Lumia 920 camera tricks.

[teo155]

I always see/watch great reviews of the Lumia 920 camera, everywhere.
But honestly I come from an iPhone 4S, and I can't see so much difference at all between the two cameras, and maybe it's because of me and my way of using it.
I know quite a lot about photography techniques and I appreciate the possibility of setting the exposure and the white balance, but with this smartphone I really can't take good picture at the first shoot. And also after 3 shoots the results isn't that good as they declare.
What am I doing so wrong? I don't think it's just because of the lack of the HDR.

 

[George Ponder]

The 920 does shine in low light photos and takes nice close-up shots. As far as tricks are concerned... there's really not a silver bullet setting. But I have found that a steady hand does wonders and even holding the camera in place a second or so after pressing the shutter button helps. Most images I've taken with the 920 are good and what adjustments are needed can easily be made through Nokia's Creative Studio.

I agree the video shines and I'm beginning to think the optical stabilization makes more of an impact with video than still pictures.

 

[robmif76]

I'm also struggling to get the best out of the camera although I'm still very new to it. I noticed yesterday that the file sizes of my photos are very small (250 - 300k) but I couldn't find any settings to increase the image size. Any pointers please?

 

[TK2011]

I'm also struggling to get the best out of the camera although I'm still very new to it. I noticed yesterday that the file sizes of my photos are very small (250 - 300k) but I couldn't find any settings to increase the image size. Any pointers please?

How are you getting your images off your phone? You need to set the best quality option in Settings->Apps->photos+camera. Picture file size should be around 1.5 to 3MB.

 

[teo155]

Thank you all for the answers, maybe my problem is the same of robmif76: I actually don't remember if I changed the picture quality, and i will check it soon! The problem now is that i don't find that specific setting in Settings->Apps->photos+camera as TK2011 said.
This is what i see:

 

[teo155]

Anyway i checked the photos dimension and it seems to be right (around 2mb per pic), so it seems this is not my problem. Maybe i just need to make practice and be more steady with my hands...

 

[anon(5370748)]

OP: do you have the Portico update yet?

 

[TK2011]

Thank you all for the answers, maybe my problem is the same of robmif76: I actually don't remember if I changed the picture quality, and i will check it soon! The problem now is that i don't find that specific setting in Settings->Apps->photos+camera as TK2011 said.
This is what i see: View attachment 26230

Anyway i checked the photos dimension and it seems to be right (around 2mb per pic), so it seems this is not my problem. Maybe i just need to make practice and be more steady with my hands...

Try tapping screen to focus instead of pressing down the camera button which will give you blurry shots if you do it in one motion without waiting for autofocus to lock. You first need to enable the tap-to-focus option in that settings menu. Also, test with a normal contrasty scene. If you shoot a white wall or green grass field without any objects, autofocus will have harder time to lock properly. Keep your hands real steady. And don't forget to remove the plastic sticker on the lens if you haven't! :grin:

 

[bawboh86]

The "High quality" option is under the SkyDrive upload option. There will be an option to upload high quality only, and will require you to hook up to WiFi to do auto-uploads.

 

[teo155]

Try tapping screen to focus instead of pressing down the camera button which will give you blurry shots if you do it in one motion without waiting for autofocus to lock. You first need to enable the tap-to-focus option in that settings menu. Also, test with a normal contrasty scene. If you shoot a white wall or green grass field without any objects, autofocus will have harder time to lock properly. Keep your hands real steady. And don't forget to remove the plastic sticker on the lens if you haven't! :grin:

Ahahah thanks for these advices and (of course) i removed the sticker on the lens
Also thanks a lot to bawboh86!

P.s. Still waiting for portico update in february, and that will probably make things better.

 

[hary536]

Ahahah thanks for these advices and (of course) i removed the sticker on the lens
Also thanks a lot to bawboh86!

P.s. Still waiting for portico update in february, and that will probably make things better.

Also, are you using Nokia's camera lenses? Those apps are pretty handy and do help a lot if you know how to use them. No need of HDR if you use those apps.

 

[MacDaMachine]

Video destroys every phone out. Pics are just as good sometimes a little bit worse.

 

[jeronimo21]

Hey guys, how do you know if you have the portico update or not?

 

[anon(5370748)]

Settings->About->More Info

Portico is OS version 8.0.10211.204

 

[Napocensis]

Nokia set the expectations way too high with Carl Zeiss and Pureview, and failed to deliver. There was too much hype built around it. I also recall seeing an article somewhere, which I did not even bother to click on, one was comparing the L920 with a DSLR. Give me a break, the money spend on the L920 camera can?t be more than $75, while only the prime lens for a DSLR is worth at least twice as much.

The only way to improve the picture quality is to tell yourself that it?s good enough, it?s good enough, it?s good enough! The beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

 

[Napocensis]

The 920 does shine in low light photos and takes nice close-up shots. As far as tricks are concerned... there's really not a silver bullet setting. But I have found that a steady hand does wonders and even holding the camera in place a second or so after pressing the shutter button helps. Most images I've taken with the 920 are good and what adjustments are needed can easily be made through Nokia's Creative Studio.

I agree the video shines and I'm beginning to think the optical stabilization makes more of an impact with video than still pictures.

Steady hand when taking a picture is a best practice for any camera, has nothing to do with L920 camera and will not bring it out of its mediocrity.
I do like the videos, providing they are taken in good outdoor light. Under artificial lighting, the slightest change in the background will cause terrible color shifting.

 

[anon(5370748)]

Nokia set the expectations way too high with Carl Zeiss and Pureview, and failed to deliver. There was too much hype built around it. I also recall seeing an article somewhere, which I did not even bother to click on, one was comparing the L920 with a DSLR. Give me a break, the money spend on the L920 camera can?t be more than $75, while only the prime lens for a DSLR is worth at least twice as much.

The N920 kills every DSLR on the market..

... in terms of voice quality, navigation and weight

You're right though, whether it's Nokia or the blogs or whoever, the expectations for the camera in this phone are often too high. It's a phone. You use it to communicate with people first, and take photos second. Compared to cameras in other phones, I find the 920 great. Compared to my wife's 3-year-old Canon S95, I find it lacking. Compared to a Hasselblad H system it's pretty bad. Compared to a chocolate cake, it tastes like crap.

The only way to improve the picture quality is to tell yourself that it?s good enough, it?s good enough, it?s good enough! The beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

There are techniques you can use with any camera to get better results (learn about lighting, proper bracing and when/where to change the settings), but yes, once you've mastered that, if you're still not happy with the results, it's time to invest in a camera.

 

[teo155]

Compared to cameras in other phones, I find the 920 great. Compared to my wife's 3-year-old Canon S95, I find it lacking. Compared to a Hasselblad H system it's pretty bad. Compared to a chocolate cake, it tastes like crap.

My "question" was why the vast majority of people said the l920 camera is so gorgeous (people who used it, like me or you, not only reviewers) and why i couldn't see any relevant quality difference with the iphone 4S (which came out more than 1 year ago)?
I was certainly not comparing L920 camera with a Hasselblad or phones with different prices. I have a Canon 50D and I'm proud of that camera, but when i'm chilling out I need (as everyone) a different-size camera. And if they (and Nokia) say it is great, i don't expect 2 out of 3 fuzzy pictures or anyway with a not excellent/maybe even good quality (standard for a phone)

 

[anon(5370748)]

My "question" was why the vast majority of people said the l920 camera is so gorgeous (people who used it, like me or you, not only reviewers) and why i couldn't see any relevant quality difference with the iphone 4S (which came out more than 1 year ago)?
I was certainly not comparing L920 camera with a Hasselblad or phones with different prices. I have a Canon 50D and I'm proud of that camera, but when i'm chilling out I need (as everyone) a different-size camera. And if they (and Nokia) say it is great, i don't expect 2 out of 3 fuzzy pictures or anyway with a not excellent/maybe even good quality (standard for a phone)

I'd like to qualify this rant by saying that this applies to a post-Portico Lumia 920 with the sticker peeled off of the lens

I have a 4S also. It has a really good camera too - also great for a phone. I like the 920 better because it allows me to get better results for what I like to shoot in a variety of conditions which makes it a lot more useful as a phone camera with limited settings and a fixed lens. There's also something about the intangible qualities of the photos (character and bokeh) that I personally find more appealing on the 920, and I like the wider angle. It doesn't kill the 4S in good light, but it does kill it in low light (medium to dim indoor). I couldn't get a clear shot of my twitchy dog in my apartment with the 4S, but I was able to get some really good ones with my 920. As for 2 out of 3 shots being fuzzy, sure - I get a better success rate with my GH2, but I've had that a year and the lenses for longer, so I know when and where to shoot with it and what to expect most of the time. Even so, I usually end up throwing out 90% of any shoot with any camera. I throw out a lot of photos with the 920, which doesn't bother me - it has 32GB of storage and it's not like I'm wasting film. I suspect as I learn the behavior of that camera and how well I have to brace it in whatever situation, my success rate will go up with that too.

Long story short, I like using the 920 more than the 4S in every way, and I like the photos it takes more. Unfortunately the hype for this camera makes it sound like a DSLR competitor, which it's not, and can't ever be, so people's expectations are such that when you put any two photos side by side from the 4S and the Lumia, the Lumia will make the 4S look like crap. Not true in normal/good light.