You are not alone. I guess the Fairphone employees don’t have the phone or the children.
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I’m sure I’ve seen them in videos with the phone, but the rest 
It’s a requirement if parents have phones. To ensure they don’t take pictures of young people who cannot legally give consent. The phone when it detects a ‘child’ goes into crap I need a nappy mode.
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It’s not a bug, it’s a feature 
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I visited the forum a lot 6 months ago when I first got my FP4. Was very disappointed with the camera - actually annoyed, and shocked that it could be so bad compared to a 6 years older LG phone.
Of course all the FP4 ‘angels’ defended it and suggested I hadn’t uploaded all the updates etc which I had.
I downloaded various camera apps to try and improve it - Open Camera, Secure camera, HD Camera, Silent Camera etc. Actually none of these are a meaningful improvement, although the layouts are usually less annoying than the so-called ‘pro’ mode for the stock FP4 camera. ‘What about the high pixel version?’ I hear you say. Well that has a bloated file size and usually turns straight vertical lines, like posts, into jagged ones.
I downloaded the recommended g-cam port and it does provide more detail and dynamic range, but it doesn’t look particularly natural. And, I found it causes FP4 to freeze when used in sunlight or warm conditions, necessitating a re-boot every 2-3 shots. So I don’t use that much now.
Actually in many other respects it’s an impressive phone. I recently came back from month-long walk in Spain. FP4 got dropped several times, got very wet and generally abused, yet it didn’t skip a beat. Also battery life seemed to be a lot better than for those around me. The difference is that they will take back lovely photos to cherish for years to come. But not me. I have the crappy FP4 ones.
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Which do you use. Although I have the FP3 I use Nikita which seems ‘reasonable’ 
have you managed to compare the photos you take to those taken by another FP4, there could be something up with the camera ?
Best you can do is #contactsupport. The issues you describe have been reproduced by many, also by phone reviewers. If FP gets enough “fan mail” about these things, they may improve their software.
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After more use (especially over the holidays) I must say the stock camera app is indeed underwhelming. What bothers me most is the delay between the moment you click and the moment the photo is (or isn’t…) taken. Definitely not for taking pictures of anything faster than a glacier.
Also it apparently uses a surprisingly long exposure, which means that anything not tied down will get motion blurred. As a camera it’s definitely retro, it needs a tripod and a black cloth to put over your head… 
If one manages to take the picture before everyone got bored and left, the quality isn’t that bad. But it’s definitely not a tool for “capturing the instant”. 
(Yes, yes, #contactsupport, I know… 
)
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I made the same experience this Christmas again. I am so annoyed, that I have ordered a Google pixel after one year with fp4.
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Probably worth (maybe not to you ) letting Fairphone know officially as it may prompt an urgent look to avoid such poor publicity
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Same here, none of my (Christmas) family pictures are usable. It’s as if a radiation blast obscured the negatives and the dark room of the photo developer wasn’t completely dark. I had to borrow other people’s phones to make pictures worth sharing. All because people move (because they are alive) and because indoor lighting is enough to offset the quality of the camera.
But I’ll wait the Fairphone 5 out. Otherwise I may go back to Pixel paradise as well. And FYI, no, I’m not venting a wish that Fairphone should be at the level of the Pixel phones. Pixels are the best at taking photos and getting stable updates. Fairphone just need to improve the dynamic range, color accuracy, exposure and shutter time a few nudges to the level of other midrange phones.
As I shown in a previous post, the best pictures I took with my midrange phones 10 years ago don’t come close to the best pictures I take on my FP4. So they have some catching up to do. They already made some improvements, but that’s almost a year ago.
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See that’s the problem, the phone is fine, it’s always the people who cause the problems. Swap the people and save on a camera.
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Can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or serious, since you often write arguments like these.
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That’s because I see no difference. Isn’t is always people complaining, I never hear a word from the phone than says people just have very high expectations and may just not be up to using it ‘well’.
But I can see how the truth hurts and sarcasm just isn’t funny, it’s just a nervous reaction.
OK better not go on as it’s going off topic.
Will block this topic so I am not tempted to reply etc.
Goodbye
Seems like a reasonable thing, right? Able to take pictures of people being alive in an indoor scene, but according to you it’s not and it’s a people problem?
And you’re not being sarcastic? Even when you say:
The truth is that expectations change over time and by today’s standards the FP4 is underperforming. It’s also a fact that you don’t even have a FP4, so why do you even comment here? You don’t use this phone. You don’t have to deal with the issues. But here you are again with vague arguments to make reproducible issues sound fine. They’re not fine and FP also acknowledged it as they promised improvements. Hopefully they will come with Android 12, which is soon. And otherwise with FP5.
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The Pixel 8 is supposedly getting a new camera sensor so it’s very likely that this time next year, these issues will be resolved.
I meant the FP4, but I see that my comment wasn’t clear, going from Pixel to FP without clearly stating it. I’ve edited my comment.
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Yeah I should probably have realized you meant the FP4 when you mentioned a mid device. Then again, I don’t see the FP4 as a mid level device considering its price.
The Pixel 7 is currently a lower price than a FP4 where I live and that makes me a bit sad.
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Did you use the scene-categorie “Action” ?
Uh? No, I used the default (automatic) settings.
Firstly assuming it chooses whatever it needs to get the best picture (that’s what “automatic” is supposed to do, isn’t it…), and secondly (and in this case most importantly), because when you try to capture a particular event, you often don’t have the time to explore the (not very intuitive) camera menu for any relevant settings (especially when, lacking a manual, you don’t really know what each feature does 
).
I have done so with my previous phones too, with markedly better results. Either the FP4’s image sensor is very insensitive (I don’t think so), or the camera automatism is botched and unable to fully assess the picture it is about to take. This would account for the fact it often takes several seconds between the moment you click and the moment it actually takes a picture. You really hear the little gears grinding inside: “Huh? What? Wait, let’s see…”.
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It’s literally just the software. I’ve installed a fully manual camera app and the sensor does beautifully.
Now obviously that doesn’t help the average user in the slightest but it’s not an issue that can be solved easily i fear
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