Question Does your S23 have camera issues? Blurred image? Bananagate? Other problems?

Do you suffer from blurry or out of focus images on stock camera?


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miro1360

Member
May 9, 2023
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@DaOldMan No needs for proffesional setup to check the bananagate on the S23 Ultra. According to the available information, there are some models that do not have this problem and mostly they are assembled outside Vietnam. So I can proudly say: The main camera on my S23 Ultra is garbage :)
 
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DaOldMan

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Oct 6, 2010
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@DaOldMan No needs for proffesional setup to check the bananagate on the S23 Ultra. According to the available information, there are some models that do not have this problem and mostly they are assembled outside Vietnam. So I can proudly say: The main camera on my S23 Ultra is garbage :)
Well it's the other way around. This xda thread has just 4 pages and very few participants. This S23U is from Vietnam. My wives S23+ is from Vietnam too and I from my few checks, seems also fine (I will check it more). So no garbage, no bananagate and no problem for most people I guess. Otherwise I expect this thread to explode, which doesn't happen. Just few people responding to themselves most of the time. I would change the device and probably get a normal working one instead.
Cheers.
 

miro1360

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May 9, 2023
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@DaOldMan That is just not true. Regular people don't care because it is not so serious problem for many. People who are serious about photography will know how to work with this problem, so again no issue. In addition, Samsung's attitude towards repairing these mobiles is more discouraging than satisfactory. I rather think that your friend took the photo wrong. In addition, it doesn't even contain Exif information, so it can be a photo from any mobile phone or it can be a cut-out. Read the comment under this video, there is an answer from the author that he also has the problem and knows about it, but he solves it with a workaround.
 

DaOldMan

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Oct 6, 2010
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@DaOldMan That is just not true. Regular people don't care because it is not so serious problem for many. People who are serious about photography will know how to work with this problem, so again no issue. In addition, Samsung's attitude towards repairing these mobiles is more discouraging than satisfactory. I rather think that your friend took the photo wrong. In addition, it doesn't even contain Exif information, so it can be a photo from any mobile phone or it can be a cut-out. Read the comment under this video, there is an answer from the author that he also has the problem and knows about it, but he solves it with a workaround.
Sorry about the exif, but it was stripped by the XDA forum (I now even see they compressed the image!). In the picture I uploaded there is FULL exif information. Please download the original file from my dropbox:

Download Original Picture with Exif here please

This should not touch any exif information.

I am not trying to protect Samsung. In fact I left Samsung for few years because of their behaviour. I am a long time developer on the Note 3, so I remember their memory chip problems that caused Sleep of Death they never acknowledged. And tons of bugs we repaired in the roms :) . So I know that if you have a problem like this - you are on your own. But when someone here has a S23 Ultra and tries to show BananaGate, and I know he is the only guy on earth (maybe there is 1 more) complaining I know something fishy is going on. So I except there is may be a problem on the S23/S23+ camera array but problably none on the Ultra array. As I have a S23 Plus at home I will also check it for the problem. For now, it seems to work just fine. It's macro capabilities are not good and it has optic aberation that are expected with this kind of a setup.
Writing that a professional phtographer "took this picture wrong" is a bit lame, mate. You can see he made real effort to check his camera for the problem. And he knows photography very, very well. So no, he took the photo just right. Check the exif and tell us what's wrong.
Cheers.
 
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miro1360

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May 9, 2023
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@DaOldMan I don't want to touch your friend, but he sent you the picture from the ultrawide camera and he also had the Focus enhancement feature turned on ... see the attached exif info from the picture you sent me :) ... He need to take the picture with main camera (ideally 200 MPx picture - this will force to use the main camera) .. also the focus enhancement must be turned off.
 

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chetszot

Senior Member
May 15, 2017
112
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Bananagate issue happens on S23 and S23+ variants only. People claiming any S23 Ultra has such problem, in my opinion, are searching for a problem where it doesn't exist.

I have tested areound 10 Ultras in many electro stores and none of them had the issue. Also, I have checked around 10 vanillas and 10 Pluses units in the same stores and ALL of them had the bananagate issue. Weird thing is that each of them was a little bit different, but still noticeable and indeed existing.

Please, stop even talking the Ultra model has any issue. There are no evidence for that.
 

DaOldMan

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Oct 6, 2010
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@DaOldMan I don't want to touch your friend, but he sent you the picture from the ultrawide camera and he also had the Focus enhancement feature turned on ... see the attached exif info from the picture you sent me :) ... He need to take the picture with main camera (ideally 200 MPx picture - this will force to use the main camera) .. also the focus enhancement must be turned off.
I will talk to him today. I explained to him to use only main sensor in 200mp mode so i have no idea what happened. I think with ultra when it senses you are in macro mode it will ALWAYS use the ultra wide macro camera. It's the same with my s22 ultra. When the object is close the camera switches immediately to the wide camera macro sensor. This is why ultra has no bananagate at all and that's what I am talking about. I will tell him to turn off focus enhancer.
 

miro1360

Member
May 9, 2023
8
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@DaOldMan The whole time I am talking about the main camera and how to test it. Samsung engineers did workaround solution with ultrawide camera for macro photography. But the ultrawide camera is not 200 MPx and it does not have the parameters for which people pay a lot of money. So saying S23 Ultra doesn't have bananagate problem is wrong. The main camera on S23 Ultra has this problem and the AI programmed to fool customers with the ultrawide lens and the focus enhancement. Fooled was also @chetszot , so you can go back to the store, set the camera into 200 MPx, take the picture again and you will prove for yourself that the main camera on S23 Ultra has the bananagate issue, just because you don't know how to test it doesn't mean the problem isn't there.
@DaOldMan Bananagate is visible also on landscape photos which were taken with the main camera. Good photographer can see it in the details of buildings, signs, but also leaves and tree branches.
 

DaOldMan

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Oct 6, 2010
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@DaOldMan The whole time I am talking about the main camera and how to test it. Samsung engineers did workaround solution with ultrawide camera for macro photography. But the ultrawide camera is not 200 MPx and it does not have the parameters for which people pay a lot of money. So saying S23 Ultra doesn't have bananagate problem is wrong. The main camera on S23 Ultra has this problem and the AI programmed to fool customers with the ultrawide lens and the focus enhancement. Fooled was also @chetszot , so you can go back to the store, set the camera into 200 MPx, take the picture again and you will prove for yourself that the main camera on S23 Ultra has the bananagate issue, just because you don't know how to test it doesn't mean the problem isn't there.
@DaOldMan Bananagate is visible also on landscape photos which were taken with the main camera. Good photographer can see it in the details of buildings, signs, but also leaves and tree branches.
1. Here is the picture from the main camera. No banagate, sorry. Yes there are difraction/shallow depth of field problerms which can't be solved on a 200 MP sensor. Comparing to iPhone is funny as it has NOT 200 MP sensor:

200 MP with main camera, check it out.

2. S23 Ultra in macro mode going to the ultra wide camera is not a trick. Ultra has a ultra wide module with variable focus, which S23+ or plain S23 don't have. So they can't use the ultra wide for macro but S23 Ultra can. Usage of ultra wide camera for macro is not a trick but a widely accepted fact on all mobiles. It gives the best results.
3. Who said you can do macto shots in 200 MP on the Ultra ? If you read reviews you know immedietly that 200 MP is only on the main camera, this is what you pay for and buy. And yes. I prefer great 12 MP macro then horrible 200 MP one. I am sure you do too. Which D-Slr do you have with 200 MP ? Do you need 200 MP for anything ?
Cheers.
 
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miro1360

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May 9, 2023
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@DaOldMan Finally, the blurring can be clearly seen in this photo from the main 200 MPx sensor on S23 Ultra. We can name it diffraction or whatsever, it just makes blurring on unwanted area and in unwantes shape. Normal lenses will do this "blurring" at the edges of the photo (if any) and in the circle shape, not banana. S23 makes it in bananashape and only in the upper thirth, really like a banana shape (the area behind this banana shape is remaining sharp up to the edge). But one thing I must admit, Ultra makes less bluring as the non ultra or plus.
 

DaOldMan

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Oct 6, 2010
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@DaOldMan Finally, the blurring can be clearly seen in this photo from the main 200 MPx sensor on S23 Ultra. We can name it diffraction or whatsever, it just makes blurring on unwanted area and in unwantes shape. Normal lenses will do this "blurring" at the edges of the photo (if any) and in the circle shape, not banana. S23 makes it in bananashape and only in the upper thirth, really like a banana shape (the area behind this banana shape is remaining sharp up to the edge). But one thing I must admit, Ultra makes less bluring as the non ultra or plus.
Sorry but I don't see the same thing:
1. No banana. There is a slight out of focus area (this text is 9 point big) on the lower part of the picture. Out of focus area is not circular, it's a rectangle. So a blur from edge to edge.
2. This just means it's out of the field of depth area. As this is a 24 mm focal lenght camera with a 200 MP sensor , the depth of field is extremely shallow something like 3 mm, so what do you expect ?
3. My friend told me this is probably at the edge of optics performance, so don't expect anything better. No one can do it, physics still works. Even on iPhone (which has a much smaller sensor so has a higher depth of field).
Anyway, I wouldn't loose any sleep over this. 200 MP is quite useless for the majority of people, as you don't need it to cover a building with a poster or crop so much out of the picture. Who needs 50 MB files ? Better use RAW and then adjust it as you please.
Cheers.
 

chetszot

Senior Member
May 15, 2017
112
42
Samsung addressing this problem!?? Don't know

For me this statement is rather a bad news because they are oficially and publicly making people dumb in the same way as the Customer Service employees have been doing so regarding this issue.

Software can MITIGATE the problem, not solve it.
 

DaOldMan

Senior Member
Oct 6, 2010
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I have bad experience with Samsung "fixing" bugs like this. I hope for all my S23/S23+ friends that I am wrong this time.
 
I just received the S23 from the technical center, the repair report replaced the camera module and updated the software.

I have some doubts if the camera module was really replaced, why is the blurring problem the same, or if all the modules were replaced with problems.

Apparently Samsung has not acknowledged the problem and says that it will be corrected by software, but personally I do not believe that it will be fully corrected, it will be able to be mitigated or disguised in some way.

Because replacing the cameras of all of them on S23/S23+ is not feasible, both at an economic level and credibility for consumers, so they say that it is a feature and that will now be solved by software.
 
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chetszot

Senior Member
May 15, 2017
112
42
I just received the S23 from the technical center, the repair report replaced the camera module and updated the software.

I have some doubts if the camera module was really replaced, why is the blurring problem the same, or if all the modules were replaced with problems.

Apparently Samsung has not acknowledged the problem and says that it will be corrected by software, but personally I do not believe that it will be fully corrected, it will be able to be mitigated or disguised in some way.

Because replacing the cameras of all of them on S23/S23+ is not feasible, both at an economic level and credibility for consumers, so they say that it is a feature and that will now be solved by software.
Like I wrote 2 posts above - software will MITIGATE the problem as it is hardware issue. We are to be basically left with faulty device with Samsung bull**** praising it's a "feature" of this crap.

This looks very bad to me.
 
I already updated to the new update that promised to solve the focus problems and blurred image "bananagate" but the problem remains.

Samsung change the equipment to all users of S23 and S23+ because mine has already been changed the lens under warranty and it's the same.

Anyway, I'm not going to sell it because I don't want to deceive anyone like Samsung did and is deceiving us.

But I will send it to the warranty every month if the brand doesn't fix the S23.
 

chetszot

Senior Member
May 15, 2017
112
42
I got the update today and, at least in my case, the banagate seems to be "less bad". I did some shots before and after the update and the difference is significant, but - like I was expecting - they are AI cheating on text only. So text shots are better (though still not perfect) and the banana shape blur is less visible. However - everything else is as bad as it was before.

Other than that this 2.2 GB "massive" update made the photos look literally as it is from low range A30-A20. Literally. No details, oversharpened, a lot of smudge areas where more details are, tons of noise. I just can't believe this is 2023 flagship phone. Even my development old S9 is doing far better job in all scenarios.

I am TERRIBLY disappointed from the camera quality of this S23 garbage. Pathethic. Really
 

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    I'm opening this topic to get this information to all S23/S23+ users.

    We have a serious problem with the camera and Samsung has come to say that it is a feature and so far Samsung has been washing its hands and not pronouncing itself, not even issuing a statement about this problem.

    Is your S23 good? Vote!

    Almost 6 years separate the OnePlus 5T from the S23+ and still, the 5T gets better definition and focus, despite the fact that the 5T already has enough problems with the Camera.

    But Samsung continues to say that it is a function and characteristic of the lens of the S23+ what is clearly seen in the "banana" effect is a circle of blur, perhaps not because of the sensor but because of the poor construction of the lens. I, like many others, feel cheated for having bought the S23.

    Look at the photos and draw conclusions.


    01 - OnePlus 5t (Large).jpg

    OnePlus 5T


    02 - S23+ (Large).jpg

    Samsung S23+

    03 - 5T vs S23+ (Medium).png

    5T vs S23+
    2
    Just after reading this thread, I can confirm the issue of unsharp areas in the image taken at 1.0 magnification rate at short distance is clearly there! But if zoomed in on 3x magnification, image is as sharp as it can get, corner to corner. Images taken at normal (meaning medium to far) distances don't exhibit any out of focus areas in my quick snapshots, but CLEARLY short/close up distances at 1.0 magnification show "the banana effect". Does it bother me? Absolutely!!! Can i live with it? It is just me I guess, but I can, using 3x zoom for occasional pictures of documents is fine with me. My model is EUX from Germany, if that's valid information to anyone.

    I'm not selling the phone because of this camera issue, because I like everything else I tested it for so far. But Samsung should man up and admit they're at fault here, whether it is a software or hardware issue (or combination of both, no idea). For such an expensive device one would expect ANYTHING captured during daytime/with plenty of light available (including) close up pictures to be as sharp as a razor, bloody hell!
    2
    My S23 256mb arrived yesterday and today I returned it!

    It had horrible focus and the bananagate effect too!

    My old Honor 8 from 2016 focus better on close subjects than S23.

    I refuse to believe this is normal on a 2023 flagship!
    2
    It seems it also has got the same problem. I've read reports about it by S23 Ultra owners.
    I haven't seen any valid claims regarding the S23U having the same issues so far. It's a completely different array. Also, the larger sensor inside the S23U gives the user way more depth of field, which can easily be mistaken for an optical error by some users.

    The S23 and S23+ models however clearly do suffer from a faulty lens design /misalignment of one of the lens elements. I just can't oversee and ignore it - no matter how good the 50mp sensor is actually performing.
    2
    Did anyone try Gcam to see if this issue is present?
    Yes. I fully switched to using Gcam exclusively a while ago and it didn't do anything to 'fix' the issue. It's clearly hardware-based and can't be fixed with a firmware update. I guess it has something to do with a slight misalignment of one of the lens elements inside the camera module. My other guess would be a faulty lens element as in the element itself having imperfections on its surface - even the slightest bump on an otherwise flat surface can cause such optical issues.