Is my camera faulty?

[iggyc84]

When I got my Google Pixel 2, within 3 weeks of using my new handset, I noticed an error that would often happen, titled "Fatal Error" when switching on the camera app. The viewfinder would consistently freeze, and then the error would be displayed. I factory reset my phone, and the problem seems to have gone away. I decided to test my camera in low light! The photos came out really grainy and I'm worried that it's a hardware issue. Can somebody comment ? I've posted my grainy photos- grain most visible in the blue sky.

it's the most visible in the photo where I've aimed the camera at the fairy lights, the photo looks awful. These photos are taken in auto mode, no HDR enabled. Thoughts ?

 

[svim]

Personally, I'm not too disappointed by those samples, especially taking into consideration you were just using 'auto' mode. The darker areas could use a little more 'density' and there's some blur here and there, but that's stuff a little photo editing can help. Maybe try using manual mode (and experiment with any aperture, ISO, and focus settings), and a tripod or brace of some kind.

If you encounter that 'Fatal Error' message again, try going into your Settings >> Apps >> Camera app menu, tap the 'Force stop' button and then go into Storage and tap the 'Clear data' button. That'll wipe any configuration settings for the app and the app's cache, essentially returning it to its original, first time use state. A Factory Reset is a bit of overkill for that kind of thing.

If you're getting pretty good day time pics (the camera in the Pixel 2 apparently has a pretty good reputation), odds are there's not some kind of hardware issue. Night photos require more attention to set up, no matter what you're using.
And be sure the lens is clean. A lot of people keep their phones in their pockets so things like lint and such work their way into all kinds of places.
You might also want to just try experimenting with a different camera app. Lately I've been using Open Camera, an Open Source app, and like it quite a bit:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.sourceforge.opencamera&hl=en

 

[iggyc84]

Personally, I'm not too disappointed by those samples, especially taking into consideration you were just using 'auto' mode. The darker areas could use a little more 'density' and there's some blur here and there, but that's stuff a little photo editing can help. Maybe try using manual mode (and experiment with any aperture, ISO, and focus settings), and a tripod or brace of some kind.

If you encounter that 'Fatal Error' message again, try going into your Settings >> Apps >> Camera app menu, tap the 'Force stop' button and then go into Storage and tap the 'Clear data' button. That'll wipe any configuration settings for the app and the app's cache, essentially returning it to its original, first time use state. A Factory Reset is a bit of overkill for that kind of thing.

If you're getting pretty good day time pics (the camera in the Pixel 2 apparently has a pretty good reputation), odds are there's not some kind of hardware issue. Night photos require more attention to set up, no matter what you're using.
And be sure the lens is clean. A lot of people keep their phones in their pockets so things like lint and such work their way into all kinds of places.
You might also want to just try experimenting with a different camera app. Lately I've been using Open Camera, an Open Source app, and like it quite a bit:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.sourceforge.opencamera&hl=en

Those are great ideas. The pixel has no manual mode though, so I can't adjust too many settings. I wish it did. So unfortunately I'm stuck with auto mode. Tried to find a good app that would let me change the camera settings, still on the hunt for one ! Not noticing any issues at all in daylight. In terms of force stopping the app, I did that before the factory reset, cleared the cache and data, but it would work for a while and then still display a fatal error, which is why I reset to factory. Thanks for replying !

 

[iggyc84]

Personally, I'm not too disappointed by those samples, especially taking into consideration you were just using 'auto' mode. The darker areas could use a little more 'density' and there's some blur here and there, but that's stuff a little photo editing can help. Maybe try using manual mode (and experiment with any aperture, ISO, and focus settings), and a tripod or brace of some kind.

If you encounter that 'Fatal Error' message again, try going into your Settings >> Apps >> Camera app menu, tap the 'Force stop' button and then go into Storage and tap the 'Clear data' button. That'll wipe any configuration settings for the app and the app's cache, essentially returning it to its original, first time use state. A Factory Reset is a bit of overkill for that kind of thing.

If you're getting pretty good day time pics (the camera in the Pixel 2 apparently has a pretty good reputation), odds are there's not some kind of hardware issue. Night photos require more attention to set up, no matter what you're using.
And be sure the lens is clean. A lot of people keep their phones in their pockets so things like lint and such work their way into all kinds of places.
You might also want to just try experimenting with a different camera app. Lately I've been using Open Camera, an Open Source app, and like it quite a bit:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.sourceforge.opencamera&hl=en

Just saw your app suggestion, will try it !