S7 edge camera zoom question

[markalpan]

This is my first Samsung device so I don't know if it's this way on all of them or not. When I open the camera I see the object framed how I want it. But when I click to record video it instantly zooms in on the object. Sometimes this makes me need to move back to frame the object again. Is there a way to prevent it from doing this?

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Seremedy]

No all phones that i know of do this. My 6P does this too

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[GadgetGator]

No all phones that i know of do this. My 6P does this too

Posted via the Android Central App

I have had the opposite experience. The four android phones I have had before have not done this and I am finding it really distracting and annoying on the S7's. I want the initial view to be the view I get when I press record. Why wouldn't anyone want that? WYSIWYG not what you see is NOT what you get. This is bugging me so much.

 

[flintlock]

Your right but my previous phones had a video mode you engaged prior to recording. This S7 is the first one I've had that starts recording immediately from the still shot screen.

 

[makaroni]

I think it's like this to save you time from having to switch modes. You could lose a spur of the moment memory of you had to switch modes. Not sure about the zoom issue though. Mine recognizes faces and when I hit record it simply records. I don't get an unwanted zoom. What mode are you shooting in?

 

[markalpan]

I'm just in auto mode. I like that the picture capture button and video record button are right there next to each other. I just wish it didn't zoom in when I click record. No other device I've ever owned has done this.

 

[msavic6]

There is a valid reason for this though and it is a hardware constraint. The S7 has a 4:3 sensor thus when you are set at 12mp you are utilizing the full 4:3 aspect ratio.

Video on the other hand is 16:9 format, unfortunately this doesn't match up with the sensors default aspect ratio thus the phone crops the image or "zooms" in as you put it in order to conform to the 16:9 aspect ratio of video.

One thing that might help out is setting your phone to 16:9 9.1mp image size, this should in theory prevent the cropping/zooming.

Hopefully that explains what is going on.

 

[bullittmustang]

There is a valid reason for this though and it is a hardware constraint. The S7 has a 4:3 sensor thus when you are set at 12mp you are utilizing the full 4:3 aspect ratio.

Video on the other hand is 16:9 format, unfortunately this doesn't match up with the sensors default aspect ratio thus the phone crops the image or "zooms" in as you put it in order to conform to the 16:9 aspect ratio of video.

One thing that might help out is setting your phone to 16:9 9.1mp image size, this should in theory prevent the cropping/zooming.

Hopefully that explains what is going on.

Unfortunately, it does the same thing in 16:9 mode. It looks fine when it's played back though.

 

[msavic6]

Unfortunately, it does the same thing in 16:9 mode. It looks fine when it's played back though.

Do you have electronic video stabilization enabled?

 

[flintlock]

Do you have electronic video stabilization enabled?

The only settable stabilization I've seen seems to only apply to video. It also disables focus tracking. Electronic stabilization is a blurring process that ruins pictures. Optical moves the sensor or lens. Samsung claims this series has optical.

 

[makaroni]

I just tried it to see what you're talking about. It seems to slightly zoom in on an object but not so much where I would have to move back from the object in order to get it back into the frame. The only way I see this being possible is if you're like right on the object, meaning you're less than a couple feet from it. Otherwise, I don't have this issue with my phone. It's working fine.

 

[flintlock]

It changes the zoom so it changes what's in the frame. If the photographer cares about that (and any real photographer does) then it's an issue. An artist learns to work with the tools on hand to get the result. But he/she shouldn't face needless additional obstacles.

I didn't see a way to disable this "quick" setting.

 

[GadgetGator]

I just tried it to see what you're talking about. It seems to slightly zoom in on an object but not so much where I would have to move back from the object in order to get it back into the frame. The only way I see this being possible is if you're like right on the object, meaning you're less than a couple feet from it. Otherwise, I don't have this issue with my phone. It's working fine.

If you also want what is on the left and right edges it matters...a LOT.

 

[msavic6]

It changes the zoom so it changes what's in the frame. If the photographer cares about that (and any real photographer does) then it's an issue. An artist learns to work with the tools on hand to get the result. But he/she shouldn't face needless additional obstacles.

I didn't see a way to disable this "quick" setting.

It's not an "issue" it is there by design and a result of physical sensor dimensions and orientation. You can speak about professionals and what not but real photographers deal with this on a daily basis as nearly every DSLR shoots in 3:2 aspect ratio.

Switching to 16:9 formated 9.1mp and turning off the digital video stabilization which has no effect on the optical image stabilization built into the camera module will negate the cropping done by the phone when switching to video. I have tested this on phones in the store and know for a fact it works.

Digital video stabilization is done through a process which cuts out the exterior edges of the video in order to attempt to reduce vibration and shakiness. You can test this yourself by comparing the field of view with digital video stabilization enabled and disabled.

 

[GadgetGator]

It's not an "issue" it is there by design and a result of physical sensor dimensions and orientation. You can speak about professionals and what not but real photographers deal with this on a daily basis as nearly every DSLR shoots in 3:2 aspect ratio.

Switching to 16:9 formated 9.1mp and turning off the digital video stabilization which has no effect on the optical image stabilization built into the camera module will negate the cropping done by the phone when switching to video. I have tested this on phones in the store and know for a fact it works.

Digital video stabilization is done through a process which cuts out the exterior edges of the video in order to attempt to reduce vibration and shakiness. You can test this yourself by comparing the field of view with digital video stabilization enabled and disabled.

Thanks you thank you! Turning off "video stabilization" totally fixed this issue for me.

 

[msavic6]

Thanks you thank you! Turning off "video stabilization" totally fixed this issue for me.

Glad I could help!

 

[flintlock]

Good call. I see now it's a combo of stabilization and aspect ratio. I would have thought the ratio would just be a matter of revealing more image or cropping more off.

So the digital stabilization is an edge cropping technique. I was thinking it was jargon for the technique some still camera makers did of trying to imitate true VR (Nikon) or OIS (Canon). They blurred the pics worse. I still wonder what technique Samsung uses to stabilize.