yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Xperia Z5 General] Timaustin2000:
First thoughts on Camera 2.0 output:

I'm not using it on a particularly sunny day and the output is compromised by the general murkiness I'm surrounded by so I can't comment on much. One thing I've definitely noticed, however, is a considerable improvement in the digital zoom. Before, the zoom over-worked it's output to a point where the images were virtually un-usable: an oil-painting of blotches. Now it seems capable of outputting some respectable results, with the pixelation seen in equivalent crops of 23mp smoothed out without destroying the detail.

808 pureview zoom good? No, not anywhere near (the pureview had considerably more data to crunch down) but so much better than before - to a point that viewing the zoomed image 1:1 they look absolutely fine. Even cropping in just a little is possible.

I'm thinking that reviewers who have praised the zoom may have been given a beta of Camera 2.0. Before, it was cack. Now I'd actually consider using it!
[Xperia Z5 General] Jones1282:
Hallo everybody,

does anyone know if this blur only occurs on specific revision of the device or if this is a revision non-specific problem?
[Xperia Z5 General] a00r:
I would say it's a non-specific problem I have revision 4 and it does not happen on mine
[Xperia Z5 General] Timaustin2000:
Trying not to over-sell this but,... wow

This I just had to share:

I've been testing out the new 2.0 camera and wanted to take some low light shots to see what the camera could do with digital zoom. Decent results at up to 3x and I was reasonably happy,...

Then, as I was testing 23mp in Superior Auto, the camera hit up Night Mode Tripod. So I zoomed and took the shot.

FOR REFERENCE Here's the room (excuse the mess) with exposure adjusted so that you can see the amount of light we're talking about: https://flic.kr/p/BcE14g.

Right: not a great shot but it's just reference. Got it? Good.

So,.... it took this shot when I zoomed using flash: https://flic.kr/p/AeCkfW

Sweet Mary, I was not expecting that. Now, it's digitally zoomed so you notice the sharpening and drop off of detail if you crop it further BUT the level of clarity, colour accuracy and detail for a digital zoom low light shot are,... well, you can decide for yourself, I guess.

Just for giggles, I switched the camera down to 8mp, zoomed out and switched the flash off to see what it would do when Night Scene Tripod came up again. It did this: https://flic.kr/p/AeDgqu

Was it capable of this before Camera 2.0? I'm not sure. It's capable of it now, though.

Your thoughts are welcome.
[Xperia Z5 General] EQ2000:
I noticed your zoomed in photo has 1/2 shutter speed and ISO 50. Maybe it went for slower shutter speed and lower ISO compared to previous version or it might be dependant on scene mode perhaps?
[Xperia Z5 General] gavinfabl:
Nice shots there. It shows how good a shot the Z5 can produce in the right hands!

Backs up my experience too.
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
Thanks for this!

Okay I looked briefly on this and this looks quite OK.

I will test it myself...

Results soon.

Yes the zoom looks impressive! You just have to have a steady position, but that's natural.

For me since the update there is no signficant camera quality improvement..

I like the new UI much more.

I just wish 23mpx mode would be sharper.

I'll write it on Sony forums.

But anyways, it's AN AMAZING CAMERA. Really capable.

Manual 8mpx is fantastic.
[Xperia Z5 General] karrouma:
replaced e6633 to e6683 rev2 no blur issue and no noise in camera. perfect
[Xperia Z5 General] bloodfire1004:
Good for you! :) Care to share some landscape photos? Thanks!
[Xperia Z5 General] lopri:
Does the dog have a hair? (singular)
[Xperia Z5 General] Ben36:
Yes, lol. Very short, probably about an inch long at most
[Xperia Z5 General] karrouma:
i upload two photo taken today by my e6683
[Xperia Z5 General] bloodfire1004:
Looks good! Would you mind if I ask if you also have 16:9 shots? :)
[Xperia Z5 General] karrouma:
16:9 no, but i will take and post some pics tomorrow
[Xperia Z5 General] itsjustJOH:
Better upload it in flickr or somewhere we can view the original.
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
So some tests:

Z5_Night_Landsc_Steady by doministry, on Flickr

Z5_Night_Landsc_Handheld by doministry, on Flickr

Z5_Night_Handheld by doministry, on Flickr

Z5_Manual_8mpx by doministry, on Flickr

The conclusion:

I would still go Manual because on low ISO the shutter speed is fast and the detail is great, the colour is real.

Now, the Night handheld (I don't know the real english name) is not the mode I'd use actually.

It's OK but the detail is worse, the coulour is OK.

THIS mode boosts ISO with fast shutter speed.

The Night Landscape is pretty much useless UNTIL you make your phone really steady: tripod, table etc.

It gives VERY slow shutter speed but a very low ISO.

The level is the same as Manual but with more light in, and it looks really good.

But you're just not able to use it from the hand - it will be always A LITTLE BIT blurred.

Anway something new I learned.

---------- Post added at 10:21 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:05 PM ----------

P.S. 1

I am still a bit disappointed with 23mpx mode in difficult light.

P.S.2

I remember somwhere here two shots of a guy with a running dog which was captured perfectly.

Does anybody remember that? I would love to remind myself the settings!
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
S6 is actually totally plastic and unreal. Very far from reality.

https://recombu.com/mobile/article/sony-xperia-z5-camera-review-supertest-vs-s6-g4-moto-x-style

S6 is definitely not better than Z5, in any way.

This thread BTW started from nonsense since the original post was with pre production unit.
[Xperia Z5 General] dehnhaide:
Since you obviously cannot contribute to the discussion how about being decent and refrain from commenting?
[Xperia Z5 General] dehnhaide:
Hi [MENTION=1236539]doministry[/MENTION],

While I don't agree with your S6 rating, I agree that given the depth of miserable results the initial reviews of Z5 have put up, more testing is needed. Hopefully the current results are to be attributed to faulty batches of camera (see the issue about the image quality in left side) and the future holds bright.

To me personally, results so far for the Z5 camera would just put Sony our of the smartphone market and I am talking figures here. I too expect to see a decent, confirming Z5 in the end so that this all nightmarish situation goes away!
[Xperia Z5 General] DoKaTSuYa:
Je suis français :p

DxO (french reviewers) put Nexus 6P n°3 without shown any samples, and the first day it was released... that's weirdo.

They only make their test in good light condition and in auto mode, and even with that, Z5 shouldn't deserve the first place... that's a joke.
[Xperia Z5 General] jetbruceli:
Well fortunately o2 germany doesnt cancel preorders, so i am getting mine tomorrow. I can play with it for 14 days. I will take photos with both the s6 and this. See if there is any real difference.
[Xperia Z5 General] dehnhaide:
[MENTION=4069714]jetbruceli[/MENTION] I hope you have phune with it. At least try (it time and resources allow - like a tripod!) to make a side by side comparison in pretty relevant light & setup situations. Good that you can compare to an S6.
[Xperia Z5 General] jetbruceli:
Sure will. I mainly focus on low light and snapping photos of people. My s6 is good but there are times when the photo is blurry.
[Xperia Z5 General] king_david43:
Z5 wins in manual mode shooting if only they could get their auto mode better.

https://youtu.be/6dt3StohtL4
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
So sorry this place is overshadowed by people who just use their free time to bash.

I was about to post the same video, but just see how they'll quickly find a way to dismiss it ;)

The video of the uhappy whining girl is more important ;)

---------- Post added at 02:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:48 PM ----------

While I don't agree with your Z5 rating, I agree that given the depth of miserable results the initial reviews of S6 have put up, more testing is needed. Hopefully the current results are to be attributed to faulty batches of camera (see the issue about the image quality in left side) and the future holds bright.

To me personally, results so far for the S6 camera would just put Samsung our of the smartphone market and I am talking figures here. I too expect to see a decent, confirming S6 in the end so that this all nightmarish situation goes away!

P.S.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdlA9BCtXf0

Nice one!
[Xperia Z5 General] Ben36:
How about people with the phone in their hands just do some pictures for us?
[Xperia Z5 General] King p1n:
Thats a poor review.
[Xperia Z5 General] king_david43:
So technically it can be called the best you would just have to know how to use the manual mode. Hopefully auto mode gets better with updates
[Xperia Z5 General] King p1n:
[YOUTUBE]4CeTMrevIcc[/YOUTUBE]
[Xperia Z5 General] jetbruceli:
All I know is that my Z5 comes tomorrow and I will post direct downloads of photos from both the s6 and z5 for you guys to decide
[Xperia Z5 General] harlemsmoke:
i stopped watching after she said the etching (which i think is really cool) was an ebola zone
[Xperia Z5 General] ahdee:
I don't know but for those by Z5, it looks like the len is not clean enough before taking pic?
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
Is it all auto?
[Xperia Z5 General] dehnhaide:
Anxiously looking forward.
[Xperia Z5 General] King p1n:
Yeah to my knowledge
[Xperia Z5 General] EQ2000:
Maybe sports mode to capture fast moving objects? I reckon it uses a fast shutter speed, adequate ISO and object tracking focus.
[Xperia Z5 General] itsjustJOH:
I prefer the night landscape steady shot than the manual. Yeah the manual is a bit sharper, but only on the lit areas. The night landscape steady photo reveals details that aren't visible on the manual photo, heck even the branches on the trees were impressively visible. On the manual the trees on the right were just blurry as well as the building. The Z5 phones are struggling with the darker areas, it's always blurry which is the complete opposite when the area is sufficiently lit where it is really sharp. Your manual photo is the best example of this. The areas lit by the lamp posts as well as the windows on the left are significantly sharp, the ones on the dark areas like the tree and building on the right like I said are just blurry.
[Xperia Z5 General] karrouma:
16:9 perfect with no blure
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
Hmm. Diagree. You actually contradict yourself, you say "the Z5 phones are struggling with the darker areas" bu than "heck even the branches on the trees were impressively visible".

The Manual photo is with lower 400 ISO, fast shutter speed, central light metering and point-to-focus on the light area (the building).

Thus no surprise darker areas are blurry - it's normal in those settings and that was the aim, to catch good detail in lighter areas.

The lowlight power of this phone and sensor is displayed in the Night Landscape shot.

That means the phone is actually very capable.
[Xperia Z5 General] karrouma:
Very good phone better than s6 and m9 ,

One thing sony need to change is to can change iso at 20-23 mp nother other .
[Xperia Z5 General] itsjustJOH:
I meant the trees on the night landscape steady photo were visible and sharp, not on the manual which were blurry. I know the settings you used on the manual photo was meant to look that way, but I'm merely describing the way the Z5 phones struggle with dealing with the darker areas. Try to take a photo of a well-lit area under bright sunlight with an area with shadows, like a field with grass with one area well-lit and some areas under shadow. Make sure they are at the center. See the difference.

GSM Arena has a great example of this from their blind test. Look at scene#3, the photo comparing all phones with the histogram. Z5 is C. Look at how the grass looks just one dark green patch, the tree is just almost a silhouette and almost not visible. The S6 and the iPhone 6s did better.

http://www.gsmarena.com/iphone_6s_galaxy_s6_xperia_z5-review-1329.php
[Xperia Z5 General] Adrift98:
I might have missed it, but is the "Night Landscape Steady Shot" an actual mode setting that you can click on, or does the camera automatically go into that mode in Superior Auto?
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
Maybe there is something like that in Auto, I'm pretty sure there is.

I never use Auto....

But there is Night Landscape in Scenes in 8mpx Manual mode as well.
[Xperia Z5 General] Adrift98:
Ok, so when you were doing "Z5 Night Landscape" (in manual) and "Z5 Manual 8mpx", were you simply turning off Night Landscape for the "Z5 Manual 8mpx"?
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
Well yes, Z5 Manual means in my tests Manual with no Scenes, and manual control over parameters I can control like ISO, white balance, focus etc.
[Xperia Z5 General] Timaustin2000:
New Camera 2.0 shots

I've been putting together some shots taken with Camera 2.0 and they're in a constantly-expanding Flickr album now.

Link: https://flic.kr/s/aHskoqWgjm

I'm unsure whether there's any processing improvement from the last general update to the overall phone. That said, I do genuinely believe that the last firmware update improved a few things, including low light, and that still rings true here.

I've noticed that the phone is quicker and happier to use Superior Auto Night Scene than it was before, bringing it up quite reliably. It does a pretty outstanding job now, I feel.

I will be doing a whole detailed post on the zoom on the camera over the weekend in a new thread - there's a lot to say about it (Spoilers: it has it's uses and can produce A4 printable shots even in low light - but it's not perfect, just pretty good.) Stay tuned and check out the link above.
[Xperia Z5 General] zxcv888:
Thanks , I was thinking about getting a z5 but, the camera look disappointing. Especially when S6 owners were saying S6 with sony sensors have better pictures..

EDIT: looks like some people misunderstood. Some S6 come with sony sensors and some S6s come with ISOCELL sensors. From the comparisons, S6s with sony sensors appear to be better.
[Xperia Z5 General] bloodfire1004:
If you're happy with buying an S6, do so :) Every person has their own preferences.

But I disagree that the S6 produces better pictures than the Z5. I can say that they are quite on par with each other, with the Z5 having the better video output. That said, the reason I think that people saw S6 pictures being better than Z5 is because Auto mode on S6 is much better compared to the Z5. That's why you see the posters here working with Manual mode / Scene mode at times.

Probably S6 is much easier to get a good photo with. But given people who actually know how to work the Z5? I do not think so.
[Xperia Z5 General] joe_dude:
News flash: S6 owners prefer the S6; G4 owners prefer the G4. News at 11.

:silly:

But seriously, the Z5 offers the best combination of photo and video recording. Some people will prefer to have OIS for low light pics; others (like myself) will prefer to record (much) better videos. To each his/her own.
[Xperia Z5 General] Timaustin2000:
The more I use the Z5 the more I'm convinced this is not true. The Sony does produce better pictures if you understand it - colour fidelity especially is better and it does produce more detail, if you take account of the different lens. I'd also say that digital zoom is better.

With newer firmware, I'd put low light performance on par, even without OIS. Video is superior.

The majority of poor reviews either have faulty units (Android Authority) or have ignored the field of view difference and equated that to lack of detail.
[Xperia Z5 General] gavinfabl:
I have been reading this thread for a while. People seem to be so defensive about how good or not cameras are on their respective phones, it makes me laugh. I took some really good shots on the Z5, then had a Nexus 6P which made mince meat of the Z5, and then I took some shots on the iPhone 6S Plus which wiped the floor on both. But then the weather conditions changed, rain and fog appeared and the order changed. And guess what this happens all the time. Now this shot on the Z5 https://flic.kr/p/zLmDUT is fantastic , but not down to image quality but down to atmosphere. Here is same graveyard taken on the iphone 3gs https://flic.kr/p/erEu6A (apologies for not embedding both photos, but copy / paste on iPad Pro driving me mad)

Half the problem with the photos is the user. That's why the auto mode is so important as it takes away user away. For the first time, Sony has made a good job of the Z5 auto mode. And to clear up another part, the Z5 does not have manual mode whatsoever, its "less auto".

IMO is the Z5 the best camera on a phone. NO. It does have the best sensor though. Is the Z5 camera rubbish. Not at all, if I only had the Z5 I would be very happy. The other factor people forget to look at is what sort of shots people want to take.

And one last thing, low light shots will generally always be poor unless you;re using a proper DSLR or equivalent. Anyway heres an album of 30 or so shots from the new camera of the Z5 https://www.flickr.com/photos/gavinfabl100/albums/72157660589881301
[Xperia Z5 General] EQ2000:
People tend to cross compare photos and expect top notch quality irrelevant of type of lighting (excluding night time situations) but it all depends on the light and intensity. Person A in a say for example Nordic country cannot expect to get as detailed image as person B in Brazil as in the Nordic country the camera would say have a shutter speed of 1/40 and in Brazil 1/1000. Obviously the later situation will deliver more detail due to more photons in the air for the sensor to capture aswell as faster shutter speed meaning less risk of motionblur. Therefore for comparisions it is important to look at shutter speed and ISO aswell as type of scenery.
[Xperia Z5 General] Timaustin2000:
I must admit to being guilty of being defensive about the Z5. Much of it comes from the fact that a great many commentators seem intent on trashing it's output when my results have been everything that I'd hoped they would be.

I agree with Gavin that it's probably not the best CameraPhone in every single scenario. Indeed, I don't think you can really pick a definite "best" from the current crop: they all have their strengths and weaknesses: the LG G4 is the king of detail reproduction in low light but it has overly-agressive processing in good light and pretty shoddy white balance. The S6 too has wildly varying colour reproduction and I would honestly say, hand on heart, that it doesn't seem to have low light abilities significantly better than the Sony, if at all, since the last update. The iPhone is probably the most reliable as a point and shoot but it's low-light photography is not as good as the Android competition and it has a tiny Field of View.

Sony still have to work on their processing, which lets the side down. Since the first update, it seems noticeably better with this, especially with foliage and low light. But it's still not perfect. I also think that going for such a wide angle lens was a mistake, as it encourages people to the wrong conclusions when they do like-for-like comparisons. Where the Sony wins is colour, detail in good light and dynamic range - which is outstanding. It also has, in my opinion, the best digital zoom of the Android crop as well as easily the best video stabilisation.

Another area where I agree with Gavin is Superior Auto. When I first got it, I imagined that SA was going to be rubbish, as it was on my old Z1. But using it, I have to concede that Sony have done a very good job with it this time. It's more reliable than before and when it suggests a good mode, the results can be extremely good - especially Night Scene and Gourmet. And if it gets colours wrong, you can correct them within the app, which is fab.

So it's not the best,... but what is? Nothing is "simply the best". Get any of the current flagships and you'll be a very happy snapper. And that includes the Z5.
[Xperia Z5 General] lee480:
kind of interesting we have non-Sony users popping by this thread telling everyone how great Galaxy S6 and how disappointing they are with the Xperia when they do not even own it. You guys need to try harder and put in more effort if you want to advertise for Samsung!
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
Some night tests.

Modes as in description.

I would say - very good.

I still prefer manual. The quality is decent.

The light, dynamic range - very nice!

No more tests for now - I just want to enjoy my phone from now on.

And just make good shots with whichever mode.

Z5_Manual by doministry, on Flickr

Z5_Auto by doministry, on Flickr

Z5_Night_Landscape by doministry, on Flickr
[Xperia Z5 General] Katsigaros:
I believe that the Z5 right now has the best camera because they use the newest and more advanced sensor and they finaly made a good camera softaware from the begining. But if Samsung and LG get this sensor and compine it with more anvanced lens maybe they will surpass the Z5. Same old story...

But i will always prefer the Sony photos because they are more natural, less sharped and not oversaturated.
[Xperia Z5 General] joe_dude:
I've looked at at least a couple hundred pics in the last 3 months, comparing the Z5 to the other phones. I understand that people want to feel good about what they purchased, but that shouldn't get in the way of finding out what's what. I personally never expected that a phone would replace a real camera. I like taking pics of nature and animals, and phones just can't cut it, especially for birds, small animals and far off objects. So the Z5 is really for quick snaps (fast AF), scenic shots (23/20 MP) and pics of family (face detection). And the Z5 does a wonderful job.

I also knew from early reviews/videos that it would have excellent video recording, which is what I really wanted. You don't know how freakin' annoying it is to take bad, shaky, video during vacation while trying to keep up with foot traffic. The Z5 allows me a degree of freedom while taking vids that's immensely productive. Sadly, none of the reviews mentioned this.

In my opinion, if the Z5 had used a 26mm or 28mm lens, it would be considered the best phone camera, period. Pixel-peepers would be satisfied with the level of detail. The choice of 24mm lens made it much more difficult to review, plus the strange 23/20 MP vs. 8 MP default, which confused the heck out of reviewers.

:p

I think if one was to choose a phone with a good, simple, camera, then the S6/Note 5 is probably the best choice. But I think the Z5 is the better overall camera.