I have been an iPhone user for many years (~10). It’s time to get a new phone since my iPhone 8 is getting near end-of-life. I am interested into switching to /e/ os so for testing I downloaded the latest available version on an old Sony phone that was lying around. I don’t use that many different apps, but those that I need such as banking and digital ID’s for login they all do work fine.
I would love to support Fairphone and get a FP6 (/e/ os version pre-installed) but I have read about issues with the camera (for example Fairphone Gen 6 (FP6) camera zoom broken - #3 by hvmf). I don’t require the best, but I cannot accept it to be worse than my current iPhone 8. I would love to hear your honest opinions of the quality of the camera, and maybe also please share some photos.
With Android, the camera really takes full advantage of the FP6’s 50 MP, so photos and videos are good.
With /e/OS, let’s be honest, we lose out on quality because from what I’ve read, the OS only takes advantage of 12Mpx. Even if that’s not true, the quality isn’t the same. Photos are okay, but videos are jerky and sound is not very good.
I tried OpenCamera, same result, Gcam the same. I’m currently using the GrapheneOS Camera app, which I think is better, even if the video sound isn’t great either, but they seem less jerky. What’s more, the other apps are a mess, there are too many settings, and you get lost, especially when you come from iOS.
Thanks for the info @18yt8zhg. It’s a pity the camera isn’t as good as with android.
I saw some video on youtube comparing FP (maybe FP5) to an iphone and I think both photos and videos looked awesome on the FP. I wish the shots could be the same with /e/os.
The problem is from the software so from /e/OS. Photos are good, isnt a problem and in RAW, it’s good to again. To me the problem is the quality the video.
@aibd, I’ve been a full-time Linux users for over 20 years, and each time I have to sit in front of a Mac or Win comuter it’s so frustrating, so I can really understand your feelings about iPhone. i was given an iphone at work many years ago and then I just kept using it. It’s not that I am using some ios-only apps, I always try to use non platform dependent software.
But the thing with the camera, why can’t /e/os use the proprietary drivers?
In Linux we can use nvidia drivers for example to get the most out of the hardware.
Is it licence issue or philosophy issue or something else? I am just curios.
Well maybe they can, in due course, but it is a new device.
OpenCamera, is open source.
But Android is not Linux, even if derived from Linux many years ago. Android now is proprietary (yes Proprietary Linux – “are you serious”) but AOSP is released alongside.
My suggestion is simply to try it yourself and if you like it, keep it. I got the FP6 with /e/OS from Fairphone, which offers trying the device “risk-free for 14 days”.
I’d been using an old phone, which still works perfectly, with /e/OS for three years but, after considering the alternatives, decided to get the new FP6 on account of its better specifications and because it’ll continue to get updates of official /e/OS for years to come.
Actually I bought myself a FP6 with /e/os and I must say that I am very satisfied so far with it, only tried it a day though.
My biggest worries about the quality of the camera is no worry any more. People say that the Android version of FP6 give better photos but I am satisfied with this (but if the devs can squeeze out better quality I would of course install the upgrade!).
I think that what pleases different people concerning photos and videos that their phones are able to capture is very subjective. I am happy with my FP5 with e/os - both photos and videos but, I don’t take many videos. I think the panorama feature is rubbish compared to my old iphone (an SE3) but, rarely use it.
I would be happy to upload some footage so, that people could see for themselves some examples. Perhaps this might be a good idea? Perhaps others could do the same thing and then it would help with purchasing decisions.
I’d just like to share my experience regarding this… I too am a heavy iPhone user, I’ve basically had almost all of them all since the very 1st one. Last year, not knowing anything about Fairphone / e/os/ , it was time to change so I got myself an iPhone 14 Pro from Backmarket.
I’ve never had ahigh end Samsung phone so I can’t compare, but the 14Pro is the Goat compared to all the phones and camera I’ve had in the past. I take pictures on a daily basis for various reasons, including at work, it’s actually a real tool for me, I especially need to have great macro pictures.
Anyways… Few months passed since this, and I discovered e/os/ and the fairphone 6… so last week, I bought one running on e/os/ to try it ! I love almost everything about it, I’d really love to have my credit cards and transportation card on the phone but It’s nothing. I found the system to be absolutely fantastic: fast and responsive, simpler, not too fancy, just what I need… Having two full days of battery is a blessing, the screen is def better than my iPhone’s, etc etc… there are so many thing I really love about it, including embracing the philosophy. I am def ready to transit to something like this.
But those pictures, man… the camera’s so slow, the pictures are lifeless… I am heavily disappointed by the photo quality in the Fairphone 6, partly because of my experience with the iPhones but also because I have the feeling of being back like 10 years ago when it comes to photo quality with a phone. Like that cheap RedMi I got a few years back, same thing !
I’m actually way more frustrated that I am disappointed because I want to keep it and switch. But the camera is a deal breaker for me as it must be for many others.
What is the issue here ? Is it a dev issue and the system will get better at this ? Will it be capable of taking full advantage of a 50Mpx camera ? Or is it just a hardware issue and the camera module is just… what it is … ?
Probably that the Fairphone camera software is proprietary and very new. (The /e/OS fork of OpenCamera is Open Source.) Where the /e/ Camera adaption has been introduced for previous device it took some development time. I am in no position to predict but I hope that an improved camera app will follow.
