topic Re: Issue with Camera in Galaxy S23

Issue with Camera

sk-sunshine — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 03:57:30 GMT

I'm very particular about the color, exposure and clarity of my camera.

I used to use a samsung s22 and was happy until the update, which dulled the camera. I switched over the iphone 14 which is excellent camera - vibrant but not overexposed. But i missed some of the features of samsung. I was told if i switch to galaxy 23 it'll be better. which i did - So while I'm thrilled with being back in comfort zone of the user friendly samsung/android widget adjustment, easy scrolling, ease of curser selecting, easing of file managment, abitlity to attach contact in text messages, etc, I once again find the camera lacking. it's either to exposed or dull. and I don't want to have to adjust it each time i pull out the camera. Samsung used to have such good clarity and pop and vibrancy. Now since their updates they are failing in the camera department. I'm debating to just give up Samsung and go back to iphone 14. It's a shame cuz i like the other features of the samsung.

Any tips for me? have any other users experienced this frustration? will this be improved really soon, or do we just have to settle or switch phones?

Re: Issue with Camera

Mujibar — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 04:41:18 GMT

Use Pro mode or download the Expert RAW camera app (by Samsung) from the Galaxy Store. You can tweak settings to your heart's content.

Re: Issue with Camera

YouShouldGoAway — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 04:46:58 GMT

This is not a real option, you're basically saying their camera software is trash and you should step back to 2010 and use a DSLR instead 😂. Nope, just buy any other brand and toss that paperweight Samsung.

Re: Issue with Camera

meself — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 04:50:40 GMT

What camera settings are you using

Re: Re: Issue with Camera

Mujibar — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 07:02:49 GMT

Was that a reply to me? If so, that is not an accurate assessment of what I said. The OP claims to be particular about photos, presumably taken with stock camera settings on previous S-phones. Camera software & processing algorithms have changed with updates, resulting in images that look different from how they used to look. Using Pro mode or Expert RAW allows the user to create photos that look the way the user intends them to look. How is that in any way a suggestion that the "camera software is trash?"

Re: Issue with Camera

YouShouldGoAway — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 15:57:14 GMT

What I am specifically stating is that Samsung’s camera quality was completely destroyed by a forced software update—one that users had no ability to opt out of. Prior to this update, Samsung phones were known for vibrant, sharp, well-balanced photos straight out of the camera. After the update, the camera became practically useless.

Images are now washed out, flat, and lifeless, with terrible contrast and color accuracy. Details are lost, highlights are blown, and shadows are muddy. This isn’t a hardware issue—it’s a software problem that Samsung created.

To make matters worse, users are now forced to download additional apps and manually tweak settings like aperture, brightness, contrast, and saturation just to get a halfway decent photo. That is an absurd expectation for a phone that costs well over a thousand dollars. Nobody buys a premium smartphone expecting to babysit camera settings or rely on third-party software to undo damage caused by a manufacturer update.

Samsung users are furious, and for good reason. Forums, reviews, and social media are flooded with complaints from longtime customers who watched their camera performance nosedive overnight after the update. Many feel this was intentional, designed to push users into either installing Samsung’s extra apps or upgrading to a newer device—despite the hardware being perfectly capable.

Samsung used to make a quality product. The camera was a selling point. Now, after forced updates that degrade core functionality, that trust is gone. What was once a flagship feature has been turned into absolute rubbish, and loyal users are being punished for sticking with the brand

Re: Issue with Camera

sk-sunshine — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 18:03:20 GMT

how is needing to tweek the answer?

Re: Issue with Camera

sk-sunshine — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 18:04:40 GMT

correct

well said

and a big problem

Re: Issue with Camera

sk-sunshine — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 18:08:07 GMT

auto

i tried fiddling around with other settings - didn't help much

but i should not have to fiddle around to get what used to be automatically

Re: Issue with Camera

sk-sunshine — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 18:09:18 GMT

i have upgraded to s23 from s22 when i told that upgrade would solve the problem 😞

i shouldn't have to keep upgrading.

Re: Re: Issue with Camera

Mujibar — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 21:52:44 GMT

See my below reply to the other user. Things were apparently changed with the camera app. If stock settings are no longer giving you the desired result, you can either tweak the settings to get what you want, or you can complain that you "shouldn't have to do that." Pretty sure I know which way you're leaning.

Re: Re: Issue with Camera

CEParsons — Sun, 08 Feb 2026 22:15:44 GMT

Adjusting camera settings is generally the answer if you are unhappy with the shots you're getting.

A lot of your dissatisfaction is probably a result of transitioning from the iPhone's heavy automatic photo processing to the S22's style of processing. iPhones use heavy auto HDR, so every photo is actually a composite of multiple photos, resulting in that "golden" iphone-y look.

You can't duplicate that look 1:1 on your Samsung, but you can
- VERY slightly drop exposure to prevent pictures from blowing out.
- shoot with a filter to warm up your photos (warm at a low intensity is probably closest)
- Set photo softening to medium in Camera Assistant
- Set Intelligent optimization to Medium or minimum rather than Max. Make sure scene optimizer is off.

Tweaking these settings will likely help you get photos closer in appearance to the ones you're accustomed to. You can set your camera to remember preferred settings as well so it doesn't revert to default.

Re: Re: Issue with Camera

sk-sunshine — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 16:30:11 GMT

nope

i used to love my sasmung camera (on auto) and that was the main reason i was a samsung user. iphone didn't compare.

but that changed

technically i can try tweaking if i'm that desperate to stay with samsung....or just move on to others. might just have to move on.