Develop Bugs

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

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.

Why all the bad press about the camera on this phone?

I took a few test shots, and the images look great! What are your thoughts on the camera guys?

I found that in dimmer lighting, it is not as impressive as advertised.
I think some of the problem is that the camera needs to be kept pretty still, so more pics are blurry due to phone movement.
I might argue that my N1 camera was better. Slower, but better pics in low lighting.
Hopefully some software tweaks can help this.

WilliamStern said:
I took a few test shots, and the images look great! What are your thoughts on the camera guys?
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compared to the sgs2 it's not as good.

Personally, I'm at a loss. As far as I can tell, 'zero shutter lag' basically means they've just removed auto focus?
Sure it takes instantaneous photos, but they are often blurry and out of focus unless I tap to focus first, then hold the phone super steady and then press the shutter (which is virtually impossible due to no physical shutter button).
So yeah, not that impressive to me and I don't get this whole zero shutter lag business.
Panorama mode is a total gimmick too, pictures are very tiny... though this is a criticism of ICS camera app and not the SGN's camera setup.

I am happy with the camera so far, I like the fact I don't have to wait 5-6s on my older phone to take another shot
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using XDA App

Here is a quick snap no "Focus Tap"
http://twitpic.com/7toyrq

it has been a hit or miss for me.
so probably when they tried it they got alot of misses lol.

i think the main thing is that a lot of people are going "5MP?!... all the other new phones are 8MP!!"
sure, it may not be able to take pictures at higher resolutions or produce quite the same quality as those 8MP cameras, but the fact that it can snap pictures instantly is a big plus.
that and even if you were to take a pic at "8MP", most likely you're not a professional photographer and you're going to be re-sizing the photo anyway.

In answer to your question, it's due to the fact there are plenty of high quality cameras out there on phones slightly older than this that produce superior photos. The GN is a beast of a phone with the latest mobile technology, but the camera is still a generation or two behind. Disappointing to say the least, but not disappointing enough to prevent me from getting it.
That's why.

Are you guys seriously that dumb?
The phone autofocuses still (without using touch to focus). Zero shutter lag means no lag WHEN TAKING THE PICTURE, AFTER IT FOCUSES.
I can't believe some people have no idea how this works lol. You still need to focus the damn thing, or wait for it to autofocus.

I find that the camera is quite good for taking pictures outdoors, but under artificial light the come out a little off. Mind you this is not messing with any settings, just taking pictures out of the box. I will say that no matter where I take the pictures and under whatever lighting, they turn out much better than my Droid 1 (which I fully expected)

I love the new software I think its a step up from the SGS2 even tho its not quite the 8MP. Yes, it may not beat the pants off the iPhone4s but really its a phone and does the job I want it to..... If I need DSLR quality I will take the DSLR out. Also, for me my pics are mostly viewed on the phone for family and friends...not for family portrait books ect. This topic is just like the battery life issue some are happy and some want perfection.... I want it too... but as our devices get better so do our expectations.

I agree the camera works great in natural sunlight, a little funky indoors under artificial light..However, since I've taken the phone out of the store i've been taking random pictures everywhere and none them have sucked so far...focus, clarity, and color are all very acceptable.
---------- Post added at 05:24 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:14 PM ----------
voxigenboy said:
i think the main thing is that a lot of people are going "5MP?!... all the other new phones are 8MP!!"
sure, it may not be able to take pictures at higher resolutions or produce quite the same quality as those 8MP cameras, but the fact that it can snap pictures instantly is a big plus.
that and even if you were to take a pic at "8MP", most likely you're not a professional photographer and you're going to be re-sizing the photo anyway.
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even if it was a 15MP camera on my phone, i still would take a point & shoot camera for my precious moments..I guess i'm old school..I just use my phone camera for spur of the moment shots..which 5MP is more than adequate for the job.

True, but pics are still only very average even when focused. Poor, poor camera for such an uptodate phone. Google really have dropped the ball on this aspect.
One day a phone will work from all aspects - soon I hope!

It is too early for me to have a solid opinion but definitely better than the Dinc's 8MP. I really like the camera app on my Asus TF I was thinking the stock ICS cam app would be similar.
I think 1080P Video is very good for a phone, second only to iphone for my eye anyway.
---------- Post added at 05:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:11 PM ----------
Danny80y said:
.... want perfection.... I want it too... but as our devices get better so do our expectations.
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/slowclap
A bit on the nose but yes I wanted a N1 but they never came to verizon so I bought it's "cousin" the Dinc. I was awed by it and still am.
The GN...Makes it look like a ugly chunky brick with a dull screen...but so do most modern offerings.

The flash on people's skin (faces, etc) make you look orange, like you have jaundice or something.
I'm sure it will be fixed, just a bit irritating.
Speed is king, though.

The phone takes really blurry photos when I do try it.
Yes, I know what how to focus. Just seems even after it finishes focuses, the images come out blurry.
I've also compared it side by side to an i4s and it's night and day difference in quality.
http://i4c.org/86
Here's one of the better ones i've taken.
But most seem to come out blurry like this
http://i4c.org/88

my camera works great so far. occasional blurry pic but not often.

Can take some great pics.
Far better than my wife's 5mpx HTC Desire!!
For some reason, people think that zero lag means they can take a crystal clear pic instantly, without any kind of focus. Well DUH! lol!
OCCASIONALLY that'll work, but quite rare.

wonshikee said:
The phone takes really blurry photos when I do try it.
Yes, I know what how to focus. Just seems even after it finishes focuses, the images come out blurry.
I've also compared it side by side to an i4s and it's night and day difference in quality.
http://i4c.org/86
Here's one of the better ones i've taken.
But most seem to come out blurry like this
http://i4c.org/88
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To me the second one looks a bit more like motion blur instead of bad autofocus. 1/17s wasn't such a fast shutterspeed (low light) so you maybe moved the phone too much while taking the picture. It's not easy to hold such lightweight and thin devices really still.
You could try out another app like vignette which offers an option called "steady shot". Then it will take the picture when the phone is hold almost still - just may take a few seconds until it takes the picture then.

[Q] Picture quality, day and night?

Hey guys/gals,
Just wondering on how the quality of the pictures are with this phone. I've seen pics taken by reviewers, but it's always better to look at it from a user's perspective. Has anybody tried playing around with the camera?
Also, can someone be kind enough to upload some sample pictures of random shots, like daylight shots, night time, and macro shots? I know the camera is supposedly very good, but it'll be nice to actually see a few real samples, especially the night time shots.

bump, anybody? hehe

Actual pics to come, but from my own experience as both a previous user of the Nexus One AND a hobby digital photographer are;
All of this is using the default Camera, default settings (except for turning OFF the shutter sound).
1. The Nitro does a rather good job in low light situations. Opting to raise the ISO more than use Flash. On more than a few occasions where I expected to see flash, it didn't. When blown-up you certainly can see the picture is grainier without the flash, but for web/facebook viewing the results are quite good and a LOT LESS harsh from not using flash.
2. LONG shot-to-shot time! I wonder what the buffer size with the camera is, IF there's even a buffer that comes with it! Because it takes me about 6 seconds between taking one picture before I'm able to take the next. Even when I try using a 3rd party app (Camera Zoom FX) I only got the time down to 3 seconds. Do NOT plan on using this phone's camera for any kid's birthday parties!!
That's all I've got for the moment, will add more when I've done more playing/testing.

Guess I can upload a bunch I took.
A note, some are taken with HDR + and others with Camera Zoom FX.
http://thewisedumbass.tumblr.com/post/14540968432 (Had to make it a post on Tumblr, pics kept messing up here)

The photos looks decent for a phone, nothing spectacular, at low light is more like "meh" - an average or slightly above, but when it comes to movies at low light I'd prefer have grain (Atrix 4G / Nitro) rather then ghosting (any other phones). On Nitro and Atrix 4G regardless of the light the picture is smooth 30fps, as opposite to Skyrocket or ANY HTC phone with 5fps and all smugged.
Here are some shots to compare:
Nitro with flash (left), no flash (right):
Atrix 4G with flash (left), no flash (right):
Also note Nitro has much lower lens focal length, which makes it capture wider surroundings. The photos were taking from 4 feet away and Nitro's photos captured much more surroundings then Atrix. Even when you hold both phones side by side the image at Nitro looks at pretty much correct distance, rather then on Atrix it looks like zoomed in. Yet, in low light Atrix's ISO captures much more light.
This is first phone camera that beat Atrix's (IMO). /me very happy with it.

Nice!! thanks guys for the details comparisons. I am liking wat i see with the Nitro. Do any of u guys find the auto focus annoying, or is there an option to do manual focus, like the atrix??

Not sure what manual focus you are talking about, but the camera does allow you to touch to pick the area to focus. Still auto-focus to the region, but better than the normal.

aquariuz23 said:
Nice!! thanks guys for the details comparisons. I am liking wat i see with the Nitro. Do any of u guys find the auto focus annoying, or is there an option to do manual focus, like the atrix??
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Neither stock nor MIUI camera has manual focus on Atrix...In fact Atrix doesn't allow you pick which part on the picture you want it focus to, it's always at the center.

[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.

Initial Camera Observations

Had my first day out with the V30 yesterday and just imported the photos and videos from it to my laptop for a closer look to make some initial evaluations. With some very interesting things to note and a lot to dig into further. There's definitely some realities that need to be addressed to better manage expectations.
1) I have no f'n clue what the HDR setting is doing other than making crappy photos. Which is about the same as it was on the V20. It's completely the opposite of what it was on the Nexus 6. On the Nexus 6, if you wanted the best photos out of the Google Camera you could get, you turned on HDR and forgot about it. With LG's Camera app, it's the exact opposite. Turn it off and forget it was ever there.
I still need to figure out the mess that the Google Camera app port has become and DL a copy and see how it does with this sensor.
2) If you shoot manual, there's a noise reduction on/off switch now. Unless you have some decent NR software though or know what you want to do with grainy photos (and I think it will have its uses, I just have to find the right subject), leave it on in very low light conditions. Not only does it tame grainy noise, it also tames a bit of purple fringe that will show up in high gain (high ISO) photos once the electronics start heating up around it.
3) As to that last part of #2: We have to be realistic here. This is a tiny cellphone camera packed in with A LOT of other electronics. If you're shooting several shots in a row or long exposures, either in dark conditions at high ISO, you will see amp glow or purple fringing. It's just a reality. Even DSLRs see it.
4) Digital zoom is digital zoom. If you aren't using just the standard view of each sensor, then you are going to see the limitations of a small sensor. I don't care what cellphone you're using. None of my larger/dedicated cameras have it for many good reasons. You shouldn't expect miracles from a smaller camera.
5) The wide angle sensor actually takes pretty good shots now in most conditions! The wide angle camera on the V20 was full of so many compromises that I avoided it at all costs. If I wanted a wider view than the standard lens, I would use the pano setting on the standard lens. Which is still a great option if everything in the frame is going to sit still but it takes time and patience. It still has distortion though, just not as much as before. You can't focus the wide angle in manual mode but you can in auto. Weird. It doesn't like to focus pointing directly overhead. That was hit or miss. Same rules about the NR and HDR apply here.
6) Video AF in low low light does miss sometimes. Again, just remember this phone doesn't have all the high end AF sensors that some DSLRs have to make sure focus is nailed every single time. Somewhere there's an article about the useful range of all the AF systems on the V20, I assume it still applies to the V30. I'll dig it up if I can to help manage expectations. If I remember right, laser AF is short range, maybe 7 feet.
7) During my import of files from my phone to my laptop, some of my videos lost their audio tracks. Not sure what that's about. I don't remember which ones were auto and which ones were manual but I suspect that's the problem. All videos have sound on my phone though.
8) I suck at video. Kinda hoping to kick myself in the rear with this phone and learn more about it. There's a lot more to manage and I probably won't be happy until I figure out the whole color grading thing and get the look I want. So the log file option ought to be a nice addition.
9) I remember telling someone that I swear I saw a video somewhere of a pre-unit that had the directional mics settings in manual video. Well, I can tell you that I must have imagined that because the unit I have does not have that setting. Just sliders and windcut.
10) And I don't know where LG is hiding it but I don't see 240 fps in any settings anywhere. The fastest video setting I see is 120fps. (Remember, only at 720p) I'm guessing 240 fps is reserved for the slo-mo mode and not available in manual or auto video modes.
11) Selfie camera. Yeah, I've seen the complaints. Are you sure your ugly mugs aren't breaking the camera? I posted this in the first impressions thread and I'll post it here. First thing I suggest doing is turning down the "skin toning" and skin lighting settings. Whoever renamed skin smoothing to skin toning should be shot as that's not what I thought that setting was at all. My first thought is that it adjusted the white balance of the skin to give you a rosier glow. Nope. Skin toning will butter face the heck out of you even on basics settings. Set it to zero. After that, the image held up well to some post processing and consistently gave me selfies I actually like. They actually remind me of something that might come from..... film.
I'm going to do some more shooting today and I'll try to figure out how to post examples without making you all click through to some other site. I also need to figure out how to get the videos over sound and all so I can give them honest assessments.

Ah, I just remembered something else to look out for.
12) If you shoot in manual and have the RAW option turned on, it isn't like on a real camera where you get the RAW file and a processed version of the RAW file. It shoots two photos. This does two things. One, it means you will see lag as it is shooting two photos for each press. This gets worse with longer shutter speeds. Two, this means unless you're shooting a still life that the RAW and JPG will not match. If you're shooting action like I was last night, you will get two completely different photos.

Interesting. Thanks for you observations.
I'm a pixel owner and I love the camera. It's ace. I really want to like the v30, but so far the real world observations and initial reviews haven't sung the praises of the camera. Are you happy with the camera or is it not worth the hype?

The camera is better than the V20 and I liked that a lot. Here's the issue in a nut shell. This phone is for those that aren't happy to just let the device to everything for you like an Apple product would. If that's what you want, that's what Pixels are about. Pixel is Google's iPhone. If you want control over the creative process, that's why the V's exist. The V series is more akin to using a DSLR and Pixels are more like a point and shoot. The Pixel series they're kinda hoping you're ok with whatever the phone spits out. The V series you tweak the initial settings and decide what the phone is even going to shoot so you can tweak it more to your liking later. The V30 gives us even more control than the V20 does.

CHH2 said:
The camera is better than the V20 and I liked that a lot. Here's the issue in a nut shell. This phone is for those that aren't happy to just let the device to everything for you like an Apple product would. If that's what you want, that's what Pixels are about. Pixel is Google's iPhone. If you want control over the creative process, that's why the V's exist. The V series is more akin to using a DSLR and Pixels are more like a point and shoot. The Pixel series they're kinda hoping you're ok with whatever the phone spits out. The V series you tweak the initial settings and decide what the phone is even going to shoot so you can tweak it more to your liking later. The V30 gives us even more control than the V20 does.
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Interesting. Thanks for the summary

I would like to but V30, all because camera. But I don't know is this camera one of the best in 2017 or it is just average camera. I see many bad comments on internet. And is front face camera really bad?

isko01 said:
I would like to but V30, all because camera. But I don't know is this camera one of the best in 2017 or it is just average camera. I see many bad comments on internet. And is front face camera really bad?
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I probably still have a few more days of testing but just based off of what I've seen in my standardized shooting at the museum, LG has pulled off a miracle with this tiny little sensor.
Like I said above, you have to have realistic expectations and know what the limits are of your gear. That's what a really good photographer does though. They know how the gear works and how to use what it does but also know when it's time to use something else or accept not getting a shot.
This is a tiny sensor. The largest sensor on this whole phone is only 1/3.09". It's smaller than the main one on the V20 but it looks better. That in itself is amazing but I'm not expecting a sensor that's 1/3 the size of the sensor of my smallest camera to match it. Yet that's what some people seem to expect . Which is asinine.
Really the only "failing" I had yesterday was trying to shoot overhead in extremely dark conditions with the wide angle camera and shooting performers wearing all black on an outdoor stage in the dark with just stage lighting (which was changing colors constantly) while moving around quickly. Neither of those surprised me at all. The second condition really is the realm of DSLRs still. The first one, I'm ok with too. That said, what I did get from the second condition, I'm still surprised with.
I've only had one day with it but I think I'm going to get some surprising images out of this camera. Now to teach myself more about video editing.
And again, about the front camera. Once you set those stupid settings to the bottom, you can get more skin detail out of a photo than most people would like to see. Every crease and furrow in my brow line and forehead ,pock mark in my nose, and hairs on my head and beard. From shooting models, I can tell you a lot of people wouldn't want to see that level of detail on their face. So I have no idea what people are complaining about. It's an f'n vanity camera that most people wouldn't want to use to its full potential.

Uploaded a couple of shots. All shots are my normal workflow with a cellphone camera. Shot with the V30 and the jpegs processed in Snapseed. First one is shot with the main camera overhead in a room not known for being well lit at the museum I used to work at. In fact the only real lighting is from some LEDs in the pearl at center. The LEDs are designed to be very soft so they don't degrade the paint and woodwork. The other two shots are selfies taken with indirect sunlight being the only light source indoors. The one with back background is indirect sun through clear glass. The one with the light background is indirect sunlight through very milky glass.
Main camera: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimphappyhour/36870848874/
Dark background selfie cam: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimphappyhour/37322765870/
Light background selfie cam: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimphappyhour/23728950428/
Seriously, I'm not sure I'd really want more detail than that. I'm actually quite please with how all of these images turned out so far. I'll try to work up some more shots from the main and wides.

Can you post some pics in a room at night with just a lamp on or something in auto mode?

EVOme said:
Can you post some pics in a room at night with just a lamp on or something in auto mode?
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I'll have to see what I can set up. That's not really a normal shot I have set-up or sitting around. I might be able to do something at work tomorrow before everyone else gets in and the whole place is blasted with light. Unfortunately, I no longer work at the museum but I might be able to make something work.

isko01 said:
I would like to but V30, all because camera. But I don't know is this camera one of the best in 2017 or it is just average camera. I see many bad comments on internet.
And is front face camera really bad?
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I'm not hijacking this thread, but you asked a specific question. There's another thread where the camera is discussed, along with other features, and @keithleger took all his in "auto" mode, to compare the two V30 back cameras, and he also compared it to the Note 8 camera which he's decided to sell.
Camera
-Excellent camera but not on par with Pixel line or Samsung. Don't get me wrong, it is a great camera and in the sunlight it is fantastic but low light it does not do as well as Note 8. Video or Stills. But it is very adequate for my needs and I prefer having the wide-angle lens over the zoom lens any day.
-The one thing that really bothered me was shutter lag at times. Sometimes when I snapped a photo it was almost instant and others I had to wait a second or so. Long enough to think I might not of pressed the button. Not sure if others have had this issue but it is troublesome. It was not isolated to taking multiple photos fairly quickly either. Sometimes first shot.
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However, he's selling the Note 8 to keep the LG V30.
He posted an album of his first weekend pictures, as well as the comparison shots to the Note 8. The V30 outside shots look FANTASTIC, and even though the Note 8seemed to do better indoors the LG V30 won at least one of the indoor shots, in my opinion.
As for selfies, he gives the same advice as @CHH2.. Turn off the enhancemet crap on the selfie camera.
keithleger said:
For selfies, if you set the skin tone and lighting effects to 0 then it is ok.
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CHH2 said:
Selfie camera. . First thing I suggest doing is turning down the "skin toning" and skin lighting settings.
Skin toning will butter face the heck out of you even on basics settings. Set it to zero.
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See, they say the same thing. The only reason I'm mentioning the other thread -- and I do not mean to hijack @CHH2 camera thread -- is because @keithleger has direct comparisons to the Note 8 camera was well as the f/1.6 and wide angle cameras on the V30. Plus he only shot in auto, and didn't do any post processing (to my knowledge).
I appreciate all the work @CHH2 has put into this thread!

CHH2 said:
I'll have to see what I can set up. That's not really a normal shot I have set-up or sitting around. I might be able to do something at work tomorrow before everyone else gets in and the whole place is blasted with light. Unfortunately, I no longer work at the museum but I might be able to make something work.
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Thanks! You don't have to go out of your way. I will have my phone tomorrow.

EVOme said:
Thanks! You don't have to go out of your way. I will have my phone tomorrow.
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I shot this real quick this morning. It's completely SOOC. Yes, you might notice something rather odd and be asking yourself, "Why didn't he rotate the image?" Well, I didn't rotate it because on my phone the image is upright and correct. Somewhere between the phone and Flickr, it got rotated. I'll be deleting this one at the end of today as it's not really something I'd normally shoot even as a reminder or novelty.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimphappyhour/36882784984/
And just because I got lucky this morning, a little close up:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimphappyhour/37593620881/

Going to add one more photo. This one shot in probably one of the most challenging places to shoot, a jazz club. This is probably the cleanest shot I've taken in there with a cellphone. I'm impressed.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimphappyhour/36883443574/

CHH2 said:
I shot this real quick this morning. It's completely SOOC. Yes, you might notice something rather odd and be asking yourself, "Why didn't he rotate the image?" Well, I didn't rotate it because on my phone the image is upright and correct. Somewhere between the phone and Flickr, it got rotated. I'll be deleting this one at the end of today as it's not really something I'd normally shoot even as a reminder or novelty.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimphappyhour/36882784984/
And just because I got lucky this morning, a little close up:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimphappyhour/37593620881/
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Wow man! I have restored faith in the camera. That office shot is very sharp. For the grasshopper, are you using one of the installed filters or is a post render?
Thank you for taking those.

EVOme said:
Wow man! I have restored faith in the camera. That office shot is very sharp. For the grasshopper, are you using one of the installed filters or is a post render?
Thank you for taking those.
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You're welcome. For photos, I never use the filters in the camera apps. I always use Snapseed. It has a lot more control and much more power once you learn how to apply the various filters in combination. The grasshopper only had typical post processing that most photographers would apply; a tad sharpening that is only really noticeable when zoomed in, B&W conversion, bump in contrast, and a bump in shadows to make them a tad darker. Oh, and a crop, maybe threw away a little more than half the overall pixels from the frame as I didn't want to scare it off.
And yeah, for being such a tiny sensor, I'm impressed with the low light shooting. I still want to try shooting in the basement of the jazz club. That's usually territory that I need at least my smaller dedicated camera if not my DSLR. I won't get to try that again until this next weekend.

Decided to try something a little different. This isn't final by any means but this shows what playing around for a couple of minutes in Snapseed with just a couple quick shots can get you: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimphappyhour/37605204891/
Looking forward to showing this to my curator friend and watching him fall off of his barstool when I tell him it was all done on one cellphone in under five minutes. (He's pretty much a film guy as is the guy who is the inspiration for this photo. Bonus points if you can name the photographer I'm copying for this photo.)

Main camera: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimphappyhour/36870848874/
Dark background selfie cam: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimphappyhour/37322765870/
Light background selfie cam: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimphappyhour/23728950428/
.[/QUOTE]
What camera was used for those selfies? I'm not a fan of selfies but love the ones you've taken. I'd like to experiment with it and my fiance would too.thank you. Btw love you test album. Talent for sure

lg3FTW said:
Main camera: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimphappyhour/36870848874/
Dark background selfie cam: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimphappyhour/37322765870/
Light background selfie cam: https://www.flickr.com/photos/chimphappyhour/23728950428/
.
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What camera was used for those selfies? I'm not a fan of selfies but love the ones you've taken. I'd like to experiment with it and my fiance would too.thank you. Btw love you test album. Talent for sure[/QUOTE]
I used the front selfie camera with all of those silly settings at the bottom of the frame turned off, set to zero, whatever their values are. Then I just did some quick processing in Snapseed. That's pretty much it. I don't get too complex. And thank you.

Finally figured out a work around so I can hear the audio on the videos I'm importing from the phone to my laptop and can't believe I didn't think of this before. Pulled the videos from their folder over into an empty Chrome browser window and Voila! they played complete with their soundtrack!
So the following is from shooting in a dark jazz club. (Notes, not footage yet. I'll try uploading something to youtube when I figure out what, when, and how.)
Probably the most important observation I see about video from the V30 (and this actually applied to the V20 too) is that loud music can end up jostling the OIS and introduce more shake than it removes.
Another observation is that recording video while in Auto mode, you better make sure you have plenty of somewhat decent light. Tonight while playing around, the screen would be plenty bright all the way up until I hit that little red record button. Then the screen squeezes down and went dark enough that the footage was unusable. Shooting in manual video mode, I was able to get some footage. It wasn't exactly ideal settings that I was shooting with though so the footage is so-so. (Best settings I could get were ISO 3200 and a shutter speed of 1/25. My understanding is that since I had my frame rate at 24fps, I should have had a shutter speed of 1/50 but that just wasn't happening inside that place.)
In manual video mode, it really doesn't like ISO 3200 for some reason. I'd play with a setting and come back and the ISO would be set to 3150 for some reason. I'd bump it back up to 3200, go do something else, come back to 3150. I would have to make sure that's the last thing I tweaked before hitting the record button.
The audio picks up pretty much all the sounds I'm hearing. I need to sit down with headphones and see if there's extra noise being introduced. I suspect dragging the videos into the Chrome browser is exactly the best quality test. It just lets me know the audio tracks are intact in the file which I was a little worried about at first.
I still have a lot more playing around with the video as most of it is new to me.