[SixStringMadness]

You learn something new every day... thanks!

Here is a prime example of this scenario (disclaimer, these were taken with a professional DSLR, with high speed lens. You will not see this from any camera phone. This is just an example I feel lends to complete the discussion)

High sun, inadequate flash...
the flash was used, you can see the reflection in the backdrop, but it was inadequate for the conditions, hense the shadows of the hat brims
PhilFulmer 080.jpg


Same high sun, but a backfill flash
Added difficulty of White shirt, and two black shirts (very difficult technical shot here as the white shirt is near overexposed)
PhilFulmer 104.jpg

[jrohland]

It's not fine art. A phone camera is to get spontaneous pictures of friends when an actual camera is not handy. To complain that this camera can't do well balanced, subtle shading in a still life is silly. Now, if the issue for discussion is which phone has the better camera? That is worth consideration if making quality photos is your aim. But, again, no phone camera does great pictures.

The OP has helped a lot of people by showing there is a quick way to adjust shutter speed and/or aperture by simply sliding the focal point. If I want to catch a friends reaction in a restaurant or club, I'm not worried about over/under exposure, depth of field, etc...

[Toodeurep]

A pretty good article comparing the camera's on the z10 vs. s3 vs. iphone 5.

BlackBerry Z10 camera versus iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3 | Dialed In - CNET Blogs

Thanks for this. I feel immeasurably better about the Z10 camera after looking this over.

[ubizmo]

That was extreme example to accentuate the difference, all pictures were done in that manner, you can drag the focus and drop it to a closer shade with more subtile results or fixes. I don't understand why you have a problem with this? it's good news for Z10 owners. Can't you just leave it at that?

Yup, that's fine by me. I have no worries about the camera now.

[lboogie_1971_]

Thanks belfastdispatcher. Any and all help/tips are appreciated.

[belfastdispatcher]

Yup, that's fine by me. I have no worries about the camera now.

Hmm, I'm playing with this trick now at the kids grandparents and I'm getting better results than using flash, photos with flash actually look darker.

În this order, point and shoot, focus dragged on the black trousers, flash

[bahandi]

A real "Low Light" condition would be a night club/bar type scene.

A flash shouldn't always be thought of a used for illuminating a subject. It also "backfills", which is to mean in fills in shadowed areas, usually closest to the camera.

An idea use for this would be outdoors, bright sunny day, (yes, we're going to use a flash at high noon) with the sun high in the sky. While your eyes may not notice, your nose and other facial features will cast shadows on your face. Backfilling this with the cameras flash will result in an image without the shadows. Because a shadow is much more defined and obvious in a picture than in real life.

The flash is a useful tool, don't dismiss its need as simply for "use it in a dark room" scenario.

All those pictures you took would have benefited from a flash.

Not trying to discredit what you're saying, but isn't what you're describing "fill flash" not "back fill".

[Michelle Haag]

It's not fine art. A phone camera is to get spontaneous pictures of friends when an actual camera is not handy. To complain that this camera can't do well balanced, subtle shading in a still life is silly. Now, if the issue for discussion is which phone has the better camera? That is worth consideration if making quality photos is your aim. But, again, no phone camera does great pictures.

The OP has helped a lot of people by showing there is a quick way to adjust shutter speed and/or aperture by simply sliding the focal point. If I want to catch a friends reaction in a restaurant or club, I'm not worried about over/under exposure, depth of field, etc...

Exactly, it may not be an "amazing tip" to all the pro-photographers out there, but it's a good tip for BB10 users for those quick shots. Thanks for sharing Belfast!

[SixStringMadness]

Not trying to discredit what you're saying, but isn't what you're describing "fill flash" not "back fill".

sure, although I've always called it back fill, but I think and SB900 uses the term "fill"

[FSeverino]

And it's amazingly simple, drag the focus to a dark spot! See the difference in the photos attached, flash was turned off.

yup, this is a trick that any photographer uses. set the focus on the darkest/lightest parts of the picture to change the outcome. There are a couple other things I will test out, but I took a 'dark light' picture in my basement and it came out much better than the one i took a few days before with my iphone 4. (i know the 5 has a better camera than 4)

[SixStringMadness]

Hmm, I'm playing with this trick now at the kids grandparents and I'm getting better results than using flash, photos with flash actually look darker.

În this order, point and shoot, focus dragged on the black trousers, flash

I see what you're attempting to do here. And the spot metering works well here. I have done this with the BB phones that have the two stage button for the camera. What of my few disappointments with the 9930.

Although I wouldn't try to discredit the camera's flash with the third pic. I don't believe its the design of the flash to illuminate an entire room adequately.

[SixStringMadness]

It's not fine art. A phone camera is to get spontaneous pictures of friends when an actual camera is not handy. To complain that this camera can't do well balanced, subtle shading in a still life is silly. Now, if the issue for discussion is which phone has the better camera? That is worth consideration if making quality photos is your aim. But, again, no phone camera does great pictures.

The OP has helped a lot of people by showing there is a quick way to adjust shutter speed and/or aperture by simply sliding the focal point. If I want to catch a friends reaction in a restaurant or club, I'm not worried about over/under exposure, depth of field, etc...

Exactly, it may not be an "amazing tip" to all the pro-photographers out there, but it's a good tip for BB10 users for those quick shots. Thanks for sharing Belfast!

I hope that people don't misunderstand me. I'm not trying to discredit the OP, I'm just attempting to offer some tried and true practices.

If I were going to be critical, I would be critical of the title. I wouldn't call this an "amazing fix". I just think the offered "amazing fix" is just standard photography practice, perfectly capable of being performed on previous BB's (minus the 9930). The difference is no two stage button, so its touch screen. (quite intuitive on the part of BlackBerry)

As far as the flash, I'm simply urging that it not be discarded as unnecessary. Like the spot metering tip, its used where the best picture is obtained (which in my opinion, the LED flash is the most difficult to control, but not uncontrollable - just a very limited range)

There is no one way to take a picture, no this plus that magic formula.

I just believe that as people expect more and more out of these little devices we carry around, its worth offering up usable knowledge and practices that have been proven on the equipment capable of the best results, that if deployed well on a lesser device, will maybe make the lesser device perform even better.

[Bold_until_Hybrid_Comes]

Most people do not know about over exposure or under exposure. This is a great tip for them.

[DJM626]

I learned a lot! Thanks Belfast. Appreciate your tip. Knowing what I know now, maybe a software tweak here and there and this cam could be more then I hoped for. It will be the best cam on any BB device that I have ever used, but only on the fly of course. Spontaneous moments. I still have my digital that captures all of the rest of the shots. This was very helpful

[Emu the Foo]

This is amazing thanks for contributing

[LuvULongTime]

I don't understand where you got the idea that I have a problem with this?
I even stated that you've provided a helpful guide.

The only issue I'm addressing is that you're being disingenuous by stating that this is a fix for low light photos. You're showing non low-light photos, over exposing them, and somehow inferring that this will fix low light photos.

I would be curious to see how the camera does respond to this trick in true low light situations. Maybe it still will result in pictures that are a bit better.

[Kunal Waikar]

nice thanks

[Aljean Thein]

Can this work on OS 7 phones ?

[bahandi]

Can this work on OS 7 phones ?

Yes, and no, but you need to use the convenience key like you would a camera. Point to the dark area, press the button halfway, reposition.

Unfortunately, this would lock focus as well with BB7 phones. So if your dark area is too far away from your intended focal point, your picture will turn out blurry.

I've used this technique with my 9810.

[ealvnv]

Thanks for the tips everyone, i do take almost every picture with my phone, this tips you share here are very well received on my part, from the op and everyone else, one thing i would mention here is that the camera software in the current OS is different then what i "saw" not long ago, i can assure you all, panorama is/will be an option that i do not see yet and there are some other tweaks that will be probably added in, hopefully, short time with an OS update

[pedalshoe]

All modern cameras have this metering feature. Just google "Metering and Metering Modes". If a photographer encountered this issue they would have automatically though about this then adjusted for the lighting conditions...

[Vorkosigan]

Thanks for the tip! Love that this is so quick and easy to do on the Z10 as that is usually the only reason I use the camera on my phone - to grab a quick pic.

[RECOOL]

Hmm, I'm playing with this trick now at the kids grandparents and I'm getting better results than using flash, photos with flash actually look darker.

În this order, point and shoot, focus dragged on the black trousers, flash

so Belfast If i set it to nightmode will this do this automatially???

[xandermac]

Can you not set the focus and exposure points separately (two finger tap)? Is there an app that will allow this? or an upcoming one like camera+ ? I use camera+ a lot simply because of that feature.

[peter9477]

Here's a set of shots from gate D26 at Schiphol airport. Same image each time, different position for the focus/exposure box.

The first shot was the default, just snapping the picture with the focus box where it always starts out, dead-center.
IMG_00000270.jpg

For this one I dragged the box over the tree, centered right on it where the leaves are thickest.
IMG_00000271.jpg

This one I moved the box off-center ever so slightly, attempting to get it over the brightest part of the sky that's visible above some of the leaves near the center and slightly above it. If you move the box back to near the center of the screen it turns off the lock and restores it to the default position, so this was the smallest movement I could manage which didn't do that. It would have been centered on the sky over the building you can see in the distance there. As you can see, I managed to make it noticeably worse than the original default.
IMG_00000272.jpg