Anyone with a Google Pixel 7 Pro that has taken pics of their tank?

[Karen00]

Hello fellow saltines,

I previously had LG phones and they did a great job of taking quick snappies of my reef tanks under blue light. The pics always came out with good exposure. The biggest problem with the camera is that it doesn't have a macro lens. Over the past month I've been having problems with my LG G7 so I figured it was time for an upgrade. I have been keeping my eye on the Google Pixel series but the camera reviews have always been kind of negative. Finally the pixel 7 series has great reviews for the camera. The 7 pro has a macro lens as well so I got this.

I just took my first pics (no colour correction or anything) and the pics are so dark. They look under exposed and I don't mean just parts of the pic. I mean the entire pic. There is plenty of light in the room. I tried using the flash but there is something bad going on with that as well (the flash on water). The camera seems fine under normal conditions (daylight). I was on the phone with Google support and they ran me through the usual things and the gal even started taking pics of her Betta tank which came out fine. I tried explaining it's fine in white light but not fine under a blue reef light. I even tried increasing the exposure but it washes out the entire pic because the entire pic is so dark.

I figured this would be the best place to ask the question. I want to know if others have been successful with their pixel 7 camera. It's possible mine is defective and I should exchange it. I have provide a pic with my pixel (first pic) and my LG. These were taken at the same time. No flash.

 

[nuxx]

Interesting topic...

I was actually thinking about this a couple of days ago. I was wonder if any of the companies ever thought about taking tank pictures and added that to their AI.

Surprised the Pixel didn't do a great job, gcam is supposed to be amazing. Used to run it on some of my older phones with so so cameras and it did wonders.

Have an S22 Ultra now, but no tank. I'd love to know how it does.

I really thought it took amazing pictures until I compared it to a mirrorless Nikon I just bought LOL

 

[acesfull44]

Interesting topic...

I was actually thinking about this a couple of days ago. I was wonder if any of the companies ever thought about taking tank pictures and added that to their AI.

Surprised the Pixel didn't do a great job, gcam is supposed to be amazing. Used to run it on some of my older phones with so so cameras and it did wonders.

Have an S22 Ultra now, but no tank. I'd love to know how it does.

I really thought it took amazing pictures until I compared it to a mirrorless Nikon I just bought LOL

Nice watch!

 

[nuxx]

Nice watch!

Beater TBH

 

[rtparty]

The Pixel phones have long had one of the best, if not THE best, cameras on any phone.

Try shooting in Night Sight and use the color selector to make it warmer.

 

[afrokobe]

I have a pixel 6 pro that i used to shoot with. Upgrade to a mirrorless. Here are some of the previous shots with the pixel 6 pro:

I almost exclusively shot with an orange filter when using a phone. I would also do color temp balancing on the photo app right before taking a picture.

 

[Karen00]

The Pixel phones have long had one of the best, if not THE best, cameras on any phone.

Try shooting in Night Sight and use the color selector to make it warmer.

I tried Night Sight and it didn't make a difference. It was still so dark. I haven't tried the color selector. I only wish I had the pixel 6 previously because it would give me something to compare to. Given my previous phone is the LG G7 that's my only comparison and the pics between the two literally look like night and day. The pic I posted with my LG is near exactly how I see it with my eye (I hadn't cleaned the glass when I took the pic so it's a bit dirty). The pic on the left with my pixel is so dark and I literally took them one after the other. My light was in afternoon setting so was heavier white than blue. Ironically I took a pic of my freshwater tank right beside it and it's fine. There's definitely something going on with the blue light.

 

[Karen00]

I have a pixel 6 pro that i used to shoot with. Upgrade to a mirrorless. Here are some of the previous shots with the pixel 6 pro:

I almost exclusively shot with an orange filter when using a phone. I would also do color temp balancing on the photo app right before taking a picture.

So are your pics adjusted before taking them with a filter? The pics I took are with no correction either before or after. Just quick snappies. I'm concerned about my pixel being so very dark to the point you'd think the light was off. The pic on the right is with my LG G7 and it looks almost exactly the way it looks with my eyes (dirty glass and all).

When I took a pic of my freshwater tank that is right next to my reef tank and is out with white light it was fine. I think this phone's camera and software image processor (which is supposedly different than previous models from what I read) doesn't like the blue light.

 

[danieyella]

My old pixel had no problems taking photos of my tank. My new one picks up the bars from the LED lighting - I don't have the newest though

 

[Karen00]

Interesting topic...

I was actually thinking about this a couple of days ago. I was wonder if any of the companies ever thought about taking tank pictures and added that to their AI.

Surprised the Pixel didn't do a great job, gcam is supposed to be amazing. Used to run it on some of my older phones with so so cameras and it did wonders.

Have an S22 Ultra now, but no tank. I'd love to know how it does.

I really thought it took amazing pictures until I compared it to a mirrorless Nikon I just bought LOL

You nailed it about the AI and blue light. It's like it was setup for white light. I kept saying this to the Google support gal I was speaking with. She kept saying the pics of her Betta tank are fine. I told her my freshwater tanks aren't a problem and was trying to explain a reef tank is a different spectrum if run with blue light. She didn't get it. I really need to speak with their developers to explain the spectrum problem. I'm sure I can get it to work with a bunch of filters applied but that's not the point for quick snappies. My LG G7 takes a decent pic of my reef. My very expensive pixel pro 7 takes a garbage pic under blue light. The flash is another problem. Here's a pic with the flash. The flash didn't even work properly. The support gal said it's because of the water. Like what the heck. My LG has no problem with the flash and water.

 

[Karen00]

My old pixel had no problems taking photos of my tank. My new one picks up the bars from the LED lighting - I don't have the newest though

Ya, I really need a comparison to another pixel pro 7. Supposedly, from what I read, they changed a lot in the camera and image processing software in the 7 series. I wish my previous phone was the pixel 6 so I would have a comparison between the models. All I know is that my LG is fine with blue light. My pixel 7 pro apparently isn't.

 

[danieyella]

My husband just got his new work phone delivered and I think it might be a pixel 7. I will investigate....

 

[Griev]

I use a pixel 7 pro. I find it helps to point it at something non-blue first, lock the white balance, then point back at what I want to take a picture of.

 

[Karen00]

Here is a pic of my freshwater tank taken with my pixel. It sits right next to my reef tank but is lit with a regular white light. This was also taken at the same time as the pic of my reef tank (which I have attached again).

 

[Karen00]

My husband just got his new work phone delivered and I think it might be a pixel 7. I will investigate....

Oh thank you!! That's great. I'm not ruling out the possibility my phone is defective in some way. I took a bunch of pics right out of the box which were bad so I checked for updates to the OS and camera app. There were no updates for the camera app but there was a massive security/os update. I was praying that would resolve the problem given it said the update was to fix a lot of bugs and other things.

 

[afrokobe]

So are your pics adjusted before taking them with a filter? The pics I took are with no correction either before or after. Just quick snappies. I'm concerned about my pixel being so very dark to the point you'd think the light was off. The pic on the right is with my LG G7 and it looks almost exactly the way it looks with my eyes (dirty glass and all).

When I took a pic of my freshwater tank that is right next to my reef tank and is out with white light it was fine. I think this phone's camera and software image processor (which is supposedly different than previous models from what I read) doesn't like the blue light.

These pictures are post edit. Here is a picture I took without any editing under really heavy blues with an orange filter.

so a couple of things you could try:
1. You could try turning your lights whiter
2. Use a lens kit with the orange clip on (orphek one is great, especially since you need the 55mm)
3. Try to let the camera auto adjust the color temperature. You can click around on the screen. Try focusing on another area
4. Use the color temp and white/black? sliders to get your photo more true to life

5. I find full tank shots extremely hard to get accurate, they will look very blue. You will need to shoot in raw and edit these if your goal is to shoot these. Try shooting something closer up. The tele lens is amazing on the pixel and that's really where it shines.

 

[Tamberav]

+1 to focus on something with white light then quick take a snap of something with blue light.. if you are too slow, it will adjust and look crap under blue again.

Also, if you can save multiple profiles on your light then you can set one with more white/less blue and put that as your photo profile and just do a quick swappy when you take a pic.

 

[Cell]

My S7 takes better aquarium/coral pics than my S21 Ultra.

 

[SaltwaterScoop]

Taken with my Pixel 6 Pro

 

[afrokobe]

this is an older picture, I think I have gotten better at photography since, but to illustrate.

Photo taken on pixel 6 pro (essentially the same as 7 pro)


Photo taken on a6000 mirrorless camera


You can get pretty good with a phone.

bonus more recent picture of a different acan