[ASUS ZenFone 8] Tom100%:
I have made a few posts about the Asus camera and became familiar with some of its less obvious details and features. Here’s some notes that apply mainly to daylight shots. I’ll make a separate post about night shots.

Asus 64MP Jpegs

You can take a 64MP Jpeg picture in one of three ways;

The normal camera’s “4:3 (64MP)”

The Pro camera’s “4:3 (64MP)”

And the Pro camera’s “RAW+JPG” settings

HDR processing is not used on the 64MP Jpegs so they are not suitable for general photography as they can lack detail in the highlights and shadows.

You might find a use for the normal camera’s 64MP Jpeg if you ever need the highest resolution Jpeg of a subject with limited dynamic range as it is slightly sharper than the normal camera’s 16MP HDR Jpeg.

I’d avoid ever using either of the Pro camera’s 64MP Jpegs - they are a lot more noisier than the normal camera’s 64MP Jpeg.

Asus Smaller Resolution Jpegs

All of the 16MP(and smaller sized) Jpegs have HDR processing and so will make better looking pictures than the 64MP Jpegs, especially for general subjects. They also have smaller file sizes than the 64MP pictures.

Asus Raw Files

Use the Pro camera’s “RAW+JPG” setting to record a 64MP DNG file if you want to make the very highest quality shots. I transfer the DNGs to my laptop and edit then in a Raw file editor, Capture One. Other Raw editors, such as Lightroom and Affinity Photo, etc, can be used. The noisy 64MP Jpeg that is recorded alongside the Raw file can be discarded.

Raw files are the best option to use if you want to produce the highest quality shot from a mobile phone. Jpeg files can be edited afterwards too, but Raw files contain lots more digital data than Jpegs and are more suited to post production. I use the Asus normal camera HDR Jpegs for general photography, but for special shots use either the Asus 64MP Raw or the the Wichaya GCam Raw files and edit them afterwards.

The final look of an edited Raw file depends on your skill, experience and preferences. But the edited 64MP (9168x6872 pixels) Asus Raw beats the 16MP (4560x3416 pixels) Wichaya GCam Raw, as it is definitely sharper and more finely detailed.

However you won’t see much difference between these two edited Raw files unless you view them alongside each other at the same viewing size - i.e. Asus at 100%, Wichita at 200%. So for general purposes either and be used. (See attached screenshot)

Although the Asus Raw is sharper it is also grainier, especially in smoother, less detailed areas - but sharp detail is more important than visible grain if you ever need to make large prints.

Asus camera fast startup

You can open the Asus camera from the lock screen without entering a pin code or unlocking the phone. At the bottom right corner of the lock screen is a small symbol - swipe it up to open the Asus camera without unlocking the phone.

Gallery app Raw file previews

When you open a Raw file in an editor app it has almost no color, the highlights are white and shadows are black. The camera’s gallery app shows you a preview of how it looks as a Jpeg.

Asus camera vs Wichaya GCam

All of my previous tests have shown the Asus stock camera produces better looking pictures than the Wichaya Gcam, at least in my opinion. They are punchier, better exposed and have a more accurate white balance. They are, however, generally over-sharpened and highlights are over-smoothed. When enlarged they look flatter and less natural that the Wichaya GCam shots.

Unfortunately the Asus camera allows no control over sharpness, highlights and shadow detail, HDR intensity, etc. Wichaya’s GCam Ram Patcher settings let you adjust many parameters but so far I have not been able to alter them to look as good as the Asus camera. I look forward to the Wichays’s next GCam version and hope to have more success.

If you have used a different GCam APK that produces better results than the Asus camera please share your findings, preferable with comparison pictures - I’m sure Zenfone 8 users would be interested.