May I ask why the picture size option in the camera settings shows 16MP for the front camera, and 12 MP for the rear camera, it should show 48MP for the rear camera, I think ?
As the sensor of the FP3+ is a Quad-Bayer-type, there is no possibility to get a 48MP picture out of it. It samples four pixels on the sensor for one output pixel.
See the technical data on the Fairphone page
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I was about to provide links.
The front camera has 16MPs (Millions of Pixelsites) that are individual sensors and each is used to produce a Pixel so you get 16MPx
The rear camera has 48MPs, confusingly often called MPx
The 48MPs is an array of 4 x 12Mps which uses what is called a bayer filter. This provides an output of 12Mpx.
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Yes, that’s correct. There are some discussions already, see for example: FP3+: New camera module still generating 12 MP pictures
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Please see this for a more detailed explanation
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Thank You so much @anon9989719 and @Incanus , I’m really really glad i got my FP3+ phone.
This is a great community FP has, and a wonderful support.
Bless You all.
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Hi all.
I am a new FP3+ user and I am running LineageOS 19 on it
It seems, that it is not possible to use the “+” features in this combination. The default camera app lets me set not more than 12 MP as solution for the rear camera.
Is this fact, or can this be enabled by i.e. using another app?
Let me have that very clear: I have very few (and very clear) requirements on a phone. Camera solution is one of the least important. However, I would not like the thought, not to use the full power, just because I missed something.
Best regards,
Frytz
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Hi and welcome to the community,
I moved your post, please read above.
And for better pictures have a look at the GCam Ports, because the Software is more important than the Hardware.
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Hi and welcome to the forum.
12MPx is the correct output, please read the specs 
Rear camera
- 48 megapixels resolution with 12 megapixel output
If you want to know more about why and why it is called a 48MP camera then please see
As far as apps go you can install Gcam apps. I use Nikita but it won’t change the function of the Bayer design output. Although it may provide better outputs in other aspects. Search for Nikita etc. on this forum for examples. There are may posts about quality etc.
For the Nikita app etc. see:
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I decided to upgrade the rear camera module to the Camera+ Module 48MP one. I installed the replacement module (which was labeled Camera+ on both the package and the module itself), it works but does not offer resolutions higher than 12MP (4000x3000).
I tried both the stock app and OpenCamera. I reinstalled the apps. Still only 12 MP…
What am I missing?
Hi and welcome, please read above.
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Seriously? This needs to be stated much more explicitly!!!
The sensor is marketed as an upgrade.
The sensor is marketed as 48 MP in the name!
The sensor specification reports:
0.8um, 8000x6000 (48MP) << This line in particular stands by itself with no further qualifiers!
This is misleading advertising, I will be returning the product and expect a full refund.
For a company that prides itself in transparency, this is especially concerning. It’s no better than everyone else…
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You didn’t read the specs it seems. It is explained in the specs on the Fairphone shop as follows:-
As mentioned it has been explained to other users.
Thanks to pixel binning technology, our new high-definition 48-megapixel sensor is always ready - even for low-light scenes.
Here, four pixels are combined to form one large superpixel that captures four times more light while being friendly to your phone’s storage (equalling 12-megapixel photos).
Please also read
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You are being rude here… If you leave it to a separate page to explain in detail why your “48MP” only actually produces images with 12 million pixels accessible to the user, it isn’t my fault for not reading it. It is deliberately misleading.
The very existence of this thread with multiple posts is an indication that the shop page is insufficiently clear.
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By the way, this is a user forum offering help/advice etc. we have no say over how Fairphone present their products.
No one has a say on how a prospective buyer chooses to read or not to read the detailed specifications.
There are many pages that detail the specs, sadly buyers do not read much it would seem. You are not the only one not to read the info, it’s quite common.
And it is not on the second page ~ it is on the first page that describes the camera.
It appears you may have just clicked on buying without clicking on the product, so you didn’t choose to read the detail.
Each product has a lot of specs you can’t surely think it would be a good idea to list and show that on the ‘Spare parts’ page. Each part has it’s own page.
Anyway what problem do you have with the camera as that surely is the issue?
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I strongly disagree with your statement. Let me preface this by saying that I am a physicist and I develop photosensors for a living. Nothing related to phone cameras, but I know what a photodiode is, and I know what resolution means
It is more than obvious that grouping four pixels is a POSSIBILITY offered by this hardware for enhancing low light sensitivity and saving storage, which makes perfect sense.
It is not at all obvious that there is no possibility of NOT grouping them.
The presence of these lines in particular, in the description:
- 48 megapixels resolution with 12 megapixel output
- 0.8um, 8000x6000 (48MP)
seems to indicate that it is possible to forfeit the low light sensitivity to take a full resolution picture using 8000x6000 pixels (each segmented in 3 or 4 color subpixels). This would be a perfectly reasonable use case, and something that sounds technically plausible in my opinion, and it is what I understood initially.
Additionally, the use of the word resolution implies the ability to resolve distinct point sources as distinct if they fall in separate pixels. Grouping four pixels permanently prevents one from “resolving” and therefore is factually incorrect in this case.
As for the MegaPhotosites post that @anon9989719 linked, the only search result I get for “MegaPhotosites” is that very page, which to me is sufficient to say that they just made up the fact that MP can be used to mean that. Furthermore, the store page uses MP, not MPx for the 12 megapixel sensor of Fairphone 3, which actually has 12 million usable pixels i.e. can produce 4000x3000 RGB images. It stands to reason that the same term be used to mean the same thing across all products in the store.
IANAL, but I feel like there will be at least some jurisdictions within the EU that would consider this actual false advertising.
Regardless, I am happy that the law gives me the ability to return this product within 14 days without having to go through the hassle of litigating this. I am disappointed that I wasted time pursuing this upgrade path instead of getting a phone which an actual good camera.
I would not even waste time trying to argue my point of view, but seeing as Fairphone as a company seems interested in doing better from other points of view, I decided to dedicate it some time to give my opinion.
Edit to add: I don’t know who here is or isn’t speaking as a representative of the company, and I am not suggesting people in this thread are responsible for the store page contents. They are however responsible for implying people don’t read, instead of admitting that certain statements can very easily be interpreted in different ways. I stand by my interpretation of the lines above.
Further edit to add: I initially read the description and made my purchase decision based on the Italian version of the store page, which states:
“Grazie alla tecnologia di pixel binning, il nostro nuovo sensore ad alta definizione da 48 megapixel è sempre pronto, ANCHE con una scarsa luminosità.
Qui si uniscono quattro pixel per formare un solo grande superpixel, che cattura quattro volte più luce, ma senza occupare troppo spazio sul tuo telefono (corrisponde a foto da 12 megapixel).”
This text is very clearly (by the use of the word “anche” meaning also, as well) indicating that the pixel binning is only one of multiple operating modes, and that there are indeed 48 MegaPIXELs that one could use.
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