A70 main camera focus issue

[CalinP]

Hi guys,

I just bought a Galaxy A70 and I have a problem with the main camera.

When taking photos outdoors, these are out of focus. Even if I touch a point on the screen, I can see the image focusing on the subject for a split second and then getting out of focus. I tried different ratios (16:9, full, 3:4(H), 3:4), scene optimiser on and off and still I only get blurry images (which is quite annoying, since I was expecting an upgrade from the J7 Prime I was using).

I don't think there is something wrong with the camera itself, as it seems to focus properly if I choose to zoom in (even at just 1.2x). Wide camera also works properly.

Anybody else has this issue?

Cheers.

[dualcitizen]

Try taking a picture using LIVE FOCUS mode.  That's the option left of PICTURE when you switch on the A70 camera.  LIVE FOCUS gives you the option to sharpen the image before taking the picture.

If a subject is close to the camera, try avoiding sunlight reflections on the surface of the subject as those bright spots tend to mislead the camera's focusing mechanism.

[GingerSteve]

Live focus doesn't give you an option to sharpen your image before taking it, the blur option is to change the perceived depth of the image, just changing the amount of fake background blur, not sharpening at all

[dualcitizen]

At maximum blur - No. 7 in the blur scale - the area in focus actually appears sharper precisely because the background is really blurred.  At minimum blur, the same image looks less sharp.  I believe minimum blur is the default setting of PHOTO mode which is why some A70 users are dissatisfied with the sharpness of the image.  That's the reason why I suggested the use of LIVE FOCUS instead as it gives the user the option to get a sharper looking image by simply increasing the blur of the background.

[GingerSteve]

I do get what you mean but as a whole it isn't a way of sharpening an image , just perceived sharpness, and only in a small area.
I mainly just either set a timer to give myself time to settle any movement or just set the device on a solid surface and use the free Samsung earphones as a wired shutter release.
Being as the electronic stabilisation is gyro based it kicks in very quickly and ruins texture

[CalinP]

@dualcitizen thank you for your input, but this doesn't address the issue I raised when I opened this thread. Live focus works for shots taken at a distance of 1.5 m of the subject (or closer). These have always been crystal clear regardless of the mode I used (Photo, Live Focus or Pro). Touching the screen to focus on a particular area always worked as expected and the photos looked great. And no, blurring the background to make the subject seem sharper is not the same as having a sharper image. The subject was just as sharp regardless of the mode I used.

Going back to my original post: my problem is with landscape photos taken outdoors, where Live Focus is useless at best.

On a positive note: the quality seems to have improved after the latest software update. I admit I didn't find the time to take too many test photos, so I'll have to come back on this one.

@GingerSteve At first I also thought it might be caused by the image stabilisation kicking in. So a couple of months ago I tried using a tripod and remote shutter release, but the photos were still out of focus. The only workaround that seemed to yield results was to zoom in slightly (1.2x-1.3x). For some strange reason, this always resulted in sharper photos and "tap to focus" working fine.

[GingerSteve]

I will try that tip of using slight magnification, just as I tried the live focus tip, I'm always up for trying tips and tricks.
Although my only issue ever with the A70 camera was distant foliage, where it would just mush all textures up.

For landscape shots I use a mixture of open camera with api2 enabled so I can disable noise reduction, as well as Adobe lightroom for raw shots, admittedly the raws need editing as post shot they seem pale.
In general I do use the stock camera as most of my pics are of close up subjects , obviously during lockdown my camera doesn't get used

[Drbhakti]

I'm facing same issue with it.
My Oneplus and Moto gave me better pictures
Also the full size potraits clicked with it aren't proper as in the proportion inspite of changing the angulation

[dualcitizen]

Having foliage for a background can be problem with the A70.  This may sound impractical but choosing a plain background like a  wall, or moving in close to a subject until the background is a complete blur, usually helps the A70's focusing sytem zero in on your foreground subject.

[italian01]

Same issues. Take a look at following picture:Numbers are a bit blurry

I took this photo by WhatsApp camera-command and I experienced the frustrating inability  to take focus; furthermore, I tapped many times on the numbers trying to get them sharpener and, as someone already wrote, camera tries and can, for a moment, to take a good focus but  it finished with a wrong result as you can see on the attachment.

A70 video camera has the same issue: if you take a video while there is something on movement, you can experience a frustrating trying to get  focus by camera without succeeding.

Anyway, I also think it might be a software issue because during autofocus-trying, camera get good results... but for a while and, then, lose it immediately.

Follow details about my device:

[GingerSteve]

Sorry to correct you again but autofocus isn't what makes background smushy like watercolours, it's the lack of ability to resolve the fine detail from a distance.
My autofocus is fine and always has been, I don't need photography tips from people as such because I know what I am doing.

The camera jumping out of focus here and there can sometimes be down to something called focus hunting