Mi8 Camera Gate! (bad quality in auto mode)

[morfei1]

I don't like the Mi8 capmera quality, since the first day I own the device. Great hardware with bad software. I've flashed lots of different Miui versions Stable/Beta, Global/Chaina. I understood that the Chaina ROM makes better pictures than the Global ROM, and it's not only my opinion. Now. I'm using xiaomi.eu, just because I think it's the best of both Global/Chaina. Togеther, with the XDA member @YoungChaos (also pissed off of the camera quality) we've started to investigate the problem. We've putted the camera in different scenarios and different modes, then we compare and coment them, every day. I'm going to show you one of them later in the post. As far as he told me, now, he is a Global Beta tester and he is doing his best to help the Xiaomi stuff understand they have a problem and start to work to find a solution to slove it. He was with the Global ROM at first, but later he tried the Chaina Dev 8.6.28, and he saw there was differens in quality. Althuogh, the Chaina is better in makeing pics, it needs more optimization to make even better pictures in Auto mode, just to show what Mi8 is realy capble of.

The 4 pictures that I'm going to show you in my example are shooted with my Mi8, ROM xiaomi.eu Miui 10 10.0.5.0 Stable, which is based on the Chaina Stable/dev. All the pictures are made in 1min time. HDR and AI are turned off (they can't be used in manual mode, though).

Pic 1 - Manual mode. All Settings to Auto. Manual Focus in the center.

1/3586s, ISO100



Pic 2 - Manual mode. All Settings to Auto, ISO manual to 100. Manual Focus in the center.

1/738s, ISO100



Pic 3 - Photo mode. All Settings to Auto. Manual Focus in the center.

1/3693, ISO100.



Pic 4 - Manual mode. Shutter speed manual to 1/1000s, ISO manual to 100. The other settings to Auto. Manual Focus in the center.



In pictures 1 и 3, they are with almost equal settings for the shutter speed and ISO, but picture 1 is with lower quality than the picture 3. There is lots of noise, although the ISO is 100, and there is lot of daylight around. The grass in both pictures is smeared. Although, the pics are bad, the sky in them is OK and is natural.

In pictures 2 и 4. The grass is perfect, there is no so much noise, but the sky is overexpoused, because you can't get faster shutter speed in manual mode than 1/1000s. Probably with speed 1/2000s, 1/3000s the pics will be perfect.

They should take the better half of 2 examples and make 1, the sky from the auto mode, and the grass from the manual mode, at the end to have a perfect shoot in Auto mode. If they want there camera to be cometitive with the other flagships.

Lets hope Xiaomi will pay attention on this big problem and find a way to slove it. Lest hope they will even add more manual settings for shutter speed and ISO as Samsung, Pixel, iPhone do in auto mode, so we are able to make better pictures with Mi8 and enjoy our phones even more.

The overall results with Global ROM shooting in Auto mode/Manual mode are even worst!
I'd like to pay attention that not all of my pics looks bad in auto mode

Thanks XDA member @YoungChaos for his cooperation and advices.

Regards!

Sent from my MI 8 using Tapatalk

 

[jimac]

Agreed. Also, in the latest EU Tom, the secondary rear camera is not functioning AT ALL.
The best pics I got were from the Android 8.1 based China Stable (I think it was 9.5.6.0 which had loads of other issues - Bluetooth, GPS, Gapps incompatiblities and Android auto 'bars', NFC/pay issues etc).
I really wish there was just one good all-round ROM for this 'flagship' device.

Also, the bottom right of my screen is failing (hundreds of purple or totally dead pixels) - so disappointed with this device

 

[morfei1]

Probability, why we have a very good results in DXO test, but there are so many unhappy Mi8 users with the camera quality.
The big question here is: If they are able to manipulate the DXO test, because the hardware sensor IMX363 found also in new Pixel 3 series prerforms very good in manual mode. So why does Xiaomi gives poor quality in auto mode for their users? It doesn't make sense to me?

DXOmark score cheating - xda

Xiaomi Cheats in Dxo Mark Scores (Libs from Mi 8) - reggit

Xiaomi caught cheating DxOMark - techverses

Xiaomi caught cheating at Mi 8's DxOMark camera benchmark - androguider

Regards!

 

[OmarD]

I initially had on the phone the Chinese ROM stable, only with the English language and was looking forward to unlocking the bootloader to install the EU rom. I wait for 15 days, when get the unlock autorization. But after flash with EU romI noticed that the camera lowered its quality, I thought it was just my imagination, but with your message I realize that it is if it has lost quality and can be related to the EU rom.

 

[morfei1]

Which version of MiUi Chaina you are using before you move to EU?

Sent from my MI 8 using Tapatalk

 

[matehuos]

I have the same problem, the frontal and back camera are too noise. But is it a problem with the rom or with hardware?

 

[jimac]

ROM. For certain.

The 8.1 based China ROM camera was much better than the current 9.0 based EU weekly.

 

[morfei1]

I'll keep the stable 10.0.6.0 for a while...

Sent from my MI 8 using Tapatalk

 

[morfei1]

I have the same problem, the frontal and back camera are too noise. But is it a problem with the rom or with hardware?

Try the same scenario, but in manual mode, all to auto, shutter speed 1/2s max. Then compare results.

Sent from my MI 8 using Tapatalk

 

[deepblue2000]

DO NOT FORGET XIAOMI.EU ROM IS BASED ON "CHINA-DEVELOPER" ROM i
it is and stays a BETA ROM !

Use stable rom or global rom, if you want less bugs and stuff like this.

(Or do you install and use the Windows10-Insider Build and hope there are no bugs ? NO you wouldnt !)