LG G4 camera conspiracy theory time:
So I dug out the Mi4i that served as my backup while the G4 was getting its loose connector/505 mobo/whatever fixed, and I tried comparing their cameras.
A thing I noticed consistently was that when shooting in auto, the G4 loses to the Mi4i
a lot in terms of RGB noise, like the EXIF shows ISO levels half that of the Mi4i, but the Mi4i has less RGB noise
in both cases I was using the Google Camera app on both phones.
So then I tried google camera vs stock camera (both Auto, no HDR)
the stock looks so much better. But the thing i immediately notice from the file is that it doesnt record any EXIF data. This is a characteristic present only when it shoots in HDR.
So I tried again to shoot, this time using only stock camera, once with HDR, once with HDR off (you can tell which is which because the filename says HDR)
they both look so similar (FYI the left one is the one where HDR is disabled).
After further testing, this is my suspicion on the stock camera behaviour in Auto mode:
- If the scene is very low light (i.e. in lighting conditions where if you use 3rd party apps, their Auto modes will bump ISO up to 4-digit figures), HDR will be forced on, even if you disable it, in an attempt to make the low light auto shot look 'nicer'.
- If the scene is well lit, the HDR will 'respect your decision' if you disable it, and it will truly not activate, and you can tell because the file will have proper EXIF data.
So maybe... could the G4's camera actually not be as good as initially thought (at least under Auto Mode), and that it uses forced-HDR under low light as a trick to make it work if you shoot using Auto?
Ive tested manual mode using the exact same ISO and Shutter speed across the stock app, Camera FV5 and Open Camera, and they look identical, so this looks like an issue exclusive to Auto mode.
It's worth noting that on the G4, only the stock app has a "HDR" mode. Theres something proprietary in the camera driver that doesnt make "HDR" accessible to any 3rd party app.
I guess for casual shooting it doesnt make a difference (and the higher image quality satisfies users anyway, they wont care if it was through HDR or not). I just feel a little funny that the xiaomi which costs half the price and uses a Sony IMX 214 which is a smaller sensor, can outperform the G4 when shooting auto under indoor lighting, unless the G4 'cheats' using HDR.
Now to be clear, Im not saying the Mi4i beats the G4 in all cases. They're evenly matched in daylight, and for evening/night outdoors, the G4 can beat it if you shoot manual. And i think in the Android ecosysem so far, it has pretty good manual support even on the 3rd party apps (except white balance which only stock app can change), while on the other hand you have other companies like Sony who refuse to put Manual Focus and Manual Shutter Speed on their Z5.
