Phone (3) - Camera Discussion/Feedback

deppo · 2025-07-12T19:50:25+00:00

"I'm finding the low-light camera performance to be a bit underwhelming. On paper, the hardware specs are very capable, similar to the Pixel 9 Pro, so it seems the bottleneck is the image processing. Is it realistic to expect that the developers will be able to improve this through future software updates?

Dmitrik

Hi, I’m using the Nothing Phone (3) and I have to say the camera performance is very disappointing. The focus often locks on a single object while everything else becomes unnaturally blurred. The AI image processing makes things even worse — it applies strange over-contrasted effects and creates dark patches and unrealistic tones, especially in low light conditions. It feels like the algorithms are trying too hard and ruin the natural look of the photos. Please do something to improve the camera experience. It doesn’t have to be perfect, just decent and reliable.

CMF1_hacker

Dmitrik I find the f-stop of the lenses is quite low (low f-stop) and difficult to use on non-EXPERT mode where f-stop can be controlled manually.

The advantage of this method is better low-light performance.

Therefore, I usually filethe AF/AE issues under "skill issue" or "user error" as one should adjust the SS/f-stop/ISO to compensate. Or people not understanding how cameras work and a problem with their physics training.

Dmitrik

I understand your point, but I don’t think this is a “skill issue.” I’m talking about the regular photo mode, not Expert mode, and most users shouldn’t have to be professional photographers to take a decent picture. The problem isn’t just about depth of field — it’s how the AI processing changes the image after capture. Photos often look unnatural, with excessive contrast, strange sharpness, and uneven exposure, especially in low light. This happens even when the subject is in focus and the lighting conditions are fine. The camera’s algorithms seem to push contrast and saturation too far, making some textures and surfaces look artificial. The overall result looks far from a natural photograph, which clearly suggests that the processing algorithms need serious adjustment.

shivajyothi

TanishqVerma_q15XusTW1D

Why i cannot rotate my nothing phone 3 camera while recording videos in it?there’s no portrait video option also the camera is not consistent across the conditions the fingerprint responses is also sometimes delayed

EVGAVIT

Processing can sometimes ruin photos, yes… I’ve heard you can use Expert mode, but I just want to go into the camera and take a photo, and Expert mode isn’t available on the front camera.

TanishqVerma_q15XusTW1D

It’s not optimising the sun flares when I’m clicking pictures of sun or any photos are having flares of sun

Np3ntrst

aly13lucky_comunity

The quoted post mentions poor sound quality of concert recording from camera.
I can’t seem to find anything similar on this issue in the community, if I am overlooking, could somebody direct me, please?

Nothing Phone 3, latest software, concert recordings made with phone camera and its internal microphone sound as if the speakers are blown (distorted, heavy crackle, overamplification or similar effect when recording), even if listening to the recording on other device later.
At the same time, recordings with other phones made at same location are fine.

No issue with phone calls, other apps, or using camera to record videos in quiet locations. Only concerts (loud music), impossible!
I assume this is a software issue, please fix?

studioamodio

Happy owner of Nothing phone 3. I report image processing problems in some photos for subjects in the background. At a glance, the issue is not optical but due to computational photography: the distant scene is being “simplified” by image‑processing algorithms, which is why the subjects in the background look almost painted. Excessive noise reduction: the software applies very strong noise reduction in distant, low‑contrast areas (buildings, small people), which wipes out micro‑details and creates smooth, watercolor‑like surfaces. Heavy JPEG compression: in areas with repetitive textures (walls, windows, crowds) there are uniform patterns and a lack of fine detail, which is typical of aggressive compression used to keep file size small.

jskiran2804

Anyone facing issue similar to the attached video.

Like while I take photos zooming in after it switches to 3x lens the whole frame is getting blurred even though I’m tapping the focus on the screen it’s still the same. Sometimes it is gaining back focus once I switch the lens from main lens to telephoto but sometimes I have to completely close the app and open it. It’s a major issue for me and I want to check any body using nothing phone 3 also facing similar issue? It’s happening 7 out of 10 times.

RinaDeviSah

After installing the latest OS update on my Nothing Phone 3, I noticed a slight improvement in camera stability. However, overall camera performance is still far from what is expected from this hardware.

The biggest issue is image processing. It feels like the camera hardware is capable, but the software optimization is not doing justice to it.

Main Problems:

• Focus accuracy is inconsistent, especially when capturing faces. Face detection often struggles to lock properly.

• Exposure and light control are weak — photos appear too dark in many indoor and low-light situations.

• Dynamic range is not well balanced; highlights and shadows are not controlled properly.

• Video stabilization feels unstable and sometimes jittery. Overall video quality is also below expectations.

• Portrait mode is the most disappointing — edge detection and background blur look like a typical 15–20k budget phone.

• There is no dedicated “Vibrant” color mode, which many users prefer for social media-ready photos.

Even devices with comparatively lower-grade sensors, like the Oppo Reno 15 Pro, are delivering more consistent and polished camera results.

I truly believe the hardware of Nothing Phone 3 is capable of much better performance. The issue seems to be with OS optimization and the True Engine image processing. I was expecting noticeable camera improvements in this update, but unfortunately, it feels the same — or slightly worse in some cases.

I sincerely hope upcoming updates focus strongly on camera optimization, especially improving focus accuracy, exposure tuning, portrait processing, video stabilization, and adding a Vibrant color mode.

Nothing has great potential — it just needs better camera software tuning.

saikiranchoudhury

All tough phone 3 has all 50 MP camera system. One plus picture optimization is superb . Please workout on optimization of camera system toh produce the best images .

Front cam is too poor in low light conditions.

PRASUKJAIN_Aj2pRa4s95

I tried testing action mode of camera on Nothing Phone 3, but the results are not as satisfactory as they should be. First i captured a photo of my left hand shaking which captures a blur photo in normal camera mode, then I tried action mode as it can capture moving object in still manner. But the results were not satisfactory. Camera blackens the image from middle or sometime captured a blurred image. I think Nothing should focus on that part.

First image - Normal camera

Other two images - Action mode

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