2x Zoom with still real 4K

[Maxthier]

Hi, I just had an Idea:
The sensor of the FP4’s main Camera has 48mpx Sensor, that would mean If you would only use 12mpx of the sensor, you would get 2x Zoom and a true 12mpx (4k) Picture. Does Fairphone already make use of that are is every piece of Zoom a waste of resolution?

[Razem]

That would be fantastic, but I pretty much doubt that it works like that. It seems that the high resolution (48MP) is only accessible through a special capture mode, not through the standard API.

Camera & Camera2 API - missing features & bugs

See: I was hopefully able to convince them that using multiple cameras isn’t as problematic as they claim. But I’m not really sure about the high resolution. As far as I know, even the stock camera app uses some alternative mode to access it. Is there any standard way to do this using the API? Also see:

But feel free to contactsupport to get an official answer.

[KurtF]

It would seem that the normal definition of the FP4 camera is 12MP, and those 48 are only managed by some trick.
And indeed, having shot the same subject with the 12 and the 48 setting, I didn’t notice any improvement of the details it managed to capture, just a much bigger picture. This means your 2x zoom wouldn’t see more detail.
See here for some more articulate explanation:

MP > Mega Pixels and Mega Photosites

Much of this from Foveon X3 sensor and photokonnexion.com Given the confusion around the 48MP camera on the FP3+ I thought it may be useful for future such issues to read this. In mobile phone terminology the abbreviation MP can refer both MegaPixels and MegaPhotosites. The word pixel usually refers to an individual spot of a picture > picture-element ( Yes piXel not picel ) and before bayer filters, etc. was also applied to the number of photon sensitive diodes on a sensor array. The photon …

[anon9989719]

@KurtF

It would seem that the normal definition of the FP4 camera is 12MP, and those 48 are only managed by some trick.

I don’t think that is quite right for the FP4.

The post I wrote was for the 48MP camera in the FP3

With that CMOS detector there were 48M photosites but the output was 12MPx and there was no way to access the 48M as pixels.

The FP4 has a different sensor where the individual photosites can output individually and create a 48MPx output.

There’s no trickery from what I can see, however the quality as perceived is another issue.

Specifications

Sony IMX582

Technology :-CMOS BSI

Resolution :- 8000 x 6000, 48 Mega-pixels

Matrix size :- 6.4 mm x 4.8 mm, Diagonal: 0.31 inch

Pixel size :- 0.8 μm

[KurtF]

@anon9989719

The FP4 has a different sensor where the individual photosites can output individually and create a 48MPx output.

Still, when shooting (from the same distance) a definition grid (fine parallel lines, smaller and smaller), the 12 and the 48 setting did yield the same minimal definition (smallest grid not becoming a blurry mess).
I admit that was just a quick test, I would need to make some more, but it means that unless you need a big picture, you don’t gain much by using the “48” setting. You definitely don’t get sharper pictures, which was the OP’s idea.