camera advice

[GadgetMomma]

Ok, so all I heard about was the fact that the Note 8 camera was amazing and bests out he iPhone camera, etc. But I can't seem to figure out how to work it to get the beautiful shots that people say are possible. Am I doing something wrong?

Clarification: I'm talking specifically about shots of my kids, and about papers/books/documents. I want pictures of my kids for obvious reasons, and the pictures of the other things are for the blog I write. On my iPhone, I could focus on the subject, slide the slider to brighten the picture, and take it, and it was bright and sharp and beautiful. On my Note, the documents and papers are much warmer toned, which isn't a good look for what I'm wanting (I want the paper to be cool and white), and my kids are always, always blurry. I've tried automatic settings, sport settings, and that option where you have the little movie clip taken with the picture.

So is this really a better camera, but only if you're willing to put in the time to use the manual controls? Because for me (so far, and I'm perfectly willing to own that I may not know what I'm doing on this phone), my iPhone pictures are beating the pants off my Note pictures.

 

[edubb256]

It's hard to give advice without seeing pictures you've taken. If you could post some comparison shots, showing a comparison of iphone and Note 8 that would help.

 

[daves221]

also, you may want to try the CamScanner app for your documents.. it will straighten them, lighten them to look more like a scan, and you can find tune cropping at the corners, etc. it will also help you keep them organized.

 

[andytiedye]

Open Camera allows easy adjustment of white balance (and everything else)

 

[anon(7901790)]

For your kids, use sports move. Open the camera app and swipe right and select sports mode. It automatically uses a faster shutter speed. Put it in pro mode and then set a higher shutter speed.

As for documents, I use Microsoft Office Lens.

 

[SteMag64]

I have the same problem, very difficult to get a descent picture in low light (indoors)
With my last phone Galaxy S7 edge It was just “point and shoot” automode, no problem always crisp and sharp result.
Now I get somewhat oversmoothened and unsharp pictures, almost like Samsung it tweaking it too much? I have the international version with Samsung’s own lenses.
My guess it has to be a software issue, I really like taking pictures, have done so with several earlier Samsung phones, always with good or descent result and have tried everything to rule out user mistakes.
Coming from an S7 edge with a fantastic camera who always took perfect pictures to a Note 8 who is really letting me down.

Note 8:



S7 edge:



I think that the pictures taken with my S7 edge are sharper, what do you think?

 

[Spencurious]

Sensor size is one of the most important factors when it comes to low light photos. A bigger sensor also allows you to use higher ISO sensitivity, which enables faster shutter speeds for subjects that move, such as kids.

Unfortunately the Note 8 has a smaller sensor than the iPhone or other top end phones such as the Sony XZ series. The Note 8 relies on clever processing to get decent looking images, but in the end size matters.

Using the manual mode to select max aperture can help, and post processing on your phone using an app like PIXLR can sort out the tone in your document shots.

And check the White Balance for your document shots ( in Pro mode) - it needs to match the type of lighting.

 

[pool_shark]

Try pro mode. In there you can change the lighting conditions like incandescent, daylight, cloudy, etc.
You can also choose the brightness, focus, ISO, etc.

 

[SteMag64]

Yes i know about pro mode...

My concern is that my Note 8 is performing less good in auto mode than my old S7 edge.

 

[edubb256]

Sensor size is one of the most important factors when it comes to low light photos. A bigger sensor also allows you to use higher ISO sensitivity, which enables faster shutter speeds for subjects that move, such as kids.

Unfortunately the Note 8 has a smaller sensor than the iPhone or other top end phones such as the Sony XZ series. The Note 8 relies on clever processing to get decent looking images, but in the end size matters.

Using the manual mode to select max aperture can help, and post processing on your phone using an app like PIXLR can sort out the tone in your document shots.

And check the White Balance for your document shots ( in Pro mode) - it needs to match the type of lighting.

I think this might be misleading in a couple ways:

1. The Note 8 has a fixed aperture, so there is no way to select max aperture in Pro mode. In general, you can't change the aperture on a smartphone.

2. The Note 8 has a larger sensor than the Iphones. Besides, if you are talking about low light image quality, pixel size is much more important than sensor size. The only smartphones I'm aware of that have a larger sensor are the Sony Xperia XZ Premium and the original Pixel (the new Pixel 2 has a smaller sensor). But the Sony has smaller pixels, so there is no benefit of the larger sensor with regard to low light image quality.

 

[edubb256]

I have the same problem, very difficult to get a descent picture in low light (indoors)
With my last phone Galaxy S7 edge It was just “point and shoot” automode, no problem always crisp and sharp result.
Now I get somewhat oversmoothened and unsharp pictures, almost like Samsung it tweaking it too much? I have the international version with Samsung’s own lenses.
My guess it has to be a software issue, I really like taking pictures, have done so with several earlier Samsung phones, always with good or descent result and have tried everything to rule out user mistakes.
Coming from an S7 edge with a fantastic camera who always took perfect pictures to a Note 8 who is really letting me down.

Note 8:
View attachment 276607
View attachment 276608

S7 edge:
View attachment 276609
View attachment 276610

I think that the pictures taken with my S7 edge are sharper, what do you think?

I agree the S7 edge pictures are sharper. But, it also looks like the S7 pictures are taken in better light, so that is factor. That said, I had the S7 Edge and Note 8 and my Note 8 pictures are definitely better. If you are finding that your Note 8 pictures are consistently worse than the S7 Edge ones, you may have a defective Note 8.

 

[Spencurious]

I think this might be misleading in a couple ways:

1. The Note 8 has a fixed aperture, so there is no way to select max aperture in Pro mode. In general, you can't change the aperture on a smartphone.

2. The Note 8 has a larger sensor than the Iphones. Besides, if you are talking about low light image quality, pixel size is much more important than sensor size. The only smartphones I'm aware of that have a larger sensor are the Sony Xperia XZ Premium and the original Pixel (the new Pixel 2 has a smaller sensor). But the Sony has smaller pixels, so there is no benefit of the larger sensor with regard to low light image quality.

Ah - good point about aperture - I now see it's not a variable aperture like a bigger camera. But on your point 2 - the specs I can find indicate that the iPhone has a bigger sensor than the Note 8 for it's main camera?

And pixel size for the XZ Premium also looks to be bigger.

 

[Spencurious]

Ah - good point about aperture - I now see it's not a variable aperture like a bigger camera. But on your point 2 - the specs I can find indicate that the iPhone has a bigger sensor than the Note 8 for it's main camera?

And pixel size for the XZ Premium also looks to be bigger.

After more Googling I'm not sure now .....

Note 8

26mm Wide angle with 12MP 1/2.55" sensor (1.4 µm pixel size), F1.7 and OIS

iPhone X

The sensor is reportedly bigger and thus, can capture 83 percent more light. Assuming a crop factor of 7 and a 1/2.9-inch sensor size on the iPhone 7, this would approximately mean a 1/2.0-inch format, which would be bigger than in other current smartphones. I am very excited about the additional details.

 

[edubb256]

Ah - good point about aperture - I now see it's not a variable aperture like a bigger camera. But on your point 2 - the specs I can find indicate that the iPhone has a bigger sensor than the Note 8 for it's main camera?

And pixel size for the XZ Premium also looks to be bigger.

Which specs / sources are you finding?

Here are examples confirming what I was saying:

Imaging Resource says Iphone 8 Plus has 1/3 inch sensor

Apple iPhone 8 Plus Review

DXOMark says Note 8 has 1/2.55” sensor with (with 1.4 micron pixel size)

DXOMark says Sony XZ Premium has 1.22 micron pixel size

https://www.dxomark.com/category/mobile-reviews/

PC Mag says iphone 8 and X have 1/3 inch sensor and Note 8 has 1/2.55 inch sensor

https://www.pcmag.com/article/356416/iphone-8-plus-vs-galaxy-note-8-camera-battle

 

[Spencurious]

Which specs / sources are you finding?

Here are examples confirming what I was saying:

Imaging Resource says Iphone 8 Plus has 1/3 inch sensor

Apple iPhone 8 Plus Review

DXOMark says Note 8 has 1/2.55” sensor with (with 1.4 micron pixel size)

DXOMark says Sony XZ Premium has 1.22 micron pixel size

https://www.dxomark.com/category/mobile-reviews/

PC Mag says iphone 8 and X have 1/3 inch sensor and Note 8 has 1/2.55 inch sensor

https://www.pcmag.com/article/356416/iphone-8-plus-vs-galaxy-note-8-camera-battle

Ah yes - I was looking at the Apple claim of more light gathering than the iPhone 8, and some early reports that ithe X had a bigger sensor than the 8.

I can't find the spec for X sensor, and it's not in the Apple details, but latest report suggest 8 and X have the same.e sized sensor.

 

[Gray Area]

I agree the S7 edge pictures are sharper. But, it also looks like the S7 pictures are taken in better light, so that is factor. That said, I had the S7 Edge and Note 8 and my Note 8 pictures are definitely better. If you are finding that your Note 8 pictures are consistently worse than the S7 Edge ones, you may have a defective Note 8.

I've had the same experience, note 8 pics have turned out are slightly better than s7 edge pics did IMO.

 

[anon(7901790)]

After more Googling I'm not sure now .....

Note 8

26mm Wide angle with 12MP 1/2.55" sensor (1.4 µm pixel size), F1.7 and OIS

iPhone X

The sensor is reportedly bigger and thus, can capture 83 percent more light. Assuming a crop factor of 7 and a 1/2.9-inch sensor size on the iPhone 7, this would approximately mean a 1/2.0-inch format, which would be bigger than in other current smartphones. I am very excited about the additional details.

The problem is that the iPhone X's sensor size is an estimate. I can't find any information confirming the iPhone X's sensor size.

And the difference between 1/2" and 1/2.55" is negligible.

 

[Fred98TJ]

The newest iPhones (8, 8+ and the X) have deeper pixels than the previous iPhones (7 and 7+) thus able to capture more light.
Also sensor size really has nothing to do with the iso sensitivity of the sensor.

 

[Chromium 4]

The cameras on my Note give great results, the best of any phone I've used. To add even more versatility, I also ported the Google Pixel camera software wish really shines in challenging dynamic range situations.

 

[Spencurious]

The newest iPhones (8, 8+ and the X) have deeper pixels than the previous iPhones (7 and 7+) thus able to capture more light.
Also sensor size really has nothing to do with the iso sensitivity of the sensor.

Sensor size does not change the iso sensitivity- but a larger sensor generally means bigger pixel size - resulting in less noise at higher ISO., which in practice raises the max useable iso. That's why phones really need to be below iso 800, whereas medium format cameras can go to 12000+ and still produce a good quality image.

But this wouldn't explain the issue the OP noticed 're the S7 vs Note 8. But the auto program may be different, with the Note 8 selecting a lower ISO to preserve quality - resulting in longer shutter speeds and blurred photos? I noticed my Note 8 in auto seems to select his 200 or 250 and a long shutter speed (for hand held) in lowish light. Perhaps Samsung was relying more on optical stabilization to allow longer shutter speeds, resulting in subject movement blur?

Pro mode would prove a work-around.