Save lossless raw image format (DNG) on 640XL

Derausgewanderte

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Update 1: you can now use Interop Tools app for Windows 10 Mobile to change registry settings.

Update 2: RumoredNow wrote up some nice instructions using the Interop Tools here as it applies to other phones as well.

Disclaimer: This hack requires you to change the registry. I am not responsible for any harm this may cause to your phone. Use at your own risk. Please be careful with the registry editor. It was created for WP8.1 and there are settings and templates in there that you should not try or you will possibly ruin your phone. Unless you really know what you are doing, do not use anything other than what I described below. Do not use this hack if you have any doubts or reservations.

As I mentioned in this thread, the fact that the 640XL saves images in low DPI values (72 or 96) is likely due to jpeg compression. It used to be possible to change a camera registry value to enable DNG (lossless raw image format) on an interop unlocked 640XL (There are some posts in this forum in which I discussed that). That was not possible anymore after MS changed Extras&Info until just today when XDA member vcfan found a way to enable that again.

The "hack" is fairly simple. Enable developer mode under Settings/Update & security/For developers. Sideload vcREG 1.5 using Application Deployment from Windows Phone SDK 8.0 and then follow instructions here (there are two steps here: 1) restore NDTKscv, wait 30 seconds, and reboot, then check Interop/Capability Unlock and tap apply). You can then sideload CustomPFD_0600.xap which is a registry editor. Under the registry editor tab (swipe left) browse to HKLM\SOFTWARE\OEM\Nokia\Camera\Barc and set "DNGDisabled"=0.

wp_ss_20151220_0003 (281x500).jpg

If you open the Camera app after the change and go to Settings, you will see an Extra line "Image size for main camera" and you can choose jpeg or jpeg + DNG.

wp_ss_20151220_0001 (281x500).jpg

Now whenever you take a picture it will save a jpg and a DNG. Note that the DNG is very large. In the example image the jpg was about 4Mb, while the DNG was 18Mb. When I open the jpg in Photoshop I see that the image is 72 dpi, while the DNG has a resolution of 240 dpi.

highres.PNG

That is pretty cool for the 640XL. I will test this over the next couple days and see if this is a real advantage for the 640XL camera.

Edit: A member contacted me that his phone did not show a Barc entry at all. If the hardware supports it you will have to add the Barc key and three subkeys with the registry editor.
Besides DNGDisabled you also have to add BarcVersion with string value 0.81, and IsEnabled with a DWORD of 1.
wp_ss_20160109_0001 (281x500).jpg


One more time the disclaimer: Please be careful with the registry editor. It was created for WP8.1 and there are settings and templates in there that you should not try or you will possibly ruin your phone. Unless you really know what you are doing, do not use anything other than what I described above. Do not use this hack if you have any doubts or reservations.
 
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Daniel Gilbert M

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Wow. Just Wow !
Microsoft MUST INCLUDE THIS AS A NATIVE OPTION when W10M gets released !
After all the tweaking I have done on android, I feel lazy to dig deep to get something sweet like this.
I want to keep the phone stock, untouched.

The sheer amount of detail coming from the sensor !!!!
Crappy JPEG compression :cry: maybe useful for social network users but I want more.
240 DPI is what the 640XL's camera is capable of.
 

moth43

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Microsoft Support page it says that Nokia Lumia Icon,Nokia Lumia 1520,Nokia Lumia 830,Microsoft Lumia 640 supports DNG capture. Why isn't this option available for 640 XL? I thought 640 XL was less cheaper than 640.

Search for "What is the DNG format in Lumia Camera in my Lumia?" without quotes to find this page.

I tried to sent this suggestion via Windows Feedback. But I doubt they will consider it. Man... I wish I could grab Lumia Camera Classic for 640 XL, which has a better post-processing in my opinion, but MS pulled it from Store. Lumia Camera 5 post-processing is so bad. :(
 
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Derausgewanderte

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Microsoft Support page it says that Nokia Lumia Icon,Nokia Lumia 1520,Nokia Lumia 830,Microsoft Lumia 640 supports DNG capture. Why isn't this option available for 640 XL? I thought 640 XL was less cheaper than 640.
(
I just checked the two 640s my kids have and there is no option to save DNG on either running W10M 10586.36. From this I assume the support page differentiates between "supporting" it from actually "implementing" it. Why they would do this is beyond me as well.
 

Derausgewanderte

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at
step 1) restore NDTKscv and reboot
you have to wait for at least 30seconds before you reboot. Otherwise it won't restore. Hope that is the problem. I updated the instructions above.
PS: still working here on the latest redstone build
 

Daniel Gilbert M

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Would developer unlocking the phone and installing the Interop Tool app hinder official OTA updates ?
After the updates, would this app be gone and have to be reinstalled again ?
 

Derausgewanderte

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I don't know with an official OTA update. It doesn't hinder or affect any preview OTA updates, neither redstone or threshold. Registry changes always stayed after OTA updates, while I had to re-unlock the phone with vcreg in the past.
 

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