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Low Light and High Dynamic Range photography in the Google Camera App

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Re: Low Light and High Dynamic Range photography in the Google Camera App

#41

Post by simias »

heliodor wrote: post #18
thrownaway2424 wrote: post #9

Meh. The camera software on Android is so bad that a default-setting picture from an iPhone looks as good or better than an HDR picture on Android. People have demonstrated the quality you can get from the sensor on a Nexus 5 if you capture raw and process offline[1]. I realize that these Google[x] researchers are probably not responsible for the mainline camera application, but the organizational details of Android…

I have a Nexus 5 at the moment and while the pictures are not amazing, what boggles my mind is that the camera sensor and the phone's screen don't have the same aspect ratio!

It usually makes more sense for sensors to be closer to a circular shape (i.e. square aspect ratio) because the image projected by the lens is going to be circular anyway. So if you have a very wide sensor you lose a lot of light on the top and bottom in order to expose the sides correctly.

Re: Low Light and High Dynamic Range photography in the Google Camera App

#42

Post by adrusi »

thrownaway2424 wrote: post #37
adrusi wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm hoping the 6's optical image stabilization will help make HDR+ even better.

The 5 already has OIS. Is the 6 supposed to be better?

My mistake, I forgot that the 5 had OIS. That was actually the feature that compelled me to accept the camera downgrade when I bought mine. Regardless, the 6 has a much better camera than the 5, so I imagine that its OIS will be at least somewhat improved.

Re: Low Light and High Dynamic Range photography in the Google Camera App

#43

Post by acomjean »

forrestthewoods wrote: post #12

Yikes. That first picture looks awful. The HDR+ version looks like cheap CGI. Very plasticy. Some of the other pics are nice so that seems like a really weird one to lead with.

the "HDR" look can be overdone.

If its done right you don't notice it. Since Photoshop added HDR photo merging its been a thing to capture the full dynamic range of a scene and make it look HDR.

google "hdr photos" to see it overdone. https://www.google.com/search?q=hdr+photos

Re: Low Light and High Dynamic Range photography in the Google Camera App

#44

Post by higherpurpose »

FreakyT wrote: post #26

It's unfortunate that HDR mode in Google Camera remains unavailable for phones other than the Nexus 5 & 6 -- I have a Moto X, and the app is really only useful for photospheres, since normal photos tend look awful without HDR. Has Google discussed any technical reason for this restriction? Seems like lots of third party apps support HDR on a wider variety of phones...

Lens Blur is pretty great, too, and it's available for others. I think the restriction may be the fact that it has to 1) support OIS and 2) Google has to support that specific OIS.

It would be nice if Google could do something similar for EIS phones, too, though.

Re: Low Light and High Dynamic Range photography in the Google Camera App

#45

Post by potatolicious »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #33

Seems like two people come into this experience and walk away with completely different expectations. One group are people, for whom camera phones have been their only "camera" and they are amazed at how great the pictures are now. The other group are people who argue the details of a phase detection autofocus in the Canon DSLR and the 51 point field autofocus of the Nikon DSLR and can't believe that the handset make…

> "The other group are people who argue the details of a phase detection autofocus in the Canon DSLR and the 51 point field autofocus of the Nikon DSLR and can't believe that the handset makers are allowed to actually call these things 'cameras' in their advertisements."

This demographic can be safely ignored. The people who get the most up in arms about the "purity" of photographic tools are also the ones producing the least work. They're the ones who buy $10,000 worth of bodies and lenses but can never go beyond photos of their local park, or sharpness test charts in their basement. This group isn't good for much more than vociferous, highly-technical religion wars on the Internet. We'll start caring what they think when they start producing work.

In the mean time there are many passionate photographers out there producing great work, with a variety tools, cheap to expensive, simple to complex.

This guy with a crappy old iPhone 3GS has been taking better photos (and publishing them) than the bulk of people with 5D3's and 70-200 f/2.8's: http://boingboing.net/2009/10/29/photographer-takes-p-1.html

Re: Low Light and High Dynamic Range photography in the Google Camera App

#46

Post by acomjean »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #33

Seems like two people come into this experience and walk away with completely different expectations. One group are people, for whom camera phones have been their only "camera" and they are amazed at how great the pictures are now. The other group are people who argue the details of a phase detection autofocus in the Canon DSLR and the 51 point field autofocus of the Nikon DSLR and can't believe that the handset make…

As someone who has both a DSLR and a smartphone. The smartphones are pretty good and "the camera you have with you" is always better than the camera at your home. Plus the wifi connectivity and abitliy to push photos real time is really nice.

The DSLR pictures when I do get around to loading and editing are better. It just takes more time.

As for focus points, I have this wierd camera the canon 70d. Every "pixel" on the camera can phase detect. But I don't think the camera is making full use of the sensor. I wish I could write software for it.

An overview of camera focusing: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canon-eos-70d/3

Re: Low Light and High Dynamic Range photography in the Google Camera App

#47

Post by notlisted »

I have an Android phone, but what is described in the post sounds a lot like what the app Average Cam Pro [1] does on my iPad (multiple exposures, average them out) with the refinement that the ACP app also allows you to subtract a "dark image" to combat sensor-specific banding noise, plus the user can adjust exposure after the shot.

It takes the cleanest pictures by far, beating out my Canon 7D at times, but for optimal results it does require the device to be extremely steady. I've been waiting for this app to appear on Android too, but it hasn't so far.

[1] https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/average-camera-pro/id4155778...

Re: Low Light and High Dynamic Range photography in the Google Camera App

#48

Post by notlisted »

notlisted wrote: post #47

I have an Android phone, but what is described in the post sounds a lot like what the app Average Cam Pro [1] does on my iPad (multiple exposures, average them out) with the refinement that the ACP app also allows you to subtract a "dark image" to combat sensor-specific banding noise, plus the user can adjust exposure after the shot. It takes the cleanest pictures by far, beating out my Canon 7D at times, but for opt…

PS some sample shots created by another photographer: http://blog.instagram.com/post/66187514665/howishootwater

Edit: I just discovered Flickr is filled with em. Some good examples on what happens when the number of shots you select (anywhere from 4-64 I believe) is less than optimal if you scroll down: https://www.flickr.com/search/?q=%23avgcampro

I use Avg Cam Pro in touristy situations with lots of movement. Take 64 shots and (moving) people simply fade away by the time you're done.

Re: Low Light and High Dynamic Range photography in the Google Camera App

#49

Post by Someone1234 »

personZ wrote: post #40
ChuckMcM wrote: post #33

Seems like two people come into this experience and walk away with completely different expectations. One group are people, for whom camera phones have been their only "camera" and they are amazed at how great the pictures are now. The other group are people who argue the details of a phase detection autofocus in the Canon DSLR and the 51 point field autofocus of the Nikon DSLR and can't believe that the handset make…

The Galaxy S5 and iPhone 6 both feature on sensor phase detection. Further it's worth nothing that the whole notion of "n points of autofocus" is a flaw of phase detection, not a feature -- contrast detection has millions of possible points of autofocus. And indeed, most high-end SLRs have contrast-detection modes (e.g. Canon LiveView) that brings benefits that often merit its regular use, and are mandated for things…

The primary benefit of a larger sensor is shooting in sub-optimal conditions. If all you do is take photos in perfect daylight then a smartphone can likely do as well.

SLRs shine when there is more lighting range (e.g. strong shadows and light) in the shot and in particular when it is a lower-light situation. A smartphone has to start doing HDR (which has inherent downsides, like its inability to record motion) a lot sooner than a lot of SLRs as the dynamic range is wider on the latter.

You also lose physical controls and the ability to change lenses on a smartphone, which slows you down, and makes your shots look more samey. The viewfinder (either EVF or OVF) is also a huge benefit when shooting in either strong sunlight or extreme darkness (as the LCD's backlight can bleed light into your shot).

As to contrast Vs. phase detection: Contrast is very accurate for non-moving targets and even some moving targets (thanks largely to software). Phase detection is still the king of the castle when it comes to high speed and erratic motion however, by far.

Re: Low Light and High Dynamic Range photography in the Google Camera App

#50

Post by piyush_soni »

potatolicious wrote: post #45
ChuckMcM wrote: post #33

Seems like two people come into this experience and walk away with completely different expectations. One group are people, for whom camera phones have been their only "camera" and they are amazed at how great the pictures are now. The other group are people who argue the details of a phase detection autofocus in the Canon DSLR and the 51 point field autofocus of the Nikon DSLR and can't believe that the handset make…

> "The other group are people who argue the details of a phase detection autofocus in the Canon DSLR and the 51 point field autofocus of the Nikon DSLR and can't believe that the handset makers are allowed to actually call these things 'cameras' in their advertisements." This demographic can be safely ignored. The people who get the most up in arms about the "purity" of photographic tools are also the ones producing…

Really, I don't see anything good in his photos. All these post-processed photos lack a lot of detail, even from a smartphone standards.
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