ProShot camera app.

[ajayden]

Re: proshot on lumia 630

i just want to know if it will be worth to buy proshot app for nokia lumia 630dual sim.as 630 only has 5 mp without flash.so does this app make some difference than lumia camera.

The app is worth every penny that you spend. You buy once and you can use on any phone that you upgrade.
Thanks to the developer for such a wonderful app with regular updates.

 

[rhapdog]

Re: proshot on lumia 630

i just want to know if it will be worth to buy proshot app for nokia lumia 630dual sim.as 630 only has 5 mp without flash.so does this app make some difference than lumia camera.

I've used both the Lumia 520 and 635 with the app, which both have the 5MP without flash. The reason I use ProShot for these is that it gives me more options to control how I take the picture. Features that are not available in Lumia Camera. For standard "candid photography" where you're just taking photos of events or places and you aren't needing the special features, then it probably won't do any good. However, if you're placing your phone on a tripod and doing a lengthened exposure, or need to manually adjust focus, shutter speed, and other options, then this app can still be quite useful. I find with a tripod to steady the phone and manual focus, I can usually take better pictures of documents to convert to text for editing.

The biggest advantages though, honestly, will be for higher end Windows Phone users who like to dabble into photography and aren't just "picture takers." That's my opinion.

 

[Corepc]

Have a Issue with lastest Updated.
Already Tried Uninstalling, powering off wait power on, redownload and install.

Lumia 521 Cyan OS ver: 8.10.12400.899

When I set mode to Self-Timer 1 Multi-Shot the mode does stay on restart. I use this has my C1 setting and default mode when ever I take pictures. On closing and restarting the app It is reverting back to normal mode.

Anybody else having this problem?

 

[RiseUpGames]

Have a Issue with lastest Updated.
Already Tried Uninstalling, powering off wait power on, redownload and install.

Lumia 521 Cyan OS ver: 8.10.12400.899

When I set mode to Self-Timer 1 Multi-Shot the mode does stay on restart. I use this has my C1 setting and default mode when ever I take pictures. On closing and restarting the app It is reverting back to normal mode.

Anybody else having this problem?

This is now on purpose -- it seemed easier for users to default to normal mode on app relaunch since it is the most used mode. In a future update I want to give the option to pin drive + camera mode combinations to the start screen, but for now this is how it is. I am sorry for the confusion!

 

[Corepc]

In a future update I want to give the option to pin drive + camera mode combinations to the start screen, but for now this is how it is. I am sorry for the confusion!

Thanks, I have my C1 pinned to start screen. And was hoping that I would not have to change it everytime. But normal is fine it may be a little quicker. So looking forward to next update.

Love the Aspect Ratio selection, so much easier and faster now. Thanks

 

[draco76x]

ProShot seems faster on my L1020, good job!! :amaze:

Can't wait to see what ProShot can do when upgraded to Windows 10. :grin:

 

[tonykk]

Hi RiseUpGames,

I'd like to add to Minh Dinh's post regarding ProShot crashing on the 730. The exact same thing happens on the 735, reproducible via the same steps and avoided with the same workarounds. I think they are the same hardware other than dual sim vs LTE, but if it helps in any way.

Cheers

 

[greedo_greedy]

RiseUpGames, check out my post, I made a comparison of your app with 3 other apps. :smile:
http://forums.windowscentral.com/nokia-lumia-1520/353257-great-camera-app-comparison.html

 

[Onslaughta]

Hey rise up, can you tell me what features the app has on a lumia 535?

 

[RiseUpGames]

Hey rise up, can you tell me what features the app has on a lumia 535?

Everything should work (manual focus, shutter, etc). I don't have that phone, but you can download the free trial on the store and check it out

 

[Onslaughta]

Ok brilliant, I used to have it on a 620 but am thinking of coming back to wp again as the 535 is really cheap here atm

 

[gpobernardo]

Just got my L1020 back from repair.

With Denim installed and the latest version of ProShot, I can confirm that ProShot does launch a bit faster now. Testing shows a consistent less than 3 seconds (around 2.8 seconds) start-up time. This is indeed a bit faster than the previous 3.25-second start-up time.

However, I must note that the Lumia Camera start up time has also improved a bit. From a pre-Denim 3.25 seconds, it now launches in exactly 3 seconds.

Proshot now, however, does launch a bit faster than Lumia Camera most of the time.

As for the new interface, the main layout hasn't changed much but it definitely looks cleaner now. I also like the added sharpness feature (or did I just miss this in the older app versions?). As I noted before, Lumia Camera takes "sharper" photos than ProShot at the same camera settings (ISO, exposure value, shutter speed) but sharper tends to become more grainy at low light - whereas ProShot takes softer images but with less grain at low light. Now with the sharpness control, one can take sharper photos than what Lumia Camera takes, but with the expense of tending to have more grain.

Overall, nice work! It has been, and may always be, one of the three Camera Apps that I will be using (the third being the default Microsoft Camera).

 

[RiseUpGames]

Just got my L1020 back from repair.

With Denim installed and the latest version of ProShot, I can confirm that ProShot does launch a bit faster now. Testing shows a consistent less than 3 seconds (around 2.8 seconds) start-up time. This is indeed a bit faster than the previous 3.25-second start-up time.

However, I must note that the Lumia Camera start up time has also improved a bit. From a pre-Denim 3.25 seconds, it now launches in exactly 3 seconds.

Proshot now, however, does launch a bit faster than Lumia Camera most of the time.

As for the new interface, the main layout hasn't changed much but it definitely looks cleaner now. I also like the added sharpness feature (or did I just miss this in the older app versions?). As I noted before, Lumia Camera takes "sharper" photos than ProShot at the same camera settings (ISO, exposure value, shutter speed) but sharper tends to become more grainy at low light - whereas ProShot takes softer images but with less grain at low light. Now with the sharpness control, one can take sharper photos than what Lumia Camera takes, but with the expense of tending to have more grain.

Overall, nice work! It has been, and may always be, one of the three Camera Apps that I will be using (the third being the default Microsoft Camera).

Thank you for testing the speed! Those are similar numbers to what I was seeing. I'm confident I can it under 2 seconds with the W10 rewrite

Side note on what's next: Build 2015 had a lot of great info on W10, but their camera API is unfortunately still not complete. There's no ETA on when it will be finished, but from what they've shown, it's going to be great for all of us. The different camera APIs on different platforms all have their strengths and weaknesses, but it's looking like Microsoft's new API is going to let me build exactly what I have in mind for the next generation of ProShot.

 

[gpobernardo]

Full-resolution camera launch under two seconds for the L1020? That would be a treat!


Update: App is crashing while trying to save a photo taken at maximum zoom, 34MP (16:9), level 5 saturation and level 2 sharpness.

 

[gpobernardo]

Here's a quick comparison of Microsoft Camera, Lumia Camera and ProShot, using the L1020 with the Denim update. The focus of the comparison is the level of detail at high levels of magnification or digital zoom. All shots were taken at ISO-100 (to ensure constant grain), all other settings were at default values. Further enlargement was through the Zoom app.

This is the un-zoomed photo taken with Lumia Camera for perspective (the crane is around 50 meters from my the phone). The criterion for comparison is the legibility of the numbers on the indicated target.

​

Microsoft Camera: with live digital zoom, enlarged

​

Lumia Camera: no live digital zoom, enlarged

​

ProShot: with live digital zoom, enlarged

​

ProShot: no live digital zoom, enlarged

​

Summary:

• Among the three, Microsoft Camera gave the brightest and sharpest image. The higher brightness level of Microsoft Camera was due to the fact that it was only "metering" a small portion of the entire field of vision as a result of live digital zooming.
• Lumia Camera gave a darker image than Microsoft Camera, since Lumia Camera was metering the entire field of vision of the camera (without digital zoom). However, Lumia Camera was able to capture the numbers on the target.
• Among the apps, ProShot wasn't able to deliver the same level of detail, both for the shot with live digital zoom and for the shot without digital zoom. The brightness level is also similar to that of Lumia Camera, which suggests that ProShot still meters the entire field of vision whether or not digital zoom is being performed; this seems consistent with the pixelation that occurs in ProShot when zooming in, compared with Microsoft Camera where no pixelation occurs while zooming in.
• Consistent with older findings, ProShot takes "smoother" images than Lumia Camera and Microsoft Camera but at the expense of detail at high levels of zoom/magnification.

 

[volpenger]

I think that the difference between the crops is due to the oscillation of the crane ( for a gust of wind, I suppose )
I suggest you to repeat the test using a subject that cannot move at all.
The pixelation in zoom mode is a bit annoying, but this doesn't interfere with the image quality.

 

[RiseUpGames]

Update: App is crashing while trying to save a photo taken at maximum zoom, 34MP (16:9), level 5 saturation and level 2 sharpness.

Do you have 8.0 installed? 8.0 has app RAM limitations, which made it difficult to do image processing on 34MP images. 8.1 expanded that app RAM ceiling, so it should run just fine. I tested the same settings on my 1020 w/ 8.1 and there were no crashes.

Here's a quick comparison of Microsoft Camera, Lumia Camera and ProShot, using the L1020 with the Denim update. The focus of the comparison is the level of detail at high levels of magnification or digital zoom. All shots were taken at ISO-100 (to ensure constant grain), all other settings were at default values. Further enlargement was through the Zoom app.

This is the un-zoomed photo taken with Lumia Camera for perspective (the crane is around 50 meters from my the phone). The criterion for comparison is the legibility of the numbers on the indicated target.

View attachment 104165​

Microsoft Camera: with live digital zoom, enlarged

View attachment 104162​

Lumia Camera: no live digital zoom, enlarged

View attachment 104164​

ProShot: with live digital zoom, enlarged

View attachment 104166​

ProShot: no live digital zoom, enlarged

View attachment 104167​

Summary:

• Among the three, Microsoft Camera gave the brightest and sharpest image. The higher brightness level of Microsoft Camera was due to the fact that it was only "metering" a small portion of the entire field of vision as a result of live digital zooming.
• Lumia Camera gave a darker image than Microsoft Camera, since Lumia Camera was metering the entire field of vision of the camera (without digital zoom). However, Lumia Camera was able to capture the numbers on the target.
• Among the apps, ProShot wasn't able to deliver the same level of detail, both for the shot with live digital zoom and for the shot without digital zoom. The brightness level is also similar to that of Lumia Camera, which suggests that ProShot still meters the entire field of vision whether or not digital zoom is being performed; this seems consistent with the pixelation that occurs in ProShot when zooming in, compared with Microsoft Camera where no pixelation occurs while zooming in.
• Consistent with older findings, ProShot takes "smoother" images than Lumia Camera and Microsoft Camera but at the expense of detail at high levels of zoom/magnification.

Are you comparing the live view, or the captured image? ProShot's live feed and zoom are handled differently from the way Microsoft Camera and Lumia Camera do things. Lumia Camera and Microsoft camera utilize the zoom function that's built into the WP8.1 API, while ProShot uses undocumented APIs (only available in the 8.0 API set) to map the viewfinder to a DirectX texture, and move it back and forth. This was the only way I could achieve complex live filters at 30FPS on a Snapdragon S4. The end result is that zoom appears more pixelated in the viewfinder, but it does not affect the final image. With Windows 10, it looks like I might be able to get the best of both worlds. It's still up in the air, but I'll have a better idea when W10 is closer to RC.

With that said, I think there are a couple of things happening here:

1) As volpenger said, the crane could be swaying
2) ProShot could have focused on the sky and not the crane
3) The lighting conditions are rapidly changing (sun peeking though clouds), which could alter the WB or the shutter speed
4) Lumia Camera by default applies sharpening to their images. The same effect can be achieved by applying +2 sharpening in ProShot
5) Did you use a tripod?

It's really tough to do an exact comparison anywhere outside of a studio with controlled lighting and no wind. I can assure you ProShot uses the full image sensor data

 

[gpobernardo]

I think that the difference between the crops is due to the oscillation of the crane ( for a gust of wind, I suppose )
I suggest you to repeat the test using a subject that cannot move at all.
The pixelation in zoom mode is a bit annoying, but this doesn't interfere with the image quality.

Nope, the crane wasn't swaying. If you're referring to the differences in the angles of the crane, that's because I was holding the camera with my hands at ever slightly changing angles with respect to the ground (my hands don't have accelerometers). But I intend to repeat the test in a more controlled environment - the test above was impromptu.
And yes, this doesn't interfere with image quality.

 

[gpobernardo]

Do you have 8.0 installed? 8.0 has app RAM limitations, which made it difficult to do image processing on 34MP images. 8.1 expanded that app RAM ceiling, so it should run just fine. I tested the same settings on my 1020 w/ 8.1 and there were no crashes.





Are you comparing the live view, or the captured image? ProShot's live feed and zoom are handled differently from the way Microsoft Camera and Lumia Camera do things. Lumia Camera and Microsoft camera utilize the zoom function that's built into the WP8.1 API, while ProShot uses undocumented APIs (only available in the 8.0 API set) to map the viewfinder to a DirectX texture, and move it back and forth. This was the only way I could achieve complex live filters at 30FPS on a Snapdragon S4. The end result is that zoom appears more pixelated in the viewfinder, but it does not affect the final image. With Windows 10, it looks like I might be able to get the best of both worlds. It's still up in the air, but I'll have a better idea when W10 is closer to RC.

With that said, I think there are a couple of things happening here:

1) As volpenger said, the crane could be swaying
2) ProShot could have focused on the sky and not the crane
3) The lighting conditions are rapidly changing (sun peeking though clouds), which could alter the WB or the shutter speed
4) Lumia Camera by default applies sharpening to their images. The same effect can be achieved by applying +2 sharpening in ProShot
5) Did you use a tripod?

It's really tough to do an exact comparison anywhere outside of a studio with controlled lighting and no wind. I can assure you ProShot uses the full image sensor data

Yup, got the latest OS and firmware updates installed in my L1020 - 8.10.14226.359, 3051.50009.1451.1011 "Denim".

1. Responded to volpenger: crane wasn't swaying.
2. At that distance (50 meters), it makes no difference whether the camera focused on the crane or the sky.
3. Yes, that's why I was only comparing grain and level of detail (not saturation, white balance, etc.) - and the only constant was the ISO level, which should dictate the level of grain.
4. Will try this +2 setting in Sharpness. However, +4 seems to sharp in my previous trials.
5. No, but at less than 1/100th of a second shutter speed and the OIS I'm sure any minor shaking from my hand would have been eliminated. I took more than one shot with each app and then chose the "sharpest" among the tests. Besides, I think I have fairly stable enough hands - I pressed the shutter button in between heart beats and with an empty lung, just like in a firing range.:wink:

Yes, we had some discussion before in this same thread and I believe ProShot does use full sensor data - no questions there. But the finding, as of now, still stands - that "ProShot takes 'smoother' images than Lumia Camera and Microsoft Camera but at the expense of detail at high levels of zoom/magnification," while Lumia Camera and Microsoft Camera takes "sharper" images but with higher levels of noise. Your comment on the difference in live feed handling seems to support this.

I intend to perform other tests in more controlled environments when time permits.

 

[gpobernardo]

Update: Just did a comparison at different sharpness level settings in ProShot. Sharpness Level 1 seems to be a good balance between noise and detail. Sharpness Level 2 starts to bring out more grain than needed (@200x zoom or higher, ISO-100).

However, Sharpness Level 1 looks much better than the shots taken by Lumia Camera, both at ISO-100. Will try to post photos of the test.

My previous finding was at ProShot Sharpness Level 0 vs Lumia Camera/Microsot Camera.

Nicely done, RiseUpGames! Looking forward to more developments, even through W10.