Jolla C2 64 Mpx camera

Do the Jolla C2 really have a 64 Mpx camera? An android sniffer tells me there is 16, 8 and 4 mpx. I know that camera sensors can give lower output than the real capacity (bayer filter?) to get better picture quality but the real capacity use to be available also and sniffers use to see that.

Also, is it intentional that the landscape lens is fix focus, as is the macro lens?

Someone who knows?

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Pixel binning is a technique used in digital imaging, particularly in cameras and sensors, to improve image quality and performance in low-light conditions. It involves combining the data from multiple adjacent pixels into a single pixel. This process can enhance the effective sensitivity of the sensor, reduce noise, and increase the dynamic range of the captured image.

Here’s how it works:

  1. Combining Pixels : In a typical sensor, each pixel captures light and converts it into an electrical signal. In pixel binning, the signals from several neighboring pixels (e.g., 2x2 in Jolla C2 Main-Camera 64Mpx-Sensor) are summed together to create a single, larger pixel. This effectively increases the size of the pixel, allowing it to gather more light.
  2. Improved Low-Light Performance : By combining the light from multiple pixels, the sensor can produce a brighter image in low-light conditions. This is particularly useful in smartphone cameras and other compact imaging devices where sensor size is limited.
  3. Reduced Noise : Binning can help reduce random noise in images, as the averaging effect of combining multiple pixels can smooth out variations in signal that are not related to the actual scene being captured.
  4. Trade-offs : While pixel binning can enhance low-light performance, it may also reduce the overall resolution of the image. For example, if a 12-megapixel sensor uses 2x2 pixel binning, the resulting image may be effectively 3 megapixels in resolution.

Pixel binning is commonly used in modern smartphone cameras and some digital cameras to balance the need for high resolution with the desire for better performance in challenging lighting conditions.

From Jolla C2 Lenses this means:

64MP Main-Camera-Sensor
In 4:3 you get 4624 x 3472 pixel ≈16,07 MP
In 16:9 you get 4608 x 2592 pixel ≈11,89 MP

16MP Wide-Camera-Sensor
4:3 = 3264 x 2448 pixel ≈8 MP
16:9 = 1920 x 1080 pixel ≈2,07 MP

8MP Macro-Lens-Sensor
4:3 = 1600 x 1200 pixel ≈1,92 MP
16:9 = 1280 x 720 pixel ≈0,92 MP

8?MP Front-Camera-Sensor
4:3 = 2320 x 1748 pixel ≈4,06 MP
16:9 = 1920 x 1080 pixel ≈2,07 MP

I took photos in 4:3 and 16:9 (my preferred format) and obtained these numbers from them.

You can select the Aspect-Ratio in Settings → Apps → Camera for Main-Cameras and Front-Camera.

Even flagship smartphones often have a default photo output of only 12 megapixels (such as Google Pixel smartphones), so this seems to be quite common these days.

The technique of pixel binning has been used in smartphone camera technology for several years. It became popular as manufacturers began integrating high-resolution sensors with 48 MP, 64 MP, and even 108 MP into their devices.

Notable applications of pixel binning in smartphones emerged around 2017, with devices like the Huawei P20 Pro featuring a 40 MP sensor and pixel binning technology.

In the following years, many other manufacturers, including Samsung and Xiaomi, implemented similar technologies in their smartphones to optimize camera performance.

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Great walk through, thank you! Pixel-binning was the word I couldn’t find. I think Nokia was first with the 808 and pureview concept- was a great camera. Reason I wondered is that the photo quality is not very good. I wonder if it’s about the sensors and lenses or if the reason is bad drivers.

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higher resolution does not mean better picture quality especially from cheap and tiny camera sensors, somehow it’s good for marketing purposes

Camera-Quality is good enough for a Device in this Pricerange.

This is certainly a point, however I think it’s really hard to get a sharp picture - it often become a bit blurry or has some distorsion in it. A sharp picture is to be expected even by a cheaper phone.

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Have you checked Aperture (in latest LineageOS variants the default…) camera app or Open Camera app on the C2? For Aperture, just download the „apt-debug.apk” under „actions” > „all workflows”, here is the link: Aperture: Replace deprecated .reuse/dep5 with REUSE.toml · LineageOS/android_packages_apps_Aperture@3d6eb26 · GitHub. Comparing the Android Aperture camera app with SFOS camera, there is a big difference in image quality. So I believe it could be the missing drivers and Camera2-API in SFOS but this topic has been discussed here a lot.

PS: I would very much like to get an improvement to the SFOS camera app… and not using an Android app for taking pictures and videos. Also the loudness in video recording should be improved in SFOS.

Thanks! I have tried several other camera apps including open camera. They add some features but generally no improvement. I will gladly try Aperture, thank you!

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I have no problem with blurryness, maybe because i have very steady hands and years of experience.

Stesdy hands are surely good, but shouldn’t affect daylight photography. I had the same problem on my xperia x with sfos 3, sometimes sharp pictures mostly not. Other mobiles I use deliver sharp pictures, even budget phones as unihertz titan and titan slim.

IIRC it helped a lot to hold on part of the picture where I wanted the focus.

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Yes, or simply to move the phone a little to and fro to restart auto-focussing.

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Also, hold, not tap, the shutter button (on the screen) and release to take a photo. Helps with camera shake generally.

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