Camera quality is absolutely horrendous. Am I doing something wrong?

[fjd726]

The camera on the Note 4 I just got isn't even close to be being as good as the Iphone 6 I have. Anything with the slightest movement, dog, kids, etc.. is a blurry mess. Other than camera, phone is great. Thinking of getting rid of it as the camera should perform much better imo.

 

[DynoMikeR]

I've noticed that a lot of Note 4 owners had not removed the protective film over the camera lens. This causing the blurred picture syndrome. People can't see or feel that it's there until you take it off. Then they have a, oh wow, moment.

 

[Almeuit]

I've noticed that a lot of Note 4 owners had not removed the protective film over the camera lens. This causing the blurred picture syndrome. People can't see or feel that it's there until you take it off. Then they have a, oh wow, moment.

It shouldn't mess with it. They cut a hole out over the lens so even if it is there .. it isn't covering the lens for pictures.

 

[Joe Nunya]

The camera on the Note 4 I just got isn't even close to be being as good as the Iphone 6 I have. Anything with the slightest movement, dog, kids, etc.. is a blurry mess. Other than camera, phone is great. Thinking of getting rid of it as the camera should perform much better imo.

Highly unlikely, you might be getting some better pictures with your iphone but that is only because you do not have the right apps and set up nor technique to get better pictures with your Note 4.
The Note 4 camera is better you just have to know how to use it.
You can also BTW downgrade your Note 4 to be just like the iphone, just take the image quality down a notch or two and it will be more forgiving like the iphone is.
If you are getting blurry pictures then use flash and download one of the "modes" available, also I always use the voice activated shutter this way you can hold the camera very still and just say shoot.

In a few months when we all have lollipop 5.0 you can get the Camera FV5 app and have a virtual DSLR camera on your phone.

 

[LaTuFu]

So based on that knowledge and the fact iPhone has consistently taken better pics from the 4S and up, iPhone users must have horrid "technique" that pairs nicely with their lower quality cameras. That must be the winning combo.

You've said this before in other threads, and it just hasn't been the case. My old GS2 and GS4 consistently took better pictures across the board than my wife's iPhone 4s. It wasn't even close. The iPhone has a solid camera, I'm not beating it down at all. But to say it takes better pics across the board is not what I have experienced first hand.

 

[LaTuFu]

Why? Poor technique and low camera quality clearly is the winning combo.

It's funny, someone points out a flaw in a smartphone camera and there's always someone who's work must be displayed in a museum or in national geographic and tells the user he/she should learn to take a photo.

Step one: understand the demographic. People want to take their phone out of their pocket and snap a pic. The phone that produces the best and most consistent results without 5 takes and a lighting umbrella is the one 99% of the people are going to want.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

I completely agree with your premise as far as "give the masses what they want" and you are right about Apple providing that.

But that doesn't make it a better camera.

The Model T was the best selling car in its era because it was affordable and easy to maintain. It was not the best car on the market in its era by a long shot. The same could be said of the VW Beetle during its long run. Few would argue its merits as a cheap, simple to operate, easy to maintain vehicle, but not many would proclaim it the best car ever made, either. McDonald's sells billions of dollars of cheap food, and few will hold it out as "great" food, even within the fast food genre.

The laziness of the average consumer, or whatever you want to label it, is not to be discounted, but just because a company chooses to serve that market it doesn't elevate that company to "best of breed."

 

[FBA]

Samsung just isn't able to build a camera that delivers sharp and crisp photos, unlike Apple.

iPhone camera crushes the android competition, thats the only reason why I'm a bit jealous at iPhones.

That's BS. My Note 3 and Note 4 take perfect shots and videos. Apple has nothing on this phone.

 

[SteveISU]

You've said this before in other threads, and it just hasn't been the case. My old GS2 and GS4 consistently took better pictures across the board than my wife's iPhone 4s. It wasn't even close. The iPhone has a solid camera, I'm not beating it down at all. But to say it takes better pics across the board is not what I have experienced first hand.

Year after year it is given the highest mark for a reason. That may not be what everyone experiences, as peoples tastes are different, but as far as consistency, it's hard to argue against it.

 

[SteveISU]

I completely agree with your premise as far as "give the masses what they want" and you are right about Apple providing that.

The laziness of the average consumer, or whatever you want to label it, is not to be discounted, but just because a company chooses to serve that market it doesn't elevate that company to "best of breed."

Is the smartphone camera meant to replace the PNS or the DSLR? It's a rhetorical question, the PNS by it very nature has always catered to the "lazy" as you call them. Where talking about smartphones, that IS the market. That's what we're talking about, whipping out your camera (ie...smartphone) and snap a pic of "life" right at that moment without worrying about ISO or shutter speed. That has been and always will be the very essence of a PNS/smartphone camera. There's no need to make it more complicated than that because 98% of the population wants just that.

 

[LaTuFu]

Is the smartphone camera meant to replace the PNS or the DSLR? It's a rhetorical question, the PNS by it very nature has always catered to the "lazy" as you call them. Where talking about smartphones, that IS the market. That's what we're talking about, whipping out your camera (ie...smartphone) and snap a pic of "life" right at that moment without worrying about ISO or shutter speed. That has been and always will be the very essence of a PNS/smartphone camera. There's no need to make it more complicated than that because 98% of the population wants just that.

I'm not arguing functionality. I'm simply saying, catering to the masses does not automatically equate to "best" for anything. The iPhone has a good quality camera, and a solid all around device. I would not characterize either the camera specifically or the device in general as the "best" available.

 

[LaTuFu]

Year after year it is given the highest mark for a reason. That may not be what everyone experiences, as peoples tastes are different, but as far as consistency, it's hard to argue against it.

But it hasn't been given the highest marks year after year. Since its release, it has consistently been given "pretty solid" marks for performance. It has increasingly been receiving criticism for sticking with the status quo and not wanting to push performance, which is something the brand was known for when Jobs was at the helm.

 

[Nick_1020]

Still think the 808 and 1020 and comfortably ahead of all other competitors. Quite a few smartphones produce nice photos these days but the oversampling, xenon flash and manual controls puts the the Nokias well ahead imho. I really like some of the photos my Note 4 has taken but in low light and movement, it struggles. The iPhone 6 seems to handle movement a little better but simply cannot match the IQ of the 808 and 1020.

Ignoring the IQ, both the iPhone and Android handsets absolutely hammer the Nokias/MS phones. They're faster and win in the feature/ecosystem stakes. It all depends on what you want from a smartphone. If IQ is high on your list, go for the Nokia 808 or 1020. If you want decent quality burst mode, tons of apps and regular updates and improvements, go with something else.

Really pleased with opting for the Note 4 thus far.

Edit: Before anyone directs me to the dxomarks site for mobile phones, I would just like to point out how flawed I believe their marking system to be. More emphasis should be placed on IQ rather than speed. Like I mentioned above, if you want something that takes outstanding photos, go with the Nokia. For anything else, iOS/Android..take you pick

 

[furfmonkey]

first off if you are an apple fanboy why are you in a note 4 forum? second the note 4's camera is the best camera (quality wise) thats pretty much ever been put on an android smartphone ever... either you have unrealistic expectations of a phones camera or you are here for drama... i have yet to even find a bad review online that wasnt some paid for by apple website

 

[ronpfid]

A couple of things.

First, make sure you have HDR turned off. You can't take motion photos with it on since it combines multiple photos so if something moves it will be blurry.

Second, you can't defeat physics. the combo of f-stop, ISO and shutter speed has to be right. A camera can't read your mind so you have to give it some hints, either by using semi-manual controls or using an "action setting".

My guess is that people don't know about the HDR thing and I think its on by default.


John

Right on.
I have a DSLR, and even with my 50mm 1.8 lens at ISO 1600 for the fastest shutter without too much noise, I cannot get crisp pics of moving subjects in low light without flash. It's just the laws of physics. The faster the subject is moving, the faster the shutter speed you require for a visibly sharp shot. There is no way to get a bright exposure at 1/500th or faster in low light without super high iso or an F0.5 lens which doesn't exist. That's where a 5000 dollar full frame DSLR shot at ISO 12k with an F1.4 lens would come in handy

I've had an iphone, 3 blackberries and several androids, this note 4 really is the best IMO. The things a camera does do that affects a photo, this does great. It's white balance is really close most of the time, it balances it's flash the best I've seen, you can use it when closer to the subject without over exposure which most phones suffer from. It's HDR is great (my HTC ONE has horrid HDR, you have preset exposure, then switch to HDR for every shot otherwise it blows out the highlights like mad).

 

[SteveISU]

first off if you are an apple fanboy why are you in a note 4 forum? second the note 4's camera is the best camera (quality wise) thats pretty much ever been put on an android smartphone ever... either you have unrealistic expectations of a phones camera or you are here for drama... i have yet to even find a bad review online that wasnt some paid for by apple website

Stating a competitor does something consistently good and rated high doesn't make anyone a fan boy, it's called being unbiased and giving credit where credit is due. Lemme guess, the Note 4's finger print scanner works just as well as touchID too right?

 

[Bobbman]

Stating a competitor does something consistently good and rated high doesn't make anyone a fan boy, it's called being unbiased and giving credit where credit is due. Lemme guess, the Note 4's finger print scanner works just as well as touchID too right?

Fingerprint scanner iPhone wins. Note 4 camera in most situations is a lot better than the iPhone. Clear, sharp pictures with lots of detail that can be cropped. Lowlight slight nod to iPhone if movement of subjects is involved. If there is no movement they are pretty close in lowlight. Note 4 camera is stellar...you should try it.

 

[sparksd]

Right on.
I have a DSLR, and even with my 50mm 1.8 lens at ISO 1600 for the fastest shutter without too much noise, I cannot get crisp pics of moving subjects in low light without flash. It's just the laws of physics. The faster the subject is moving, the faster the shutter speed you require for a visibly sharp shot. There is no way to get a bright exposure at 1/500th or faster in low light without super high iso or an F0.5 lens which doesn't exist. That's where a 5000 dollar full frame DSLR shot at ISO 12k with an F1.4 lens would come in handy

I've had an iphone, 3 blackberries and several androids, this note 4 really is the best IMO. The things a camera does do that affects a photo, this does great. It's white balance is really close most of the time, it balances it's flash the best I've seen, you can use it when closer to the subject without over exposure which most phones suffer from. It's HDR is great (my HTC ONE has horrid HDR, you have preset exposure, then switch to HDR for every shot otherwise it blows out the highlights like mad).

Yeah, I've been looking at EXIF info from some pictures taken in Auto mode without flash or HDR in a reasonably well-lit room and I see f-stop at 2.2 and a range of shutter speeds from 1/8 sec to 1/30 sec. At those speeds anything not static will show blur. But the quality is quite good (not like my DSLR of course) and the stabilization worked very well. Unless you have full control over the settings, including shutter speed for the purposes of the discussion, you'll see issues like blurring under some conditions. But a faster shutter speed at f2.2 means higher ISO and graininess though grain can be addressed in post-processing.

 

[derekfaircloth]

Note 4 camera is amazing to me.
My brother visited this past weekend who is a iphone freak.
He Was amazed at the camera.
He went the most crazy when I showed him about what the S-pen could do and he wrote a little.
Maybe another convert!

John 3:16

 

[kurt p]

I'd really like to see people post some pics of their motion shots without blur. Please.

Posted via the Android Central App

I took the pictures of my 4 year old running outside with the sport mode and the one on the bike was with the shots and more mode.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Premium1]

Face the truth, we have two note 4's and 1 iphone 6 plus in the house and we all agreed the iPhone camera is better than the note 4, regardless the note 4 documented double the mega pixel of the iPhone.
I've used the note series from 1-4.

They never said "the best" they said one of the best. But check any reviews and you can see how well the note 4 does. Not sure how the OP is getting such bad photos, they either got a defective unit, or don't know how to take a photo lol