LG V20 - 1 Megapixel RAW (DNG) Photos Problem

[AC Question]

My LG V20, for some reason, is saving JPEG's correctly, but saving RAW (DNG) photos at 1 Megapixel, 1164 x 873, but at 22MB. It has great(er) Dynamic Range, but the photos are, well, 1MP. Really, unusually blurry. I spoke with LG Tech Support, and he was able to replicate the problem on his LG V20, stating that he would try to escalate the problem. (He also suggested that I turn off the "Save as RAW" feature.) I LOVE shooting in RAW, it's one of the many reasons I purchased the phone (on credit, of course).

If you have any suggestions, or if you are able to replicate the problem on your LG V20, please, PLEASE let me know. Hopefully LG is listening. It is their Flagship.

Thanks, Brian.

 

[Javier P]

Hello Brian, welcome to the forums. I moved your thread to the V20 forum where it'll be easier getting feedback from other owners.

 

[exmang73]

Just so you guys know, I am the Author. I asked the question before creating an account. I wanted to make sure that I would be able to answer questions and make comments on this issue. Thanks.

 

[exmang73]

Ok, thanks. I'm new, so I didn't know how this thing worked, lol.

 

[Mooncatt]

I initially thought maybe it was just that you were seeing a thumbnail version in the gallery since a raw file isn't typically natively viewable (the V20 is the first phone I've had that even let you view the raw file in the gallery app). After using Photoshop Express to open the RAW file and convert to a jpeg, the resulting image was reporting only about 1MP.

So good catch. I hadn't played much with the RAW files on here yet to notice the issue. Hopefully they get it sorted out.

 

[md308]

Never used it much either, but just tried mine with the same result, then downloaded Camera FV 5, which I used to use for manual controls on my Nexus 6, and the dng from it is 16mp, so could be an LG software issue?

 

[exmang73]

Wow, so it's not just my LG V20 doing this. This is AWESOME. Hopefully this raise awareness.

 

[exmang73]

I've been looking for a good (legit) Camera App that would save RAW correctly, thanks. Hopefully it will process regular photos without all the processing, just like the "Google Camera" app.

 

[Mooncatt]

I know the G4 handled RAW files without issue, so hopefully this will get fixed easily.

 

[exmang73]

The V10 handles RAW without issue as well. Perhaps it's an Android Nougat thing, or just a bug. So yeah, hopefully it does get fixed. Soon.

 

[AdamHLG]

Wow. Good catch. Issue confirmed (by me). Hope a fix rolls out soon.

 

[me23brown]

I think this is just a problem with LG gallery app because when I look at it there it shows 1mp but when I pull up the same file in snapseed it shows it in full resolution.

 

[exmang73]

I think this is just a problem with LG gallery app because when I look at it there it shows 1mp but when I pull up the same file in snapseed it shows it in full resolution.

Hmm, that could be. What's weird, at least in my case, is when I copy the RAW (DNG) files to the computer, it still shows up at 1164 x 873. Other info under Properties on Windows are:

Horizontal Resolution: 96 dpi
Vertical Resolution: 96 dpi
Bit Depth: 24
Compression: Uncompressed
Resolution Unit: 2
Focal Length: 4mm
ISO Speed: ISO-50
EXIF Version: 0221
Size: 22.2 MB
Exposure Program: Unknown

Program Name: LG CIC-AIT DNG v01.00

Some of these things are unknown to me, but may help.

Thanks.

 

[Mooncatt]

I think this is just a problem with LG gallery app because when I look at it there it shows 1mp but when I pull up the same file in snapseed it shows it in full resolution.

If this were the case, then the DNG file and resulting edit would have shown fine in Photoshop Express and Exmang73's details on the computer.

I did check Snapseed and it was working, but I'm thinking it handles RAW files in a non-standard way. For other programs, you open and edit the RAW file as a wholly separate image file. In Snapseed, it seems to edit using both the RAW and associated jpeg files at the same time somehow. I did do a test where I deleted the jpeg so Snapseed ONLY had the DNG file to use and it did save at the full resolution.

So yay for that, but that only makes this issue more confusing for me. I wonder why Snapseed seems to be the only program so far that can view and save the RAW files at full resolution.

 

[anon(782252)]

The gallery app on my V20 has the same issue with DNG but when I open the file in Lightroom on my Surface the metadata shows the correct info.

 

[aknotts66]

I bet it's a issue in the gallery app. The files 22mb so it's def a large raw or dng file

 

[exmang73]

Update:

I'm not sure if the V20 was able to do this before, but I'm now able to view RAW (DNG) pictures from the Photos app. This is great, so now I can preview what the sensor is really putting out without going to the computer. However, the file is still saving at 1MP. Definitely a flatter, brighter image. This camera's Dynamic Range really needs to be fixed. We went from a darker-biased image on the V10 to blown out highs on the V20. And the Noise Reduction is terrible (in Auto and slightly in Manual). Not quite deal breakers though (even at Best Buy/Sprint pricing).

 

[exmang73]

Now that I know how to add photos to the Forum, I can submit an example of what the RAW photo properties state.

This may help:

 

[Mooncatt]

This camera's Dynamic Range really needs to be fixed. We went from a darker-biased image on the V10 to blown out highs on the V20.

You can't really judge final image quality from the RAW file. By their very nature, RAW files will always look rather blah with poor colors and possibly even a lot of noise depending on sensor quality. Doesn't matter if it's from your phone or DSLR, RAW files will always take some editing to look right.

 

[exmang73]

You can't really judge final image quality from the RAW file. By their very nature, RAW files will always look rather blah with poor colors and possibly even a lot of noise depending on sensor quality. Doesn't matter if it's from your phone or DSLR, RAW files will always take some editing to look right.

Yes, this is absolutely true. In regards to RAW images from phones and DSLR (and the like), I enjoy using them every now and then to get the True Image from the sensor for later editing. I know that RAW has a wider color gamut, as compared to JPEG's, and can sometimes have higher Dynamic Range because it is not compressed and modified as with the JPEG image processing. Plus I can fiddle with the camera settings after the fact in Post.

As far as Dynamic Range (and perhaps I need to do more testing), you can get great images, but the camera tends to over exaggerate brighter areas.
Example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qfe9CTF930k

In this video, the host is shooting a sunset. The ground will be extremely dark, but the sky will be unrecognizable. You can't even tell it is a sunset. I think LG is doing this to help with night footage and pictures, but not evening landscapes. If you look at what Apple and Samsung bring to the table, clouds do exist. Fluffy clouds with beautiful blue, red, and golden skies behind them. Without the Manual mode, I usually can't get this image. And I know that this camera CAN do better than this. I know it's not a RED Camera, but this is a Content Creation camera for the masses.

Hopefully the video works.