Stock camera app startup too slow - Redmi Note 5 Global

Some people are complaining about the stock camera app on the Redmi Note 5 Global startup is too slow. So I'm testing this on V9.5.13.0.OEIMIFA, the previous firmwareV9.5.6.0.OEIMIFA has similar results as well. Let's have a look.

The slowest I've observed is close to 2 seconds, is that too slow for you or acceptable? Do leave a comment below.

Xiaomi Yi Dashcam (DVR)

Just bought this Xiaomi Yi Dashcam/DVR for about USD$55 to replace my aging G1W-C dashboard camera. Not a bad deal considering that it can do 1296p at 30fps and 1080p at 60fps, and video quality that is much better than the G1W-C.

Dashcams have improved alot the past few years. For the same amount of money, you get much better video quality and new features.

The Yi Dashcam has two versions, CN (Chinese) version and US (English) version. If you have CN version and want it to be in English, flashing to the US version is not a problem. Go to this youtube link for the guide.

Yi Dashcam firmware links:

CN version ( latest )
US version
List of CN versions

Updating or flashing the firmwares is quite easy. You either use the APP (mobile) or flash/update manually. The Android APP can be installed from Google Play Yi Dashcam, or if you have an Iphone goto Apple iTunes Yi Dashcam. If you want to flash the firmware manually here's a how-to guide.

Personally, I'd prefer to use the CN version because it has more options and bug fixes. The menu is pretty straight forward even if you don't know Mandarin.

Here are some photos of the Yi Dashcam/DVR. Will upload some video samples soon.

The box.

What's in the box.

Suction cup mount.

2 meters+ long USB-mini USB cable. Connects your car dashcam to the cigarette socket charger/adapter.

Top-side. Slot for the mount to fit in.

Micro-USB port and reset button hole.

Micro SD card slot.

The LCD screen with four buttons. LED light, left-recording indicator(yellow), right-charging indicator(red).

Lens.

USB charger for the car cigarette lighter socket. Their support team told me to use the port nearest to the LED light. Newer Yi Dashcams are bundled with a single port USB charger it seems.

G1W-C vs Yi Dashcam : Front

G1W-C vs Yi Dashcam : Side

G1W-C vs Yi Dashcam : Top

The Yi dashcam suction cup mount is smaller than the G1W-C's mount. Yi dashcam mount is flimsy. Getting a rear view mirror mount would be a good idea.

Sandisk Ultra Class 10 UHS-1 32GB card. Been using it on the Yi Dashcam for more than a week without problems ( in 1296p and 1080p 60fps).

*Update(6/7/2016): From my observation, 1296p and 1080p 30fps mode have better video quality compared to 1080p 60fps. This is on the latest firmware.
*Update(26 Feb 2017): The Sandisk Ultra UHS-1 microSD card is still working flawlessly for 8 months plus and another card in a different dashcam has yet to encounter problems despite some sites and youtube review recommending against buying Sandisk Ultra cards.
*Update(3 March 2018): The Sandisk Ultra UHS-1 microSD card is finally 'dead' and could not be detected by the dashcam. The card's lifespan is 1 year and 10 months for an average of 3-4 hours of driving everyday.

Google Nexus 7 new camera app

The Google Nexus 7 (2013 version) camera app was updated to the Google Camera app (Build version 2.1.043.[1161434-30] ) less than a week ago. The new camera app is also called Google Camera on Google Play which was available for download much earlier. The update gave the camera a makeover of it's UI, added a few camera effects options and a new icon.

Switching Between Modes or Effects

The main menu can be accessed by swiping from the left of the screen. You can switch between camera or video mode here. The first three options like Photo Sphere, Panorama and Lens Blur are all camera effects. Tap on the icon at the top right of the screen for General Settings.

Sony Xperia V 4.3 Android - Camera App

Sony released the 4.3 Android update for the Sony Xperia V about a month ago. It is a downgrade of the camera app and a buggy one that's for sure. Let's take a look at the new camera user interface.

Camera in Auto-Superior mode view

Camera settings in Auto-Superior mode

Some of the available settings in Auto-Superior mode are Self-timer, Smile Shutter, Preview ( after taking a shot ), Burst with longpress and Flash setting. Interestingly, Sony made the 'Burst with longpress' option available only in Auto-Superior mode. The first image of the 'burst shot' is saved in the normal folder. Remaining shots are saved in another folder. For example : Computer>Xperia V>Internal storage>DCIM>XPERIA>BURST>20140415224143738 , you will know where to look just in case you need to transfer those photos to another device.

More camera settings in Auto-Superior mode

The camera app shoots at 9MP instead of the usual 12MP in Auto-Superior mode. And to add salt to the wound, most photos taken has a slight bluish tint in them.

Changing between various modes. Additional camera addons like Timeshift and AR effect will be placed here too.

More content will be added to this post. Stay tuned.