Lumia 930/Icon OIS test. Let's see if it really works...

[galbenush]

After i got my Lumia 930, i tested it's camera in almost pitch black conditions without flash. So i set the shutter to 4 sec and low ISO and tried to hold the phone steady (supporting my hands on a bench) and see what happens. What i got was a blurred mess. Decreased the shutter time to 3 seconds...same result. So i basically thought the only way you can get decent results is by using a camera grip, considering that all OIS systems on phones give the same bad results.

Until I saw this review ( not sure if i can post the link to it, will edit later if yes) that pits the 830 vs 930 vs 1020 vs Galaxy K zoom in total darkness, using manual shutter speed and iso and no flash, like i did. All did a fantastic job handheld, except for the 930, that got results similar to mine. (fuzzy images)

I would like to know if any of you tested their L930/Icon in these conditions ( 3-4 sec shutter speed, 100 ISO, handheld supported or not and no flash) and if so what are your results... You can post them here if you like.

That way i can find out if i have a faulty device (small chance considering the reviewer got similar results) or the OIS on L930 is very bad compared to other phones.



This is the best result i could come up with. 3.2sec shutter time, 100 ISO no flash. The scene was much darker than in the photo, but still this is very fuzzy. The rest are just too bad to even post them.

 

[Fred Wilson2]

OIS is not meant to be a substitution for a tripod or something similar at that slow of a shutter speed.


Fred

 

[Rodrigo Mendes]

3-4sec shutter time and you really want a steady shot? Sorry, there's no way to do this.

Anyway, 2 seconds is the better I can get without a tripod and only after a lot of shots. But even 1 sec is VERY difficulty.

That's how photography works, not OIS or something.

 

[galbenush]

I understand. That is exactly what i thought.

But in this review smartcam.club/node/3193 you can see how you can achieve very good results even without OIS or tripod.

I suspect the lens "float" a bit as you take the picture, and that might be the reason of the fuzzy shots. I don't know. But just like the reviewer, i also have problems when taking photos using larger shutter times. On other phones it is much easier to get near perfect results just by supporting your hands on something.

Anyway, considering your replies it seems that it is simply harder to achieve good results with the 930 compared to other phones. That this is common for all 930s, not just mine.

 

[gpobernardo]

@Rodrigo Mendes: I understand your sentiments, but I beg to differ. It is incredibly difficult to take a perfectly still shot at 3-4 seconds exposure time, but it is still possible. I've done it both with a DSLR and the L1020, but it takes a lot of physical self-control and breathing technique.:wink:

@galbenush: You will be able to post links after your tenth post. You're right in that the lens effectively "floats" and moves as you rotate your phone, but this mechanism should not make your photos blurry since the OIS should be keeping your lens as steady as it can regardless of vibrations or minor movements. What I suspect is that the "cavity" in which the lens assembly can "move" or "float" is not as big as the other phone models. Compared to the L1020, for example, the cavity is large enough that you can even see the lens correcting phone movement real-time. May not be the case for the L930 with a smaller lens assembly.:smile:

 

[galbenush]

I did some more testing and placed the phone vertically on my desk and chose a 2 sec timer, to eliminate initial vibrations when pressing the key. After i pressed the key to take the picture, the phone vibrated a bit, causing the lens to float slowly into place, and when the shutter opened to take in the light, the lens was still moving slowly instead of the OIS locking it into place, causing a blurred image even if the phone was on a still desk and i was keeping my breath and was not touching it or the desk.

After i chosen a 5 sec timer, the lens had time to settle again after i pressed the key to take the photo, and when the shutter opened the image was perfectly still, not still falling into place like in the example above. The end result was perfect.

So i came to the conclusion that the OIS fails to try and lock the lens into place once the shutter opens, if this occurs when the lens are still settling.

Knowing this i improved my images allot, but basically i learned how to avoid the consequences of the OIS, without taking advantage of it at all... But than again maybe I am wrong and the OIS actually kicks in while the shutter is open and cancels some small vibrations, i don;t know.

 

[gpobernardo]

I did some more testing and placed the phone vertically on my desk and chose a 2 sec timer, to eliminate initial vibrations when pressing the key. After i pressed the key to take the picture, the phone vibrated a bit, causing the lens to float slowly into place, and when the shutter opened to take in the light, the lens was still moving slowly instead of the OIS locking it into place, causing a blurred image even if the phone was on a still desk and i was keeping my breath and was not touching it or the desk.

After i chosen a 5 sec timer, the lens had time to settle again after i pressed the key to take the photo, and when the shutter opened the image was perfectly still, not still falling into place like in the example above. The end result was perfect.

So i came to the conclusion that the OIS fails to try and lock the lens into place once the shutter opens, if this occurs when the lens are still settling.

Knowing this i improved my images allot, but basically i learned how to avoid the consequences of the OIS, without taking advantage of it at all... But than again maybe I am wrong and the OIS actually kicks in while the shutter is open and cancels some small vibrations, i don;t know.

Thanks for these info, and we're glad your images were improved a lot. You can check whether or not the OIS "fails" to hold the lens in place during capture by choosing a long (4 sec) exposure time, pressing the shutter and then watching the lens as you slowly rotate your phone back and forth within that 4-second time frame. You should see it compensate for movement.

Also, the vibrations the camera module makes doesn't seem to be significant enough to blur your images. I'm suspecting that you're not spending enough time in the "half-press" phase before taking the shot - this is the time when the lens focuses and gets stabilized by the OIS.

I'm quite familiar with that "slight" vibration from the camera module. There are two "vibrations" from the camera module, one right after launching and exiting any camera app, and the other right after a photo is taken. I actually use "first" one to tell if the camera is already active (or deactivated) just by feeling the phone. This is the OIS kicking in as you can see the lens assembly brought to the center after a camera app is activated.

As for the second vibration, this is only present when the phone is held perpendicular to the ground, e.g. in taking an ordinary photo of a person standing in front of you. I noticed that this "second" vibration is absent if I take photos where my phone is parallel to the ground, e.g. when I'm taking a photo of a receipt on a table. What this is, I'm not sure. I suspect it's the OIS momentarily being disabled while the image is saved, but then it should vibrate again upon activation.

But then again, how the OIS works in the L930 might be different from an older L1020.:smile:

 

[galbenush]

I don't find allot of information out there about the OIS in my phone and how it works, but in time i will learn to use it's camera better. So far it is quite better than i thought it would be.

 

[Muessig]

This thread might be illuminating for you: http://forums.windowscentral.com/gu...so-you-want-take-better-pictures-[guide].html

 

[galbenush]

This thread might be illuminating for you: So you want to take better pictures? [Guide]

Thanks, very useful stuff.