yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
:rolleyes: when I first got the phone I tried that but thought it didn't work so dismissed it. . . feeling slightly foolish now but very happy you've pointed this out. I was trying to use touch focus then was annoyed that it refocuses when you press the shutter. Problem now solved, thankyou!

---------- Post added at 06:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:03 PM ----------

What are the possibilities of a 3D mod for the camera? I know most 3D cameras use more than one lens but my Sony NEX camera takes good 3D images with just one lens.
[Xperia Z2 General] ipmanwck:
All the gs5 needs now then is a capable camera to use it in anything but outdoor environments ;)
[Xperia Z2 General] pilifida:
hello

i have a xperia Z. i searched through this post to see if the camera from z2 is worth upgrading. And i am stuck at the first post. Look at this picture:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/111873126@N06/13925679767/in/set-72157644512271092

I downloaded andddd considering the EXIF data this picture was shot at f2, time:1/8 seconds!!!!! ISO 400. Ok, you'll say sooo? But if you look closely, you will see in top, in the right a star. COME ON! even if you have the best DSLR camera ever (And i have a good one - i'm not mentioning its name - because i don;t want to be commercial), it wont get a star at 1/8 seconds, and ISO 400. NEVER EVER EVER. So my opinon that's a photoshop, a good one. - beside that i have to admit the night photos are pretty good. Xperia Z, makes so crappy night photos. Horrible ones i could say. My old sony ericsson k850i made far better photos than the last sony flagship.
[Xperia Z2 General] ipmanwck:
Nice rant. Yes they look edited but the z2 does take amazing night / low light pics. Far better than any other current flagship apart from maybe the lumia phones. Even the lumia 920 is amazing in low light still. The apps available on android for photo editing now is quite good and so easy to use you could edit them on the phone with say aviary so could make them even better ?.

Re the camera compared to the old sony phones the z2 is much better from.what I have used BUT if your happy with your Z then wait for the Z3 which should be pretty sweet I hear.
[Xperia Z2 General] One Twelve:
Why make it so inconspicuous. There is no photoshop, it was just a particularly bright light in the sky.

Yeah your dslr would get it.

What is the slowest shutter speed on the Z ?

---------- Post added at 04:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:37 AM ----------

Did you ever get to try out the m7 or m8 ?

Would have though they were the ideal camera for your needs.

---------- Post added at 05:04 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:39 AM ----------

Macro is difficult to do handheld as when the subject is close a slight movement will cause a loss of focus. No physical shutter button, use on screen or even timer.

How close do you get to the subject, i've read that two inches is about the closest you can get.

This

article

has some interesting tips as well as a plug, but you get the general idea.
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
[/COLOR]

Quote

Macro is difficult to do handheld as when the subject is close a slight movement will cause a loss of focus. No physical shutter button, use on screen or even timer.

How close do you get to the subject, i've read that two inches is about the closest you can get.

This

article

has some interesting tips as well as a plug, but you get the general idea.[/QUOTE]

Thanks, I found the S3 great for macro as long as my hand was steady. I am finding the closest distance on the z2 is more like 3", some times maybe closer but it really struggles to fix on anything to lock the focus onto.
[Xperia Z2 General] One Twelve:
Do you get the impression that the below was taken closer than 3 inches. Could not figure out how the stamens were clear but the petals were blurred. A f2.0 has less depth of field but not this small.
[Xperia Z2 General] arash64a:
Hi mates

Very thanks four your good image's, but can you share a compare between 20mp and 8mp auto mode photos in same condition in:

outdoor + indoor + macro + landscape + night shot

I really cant decide to buy this phone or not, now i use of Samsung Galaxy S3, can any1 help me to decide better about camera quality in compare of S3 please?

Thanks
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
I've come to the z2 from the S3, I was actually really happy with the S3 for general snaps in good light, and especially macro. The z2 camera has much more to mess about with if you want, or you can leave it all to the superior auto mode.

I was puzzled, and disappointed, whether I realised it took pics at 8mp in auto but have been more than happy with the results, I have taken almost identical pics with auto and manual 20mp and apart from zooming right down or cropping severely, it's hard to tell any noticeable difference.
[Xperia Z2 General] DrearierJester1:
Superior Auto @ 15MP - Xposed Module
[Xperia Z2 General] vincent2167:
Nice picture!

In manual mode, I noticed that the device uses a higher ISO value when shooting in full resolution (vs 8 Mpx).

So if you want to maximize the output quality in full resolution mode (and can handle a slower shutter speed), it is better to manually set up a low ISO value.

Otherwise I am impressed by the dynamic range of the Z2; much better than my previous devices. The following picture was taken without any HDR mode:
[Xperia Z2 General] kannanX10:
when comparing two z2 units manufactured within same week,i found one z2 does produces good images with excellent details whereas other has some serious issues with softening and lack of details.......download the sample images from following link and see(but i do checked many images)

both taken with 20.7mp and everything else in auto,taken almost at the time with onscreen shutter---------check 100% crops if possible

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwIpz2ey-ZpTd3Z0NEEyYzFQN0U/edit?usp=sharing
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
1st Taken with timeshift burst

2nd on manual but then adjusted to b&w and turned up the contrast using the z2. It's Dark Hedges in Northern Ireland, they filmed some scenes for Game of Thrones there.
[Xperia Z2 General] One Twelve:
Yeah, if one looks at the grass then its more clear in DSC_0121 compared to DSC_0011

Looking at the edges one sees the grass gets slightly blurred in DSC_0121 but its uniformly soft ie not as clear in DSC_0011

Only 20MP pictures will reveal these differences.

Think you should take more pics to be sure, the shutter speed is low in doors (~1/50) so as to rule out camera shake.

I take it this was in the shop, they have already been updated to .402, new models are shipping with the latest update ?
[Xperia Z2 General] kannanX10:
both are with .402 fw and i took many pics to compare................z2 with which DSC_0121 was taken does always better than the other z2,do check the other sample with 100% crops

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwIpz2ey-ZpTQ1FDWVpuVWh0aFU/edit?usp=sharing
[Xperia Z2 General] One Twelve:
ok that was important

Can see it. This second pair match in iso and even shutter speed which is five times faster than the previous pair.

This corroborates what Dpk experienced and had to get two replacements to fix. And it happens even when using the on screen shutter button.

That it can be reproduced indoors makes it easier to spot. Thing is it requires a sample from a working unit to compare with so need to have an eye to spot this and its fairly subtle. Will never see it in auto at 8MP, must be 20MP manual.

We should go with Z2's byline 'details make the difference' to demand a fully working camera :laugh:
[Xperia Z2 General] jaffa1980:
Another macro... The details in the wing are amazing!
[Xperia Z2 General] ipmanwck:
Landscape
[Xperia Z2 General] le_lutin:
Wow, that's an extremely well exposed photo!
[Xperia Z2 General] ipmanwck:
Not sure if it was Manual or SA. Through a window too. Love this camera. Wish it had ois though as every shot intake with the hardware ceramic button blurs due to camera shake :(
[Xperia Z2 General] ipmanwck:
Lavender
[Xperia Z2 General] ArbiterGR:
SA, no flash. I Like how the sensor performs in low light conditions :)
[Xperia Z2 General] adyscorpius:
Some pics from Dubai..
[Xperia Z2 General] vincent2167:
HDR with "A Better Camera" (which doesn't crop the picture contrarily to Sony's HDR) :
[Xperia Z2 General] valdigre:
I just love macro shots, unfortunately Z2 does not allow to get close too much.
[Xperia Z2 General] adyscorpius:
Picture of the Clock Tower in Mahe, Seychelles..
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
Agreed! Although shooting on manual 20mp enables you to crop to your heart's content. Well, pretty much!

Liking the snail pic.

---------- Post added at 07:36 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:32 PM ----------

"a better camera"!? Is it worth having? I hate installing random apps just to try them out. I already have the Google camera app for the 360 feature.
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
I have usually enjoyed using manual mode on my slr's but this has dealt really well on auto with the differing colours and contrasts. Kinda takes the fun out of trying to get a good shot, but I'm not complaining! Just spent a week working on the north coast of Ireland and didn't get my cameras out once. Ok, I might have got some slightly better pics in some instances but looking at the results on my TV today, I'm happy with the results. The Z2's camera is more than just a make-do when I don't have my dedicated, bulky cameras. My climbing mates have always taken the mick out of me for all the equipment I take on treks, next time I'm trusting my phone.

Incidentally, for Game of Thrones fans, this is the entrance to the cave where Sir Davos took lady Milissandra and she gave birth to the shadow thing!
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
For comparison purposes, 1st pic on manual 20mp, 2nd on superior auto 8mp. Quite a big difference in pixels when looked at on a big tv.
[Xperia Z2 General] One Twelve:
The sky looks so much better in 4:3 manual but i still read about people *****ing about why the sensor isn't 16:9 or that it should be the default.

What is so great about 16:9 anyway ?

In portrait the shots are more skinny and in landscape you lose height.

4:3 FTW!
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
In glad it's not just me, I'm uploading the originals to photobucket, I'll add the link when it's done but I'm out in the sticks and the wifi is worse than 2g.

I'm really happy with the results from superior auto and am even more pleased to find that, like a full-on camera, if you take some time and effort you can make it even better.

By the way, coming from a long time using 35mm film for photography, I love 4:3. . . but, viewing these pics on my z2 or on my TV, they look sooooo much better in 16:9! I suppose it depends on the device you're looking at the pics on. Until you zoom in.
[Xperia Z2 General] One Twelve:
I'd like to know why that sky looks better, and more like a postcard in the other. Auto must have boosted exposure some.
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
Which one are you saying you prefer? I'm guessing that you like the 2nd as it is framed better, without the humps of grass in the foreground. I just think that is because I framed the pic in superior auto after lying down on a small hill, I stayed in exactly the same position and took the 4:3 manual 20mp shot. I've uploaded the originals to photobucket but the just look like thumbnails, I'm trying to sort it. . .

I'm guessing that auto 16:9 is literally s cropped 4:3 anyway, I'm sure the sensor is 4:3?
[Xperia Z2 General] One Twelve:
Oh the 20mp manual with the gorgeous sky, did not even notice the humps of grass until you menitoned it. My eye got drawn to the horizon, the gentle slope and stayed there.

yeah the 16:9 is better composed but the sky ain't as good as the other.
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
and the sea, and the detail in the rock in the foreground, and the cliffs in the distance, I wish I could get the originals up, the difference is really noticeable.
[Xperia Z2 General] One Twelve:
Can you mention the ISO & shutter of the two and whether any exp or scene mode was employed.

Wonder if you could tell the difference in the colour of the sky between the two by looking at the screen after you took it.
[Xperia Z2 General] One Twelve:
bolded bits shows the difference. As expected the auto got a longer exposure with an exposure compensated ISO.

Spot meter choice for manual is an interesting. Did you meter of something else before you framed the shot ?

There also seems to be a manual wb set, but does not show in the exif.
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
I normally have manual set to spot metering, mainly to focus and meter the subject before framing the shot. But for the purposes of comparison, I literally laid stock still while I took both shots.
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
More comparison shots. 1st shot manual. 2nd superior auto. Again, the sharpness really shows up on a TV.
[Xperia Z2 General] vincent2167:
Here is a link to the ABC app: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.almalence.opencam&hl=en

I use the 2 following modes on my Z2: "Best Shot" and "HDR". These 2 modes take a series of pictures and I found out that you MUST set the focus mode to CF (continuous focus), otherwise the image will be blurred.

Best Shot:

It takes a series of pictures and only saves the sharpest one. This is perfect if you have time to compose your picture and your subject is still.

The shutter speed and ISO mimicks Sony's manual mode (which means that the ISO value will be lower compared to Intelligent Auto, hence a better picture quality).

--> If I want the best image quality possible with my phone, I think that ABC Best Shot is the way to go (low ISO and no more blur due to handshake).

--> If I am in hurry and need to quickly snap a picture of a moving subject, I use Sony's Intelligent Auto.

HDR:

Contrarily to Sony's HDR, the image is not cropped. And for those interested in HDR at max resolution, it will also work.

The default HDR settings are a bit too dramatic to my taste. For a more natural look, I put the following advanced settings:

Color vividness: Pure

Local Contrast: Low

Micro Contrast: Normal

Exposure: Normal
[Xperia Z2 General] ipmanwck:
8mp Manual with gourmet scene selection. Yummy
[Xperia Z2 General] iRadio:
Elvis Costello played Swansea on friday night, managed to get a 2nd row ticket so took a few pics with the Z2 to see how indoor low light came out.....

The first pic was taken as I got there, relatively empty so could balance on the chair in front. Didnt come out too badly.

The others are not so impressive, tried many different options, manual mode, Hi iso, superior, even timeburst.

I am a dab hand with a DSLR so like to think I know my stuff. End of the day, its still a compact camera, great for outdoors, but will never be a match for a DSLR and its giant lenses!
[Xperia Z2 General] ipmanwck:
Lavender Fields
[Xperia Z2 General] osbertc0ol:
Great Wall of China
[Xperia Z2 General] ukred11:
Here is a pic from work.
[Xperia Z2 General] apollostees:
Thats an Awesome shot.
[Xperia Z2 General] iRadio:
Early damp morning in South Wales.
[Xperia Z2 General] sofia-captivate:
Guys I have a question. I came from note 2 when I put my SD on z2 doesn't show my photos taken with note 2 only shows the instagram and screenshot folders? Can someone help.
[Xperia Z2 General] ipmanwck:
I would transfer all content and photos from SD to pc then format card and put it back in the device then transfer content to SD whilst card is mounted in phone. I came from note3 and had no issues.
[Xperia Z2 General] doministry:
Yes, format the card in the phone absolutely.

It will work otherwise some conflicts may appear.
[Xperia Z2 General] DrearierJester1:
Perfect for Cold Weather

- Z2 Background defocus + VSCO C1
[Xperia Z2 General] vincent2167:
Image taken at dusk (ISO 400)
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
Lovely, I've been blown away by the detail in night shots when is been close to pitch outside. It really pushes the limits with the iso, and without ridiculous amounts of noise. last night a mate and I were comparing viewfinders with his HTC m8, the displays were worlds apart, mine looked like it was daytime, his was just a grainy blue blur. :D
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
This was originally taken on superior auto and had a car and a group of people in it, all edited out with Handy Photo. B&W filter and increased contrast with the same app. Amazon's free app of the day.
[Xperia Z2 General] ipmanwck:
Whilst on the subject on editing I am using aviary but is handy photo better?

---------- Post added 16th July 2014 at 12:04 AM ---------- Previous post was 15th July 2014 at 11:54 PM ----------

Actually don't worry as just watched the video of handy photo and it's extremely impressive!! Just purchased it.
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
I can't say it's better as I haven't tried anything else. I used to be anti-editing, having been a 35mm SLR enthusiast, but it was reading this thread, and others on this forum, that got me interested. Now I'm loving being a bit lazy with the original shot, knowing I can edit it on the phone later.

I am really impressed with Handy Photo, nice interface and really effective, like I said, the pic had a whole lot of stuff down the lane but it was easy to edit them out and I think you can't tell. Here's the original.
[Xperia Z2 General] ipmanwck:
Impressive!! 2
[Xperia Z2 General] styxter:
Care to share the camera settings?
[Xperia Z2 General] ukred11:
Cheers, it was taken @ 5 in the morning.

Where as this was taken just before 4 am.
[Xperia Z2 General] doministry:
Today I will try to post a nice comparative shots:

Z2 8mpx Manual - Z2 20mpx Manual - QX10 Automatic

:)
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
How are you finding the qx? I had my eye on these, or the 100, since they were announced last year but found it hard to justify having the z2 and an NEX. A decent lens and zoom for the z2 would make the NEX redundant.
[Xperia Z2 General] doministry:
I find it actually great!

It is much closer to proper cameras since it doesn't process photos that much and leaves alot of detail.

But Z2's performance with those more tweaked colours etc. are also interesting, kind of ready to use, post processed-like....
[Xperia Z2 General] doministry:
Here we go.

8mpx Manual - 20mpx Manual - QX10 Automatic.

Unfortunately pics are resized by xda (what a crap).

I would love to show the full size ones but I don't know how...

Anyway my conclusion:

8mpx is sharp, looks almost like after adding effects, but it's very nice, quite aggressive though

20mpx is good too, however detail is worse, but the overall image is great and for some it's more pleasant

QX10 is much less oversaturated and maybe more real, the detail is great actually
[Xperia Z2 General] El.Guaje:
http://www.gsmarena.com/camera_shootout-review-1104.php

Z2 came in nearly last position.
[Xperia Z2 General] ipmanwck:
Ha ha. G3 better? I had both and main reason for ditching it was that the z2 camera is so superior along with audio capture. I would say though the Galaxy phones have always done a great job at video.

I have given up on these sites for camera reviews. Even Anandtech are a little me now.
[Xperia Z2 General] One Twelve:
Like the sky but there is camera shake in this one.

---------- Post added at 02:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:41 PM ----------

use flickr

Wish more people would do that in this thread :(

tapatalk & the forum reduces the size and strips all exifs out.

z2(or any phone) + qx10 is sony's counter to samsung galaxy k zoom

added bulk only when you need it.

How do you find the qx 10 with the new software, initial reviews said the software was very limited given the camera. That it was quite slow.
[Xperia Z2 General] doministry:
As I said, I find QX10 very good EVEN with limited options, since the results are great!

It removes the need of any DSLR.

As for slow, yes - it is in pics overview after making a shot, because after each time you make a photo it downloads it through WiFi

to the phone to show it which takes a bit of a time.

But honestly, QX10 is not for instant photography, I have Z2 alone for that :)

Edit:

Link to Flickr photos

https://www.flickr.com/photos/60305679@N04/sets/72157645748582912/
[Xperia Z2 General] El.Guaje:
Who funds more will win :))

I don't believe these sites anymore.
[Xperia Z2 General] doministry:
My point exactly!!!

Most of these tests are pure crap.

They don't even use full potential of the cameras they test.

Bull....it.
[Xperia Z2 General] blackalice:
Took this on CM11 with Google Camera.
[Xperia Z2 General] doministry:
BTW:

http://pocketnow.com/2014/07/18/daily-drivers-whats-in-your-pocket-now-pocketnow
[Xperia Z2 General] One Twelve:
This the problem, we never see the best these cameras can do.

Most glaring example is the low light test. All done in auto. Why ?

In the case of the 5s & g3 there is no option but to do auto, but s5 (to some extent) , z2 & 1020 most certainly offer ways to drop iso and get better low light shots. With a static subject this is easy to do. And the difference will be striking but they don't even bother to do this. This i flag as an important omission. I only got to learn these tricks after doing time in the photo threads here and seeing shots that should for all intents & purposes be impossible to get. For the 5s or g3 they will be.

Just see the different ISO's of the shots for the various models without flash

1020 - 800, 1/10

Z2 - 800, 1/32

S5 - 640, 1/17

5s - 400, 1/15

g3 - 450, 1/12

Not surprising to see 5s do better than z2 at half the iso. The g3 is at a serious disadvantage in this test as its aperture is a half f-stop smaller so lets in half the light. No way to compensate for this in the g3 camera software at all.

The daylight shots are not too surprising, z2 isn't optimised for daylight like the s5, g3 or 5s. But the real question is how far off is the z2 and the answer is not by a lot.

HDR & Panaorama aren't Z2 fortes and this reflects against the competition.

Video i would expect s5 to win as its sharper but this has to be balanced with the lack of effective stabilsation which gsmarena omits to mention. A mobile device means there is a chance one may walk about when using video.
[Xperia Z2 General] Guest69:
You should be doing those reviews yourself! Very informative, cheers.
[Xperia Z2 General] doministry:
Yes. And plus: Z2 offers LANDSCAPE setting in the camera for some shots, it actually has plenty of other camera options

and most of them work perfectly.

That's why FORCING the camera to work perfectly everywhere in one or two modes is IDIOTIC.

No photographer would do that BTW.

The only downside is the panorama, yes.

So that's what I'm talking about.