yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Xperia Z5 General] OCedHrt:
A bit late for replying, but as a previous owner of a Z3 and current owner of S6 edge, I must point out that it is very hard to get S6 edge to auto focus correctly. Manual touch focus is almost always needed - and not every app using camera enables this capability. Meaning, in quite a few apps S6 edge camera is not really usable. You can force auto focus by changing the focal range drastically and switching back. Additionally, macro focus on s6 edge camera is non-existent.

---------- Post added at 05:00 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:55 AM ----------

What joe_dude is saying is the zoomed comparison pictures have the Z5 photos upsampled so that objects are the same size.

When looking at the original photos at 1:1 pixels, objects in Z5 photos are smaller. To get them to the same size in a comparison picture, you must either downscale the comparison photo (advantage) or upscale the Z5 photo (disadvantage).

But one thing I noticed in many comparison photos is that the Z5 does not seem to be properly focused. I wonder if the user is using the two step shutter button correctly - on my Z3 there was no continuous auto focus.
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
So where are the shots?
[Xperia Z5 General] joe_dude:
Patience, friend. I'm still testing the new toy productivity device. I don't have a lot of free time atm, and there are a lot of different scene selections that SA goes through that I need to play with. Give me a few days to enjoy the dang thing at least!

;)
[Xperia Z5 General] TheEndHK:
I seriously thinking your S6E camera is defective and should send it to repair bcoz my S6 focus is superior. Today I've played Z5 in Sony store for a long time, I actually found that my S6 focus still better. On S6 board, I've seen some cases when they got two S6/S6E and yes some seems focus is bad and some is better.
[Xperia Z5 General] EQ2000:
Sounds like it is using the cheap trick of getting faster "focus" by going for infinite focus more than often which may also result in bad focus in closeup situations regarding the S6.
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KndFn_U9cKM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZavXdLWA60

Clearly - HD recording is the best on Z5 and beats all phones,

4K is good but not better and actually stabilization is worse.

Sony has to work on utilizing the full sensor - just like it was on Z2.
[Xperia Z5 General] EQ2000:
Especially at night or low light environments where the Z5 shows it's strength even more by capturing more light and totally demolishes the competition. Quite intriguing that barely any reviewer highlighted this.. Cash is king eh!? Aslo I think it is the only Z mobile to do this and if going by other Z models then 4K doesnt use the SteadyShot mode.

https://youtu.be/gSp6d2JzHhk?t=4m20s

Also SteadyShot might reduce video quality as it besides the hardware component, 'crops the image' hence a loss of detail which they could counter with higher bitrate (they might have done this).
[Xperia Z5 General] Timaustin2000:
This I wasn't expecting,.....

Well, I say wasn't expecting: I could already call the Z5 as the best daylight shooter on the market, having spent well over a month with it now - yes, even with Sony's poor pixel-by-pixel processing. But low light? Hmmmm.

However: http://www.manilashaker.com/xperia-z5-galaxy-note-5-specs-comparison-review-price-philippines/

Makes a decent case for the Z5's low light, at 8MP, being superior to the Note 5's. I would certainly agree that the Z5 does a much better job at colour accuracy at night than others but I was not expecting resolved detail to be quite that close, if I'm honest.

The review is a touch "fanboy" (I hope the author doesn't mind me saying that) but the pictures do kinda back him up.

What are your thoughts?

(NB, I still think the LG G4 has the best low light cam but it has issues in good light)
[Xperia Z5 General] EQ2000:
Well depends but LG4 is hit or miss with white balance and seems to sometimes overapply in low light/night either sharpening or noise reduction blur that makes the photos look matte painting esque much like the Galaxy S5 did in "Night mode" (though the S5 applied it so aggressively photos where a mess). In long exposure mode it sure is cream de la cream but so would the Z5 be with 23MP night mode. Just test it out with FV-5 "Long" mode as it works exactly like night mode in stock camera. Heck they even tock the photos with same shutter speed and ISO on my Z1! Difference ofcourse that FV-5 gives me a 21MP image that totally crushes the SA 8,3MP photo in detail at same resolution yet both are lit the same way due to well.. same ISO and shutter speed!
[Xperia Z5 General] Timaustin2000:
Having spent 2 hours testing an S6 Edge with a Z5 when I bought the thing, I do not recognise this assessment in the slightest.

The S6 cam consistently over-lit indoor shots and the colour accuracy of out door shots - heck, of all shots it took - was off. Granted, this wasn't two days worth of testing but it's certainly not as though the S6 cam in any way destroys the Z5. Indeed, the Z5 DOES pick up more detail, the colours are better and the dynamic range is about the same, as far as I could work out. In out-door day scenes, the Z5 clearly beats the Sammy, in my opinion.

I did not get a chance to test the cam at night. I should very much like to do that side-by-side but I have no sponsors for a blog or vlog so all I can do is test what I own. Unless someone wants to help with that, lol.
[Xperia Z5 General] Katsigaros:
The video at 4K was shooted with 8x zoom to make the S6 look better. It was a biased comparisson in my opinion.
[Xperia Z5 General] FYLin21:
Does lossless zoom work well with video or not at all? I saw some samples where the camera is zoomed all the way in and it looks pixelated, but I'm not sure if it's because they zoomed in too much... This is a 23MP sensor and 1080p is only 2MP, so why not just crop in the sensor for 1080p recording (I think Nokia does this)? Sony does this on their camcorders... I guess the only other option is to shoot in 4K (which is 8MP) and crop to 1080p for a digital zoom.
[Xperia Z5 General] King p1n:
Is the front camera that bad? Don't understand why companies just slap a 5MP on the front and call it a day, as evident by the f2.4 aperture.

I think HTC has the best idea in terms of front camera by putting a sensor with big pixels. Which I hear performs better than a lot of phones in low light especially.
[Xperia Z5 General] crazeazn:
People's expectations from these all these cell cams makes me chuckle.
[Xperia Z5 General] :
So on topic of camera quality, is there anyone not suffering from blurry left side of the camera? Seems like everyone that posted here had some amount of imperfections on the left side of the image.

Attached image is the level of imperfections that is happening on my third Z5.
[Xperia Z5 General] Woza72:
Not me. Z5 compact.
[Xperia Z5 General] OldSkewler:
I've read 10 pages in not realizing this was a 40+ pages thread. I skipped to the end and it gets even more painful to see nothing concrete out of this. I was hoping to something indicating a consensus that there is a problem and hopefully this could be tackled via software/firmware down the road at some point.

Well, unfortunately for me, who has had the Z5C for a week now, and for Sony, the camera/image processing on this phone is a complete joke: I am getting exactly the same results posted under the opening post by dehnhaide and this is absolutely unacceptable. Hecka, this Z5C is my first Android phone, I was waiting for a compact and solid replacement for my "old" Nokia 808, but it would be an insult to even try to compare the cameras. I won't even go there - [INSIDERANT] Oh Symbian Gods, is this the price for moderns apps? Crappy camera and cheap hardware?! Why?!?!? [/INSIDERANT]

Even today before getting linked to this thread I had requested a replacement phone from Amazon claiming my current Z5C is defective. My last hope is to receive the replacement with something different regarding the camera. Maybe my Z5C was a per-production? I don't know. Reality is, it is a solid compact phone and I want to keep it, but having a quality camera on hand is crucial to me.
[Xperia Z5 General] moist_line:
My z5c will arrive tomorrow. Will test the camera and compare it with my g4. I'll return it and opt for an iPhone or something else if I get disappointed with the camera. I just need a smaller phone with decent camera and 4glte for traveling but I'm not forking 500$+ on this if it doesn't deliver.

If we purchased it from amazon prime, could we return it even after updating the phone and perhaps peeling the plastic protector?

---------- Post added at 06:52 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:50 PM ----------

I even considered Nokia 808 because of size and camera but it's not 4g lte compatible. Looked at the photo comparison with lg g4 and they're about on par.
[Xperia Z5 General] Timaustin2000:
To be honest, I didn't check the front facers. As someone else here eloquently said, "I'm not a 14 year old". Selfies are pointless, to me. I simply don't care.
[Xperia Z5 General] TheEndHK:
My Z5c was arrived yesteday and I'm testing it now with my S6 like Timaustin2000. :D
[Xperia Z5 General] gavinfabl:
I'm getting good results, Even more interesting, superior auto vs manual , see if you can guess the top 3 shots, then I will reveal which was manual or superior auto etc...

http://gavinsgadgets.com/2015/11/05/sony-xperia-z5-compact-superior-auto-vs-manual-you-decide/
[Xperia Z5 General] joe_dude:
So far, from testing, the Z5 camera's weakness is in low light. The lack of OIS can affect the level of detail in hand-held, non-tripod, non-flash usage. I have found that sitting down (and after taking a pic), I can get the tripod icon to come up consistently, and take low-light pics close to the detail level of the G4 using SA. Or use the flash. :>

Overall, the G4 is easier to handle in low light (without flash). The colours are better on the Z5. Steadyshot does seem to help stabilize the image a bit, but the closed-loop actuator is clearly much better for video stabilization than for photos. In the end though, I think the far superior video recording more than makes up for it.
[Xperia Z5 General] bloodfire1004:
Can you please do a comparison of the low-light of the G4 and Z5? How 'far' is the difference in quality?
[Xperia Z5 General] pressytcn:
To make matters worse it doesn't even do otg like it's predecessors so nomore backup using otg cables :( I'm really starting to like my sgs5 even more and I've been a hardcore sony fan :(
[Xperia Z5 General] OldSkewler:
Very solid phone and SLR-quality camera, but once you get "wet" with the newer apps out there, it is near impossible to be fully satisfied with Symbian.

I am not sure which way to go here with the Z5C, really pissed off on it because I had high hopes and even more frustrating no other high end compacts on the market.
[Xperia Z5 General] :
I have no problems with the camera, it's not as good as the one on my S6, but it's decent for Sony high-end device...
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
Are you sure it doesn't support OTG?
[Xperia Z5 General] ricodredd:
Just tried it on mine - didn't work.

E6653 unbranded running 32.0.A.6.152
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
That's actually terrible. WTF.
[Xperia Z5 General] TheEndHK:
I've tested the closed-loop actuator and confirmed doesn't help on my Z5c photo mode, it just as easy handshake as my old Z1c, it only works with video. The Z5c image is much better at low light just because the focus way way better now and the new sensor captures more light to use a faster shutter speed with the same or lower ISO when compared to Z1c.

Actually, the software video stabilization does cut too much FOV and also got a big impact on video quality. I much prefer S6/G4 video with OIS.
[Xperia Z5 General] pressytcn:
I got it to work but you have to do this first find a usb mouse and plug it in with the otg reboot the phone with the mouse in it then unplug the mouse and insert a flash drive hard drives doesn't work when you unplug the otg you have to boot all over again the z2 tablet don't have that issue even the one x does this with no problem
[Xperia Z5 General] gstrong:
I just tried it on mine, and it does work. You need to tell it to "detect USB device", though. There's a toggle you can add to the quick settings for this, or go to "Settings > Xperia Connectivity > USB Connectivity > Detect USB device".

I read speculation somewhere that it's to do with the capless waterproof USB port - they don't power the port unless it's necessary, in case it's wet (there is a warning on the Sony web site about making sure the port is dry before using it)
[Xperia Z5 General] pressytcn:
Thanks that did the job it was getting on my nerves cause i use that feature quite a lot
[Xperia Z5 General] R3MaK3R:
I don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet but PIXEL SIZE!

Sony has more pixels but suffers at 100% zoom simply because the size of the pixels are smaller. It has a high MP count so you can zoom in more. It also has a wider focal length.

at 100% crop, what each pixel sees might be comparable but remember that the pixels on the Z5 are smaller than the S6 so it would appear to look worse.

Remember Sony made the sensor for both of these phones so they have obviously made the newer sensor better.. It just doesn't show because of their choice of lens. the Z5 is is the first phone with the new lens.
[Xperia Z5 General] EQ2000:
I thought both the S6 and Z5 had 1.12 µm and the LG G4 1.29 µm? But anyway another reason Sony advises to use SA 8MP mode is becouse it uses several pixels to create a 'super pixel'/'ultra pixel' which makes the final pixel size bigger and as such can have higher ISO than full manual MP setting amongst other things.
[Xperia Z5 General] EQ2000:
Btw this is quite interesting. Z5, M5 and Z1 comparision tool. M5 uses the IMX230 and Motorola Moto X Style as far as I know. Perhaps also the Z4 but using the tool the Z4 (Z3+) doesn't produce as much detail as the M5. The M5 clearly stands out.

http://www.gsmarena.com/piccmp.php3?idType=3&idPhone1=7534&idPhone2=7464&idPhone3=5596
[Xperia Z5 General] chrisftlse:
Going on the other direction...

I baught a Z5 and the Photo Quality taken are really good.

I think that the issues you are all listing are on the Z5 holder.

You are right it does not do :

- Night vision Google

- Light spectre selection

- Optical Zoom X1000

- Start my car

But I am very satified of what I have in my hand for my daily needs.

And sometimes, when I need to shop a better photo either I took my digital camera or Pro canon camera.

At the end the Z5 is a phone and for me the colors are more natural than the others phone you are comparing with.

No tester nor user remain fully objectives with their test

Enjoy what you have or buy what you want... Stop flaming or reporting non sense as you are creating doubts (I nearly avoid buying this phone) but after taking distance from all what i read here and there I decided to jump in...

I was using a XZ (original one since neraly 3 years) and was pleased with Sony

After 2 days usage, I remain very very very pleased about my choice
[Xperia Z5 General] TobbeSwe:
Just look at this, the Z5 i really capable of taking some real good quality photos..

http://blogs.sonymobile.com/2015/11...photography-at-dawn-with-chaitanya-desphande/
[Xperia Z5 General] Timaustin2000:
While not the most unbiased source, the pictures do show what the camera is capable of. I must admit to being surprised that the results were quite that close to the DSLR used.

Then again, if you look at the daylight images taken on my recent London trip, you get an idea of just how much detail this camera can pull in. https://flic.kr/s/aHskn4W5uU New shots are at the end of the album.
[Xperia Z5 General] EQ2000:
Try FV-5 to push it to the limit.
[Xperia Z5 General] karrouma:
Camera fv-5 can read z5 camera at 8mp not higher8

Maybe sony secure their camera or need update the app or sony use 8mp sensore
[Xperia Z5 General] EQ2000:
I see. I hope it's just that they dont recognize it else they are digging a hole..
[Xperia Z5 General] pressytcn:
What about the new camera interface has anyone gotten that yet?
[Xperia Z5 General] chrillo:
Comparison with superior auto in night mode with and without waiting for the tripod icon to show up. Quite the difference in quality if you have some patience and wait for the tripod icon...

[IMG="yy"]http://i65.tinypic.com/2n9eo4.jpg[/IMG]

With tripod icon:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Z2j-7He82RYU5ISGtrYkpma3M/view?usp=docslist_api

Without tripod icon:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Z2j-7He82RTzRyQTc5MGt3eE0/view?usp=docslist_api

With tripod icon:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Z2j-7He82RMEJyZTkxSDd4YkU/view?usp=docslist_api

Without tripod icon:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Z2j-7He82RWlhMVVliVHZIQ0k/view?usp=docslist_api
[Xperia Z5 General] bloodfire1004:
That IS quite a large difference, to the point they seem to be from different cameras. Maybe most of the reviewers didn't bother to wait for the tripod icon to pop-out and just clicked away on their low-light shots? Probably why the Z5 is getting a bad rep. Still, I don't blame them as what they expect is to just point-and-shoot the camera.

Still, it seems that if the person knows how to properly utilize the Z5's camera, it can really be considered one of the (if not THE best) best cameras in mobile right now.

Can't wait to get mine!
[Xperia Z5 General] itsjustJOH:
I assume that the tripod icon shows up when the phone detects it's not moving too much? This is why Sony needs OIS, the camera software cranks up the ISO level way too high (ISO 100/200 vs 1250/2500 on those photos). The difference is ridiculous.
[Xperia Z5 General] King p1n:
Exactly Sony need OIS, its simple.

They might have their steadyshot for videos but for photos.

OIS would clearly help in photos but Sony refuse to do it.

I assume tripod mode is detected by how still your hand is, so If your hands aren't still then tough.
[Xperia Z5 General] Mano1982:
[MENTION=4115860]chrillo[/MENTION] Amazing pics & there is a HUGE difference between pic with or without tripod icon. Possible to post more comparison pics from different conditions? :)

Btw on Xperia Z3, in SA there are icons of "a walking man" & "a walking man with 2 lines".. What does that mean?
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
You can buy now new Z5 for about 520Euro in Poland.

Of course not official Sony channel which is still sick 700 Euro.

I might get one tomorrow.

From TMobile, just wondering how much the FW is screwed by branding?

Do these branded ones still get OTA?

And does Flashtool support Z5?
[Xperia Z5 General] Ben36:
Yes flashtool works fine so you can just debrand it anyway
[Xperia Z5 General] EQ2000:
"Walking" and "Running". This changes ISO and shutterspeed to combat blurring due to camera movements. "Walking" might say go for shutter speed 1/30 of a second and ISO 800 while "running" for 1/60 of a second and ISO 1600. The faster the shutter speed and the higher the ISO the less blurry the image but also less detail. Also face detection might do the same as system assumes people move and thus to prevent bluriness has faster shutter speed and higher ISO.
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
Just looking for Generic polish FW too.
[Xperia Z5 General] Timaustin2000:
Just experimented with the same shot in all three modes (including no movement symbol). Quite remarkable how little difference there can be, considering it's pretty dark where I am. I was jiggling this thing quite hard (ooo, matron!!) and I still got a focused low blur shot. (Steady = no blur, "running = a tiny amount but negligible and the walking was about the same as the steady.)

I'm calling witchcraft. Or fast shutter speeds. Whichever fits.
[Xperia Z5 General] EQ2000:
Hmm yes just did a simple test by taking photos in low light while slightly moving camera, shaking and holding still. Z1 but got 1/16 and ISO 3200 on all. Looked quite alike except the shaking photo which got out of focus/blurry. Though SA seems a bit "wonky" atleast on the Z1. I can have the "walking" or "running" symbol just to get the tripod after shooting the photo as this indicates it took the photo in that mode. Kinda strange unless the camera deemed that just at the click moment was stable enough to be considered being on tripod. Though "Night mode" does not fire up unless what seems specific cases no mather if I am holding it stable or putting it down on a surface. Might be becouse it analyzes the image for moving objects and avoids long shutter speeds if there are to many pixel variations detected.

Fells like when I have something figured out a new exclamations mark arises and I'ts one step backwards hahaha!
[Xperia Z5 General] Ben36:
I don't think it matters to be honest. Just flash the generic in the ftf thread
[Xperia Z5 General] solid102:
Guys I tried to replicate this using superior auto as one shot mode and using night manual mode as the other and the results are quite day and night in difference. I want to attach my images or find a way to share them but xda won't allow me to post urls in my comments. Anyway around this???
[Xperia Z5 General] joe_dude:
I've finished taking pics comparing the Z5 and the G4. I'll post them in a few days. I had family obligations to take care of.
[Xperia Z5 General] EQ2000:
Post the links with spacing.
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
Is there any here?
[Xperia Z5 General] joe_dude:
AFAIK, the closed-loop actuator is used by the AF for photos, which is why it can track onto things so fast. But it doesn't seem to work as a fine grain stabilization system like OIS.

Objectively speaking, the S6/G4 can't come close to the Z5 in terms of video. DXOMark gave the video a much higher score than any other phone, and said it was by far the best stabilization they've ever tested. There are lots of videos on Youtube that show the dramatic difference between IA mode vs. OIS. The only way the S6 could come close is if one was to take videos while only standing still.

In the end, it's a trade-off between more stable low-light photos (OIS) or more stable videos (closed-loop actuator). I think once you've tried taking vids with the Z5, you'll see that OIS is a minor quibble in comparison. Not having to worry about blurred videos is pretty amazing. If only Sony knew how to market it....

https://youtu.be/NxSHVca3MFM

---------- Post added at 01:18 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:55 PM ----------

I found that to get the tripod icon to show up reliably/quickly, I needed to sit down. While standing, I was teetering too much. Sitting down was the only way to get a comparable level of detail to the G4 in low light (with or without the tripod icon). The G4 colours were quite faded, probably due to the smaller sensor.

The reviews didn't even mention the different SA scene detection. So far, the modes I've seen are: landscape, backlit, walking, running, low light, night, tripod, face detection, infant, macro.

Other than tinkering with photos, I'm really enjoy taking family vids with the Z5. I haven't tested just how much shaking the closed-loop actuator can actually handle. I've seen one Youtube vid where the guy jumped up and down, and the Z5 handled it like nothing. Anyone feel like doing jumping jacks? xD
[Xperia Z5 General] solid102:
ok so here are the comparison pictures just delete the spacing guys:

Bedroom Superior Auto:

https ://drive . google. com/file/d/0Bxgy-IvIehaOdHIxYU1OYk0zUVU/view?usp=sharing

Bedroom Nightmode Manual:

https ://drive. google. com/file/d/0Bxgy-IvIehaObUQwWXh6WXRNT00/view?usp=sharing

Living room Superior Auto:

https ://drive. google. com/file/d/0Bxgy-IvIehaOblZjS3pfS1JPMjg/view?usp=sharing

Living room Nightmode Manual:

https: //drive. google. com/file/d/0Bxgy-IvIehaOdWItQ1IxRVAwVk0/view?usp=sharing

So what do you guys think??
[Xperia Z5 General] EQ2000:
Fixed links for you. :)

Manual certainly looks way better. SA is ramping up the ISO quite a lot destroying finegrain detail. Now I dont know how dark the rooms where initially going by the photos but quite the detail loss in SA.
[Xperia Z5 General] doministry:
Hmm all look like total sh..t.

Looks like it never zoomed properly.

Did you use touch to zoom?