Sony wants to know if you want RAW mode
- Thread starter Webern
- Start date
It's a marketing trick of course, don't worry they'll implement it in future updates 
this is the "official" link where you can post your raw request - http://talk.sonymobile.com/t5/Software-Updates/Camera2-API/td-p/974742
suggestion - read 5th post - they want people to ask for raw support and maybe will implement it
suggestion - read 5th post - they want people to ask for raw support and maybe will implement it
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I couldn't care less about RAW mode. What is really usefull is manual shutter speed! Good news is, that incorporating RAW mode will probably also mean manual control of shutter speed. So I'm supporting this case
Said it on Reddit and will say here. Sod RAW, give us Camera 2 API so third party apps with decent processing algorithm can access the camera directly.
Z4 should've been the first Android phone with manual shutter control and RAW output.
Why is LG beating Sony in the camera department? That's embarrassing.
Why is LG beating Sony in the camera department? That's embarrassing.
Manufacturers as HTC and Xiaomi bring some time ago Full Manual controls... So there wasn't reason to don't bring Manual Controls in previous Android versions
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I don't really need it, but if most people want it I think they should definitely add it.
Until people have the need to replace prosumer or pro cameras, adding raw into an everyday consumer device (albeit a high-end flagship phone) will just add additional headaches all-around(support calls/emails etc), and not benefit bottom-line (sales). These all-encompassing gaming/social/internet/communication/camera devices are difficult to target a specific audience because they cover such a wide range of users and their different needs and wants.
Everyone's attitude here is they're not happy with the SOC jpegs and expecting RAW will allow them to "do it better" themselves. That's an issue with the processing(that's speculation until raw files can be peeped). This is what Sony needs to fix, not just throwing RAW at us. Most people don't want to process raw files from WB to post-resize sharpening of what they ate just so they can share it on IG. RAW is not something anybody will want to upload without PP. It isn't going to magically make a ****ty camera better. If anything it'll only reveal how good or bad a camera truly is.
So why would Sony obviously, have-to, necessarily, provide this feature in any of their phones? Just because walkmans have a long history, doesn't mean they are going to give you wolfson dacs into the xperia and market it to people who don't care.
That being said. I'd be happy to have the option to take pictures in raw format, but foresee myself barely using it. If I cared enough to take higher quality pictures, I would put in the effort to bring out my actual full frame camera and lens and shoot raw all day long with high quality 60fps capture as well. I'm also going to play with the g4 in the store and check out raw uploads on the net to see what it can do, but not because I am looking to replace an actual camera with it. If you offer up pro features and market it as such - then you better beat other pro options in implementation and results, otherwise I'm not going to take it seriously and mark it as just another half-assed novelty feature and continue to use an actual camera that implements it well.
yeah yeah tl;dr
Everyone's attitude here is they're not happy with the SOC jpegs and expecting RAW will allow them to "do it better" themselves. That's an issue with the processing(that's speculation until raw files can be peeped). This is what Sony needs to fix, not just throwing RAW at us. Most people don't want to process raw files from WB to post-resize sharpening of what they ate just so they can share it on IG. RAW is not something anybody will want to upload without PP. It isn't going to magically make a ****ty camera better. If anything it'll only reveal how good or bad a camera truly is.
So why would Sony obviously, have-to, necessarily, provide this feature in any of their phones? Just because walkmans have a long history, doesn't mean they are going to give you wolfson dacs into the xperia and market it to people who don't care.
That being said. I'd be happy to have the option to take pictures in raw format, but foresee myself barely using it. If I cared enough to take higher quality pictures, I would put in the effort to bring out my actual full frame camera and lens and shoot raw all day long with high quality 60fps capture as well. I'm also going to play with the g4 in the store and check out raw uploads on the net to see what it can do, but not because I am looking to replace an actual camera with it. If you offer up pro features and market it as such - then you better beat other pro options in implementation and results, otherwise I'm not going to take it seriously and mark it as just another half-assed novelty feature and continue to use an actual camera that implements it well.
yeah yeah tl;dr
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Some people have a z3 and a proper camera but want the option to use raw on the their phone for when they don't have their proper camera with them. Or they might not have a proper camera but want to get into photography; using their phone is a cheaper alternative, and raw (in addition to the other things api2 provides) helps here. It's not something I imagine too many people will use but having the option is better than not having the option; no-one's suggesting that jpg will go away and everyone will have to convert their raw files after every shoot.
It would be nice if they allowed saving both JPG and RAW like most DSLRs (even if it is slower) as then we would have a JPG to post on social media straight away and a RAW to enhance later if we wanted to :good:
I agree that having the option is better than not having it. My post wasn't meant to argue the uses of RAW, but how users' needs affect mfger's decisions on spending money, because ultimately all they care about is how it'll affect the bottom line today or in the future. Sony attempting to capture this uber niche group for the z3 won't help them. Future models? Maybe, but it seems unlikely if they need to consider it eating into cybershot sales (Some yet to be released cybershots don't even shoot in RAW). Also, how far would they have to take the updates once they enable RAW to "us" ? Aperture priority, shutter priority, exposure locking, bracketing, etc.
The whole Manual control and raw output angle may or may not work for LG. But it makes sense for them to try it... because they really don't have anything else going for them against Samsung.
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Z3 camera has issues
The Z3 camera has well known issues (like many cell phone cameras have).... purple blobs under demanding light conditions and some more
If you know how to handle RAW files then there's a better chance to correct that
but I will also need a specific RAW codec for the Z3 otherwise the most RAW converters won't work or will produce false colours.
The Z3 camera has well known issues (like many cell phone cameras have).... purple blobs under demanding light conditions and some more
If you know how to handle RAW files then there's a better chance to correct that
but I will also need a specific RAW codec for the Z3 otherwise the most RAW converters won't work or will produce false colours.
What the user really want is a Camera with proper Manual controls and not that messed-up thing from Sony in the current camera ui
Z3 camera blows chunks. Really, there isn't much more to say about it. Soft, mushy, noisy. Exposure often off. Just not a camera experience fitting a top end phone from the worlds leading digital photography OEM.
Ideally Sony would improve the SOC JPGs. If they where industry leading standard then there wouldn't be so much demand for RAW.
In the likely scenario were Sony engineers are unable (or unwilling/not backed by the bean counters) to deliver improved JPEG output, RAW is a decent workaround.
But as mentioned, unless the likes of Adobe can support the RAW files then they won't be very useful. Anyone who knows what to do with a RAW will want to fit it onto their already established work flow. If Sony can just output DNG's (DNG+JPEG) that would be ok.
Sony are bleeding market share with xperias. They need to really deliver some great updates to their existing phones and release some exceptional new hardware to regain some favour from consumers. Support is the key, if they can deliver top notch updates that markedly improve end user experience then people will buy their hardware, knowing they will be supported by the manufacturer for the life of the product. It's not just about updating the ROM to the latest android release, its about enhancing the experience, listening to consumers concerns and demands and responding quickly and effectively.
Ideally Sony would improve the SOC JPGs. If they where industry leading standard then there wouldn't be so much demand for RAW.
In the likely scenario were Sony engineers are unable (or unwilling/not backed by the bean counters) to deliver improved JPEG output, RAW is a decent workaround.
But as mentioned, unless the likes of Adobe can support the RAW files then they won't be very useful. Anyone who knows what to do with a RAW will want to fit it onto their already established work flow. If Sony can just output DNG's (DNG+JPEG) that would be ok.
Sony are bleeding market share with xperias. They need to really deliver some great updates to their existing phones and release some exceptional new hardware to regain some favour from consumers. Support is the key, if they can deliver top notch updates that markedly improve end user experience then people will buy their hardware, knowing they will be supported by the manufacturer for the life of the product. It's not just about updating the ROM to the latest android release, its about enhancing the experience, listening to consumers concerns and demands and responding quickly and effectively.
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The API requires that DNG is output. So as long as Sony adheres to the Camera2 API that is what we will get!
In my opinion, Sony does not have to do anything to their camera software. Just implement the Camera2 API and there are already other camera apps out there which utilize the new features.
wasnt there articles published recently stating that Samsung devices were going to receive RAW mode too? and HTC joining in as well? forgot where the articles went, but if true, i see no reason why Sony should hold back when everyone else is doing it.
Sony needs to offer something that the competitors/market doesnt have, or at least be the first to do so... not following others >.>
Sony needs to offer something that the competitors/market doesnt have, or at least be the first to do so... not following others >.>
You need it without knowing you need it; developers who work on camera-related apps such as Open Camera currently get jpegs from the camera, so if they want to perform further processing such as auto-rotating the photo, superimposing date/time etc it's another generational loss of quality. If they could instead get a raw file they could do all that losslessly and then offer the user of the usual (but better quality) jpeg or raw.
Did that include existing devices, or future devices?
I don't know if I've seen any device (other than possibly Nexus devices) that had RAW capability retrofitted after-the-fact - even devices that had Qualcomm's proprietary RAW support. (Which isn't compatible with the new camera API RAW stuff - just like Qualcomm's multiSIM stuff was completely incompatible with the MTK-based stuff Google put into 5.x)
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