S20 + The absolute worst camera ever or am I missing something?

[VidJunky]

I've had it with this phone. I was not intending to trade it as I've bought a $1000 phone every year for the last 3 years but holy butterflies Batman I can't do basic stuff with this thing.

I usually take a handful of point and shoot pics each week for work. Most of the time they are fairly close up of some small detail or something. But every pic I take with this camera that isn't a full scene shot is blurry. If I have to get close to something it never focuses at all. Tonight I had a really small part I needed to take a detail pic of just to show what I was looking at, two objects about 3mm apart and each object 1mm tall by 4mm long. I could not find a macro setting, so does this camera lack that?

I haven't played with too many of the other camera modes and since I needed this detail and it wouldn't focus I tried Live Shot. It focused better than before and I thought hey this will work. If you haven't used Live Shot, it's some kind of video option. I figured well it'll be alright I'll just do a frame grab and have my detail but there is no option for a frame capture. Are you flippin' kidding me? So I'm stuck taking a screenshot of a paused video, then editing that to crop out the rest of the screen.

So am I missing something? Is there a hidden macro setting? On the S10 you could choose which camera was active but I don't even see that option.

After I post this I'll probably go to the Play Store and see if it's just Samsung's poo poo software or if the phone is a complete loss for me.

 

[VidJunky]

OK quick update. I went online and figured someone out there would have had to of already been as frustrated as I am and tried something. I found a top 10 list and what's at the top of the list you might ask, Google Camera. Yeah the app that was pulled a hundred years ago. So how is that the best app for a phone that is less than a year old? In the comments someone points this out and they're told, it has to be side loaded. NO. That's ridiculous.

Anyway at like number 3 however I struck gold. Remember me saying how much I liked the S10 camera? How you could select the camera in use and all of that. Well Number 3 an app called One S10 Camera and it is amazing. So far all of the same features I remember from the S10 and it takes exactly the type of shots I was looking for. Oh and they are great. In focus and everything. Why the stock camera couldn't do this is beyond me but I kicked the stock camera off my home screen and put this other one. I'm both relived and thrilled. If nothing else maybe this thread will help someone else.

 

[RapidTurtle]

I'm no photographer, but I really like my S20 plus camera. I just got the phone a few months ago, but remember reading when the S20 line first came out, they were having some focusing problems. Most of those problems were fixed with software updates though.
Is your phones software up to date?

 

[X1tymez]

You haven't seen the s20 ultra auto focus. I prefer s20 plus camera.

 

[Mike Dee]

I guess some devices have issues because I have no complaints on the S20 Ultra

 

[VidJunky]

I'm all up to date except for the A11 One UI 3 update that just showed up. At a distance it isn't that bad. Like I said if it is a full shot of something like in a room or outdoors it isn't bad. I take pics like that too but my issue was like stuff sitting on a table with the phone less than a foot away. Usually less than 6" because I need a detail or something. The seeming complete lack of a Macro setting is frustrating.

I have also missed pics with this phone. I can't tell you how many times I've taken 3 pics and ended up with one or two. It seems to take the pic but if I don't check the preview it's a guessing game.

The S10 camera that I downloaded works great though. My only small issue with it so far is it won't save them to my SD. Thinking about it now... I wonder if I can get Tasker to do that for me? Anyway I don't have that much on the phone to have to worry about space and I have Google auto backup turned on so I'm covered. Otherwise the cameras are pretty good Samsung just dropped the ball with the software it seems.

 

[VidJunky]

I know not many have or use Tasker but I was able to get it to move the pics. I had to try a couple of profiles to get one that worked. This one both moves the images and deletes them from the internal memory.

https://boddhayan.wordpress.com/201...orage-to-the-sd-card-with-the-help-of-tasker/

 

[TheGoodNamesAreGone]

My s20 has big time focus issues and overexposure when using flash. On a still object it can take 8-10 seconds for it to focus properly. If there is any motion from the object whatsoever, it will not focus at all. Flash washes the images out due to severe overexposure.

 

[RapidTurtle]

I never use the flash on any cell phone. They always wash the image out.

 

[mustang7757]

I never use the flash on any cell phone. They always wash the image out.

Neither do I.

 

[VidJunky]

I was just commenting on how much better so many things appear to be after this last update to A11 UI3 and I'm tempted to try the stock camera again. For me, or at least to me, so many things seem better since the update. I mean even the screen seems brighter, clearer and more responsive. Features like Smart Lock appear to be working correctly. I may even enable Auto Restart to see if that was fixed as well. It finally feels like a new phone.

 

[VidJunky]

Update: Nope. The One s10 Camera that I downloaded still blows the stock app out of the water. Again, this is just one way I use the camera that is important to me, outside of this it's not a horrible camera. The auto focus for close up things still won't focus. Not sure why they went away from the lens select feature of the S10. Picking the camera / mode to use is such a great option. I pick Macro and bam, up close and focused, perfect. I'll show you what I mean. I really don't have to say which is which but this is the level of detail I often need. Being able to read the words on the key is impossible with the stock camera. There's no way I'd be able to get a part number or show a scratch or any other detail really.

 

[Mike Dee]

Update: Nope. The One s10 Camera that I downloaded still blows the stock app out of the water. Again, this is just one way I use the camera that is important to me, outside of this it's not a horrible camera. The auto focus for close up things still won't focus. Not sure why they went away from the lens select feature of the S10. Picking the camera / mode to use is such a great option. I pick Macro and bam, up close and focused, perfect. I'll show you what I mean. I really don't have to say which is which but this is the level of detail I often need. Being able to read the words on the key is impossible with the stock camera. There's no way I'd be able to get a part number or show a scratch or any other detail really.
View attachment 330043View attachment 330044

I'm not sure why you get such bad results. What zoom setting are you using?

 

[VidJunky]

Well maybe that's what I've been doing wrong... I'm not zooming at all. I just tried it and the results were better. So that's what I've been missing I guess. Trying to do it the S10 way, just pick a camera and take the shot vs the evidently S20 way zoom in... Welp I spoke too soon. I had to take the pic twice cause the first time I thought it took it but then when I checked the gallery it wasn't there. Does that happen to you? Because that's another annoyance. So many times I've taken 2, 3 or more pics only to find that I have less than expected. You're right though using the zoom improved the shot.

 

[gray2018]

I agree with you. I don't know what it is with the stock cameras on the recent Galaxy devices this year, but they are garbage if you ask me. Samsung is generally known to have amazing image quality from their cameras. I think the problem is a lot of companies are trying to jam too many megapixels into the camera sensor now.

I have tried out the S20 FE, the S20 and the Note 20 Ultra. All had the same issue... They looked either washed out, bland or too sharp to the point where the picture didn't look right. Never had this problem with a Samsung device before. My Note 9 camera is spectacular.

 

[Mike Dee]

Well maybe that's what I've been doing wrong... I'm not zooming at all. I just tried it and the results were better. So that's what I've been missing I guess. Trying to do it the S10 way, just pick a camera and take the shot vs the evidently S20 way zoom in... Welp I spoke too soon. I had to take the pic twice cause the first time I thought it took it but then when I checked the gallery it wasn't there. Does that happen to you? Because that's another annoyance. So many times I've taken 2, 3 or more pics only to find that I have less than expected. You're right though using the zoom improved the shot.View attachment 330058

I just set it at 2X. There had been an update that prompted you to do it when close focusing but they seem to have taken it away