Camera Pro Update - Your experience

So far so good, I have only tested a little bit, but one thing I found is that it is impossible to use "pro" on monochrome only in colour :-) it would be nice to have the possibility to use it in BW/monochrome also.

For quality on photos I have to test more. Anyway I like the new app ;-)

The new app is smoother than the old one and also has  better interface but still there are some bugs and lots of missing features :                                                                                                                                                      

1) sliding action to activate/deactivate pro mode does not work in landscape orientation.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          2) The pro mode is not available in monochrome sensor also there is no monochrome video recording  which was previously available.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            3) Shutter speed range is very limited as mentioned already.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

4) No 60 fps video recording as well as the slow motion video is only 120 fps although snapdragon 835 is capable of going much much higher fps count.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    5) The Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS)  is just bad because a) it crops the available view b) gets    blurry in low light situation c) OIS was much better. There should be a toggle to turn on or off the EIS.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     6) Pro mode should also be available in video recording as well

I Have not received any Camera update and May Security update on my Nokia 8 (TA - 1004) yet and when i check for the update it says " Your System is up to date"

Is there any problem with my phone or with update

On the plus side, I can finally see some difference between photos taken with only color sensor and ones combined from color and monochrome ones. Also, it finally works fast. 

But it's still may not be as good as modded Google Camera (though I am aware it may be hard to catch up with Google's algorithms

One more thing - auto HDR seems to rarely kick in. I tried it on a window with a bright light and on auto mode, everything besides the window was dark, only forcing HDR fixed that problem. GCam on auto mode properly handles this.

I didnt even received the update yet but from what I heard:

- You didnt included saving photos as RAW in Pro mode??? Seriously? This is the basic function of every pro mode

- Shutterspeed only 1/2 is disasterous

In one word, my experience with the updated camera app:
Underwhelmed.

In more words:

* Settings > Grid = The 'rule of thirds' lines is too thin. It is practically invisible outdoors.

* The auto-focus or scene evaluation often makes a different last-moment decision when the picture is taken. Causes blur or wrong exposure. Close range less than 2 metres indoors is most unreliable.
Note: The picture option in Google's Messages app and in for example Sports-Tracker works better, using the standard Android camera API's.

* Auto-HDR mode does not work as expected. It does not kick in when it is needed. Highlights blow out regardless of HDR on, off or auto.

* The camera performance in back-lit scenes is now mediocre. I used to be pleased with the Nokia 8 camera performance in difficult lighting in full auto mode, but maybe I was the only one?

* The Nokia 8 unique Low-Light and Fusion modes has disappeared(?)

* Pictures come out slightly too yellowish/warm generally.

* With shutter sound enabled, the last half of the shutter sound is recorded at the beginning of each video clip.
* The video camera now seems to have both optical and electronic stabilization enabled? - There is an undesirable 'rubber-band' effect in 720p and 1080p (but not in 4K-UHD) as the camera is panned and moved around:
Overshoots the new position, then moves back slowly.
- This can't be right, if I'm right?
Adding EIS to OIS equipped hardware may also explain why still image capture in low light has become difficult, and now often come out motion blurred on top of being out of focus.

* The most requested video recording pause/resume option is still missing.

* The camera settings is split for no apparent reason, with the video
resolution settings only available when the camera is in video mode.

* The new UI encourages
the user to record photos and videos vertically. Holding a Nokia 8 the wrong way ruins both the video and the OZO surround recording.

* Swipe to toggle between photo and video mode is clumsy and not logical.

I prefer to use cameras in full-auto auto mode: There is often no time to make adjustments for snapshots, and I can't judge the result of manual changes on a phone screen when outdoors.

I was unable to find any positive changes during the weekend, but hope this is seen as first impression honest feedback.
Thanks for reading.

--
Hans

This here camera update is beginning to sound like a bit of a disaster.

Please don't get it wrong, Nokia 8 can still take pictures and record video with the new app. I'm not the kind of person a company would want to work in production or quality management. I'm retired, fortunately for all ;-)

Others will be impressed by the manual control options or the enhanced bothie
features, and most people will likely just use the camera when needed,
and not worry about the technicalities.

The goal regarding the HMD camera app seems to be a common code-base for all Nokia branded Android devices, sacrificing some of the device specific features?

It would be useful to know what changed and what needs to be checked.
For example, the shutter sound at the beginning of each video recording is perhaps an indicator of more fundamental problems, regarding how the camera app acquires exclusive hardware access, or how the microphone hardware is driven?
Tonight I worry about noticeable static 'tics' during the first 5-10 seconds of video clips when the shutter sound is disabled, and trying to find a workaround or a setting somewhere to avoid it. I also need to check whether the tics occur when the shutter sound is enabled, since that would be easier to edit out.

So much to do and so little time!

--
Hans

For what it is worth, I haven't noticed any audio tics in the videos from the old HMD camera app, but will double-check later.

The OZO surround sound on Nokia 8 is the best I've heard from any affordable camcorder, so it must keep working!