Camera and photography performance

[pbike908]

Hello, I am in the market for a new phone and I am seriously considering the Pixel 5a.

The main reason why I haven't pulled the trigger yet, is I have been reading some things about how there is sometimes some lag when using camera which I thing is attributed to the 765G processor being not up to the task.

A couple of questions:

1. Is there any sort of delay when one once to take multiple photos of the same subject? Some times when I take pictures of things -- especially people, I will take 2 or 3 just to make sure someone isn't blinking. I think I saw somewhere that there may be a lag.

2. Same issue when taking photos in low light -- is there a lag when you take the picture meaning one has to hold the camera steady for a second or two when one takes a picture?

3. One review I saw shows a screen shot of someone using the Camera and a black screen with "Processing and a spinning circle" is showing after the snap. Is this just the camera storing the image to the gallery?

4. I think I also saw that if someone takes multiple still pictures in rapid succession the phone will overheat. Is this true?

5. I have read some things that there is some sort of delay from when one takes a photo until it appears in the gallery/Google Photos. Is that true?

I understand it's widely reported that recording 4K video at 60 FPS is a problem with over heating, but I don't care about that since I don't take video with phone cameras.

If Google had put the 780 chip in this phone, I think that would have solved many of these camera performance issues.

 

[PowrDroid]

Hello, I am in the market for a new phone and I am seriously considering the Pixel 5a.

The main reason why I haven't pulled the trigger yet, is I have been reading some things about how there is sometimes some lag when using camera which I thing is attributed to the 765G processor being not up to the task.

A couple of questions:

1. Is there any sort of delay when one once to take multiple photos of the same subject? Some times when I take pictures of things -- especially people, I will take 2 or 3 just to make sure someone isn't blinking. I think I saw somewhere that there may be a lag.

I wouldn't call it a lag, but there is a limit to how fast you can take photos by tapping on the Capture button. I guesstimate a person could take 3 photos in one second. So if you are taking photos of people and you want to eliminate photos with people with closed eyes, this isn't a problem. FYI, Pixel phones have a camera feature called "Motion Photos" which essentially takes a super short video and then allows you to pick which shot out of the sequence of perhaps 10 photos that you want to keep.

2. Same issue when taking photos in low light -- is there a lag when you take the picture meaning one has to hold the camera steady for a second or two when one takes a picture?

Yes, when taking photos in low light mode you must hold steady for a second or two while taking the shot. How long it take to get the shot depends on the light level. I don't think this is a Pixel thing, I believe any phone in low light mode (iPhone, Samsung, etc.) requires the phone to be held steady for a second or two.

3. One review I saw shows a screen shot of someone using the Camera and a black screen with "Processing and a spinning circle" is showing after the snap. Is this just the camera storing the image to the gallery?

Not sure, but I think that is the Pixel photo software doing its magic. I don't see that "processing" message when taking a one-off shot, but if I take several in a row I might see it for a split-second.

4. I think I also saw that if someone takes multiple still pictures in rapid succession the phone will overheat. Is this true?

I've never ran across this problem, not with my current 5a or my 2XL. I've never noticed it even getting a bit warmer and I take a lot of photos for work.

5. I have read some things that there is some sort of delay from when one takes a photo until it appears in the gallery/Google Photos. Is that true?

It could take up to a minute from when you take the photo and when it gets stored in the cloud in Google Photos. It might take longer depending on how your phone syncs to your Google account (and therefore to Google Photos) If you have it set to sync over LTE and/or wi-fi, your photos get to the cloud quickly, usually less than a minute. If you sync with wi-fi only and you are not on wi-fi, of course it will take until you get on wi-fi to upload your photos. All photos are immediately viewable on your phone since it's stored in memory there.

I understand it's widely reported that recording 4K video at 60 FPS is a problem with over heating, but I don't care about that since I don't take video with phone cameras.

I haven't recorded in 4K as yet, so I can't comment. I will say that "overheating" is a subjective term. I suppose 4K 60 FPS takes a lot of processing power, so the phone might get warmer. But overheat?

If Google had put the 780 chip in this phone, I think that would have solved many of these camera performance issues.

I don't know of any Pixel camera performance issues, so I can't comment.

 

[pbike908]

thanks for the reply...extremely helpful, so you use the camera on the 5a extensively and you are pleased with the quality of pictures and haven't experienced any issues with sluggish processing nor overheating?

 

[PowrDroid]

thanks for the reply...extremely helpful, so you use the camera on the 5a extensively and you are pleased with the quality of pictures and haven't experienced any issues with sluggish processing nor overheating?

I am extremely pleased with the quality of the pictures. I am constantly amazed at the detail, sharpness, and color fidelity of the photos this camera takes.

I have not experienced any sluggishness. No overheating whatsoever.

 

[ezdoit]

Very happy with the P5a. May not even get the 6 this year. The "subscription" deal with Google Fi is a big plus.

 

[Morty2264]

Though I use the Pixel 5, I've heard nothing but good things about the Pixel 5 a, especially in the photography department.

Keep us posted on whether or not you decide to get the Pixel 5a, and how you are liking it if you do decide to get it!

 

[pbike908]

I ordered a Galaxy S10e from Samsung Certified re-newed. I have a Galaxy S8 to trade in meaning out of pocket cost is $225 after trade in. My understanding is Samsung Certified re-newed are pristine with a new battery. I was pretty happy with the S8 and the S10e is essentially a 2 year newer S8.

I thought hard about the Pixel 5a, but I am not wild about the 765G processor and Gorilla Glass 3 at that price point. I kind of value phones at about $200 per year, and the Galaxy S10e is gonna get Android 12 and 4 years of security updates. I don't really care about 5g at this point so I will another year to let the carriers (I am on Verizon) further sort out of 5g.

Perhaps the 6a will be more to my liking.

 

[PowrDroid]

I ordered a Galaxy S10e from Samsung Certified re-newed. I have a Galaxy S8 to trade in meaning out of pocket cost is $225 after trade in. My understanding is Samsung Certified re-newed are pristine with a new battery. I was pretty happy with the S8 and the S10e is essentially a 2 year newer S8.

I thought hard about the Pixel 5a, but I am not wild about the 765G processor and Gorilla Glass 3 at that price point. I kind of value phones at about $200 per year, and the Galaxy S10e is gonna get Android 12 and 4 years of security updates. I don't really care about 5g at this point so I will another year to let the carriers (I am on Verizon) further sort out of 5g.

Perhaps the 6a will be more to my liking.

Thanks for the update. Enjoy your new phone!