yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Xperia Z3 General] jaoropez:
I just got my Z3 throught T-mobile, so far its nice physically, haven't had that much time to test the rear camera as its late already and they seem fine to me otherwise.

I haven't seen any front facing camera shots in this thread. I was messing around with it, and almost all my shots are coming out real soft. I dissabled the soft skin setting, and still doesn't look great. I am under bulb lighting, so it might do a lot better outdoors the day. Still though, seeing myself on the screen, it looks good, but as soon as i press the shutter, what comes out is softer than I would expect.

Can anyone do some selfies and see if they are getting the same results?
[Xperia Z3 General] abhinav.tella:
Apple's iSght camera modules on the 5S and 6 are made by Sony, they take good pics on auto so I hope Sony improves things in the next update.
[Xperia Z3 General] Chefproll:
Not too much to enjoy with this collection of color noise even in well-lit areas.

In addition, I don't see too much sense in asking to stick with the topic "Z3 pictures" - and then posting a picture taken with the Z1.

---------- Post added at 09:50 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:45 AM ----------

Please avoid full quotes.

Lower the EV value to -1 at least. Maybe this helps you get rid of the horrible overexposure your macro shoot reveals.

Lack of details is the next issue.
[Xperia Z3 General] iBuzman:
^^ to be truthful my full quote was trolling.. this is a "post your pictures" thread that has turned into a discussion resembling war and peace regarding the merits of anything and everything related to the camera. (and my tapatalk hides full quotes hehe ?)

to clarify to avoid offending ~ all your points are valid discussions and Im not dismissing them (I'd just like a discussion thread to be not in pic thread [emoji3])

saying that, thanks for pic advice, mine do need tweaking ?

(note 2 kittens in blurred background of pic 1)
[Xperia Z3 General] Chefproll:
Because the quality is as bad as you saw yourself.

People tend to post pictures hiding the problems of their proudly owned devices. Quite human habit.

Confirmed, "normal" behavior.

Front cam pictures are subzero, with a narrow field of view.

All: Prior to calling me a hater, try for yourself, ZOOM IN and face it.

Or post the next set of thumbnail sized back cam pictures to make other readers quickly forget about the issue addressed with this posts, as you frequently do. :)
[Xperia Z3 General] iBuzman:
ev flat 1st and ev-1 2nd. taken just before dusk mind you (7pm here) so whilst light enough there's no direct sunlight.
[Xperia Z3 General] Chefproll:
I promised not to answer more of your posts, but rules are made for breaking them. :)

That was fired in the direction of "radicans", not me.

But just imagine Nokia's former camera expert Damian Dinning (the man behind the excellent N8 camera) joins the forum - and you ignore his posts just because he just registered.

If you had read what I wrote you wouldn't have to ask questions like that. But you didn't, so I explain it again:

S4 and Z3 photos had been taken exactly under the same conditions, at the same time, with the same lighting, manual mode, 20.7 MP for the Z3, DIS switched off, SAME field of view for both S4 and Z3, both using a tripod, clean lenses.

I added the S4 front cam picture - THAT'S the one taken at a different time of day. And it was taken under even worse lighting conditions and without a tripod.

Here's the pictures again so other readers know what this is all about:

EXIF data:

Samsung S4: 4128 x 3096, F/2.2, 1/337 s, ISO-50, middle-weighted, no flash

S4, front cam: 1920 x 1080, F/2.4, 1/343 s, ISO-50, middle-weighted, no flash

Sony Z3: 5248 x 3936, F/2, 1/400 s, ISO-50, multiple field, no flash

None of this can explain the horrible details the Z3 delivers.

Yes, and if you sleep you close your eyes. - Meaning: You don't need to tell me things I know. :)

And it's important to breathe if you don't want to die.

In other words: Did you really believe I never noticed that wind makes things move ? :D

So OF COURSE I took the pictures in a windless situation with no things or leaves moving.

I already did. And I don't see any private message by you asking for the original pictures; I offered to send them via eMail.

Just do what I did, just compare photos in FULL RESOLUTION. You'll get the same results like me or radicans and so many others.

Just dare. :)

---------- Post added at 11:37 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:28 AM ----------

A bit strange as the effect if barely noticeable. Check -2.

And try different metering methods. Try using spot or middle-weighted (don't know the exact term used in the English UI), focus on your subject, press the shutter button halfway down (this locks focus and exposure), then frame your shot and shoot.

You may also check if adding a filler flash does the magic. Z3's flash is far too weak to show any visible effects, but sometimes just using the flash forces the software to use different exposure parameters.

Ah, forgot... Use a manual White Balance setting, don't rely on the Z3 choosing the right WB. That removes the artificial feel a bit.

Let us know about the results. :)

---------- Post added at 11:55 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:37 AM ----------

That's something I dislike very much, too. :/

I I'd been in contact with a moderator, was told that one picture thread is enough.

I'd love to see another thread just dealing with the problems, separate from this thread. So moderators - if you read this; tell us your opinion. :)

I guess we really need to separate things.
[Xperia Z3 General] Zanr Zij:
In SuperioAuto mode, when you hold Z3 good as tripod, Z3 will decrease to lowest ISO possible, aslo very slow shutter speed.

Result: you will get darker image, maybe blur your image sometimes.

And if you want to compare, take time for multiple shots before say anything :)
[Xperia Z3 General] CommanderROR:
I have a request to make:

Could anyone please do a little side-by-side comparison with the Sony Camera app and the Google Camera app, both in HDR mode? I'd like to see how that works out. I'm currently on the Galaxy S4, flashed with GPE formware, and the HDR shots I get on the Samsung 13MP camera are great, at least most of the time...

I'm thinking about getting a new phone, and would like a camera that does at least as good...

Thanks.
[Xperia Z3 General] russell664:
Random picture while board at the train station.

Sent from my Xperia Z3
[Xperia Z3 General] One Twelve:
Why private email addresses instead of hosting them on a site for EVERYONE to see ? More eyes the better.

dropbox, imageshack, flickr, postimg to name a few.

And will you be able to take more ? Can't draw too many conclusions on the basis of just one pic.

---------- Post added at 06:49 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:36 PM ----------

It's par for the course. Ever seen earlier Z threads or HTC one threads. We are talking about photos in a photo thread :)

Nobody is prevented from posting more photos. You are free to do so as is anyone.

Realise that people reading this thread are owners as well as potential buyers. If such posts go unaddressed they raise FUD which in most cases in my experience is unwarranted with most phone cameras. Every device gets its share, some more than others.

Few bother to rebutt as it takes time & effort.
[Xperia Z3 General] iBuzman:
^^ we are on same page; two threads would mean everyone happy and no one annoyed thats all (but appreciate none of us are mods who can act on the suggestion).

edit/update.. thinking about it, discussion without pics pointless too.. I'll hop off my highhorse and just let it go lol (if this is my biggest issue then life is going ok ?). no one else complaining probably means I'm the odd one out annoying others [emoji12]
[Xperia Z3 General] admad:
Ahh too bad I see this just now, went today to make some test photos with Z3. I will try to make comparison with google app tomorrow, as the sun is setting down here. But I got some sample HDR photos, I can tell you that the HDR that Sony offers is crap. See below

This is normal photo with EV=0

(Original: http://www.mediafire.com/view/ridbt869g66a0ii/2014-10-25_13.45.54.jpg#)

This is HDR using Sony app

(Original: http://www.mediafire.com/view/9uwh9yvnbdkq2gj/2014-10-25_13.45.36.jpg#)

And this is the result of HDR made on my PC, I took 3 photos with my Z3 (with EV=-2 EV=0 and EV=2) This is the result I would love to get from app, or at least an option to burst photos with different EV, because the ones I took without an tripod are a little shifted, but the software on my PC really managed wonders with it :)

(Original: http://www.mediafire.com/view/q8fvbn9s8p2qyj8/HDR_shopped.jpg#)

I also got some more normal photos taken with Z3, will post them later when I have more time :)
[Xperia Z3 General] One Twelve:
Which software did you use ? blending in photoshop or more specialised.

AE bracketing has been a request for long time. I don't know why Sony still does not offer it. You managed to align the images quite well :)

In the meantime, is it possible to take one shot, then make two copies, apply a +1EV & -1EV in post and then combine ? There wlll be more degradation though than seperate shots.
[Xperia Z3 General] admad:
I used Corel PaintShop Pro X6, it really does good job with aligning photos, the ones I took were shifted quite a bit ;)

What do you mean by applying +1EV and -1EV to a copied photos?
[Xperia Z3 General] One Twelve:
ok, if one looks at the grass and blows it up.

Take a photo. import it into your editing program. boost ev, save. drop ev save. Lightroom has a ev slider so you can brighten or darken an image, you will have to find the equivalent with your editing program.

Now you have 3 images. Blend them.

Wil not be as good as 3 seperate images as there is little room to do modification with jpegs.
[Xperia Z3 General] viking2.0:
Both pics taken with HDR on in 8 MP mode, manual WB on Sony camera

Google camera -

http://i.imgur.com/pXaeO21.jpg

Sony Camera -

http://i.imgur.com/q5fYg8t.jpg
[Xperia Z3 General] CommanderROR:
Thanks!

They both look pretty terrible in my opinion... Can you perhaps do something more closeup? A twig against the sky, a flower, or maybe something indoors, like a couple of items standing on a table with a white wall in the background?
[Xperia Z3 General] admad:
Yeah, that's kind of cheating, but it works not too bad, still much better than original HDR from Sony or Google ;)
[Xperia Z3 General] admad:
Some daylight samples:

(Original: http://www.mediafire.com/view/fd1acdl83dixpi7/2014-10-25 13.27.31.jpg#)

(Original: http://www.mediafire.com/view/bjnk1slcf6ae6im/2014-10-25 13.22.00.jpg#)

(Original: http://www.mediafire.com/view/52evoati5o270ui/2014-10-25 13.24.06.jpg#)

(Original: http://www.mediafire.com/view/8j0ualif71d7787/2014-10-25 13.35.47.jpg#)

(Original: http://www.mediafire.com/view/159z9uzjc55988a/2014-10-25 13.30.52.jpg#)

(Original: http://www.mediafire.com/view/88g4abfkt63n8u8/2014-10-25 13.08.16.jpg#)

(Original: http://www.mediafire.com/view/ue2892ylctto0e1/2014-10-25 13.44.27.jpg#)

(Original: http://www.mediafire.com/view/qyh7c5rrpw51f6c/2014-10-25 13.05.40.jpg#)
[Xperia Z3 General] OnSugarHill:
Here is a video sample. Some of my guitar playing:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZZtZRGEA9g
[Xperia Z3 General] oryan_dunn:
Great guitar playing!

It looked like the camera was confused as to what to focus on.
[Xperia Z3 General] subhani:
[MENTION=3617690]juanmaasecas[/MENTION] or [MENTION=275445]onet[/MENTION]welve

1. Do you recommend burst mode over regular pointing and shooting? I care about detail more than anything else. Please advise different lighting scenarios or scenes and optimal settings for them. I'm a noob but reading this thread has been VERY educational for me and motivating me to give a damn about photography as opposed to let ting the camera do it all.

2. Did you find camera360 better than Sony's app? If so what settings?

3. Has anyone tried 'Better Camera' for their DRO and their HDR modes? It does something different to the colours and exp but the detail is even more lacking. Please check it out guys.

4. I believe that a separate thread for discussions would be redundant. The whole point is to post pictures and discuss their merits or weaknesses. Not posting pictures for the sake of just making an archive of images.

5. What is the difference with 'night scene' and 'high ISO/sensitive ISO'? High iso produces better illuminated dark scenes but detail was blurry and mushy comoared to my iPhone 6+, where detail was better but scene looked darker.

I too am underwhelmed by the poor performance when it comes to detail (detail is king for me, which is why I thought the higher MP camera would help), dynamic range and macro ability. I hope Sony are doing something by way of a software update to address this. In the meantime, I would love to learn how to overcome these apparent flaws in its current form.
[Xperia Z3 General] One Twelve:
Juan's

tips

for better photos.

A year old maybe there are some more to add.
[Xperia Z3 General] Chefproll:
Needs to create an account - and the pictures I used show a lot of my surroundings, including neighbor houses in full view. Not everybody likes pictures of his house posted on the net.

I cannot take any more pictures using a "neutral" background as my Z3's screen is cracked, device is unusable.

So for now, I just offer people who are really interested to send them the original pictures via eMail.

You do not seem to be interested as I still didn't get any private message by you.

I did a lot of pics. And believe me... I tried hard to find situations making the Z3 shine against the competition. There are just none except extreme low light. But the results are still useless; Z3 captures far more light than the S4 - but it's all out of focus. So it's something you can play with, but just of no use.

Z3 lost everywhere else. I know you don't want to hear that, but it's the naked truth.

And - yes: I also tried other camera applications. The results are exactly the same.

A thing I do not understand: Why don't you try for yourself ? - I know... You just don't want to face it. :)

But it's the only thing WE can do to make Sony aware of the situation. If WE don't speak up, Sony will give a sh... on the issues - as they did in the past.

---------- Post added at 01:07 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:06 PM ----------

I did. NO difference.
[Xperia Z3 General] One Twelve:
The way to turn a 25-30mm into a 50-60mm or even 75-90 mm is to stand back further. 50mm will work thats what our eyes see but portraits are usually done around the 75mm and higher range.

for 50mm stand twice as far and for 75 three times further. approx 6ft for 50mm and 9 feet for 75mm.

You would need to use optical zoom to frame. At which point you can zoom out and crop later or take the photo as is.

Downside without optical zoom is your photo is now 1/2 or 1/3 the resolution that you took it with. 2-3MP is not bad. Digital zoom is generally discouraged but portraits is an exception.

What i do not understand is the concept of a selfie phone :confused:

You will never get a decent portrait at arms length with these lenses. What is the point of 5MP for front camera when focal length remains unchanged. And i don't think you can even use zoom with the front camera.
[Xperia Z3 General] juanmaasecas:
Woah, you really keep saved my post! I feel so grateful!

quoting myself:

- Superior Auto mode has been improved a lot since the first firmwares in XZ0. The minimum shutter speed was 1/16s before (and 1/8s in manual mode), but nowadays I think Superior Auto can go even slower than manual (I'm not sure, the best way to know it is by installing QuickPic and look for the EXIF in every picture you take to see how every mode works...)

- ProCapture is the best app for Sony Phones, it was before and it still is. You can use scenes at full resolution and tweak them to get the best results in low light. And the reduced noise option is great when you can hold the phone anywhere...

- I think Pro HDR Camera developers are the same in A Better Camera, so expect the same results :D

- Photoshop or another desktop program is very important if you're looking for the best quality. In a bigger screen you can tweak the picture (white balance, colours, shadows, lights, noise reduction...) and then resize the picture (oversampling) before sharing it on the web (for example)...
[Xperia Z3 General] Chefproll:
... [I am speechless...]

Try this: Take a photo, reduce the size to 10 x 10 pixels. Then shrink to 1 x 1 pixels, save. Then magnify to 100,000 x 100,000 pixels, save. Combine the pictures.

If you previously took a photo of a bee sitting on a flower, you'll immediately be able to see the ISS in space, see the faces of the crew behind the windows - just by zooming in to the reflection in the eyes of that bee. If you zoom in further, you'll see life on other planets, will be able to see their DNA by zooming in just a little bit further.

So; do you think that's possible ? - Of course not. Because the source material just does not have the needed information. You can magnify till infinity, there's just no information available for providing any details.

Same with your suggestion: If you took an overexposed picture (and that's just typical for the Z3 camera used under bright sunlight), overexposed areas are just burned out, white, nothing else.

You can play with making the picture darker or brighter, there will be NO details at all.

Just guess why HDR processing needs several different photos, not just one. Because it does not work a different way.

And now, please don't take it as an offence if I completely ignore your posts in the future. But enough really is enough. ;)

Peace.

---------- Post added at 01:19 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:16 PM ----------

That's the last one I respond on... Just wait, I'll upload a photo...

That's my ugly face. Taken with the S4 front camera at the local marksman's festival. In the dark. Light comes from a snack booth near. So real bad conditions.

But that's what I call a decent portrait shot. EXIF: GT-I9505, F/2.4/1/19 s, ISO-150 - Try that with the Z3 front cam, even try under perfect lighting conditions.

So please just stop claiming things simply not true.
[Xperia Z3 General] juanmaasecas:
The S4 front camera is not bad. The S5 one is way worst actually, and xperias have a bad front camera too. For me, the iPhone 5s front camera is better than Samsung or Sony phones (even it has a lower resolution...)
[Xperia Z3 General] Chefproll:
Right. :)

I tried that app, too. HDR shots are far better - but the app takes ages for shooting the pictures. Close to impossible to keep the Z3 steady, just impossible if anything's moving in the picture.

It DOES work if you use a tripod and there's nothing changing in the motif. But that's just not practical; I usually leave my tripod at home if I am on a backpack trip somewhere on a small island of Asia. And I just don't manage pursuading the wind to calm down for not moving any leaves.

In addition, HDR photos lacked details compared with the S4 at 13 MP. So it seems even that app isn't able to override Sony's subzero processing algorithms.
[Xperia Z3 General] One Twelve:
Do you accept that by holding the camera further away you are in effect creating a zoom.

Where is the comparison taken much further away ?

use your rear camera from 9 feet away, zoom and lets see your face.
[Xperia Z3 General] radicans:
Exactly! In the case of the DxOmark review I agree with some aspects and disagree with others. But there are no side-by-side comparisons, and my whole point is that the Z3 cam is put to shame when compared to similarly priced phones.

And yes, I have a trained eye.

But it is the same treatment for all cameras. So what you are saying is that the Z3 has an exceptionally bad auto mode.

Ok, I have put forward some considerable amount of evidence for my statement, which is that the Z3 camera kills the fine detail, especially in trees and foilage. Now I think it is time for you to provide some real backing for your argument (which I presume is that there is nothing wrong with the Z3 camera) - Show me one side-by-side comparison photo with a similarly priced camera, which proves me wrong.
[Xperia Z3 General] Chefproll:
In fact, it's one of the best front cameras I had my hands on.

I wonder if the Z3 front cam could do the same; but field of view is quite narrow - and there's no way of getting rid of that ugly "smoothing" algorithm even after switching it off in the settings. Prior to shooting, display shows a clear picture - but it all gets spoiled after taking the shot. Same as with pictures taken using the rear cam.

It's SO bad to see that Sony's hardware seems to be quite capable - but the software kills it all. :/

---------- Post added at 01:56 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:51 PM ----------

1. See what I am wearing ? A T-Shirt. Printing on it says "Germany". What does that tell you ?

I'll tell you: Picture was taken in summer. No Z3 at that time.

2. Sorry, my arms won't extend to 9 feet.

-- End of nonsense --
[Xperia Z3 General] zujko:
In this topic only negative things about the camera on Z3...

I had L930 and it is no better than the Z3...

Wait with firmware (if ever there is a problem) that will solve this problem on Xperia Z series (Z3).. No other smartphones are not perfect in terms of photo opportunities, except L1020:D

I had an S5, my opinion is that the Z3 is better in some ways, and in some S5...
[Xperia Z3 General] One Twelve:
If you can't post your own evidence then that is your fault.

And now he cannot post any more pics because the screen is broken. No more evidence we will have to take his word for it.

Did you unlock the bootloader ?

Yeah sure, how much did the competition shine above the z3 ? a little or more.

Dxo has told us what we need to know as far as that is concerned.

Who can take the word of someone that throws around words like 'subzero' for a current generation flagship :D

Is that perhaps a gross exaggeration.

They won't make a difference because they will use the same image processing algorithms built into the firmware. The only advantage of other apps is a different UI. This can be helpful. HDR stuff is better but plain image quality will not be very different.

None of the seasoned z2 or z1 users made much use of other apps.

One thing that can make a difference is xposed mod for taking scene mode in 20MP. Otherwise stock is limited to 8MP.

If you make the point then its for you to demonstrate that point. So far i've seen very little to back that up. Instead i see broad sweeping terms like 'subzero' and we are supposed to trust you, because why ? i don't know.

Speak about what ? why sony cannot beat the laws of physics. I told you diffraction gets in the way.

Samsung uses more sharpening so their images to an untrained eye are going to look better. The actual differences are small.

The real point is if you find an image did not come out right. what do you do ? maybe you change the angle, different settings, the lighting etc. That to me is the more constructive way of dealing with shortcomings of which are present in every camera.

---------- Post added at 05:38 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:36 PM ----------

I was suggesting a way for people with fixed focus lens to emulate a zoom.

Try yourself from further away and see whether it comes out better or not.
[Xperia Z3 General] stevoknevo:
Here is what the One Plus One can do, with a 13mp Sony sensor, in the hands of a decent photographer and using the Camera FV-5 app from the play store. http://robinwong.blogspot.co.uk/2014/09/oneplus-one-camera-review.html

Just read a review of the Camera FV-5 app which stated: