48mp camera POCO M3 support

[nomad]

Hi, I'm a new user and i'm trying ubuntu touch on my POCO m3, it works fine. I would like to know if there is a way to get the 48mp camera to work. Unfortunately, only the 12mp works. Xiaomi allows you to use the 48mp camera only with it's proprietary android app.
thank you

[libremax]

GSMarena POCO M3 review:

1. "The default 12MP photos from the main camera are superb for this class, especially when shot in such challenging weather conditions."

2. "High-resolution 48MP mode is available - but there is no point using it. The 48MP photos are upscaled from 12MP and don't look good."

1 + 2 => no need for 48MP mode in Ubuntu Touch so this thread can be marked as solved.

[kugiigi]

@nomad Does it have multiple cameras? If yes, multiple camera support is being worked on and might land in the next OTA update. If not, then maybe it just defaults to 12MP. You can change the resolution by swiping from the bottom.

[nomad]

@kugiigi Yes the phone has multiple cameras (48mp main, 2mp macro, 2mp depth). Now the highest resolution allowed is 12mp. I hope that with the next OTA it is possible to solve it. Thanks

[TotalSonic]

@nomad - there is a fork of the Camera App that is in alpha state that allows you to access all the camera lenses, that you can try at your own risk if you wish.

If you wish to test this install the "Custom Camera" click file at https://iubuntu.cz/ut/ that allows lens switching - then you need to download from the same page the cameraplugin-aal_0.5.0+ubports0local~1642453987_arm64.deb to ~/Downloads folder first, and then run in Terminal:
sudo mount -o remount,rw /
cd ~/Downloads
sudo dpkg -i cameraplugin-aal_0.5.0+ubports0local~1642453987_arm64.deb

Note that this has only been tested by myself on Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 Pro, and OnePlus 6t, so might not work with your device. Also, this app crashes when you select a lens that is a depth sensor (since portrait mode is not enabled in UT yet) or is a zoom mode for front camera.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[TotalSonic]

@nomad - regarding the 48megapixels of the main camera - the sensor is indeed 48mp but rendered down and saved in a 4:1 ratio in both Android and UT

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[nomad]

@totalsonic Thanks for the info. I tested the package, it is possible to switch from one camera to another. Unfortunately the maximum resolution allowed for the main camera is always 12 mp (4:3). This limitation on xiaomi phones is also in android custom roms. For some phone models it is possible to use full resolution with the app 'anx camera'. It would be nice if it could be fixed on UT.

[Keneda]

@nomad
Beware that pictures with 48mp will not be better than with 12mp, if downsampling is used in smartphone cameras, that's on the contrary to improve quality.
But 48mp will take huge more storage place.

https://petapixel.com/2021/02/08/108-vs-24-why-more-megapixels-do-not-necessarily-matter/

https://photographylife.com/why-downsampling-an-image-reduces-noise

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uuh7VCgkHGM

[kugiigi]

@nomad Then I don't there's anything UT can do about that. And also to add to Keneda's comment, taking 48mp photos won't necessarily mean it has a better quality. The file size will just be massive for sure I have a device with 48mp device too and I can confirm that. Not worth it in UT since we don't have post-processing or software magic to make photos look better than the sensor is capable of.

[nomad]

@kugiigi @Keneda
Surely the quality of the photos does not depend only on the resolution. It is essential to have quality optics and a larger sensor.
If I understand correctly in UT I cannot take pictures at 48mp because in reality my sensor is at 12mp (and uses quad-bayer technology).

https://www.gsmarena.com/poco_m3-review-2207p5.php#:~:text=The%20Poco%20M3%20packs%20a,is%20a%202MP%20depth%20sensor.

[nomad]

@kugiigi
It would be nice if one day you could have a manual mode (with ISO, exposure, balance etc).
I trust the developers.

[libremax]

GSMarena POCO M3 review:

1. "The default 12MP photos from the main camera are superb for this class, especially when shot in such challenging weather conditions."

2. "High-resolution 48MP mode is available - but there is no point using it. The 48MP photos are upscaled from 12MP and don't look good."

1 + 2 => no need for 48MP mode in Ubuntu Touch so this thread can be marked as solved.