Nexus 5 Camera - Improved with 4.4.2

[JeffDenver]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

The improvement in the camera with 4.4.2 is just ridiculous. Why didn't they release it like this? I was out at lunchtime today having a play with it. It's still no Lumia 1020 but it was never going to be and the benefits of Android v Windows Phone outweigh the difference between the cameras. Here are a couple of photos I took using HDR+ mode with no editing.

They look almost exactly the same as before. 4.4.2 just enhanced the color a little bit. The main enhancement was focus speed.

 

[sdc1]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

They look almost exactly the same as before. 4.4.2 just enhanced the color a little bit. The main enhancement was focus speed.

That's just not the case at all. I'm not even going to get into this discussion but all the evidence available goes against what you say. Google it.

You're quite defensive of the Nexus Jeff, you should try to be more subjective.

I'm happy with the update. In my opinion it's an improvement and to me that's all that matters.

 

[JeffDenver]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

That's just not the case at all.

That is what I am seeing. Do you have some comparison photos?

The problem I had before was getting it to focus quickly. I never had a problem getting it to focus eventually. Noise levels look exactly the same to me.

I'm not even going to get into this discussion but all the evidence available goes against what you say. Google it.

So you are saying you have no actual evidence. Ok.

These were unaltered 4.4 shots.

Explain what is wrong with them that is fixed now.

You're quite defensive of the Nexus Jeff, you should try to be more subjective.

I think you mean objective, LOL.

The problems you think existed did not actually exist. Thats my only point.

 

[QWIKSTRIKE]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

That's just not the case at all. I'm not even going to get into this discussion but all the evidence available goes against what you say. Google it.

You're quite defensive of the Nexus Jeff, you should try to be more subjective.

I'm happy with the update. In my opinion it's an improvement and to me that's all that matters.

That's it in a nut shell....you were rightto be upset with the performance when it was 1st introduced. I was definitely annoyed. I tried to take pictures and the damn focus just kept resetting. No it's more snappier, and colors are way more vibrant than before. I took random pictures and then compared them to the orignal scene and the colors and sharpness were exremely accurate. More accurate than my GS3, which I was happy with as well. Now I can move on to the next thing withthis phone.

 

[sdc1]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

Jeff, I meant subjective. You seem to be taking my opinion of the N5 personally, therefore subjective is the correct word. LOL.

I have no before shots as I didn't feel they were with keeping. Coming from a Lumia 1020 the step down was a shock.

My problem was the speed, tone and noise in low light. Pretty much any camera can capture an acceptable image in good light. Again, the reviews are all over the net. If you're happy with those shots then great. Was the tree and grass really that color though?

 

[JeffDenver]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

Jeff, I meant subjective. You seem to be taking my opinion of the N5 personally.

I have no before shots as I didn't feel they were with keeping. Coming from a Lumia 1020 the step down was a shock.

It should still be a shock. There is nothing on the Nexus I have seen so far that matches the Lumia 1020. Even with 4.4.2. It not only has been quality but an insane MP count. The Nexus 5, like every other phone out right now, will always be a step down from the Lumua 1020 as far as camera. Every review agrees on this.

Also: Note the low light shot above. Very little noise. That was on 4.4.

 

[sdc1]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

It should still be a shock. There is nothing on the Nexus I have seen so far that matches the Lumia 1020. Even with 4.4.2. It not only has been quality but an insane MP count. The Nexus 5, like every other phone out right now, will always be a step down from the Lumua 1020 as far as camera. Every review agrees on this.

Also: Note the low light shot above. Very little noise. That was on 4.4.

I agree completely. I stated as much above and referred to the benefits of Android outweighing the differences between the cameras. However, with the noticeable improvements in the 4.4.2 update the N5 is now perfectly acceptable.

Regarding the low light shot, the fluorescent lights are key to the lack of noise. If you'd tried that in a ton with one central ceiling light and flash on the results would have been very different, after you'd waited for the lens to lock focus for an unspecified amount of time of course.

 

[LegalAmerican]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

Jeff's photo samples seem to all be of objects standing or holding still. Wasn't the main issue with the new update that it would fix action type shots? I myself have seen a HUGE improvement in this way. I don't think anyone had any major issues with perfectly still shots.

 

[Brian Low]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

not seeing the improvement on 4.4.2 on my nexus 5. the only thing i notice is that the shutter speed is much quicker and the small ui changes they made, like hdr+ having the circle in the middle. Other than that, pictures look like they have a lot more noise as opposed to pictures i took on 4.4. Low light and night time shots have definitely gotten worse imo in 4.4.2 than in 4.4. I was walking home school yesterday when i got it and tried to get some images to compare so some low light and night time shots i already took. They look much worse on 4.4.2. Haven't had enough time to really try out daylight though.

 

[Chris_York]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

They need to go back and find the happy medium between the original software and the updated version. The ISO is getting ramped up too often and HDR+ is too desaturated and magenta tinged. HDR+ got worse and the non HDR mode became usable. Both came at the expense of added noise but HDR+ didn't need to take this hit. It was almost perfect before with maybe a touch too much bias on the highlights than the shadows. Chroma noise was also much more pronounced and as usual, is always hideous to look at. I'm all good with luma noise patterns. Look at the iPhone. Noise all over the place but it looks like GRAIN and that is by far preferable than too much noise reduction or the omission of better chroma noise reduction. Apple is far from perfect but sometimes, it's better to go with what you know needs to be done rather than listen to every demand from the customers who know nothing about photography or imaging.

Also, Jeff Denver, those low noise levels you were getting before are GONE. Those were the quality of shots I was getting before. Lots of detail, low noise but you had to be solid.

 

[jon_stewart]

What annoys me greatly is that with the 4.4.2 update, they haven't increased to minimum shutter speed of 1/8 second.

It's just ridiculous thinking that, even with OIS, you have a remote chance of consistently shooting crisp photos.

Come on Google, fix it properly, or allow us to tweak the minimum shutter speed.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[jon_stewart]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

Because it wasn't ready and they did not want to hold up kit Kat and the Nexus 5.

No, actually, because the raw capture api and software wasn't ready, so this was fallback.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[sdc1]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

Well, after several more disappointing attempts to photograph my kids in low light situations I decided that enough was enough. I've realized that having a really good camera on my phone is a priority for me and it needs to be up to the job of getting a good shot under a range of conditions. The N5 can't do this. Memories are too important to me to miss out on good shots due to a subpar camera.

The N5 as a phone is excellent, it does everything well. For the price it's a bargain. It's not for me though for the reasons stated. I've switched it for another Lumia 1020. I guess it's all about priorities and what you need/expect from your phone.

I'm not posting this to troll, nor am I wanting to start a flame war, I'm just giving my experience of the Nexus 5 for the sake of completion and for the benefit of others that might prioritise a camera on a phone.

 

[mattopotamus]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

Well, after several more disappointing attempts to photograph my kids in low light situations I decided that enough was enough. I've realized that having a really good camera on my phone is a priority for me and it needs to be up to the job of getting a good shot under a range of conditions. The N5 can't do this. Memories are too important to me to miss out on good shots due to a subpar camera.

The N5 as a phone is excellent, it does everything well. For the price it's a bargain. It's not for me though for the reasons stated. I've switched it for another Lumia 1020. I guess it's all about priorities and what you need/expect from your phone.

I'm not posting this to troll, nor am I wanting to start a flame war, I'm just giving my experience of the Nexus 5 for the sake of completion and for the benefit of others that might prioritise a camera on a phone.

I agree with you 100% about the camera. My biggest complaint is more often than not the camera does not focus properly. I tap to focus and the screen goes blurry and I have to try again. This is not a problem with still shots, but like you said, action shots are a complete hit or miss.

 

[JeffDenver]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

Well, after several more disappointing attempts to photograph my kids in low light situations I decided that enough was enough. I've realized that having a really good camera on my phone is a priority for me and it needs to be up to the job of getting a good shot under a range of conditions. The N5 can't do this. Memories are too important to me to miss out on good shots due to a subpar camera.

The N5 as a phone is excellent, it does everything well. For the price it's a bargain. It's not for me though for the reasons stated. I've switched it for another Lumia 1020. I guess it's all about priorities and what you need/expect from your phone.

I'm not posting this to troll, nor am I wanting to start a flame war, I'm just giving my experience of the Nexus 5 for the sake of completion and for the benefit of others that might prioritise a camera on a phone.

There is no camera that is going to match the Lumia 1020. That is pretty much a given. If the camera is your main concern on a smartphone, the lumia is what you want.

The Nexus 5 has an excellent camera for quality, but even compared to other high end Android phones it is not quick. IMO it is adequate as far as speed now (where it was slow before), but it has never been fast.

 

[sdc1]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

I agree with you 100% about the camera. My biggest complaint is more often than not the camera does not focus properly. I tap to focus and the screen goes blurry and I have to try again. This is not a problem with still shots, but like you said, action shots are a complete hit or miss.

That happened regularly, I missed some photos because of it.

 

[anon(8256055)]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

Well, after several more disappointing attempts to photograph my kids in low light situations I decided that enough was enough. I've realized that having a really good camera on my phone is a priority for me and it needs to be up to the job of getting a good shot under a range of conditions. The N5 can't do this. Memories are too important to me to miss out on good shots due to a subpar camera.

The N5 as a phone is excellent, it does everything well. For the price it's a bargain. It's not for me though for the reasons stated. I've switched it for another Lumia 1020. I guess it's all about priorities and what you need/expect from your phone.

I'm not posting this to troll, nor am I wanting to start a flame war, I'm just giving my experience of the Nexus 5 for the sake of completion and for the benefit of others that might prioritise a camera on a phone.

Troll!!! J/K.

Sorry the camera didn't work out for you, but it seems you gave it your best before determining it wasn't for you. You'll definitely like the camera on the Lumia. I had tried the L1020 before the N5, as it was my phone of choice. I take on average 1,000 pics per month for work, and I salivated over the L1020. I LOVED the pictures, but the OS drove me away from keeping it.

Look into the camera grip, and post some sample pics!

 

[sdc1]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

Troll!!! J/K.

Sorry the camera didn't work out for you, but it seems you gave it your best before determining it wasn't for you. You'll definitely like the camera on the Lumia. I had tried the L1020 before the N5, as it was my phone of choice. I take on average 1,000 pics per month for work, and I salivated over the L1020. I LOVED the pictures, but the OS drove me away from keeping it.

Look into the camera grip, and post some sample pics!

Cheers. This is my second Lumia 1020, I switched from a 1020 to the N5. Android is a great OS, streets ahead of anything else in terms of what it can do, but for me it's all about the camera. I have my Nexus 7 2013 for my Android fix. The 1020 is capable of taking outstanding photos. I'm not saying that mine are outstanding but here are some shots I took on a recent trip to Barcelona with my 1020 plus one of Belfast City Hall in Northern Ireland.

 

[chobits]

Re: Nexus 5 Camera - Terrible

Well, after several more disappointing attempts to photograph my kids in low light situations I decided that enough was enough. I've realized that having a really good camera on my phone is a priority for me and it needs to be up to the job of getting a good shot under a range of conditions. The N5 can't do this. Memories are too important to me to miss out on good shots due to a subpar camera.

The N5 as a phone is excellent, it does everything well. For the price it's a bargain. It's not for me though for the reasons stated. I've switched it for another Lumia 1020. I guess it's all about priorities and what you need/expect from your phone.

I'm not posting this to troll, nor am I wanting to start a flame war, I'm just giving my experience of the Nexus 5 for the sake of completion and for the benefit of others that might prioritise a camera on a phone.

I'm 1020 user for couple months, and it's funny how i think about the AF
its AF in low light condition is failing me especially when i try to photograph my toddler daughter indoor (low light) while she's moving (no flash, it ruins the photograph)
and AF is pretty slow (low light condition only and not that slow)
I can always use burst mode, but the quality is degrading a lot

how is the AF in low light condition compared to your previous Nexus 5?


I miss a lot of moment because of1020 shutter to shutter lag, but don't get me wrong ...
the result is just amazing, nothing else come close