Is my S9+ camera defective?

[Michael_Archangel]

Maybe it's just more obvious on close photos of fluffy pets rather than on landscapes...

 

[Kko 5]

I've just bought a Galaxy S9+. Tried the camera side-by-side compared to my S7, and all photos have what looks like a red Instagram filter on them, and the lack of detail especially on closer shots such as pets is staggering. See example photos attached, where the cat's hair on his head on the S7 is nice and sharp, whereas on the S9+ it's all blurry and has a red tint...

I have returned the S9+ as in my opinion it's so bad. But I'm wondering if it's just a matter of taste or settings (I was just in Auto in both cases), or if my unit was actually faulty? I don't want to order a replacement one if the camera photos are going to be exactly the same.

I have the S7 too and performed the same tests and I agree with you. I must say that I am disappointed with the end results.... WTF???

 

[torbach1]

Disregarding any color issues, this is the same as I’ve been seeing, very very soft. No detail anywhere on anything.

Guys, it is soft in this case because it was way darker outside than what this photo makes it look like. My daughter has a Pixel and the photos of this were completely unusable, way too dark with hers. So I don't think the criticism of Sammy's camera for this particular photo is fair. I'll post here later for comparison.

 

[Michael_Archangel]

Guys, it is soft in this case because it was way darker outside than what this photo makes it look like. My daughter has a Pixel and the photos of this were completely unusable, way too dark with hers. So I don't think the criticism of Sammy's camera for this particular photo is fair. I'll post here later for comparison.

Ok fair enough. My photo was taken indoors at night with decent artificial lighting in the room. So although technically "low light", it wasn't very dark at all. The softness was particularly visible on closer shots, and especially noticeable with things like cat hair or details of fabric, or other textures. Maybe if you can post similar photos with yours and see if yours are sharper?

Also a separate issue, but I found the super slo-mo completely useless. It would not start when movement was in the square, so very hard to time right, and as soon as you switch to super slow-mo the screen goes completely dark and flickery. Even in broad day light the noise on the video was so bad it made the footage unusable.

 

[torbach1]

Ok fair enough. My photo was taken indoors at night with decent artificial lighting in the room. So although technically "low light", it wasn't very dark at all. The softness was particularly visible on closer shots, and especially noticeable with things like cat hair or details of fabric, or other textures. Maybe if you can post similar photos with yours and see if yours are sharper?

Also a separate issue, but I found the super slo-mo completely useless. It would not start when movement was in the square, so very hard to time right, and as soon as you switch to super slow-mo the screen goes completely dark and flickery. Even in broad day light the noise on the video was so bad it made the footage unusable.

I think your phone is defective. I took an awesome super slow mo video of snow yesterday as it was snowing outside. No dark screen, nothing like what you described. I can't upload video here, but try this link. https://photos.app.goo.gl/FdhYdFbAvyCijkZs2

 

[Michael_Archangel]

I think your phone is defective. I took an awesome super slow mo video of snow yesterday as it was snowing outside. No dark screen, nothing like what you described. I can't upload video here, but try this link. https://photos.app.goo.gl/FdhYdFbAvyCijkZs2

Yeah mine didn't come out like that at all. Can you take a close-up photo of something in low(ish) light indoors condition please? If yours turns out sharp I might try a replacement unit (although a couple of other people in this thread seem to also have softness issues like I described). Thanks!

 

[torbach1]

Yeah mine didn't come out like that at all. Can you take a close-up photo of something in low(ish) light indoors condition please? If yours turns out sharp I might try a replacement unit (although a couple of other people in this thread seem to also have softness issues like I described). Thanks!

Sure, later ok today when I'm back from work, I'll do that. I'll also take the same photos with my wife's S8 and post both.

 

[Trevor Britton]

Yeah mine didn't come out like that at all. Can you take a close-up photo of something in low(ish) light indoors condition please? If yours turns out sharp I might try a replacement unit (although a couple of other people in this thread seem to also have softness issues like I described). Thanks!

I purchased my wife the S9+ and taking any picture where the subject moves at all in anything other than perfect lighting will come out with blurry unfocused pictures. We were considering returning it because her S7 Edge takes better action shots. I think it is not defective but just the way it is. If you notice every picture you see posted where it looks decent is some type of scenery shot and not a shot of a person in low light. If the subject moves at all it will not be sharp.

 

[htcrazy]

I purchased my wife the S9+ and taking any picture where the subject moves at all in anything other than perfect lighting will come out with blurry unfocused pictures. We were considering returning it because her S7 Edge takes better action shots. I think it is not defective but just the way it is. If you notice every picture you see posted where it looks decent is some type of scenery shot and not a shot of a person in low light. If the subject moves at all it will not be sharp.

I have to agree. I've had the S6, S7 and S8 and was considering the S9+. I'm not sure why everyone is obsessed with low light photography. Even with my S8 night time scenes are rendered too bright and I have to use pro mode to get a more realistic shot. All they had to do was put the wonderful 16mp 16:9 camera from the S6 on here and I doubt you would have heard many complaints. I don't think anyone's S9 or S9+ is defective. This is "the way it is". Now why any manufacturer cannot design a phone with Samsung's quality screen, the camera and software experience of the Pixel 2, the front facing speakers of the Razer phone and the quad dac of the LG V30 is beyond me. One tech site said Samsung is trying to be the jack of all trades and master of none. Forget the childish gimmicks and just give us a good looking phone with a great camera, audio and software experience. It shouldn't be this difficult.

 

[torbach1]

If this really is universal, Samsung will resolve it with a software fix if they hear from enough people.

 

[Mike Dee]

it looks like the same exact picture but a different shade

The top one is sharper

 

[Kko 5]

1. Exposure, 2. Dynamic Range and 3. Edge Detection issues

 

[Michael_Archangel]

I think this test illustrates the issue pretty well: https://hothardware.com/news/galaxy-s9-versus-pixel-2-xl-camera-shoot-out-lets-compare

The picture of the dogs in bed in low light shows how the white of their fur becomes reddish on the S9, whereas on the Pixel 2 they remain white:

https://hothardware.com/ContentImages/NewsItem/43874/content/big_ulta-low-light-dogs-gs9.jpg
vs
https://hothardware.com/ContentImages/NewsItem/43874/content/big_ulta-low-light-dogs-pixel-2-xl.jpg

And the low light shot below of the dog sitting on the stairs shows how the detail in the fur is being lost on the S9, but remains on the Pixel 2:

https://hothardware.com/ContentImages/NewsItem/43874/content/big_yogi-not-lit-gs9.jpg
vs
https://hothardware.com/ContentImages/NewsItem/43874/content/big_yogi-not-lit-pixel-2-xl.jpg

It seems to be a mix of overly aggressive post processing and noise reduction, and also maybe that f1.5 is too wide for a smartphone resulting in a lot of the image out of focus...

 

[Johnny Cakes1]

I've just bought a Galaxy S9+. Tried the camera side-by-side compared to my S7, and all photos have what looks like a red Instagram filter on them, and the lack of detail especially on closer shots such as pets is staggering. See example photos attached, where the cat's hair on his head on the S7 is nice and sharp, whereas on the S9+ it's all blurry and has a red tint...

I have returned the S9+ as in my opinion it's so bad. But I'm wondering if it's just a matter of taste or settings (I was just in Auto in both cases), or if my unit was actually faulty? I don't want to order a replacement one if the camera photos are going to be exactly the same.

I have the same cat.. a Balinese, lol

 

[RapidTurtle]

Not enough detail in a lot of the pics I am seeing.

 

[Centerman66]

I think this test illustrates the issue pretty well: https://hothardware.com/news/galaxy-s9-versus-pixel-2-xl-camera-shoot-out-lets-compare

The picture of the dogs in bed in low light shows how the white of their fur becomes reddish on the S9, whereas on the Pixel 2 they remain white:

https://hothardware.com/ContentImages/NewsItem/43874/content/big_ulta-low-light-dogs-gs9.jpg
vs
https://hothardware.com/ContentImages/NewsItem/43874/content/big_ulta-low-light-dogs-pixel-2-xl.jpg

And the low light shot below of the dog sitting on the stairs shows how the detail in the fur is being lost on the S9, but remains on the Pixel 2:

https://hothardware.com/ContentImages/NewsItem/43874/content/big_yogi-not-lit-gs9.jpg
vs
https://hothardware.com/ContentImages/NewsItem/43874/content/big_yogi-not-lit-pixel-2-xl.jpg

It seems to be a mix of overly aggressive post processing and noise reduction, and also maybe that f1.5 is too wide for a smartphone resulting in a lot of the image out of focus...

I think your last point is spot on. People using that f1.5 lens don't realize how shallow the depth of field is with that wide open aperture. There will be things in sharp focus but objects just in front or behind this in focus field will start to blur and soften.

 

[new2tec]

So, if you guys don't like the camera, which phone are you switching to?

 

[torbach1]

I remain very impressed with the S9+. But I understand why some folks are less so. What I would suggest though before making any rash decisions one way or the other, is watching this comparison on YouTube, which I think of the comparisons is about the most balanced one that highlights some of the concerns raised hear about color. It shows though that whether its better or worse varies significantly based on a number of factors. https://youtu.be/ZEPOwKLh-90

 

[sqa4life]

So, if you guys don't like the camera, which phone are you switching to?

iPhone

 

[Michael_Archangel]

I have the same cat.. a Balinese, lol

They are very similar but mine is a Birman.