Posted by etaab
Good day.
As many people may or may not know ive been around on and off Esato for a few years now. In that time cameraphones have gotten better and better as have my mobile photography skills. Im quite modest by nature and dont like to claim to be the best photographer with my phone but in the past ive managed to shoot pretty amazing pictures using my various devices. But theres one area in which i fail almost every time and the reason why ive created this thread. Id like people to input and if possible help me learn how to take better pictures at night.
Night time pictures
My night time pictures have always lacked compared to anything i take in any other conditions. This becomes more apparent at this time of the year where in the UK we only get about 8 hours of sunlight each day - if we're lucky. Usually i'll just let the phone make the necessary choices itself using automatic settings but most of the time it does not work. If i try to use my own choice to decide how to take a good picture i fail almost every single time.
Often, the results are either
- blurred
- high degrees of noise
- motion blurred
- over-saturated
- under- saturated
- unbalanced colours or contrast
Which means usually i dont even bother taking any night time photos at all. In a typical summer, i might take a few thousand snaps, in winter, that number drops to about 10 per month !!
Heres some examples of mine from last year:
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Doesnt look too bad does it ?? but when looking close theres tons of noise and blur which literally ****** me off !!
Take a look, look at the original at 100% and Esato will show you the horrible noise and blur which plagues my photos on all my phones. The next two almost look like theres smoke or mist in the air, but its actually noise !!!
Take a look:
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And trying my best to get a better result..
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Still not happy with it at all.
Now compare those pictures to other popular posters here on Esato, chosen at random from their uploaded images:
9_destiny's:
http://www.esato.com/phonephotos/viewphotos.php?pid=61243&uid=211376
http://www.esato.com/phonephotos/viewphotos.php?pid=60647&uid=211376
http://www.esato.com/phonephotos/viewphotos.php?pid=53394&uid=211376
davidsic's
http://www.esato.com/phonephotos/viewphotos.php?pid=59921&uid=36838
http://www.esato.com/phonephotos/viewphotos.php?pid=54349&uid=36838
Clearly better than mine. Now davidsic usually says he just sticks to automatic settings for his pictures which puzzles me more.
So any help would be much appreciated from everyone who like me enjoys mobile photography !
[ This Message was edited by: etaab on 2012-11-27 20:31 ]
Posted by Bonovox
Well,for me I try to get the best I can out of any camera phone. Putting a camera phone on night scene setting helps as I find auto does not cut it at night. Also it is hard to keep still at night but I have a steady hand & find a stable surface somewhere. Quite often too white balance goes off at night too. I took these tonight but I have got better with my old N8
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Posted by etaab
Well they've certainly got less noise than mine.
So all you used is night mode on your N8 ??
Posted by ok1907
On 2012-11-28 18:26:39, etaab wrote:
Well they've certainly got less noise than mine.
So all you used is night mode on your N8 ??
I think he took them with Xperia P.
Posted by Bonovox
On 2012-11-28 18:26:39, etaab wrote:
Well they've certainly got less noise than mine.
So all you used is night mode on your N8 ??
Yes with Xperia P. But when I had N8 yes I also used night mode. Although night mode does create more shake if you find a flat surface & hold steady it will come out brighter with less noise. Auto at night is always crap. Wish I still had the night shots of Birmingham I did with N8
Posted by etaab
Any other ideas ? you see ive tried using night mode SO many times and yet i get terrible results. It cant just be me though, because my old Satio i tried using night mode with and being square it was easy to put it down on its side for it to balance itself and used night mode. Poor results.
Just cannot get it.
Posted by jerahm15
How about using a tripod sir? that would really help get rid of those nasty blur. Manuals would also help you by setting ISO value at about 200-400, that would at least give you minimal noise. But if you have a tripod with you then you can set your cameraphone at the lowest possible ISO and you could also tweak the EV compensation to get the slowest shutter speed possible.
Sample shot with a tripod
Without the Tripod
[ This Message was edited by: jerahm15 on 2012-11-29 00:32 ]
Posted by etaab
So the EV level affects the shutter speed ??
Posted by reeflotz
from my experience changing the EV level affects both the shutter speed and ISO speed while on auto mode. Lowering the ev level lowers the ISO speed (less photo grain), the shutter speed depends on how much light there is when you're taking a photo. If in night mode shutter speed is slower (higher tendency to blur but produces great results with a tripod).
If you increase the ev level usually ISO speed increases (more photo grain) but shutter speed will be faster (less tendency to blurr)
I agree with jerahm usually setting the ISO at 200-400 while on night mode produces the best results, once you get higher than ISO 400 the picture gets too grainy.
here's my try on indoor lowlight
ISO 100 night mode:
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ISO 200 night mode:
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the first shot was handheld with the help of a stable surface I've put my hands on.
the second shot was handheld
hopefully I was able to help too mate
[ This Message was edited by: reeflotz on 2012-11-29 11:57 ]
Posted by etaab
But in everyday use or when doing the whole tourist thing, how many of us actually use a tripod ? and how many use a tripod with a cameraphone ?
Posted by reeflotz
well not exactly a tripod but just a stable surface to put your hands on or to put the phone on so that it does not shake, like a rail/table/chair etc. and for situations without any stable surface to lean on, I use ISO 200 or maybe even ISO 400 nightmode to avoid blur at the cost of some film grain on the photo.
[ This Message was edited by: reeflotz on 2012-11-29 13:43 ]
Posted by jerahm15
On 2012-11-29 14:35:26, etaab wrote:
But in everyday use or when doing the whole tourist thing, how many of us actually use a tripod ? and how many use a tripod with a cameraphone ?
well I do, it really do help a lot in capturing many usable photos.
Posted by Bonovox
Some I did today. it shows the sky as brighter in these images than it actually was
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Birmingham Frankfurt Christmas markets. I too find lowering EV a touch does help with grain but also can make image too dark. With these images on the Xperia P night scene mode it shakes alot so had to hold my breath in the cold weather & hold steady on a wall or table
Posted by etaab
Those dont look dark at all..
Heh i like the woman in picture 6, all that Christmas cultural food around and where has she been ? Greggs !!
I'll have a play around and see what i can come up with this weekend. Nice pictures though.
Posted by Bonovox
I know crazy. I never noticed that at first. It's like when Brits go abroad & they eat egg & chips rather experience the food of the country your visiting No these won't look dark as I never did turn down the EV 
Posted by etaab
Well tomorrow im going to (another) Christmas market and it will be dark so i'll be trying to get some shots there using the tips provided.
Cant say i hold much hope though lol.
Posted by rikken
Taken in my livingroom, I always shoot in Auto-mode
Posted by etaab
Looks grainy. As do mine indoors. In that environment i would just use the flash.
Posted by hibiskus
concerning night time photos, i have my own theory which is: the longer maximum exposure time phone has, better it is for nighttime shooting. For instance my LG kc910 renoir has only 1/4 sec max exposure time and i know that after sunset i cant picture anything worthwile. kc910 actually can go up to 1600 ISO but with so "big" sensor, theres more noise than picture itself
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Posted by rikken
etaab, of course it's grainy, it's taken with a phone. Most cameras would produce a grainy picture under such low light. Using a flash would only lit up the room and make it look unnatural
Posted by Bonovox
Yes,looks grainy but that's auto mode. Auto mode NEVER gets the right settings for night time. That is why I do not use auto at night not even on a normal camera. On a normal camera I use manual or programme mode. That is what settings are for. Auto is 99% crap at night. @Rikken,looks cosy though
[ This Message was edited by: Bonovox on 2012-12-02 15:01 ]
Posted by etaab
@ hibiskus - see, i'd believe you but other people post pictures on Esato which are perfectly shot. No noise, no blur, sharp as you'd like. I just cant get there with night shots.
@ rikken - didnt want to offend dude, just how i saw your picture and very comparable to mine indoors also.
@ Bonovox - im starting to think you've got a point. Take a look at these images.
First shot: full auto, nothing changed from the camera starting up in fully auto everything.
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Horrible ^ huh. Blurred, grainy, not sharp.
Second shot: Auto, but set to night mode, phone steadied against a wall
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Its even worse on night mode !!!! just look at the worse blur and more grain imo.
Last one
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Again, full auto but set to night mode ^ - terrible. Ive clearly not learnt a damn thing. The whole shot is a total blur mess.
Please feel free to pick over the EXIF data listed by Esato if possible.
So, Bonovox what you suggest is give night mode a try but with manual settings rather than auto ?? I might stand on my local motorway bridge tomorrow night when i get home from work and see what shots i can get during rush hour.
Posted by rikken
etaab, I was not offended
it is hard to avoid grainy pictures when light is low d
Posted by ILoveBhe
I just love how the 808 cleans the noise in manual settings and set to pure iew mode.
Ive got some photos too may not be as good as yours but here goes
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What happened to the photo gallery most poular photos, did that just turned Sony exclusive?
Posted by Bonovox
@etaab,yes. But on night mode you may find if kept still everything will be fine but moving people or cars blur but that gives a nice effect. Just normal auto cameras never get it right
Posted by etaab
@ ILoveBhe - very beautiful pictures. Thats what im talking about. I really want a 808.
Did you need a tripod to get those shots ?? the massive detail and complete lack of noise in those pictures is amazing!
@ Bonovox - cheers i'll give it a try. Watch this space - when i get time away from work to test. In the meantime feel free to post some night pics in this thread. Im very much interested in seeing them.
[ This Message was edited by: etaab on 2012-12-06 18:31 ]
Posted by Bonovox
Yeah really wish the price would drop on the 808
Posted by etaab
Im keeping my ear to the ground to see whether, or hear, whether a WP8 version will come out.
If not i might get a 808 next year when my new job starts paying out.
Everything about the camera is just great. The loss less zoom, total lack of noise in most pictures, its as close to a DSLR as you can get without buying a DSLR. I know 3x zoom isnt much, but it makes a difference when trying to get decent shots for instagram.
[ This Message was edited by: etaab on 2012-12-08 20:42 ]
Posted by Bonovox
Yes it's starting to frustrate me as I love mobile photography but most camera phones seems to be getting worse. The 808 is the only real one in terms of pure image quality and what it can also do.
Posted by etaab
Well, i had a N93 with its optical zoom and since then, ive been frustrated by not having a proper zoom in a phone. 3x zoom isnt much, but when you want to take a picture of something you either have to get close or crop the image and lose some detail.
Posted by Bonovox
My Xperia P died,so for time being I have a HTC Radar. A great device with a 2.2 lens with BSI sensor. Now,with poorer camera phones I know how to get the best out of what it can do. It is ok in sunlight but night time can be noisy. The street shot was done on auto which I think looks ok. Some phones seem to do well in auto & the Radar has a very fast shutter no lag. The other shot with is Cadbury shop at night was done on ISO 800. For some reason the Radar has no night mode just ISO etc. But as average as the camera is it don't do too bad. Great performance & battery life though
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[ This Message was edited by: Bonovox on 2012-12-09 15:24 ]
Posted by etaab
So how did the P die ??
Not bad shots but not impressive. They're still much better than mine shot with a bloody N8 aswel !
Posted by Bonovox
Just woke up one morning and it had zero life from a fully charged battery. Just flashed a light at the top. Waiting for refund. Anyway,yes the HTC like most phones is better in sunlight. If you zoom in they tend to look like an oil painting
Posted by etaab
Im just waiting now for my 4.1.2 update on my SGS3 which apparently brings a low light function in the camera which removes all noise and boosts image quality. According the GSM arena, its fantastic.
We'll see when i get mine.
Posted by ILoveBhe
On 2012-12-06 19:27:38, etaab wrote:
@ ILoveBhe - very beautiful pictures. Thats what im talking about. I really want a 808.
Did you need a tripod to get those shots ?? the massive detail and complete lack of noise in those pictures is amazing!
[ This Message was edited by: etaab on 2012-12-06 18:31 ]
Thank you Etaab, i only used the tripod on the lady. While the rest, i improvised, found some solid platform to support my hands.
Posted by Bonovox
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Done on auto but I need a better camera phone soon
radar great phone but average camera but not too bad in sunlight
Posted by rikken
Yeah, your phone is a week now and it is getting "old"
Posted by Bonovox
Posted by etaab
Well ive not had any time recently due to work to get more test shots but i'll try in the coming days.
Everywhere i go i see the numbers 808 in that order. Prices is shops, when people stop me to ask the time, all sorts, I think someones trying to tell me something.
Posted by xiaoness
@etaab Still not too sure about JB's new Low Light shooting mode. Had a christening party to attend and had a chance to fiddle with it. It's still more of a hit and miss even when using the Low Light mode, plus rendering time is slower (as expected) so when the subject moves even just a wee bit, the image is blurry.
(Crappy) Comparison photos using full auto mode and flash, and low light shooting mode:
Full auto:
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Low Light mode:
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I also tried a couple of the separate Night Mode, but pictures turned out too orange for some reason.
When my tripod gets on its lazy ass and decides to arrive here (before the year ends, hopefully), I'll try and do more comparison shots.
Posted by etaab
Well for portrait shots i dont expect any phone to be able to compete with a phone using a xenon flash. Im still waiting for my phone to get 4.1.2 funnily enough. For some reason its not available on kies or OTA.
Posted by xiaoness
@etaab That's true. I'll concede that the low light mode DID manage to enhance visibility of the dark background. I'll wait for my tripod and test the different settings indoors.
(For the update, I couldn't stand waiting, too, so I just flashed a custom ROM. XD)
Posted by etaab
Well my girlfriend has ordered me a tripod for Christmas so hopefully it'll help my shooting skills at night.
The thing is she often goes for the cheapest option which turns out to be, well.. cheap. I asked for a car phone holder two years ago and the one she got me was terrible and snapped almost instantly because my Nokia N8 was too wide for it.
Posted by hihihans
I hope she learned from it.
Posted by etaab
Doubt it, she does everything on the cheap and it always backfires on her or me.
She recently had her car engines head gasket fixed.. by a friend..
Posted by Guarulhos
Christmas Tree City Of Guarulhos - Sao Paulo - Brasil (Captured Image Apple IPhone 5) !!!
Posted by etaab
Not bad. The iPhone 4, 4S & 5 all seem to be good at capturing images with ease if not the best quality.
Posted by Guarulhos
Strongly Agree, IPhones Are Not The Best That Is In On Photography And Video, However With The IPhone 5... Apple Managed To Overcome Any Android Question On Image And Video, Only Staying Behind Of "Eventful" Lumia 920 PureView LITE, NSeries N8 And 808 PureView PRO !!!
Posted by etaab
Dont get me wrong though, i think iPhones from the 4 onwards have great cameras for simple point and shoot efforts, millions of Instagram users prove such.
Posted by etaab
Right, not posted here for a little while with it being the holidays season.
Girlfriend bought me a cheap tripod for Christmas so hopefully will be trying that out soon.