[Request] Camera comparison UB vs LB

pranii23 said:

http://blog.gsmarena.com/sony-xperia-z2-vs-z1-camera-comparison/
Camera in Z2 had better software.
We need to wait for someone to port entire Z2 libs n processing or SONY needs to give an update to camera !

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

first of all we have a full Z2 camera port working for Z1 kitkat, look in the apps section.

second they might have used pre KK Z1, picture quality was improved in KK in my opinion because the new algo's they used for Z2 were brought to Z1.

There is no quality difference between UB or LB.

Before Android 4.3 the camera didn't work with UB, because Bioz was disabled when unlocking the bootloader, Bioz is nothing more than the image processing engine from Sony, software library with algorithms and drivers to process the picture and get the best quality of the raw input., it's not a fancy super processor or a magic thing, it's just software.

With Android 4.3 and later you can now unlock your BL without disabling Bioz, (again, if you disable it, the camera won't work), and it works just as fine with UB and LB.

Also 3th party apps uses the Sony image processing, the only way on avoiding that is doing tricks like Camera 5V does, it saves the low resolution picture from the live feed to get some effects, like longer exposure time.

The difference in the pictures can be due light, software version, and another few variables.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2643859 < more info.

Luinwethion said:

There is no quality difference between UB or LB.

Before Android 4.3 the camera didn't work with UB, because Bioz was disabled when unlocking the bootloader, Bioz is nothing more than the image processing engine from Sony, software library with algorithms and drivers to process the picture and get the best quality of the raw input., it's not a fancy super processor or a magic thing, it's just software.

With Android 4.3 and later you can now unlock your BL without disabling Bioz, (again, if you disable it, the camera won't work), and it works just as fine with UB and LB.

Also 3th party apps uses the Sony image processing, the only way on avoiding that is doing tricks like Camera 5V does, it saves the low resolution picture from the live feed to get some effects, like longer exposure time.

The difference in the pictures can be due light, software version, and another few variables.

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2643859 < more info.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

There's definitely a difference in quality. I'm not saying BIONZ Is disabled, obviously it's not otherwise the camera won't work, but it's possible that bionz still needs some DRM keys to process the image fully for noise reduction and things like that.

I've unlocked, relocked and unlocked my bootloader again, taken many photos each time and compared them, and I've noticed the difference. I always use manual mode with the same ISO, and the pictures are taken immediately before and immediately after I unlock the BL, so there is no difference in lighting at least indoors. There is definite noise in the darker areas that LB camera takes care of, but doesn't seem to be removed/processed in UBL.

kantk20111 said:

There's definitely a difference in quality. I'm not saying BIONZ Is disabled, obviously it's not otherwise the camera won't work, but it's possible that bionz still needs some DRM keys to process the image fully for noise reduction and things like that.

I've unlocked, relocked and unlocked my bootloader again, taken many photos each time and compared them, and I've noticed the difference. I always use manual mode with the same ISO, and the pictures are taken immediately before and immediately after I unlock the BL, so there is no difference in lighting at least indoors. There is definite noise in the darker areas that LB camera takes care of, but doesn't seem to be removed/processed in UBL.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

The only think I see in the pictures you posted, is that the Locked bootloader is "lighter", but with a inaccurate white balance, something wrong with the flash.

I can't see the picture details (iso and shutter speed) from the pictures.

It's very difficult to compare the results between LB and UB, a small change in the scene can affect the final result... Even the way you hold your phone (and it gets more important while using Superior Auto, but you can say the same for Manual mode, that isn't really Manual).


In this test I show that the way you hold your phone can have drastic result in the picture quality (more or less ISO / noise).



PS: Pictures from both sets are taken with a unlocked bootloader:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/97274591@N06/12161589033/in/set-72157640187444416/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/97274591@N06/sets/72157638572108166/



Once I unlock my bootloader again, I will try to make a comparison, trying to keep the scene, settings and etc the same.

kantk20111 said:

There's definitely a difference in quality. I'm not saying BIONZ Is disabled, obviously it's not otherwise the camera won't work, but it's possible that bionz still needs some DRM keys to process the image fully for noise reduction and things like that.

I've unlocked, relocked and unlocked my bootloader again, taken many photos each time and compared them, and I've noticed the difference. I always use manual mode with the same ISO, and the pictures are taken immediately before and immediately after I unlock the BL, so there is no difference in lighting at least indoors. There is definite noise in the darker areas that LB camera takes care of, but doesn't seem to be removed/processed in UBL.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Bionz doesn't have anything to do with DRM AFAIK. DRM stands for Digital Rights Management. It is a software used to protect digital media from piracy which isn't at all related to Bionz since Bionz is an encoder not decoder. DRM only restricts decoding illegal media but not encoding because there's no piracy involved there. Also you can't create a perfect comparison shot of a camera without a still stand and an controlled environment. A little shake on the device while taking a photo could affect noise radically and same goes for the lighting, contrast and colors of the subject. And also for the focus.

The reason why the camera doesn't work before on Xperia Z1 on unlocked bootloader because the viewfinder shares the same decoder library as used in video playback which utilizes a part of DRM feature hence it won't work. Doing a little logcat at that time shows the error clearly.

If bionz was the problem that time the camera app could have worked since bionz is only used when you take a picture not while the camera is idle or whatelse

Do take note that AR Effect works that time because it has it's own seperate viewfinder libs for inserting the AR functions.

Riyal said:

Bionz doesn't have anything to do with DRM AFAIK. DRM stands for Digital Rights Management. It is a software used to protect digital media from piracy which isn't at all related to Bionz since Bionz is an encoder not decoder. DRM only restricts decoding illegal media but not encoding because there's no piracy involved there. Also you can't create a perfect comparison shot of a camera without a still stand and an controlled environment. A little shake on the device while taking a photo could affect noise radically and same goes for the lighting, contrast and colors of the subject. And also for the focus.
The reason why the camera doesn't work before on Xperia Z1 on unlocked bootloader because the viewfinder shares the same decoder library as used in video playback which utilizes a part of DRM feature hence it won't work. Doing a little logcat at that time shows the error clearly.
If bionz was the problem that time the camera app could have worked since bionz is only used when you take a picture not while the camera is idle or whatelse
Do take note that AR Effect works that time because it has it's own seperate viewfinder libs for inserting the AR functions.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

I think you are right. But, Sony....what is the Sony answer at that very simple question: unlocking bootloader affect the photo quality or not?
That for finish up once forever at this endless discution. I am on unlocked BL (C6903), stock-based JB (I proved and I hate KK), and I am afraid to downgrade, relock BL and restore my TA, because the possibility of a hardbrick.

Riyal said:

Bionz doesn't have anything to do with DRM AFAIK. DRM stands for Digital Rights Management. It is a software used to protect digital media from piracy which isn't at all related to Bionz since Bionz is an encoder not decoder. DRM only restricts decoding illegal media but not encoding because there's no piracy involved there. Also you can't create a perfect comparison shot of a camera without a still stand and an controlled environment. A little shake on the device while taking a photo could affect noise radically and same goes for the lighting, contrast and colors of the subject. And also for the focus.

The reason why the camera doesn't work before on Xperia Z1 on unlocked bootloader because the viewfinder shares the same decoder library as used in video playback which utilizes a part of DRM feature hence it won't work. Doing a little logcat at that time shows the error clearly.

If bionz was the problem that time the camera app could have worked since bionz is only used when you take a picture not while the camera is idle or whatelse

Do take note that AR Effect works that time because it has it's own seperate viewfinder libs for inserting the AR functions.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

BIONZ is working, however in unlocked bootloader it does not work the same way it does with locked bootloader.

I insist there's a difference in picture quality. To prove it, I took a total of 12 shots. 6 shots of the same subject in a row in 15mp manual mode with 400ISO in UBL, and then I relocked my BL, restored my TA and took the same 6 shots again in the same conditions merely 10 minutes later.

I took 6 shots so that the 'random picture quality difference' is negated.

Here are the pictures. I can provide originals as well if people wish. I uploaded to imgur because it's easier for me.

Unlocked bootloader pictures
http://i.imgur.com/Ft94Zm2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QHq0NBv.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/EFbgo5w.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zKoNEkg.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xgEJvV5.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/iEFCUea.jpg


Locked bootloader pictures
http://i.imgur.com/w52Ww4A.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7e5mggz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/wjO8r8d.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/MXZpnpE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/9r8gB7Z.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DnKPCKJ.jpg


At first glance, they look similar. HOWEVER, if you look into the dark part of the images, you will notice something different in UBL compared to LB. There is a lot more 'digital noise' present in ULB pictures. What I'm talking about is random green/red pixels in the dark area that the BIONZ processor (or whatever else) removes in locked bootloader state.

EXAMPLE 1




Left is LB, right is UBL. You can notice the difference immediately in the blacks of my PS3. There is noise present in the UBL part that is NOT present in the LB part. Picture quality is NOT compromised, both are about equal sharpness, however LB looks considerably better because of the lack of 'digital noise'.

Example 2



Again you can see a greenish hue on my heater with some of that noise that is not present on the left LB picture.

Example 3



Look at the blacks of my HP box. Again there is that random green/red noise on the UBL pictures that isn't present in the LB picture. LB picture is also slightly sharper but that could be a coincidence.

This isn't a one time occurrence.. This 'digital noise' exists in ALL of the 6 UBL shots I took, and it is NOT present in my LB shots. In daylight the difference is negligible, but in low light the difference is evident. That noise reduction that occurs, whether it be through BIONZ or whatever else, is not present in UBL shots. This results in lower picture quality especially in low light. I don't know what is removed, but there is a definite difference between the two.

kantk20111 said:

BIONZ is working, however in unlocked bootloader it does not work the same way it does with locked bootloader.

I insist there's a difference in picture quality. To prove it, I took a total of 12 shots. 6 shots of the same subject in a row in 15mp manual mode with 400ISO in UBL, and then I relocked my BL, restored my TA and took the same 6 shots again in the same conditions merely 10 minutes later.

I took 6 shots so that the 'random picture quality difference' is negated.

Here are the pictures. I can provide originals as well if people wish. I uploaded to imgur because it's easier for me.

Unlocked bootloader pictures
http://i.imgur.com/Ft94Zm2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QHq0NBv.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/EFbgo5w.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zKoNEkg.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xgEJvV5.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/iEFCUea.jpg


Locked bootloader pictures
http://i.imgur.com/w52Ww4A.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7e5mggz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/wjO8r8d.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/MXZpnpE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/9r8gB7Z.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DnKPCKJ.jpg


At first glance, they look similar. HOWEVER, if you look into the dark part of the images, you will notice something different in UBL compared to LB. There is a lot more 'digital noise' present in ULB pictures. What I'm talking about is random green/red pixels in the dark area that the BIONZ processor (or whatever else) removes in locked bootloader state.

EXAMPLE 1

Left is LB, right is UBL. You can notice the difference immediately in the blacks of my PS3. There is noise present in the UBL part that is NOT present in the LB part. Picture quality is NOT compromised, both are about equal sharpness, however LB looks considerably better because of the lack of 'digital noise'.

Example 2

Again you can see a greenish hue on my heater with some of that noise that is not present on the left LB picture.

Example 3

Look at the blacks of my HP box. Again there is that random green/red noise on the UBL pictures that isn't present in the LB picture. LB picture is also slightly sharper but that could be a coincidence.

This isn't a one time occurrence.. This 'digital noise' exists in ALL of the 6 UBL shots I took, and it is NOT present in my LB shots. In daylight the difference is negligible, but in low light the difference is evident. That noise reduction that occurs, whether it be through BIONZ or whatever else, is not present in UBL shots. This results in lower picture quality especially in low light. I don't know what is removed, but there is a definite difference between the two.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Thanks for your test, i don't understand why sony do this difference and don't make a fix

Sony

kantk20111 said:

You can backup your TA partition and restore it when you relock the BL. I cannot 100% confirm whether BIONZ has to do with DRM, but in my experience photo quality is better in locked BL especially in low light. That would indicate photo quality is tied with DRM keys in TA partition.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

I have an ongoing discussion with a Sony employee and he says this about bootloader: "The only thing i know of is that the camera stopped working in Z1 if you unlocked the bootloader before it was officially supported." And this has been fixed.

From personal experience and from reading alot about ongoing problems. It´s pretty random what would cause that some get no difference in photos with UB or LB, and some get huge differences.

Sony aint super keen on discussing theese matters and you really have to PULL info out of them and even then you aint really getting a solid answer. The answers you get are always "bendable".

Wouldnt a normal company say like " Sorry dear customers, we know we have issues atm and we are trying to solve it ASAP. The issues we noticed are the following etc"

/Jonas

Great job @kantk20111 ! This is what a smart man does. I think "that" and I can prove it - "look". One of the best posts I've seen for a long time ! I also noticed the same thing on my Z1c and the camera is the only reason I won't switch to cm/aosp. After all we have a great sensor with LOTS of potential and it's just the software algorithms that prevent us from taking even better pictures. I'm sure we'll see massive improvements in future android upgrades !

Tap the potential?

Imagine the same sensor with Nokia algorithms!!
Wouldn't it be stunning
I have a doubt, If anyone saw OnePlus One phone's camera capabilities, especially color reproduction and its HDR vs Z1.....
Can the software in it be ported to CM11 as Oneplus runs CM11!!

I tried this for myself now since I had a hard time understanding what the difference is.

Anyways, I shot similar photos like you did, quite alot of black things in the photo. And my ones look just like your locked bootloader ones.

My phone has been unlocked once but is now relocked with flashtool. Meaning I don't have the DRM keys present.

Stock firmware,.757 and not rooted.

I haven't tried this with UB though.

Sent from my C6903 using XDA Free mobile app

kantk20111 said:

BIONZ is working, however in unlocked bootloader it does not work the same way it does with locked bootloader.

I insist there's a difference in picture quality. To prove it, I took a total of 12 shots. 6 shots of the same subject in a row in 15mp manual mode with 400ISO in UBL, and then I relocked my BL, restored my TA and took the same 6 shots again in the same conditions merely 10 minutes later.

I took 6 shots so that the 'random picture quality difference' is negated.

Here are the pictures. I can provide originals as well if people wish. I uploaded to imgur because it's easier for me.

Unlocked bootloader pictures
http://i.imgur.com/Ft94Zm2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/QHq0NBv.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/EFbgo5w.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/zKoNEkg.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/xgEJvV5.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/iEFCUea.jpg


Locked bootloader pictures
http://i.imgur.com/w52Ww4A.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7e5mggz.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/wjO8r8d.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/MXZpnpE.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/9r8gB7Z.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/DnKPCKJ.jpg


At first glance, they look similar. HOWEVER, if you look into the dark part of the images, you will notice something different in UBL compared to LB. There is a lot more 'digital noise' present in ULB pictures. What I'm talking about is random green/red pixels in the dark area that the BIONZ processor (or whatever else) removes in locked bootloader state.

EXAMPLE 1

Left is LB, right is UBL. You can notice the difference immediately in the blacks of my PS3. There is noise present in the UBL part that is NOT present in the LB part. Picture quality is NOT compromised, both are about equal sharpness, however LB looks considerably better because of the lack of 'digital noise'.

Example 2

Again you can see a greenish hue on my heater with some of that noise that is not present on the left LB picture.

Example 3

Look at the blacks of my HP box. Again there is that random green/red noise on the UBL pictures that isn't present in the LB picture. LB picture is also slightly sharper but that could be a coincidence.

This isn't a one time occurrence.. This 'digital noise' exists in ALL of the 6 UBL shots I took, and it is NOT present in my LB shots. In daylight the difference is negligible, but in low light the difference is evident. That noise reduction that occurs, whether it be through BIONZ or whatever else, is not present in UBL shots. This results in lower picture quality especially in low light. I don't know what is removed, but there is a definite difference between the two.

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Look at the colors on example 1 and 2
In UBL is better

Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk

yasser707 said:

Look at the colors on example 1 and 2
In UBL is better

Sent from my C6903 using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

Click to collapse

Color balance is random. It's sometimes better on LB, sometimes on UBL. LB is better in lower light areas where UBL camera does not apply noise reduction resulting in the 'digital noise' in my pictures.

There is no much change in back camera.
But, front camera gets really worse. It gets noisy so much.

I did a petition about this thing http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2896647

Sent from my C6903 using XDA Free mobile app

I myself recently went from Stock LB to Cyanogenmod UB and have to say the camera is still really good in low light situations.
Maybe it is just me, but I like to keep as many details as possible in a picture (be it noise) and if I really want I can still enhance it on my PC later.