I’m using a OP5T and I’m using at present the e-1.4-r-20220922220394-dev-dumpling ROM.
This has always been the one main reason I’ve never been into ROMs, especially when you buy a decent phone, because you want a nice camera.
This Open Camera is no where close to the quality of OnePlus’ camera
I’ve played around a little with Arnova’s and Nikita’s, I’m still not sure on them, which one I will stick with.
Any thoughts here on a better Camera for this phone would be greatly appreciated.
THANKS
I’ve installed a 7.3 from there. You must try some of them, even ports with the same number have differences in GUI. There are also some among them not really being stable.
Try also FreeDcam from F-Droid which is not a GCam port but also a usable camera app. (Note: there are a lot of options you never see until you do an unintended swipe to the right.)
You also can adjust options in OpenCamera. Many people don’t know that noise reduction is completely off by default. This is the main reason for the grainy pictures. But you can switch it on in 4 different ways. There’s also an algorithm making “better” edges also with 4 different levels. But it is as you say, the best result you can achieve remains behind what a good app could do.
And last but not least you can install a more modern version of OpenCamera. The stock camera app is an outdated OpenCamera fork (about two years behind).
What I don’t know until now is if LibreCamera (now in F-Droid) is good.
Nikita’s NGCam_8.2.300-v1.8_snap actually worked quite nice.
But now, to be honest OpenCamera is working out quite nicely.
‘Noise Reduction original images’ I assume this is what you are talking about? I just put it on 'Save single original image.
I also put it on ‘Save all images for HDR mode’
So for now, I think I’m actually pretty happy with Open Camera, and if that changes, well, I’ll be back here again… LOL
THANKS
Oh! There’s something new. There are only two options left (except off). Must check this, perhaps it’s usable now.
My own experiences with HDR (without using a tripod) are not good. I use this only in rare situations.
So ‘Noise Reduction original images’ was not what you were referring to before about Noise Reduction?
Hmm HDR ok, I’ll try again with it off…
I see now, ‘Noise reduction algorithm’
Default
Off
Fast
High Quality
Minimal
I’ll put it on High Quality… 
What about Edge mode alogrithm on High Quality? It says this option is ignored in NR photo mode, what is NR?
THANKS
P.S. I put Anti-banding on 60hz, not sure if Auto is better?
The outdated OpenCamera fork had a mess with this. When you switched on noise reduction they saved the results of the noise reduction algorithm always in different files, and the more noise reduction steps you chose the more files remained. It could happen that each image you made resulted in three or four images with different noise reduction. (Who needs this? And for what???) This seems to be better now. (Hope so.)
The other options are still there: there’s a section on the main options page called somehow “post processing options” or so (sorry, mine speeks German) which contains three important options:
You can try to make changes there to get the level of blurriness you can accept. But this costs a lot of time and needs a lot of pictures with different motifs and under different light situations. And when you think you have the optimum you get into a completely different situation (artificial light or so) where everything is different.
This is for artificial light. All european countries have 50Hz while the US and Canada (?) use 60Hz. This setting depends on where you are. I’m not sure what Auto does, possibly they use the device location.
Edge mode algorithm is for sharpening edges (of real objects in your picture). This is something which can have positive or negative consequences. If this algorithm does too much it produces conspicuous dark and light pixels around edges which do not come from your motif. This can look artificial, as if someone used a pen to draw into the picture. This can especially be the case when you take pictures of objects in the sky (birds, planes, trees without leaves) or also when you have text on paper which needs sharp edges for readability. I would configure that only to a minimum.
No, it’s not, I checked this now. I take one picture and get still four (XXX_0.jpg, XXX_1.jpg, XXX_2.jpg and the final XXX_NR.jpg). It’s still idiotic. When you use this in real life (say: in your holidays) you can delete 100 pictures or more each day. It’s just a question of time until you delete a good one. My advice remains: Don’t use the stock app for anything. If you really want OpenCamera then install a modern version from F-Droid instead.
I’ve tried all the settings, and I don’t see any quality improvements at all. Noise/Grain is still very noticeable in the pictures, no matter what settings I try, and that is the one thing I was hoping to imrpove.
NGCam_8.2.300-v1.8 by Nikita is providing better, HD/cleaner looking images.
The only downside I don’t like so far with GCam, is the preview is requiring Google Photos. There is a 3rd party Gallery view option, but Nikkita’s version is still saying Google Photos needs to be installed to use the camera preview. I’ve read some other GCam mods will work with a 3rd party gallery instead, so I’m still testing to see if I can find one that works.
THANKS
This is correct for the stock app. It’s either grainy or blurry. And the modern OpenCamera versions are not much better.
Yes, no question. But you must pay for that with a sideload and some things you can’t change, the picture directory for instance. (It seems to be impossible to use the SD card.)
Try FreeDCam. It’s an interesting app and the developer reacts on questions.
My 7.3 (Nilkita) uses my Simple Gallery as I want it. I said there are differences.
So far NGCam_8.2.300-v1.8 by Nikita is working nicely.
CalyxOS, has GCam Photos Preview, I’ve been using it, seems to be working ok.
I’ve used Simple Gallery in the past, I installed it, but the 3rd party gallery option in this version won’t let me use it, or another gallery, just complains about Google Photo, bvut when I use GCAm Photos Preview, it will let me pick. hmm
Why are you using 7.3 instead of the latest version? Also are you using the DotFix?
Here’s a screen shot, after I installed GCam Photos Preview, now when I click on the preview button, it gives a popup of choices. Not sure why it won’t work if I have two gallery apps installed, and this only works with GCam Photos Preview installed… hmm
I just tried Nikita’s 7.3 v1.7, picture quality was bad, I also tried Nikita’s 7.4 v2.0, and the view display would freeze, as I moved the camera towards an object the screen would freeze, and whatever the camera was looking at, that image froze on the display for a moment, it constantly kept doing this.
Nikita’s 8.2 v1.8 works the best so far…
I had once an 8.2 (think so) installed but it had changes in the GUI I found not better at all.
When taking pictures you are always in an uncomfortable situation … always … you never have time, you have direct sunlight on the screen, other people around (waiting on you), animals in front (not waiting on you) and so on. When I’m in the mountains I often even don’t have a safe place for standing, I need a hand for holding myself and must take the picture with the other one, one-handed [1]. You can’t then waste time with figuring out how this damned app works. – Many camera apps ignore this and have a too complicated GUI full of useless poppycock. Most GCam variants are not that bad, the GUI is rather simple.
Think this 8.2 did also crash on a specific action, can’t remember exactly. Removed it and installed 7.3 again.
This gallery dialog I had exactly once. I chose what I wanted and since then it did never ask again.
[1] This is a one-hander I took with my old Z30, not good at all against the sun, but I’m still happy I made it (Atterkarjoch (2970m), Austria)
I will admit 8.2 does have a lot more Lib Patcher stuff going on, still trying to figure out if it’s worth it or not.
Also, it is true, some times newer versions of apps aren’t always better, so I certainly look at the Changelogs to see if there are particular updates that are a good reason to update to.
So I get all the reasons someone might want to use a particular version, but did you look at all the Changelogs from 7.3 to present?
There are a massive amount of changes from 7.3x, so looking at all these changes, doesn’t make sense to stick with an older version, because many features have been updated, fixed, etc…
I’m not into all the bells and whistles, I’m just talking about all the so called important camera fixes.
For me, the older versions, the view finder would lag/stutter and freeze.
Now I have a problem, and no version I use works, the view finder always lags with every version of Nikita’s I try.
When I started playing around to see which one I liked, I started out with Arnova’s 8.1 Gcam-8.1.101.build-V6.2.211013.
Then I tried Nikita’s 8.2 v1.8 and it worked nice, but then I tried Nikita’s 7.3 v1.7 and the view finder began to lag, so then I tried next Nikitia’s 7.4 v2.0, the view finder was also lagging with this version.
So then I flashed back 8.2 v1.8 and now it lags and it never lagged until I tired 7.3 v1.7.
I don’t understand how 8.2 v1.8 was working just fiine and now it seems to have a problem because of a previous version?
Because of this problem, I thought that GCam might of caused some corruption in the ROM/Firmware, I’m using e-1.4-r-20220922220394-dev-dumpling.
So next I flashed back OxygenOS, I even went so far as flashing Oxgen OS Oreo, Pie and then Q, then I flashed back /e/ and Nikita’s 8.2 v1.8 still lags. 
I’m really lost here how this has happened, and why it will no longer work?
Any thoughts?
THANKS
Hmm GCam isn’t lagging in e-1.4-q-20220923220853-dev-dumpling
Maybe an issue with e-1.4-r…
I think it’s just an issue with some data stored in any damned folder you don’t know. And when you use another version and these data are found it can happen that they will be misinterpreted. You can try to clear cache and data of the GCam app you currently have, even if it’s new installed. You could also open another camera app to cause the dialog to open.
I’ve probably tried 15 different versions from several of the modders, every single one of them lags, except one at the moment, BSG’s 8.1: MGC_8.1.101_A9_GV2b
So even after I installed like 15 in a row, I installed BSG’s and it works just fine.
As I mentoned, I even flashed ROMs over and still no luck.
I only tried the latest one by Nikita in 10 and it worked fine, then lagged in 11.
I give up, I’ve tried like 20 GCam versions, over the past two days, only one worked fairly decent, but still had some issues in /e/ R Android 11.
They worked better in Q, but I don’t want to use Android 10.
I’ll just stick to the Open Camera for now in R Android 11.
Hopefully some future updates in /e/ will improve.
I think we have to be patient:
https://doc.e.foundation/jobs
Line seven, they are looking for a camera developper
Camera developer - Want to take the challenge to make open source camera apps as good as high-end camera apps?
