Camera Over-Exposes way too much.

[CellTheUltimateAndroid]

Even in hdr mode. Heck, I took the same image on my Nexus 6 (2014) and g4. G4 overexposed the clouds. The nexus 6's hdr+ mode retained cloud detail. Why do people say this is the best smartphone camera when the frickin' nexus 6 beats it?

 

[Mooncatt]

I'm not familiar with the Nexus 6 to give any direct comparison, but every phone camera has a weakness. Clouds and similar subjects tend to be a common issue with exposure. Especially if there's other subjects you're trying to get in the shot too. Have you tried manual mode to increase shutter speed?

A sample pic may help if you can post one on here.

 

[CellTheUltimateAndroid]

OK here they are (first one is n6 second is g4) both are on hdr mode

 

[Mooncatt]

It looks like the G4 is trying to expose the landscape correctly, which would naturally over expose the sky. Vice versa with the Nexus, with the landscape looking somewhat underexposed.

Even with HDR, that's a tricky shot. What some pro photographers do is use a special filter that is tinted on the top half and clear on the bottom. This lets them expose the ground well, and the tinted portion effectively reduces the sky exposure too. You're not going to get great shots like that without some help.

Have you tried saving as RAW on the G4, then using something like Snapseed, Lightroom, or Photoshop Express to adjust the shadows and highlights?

 

[Mooncatt]

I just thought of something if you're not using manual mode. Tap on a portion of the sky in the G4 app. You should see a green square pop up there, which indicates the camera will meter the shot based on that area. That should help some too.

 

[CellTheUltimateAndroid]

This is no excuse. For a phone that's meant to be one of the best camera phones, the camera isn't very impressive

 

[Aflaaaak]

This is no excuse. For a phone that's meant to be one of the best camera phones, the camera isn't very impressive

I agree Mooncatt that the G4's camera exposure algorithm could have made the choice to expose for the sky and made it easier to bring up an underexposed landscape than fix blown out clouds, but it is somewhat common error for P & S modes, even on dedicated cameras...Auto Mode isn't Perfect Mode . Quick tap of the sky, a double beep or green square to confirm exposure is set, and it should help correct for this.

 

[Mooncatt]

This is no excuse. For a phone that's meant to be one of the best camera phones, the camera isn't very impressive

You could take that same shot with a $2000 professional camera and lens and still come out with the same results. Such highly contrasted shots are almost impossible to get right without extra work from the photographer. Either from filters, flashes, post editing, etc. Just because the G4 is tested to be one of the best doesn't mean it'll excel in all aspects.

And like I said earlier, the nexus photo has the landscape underexposed. If that's your preference, that's your choice. But to say there's a problem with the G4 in this kind of comparison is just being misguided at best. I just took these two shots on Auto Mode. One exposing on the trailer, and one exposing on the building in the background. You can see how much of a difference it makes, and why I suggested tapping the sky section on yours.

 

[Jim_in_VA]

This is a pano I shot with the G4 in auto mode. I had tapped on the sky for exposure

 

[anon(9681881)]

The problem with the overexposed cloud photo is the photographer not the camera. You have a huge majority of the image filled with white clouds and that is what the camera exposes for. The clouds are exposed perfectly. Try lowering the camera and having the foreground take up most of the photo and it would expose it for the foreground. The whole problem is there are two different exposures required to expose the image properly. The clouds and the foreground are radically different brightnesses. The camera cannot expose for both. You as the photographer must pick what you want the camera to expose for. You eyes do a much better job of seeing multiple exposures than a camera will.

 

[ManiacJoe]

OK here they are (first one is n6 second is g4) both are on hdr mode

This is what happens with all cameras when leave them in "auto" mode and give no input from the user.
Tapping on the screen tells the camera what you want the subject to be. The camera then adjusts the focus and the exposure to reflect your desires. With no input from the user, the camera will probably focus and expose for the center of the frame.

 

[benchph]

G4 still has the best camera. But dont expect it to produce the best images. Its still up to the user.

Its like buying a sports car and expecting yourself to instantly become a driving god. Of course you have to know how to handle the car properly to make the most of it.

 

[Inders99]

The problem with the overexposed cloud photo is the photographer not the camera. .

Yup...bottom line. There's a function called spot metering in photography for a reason.

 

[CellTheUltimateAndroid]

G4 still has the best camera. But dont expect it to produce the best images. Its still up to the user.

Its like buying a sports car and expecting yourself to instantly become a driving god. Of course you have to know how to handle the car properly to make the most of it.

Bull****. Recently I compared a shot with my g4 against my old NEXUS 5 (you read that right). Both in auto hdr. For the g4, the tap to focus made zero difference. The nexus 5 shot was better exposed, and was the overall better image.

 

[anon(9681881)]

Bull****. Recently I compared a shot with my g4 against my old NEXUS 5 (you read that right). Both in auto hdr. For the g4, the tap to focus made zero difference. The nexus 5 shot was better exposed, and was the overall better image.

You have a lot to learn about photography. You don't jump to radical conclusions just by taking a few shots. You don't know what you are doing or talking about and it would be best if you learned something about photography before posting any more garbage. And you need to learn to watch your language. It is called manners.

 

[Mooncatt]

Bull****. Recently I compared a shot with my g4 against my old NEXUS 5 (you read that right). Both in auto hdr. For the g4, the tap to focus made zero difference. The nexus 5 shot was better exposed, and was the overall better image.

From this, I'm going to have to assume one of two things. Either you prefer under exposed images like in your first sample shot, or you have a defect preventing the G4 from metering right.

If you like the under exposed look better for the clouds, that's simply personal preference and I can see where the G4 would disappoint when using auto mode. If you switch to manual mode (I almost always shoot in this mode, as you can still turn off AE-L for it to auto expose), you'd be able to create the same look as the N6 by reducing the shutter speed and/or ISO. I'd probably opt for exposing somewhere in between for better balance and more flexibility in editing. I'd also shoot it in RAW so there's more image detail to work with when editing.

When getting more serious in photography, almost every image will require some sort of editing. Sure, you want to get it as close as possible straight out of the camera so there's less editing to do, but it still happens. Heck, go look through the G4 photos thread here and see just how many great shots have a notation about which editing app they used. Beginners and amateurs may not have a desire to edit their photos, but you need to understand it's all part of the process. If your only desire is to point and shoot, then you need to lower your expectations and understand the limitations you're working with.

If you're tapping different areas in auto mode and it's truly not making a difference on how it's exposed, then you have a real issue. You can test this by switching to manual mode and checking the shutter speed and ISO readings at the top of the screen. With AE-L turned off and not moving the phone, touching different areas should not only change the live preview, but also show exactly how the shutter and ISO are being changed.

 

[Aflaaaak]

Bull****. Recently I compared a shot with my g4 against my old NEXUS 5 (you read that right). Both in auto hdr. For the g4, the tap to focus made zero difference. The nexus 5 shot was better exposed, and was the overall better image.

Did the G4 beep, or give you a green square where you tapped to confirm the lock? Did the image on the screen change after the exposure/focus lock tap?

 

[CellTheUltimateAndroid]

Did the G4 beep, or give you a green square where you tapped to confirm the lock? Did the image on the screen change after the exposure/focus lock tap?

Yes it did. There's nothing wrong with my g4 camera; the camera is fine, it just Over-Exposes worse than other phones in scenes with lighting. Not so brilliant for a phone people say is the best camera phone.
Search up kevinthetechninja's lg g4 videos on YouTube, he gives you the same story.
Lg g4 has great camera specs; shame lg didn't optimise the software for better performance.
The g4's camera is overrated, im getting a 6p.

 

[anon(9681881)]

Yes it did. There's nothing wrong with my g4 camera; the camera is fine, it just Over-Exposes worse than other phones in scenes with lighting. Not so brilliant for a phone people say is the best camera phone.
Search up kevinthetechninja's lg g4 videos on YouTube, he gives you the same story.
Lg g4 has great camera specs; shame lg didn't optimise the software for better performance.
The g4's camera is overrated, im getting a 6p.

The camera in my G4 is dynamite, but then I know how to use a camera.

 

[CellTheUltimateAndroid]

The camera in my G4 is dynamite, but then I know how to use a camera.

Oh I know how to use the camera all right. But even in manual mode, lowering the exposure in bright scenes give you less detail in dark scenes than even the nexus 5's shot. This isn't lack of skill from me, it's simply bad image processing from lg.
Also, you shouldn't just have to go to manual mode to get a decent shot. I've had to resort to manual mode plenty of times when the g4 overexposed(even in hdr). I shouldn't have to do this. The auto mode on the phone simply isn't very good.