Develop Bugs

Alternative/Best Camera app for op3?

Are Camera apps other than stock that offer same or better quality/focus for crisper images? Just wondering.
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A camera with a much better auto focus is what I am looking for also
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

What's the problem with your AF?
Mine works better than on any other phone I've had..

ptoner said:
A camera with a much better auto focus is what I am looking for also
Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agree, is there one? I saw someone who used Open Camera for "pro" Pictures but i havent tested it out yet.
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Apart from specific features and camera2api compatibility,
I did not find a single app yet which can compete with the stock camera app
in terms of general processing quality.
Sure, sometimes the stock app tends to overprocess images, but I guess they can further tweak this with future updates.
( check this video on this matter: http://www108.zippyshare.com/v/KidtanPE/file.html )
I often noticed that faces tend to be overly processed and thus result smoothed-out. This without using HQ or HDR which is bad!
Judging by this issue, it might be better to enable raw or use another app in specific situations.
In terms of white balance abd focus accuracy, they are all more or less the same.

AcmE85 said:
Sure, sometimes the stock app tends to overprocess images, but I guess they can further tweak this with future updates.
( check this video on this matter: http://www108.zippyshare.com/v/KidtanPE/file.html )
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That link is virus as ****.
General balances can be edited but Focus cant. Would be great with an app that locks on a Little better when tapping the screen for Focus.
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markusviktorius said:
That link is virus as ****.
...
Would be great with an app that locks on a Little better when tapping the screen for Focus.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry for any inconvenience produced by this link. I am using an adblocker on my OP3 and my PC so I don't have any issues with zippyshare.
Regarding focus, when using the stock camera app you can lock focus by long pressing on a subject.
Personally I don't have focus issues. My only issue is the processing you can see in my video.
It might actually be the reason why some think that pictures are not correctly focused.
They appear sharp at first, but get blurry after processing has been applied.
I can upload somewhere else if you want. Just tell me a hoster.

AcmE85 said:
Sorry for any inconvenience produced by this link. I am using an adblocker on my OP3 and my PC so I don't have any issues with zippyshare.
Regarding focus, when using the stock camera app you can lock focus by long pressing on a subject.
Personally I don't have focus issues. My only issue is the processing you can see in my video.
It might actually be the reason why some think that pictures are not correctly focused.
They appear sharp at first, but get blurry after processing has been applied.
I can upload somewhere else if you want. Just tell me a hoster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Alright, didnt think you did that on purpose. How about uploading to Youtube? Or any other Place, does not really matter. Oh, i honestly did not know.
I just know that i am too lazy for using the manual tweaks to get perfection?
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markusviktorius said:
How about uploading to Youtube? Or any other Place, does not really matter. Oh, i honestly did not know.
I just know that i am too lazy for using the manual tweaks to get perfection��
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There you go
This is a serious issue OnePlus needs to address and probably the reason many think they have focus issues.

AcmE85 said:
There you go
This is a serious issue OnePlus needs to address and probably the reason many think they have focus issues.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! Mine does that too but it flickers 3 Times instead of your 1 time.
Yours get blurry the first time and so does mine, but mine moves back and forth one more time before settling with a pic that is as Good or almost as Good as the first pic shown.
Edit: actually now when i look at it it doesnt flicker in Good lighting, just in semi-poor to poor lighting for some reason..
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Yes, it differs with the lighting. It may sound strange but I was actually happier with the OPO in some situations
because it offered more consistency compared to the OP3 (in daylight).
Off course, the overall quality is much better on the OP3, especially in lowlight, but sometimes you won't know what the postprocessing will actually do with the final image,
mostly with slightly moving subjects (I am not talking about motion blur due to slow shutter-speed!).
I already did some pictures from people which appeared great at first inside the gallery, but then got destroyed by postprocessing!

AcmE85 said:
Yes, it differs with the lighting. It may sound strange but I was actually happier with the OPO in some situations
because it offered more consistency compared to the OP3 (in daylight).
Off course, the overall quality is much better on the OP3, especially in lowlight, but sometimes you won't know what the postprocessing will actually do with the final image,
mostly with slightly moving subjects (I am not talking about motion blur due to slow shutter-speed!).
I already did some pictures from people which appeared great at first inside the gallery, but then got destroyed by postprocessing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You have obviously tested other apps such as Open camera and confirmed that the problem stays the same regardless of the app used?
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markusviktorius said:
You have obviously tested other apps such as Open camera and confirmed that the problem stays the same regardless of the app used?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Oh, the OOS Camera App is the only app with this issue because it uses proprietary postprocessing to filter out noise, which is not available for other camera apps.
Other apps use the same "basic" postprocessing which is nearly identical in good lighting, or much worse in bad lighting compared to the OOS Camera.
Google Camera https://abload.de/img/img_20160723_001912tkqmo.jpg
Stock Camera https://abload.de/img/img_20160723_001920t9q4y.jpg
Google Camera https://abload.de/img/img_20160723_002156l7rpb.jpg
Stock Camera https://abload.de/img/img_20160723_002205h1q8y.jpg
In lowlight, no apps beats the OOS camera.
In daylight and depending on the subject you will often get more details with third-party apps, but more noise.
But I need to do more testing, especially when taking pictures of people to really see the differences.
In terms of focusing I did not see a difference. I might test Open Camera later.

For flawless quality, just enable DNG RAW file save and process images yourself. DNG files offer vastly superior dynamic range because the 31 MB files contain all red, green and blue subpixel data, unprocessed.
For wider range of manual controls, I recommend AZ Camera, it has full manual controls for video as well. I also like A Better Camera, I use it's HDR mode which has far superior (albeit grainy) multi-shot processing. Manual Camera is always an option, I just prefer AZ Camera because of video settings and I like AZ Screen recorder.
At the end of the day, stock app image quality is not that bad, though HDR is more denoised since oxygen OS 3.2.2.

It's clear that you can get the most out of a raw file, especially when using additional denoising algorithms on a PC.
This doesn't mean that this is a solution for everyone and we can't discuss this any further.
Some people just want to take their devices and snap the best possible photos without too much of an effort.
I took my fair share of raw photos, but often just don't want to.
In comparison with the OPO for example, the gap between the processed jpeg and the developed dng is not too far away on the OP3.
The OP3's processing still has much room for improvement in auto-mode though, as you can see in my YouTube video.
After some testing I can say that the perfect app highly depends on the lighting conditions.
... I will add more to this post later.

AcmE85 said:
Sorry for any inconvenience produced by this link. I am using an adblocker on my OP3 and my PC so I don't have any issues with zippyshare.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What Ad-Blocker are you using? I have ADP on Chrome but I still got a new window pop-up from that link (AV blocked link). And ADP on my OP3 frickin blocks all internet traffic sometimes, welp most of the times. So on OP3 i only have Ad-Away .. but it's pretty useless.

Adaway on OP3 and uBlock Origin on my PC running Chrome Beta 52.
ABP is slowing down Chrome compared to uBlock.
https://github.com/gorhill/uBlock/wiki/uBlock-vs.-ABP:-efficiency-compared
/off-topic
Camera comparison
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/w3q0it8lgu6hsvl/AABAuFOsk6MKGs7Nn6uMpFXOa?dl=0
For best quality, download the whole package and watch on your PC.
Keep in mind that the Windows 10 standard photos app is a blurry mess and they still did not fix this issue!!!!
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...fea-889b-48e4-8368-1a2d2922dd0c?page=1&auth=1
Use the old picture viewer for example
OxygenOS Camera vs. Google Camera vs. Open Camera (camera2api enabled)
Running on OxygenOS 3.2.2
All pictures were taken handheld on auto-mode, no HQ or HDR or any additional modes enabled.
All with autofocus. All pictures were the first and only shots I did in this situations. I did not have to correct focal points or anything, just aim, snap & done.
What I can say so far is that in daylight (Photos 1, 2 and 5) there is almost no difference when comparing them on the OP3 screen.
Only noticeably difference are plain colored objects. There is still some minimal noise left with Open Camera and Google Camera.
The OOS Camera filters most of it without losing any details.
I have included one photo taken with Open Camera with camera2api disabled and it looks like there is no denoise filter enabled at all.
The exception to the rule is the photo showing Yoda (Photo 3).
At first glance there is no difference. When comparing at 100% crop you can see that the OOS Camera loses some slight details due to postprocessing.
On photo 4 I tried to darken the room. There is one photo which shows the proper lighting in that scene, by manually decreasing the exposure with OOS camera.
The improved postprocessing by the OOS Camera clearly wins here hands down. What can be observed is that all apps increase the exposure.
Weirdly, all have the same shutter-speed (1/17s), but although having the by far least amount of noise, the OOS camera uses a 6400 ISO, the other two a 3200 ISO!
I am pretty sure there is something wrong with exif data on the OOS Camera.
Photo 6 shows the Dark Tower^^
OOS Camera wins again. Once again 6400 vs 3200 ISO.
Photo 7 shows the same results as the first daylight shots.
Photo 8 was taken with artificial lighting. The results are equal to photo 4.
Basically the pictures and processing are identical on the Google Camera and Open Camera.
I had more apps installed, but earlier shots were showing the same results, so I did not include them into this comparison.
The OOS Camera basically wins every time in lowlight.
Daylight pictures are hard to judge as it tends to make them quite clean with its denoising (see Yoda!)
Google and Open Camera show a slightly more noise, but one could argue that they are preserving more detail.
As I already mentioned earlier, the OOS Camera sometimes goes way too far when there is slight movement involved in the scene:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbn9Lj6F6EM
that includes peoples faces in perfect lighting. I will continue shooting with Google Camera in these occasions to compare
the behaviour to the OOS Camera.
In terms of focus speed and accuracy, all apps performed the same.
I was using CM13 for a day, the day before it got official nightlies, and can say that camera quality
is identical to what you get with Google Camera on Oxygen OS.
Unfortunately this means that when you are going to do lowlight shots, you will get worse results.
I really hope we will get a fully working OOS camera port in the future.
Until then I am forced to stay on OxygenOS.
edit: Before I get any of these posts to just use manual mode or raw, or... this is not the goal of this comparison ok

AcmE85 said:
Yes, it differs with the lighting. It may sound strange but I was actually happier with the OPO in some situations
because it offered more consistency compared to the OP3 (in daylight).
Off course, the overall quality is much better on the OP3, especially in lowlight, but sometimes you won't know what the postprocessing will actually do with the final image,
mostly with slightly moving subjects (I am not talking about motion blur due to slow shutter-speed!).
I already did some pictures from people which appeared great at first inside the gallery, but then got destroyed by postprocessing!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This solved my issue:
https://forums.oneplus.net/threads/...-post-processing.470510/page-14#post-16614706

camera FV-5

Google camera with hdr

[APP][FEEDBACK] Arnova8G2's Google Camera Port

This is a thread to report bugs in @Arnova8G2 google camera port. I'm creating this thread to personally report a bug, anyone else who uses the app and has an issue should feel free to post here as well.
App in question: drive. google.com/open?id=1IEf-BZQdk_SH3WVG3aev05pdiRpVqW68 (I am not allowed to post links yet, apologies.)
When reporting a bug:
Describe the issue
Include a logcat
Mention @Arnova8G2
The main issue I am experiencing is the inability to take burst photos when holding down the shoot button. This feature functions properly in cstark's version. OIS also seems to not be functioning correctly, the viewfinder is shaky unlike stock camera app.
Log: hastebin .com/ezerufuduj.xml
Device Info: hastebin .com/uzamasocuw.http

I found a VERY strange solution to this. It turns out switching to the video mode, and back to the photo mode makes OIS work properly. It's worth noting I have added these lines in the build.prop to enable EIS in video, so even though I don't think they're necessary for OIS, if this method doesn't work for you then they're worth a shot:
persist.camera.eis.enable=1
persist.camera.is_type=5
persist.camera.is_mode=5
I don't think the 2nd and 3rd one do anything but they're worth mentioning I suppose.

Full stock here, no root, and I find the same issue with OIS. Though sometimes OIS goes wonky in the default camera app when you cycle zoom modes, at least on my phone. It's the main reason I don't use the app full time. I'm a shaky individual.
Not sure how well the Z3Z can get supported with the camera mod, but I'd be willing to test out if it ever came to. The quality is phenomenal to say the least compared to the PixelMaster Camera app. I've tried a bunch of different versions of the app but always come back to Arnova's.
EDIT: Tried cstark's version and the switch trick does work. And the faster initial processing makes this a keeper for now. All that's really missing is the OIS and I'd be a super happy camper.

Arnova's no longer works for me so I've been using cstark's version.
I wonder if we can get OIS and perhaps some autofocus fixes. I find it can be blurry when it auto focuses, but super sharp on a tap.

captaincrook said:
Arnova's no longer works for me so I've been using cstark's version.
I wonder if we can get OIS and perhaps some autofocus fixes. I find it can be blurry when it auto focuses, but super sharp on a tap.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I ended up switching to cstark's as well. At this point all that's really needed is for the laser autofocus and the rgb sensor to work properly. I remember seeing cstark replying to a zenfone 3 user that he would look into laser autofocus, but I think the rgb sensor might be a lost cause for any camera that isn't stock.
By the way, the 2nd zoom camera doesn't have OIS, so if the stock camera switches to it, (past 2.3x zoom in a well lit environment) things get a lot more shaky.

kekley said:
I ended up switching to cstark's as well. At this point all that's really needed is for the laser autofocus and the rgb sensor to work properly. I remember seeing cstark replying to a zenfone 3 user that he would look into laser autofocus, but I think the rgb sensor might be a lost cause for any camera that isn't stock.
By the way, the 2nd zoom camera doesn't have OIS, so if the stock camera switches to it, (past 2.3x zoom in a well lit environment) things get a lot more shaky.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I still find the Google Camera Mod takes better digital zoom point and click photos than the standard Pixel Master camera and the telephoto lens. ?
What else can we do to get some better device support? I would use the camera full time if the stabilization and focus were fixed. It's near perfect.

Could someone pass me the mod camera link from cstark to ZenFone 3 Zoom, please ?

ZueiraBR said:
Could someone pass me the mod camera link from cstark to ZenFone 3 Zoom, please ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Here you go.
https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/f/cstark27_GCam_5.1.018_24_v3.7test.apk

kekley said:
Here you go.
https://www.celsoazevedo.com/files/android/google-camera/f/cstark27_GCam_5.1.018_24_v3.7test.apk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you

Edit: NM...
I get great results with stock camera but cstark27 GCam Mod seem to work fine using pixel XL setting. I use cstark27_GCam_5.1.018_24_v3.7test.apk + AR stickers from the Xiaomi Mi A1 forum (ar.core_0.91.171127093-V1.1.apk) + AR Stickers 1.2

Do you know guys why Arnova's v8.2 doesn't work with z3z ?
I'm still trying with Arnova's since I found the best result with Arnova's v6. However I want to keep being updated but yeah... am stuck in the v6.
Is there any information about requirements for each version, so I don't need to try those versions brutally one by one?

hkmrz said:
Do you know guys why Arnova's v8.2 doesn't work with z3z ?
I'm still trying with Arnova's since I found the best result with Arnova's v6. However I want to keep being updated but yeah... am stuck in the v6.
Is there any information about requirements for each version, so I don't need to try those versions brutally one by one?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No clue. Maybe someone can pull a logcat.
I moved again to BSGs/Toylan but I think those are having issues too on newer versions.
If someone was close or had contact with the Devs I'm sure it would end up being great. The sensor in the camera is the same as a Pixel 2 if I recall correctly.

Hello. I am thinking of buying the zenfone 3 zoom. Does the ois still have problem with gcam. Are you talking for photos or video?
Furthermore, are there any low light comparison shots of stock vs gcam?

Things would work much better if there was full Camera2API. ASUS seems to have locked it to limited and the OIS is not exposed to the OS.
Otherwise CStark 4.2t3 has served me well. Enhanced HDR is stunning . Only missing some form of stabilization, but the video trick works.

captaincrook said:
Things would work much better if there was full Camera2API. ASUS seems to have locked it to limited and the OIS is not exposed to the OS.
Otherwise CStark 4.2t3 has served me well. Enhanced HDR is stunning . Only missing some form of stabilization, but the video trick works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
So if I am getting it right, the OIS does not work while shooting pictures? This is really weird since the ois is not controlled by the camera app. Are you sure that it is not just a viewfinder bug? Did you try shooting without switching to video and got blurry images (i.e. camera shake) ?
Is there any way to full implement api2 by editing build.prop?

I am playing with my asus zenfone for a week. What I find is that the OIS is not a problem for gcam. The real problem is that it has difficulty in auto focusing especially in low light. The circle of focus does not remain steady unless you tap to focus.
Here a comparison of stock camera (custom settings regarding sharpening, contrast etc) vs gcam. First stock
P_20190120_221141_vHDR_Auto by Andreas L., on Flickr
gcam hdr+ by Andreas L., on Flickr
Stock camera (custom settings) by Andreas L., on Flickr
gcam 6.1 hdr+ by Andreas L., on Flickr

Antretng said:
I am playing with my asus zenfone for a week. What I find is that the OIS is not a problem for gcam. The real problem is that it has difficulty in auto focusing especially in low light. The circle of focus does not remain steady unless you tap to focus.
Here a comparison of stock camera (custom settings regarding sharpening, contrast etc) vs gcam.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the comparison pics, @Antretng. Definitely google is warmer than stock. By chance do you have any comparisons done during the day as well as inside ones?

koimr said:
Thanks for the comparison pics, @Antretng. Definitely google is warmer than stock. By chance do you have any comparisons done during the day as well as inside ones?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeap. Here you are. First stock then gcam. In stock camera I have changed some settings (saturation, sharpening, contrast, noise reduction) since the default ones are really bad. The daylight photos of stock camera are Auto mode. The low light are with Manual mode but with all settings at auto (it has more natural results than auto). If you wish you can move the modes at stock and even change the default first mode.
P_20190130_122651_vHDR_Auto by Andreas L., on Flickr
gcam by Andreas L., on Flickr
P_20190130_111641_vHDR_Auto by Andreas L., on Flickr
gcam by Andreas L., on Flickr
P_20190119_225900_vHDR_Auto by Andreas L., on Flickr
gcam hdr+ by Andreas L., on Flickr
P_20190120_035233_vHDR_Auto by Andreas L., on Flickr
gcam hdr+ by Andreas L., on Flickr

Antretng said:
Yeap. Here you are. First stock then gcam. In stock camera I have changed some settings (saturation, sharpening, contrast, noise reduction) since the default ones are really bad. The daylight photos of stock camera are Auto mode. The low light are with Manual mode but with all settings at auto (it has more natural results than auto). If you wish you can move the modes at stock and even change the default first mode.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you again. Definitely better pictures (to me) with gcam. Good tips too with the settings, you seem to know what you're doing!

@captaincrook
You may not notice. I reply message to you.
Also take a look at this.
https://forum.xda-developers.com/showpost.php?p=78799597&postcount=173

Is there a way to fix dark video on modded gcams for Oreo roms?

Hello, i've been using arnova's modded gcams for a while, and noticed that video recording is extremelly dark, and sometimes get black screen flashes on it, not even close to photo's quality.
The only camera that seems to be doing an extremelly good job with videos is the oneplus modded one, but it lacks a lot of features.
Actually the image quality of the modded Gcam is shocking when enabling hwhdr on debugging and setting hdr to high, video doesn't stand a chance. As it doesn't happen only on one app, I believe it is a system or a camera2api configuration that the oneplus camera and the default camera ignores (I am running Pixel Experience, feb latest build, but it's a thing on every Oreo's ROM).
Is there anyone that knows about the topic any way or idea to debug it -be it from the camera source files or from the c2a settings-? It would be insane to have also the video ia for stabilization of the Gcam and maybe it can compare or be better than the OnePlus Camera.
Open to suggestions !

They is another problem with the modded gcam, when we select 60fps option camcorder the screen flickers while focusing and thats been recorded

There's nothing to do to check flickering, dark video and fix colours on preview? images looking a bit color-dead before obturation on some cameras, seems that only aplications that overrides those settings are working good. (modded gcams are dark and flickers on video, apps like instagram that doesnt obture gets a bit of lack of colours since preview doesnt do a bit of hwhdr to have an more accurate end result to obturation and also nicer looks on instagram photos). Seems to be a problem with the phone configuration since the camera can record well on other devices, and the op camera can record well on ours. Not like there are no ways around now, we can use both cameras and take the images with stock camera before uploading them but in long term it would be a nice improvement on social networks direct uploading, easier to take videos and photos on a single application (also to have gcam benefits as it is video stabilization). Sorry if I didn't explain myself properly, im not so good at english. Also, I didnt develop directly for android/camera but if someone with a bit of idea gives me the hand I can check out the settings. I don't have so much free time to learn now but as a developer with a couple of tips on the topic maybe I can find a way around to check those settings. Or if an experienced developer with time and will to do it I can help out maybe. I believe it's worth to give it a look

Camera still has focus issues after latest update

I have a Verizon S20+ with the latest camera app update included in the system update last week. I still have issues with the camera's focus. I would like to know if it is just my phone or everyone. If I have my camera set on the standard 4:3 12mp setting, the focus work fairly well. If I set it on the 64mb 4:3 picture quality, the focus is terrible especially close up. Try the 64mb setting and point your phone at your computer keyboard. It is next to impossible to get it to focus. If you switch to the 12mp output, the camera focuses quickly and adjusts as you move the phone. Is this a software bug or just a limitation of the 64mp setting. I really don't know why using 64mp output should affect the focus. In good lighting, the 64mp output looks great when it is in focus. It's much better than the 12mp pictures so I would like to use it if I can get the focus working properly.

same issue for me too, only way is to manually focus. Smh
---------- Post added at 10:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:34 PM ----------
Actually, turning off auto HDR fixes the autofocus for me.

Same to me. Terrible focus with 64mp camera, even manually does not want to focus. I try to turning off Auto HDR, but no improvement, same worse focus....

I tried turning off my HDR but it doesn't seem to fix the problem for me. It may be slightly better but nowhere near the focus on the 12 megapixel setting.
I hope Samsung fixes this. I really like using the 64mp setting.
Majin101 said:
same issue for me too, only way is to manually focus. Smh
---------- Post added at 10:40 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:34 PM ----------
Actually, turning off auto HDR fixes the autofocus for me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Why use 4:3? I've tried what the OP said above and no major issues. I have got Tracking Autofocus enabled when I was playing with the camera to see if I could get the same thing to happen.

skiddingus said:
I have a Verizon S20+ with the latest camera app update included in the system update last week. I still have issues with the camera's focus. I would like to know if it is just my phone or everyone. If I have my camera set on the standard 4:3 12mp setting, the focus work fairly well. If I set it on the 64mb 4:3 picture quality, the focus is terrible especially close up. Try the 64mb setting and point your phone at your computer keyboard. It is next to impossible to get it to focus. If you switch to the 12mp output, the camera focuses quickly and adjusts as you move the phone. Is this a software bug or just a limitation of the 64mp setting. I really don't know why using 64mp output should affect the focus. In good lighting, the 64mp output looks great when it is in focus. It's much better than the 12mp pictures so I would like to use it if I can get the focus working properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Currently only ATCH versions of Exynos 990 models can get autofocus improvements from the main camera
E.g：G98*F/G98*B
See details ↓
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sx4YRYuD-g

So this has only been a 64mb issue for you?

I have same auto focus issue with 64MP mode

Andrino said:
I have same auto focus issue with 64MP mode
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ME TOO

roaduardo said:
So this has only been a 64mb issue for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I didn't try this test until after the update so I'm not sure if the problem used to happen on the 12mp setting as well. The 12mp seems to focus fairly well now. The 64mp setting is terrible.

skiddingus said:
I have a Verizon S20+ with the latest camera app update included in the system update last week. I still have issues with the camera's focus. I would like to know if it is just my phone or everyone. If I have my camera set on the standard 4:3 12mp setting, the focus work fairly well. If I set it on the 64mb 4:3 picture quality, the focus is terrible especially close up. Try the 64mb setting and point your phone at your computer keyboard. It is next to impossible to get it to focus. If you switch to the 12mp output, the camera focuses quickly and adjusts as you move the phone. Is this a software bug or just a limitation of the 64mp setting. I really don't know why using 64mp output should affect the focus. In good lighting, the 64mp output looks great when it is in focus. It's much better than the 12mp pictures so I would like to use it if I can get the focus working properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The problem is that the Telephoto lenses (honestly it's not telephoto) uses PDAF and the main camera 12MP uses the Dual Pixel Auto Focus which is muche better.
But is seems like the new update made the focus much better.
The 3 lenses spces?
Ultra Wide 12MP 120º
Wide 12MP 79º
Telephoto 64MP 76º
As you see the tele is just 3º narrow than the wide in real life its 1.06x zoom, but Samsung has a clever way to make the Hybrid Zoom, they take the 64MP picture and CROP it to look like 3x zoom (lossless).
But answering your question, the focus problem is only noticiable in 3:4 64MP because they use PDAF as I say before.
Cheers.:good:

I have the S20 and find the camera won't focus close-up (which is rubbish as I use that function loads!). Then today I noticed with Microsoft Office Lens the camera instantly snaps into perfect close-up focus. So, it's not the hardware causing the issue, or if it is, it's that the Camera App isn't smart enough to use the hardware available correctly.

How is it after latest One UI 2.5 update?

Xperia 1 ii Photography [Auto mode, Camera Apps, Special Modes]

It has been four weeks since I received my device. One of the reasons I purchased this device was the nice features around the pro mode of its camera.
After I saw the comments from the reviewers/press regarding the standard Camera App and the Auto mode, I was curious to test the AUTO mode myself.
In this post I will try to share my findings around the AUTO mode, explain how I interpreted the different apps around the camera and share some thoughts. I hope you will find it useful.
Device Software (Build number): 58.0.A3.39
Thoughts around AUTO Mode
I have noticed that many reviewers kinda refused to use the Photo Pro app when they did compare this device with other devices. Their explanation/reasoning for that was that many times the users (even the pro users) will need to capture something fast and straight away without spending five mins in the settings or using a tripod. Now, If you check the comments in any of these reviews/videos, you will find at least ten guys screaming about the fact that Photo Pro has AUTO mode as well.
Personally, even I do enjoy the program mode etc I do agree that having a decent AUTO mode (no matters the app) it’s very important for any smartphone.
I took multiple shots with the standard camera app (which provides only the default mode, the AUTO mode) and the Photo Pro AUTO mode. I think I managed to understand what's the main difference between these two.
(for the rest of this post, please assume that any reference to the Photo Pro is regarding the AUTO mode unless I specify a different mode)
Standard Camera App vs Photo Pro AUTO
As long as you don't change the focus point by touching on the screen, the results from the two apps (standard camera app and the Photo Pro in AUTO) are almost identical.
Both applications will use HDR when it is required and they will provide decent results. You can't control whether the HDR will be used or not, you can’t turn it off, but it's there, fully automated.
In order to prove my findings around the HDR, I compared photos taken with AUTO (both apps) with photos taken with the P Mode in Photo Pro with everything in default settings(auto) by setting the HDR OFF. I did that as it’s not possible to control HDR in AUTO mode.
For the Photo Pro you can go to Menu -> Exposure/Colour -> DRO/AUTO HDR and set your preference: a) D-Range Optimiser, AUTO HDR, Off but this is applied only for the special modes (P, S, M). 
For the AUTO mode the DRO/AUTO HDR is set to AUTO, which it seems to be a special config just for the AUTO mode. I guess that it will apply the D-Range Optimiser, or HDR or none of these depending on the scene.
Quick test for the HDR in AUTO modes:
Standard Camera App: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/2FgY1d
Photo Pro AUTO: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/08z99k
Photo Pro P Mode, default, HDR Off: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/1rf185
As you can see, the results from the two apps are similar for AUTO and in both cases HDR was applied. If you compare them with the third image where the HDR was set to off, it’s quite obvious.
Things are getting interesting when you touch the screen with the aim to change the focus point - lets use Sony’s term for now on: “touch to adjust”.
For the standard app, it's not possible to configure what will be happened on that action but it seems that it adjusts the focus and the brightness/exposure. In the Photo Pro you can choose whether the application will adjust only the focus or the focus and the brightness (Settings -> Touch to Adjust). That choice will be applied in all modes including the AUTO mode. Btw, adjusting both, the focus and the brightness is a common/expected behaviour and you will find it in other apps by other manufactures or developers.
Based on the above, someone would expect that if you choose for the Photo Pro to adjust both the focus and the brightness (as the standard camera app does), the results from the two apps would be identical when you touch to adjust. The reality is: not always!
The reason is that the HDR gets disabled in the standard app when the following two things happen at the same time: a) you touch to adjust and b) there is enough light in the scene so no special mode (low light or night mode) is applied. This is not the case for the Photo Pro AUTO where the HDR remains on auto (only if it’s required as described above). I have to add that the standard app provides you the ability to adjust the brightness/exposure for the focus point once you apply touch to adjust. This is not possible in Photo Pro AUTO - If you want to have this kind of control, you will need to switch to P mode. Based on that, it's obvious that the two apps follow different approach for the particular scenario.
Before I continue with further analysis of that scenario, I need to provide a clarification for the low light cases: you should expect similar results from both apps (AUTO) no matter if you touch to adjust or not. Low light or Night mode will be applied in both cases.
So, let’s discuss further the behaviour of the standard app for the touch to adjust and when it will result to a different outcome in comparison to the Photo Pro.
Based on what I mentioned above, if you “touch to adjust” and there is enough light in the scene (so the app can achieve correct exposure for the focus point without applying any special mode), the HDR will go off. The application adjusts the ISO and the shutter speed in the attempt to achieve the right exposure for the specific point. The truth is it does that correctly most of time. However, the outcome depends on the scene (basically the light) and on the user’s choice regarding the focus point.
Usually it is a photo with the right exposure for the focus point but with blown highlights for the brightest parts of the scene e.g the sky. If you understand the concept around the exposure, I guess it’s quite clear why this is the case. The focus point becomes the reference for the right/correct exposure, so anything brighter than this point will appear over exposed. In the case of really bright parts - light sources e.g sun, clouds etc, that over exposure causes blown highlights. A possible solution to mitigate that effect is to adjust the exposure manually for the focus point in an attempt to capture some of the missing highlights.
Quick example/test:
Without touch to adjust: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/bo9TL6
With touch to adjust: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/8eZ4ZX
In the Photo Pro AUTO mode, just because the HDR doesn’t go off during the above scenario, the outcome will be a photo without blown highlights. However, the reference for the exposure will still be the focus point (assuming you selected the touch to adjust to adjust focus and brightness), so the result won’t be the same with a photo that was taken without applying touch to adjust. It’s usually a brighter photo and this is because the HDR is applied with the provider point as a reference for the exposure.
You can observe all the above in the following test I did: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mlqKaFObgkV6ZyV2X7B1y1kYzmpNBrtZ/view?usp=sharing (pdf file with the photos)
I tested the touch to adjust for both, the standard camera and Photo Pro in AUTO. 
You can see from the results that the photos from the Standard Camera are similar to the photos taken using the P mode with the HDR off, while the photos from the Photo Pro AUTO are similar to the photos from the P mode with HDR on AUTO.
When it comes to AUTO mode, I am not convinced what would be the right thing to do around HDR for that particular scenario - the touch to adjust. Both options/behaviours (HDR to go off but be able to adjust the exposure vs HDR on AUTO) can be valid depending on the use case. My personal preference would be to have the control around the HDR.
We can’t say that there is an issue or a bug with any of the two AUTO modes. It seems to me that the two apps were developed separately and different decisions have been made. Atm, If you would like to have some control around the HDR but you don’t bother about anything else, you can still use the P mode with everything in the default config and adjust DRO/AUTO HDR, as I demonstrated in my tests.
Just for completeness: In Photo Pro, If you select the touch to adjust to adjust only the focus, the results won’t be similar as the tests above. In that case, when you touch to adjust, the exposure doesn’t change based on the focus point. As a result, the exposure of a photo taken with that setup will be identical to the one taken without applying touch to adjust.
I will close this part around that particular scenario with a quick tip/advice: if your aim is to have everything in focus and have balanced/correct exposure across the whole photo, there is no reason to try to focus on something in a distance (e.g the mountain in a landscape, a building etc) using the touch to adjust feature. Due to the fact that smartphones camera sensors are small in general, the depth of field is large/wide so everything will be in focus (this is applied for any smartphone, it’s not only for this device). Use the touch to adjust for things in close distance unless you intentionally want to adjust the exposure of the photo based on a particular point.
Overall, I would say that the AUTO mode is decent and I can trust it, especially if I want to snap something quickly.
I saw comments from reviewers mentioning blown highlights and this is the reason I spent some time to explain the touch to adjust.
If someone experienced blown highlights in AUTO mode without applying touch to adjust, I am really curious to see that.
Thoughts around the camera apps
It’s more that obvious that Sony targets the enthusiasts with this device. You can see in the product’s page that they target photographers, cinematographers, cinephiles etc
When it comes to camera, they want people to use the Pro apps. However, I am not convinced that the Cinema Pro can be used by everyone.
So, this is how I interpreted the three apps:
Standard Camera app (video): that’s easy. The default app for video for most of the people.
Cinema Pro: 100% for people interested to shoot mini projects and happy to use tripod, gimbal, maybe filters etc and they are happy to spend reasonable time to take the right clip. There is a room for improvement, mainly around the fix exposure after starting recording, so more people can use it.
Standard Camera app (photos): I saw people saying: forget about this one, use Photo Pro only. I kinda disagree. If this device is your daily driver, it means that you take a lot photos with that camera beyond the nice shots of different memorable scenes. I believe that this app is intended for the moments when you want to take a quick photo without thinking too much. Possibly this is the reason they chose to have all the special modes be applied automatically (HDR, low light, night mode etc). If you don’t have time, you don’t want to mess with settings, just point and shoot. It does provide decent results.
For the daily stuff this is a no brainer. Examples: random photos of items that you need to show to people , a meal you cook etc
For more “critical shots”, between missing the shot, and having the perfect shot after 3 mins in the settings, I choose to take the shot.
So let’s say you have spent some time taking photos of a landscape using the Photo Pro. Job done, phone in the pocket. Suddenly you see something nearby that you want to photograph. What do you do? Photo Pro is in M/P/S mode as you left it 5 mins ago with the configuration for that scene. Yes, you are 2 clicks away from setting it to AUTO but you may miss the shot. Standard camera is your friend in that case.
Photo Pro: My default option if I want to shoot anything and I have reasonable time. It can be AUTO mode, it can be the P mode and taking multiple shots by experimenting with HDR off/AUTO etc. It can be any other mode. It depends on the amount of time I want to spend on taking the shot and my mood
General thoughts
HDR
I do like the convenience of computational photography, however I am not a big fun when camera apps end up over-processing the photos. The usual example: taking a photo of a landscape during a cloudy day and the HDR makes the photo looks like you are in the middle of a hurricane.
Fortunately, Sony’s HDR appears to be not that aggressive and I really like that part.
Having that said, I still believe that there is room for improvement/optimisation with:
a) the algorithm that calculates whether the HDR will be triggered or not.
b) the HDR algorithm itself on how it blends the images and what images should be taken (how many stops above and below)
It’s really good but not perfect. There is no perfect anw.
As mentioned above, it would be nice for Sony to provide the users the option to adjust HDR in the auto mode.
Portrait Mode
I still try to understand why Sony chose to add that mode in the standard camera app. I don’t see the reason of adding a non well optimised mode to a device that is advertised so much about its photography capabilities.
For now, If you want to take some portrait photos, switch to the 70mm lens and that’s it. Nice natural portrait photos with decent bokeh effect. That bokeh effect is not comparable to any portrait mode that uses computational photography, but it still look good enough. The nice thing about that is that you get consistent results cause it's 100% natural effect by the lens (no issues with hair etc).
Not the best example: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/m2152a
Night Mode - low light
These modes are triggered/applied automatically. I took some decent shots under low light. I can see that Sony didn’t follow the path of the other manufactures. Similar to the HDR, the night mode algo is not that aggressive. Sony tries to remain close to reality and avoids over processing. Maybe this is not something that everyone will appreciate but I think it's nice to have different approaches by different manufactures. It results to more options for the consumers, more competition and innovation etc. Personally, I don't really understand why some reviewers are giving credits to manufactures for over processing.
Back to Sony, It would be nice to provide the users the option to enable/disable night mode during the auto mode or provide a dedicate night mode.
Some photos:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/5fZ25B
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/0rfGPZ (I was a bit surprised looking that one)
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/vK61N9
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/A4U34R
Macro
At Auto, both apps are able to recognise a macro shot and actually in the standard app if you enable the photography hints, the app will guide you to "move further away" in case you are too close. Photos look natural, there is not any kind of computational photography processing in that mode. The blur parts in the photo is a natural outcome from the lens and it happens when parts of the scene lie outside of the depth of field.
Some photos (main lens - 24mm, standard app):
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/BM00v8
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/s6p1Sh
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/257gts
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/H75112
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/396Ac0
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/Z83oh4
Hardware
Through my tests I did notice that the zeiss optics help a lot by reducing reflections and flares especially when I was pointing directly to a source of light (e.g sun, lamb etc). I compared it with Pixel 2 xl and Samsung s9 (whatever I had access) and the difference was obvious.
However, I noticed that when there is light coming from a particular angle (it's an edge case), there is a specific type of lens flare only for the main lens, 24mm.
Example: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/vp48Jd
The album with all the photos in the post and some additional photos: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/K343dG
Sony released an update while I was writing this, I will try to update the post if they changed anything around the stuff I covered.
Update: added macro shots.

Very nice review of the cameras! Wish tech reviewers could understand 10% of what you wrote here

Great post and write up. After coming here and just browsing for a couple years I literally signed up because of your post. Thanks for taking the time.

great detail and time spent, very much appreciated, post of the year IMO
it is obvious that certain reviewers didn't quite understand what simple PAS is
and I agree totally with your night shot comments - who wants a night shot that doesn't look like night and is way over exposed and processed
again many thanks and looking forward to further experiences from you my friend as the phone receives a few updates going forward, I am now hoping Sony don't change too much as it seems perfect as is

thank you so much!

@stsdema28 Great post! Do you know how I can calibrate white balance in pro mode? I have seen the adjust button in P mode for white balance but how do I get it right? In Photo Pro auto mode, photos look red-ish to me.

mehdi_s82 said:
@stsdema28 Great post! Do you know how I can calibrate white balance in pro mode? I have seen the adjust button in P mode for white balance but how do I get it right? In Photo Pro auto mode, photos look red-ish to me.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am not sure what you mean/expect when you are saying "how can I calibrate WB". White balance can be different even between two clicks in the same scene when the light changes significantly. So there isn't a concept of calibrating the WB of the camera once so it can be right every time. What you can do is to adjust WB every time based on the scene. Another option is to adjust WB in post processing (this is what I usually do when I shoot with my DSLR, but I shoot RAW).
Back to the Xperia, I usually use AWB but I tried some of the predefined options (cloudy, daylight, incandescent etc) and they were quite accurate. Did you try any of them? It's important to choose the right option for the scene.
short article about WB: https://www.nikonusa.com/en/learn-and-explore/a/tips-and-techniques/setting-white-balance.html (it's by Nikon, but it doesn't really matter)
If you are not happy with the predefined options, you can try to set and use one of the custom options but you need to remember that it would be valid/correct only for the scene you set it for. Check the following video how you can do that: https://youtu.be/ehK8zJ2up98?t=454 (I set the exact moment he describes the WB options)

one of the reasons I was looking at this phone is because sony mentions its supposed to be good at capturing motion shots. How is it in your experience? Is it as good as the pixel in being able to capture a motion shot with one snap in auto?

billybobjones said:
one of the reasons I was looking at this phone is because sony mentions its supposed to be good at capturing motion shots. How is it in your experience? Is it as good as the pixel in being able to capture a motion shot with one snap in auto?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The motion feature of pixel has nothing to do with burst shooting.
The Xperia 1 ii can shoot up to 20fps with autofocus and auto exposure. It's all about capturing the right photo. You can see the burst shooting in the following videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQEXla29P9A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVJtmP8Ckfg
The motion feature in pixels (or similar feature in other apps) captures several frames or a short video with sound before and after you take a photo. The idea here is to capture additional material to accompany the photo for future reference with the aim to help the user to recall that moment.
So, it depends what you are looking for. There is no other phone that is able to shoot 20fps with autofocus and auto exposure (as far as I know). But given that you referred to pixel's feature, I guess you are looking for "motion" photos.

stsdema28 said:
So, it depends what you are looking for. There is no other phone that is able to shoot 20fps with autofocus and auto exposure (as far as I know). But given that you referred to pixel's feature, I guess you are looking for "motion" photos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the difference is video frames vers 20 actual full res photos
and there is a huge difference

stsdema28 said:
The motion feature of pixel has nothing to do with burst shooting.
The Xperia 1 ii can shoot up to 20fps with autofocus and auto exposure. It's all about capturing the right photo. You can see the burst shooting in the following videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQEXla29P9A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVJtmP8Ckfg
The motion feature in pixels (or similar feature in other apps) captures several frames or a short video with sound before and after you take a photo. The idea here is to capture additional material to accompany the photo for future reference with the aim to help the user to recall that moment.
So, it depends what you are looking for. There is no other phone that is able to shoot 20fps with autofocus and auto exposure (as far as I know). But given that you referred to pixel's feature, I guess you are looking for "motion" photos.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
sorry i meant a moving object. for example a dog running or a bicyclist or a kid running. with a pixel you can take 1 shot and get a good photo. With other smartphones when you take one photo you usually get a blurry mess. How is the sony?

billybobjones said:
sorry i meant a moving object. for example a dog running or a bicyclist or a kid running. with a pixel you can take 1 shot and get a good photo. With other smartphones when you take one photo you usually get a blurry mess. How is the sony?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Check some real examples from reddit:
https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyXperia/comments/i9kbox/burst_mode_is_the_killer_feature_especially_if/ (it contains an animation as well)
https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyXperia/comments/i634x9/ive_complained_about_focus_tracking_while_doing/
https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyXperia...ng_with_professionals_burst_shot_on_xperia_1/
https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyXperia/comments/i9687m/testing_the_high_continuous_shooting_mode/
https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyXperia/comments/i7m08k/20_fps/

anyone notice that with Camera Pro, raw and 70mm lens ... it produce a 13,8mpx photo?
if you save it in jpg it's a 12,2mpx, if you select raw, it produce a 13,8mpx with 4288x3216 resolution
I'm on XQ-AT52 HongKong with 3.88 firmware

my thoughts
This is very faithful review by stsdema28, great job thank you.
I have come to the same conclusion as stsdema28 while testing it.
I have my xperia 1II for a week now and after testing it I'm sure that I made a good chose buying it.
There are some things that are important to me while taking pictures with a phone and I like to share them with you.
First of all I think that main camera app does amazing job in recognising scenes, focus, white balance, it's reliable.
It's fast and convenient; for me, I don't see s reason to use Pro app.
In my opinion using Pro is good for RAW output if someone needs it.
I personally have used raw in cameras for years but I consider it a waste of time for me right now.
Main camera app also in my opinion has flawless noise reduction, jpg's from Pro mode have different noise reduction; more looking like "alfa" camera output.
So, what is important for me with this camera phone:
-all 3 cameras output same resolution 12mpix photos
-colours are true to life on all 3 cameras and they remain the same on each one of them
-auto white balance is correct in different scenes where I had problems before with my Huawei p30pro
-pictures have natural look, not overprocessed
-there are no artifacts when the light is to bright on a shiny surface and around red light sources in the dark
-glow around light sources look natural like from a real camera, don't know if this is due to good optics or the lens coating
When it comes to video all that I can really say is that I have no complaints and find it very high quality.
What I need to point out is audio quality which is on par with video quality.
Wind noise filter does awesome job, all that is left of wind in strong wind; is something like old low bitrate mp3 artifacts but very faint.
Sound positioning is very good too.
Selfie camera take sharp shots, no artifacts in bright light, I almost never use it, but if I did; I would be happy with the results.
Thx
Paweł

Thanks to @stsdema28 and @starepiernikowe for the excellent real life reviews of the phone. It is so helpful and so much better than watching the YouTube reviews.
---------- Post added at 09:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:25 AM ----------
Thanks to @stsdema28 and @starepiernikowe for the excellent real life reviews of the phone. It is so helpful and so much better than watching the YouTube reviews.

ISO3200 PRO and default app
Just wanted to show the differences in jpg from PRO app and default camera app noise reduction.
The exposure is different on those pictures, so the colors are too.
Left is PRO right is default camera app.
https://
freeimage.host/i/26zkCJ
Sorry I have problems with putting links here since i don't have enough posts.
Thx
Pawel

stsdema28 said:
It has been four weeks since I received my device. One of the reasons I purchased this device was the nice features around the pro mode of its camera.
After I saw the comments from the reviewers/press regarding the standard Camera App and the Auto mode, I was curious to test the AUTO mode myself.
In this post I will try to share my findings around the AUTO mode, explain how I interpreted the different apps around the camera and share some thoughts. I hope you will find it useful.
Device Software (Build number): 58.0.A3.39
Thoughts around AUTO Mode
I have noticed that many reviewers kinda refused to use the Photo Pro app when they did compare this device with other devices. Their explanation/reasoning for that was that many times the users (even the pro users) will need to capture something fast and straight away without spending five mins in the settings or using a tripod. Now, If you check the comments in any of these reviews/videos, you will find at least ten guys screaming about the fact that Photo Pro has AUTO mode as well.
Personally, even I do enjoy the program mode etc I do agree that having a decent AUTO mode (no matters the app) it’s very important for any smartphone.
I took multiple shots with the standard camera app (which provides only the default mode, the AUTO mode) and the Photo Pro AUTO mode. I think I managed to understand what's the main difference between these two.
(for the rest of this post, please assume that any reference to the Photo Pro is regarding the AUTO mode unless I specify a different mode)
Standard Camera App vs Photo Pro AUTO
As long as you don't change the focus point by touching on the screen, the results from the two apps (standard camera app and the Photo Pro in AUTO) are almost identical.
Both applications will use HDR when it is required and they will provide decent results. You can't control whether the HDR will be used or not, you can’t turn it off, but it's there, fully automated.
In order to prove my findings around the HDR, I compared photos taken with AUTO (both apps) with photos taken with the P Mode in Photo Pro with everything in default settings(auto) by setting the HDR OFF. I did that as it’s not possible to control HDR in AUTO mode.
For the Photo Pro you can go to Menu -> Exposure/Colour -> DRO/AUTO HDR and set your preference: a) D-Range Optimiser, AUTO HDR, Off but this is applied only for the special modes (P, S, M). 
For the AUTO mode the DRO/AUTO HDR is set to AUTO, which it seems to be a special config just for the AUTO mode. I guess that it will apply the D-Range Optimiser, or HDR or none of these depending on the scene.
Quick test for the HDR in AUTO modes:
Standard Camera App: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/2FgY1d
Photo Pro AUTO: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/08z99k
Photo Pro P Mode, default, HDR Off: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/1rf185
As you can see, the results from the two apps are similar for AUTO and in both cases HDR was applied. If you compare them with the third image where the HDR was set to off, it’s quite obvious.
Things are getting interesting when you touch the screen with the aim to change the focus point - lets use Sony’s term for now on: “touch to adjust”.
For the standard app, it's not possible to configure what will be happened on that action but it seems that it adjusts the focus and the brightness/exposure. In the Photo Pro you can choose whether the application will adjust only the focus or the focus and the brightness (Settings -> Touch to Adjust). That choice will be applied in all modes including the AUTO mode. Btw, adjusting both, the focus and the brightness is a common/expected behaviour and you will find it in other apps by other manufactures or developers.
Based on the above, someone would expect that if you choose for the Photo Pro to adjust both the focus and the brightness (as the standard camera app does), the results from the two apps would be identical when you touch to adjust. The reality is: not always!
The reason is that the HDR gets disabled in the standard app when the following two things happen at the same time: a) you touch to adjust and b) there is enough light in the scene so no special mode (low light or night mode) is applied. This is not the case for the Photo Pro AUTO where the HDR remains on auto (only if it’s required as described above). I have to add that the standard app provides you the ability to adjust the brightness/exposure for the focus point once you apply touch to adjust. This is not possible in Photo Pro AUTO - If you want to have this kind of control, you will need to switch to P mode. Based on that, it's obvious that the two apps follow different approach for the particular scenario.
Before I continue with further analysis of that scenario, I need to provide a clarification for the low light cases: you should expect similar results from both apps (AUTO) no matter if you touch to adjust or not. Low light or Night mode will be applied in both cases.
So, let’s discuss further the behaviour of the standard app for the touch to adjust and when it will result to a different outcome in comparison to the Photo Pro.
Based on what I mentioned above, if you “touch to adjust” and there is enough light in the scene (so the app can achieve correct exposure for the focus point without applying any special mode), the HDR will go off. The application adjusts the ISO and the shutter speed in the attempt to achieve the right exposure for the specific point. The truth is it does that correctly most of time. However, the outcome depends on the scene (basically the light) and on the user’s choice regarding the focus point.
Usually it is a photo with the right exposure for the focus point but with blown highlights for the brightest parts of the scene e.g the sky. If you understand the concept around the exposure, I guess it’s quite clear why this is the case. The focus point becomes the reference for the right/correct exposure, so anything brighter than this point will appear over exposed. In the case of really bright parts - light sources e.g sun, clouds etc, that over exposure causes blown highlights. A possible solution to mitigate that effect is to adjust the exposure manually for the focus point in an attempt to capture some of the missing highlights.
Quick example/test:
Without touch to adjust: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/bo9TL6
With touch to adjust: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/8eZ4ZX
In the Photo Pro AUTO mode, just because the HDR doesn’t go off during the above scenario, the outcome will be a photo without blown highlights. However, the reference for the exposure will still be the focus point (assuming you selected the touch to adjust to adjust focus and brightness), so the result won’t be the same with a photo that was taken without applying touch to adjust. It’s usually a brighter photo and this is because the HDR is applied with the provider point as a reference for the exposure.
You can observe all the above in the following test I did: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mlqKaFObgkV6ZyV2X7B1y1kYzmpNBrtZ/view?usp=sharing (pdf file with the photos)
I tested the touch to adjust for both, the standard camera and Photo Pro in AUTO. 
You can see from the results that the photos from the Standard Camera are similar to the photos taken using the P mode with the HDR off, while the photos from the Photo Pro AUTO are similar to the photos from the P mode with HDR on AUTO.
When it comes to AUTO mode, I am not convinced what would be the right thing to do around HDR for that particular scenario - the touch to adjust. Both options/behaviours (HDR to go off but be able to adjust the exposure vs HDR on AUTO) can be valid depending on the use case. My personal preference would be to have the control around the HDR.
We can’t say that there is an issue or a bug with any of the two AUTO modes. It seems to me that the two apps were developed separately and different decisions have been made. Atm, If you would like to have some control around the HDR but you don’t bother about anything else, you can still use the P mode with everything in the default config and adjust DRO/AUTO HDR, as I demonstrated in my tests.
Just for completeness: In Photo Pro, If you select the touch to adjust to adjust only the focus, the results won’t be similar as the tests above. In that case, when you touch to adjust, the exposure doesn’t change based on the focus point. As a result, the exposure of a photo taken with that setup will be identical to the one taken without applying touch to adjust.
I will close this part around that particular scenario with a quick tip/advice: if your aim is to have everything in focus and have balanced/correct exposure across the whole photo, there is no reason to try to focus on something in a distance (e.g the mountain in a landscape, a building etc) using the touch to adjust feature. Due to the fact that smartphones camera sensors are small in general, the depth of field is large/wide so everything will be in focus (this is applied for any smartphone, it’s not only for this device). Use the touch to adjust for things in close distance unless you intentionally want to adjust the exposure of the photo based on a particular point.
Overall, I would say that the AUTO mode is decent and I can trust it, especially if I want to snap something quickly.
I saw comments from reviewers mentioning blown highlights and this is the reason I spent some time to explain the touch to adjust.
If someone experienced blown highlights in AUTO mode without applying touch to adjust, I am really curious to see that.
Thoughts around the camera apps
It’s more that obvious that Sony targets the enthusiasts with this device. You can see in the product’s page that they target photographers, cinematographers, cinephiles etc
When it comes to camera, they want people to use the Pro apps. However, I am not convinced that the Cinema Pro can be used by everyone.
So, this is how I interpreted the three apps:
Standard Camera app (video): that’s easy. The default app for video for most of the people.
Cinema Pro: 100% for people interested to shoot mini projects and happy to use tripod, gimbal, maybe filters etc and they are happy to spend reasonable time to take the right clip. There is a room for improvement, mainly around the fix exposure after starting recording, so more people can use it.
Standard Camera app (photos): I saw people saying: forget about this one, use Photo Pro only. I kinda disagree. If this device is your daily driver, it means that you take a lot photos with that camera beyond the nice shots of different memorable scenes. I believe that this app is intended for the moments when you want to take a quick photo without thinking too much. Possibly this is the reason they chose to have all the special modes be applied automatically (HDR, low light, night mode etc). If you don’t have time, you don’t want to mess with settings, just point and shoot. It does provide decent results.
For the daily stuff this is a no brainer. Examples: random photos of items that you need to show to people , a meal you cook etc
For more “critical shots”, between missing the shot, and having the perfect shot after 3 mins in the settings, I choose to take the shot.
So let’s say you have spent some time taking photos of a landscape using the Photo Pro. Job done, phone in the pocket. Suddenly you see something nearby that you want to photograph. What do you do? Photo Pro is in M/P/S mode as you left it 5 mins ago with the configuration for that scene. Yes, you are 2 clicks away from setting it to AUTO but you may miss the shot. Standard camera is your friend in that case.
Photo Pro: My default option if I want to shoot anything and I have reasonable time. It can be AUTO mode, it can be the P mode and taking multiple shots by experimenting with HDR off/AUTO etc. It can be any other mode. It depends on the amount of time I want to spend on taking the shot and my mood
General thoughts
HDR
I do like the convenience of computational photography, however I am not a big fun when camera apps end up over-processing the photos. The usual example: taking a photo of a landscape during a cloudy day and the HDR makes the photo looks like you are in the middle of a hurricane.
Fortunately, Sony’s HDR appears to be not that aggressive and I really like that part.
Having that said, I still believe that there is room for improvement/optimisation with:
a) the algorithm that calculates whether the HDR will be triggered or not.
b) the HDR algorithm itself on how it blends the images and what images should be taken (how many stops above and below)
It’s really good but not perfect. There is no perfect anw.
As mentioned above, it would be nice for Sony to provide the users the option to adjust HDR in the auto mode.
Portrait Mode
I still try to understand why Sony chose to add that mode in the standard camera app. I don’t see the reason of adding a non well optimised mode to a device that is advertised so much about its photography capabilities.
For now, If you want to take some portrait photos, switch to the 70mm lens and that’s it. Nice natural portrait photos with decent bokeh effect. That bokeh effect is not comparable to any portrait mode that uses computational photography, but it still look good enough. The nice thing about that is that you get consistent results cause it's 100% natural effect by the lens (no issues with hair etc).
Not the best example: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/m2152a
Night Mode - low light
These modes are triggered/applied automatically. I took some decent shots under low light. I can see that Sony didn’t follow the path of the other manufactures. Similar to the HDR, the night mode algo is not that aggressive. Sony tries to remain close to reality and avoids over processing. Maybe this is not something that everyone will appreciate but I think it's nice to have different approaches by different manufactures. It results to more options for the consumers, more competition and innovation etc. Personally, I don't really understand why some reviewers are giving credits to manufactures for over processing.
Back to Sony, It would be nice to provide the users the option to enable/disable night mode during the auto mode or provide a dedicate night mode.
Some photos:
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/5fZ25B
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/0rfGPZ (I was a bit surprised looking that one)
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/vK61N9
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/A4U34R
Macro
At Auto, both apps are able to recognise a macro shot and actually in the standard app if you enable the photography hints, the app will guide you to "move further away" in case you are too close. Photos look natural, there is not any kind of computational photography processing in that mode. The blur parts in the photo is a natural outcome from the lens and it happens when parts of the scene lie outside of the depth of field.
Some photos (main lens - 24mm, standard app):
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/BM00v8
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/s6p1Sh
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/257gts
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/H75112
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/396Ac0
https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/Z83oh4
Hardware
Through my tests I did notice that the zeiss optics help a lot by reducing reflections and flares especially when I was pointing directly to a source of light (e.g sun, lamb etc). I compared it with Pixel 2 xl and Samsung s9 (whatever I had access) and the difference was obvious.
However, I noticed that when there is light coming from a particular angle (it's an edge case), there is a specific type of lens flare only for the main lens, 24mm.
Example: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/vp48Jd
The album with all the photos in the post and some additional photos: https://www.flickr.com/gp/[email protected]/K343dG
Sony released an update while I was writing this, I will try to update the post if they changed anything around the stuff I covered.
Update: added macro shots.
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Click to collapse
Really appreciate that detailed info, thanks!
Quick question from me - in the Photo Pro app Auto mode, if RAW or RAW+Jpg is the selected format, have you found that the phone doesn't use HDR? Seems to be my experience. Make sense, but I wondered if it might still use HDR for the JPG and perhaps save each of the RAW files it generated, too. Doesn't seem so.