yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[One (M9) General] defcomg:
i need some logcat output after you set anything over 4 seconds i have The camera HAl LIB and the camera Driver lib open in IDA so if i can see what error the logcat spits out we can maybe figure out where it capped

htc M9 by defcomk, on Flickr
[One (M9) General] starbase64:
[MENTION=377973]defcomg[/MENTION]

here is a log, filter is "cam"

exposure time in res_ctrl.conf is 5 seconds, real is 1 second
[One (M9) General] defcomg:
filter this "EXT_REF"

it shows HTC Params EXtension instead of QCOM/Android stuff

Edit:

This what kills it

E/Hal8994_EXT: int32_t qcamera::HtcParm_Ext<U>::setShutterSpeed(const U&) [with U = qcamera::QCameraParameters; int32_t = int]: invalid value 5.000000 out of (0.000125, 4.000000)

now to find 4.000000

edit this the code decompiled

if ( !_ZF )
{
v14 = (unsigned __int8)byte_AF374;
if ( byte_AF374 & 0x80 )
v14 = _htclog_init_mask("Hal8994_EXT", -1);
if ( (v14 >> 4) & 1 )
{
__asm { VCVT.F64.F32 D2, S16 }
_R3 = *(_DWORD *)(*(_DWORD *)(v2 + 2468) + 780) + 15936;
__asm
{
VSTR D2, [SP,#0x30+var_30]
VLDR S5, [R3,#0x1C]
VCVT.F64.F32 D3, S5
VSTR D3, [SP,#0x30+var_28]
VLDR S7, [R3,#0x20]
VCVT.F64.F32 D4, S7
VSTR D4, [SP,#0x30+var_20]
}
_android_log_print(
6,
"Hal8994_EXT",
"%s: invalid value %f out of (%f, %f)",
"int32_t qcamera::HtcParm_Ext<U>::setShutterSpeed(const U&) [with U = qcamera::QCameraParameters; int32_t = int]");
}
result = -22;
}

This is where it seem to be getting value but unlike the usual ints HTC Stores the values as floats but the compiler stores it memory

VSTR D2, [SP,#0x30+var_30]

VLDR S5, [R3,#0x1C] - Reading from mem
VCVT.F64.F32 D3, S5
VSTR D3, [SP,#0x30+var_28]
VLDR S7, [R3,#0x20] Reading from MEm
VCVT.F64.F32 D4, S7
VSTR D4, [SP,#0x30+var_20] store in mem

i think somehow we need to make sure conditions are not met

if ( (v14 >> 4) & 1 )
{

here
[One (M9) General] starbase64:
No entries on this filter.
[One (M9) General] morfini:
Hamdir I don't agree. Last year HTC had a profitable year and had the opportunity to design a new flagship. Apple did it and made a record in sales, lg and Samsung are doing the same. Despite Htc's conservative approach in design which made me think I had to buy the same phone for 3 years in a raw, I would get m9 if the camera was good. I needed a good point and shoot and video recording camera for this year and m9 wasn't that. I will keep following you in this thread as I did for m7 and m8 too, but this year I felt Htc tried to do to me what Apple does to its "sheep" almost every year and I just couldn't stand that.
[One (M9) General] fernandezhjr:
Can't say I agree with you. The M9 is a leap from the M7 and a modest jump from the M8. At the same time, Samsung hasn't been making leaps and bounds and it is starting to show in sales. There was lots of disappointment going from the S4 to the S5. The S6 appears to bigger disappointment. Removing features didn't help, like no SD slot. Dumbing down Touchwiz didn't help with the stutter and lag. Nova still appears to be the way to go. The screen is nice, but battery life is taking a hit because of it. The G4 is nice, but sadly, the UI still has a way to go. It is not much better than Touchwiz, neither of which come close to Sense 7.
[One (M9) General] morfini:
I am talking about only this year. S6, iphone 6 and g4

have big improvements in design camera and screen quality. Htc should have seen this coming. I agree that in terms of software, sense is miles ahead everyone and that's why I kept using both sense 7 launcher and htc gallery on my s6 too. But this year even a big fan of htc like me couldn't and shouldn't support its effort because in my opinion there is not enough progress and novelty in m9. And the camera was bad, at the beginning at least. Htc should keep improving photo and video shooting via software updates, learn its lesson and come next year with something revolutionary.

I think htc owes that to all of us. I am a consumer, not a share holder to follow htc in it's mistakes too.
[One (M9) General] mwatson:
@ morfini how did you get the sense launcher to run on your S6? When I try I get a message saying unauthorized.

Does the S6 need to be rooted?
[One (M9) General] starbase64:
This is M9 camera Thread...
[One (M9) General] morfini:
You are right but sometimes comparison with the competitors can give a clearer look at the progress that has been made.

Sorry if I am off topic again but I would like to know if someone have seen any improvement in video recording too after the latest update.
[One (M9) General] fernandezhjr:
And what exactly is so revolutionary about the S6 over the S5? Trying to copy the iPhone is not revolutionary. Maybe Samsung should consider revolutionizing Touchwiz so users won't be so quick to ditch the launcher for Nova or some other launcher. Yes the screen is nice, but the slight sharpness and over saturation is not worth the horrid battery life for me. There is no big improvement in the camera for the S6. Yes it is good, but so was the camera on the S5. I do agree HTC should have had the camera on the M9 ready right out of the box, but at least they are working on improvements. Unfortunately, it is this way with all manufacturers and even Google itself, constant updates with fixes and enhances. So with an improved camera that rivals others now, the best sound, the most fluid UI, and the best gaming experience, while still having good battery life, if you are disappointed with that, then you surely don't sound like no big fan to me. Also, soon, you will have the ability to calibrate the screen to your liking from within the stock UI with the stock kernel.
[One (M9) General] Csetoue:
So, after the update, how is the M9 camera if compared with S6 and G4 cameras?

Thanks!
[One (M9) General] ffodi:
My dogs opinion about those who say "the M9 has a cr@p camera". :D

(1.40.401.8 official, ISO capped@200, sharpness -1, others on auto)

(PIC)
[One (M9) General] mwatson:
Come on guys, more 1.40 samples please! ;0) I only have a few days to send this s6 back. If the m9 camera is fixed then its a no brainer! Bye bye Sammy...

I'd really like to see some low light on the new firmware. Is the video quality improved too?

Thanks guys (& girls, but I don't think there are any here?)
[One (M9) General] morfini:
There is no point in continuing this. Htc struggles today because of its shortcomings. The president of the company announced a"hero" phone for autumn and a complete overhaul for next year. As for the camera Hamdir admits he has to take several shots to get a picture he likes after the update too. Even if the hardware is not there, (no ois, no f/1.9 sensor)seems like the Toshiba sensor has potential. Iphone 6 has also an f/2.2 sensor without ois but it's photos are comparable to S6 and g4's. I think this is the way to go in terms of software improvement..
[One (M9) General] petvas:
At the end of the day each of us needs to know what is important in a smartphone. After the update and in daylight the M9 has a great point and shoot camera. In low light situations it has gotten better, but not as good as the iPhone. It's not a deal breaker for me.
[One (M9) General] hamdir:
Not if I take RAWs they are incredible even in low light, which proves its a matter of balance

About the only issue left is aggressive denoise which shows its face in shaded areas but that's much a problem in most tiny pixel phones anyway

HTC fixed the following:

- Sunlight color balance is perfect now

- HDR is beautiful now in point and shoot, faster

- immensely better pixel processing, I would say 1:1 improved by 300% over the disaster in 1.32, its too aggressive at the moment as probably HTC wants the press to notice the difference but they already reduced sharpness for base 2.6 according to insiders, I posted the distance city crop yesterday which shows how close sharpness -1.5 to my own PSX processed RAWs

- no longer over exposes in auto

- massively faster shutter and focus speed

- ISO no longer out of control in average light and above

- hence indoor and low light is a lot more useful now

So to conclude all that HTC has left to do is bring denoise under control, its too high even at ISO50 but its fine here however once we cross ISO800 denoise becomes a serious problem

And while I said that in general the m9 camera auto modes need few shots to get right, and RAW is more reliable, I still got better luck in some auto ones like the HDRs I posted of sunset completely destroyed my RAW and also I can't match HTC's excellent new sharpness code in PSX

So actually the job is now 90% complete , they need to nail the last 10% hopefully by the soon 2.x
[One (M9) General] dondavis007:
I'll hopefully get my M9 back next week, I returned it for a new, and I will do a camera comparison with S6 in my normal life conditions.

Sent from a mobile gadget.
[One (M9) General] neo905:
How is only 10% left to nail when you mentioned nothing about the video taking flaws with the camera? Are you going to address that at all?
[One (M9) General] rizevnarastek:
Hope to bring some slick image stabilising to video as well. It's great how youtube does it but it sure would be swell if it came out of the box.

Did anybody do a video testing or editing?

Sent from my HTC One_M8
[One (M9) General] starbase64:
exposure time test > 4 seconds

PSX_20150614_012625_wm by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr

PSX_20150614_012211_wm by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr

PSX_20150614_011905_wm by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr

PSX_20150614_011540_wm by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr

PSX_20150614_011210_wm by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr

PSX_20150614_010720_wm by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr
[One (M9) General] :
1.40 HDR point & shoot, all auto, sharpness - 1
[One (M9) General] petvas:
Here some pics I took with firmware 1.40:

All pictures in Auto mode have the sharpness set to -1,5

Auto with Flash

Manual mode, ISO 100, 1/5

HDR

Auto, no flash

HDR

Auto

Auto

HDR

Low light:

Low light,HDR

Manual, ISO 100, 1/5
[One (M9) General] morfini:
I totally agree. Video recording with M9 is a joke. Total absence of image stabilization, big focus problems, artifacts, poor dynamic range, awful slow motion. I feel all of these have to do with poor software optimization, thus I hope those will be sorted out via an update. Xperia z series and iphone 6 have very good digital stabilization which feels more natural and fluid to me than s6's and g4's ois which have an artificial robotic feel. It can be done with this hardware..
[One (M9) General] fernandezhjr:
Yes, and let's pretend the S6 has no shortcomings. HTC's flaw is it does not know how to advertise itself. I know a lot of people that have gotten Galaxy's simply because that they have seen the commercials and they have a Samsung TV. But I also know a lot of people that have been disappointed with Samsung lately. If they were familiar with HTC, they might go that route, but unfortunately the next name they are most familiar with is iPhone and they have gone that route. I'm talking your typical consumer, not some phone geeks like us bent on specs. Fortunately HTC is not trying to be next iPhone and even though they are not common household name, as long as they continue to put out the quality products they do, then as a true fan, I will continue to support them as long as they are around.
[One (M9) General] morfini:
There is no reason being so hostile my friend. I also believe s6 is a bad phone but with a very good camera. If you read my posts above you will understand I am searching for a good reason to return to HTC. I want to support HTC to but I have a different approach. I don't think buying a phone with a mediocre camera and a design that doesn't differentiate at all from m7 and m8 will do any good to anyone. HTC already struggles because of poor m9 sales. If you think people didn't buy m9 only because of misleading press reviews you are wrong. M8's camera got bad reviews too but did good in sales. HTC now needs to show its reflexes, improve m9's camera capabilities in order to close the gap to the competitors and be prepared for a complete overhaul next year. But above all HTC must learn to hear its fans and their needs..
[One (M9) General] fernandezhjr:
My friend, S6 sales are also bad. What is your point with that? Do you think Samsung fans wanted the removable battery and SD card slot removed. Maybe Samsung should hear it's fans and their needs, instead of trying to copy the iPhone.
[One (M9) General] peca_slo:
[MENTION=1144067]hamdir[/MENTION]

Can you post, new settings to the new base and update please
[One (M9) General] morfini:
OK I quit, there is no hope in this world. I only hope htc keeps an eye in this forum so they can learn from people like Hamdir which is the way to go in terms of software optimization.
[One (M9) General] petvas:
HTC's problem is the bad marketing. Look at the short spots with Robert Downey Jr. They are awful. Look at all of their advertisements. Only the Champions League ad is good. I have never seen a good HTC ad where they really explain why the One is the best phone. Never.

The way HTC talks to the media also seems to be a problem. Look at the reviews this year. Now compare them with the way the press is talking about the LG G4 and the new Xperia. Both phones are an evolutionary update of last year's model but the press didn't burn them as they did with HTC.

HTC made a mistake to give M9 review units with badly tuned camera software. They should never have done it, instead they should wait.

All these things don't change the fact that the M9 is really a very good smartphone. The only problem is that our world is really very superficial and people don't care about this stuff. They will blindly buy iPhones and Samsung phones, no matter what others do.
[One (M9) General] beno619:
I feel the video recording is a bit better on the new base, recorded some decent 4K video yesterday, exposure didn't jump all over the pace and nithier did exposure.
[One (M9) General] petvas:
I agree. Video recording is not as bad as it was, but still HTC must work on video stabilization.
[One (M9) General] morfini:
I agree m9 tv ads are bad and there is a lack of inspiring marketing. But I can't believe there is a global conspiracy that doesn't allow every single reviewer give m9's camera a good review. Most of M7 and m8 owners would be happy with just a better camera. Htc introduced its flagship with a camera which at the beginning was worse than m8's. Video recording still is. How could they be so unprepared?
[One (M9) General] starbase64:
defcomg > http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=61315513&postcount=1420
[One (M9) General] K00li79:
I agree... Just one chance to wow your first impression... They f'ed up.

Now even the s6 seem to have big ass RAM problems (as predicted cause they always do) it stands in the shadow of the bad publicity the m9 got.

When you read about the s6 RAM problem it's even called a lollipop bug.... How's that for knowing how to play the media...
[One (M9) General] starbase64:
CPL / Pol Filter

playing with pol filter by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr

without pol filter by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr

with pol filter by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr
[One (M9) General] morfini:
Everything in S6 is bad except screen and camera. But both screen and camera are excellent.

I thought my m7 and m8 had good low light camera until I saw s6's. If htc could really fix low light shooting and video recording, I would sell my s6 without second thought.
[One (M9) General] vegetaleb:
Nice!

But is there a dedicated one for the M9?

Here some night shots at the Achrafieh festival last night
[One (M9) General] rizevnarastek:
The polarisation filter really brings out the photo. It looks sublime. :)

Could probably achieve the same with pushing up the saturation and vignetting the photo in post treatment.

Sent from my HTC One_M8
[One (M9) General] beno619:
If I compare it to the iPhone 6 Apple crop a huge amount of the video to stabilise it. HTC don't tent to crop much if any at all.
[One (M9) General] starbase64:
a pol filter has more magic, look the reflections...

without pol filter = reflections on car by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr

with pol filter = fewer reflections on car by Maik Reifschneider, auf Flickr
[One (M9) General] hamdir:
Still testing mate

For now large and sharpness -1.5 or a Max -1

Still trying to decide about contrast but I think it needs a push to +0.5

Keep HDR at hand as well very useful now, just hold still until the processing message
[One (M9) General] CROrION:
Can you guys post some of these:

- food shots

- macro object shots

- display shots (like text on pc or show on tv)

thanx
[One (M9) General] defcomg:
Source

It's possible to achieve similar look in post BUT as per my quote Shadows are masked by the highlights so pushing up shadows will results in noise which in turn more Noise Reduction ...

Similar look but not similar quality
[One (M9) General] stevensgl:
Still waiting for HTC to rollout firmware 1.4 for my unlocked one m9. This wait is getting a bit old. Come on HTC!
[One (M9) General] hamdir:
region?
[One (M9) General] :
Downloaded it here in board (Europe version) and flashed it manually from SD card. That's why I could post 1.40 fotos from my unlocked device... ?
[One (M9) General] TheTobii:
1.40 finally available for Germany ?
[One (M9) General] stevensgl:
I bought mine unlocked. Actually I bought it unlocked from B&H in NY.

Does my current location have anything to do with this? I live in South America.

I don't expect to be first, but this is taking a bit too long. :(
[One (M9) General] hoopla man:
Just got my M9+. Been playing with the camera a bit.

First I tried a Bokeh. Settings: 10:7 crop, medium resolution, sharpness -1, Saturation +.3 . Found it Pretty okay

But when I used similar settings again, I got a horrendous photo. Just take a look at the grass at the top of the photo. What do I do?
[One (M9) General] petvas:
I have taken some comparison pictures between the M9 running the latest 1.40 firmware and the iPhone 6.

iPhone 6 indoor shot medium light

M9 indoor shot, medium light

iPhone 6 indoor

M9 indoor

iPhone 6

M9

iPhone 6 outdoor, daylight

M9, outdoor, HDR, daylight

iPhone 6, outdoor, daylight

M9, outdoor, HDR

M9, no HDR, outdoor
[One (M9) General] Trekkk:
Would you guys suggest the camera on this phone after the update. I just got a kid and now its important for me the camera on the phone. I absolutely love the device, but I have read horror stories about the camera. If you guys can confirm that its much better since update.
[One (M9) General] neo905:
The camera is about as good as anything out there in daylight and even indoors. It is weak in low light but has improved with 1.4.

Where it has failed me with small children is video. It won't matter much for you since I am assuming you have a baby and frankly they don't move much. However, as soon as they are toddlers and running around and you have to walk while filming the lack of OIS kills this phone. I am still going to keep it until the M10 comes out because it is a good phone overall. But if they don't nail the camera on the M10 I am not buying another HTC phone.
[One (M9) General] DeadPotato:
Photos are set to private on flickr, please change it to public :) are the indoor ones taken by day? Cause the indoor by night photos is where I have a problem, the camera doesn't capture enough light and ISO skyrockets, which causes noise on the picture.

Anyone have a solution to work with noise in night photos with the latest 1.40 firmware?
[One (M9) General] petvas:
Done.

The indoor pictures were taken by day. The only way I have found to reduce noise is by going manual, setting ISO to 100 and shutter to 1/5.
[One (M9) General] peca_slo:
Where do u set shutter?
[One (M9) General] petvas:
Have a look here: http://highonandroid.com/android-sm...tc-one-m9-camera-auto-focus-with-manual-mode/
[One (M9) General] hamdir:
HTC One M9 software update significantly improves camera performance

https://www.flickr.com/photos/palmsolo/sets/72157654140557999
[One (M9) General] CompanionBowman:
Recombu also posted an article reviewing the update. I'm very surprised with their conclusion. It looks like pictures are even worse now. I can't post the link as a new user but you can easily find it. They are doing comparisons before and after the update and it's not pretty.
[One (M9) General] hamdir:
thats a joke they must be manually focusing as usual

here is your link

https://recombu.com/mobile/article/does-the-htc-one-m9s-new-update-actually-improve-the-camera

this article is beyond amateurish, they didnt even do any 1:1 comparison

who writes this ****
[One (M9) General] CompanionBowman:
Not sure, it sounds like they shot on auto mode, which is the one I'm more interested in. I know you can achieve better results using manual mode and RAW format but I will be shooting in auto most of the time with my smartphone. Kinda confused here...
[One (M9) General] :
Taken with 1.40 Bokeh camera in auto mode, just added woods filter and slight vignette afterwards with HTC fx app.
[One (M9) General] hamdir:
i was very clear

they did use auto mode but mostly picked their focus manually (a habit from the iPhone)

the M9 uses centered metering, which HTC calls smart exposure for that you need to rely on point and shoot auto focus

ie: you dont move the focus bracket from the center you just point your phone and shoot

this is as point and shoot as it can get....
[One (M9) General] CompanionBowman:
Ok, didn't know about that
[One (M9) General] ffodi:
Sharpness -1, other on auto + some Photoshop Ex effects. :)

(1.40.401.8 official)

(PIC)
[One (M9) General] hamdir:
terrible just terrible :)
[One (M9) General] Trekkk:
Thanks for the reply
[One (M9) General] itzsnookums:
Dragonfly, original shot, then cropped no edits at all

https://flic.kr/p/usDzzu

https://flic.kr/p/usDMZG
[One (M9) General] itzsnookums:
#longboarding with the M9
[One (M9) General] baddevil2:
Some news, which settings are the best with new firmware?
[One (M9) General] ronii1123:
Grabbed my second favorite shot from a mobile with this phone! I have another copy cropping the windows out from the bottom but I love this! China town in Boston by Shabu-zen
[One (M9) General] DeadPotato:
Some indoor shots by night using official 1.40.401.8 firmware, auto mode with default sharpness and most of them without flash to test how noisy images could get. Haven't seen how the G4 or the S6 behaves in the same environment, the ones taken with the M9 seem a bit dim, but they're way more better than before imo.

I still feel the camera takes few light by night, less than the environment itself (maybe that's a hardware limitation right now) but as long as the object you're taking has a good light illumination the auto mode will always be around ISO 500, where the noise is bearable or not noticeable under the object itself. Shadows by the other hand do seem noisy. If the target is covered by a shadow, or if there are prominent shadows flash will automatically fire or ISO would reach values over 1000 to light the scene; I don't personally like how flash works indoors, it's too bright for me and ISO 1000 causes visible noise, in these cases I prefer to cap ISO at 400 max and sadly stay with a dimmer picture rather than a brighter and so noisy one :(

Tap to focus works perfectly indoors by night, none of the initial problems are there anymore. Actually it helps the camera to better focus on the target, but I have the impression it causes more noise on background.

Shots taken with decent light source, no shadows covering target, everything on auto, tap to focus.

IMAG0500 by Juan Carlos Alpizar, on Flickr

IMAG0498 by Juan Carlos Alpizar, on Flickr

IMAG0495 by Juan Carlos Alpizar, on Flickr

As described above, the prominent shadow on the background was firing flash on these ones. Caped ISO 200 vs 400

IMAG0507 by Juan Carlos Alpizar, on Flickr

IMAG0508 by Juan Carlos Alpizar, on Flickr

Object surrounded by shadows, auto

IMAG0526 by Juan Carlos Alpizar, on Flickr

Object surrounded by shadows, ISO 400

IMAG0524 by Juan Carlos Alpizar, on Flickr

Dim scene, ISO 400

IMAG0530 by Juan Carlos Alpizar, on Flickr

Shots taken under yellow light, everything auto

IMAG0509 by Juan Carlos Alpizar, on Flickr

IMAG0511 by Juan Carlos Alpizar, on Flickr

Sorry for the long post