HTC's Camera App vs. Google's Camera App (UFocus vs. Lens Blur)

branmuffin17

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So I just did my first post in the "first impressions" sticky thread a couple of days ago...wasn't sure if I should post what I'm going to do now in the "Photos and Videos" thread, or create a new one. If you think I should put into the existing sticky thread, let me know.

In any case, I just read that Google released their own camera app in the Google Play store. I downloaded it because I didn't know what it offered that might be different than the HTC camera app. Saw that it has a "lens blur" option, so I wanted to do a quick comparison between that specific effect and UFocus, and thought it might be interesting for others.

I'm not a photographer by any means, so take everything I write here (or that you see here) with a grain of salt. These are my observations and impressions only.

I did two quick series...indoor (mild fluorescent lighting) and outdoor. I'm going to provide the original HTC camera shot, alongside the UFocus edit and the Google Lens Blur. All are provided at original size.

In the following indoor shots, I used my little Android guy as the main point of focus, with some select items in the background. I would say this is close to the ideal situation for a blur/bokeh shot, as the subject is less than 5 feet away from the lens, and there aren't a lot of small objects in the background.

Here's the original:

HTC Cam Android (original).jpg

Here's the Ufocus edit:

HTC Cam Android (UFocus).jpg

...and here's the Google Lens Blur:

Google Cam Android.jpg

My comments/observations:

  • The original picture from the HTC camera app is the largest at 1.68 MB, which I'm assuming is a given, since it contains clearer/sharper details. The UFocus edit is next, at 532k. Last is the Lens Blur version, at 323k.
  • Both UFocus and Lens Blur had issues with the small antennae on the android, lumping them in with the background.
  • Both blur effects seem to provide roughly the same feel of the picture with standard level of blur (Google's camera app allows you to adjust the amount of blur...something I don't think UFocus does).
  • If you look at the green side of the Rubik's cube, the UFocus version creates an artificial shine that the Lens Blur does not.


Next up are the outside pics. I used the center of the car mass as the point of focus. Some additional elements come into play here...one, the M8's camera is known to have some difficulties with color-washing and overexposure with higher levels of light. Two, there is a lot more detail (e.g. leaves on the bush and trees) and depth (I stood about 10-15 feet away from the point of focus, and other things are obviously much farther out than in the indoor shots). I'm only really going to comment on the two blurred photos, as that's the topic of this post!

Here's the original:

HTC Cam Car (original).jpg

Here's the UFocus edit:

HTC Cam Car (UFocus).jpg

...and the Lens Blur:

Google Cam Car.jpg

Comments/observations:

  • Size differences are there again...original (2.75 MB), UFocus (919k) and Lens Blur (582k).
  • I see a HUUUGE issue with UFocus. Look at the space between the rear window and the spoiler, along with the upper rim of the driver-side window. Yikes! It had a difficult time sensing depth, and considered those areas as part of the background. Although the Google Cam pic is smaller in size and detail, it doesn't appear to have had the same issue.
  • Consideration given here for the depth of the subject...the close side of the rear of the car is probably 4 feet closer than the close side of the front of the car. The car itself, close to far, is about 5-6 feet (just a guess). That's obviously not a very good choice of subject for a bokeh effect shot, and it shows...the roof and hood of the car are blurred to a high degree on the UFocus shot, and while the roof is pretty sharp on the Lens Blur, the hood is noticeably pixellated. Better anti-aliasing going on in UFocus (or whatever...I don't know if that's the correct term in this situation).

Some points of differentiation between the two:

  • Lens Blur specifically instructs the user to have the subject 5 feet or closer. It also says to put the subject in the center of the photo. And...it doesn't provide the original, fully focused photo. UFocus, as a built-in edit function of a general M8 photo, allows refocusing of the original, clear image anywhere, foreground or background. In this way, UFocus is the stronger tool.
  • Lens Blur allows for strength of blur effect...I haven't found this option with UFocus. If that's true, Lens Blur wins with this minor functionality.
  • After taking a shot, Lens Blur requires you to very slowly raise the phone by roughly 1 inch. I assume at the top, it draws in more information, similar to the depth/duo camera on the M8, to provide 3D depth info. For M8 users, just taking the single shot and moving on is much easier, and UFocus wins with convenience. For all other phones without a 2nd/depth camera, Lens Blur or similar app is really the only option.

Final thoughts:

I think it's very clear that bokeh shots excel only when the subject is front and center, and are clearly separated from the background. Even then, software effects like these two have limited use...I remember reading a review on the M8 that showed issues with hair blowing in the wind of a little girl being incorrectly blurred...similar to the issue I saw in the outdoor shots. Overall, though, I don't see a need for M8 owners to use Google's camera app, at least for Lens Blur. I haven't tried out any of the other effects yet.

My personal use of the pictures I take are for quick publishing to Google+ or Instagram, and I'm not an avid photo-taker, so I don't need the level of detail, accuracy, or sharpness over which others obsess, and I'd like to quickly say that I'm extremely satisfied with the M8's camera and general software. Other people may find strong reasons to use Google's camera app on their M8, for its different strengths or other effects.

I hope this has at least been an interesting read!
 

B0WIE

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Thx for the comparison. The U focus is definitely more effective and attractive as a quick effect. Also, I've never bothered to use a dedicated effects app for a cam but I use Ufocus all the time because it's so quick and easy to access. Some people fuss that it has imperfections but that's silly because it's not a replacement for desktop editing and high-end cameras. It's a way to make your every day photos special, and it excels at that.
 

branmuffin17

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FYI, I just tried Photosphere, and it doesn't seem to provide a noticeable quality difference from the M8's Pan 360 function, at least on a macro scale (e.g. looking at them on my phone). If anything, I think Photosphere requires more capture points, which [could] mean higher accuracy at a cost of longer time to capture.
 

Justintoxicated

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So does either program actually use data from the depth sensor like everyone want us to believe or does that thing only help to quick focus on the initial shot?
 

Skyway

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So does either program actually use data from the depth sensor like everyone want us to believe or does that thing only help to quick focus on the initial shot?

The ufocus definitely uses the depth information provided by the second lens. I don't know if Google's camera app utilizes it or not, but I do know that HTC just released their duo camera api for third party developers so it could be a possibility

Posted via Android Central App
 

B0WIE

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The ufocus definitely uses the depth information provided by the second lens. I don't know if Google's camera app utilizes it or not, but I do know that HTC just released their duo camera api for third party developers so it could be a possibility

Posted via Android Central App
I doubt Google programmed theirs to take advantage of the M8 cam specifically but I saw that about the open-api and I'm excited. Really hoping someone clever delves into that because there's so much potential.
 

branmuffin17

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I'm sure Google's basic app doesn't factor in the M8's duo camera...that's the reason the Lens Blur requires a slow elevation of the camera after taking a shot...to provide a 2nd angle that the duo is naturally programmed to do.

Probably the biggest reasons the UFocus has some issues are 1) because of the small distance (about 1 inch) between it and the main camera, 2) the low resolution (2 MP), and 3) the sensor is probably small/lower quality. Lens Blur relies on the main camera of any phone for both angles, so should have greater potential for accurate blur effects...now it's all on the software to make it as good as possible. Then again, I'm sure HTC can (and should) work on their software to improve the pictures and some of the current shortcomings such as overexposure.

Am I on the right track here?
 

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