S24 Ultra camera is INCREDIBLY bad.

[JJJ91]

First off, let me preface this by saying that I am NOT an apple fanboy or something. I have never had an iPhone. My very first first smartphone was the Samsung S4 in 2013 and I have had a few more Samsung phones prior to purchasing the S24U. I have had the S24U since February so I've tried all of the tricks to try to fix this camera already. It is NOT user error. Stop gaslighting people. It is a software/hardware issue.

Taking a photo in dim light completely strips the photo of detail and is so noisy it's almost laughable. Trying to take a picture of a moving subject like a kid running around or a pet, 9/10 times it will come out blurry. The 50MP and 200MP cameras have so much post-processing, it looks terrible and renders the camera almost useless. I swear to god my 2016 Motorola phone that was $399 new took better photos. You can actually see in REAL TIME the photo go from a normal, accurate photo to a complete mess with inaccurate color, loss of detail, etc. My OnePlus 7 Pro that I "upgraded" from takes better photos...

The advice given from people who say "The camera isn't that bad" or "You just have to learn how to use it" is an absolute JOKE! 

1. "Just use 12MP only, bro"

Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of the camera having the 50MP/200MP sensors? That was one of the selling points of the camera. The 12MP has garbage detail too. This is not a "fix", this is just admitting that 50MP/200MP are broken and useless.

An even more frustrating piece of "advice";

2. "Just use Expert Raw and Pro Mode!"

So now I have to install a separate app? I have to manually change the camera settings like a DSLR from 2008?! This is a CELL PHONE CAMERA. Every cell phone camera is designed to be a point and shoot camera. If I want to take a picture of my toddler running around, I should be able to open the camera and click the capture button without it being a blurry mess. Even LOW BUDGET PHONES are able to accomplish this. Who is messing around with aperture, focus, and shutter speed on a cell phone camera outside of niche photography circles? It's insulting to even suggest this as a "fix".

Ridiculous advice and just a deflection from the fact that Samsung has given us a camera that is arguably worse than many $300 phones. Comparing this camera to my wife's iPhone 15 Pro Max... it's night and day which camera is better and produces CONSISTENTLY better photos. A friend has the new Pixel... WOW, that's a fantastic camera.

I really regret buying this S24U. I have been hoping that a software update would fix the camera, but I really believe it's impossible. Seems like a mix of software/hardware limitations that probably aren't easily fixed remotely. That's the real reason there hasn't been an update yet.

[Tourbillon De La Vie]

Sample photo(s) maybe? To illustrate

[Piper123]

Hey there and welcome to the Samsung UK Community Forum

So there are parts of your post I don't agree with, but there are parts that I do.

Overall I find the S24 Ultra cameras average.

In daylight I find all 3 good (unless you zoom in before taking the shot). If you zoom in, anything over about 3x is poor. I find it better to take the photo then zoom in from the gallery app.

Dim light. 12mp ok but nothing special. But don't zoom in as above. 50mp and 200mp disappointing.

Night time. I took some truly awesome pictures of the Northern Lights but other than that, average and again don't zoom in.

Samsung have, I'm my view, dropped a ball in this device with poor choice of cameras and software that is very much Marmite, you either love it or you hate it.

Would it stop me buying the S25 Ultra or another Samsung? Possibly yes. I certainly would not pre-order, I would want to see the quality first.

[El1000]

I agree . It's the wors camera ever. They messed it up. It's over exaggerating imperfections. I take before and after photos of my clients and all my clients look sick and with bruises under the eyes. Just to be clear they don't look sick or bruised to the human eye !

[JJJ91]

Sure, these were taken on Friday. 12MP auto mode. Handed the phone to my sister in law to snap a few pics. Sun was setting so light wasn't perfect, and this is the result. Zoom in and note how noisy, fuzzy, and undetailed it is. She took around 20 photos and every single one came out the same. My wife's iPhone? The pics came out great. I'll try to see if I can get some to post.

[smiley]

I don't own an S24u, but I do own an s23u.

I cannot provide any constructive answer, but I totally get your point and there are many others unhappy with the S24u... so you are not alone.

I believe there is a major camera update due... but when this happens is still undetermined.

One thing I entirely agree with is the automatic processing that occurs. I would absolutely want the picture I take and not some overly processed image. Even if my picture has issues or not perfect... I want to see my imperfections. Photography is an art. And when the AI thinks it knows better than you do, it is not what most users want. It is possible to control some advanced processing in the camera assistant app... but not fully turn it off.

I do hope the S24u gets the camera update it deserves sometime soon !

[Piper123]

Hey there. The update came out last week, all 3gb of it, but it hasn't made much difference to the camera capability.

[smiley]

Ok thanks for clarity. I thought this was the 6.1.1 update...didn't realise it had the major camera updates that were due.

As I said I don't have an S24u... but just read on the forums and try and pass on accurate information. 👍😉

[Shamrock_Sean]

I'd hardly call it incredibly bad

[Piper123]

I'm not 100% certain either if I'm being honest but given the ongoing promises from Samsung combined with the size of the update......

Fact remains the cameras are fine if taking daylight shots without zoom, after that, poor.