Dodgy camera on galaxy s4?

Boardwatcher

Hello all,

I recently lost my Samsung Galaxy s2 while on holiday and when I got home I went on donedeal and picked up a nice clean S4 second hand.

The phone seems to be generally ok although I notice the battery runs down pretty fast especially if using the net. However it charges a lot faster too.

Anyway the big issue I have with the phone is my disappointment with the quality of the camera. It is supposed to have a 13MP camera (compared to the s2's 8MP) so in theory the pictures should be a lot better. However I am finding the opposite, that pictures, especially indoors are inferior to the s2. I get many pics which are blurred even though the camera is held steadily, or just background 'noise' and grainy images especially indoors. Of course i don't expect indoor pics to be crystal clear but believe me when i say the s2 took FAR better indoor shots.

I also notice that the size of the files can vary wildly. Some outdoors can be up to 5MB but also many are just 2-3MB, and indoors whereas most on the s2 were above 2MB, on the s4 I have had pics under 1MB, even 500kb on one occasion. I cannot understand this variation in picture size and quality.

Is this typical of the s4 or do I have a camera that is faulty in some way? My initial settings were at 16:9 4128X2322 (the second setting) this was a full screen mode where the picture filled up the screen. I have since changed to 4:3 4128X3096 which is the highest setting but the picture is a bit smaller and does not fill up the screen. I am trying this setting out, however I have not had much chance to use it indoors yet.

Comments/advice welcome and appreciated.

projectgtr

i doubt its the case but just double check the plastic cover was taken off the lens, i got mine from new was never happy with the camera only noticed the plastic film on the lens after about 4 weeks, i took it off and it was much better. As for the file size theres definitely a big difference between daylight and lowlight file sizes. You should look at sample images online to see if yours has an issue

Boardwatcher

Thanks for the reply. Yes I have heard people mention the plastic film over the lens before but I'm pretty sure mine is not there unless it is glued on! As it was bought second hand the original owner probably removed it.

Since I changed the settings on the camera to the highest setting, I have noticed better results, however still not all that happy with the focus in some of the pics, it seems very inconsistant and I would still say if I had a chance to have my s2 back, i would take it!

Anyway I'll keep an eye on it and maybe just like driving a new car, it takes time to become familiar with all the options and handling to get the best results:)

newacc2015

Maybe its a clone and not a real S4? My S4 photos are pretty incredible IMO. They look the whole 13 MP and look great even in low light

Boardwatcher

Well I downloaded an app that checks whether the phone is genuine or not, and it came up as being genuine. Also checking online, in look and feel, features etc, it all adds up to being the genuine article.

The thing is that sometimes the camera has taken really good, clear shots, so clearly it is capable of this. However, these are the exception. Particularly in lower light or indoors, the camera usually produces out of focus, bad shots (not all the time, and sometimes it has taken 'acceptable' pics indoors, but again the consistency just isn't there).

I think this camera is just faulty in some way, as I have read complaints from some other users online with the identical problem that I have. Oh well, I will have a look around for something that can do a better job.

Kimbot

Boardwatcher wrote: »

Well I downloaded an app that checks whether the phone is genuine or not, and it came up as being genuine. Also checking online, in look and feel, features etc, it all adds up to being the genuine article.

The thing is that sometimes the camera has taken really good, clear shots, so clearly it is capable of this. However, these are the exception. Particularly in lower light or indoors, the camera usually produces out of focus, bad shots (not all the time, and sometimes it has taken 'acceptable' pics indoors, but again the consistency just isn't there).

I think this camera is just faulty in some way, as I have read complaints from some other users online with the identical problem that I have. Oh well, I will have a look around for something that can do a better job.

When you go into the samsung apps app you will get an update for your camera. Also if you have a case on the phone that can cause issues with pics.

jimgoose

I've got an S4, and I can only describe the camera in it as astonishing.