Google launches standalone Camera app in Play Store

[alepodj]

Just tired it on my Galaxy S 4 and it's awful. It seems like Samsung and Nokia are the only phone manufacturers that has half a brain when it comes to camera apps. Samsung's is not that great but it at least have decent functionality. It's nice that Google fixed the hilariously broken viewfinder that cropped anything other than 16:9 (compared to their old camera app) but it still lacks a lot of stuff.

 

Why do I have to change between "video" and "camera" mode? Why not have one button for recording and one button for taking pictures?

Why can't I take pictures while recording?

Why can't I use the front and back camera at the same time?

Where is the option for longer exposure time?

No ISO control? Seriously?

Why can't I save to my memory card?

Where is the burst mode?

No control over the white balance, at all!? Not even the option to configure how to measure it? (Like "measure only in the center", or "take an average of the entire picture").

No software stabilization?

I couldn't find a timer in the app. That's an extremely basic thing.

No filters? I don't use them but they are pretty popular so why not include some?

 

There are just the things it lacks when comparing it Samsung's app, which is far from perfect. The new photo mode seems pretty cool though.

Here are two test picture I took and it's pretty damn impressive.

2014-04-17 18.39.50.jpg

2014-04-17 18.40.19.jpg

Totally understand your frustration but it seems this was mostly intended for Nexus devices users, thats what im getting out it, 

people that are coming from other Android devices that already had their respective camera implementations wont feel it like a an upgrade, but google nexus devices camera software is very flat and feature-less and this "starts" a new path to hopefully fix that...

I would not compare a fully featured S4 camera, Samsung surely did a great job to offer different options and whatnot,,, but again for a nexus 

user its a path to a better camera...Cheers

[onionring]

Just gave it a little test...

With Nexus 4:

With Sony A57 SLT:

It looks pretty terrible up against a proper camera, but standing alone on social media it'll probably look pretty decent. This might help improve the overall average quality of photos across social media.

Nexus 4 isn't known for having a particularly good camera, either...

for a moment i belidved those stains on the keyboard where camera artefacts but they re not?

[Guest]

I really don't know why people keep comparing real camera's to phone camera's.....talk about useless comparisons.

[onionring]

I really don't know why people keep comparing real camera's to phone camera's.....talk about useless comparisons.

didn t nokia make a kind of hybrid 41mpixel phone not so long ago?(only reason to get a win phone)

but yes normal phone camera are useless.

[Guest]

didn t nokia make a kind of hybrid 41mpixel phone not so long ago?(only reason to get a win phone)

but yes normal phone camera are useless.

They are actually quite useful.

 

Not nearly everybody demands superb or elitist camera standards for day to day pictures.

[gastew15]

Well it auto updated last night and the default app that I actually liked... This new app actually has a worse interface IMO  and that capture button is so bad.. :'(

[beebskadoo]

I doubt it. I've had the same complains with the stock Android camera for ages and it hasn't been fixed yet.

It's the only reason why I still run TouchWiz, because every single camera app in the Play store sucks. As soon as I find a good one I'll stop using TouchWiz and move over to Cyanogenmod.

there are roms out there that have the Samsung camera on stock android. Just have to look for them

[LukeTim]

for a moment i belidved those stains on the keyboard where camera artefacts but they re not?

I believe there used to be stickers on the keys. That's just the residue from the adhesive...

[LAwLz]

there are roms out there that have the Samsung camera on stock android. Just have to look for them

I haven't been able to find one. The Samsung camera relies on components in TouchWiz so I have only been able to find TouchWiz based ROMs with the stock camera.

[beebskadoo]

I haven't been able to find one. The Samsung camera relies on components in TouchWiz so I have only been able to find TouchWiz based ROMs with the stock camera.

What phone/carrier do you have?

[LAwLz]

What phone/carrier do you have?

Galaxy S 4 (Snapdragon 600 model) and my carrier doesn't matter since I am not in the US.

 

 

I just found this video:

 

This is about time! Hopefully this will teach stupid people to rotate their phone then they try to record video. I am so sick and tired of people holding their phones in portrait mode when recording. Don't they realize what they are doing? They should at least realize what a huge fuckup they did then they have uploaded it to YouTube. Big thumbs up Google.

[Barrington]

couldn't find it so looks like i'll be sticking with the built in one

 

 

EDIT: and my front camera has died again

[DLM_012]

Oh wow I didn't notice all of those features missing. 

 

As @beebskadoo mentioned, I'm sure more features will be added before or after the I/O event