shocked I haven't noticed it before.
Can you please check on your phones?
I don't know if it's worth using warranty with my Note 10+ if it's the general issue.

I took a direct photo of my desk lamp and there's nothing wrong, I'll try again later tonight using different angles/sources.
I googled it and this problem is widely commented on:
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=phone+camera+ghost+reflections+of+light+sources

mzsquared said:
I took a direct photo of my desk lamp and there's nothing wrong, I'll try again later tonight using different angles/sources.
I googled it and this problem is widely commented on:
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=phone+camera+ghost+reflections+of+light+sources
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Thank you for the link. So it seems like this can be considered "normal".
However I'm still curious what will be result of your tests. Please share what was the outcome, whether you were able to reproduce this.

It depends on the angle, sometimes you will see this, some times not, I have seen this in dedicated cameras as well

Thank you for your response.
As I'm testing it more, it seems very hard to take photo without ghost lights when not pointing straight into light source, attached few more sample files.
Maybe I'll get over it, if not I'll give it a go, and use warranty, they'll do something with this or not.

Hello,
That's amazing to see this post today, just the day i noticed exactely the same.
I noticed that when doing a video test, through windows stores (the room was in the dark, light going thru the little holes in the stores). I had exactely the same kind of little lights reproduced in the left quarter of the frame.
I thought it was due to the shape of the lens, some kind of light reflexion on it, but now i am wondering because that is the EXACT same thing as your description.
I would not send to warranty... since i had exactely the same 'problem'. I believe it is due to lens design.

mafy31 said:
Hello,
That's amazing to see this post today, just the day i noticed exactely the same.
I noticed that when doing a video test, through windows stores (the room was in the dark, light going thru the little holes in the stores). I had exactely the same kind of little lights reproduced in the left quarter of the frame.
I thought it was due to the shape of the lens, some kind of light reflexion on it, but now i am wondering because that is the EXACT same thing as your description.
I would not send to warranty... since i had exactely the same 'problem'. I believe it is due to lens design.
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I believe you have the same, but don't know how often you see these lights.
I can understand this can be seen in some conditions, but as I'm testing it more, I almost can't take any photo without it.
I've looked through YouTube reviews with some night shots and can't see it there.
Attaching last two samples, to not spam this thread, as maybe I'm now oversensitive on this
I'll go to the store today, and see what they'll say.

Shogun91 said:
Thank you for the link. So it seems like this can be considered "normal".
However I'm still curious what will be result of your tests. Please share what was the outcome, whether you were able to reproduce this.
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Went on tonight to my favorite night photography places and the full moon was the perfect source of light to look into the "ghosting" thing. It's really easy to see what's happening with the light when moving the camera around its axis. Note 10 has a rather thick glass covering/protecting the lenses and the light entering the camera is being distorted by the inner and outer surfaces of the glass plate depending on the angle of entry.
I was having really boring Sunday today so I'm glad I found something to do because of that, and I even made a little drawing using the S-Pen(love the s-pen!) to illustrate directional changes of light while entering/exiting a medium of different densities (air/glass)

We know that light will get reflected by a glass at certain degree because of different density between air and glass. Basic physics. Our camera is made of multiple layers of lens with variables angle. So if 99% of light goes through the lens, 1% get reflected. We won't see it for normal light. But if the light source is very bright, even 1% will be visible on photo.
That's my hypothesis.

Happens all the time when facing a lamp light directly, with wide and zoom lens. But seems to be less visible with ultra-wide.

This looks like an internal reflection within the camera it's self.
Internal reflections are common on multi-element lens.
You pay big bucks for coated elements and engineering to suppress this effect in pro lens.
Internal reflections can also happen between the cmos sensor and any of the internal optics.
In the case the cover element is a prime suspect.
Lol, you can thousands for a pro shooting system and you will still find this.

Question Heavy lense flare in night shots

Does everyone have these extreme lense flares / reflections on night shots? Don't think I've ever seen it this bad... Hopefully they'll be able to improve this through software updates

Lens flare is a big problem on the P6P even during the day when the sun rays hit at an angle #Won'tFix Unfortunately it's a lens problem and can't be fixed with software

If not fixed I hope it can be reduced... Is extreme in some cases

I haven't noticed a single flare at all with night shots the street lights or even in doors in direct lighting, sometimes at a certain angle in previous phones I have had it but nothing on my p6p

Yeah, it's bad.

Not as much as that but I do get that.

Craphead said:
Does everyone have these extreme lense flares / reflections on night shots? Don't think I've ever seen it this bad... Hopefully they'll be able to improve this through software updates
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Yeah. I went to a festival here in Korea called the lantern festival, so it's held mostly at night and I had a buncha shots I had to throw away because of the flare, and a lot were hazy, I thought maybe it was my camera lens being dirty but the next shot was fine after the processing.
Haze and lens flare
Haze
45 degree turn from the previous photo, no issues
One of the better shots but too much HDR

I'm having massive lens flare on my pro like you op. other photos in this thread are acceptable imo. I can't tell if there's an issue or not. it's horrible, no matter what street light or x-mas light its pointed at. and night mode shots, forget it. too bad there's no way tom compare shots unless they are side by side.
running the latest 8.4.300.xxx18 version for the camera app. it drastically fixed front camera preview. so not sure if this issue will be fixed or if my cam is effed (no lens protector and tried it with no case also)

Come on guys when you say you aren't getting any flare. It depends how close you are to street lights. It doesn't happen at a distance from strong street lights. I get it on P6P and am sure you will if you try it. It is not faulty as I had same issue on S21 Ultra main lens but not as severe. Here's a shot I took

I didnt notiece it much. Maybe because of snow

Swingal said:
I didnt notiece it much. Maybe because of snow
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Need to be much closer

Here more examples closer to light and further away

My opinion is, that P6P has problem with the flares, but main problem I see is that Nightsight tries to lighten up the scene, and thinks that the flares are shadows that should be lightened up. But I admit, I pointed my pixel to light source and id did show some flaring, but not as much as your photos.

all phones do that. Even my s21 ultra and my gf's 13 pro max

hello00 said:
all phones do that. Even my s21 ultra and my gf's 13 pro max
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Nah man, maybe to some degree, but this is ridiculous. I still have my previous phone, Oppo Find X2 Pro, and it's not even nearly as bad there. I'll post some side-by-side comparison shots soon

P6 (Pro) has heavy lens flare, it's a known problem. Hopefully Google can somehow tune it down with software updates.
What also helps is making sure that the lens is pristine, meaning you need to make sure its properly cleaned before you make photos. Even a little bit of smudge or dust or something can cause lens flare. Hopefully that means it's a software thing-y.

It's got absolutely nothing to do with dirty lens, that purple lens flare is light bouncing off the lens or sensor inside.

Seany72 said:
It's got absolutely nothing to do with dirty lens, that purple lens flare is light bouncing off the lens or sensor inside.
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Are you talking from experience? Having the camera bump cleaned does help with lens flare, just try it out yourself. There was a reddit discussion about this and people were adamant about it, I tried it out and it somewhat helps.
Also, your "logic" is not quite thorough.
If there is dirt/smudge/whatever above the lens/camera, of course that could cause lens flare, since that will reflect/redirect light. With a rough surface, reflected light rays scatter in all directions.
For reference

I get lens flare when using Canon L lenses (and one of them retails just under £2000) it is the nature of the beast shooting into bright sources of light though a lens.

MrBelter said:
I get lens flare when using Canon L lenses (and one of them retails just under £2000) it is the nature of the beast shooting into bright sources of light though a lens.
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Correct, some degree of lens flare is almost unavoidable. The P6 has, however, relatively heavy/often lens flare present - that was not present (as heavily) in previous Pixel phone iterations/sensors. Hopefully Google can somehow tune this down. It's distracting and most often or not ruins an otherwise great shot.