Tag Archives: LG G4

LG G4 – Why you need a phone with a removable battery

July 3, 2015Android, Reviews, Tech NewsLG G4, thoughts on the batteryGavin Fabiani-Laymond

The above screen shot is from my ViewRangerGPS app. The gold circles were my POIs that I walked yesterday early morning.

About 8 miles in total across some very steep gradients and high altitudes.

I then decided to walk another route across Dartmoor, taking 5 more hours.

When my LG G4 battery started to drop to 5%, I removed the back cover and slipped in my spare battery. And voila back to 100%. That’s faster than any Quick Charging 2 technology as well!

Integrated batteries are ok, but sometimes you can’t beat having a spare in your wallet. Also negates the need to carry power banks that are normally a lot larger than a spare battery!

LG G4 – The Default Launcher is actually better than you thought

July 3, 2015Android, Reviews, Tech News7 icons in the G4 dock, home launcher, LG G4, suits themeGavin Fabiani-Laymond

This is the LG launcher screen shot from my G4.

The free theme from the LG store is called Suits which improves the look dramatically.

The next item I discovered yesterday is the dock allows 7 icons and resizes them smaller the more you add.

A call that a result!

LG G4 – More photos from across Dartmoor

June 25, 2015Android, Tech NewsLG G4, More Photos from across DartmoorGavin Fabiani-Laymond

Below are photos taken from my journey across Dartmoor. I think it will be pretty obvious which 2 shots have been edited using a filter. Otherwise, unedited photos.

The Artichoke Inn at Christow – A Pleasant Surprise as the food was marvellous

Wow what a Baguette – Jail Ale Sausages with Onions

Lustleigh Village Centre

St Winifred Church, Manaton

St Winifred Church and Graveyard

The Well at North Bovey

Thatched Cottages at North Bovey

St John’s Church, North Bovey

Vanishing Golf Balls – 7.30am Tavistock Golf Course

LG G4 – More shots from yesterday’s travels

June 24, 2015Android, Tech Newscamera shots, Fernworthy, Grey Wethers, LG G4, Sittaford TorGavin Fabiani-Laymond

At present, I am tracking across Dartmoor. Once again, unedited photos from the LG G4. Click on each photo to see full resolution. Also note my dogs photo bombed some of these shots 🙂

Panoramic from summit of Sittaford Tor, 1,730ft

Fernworthy Forest Trees

Fernworthy Stone Circle with George and Tiggy appearing

View towards Fernworth Forest – no chance of a takeaway!

Tiggy and George near summit of Sittaford Tor

Grey Wethers Stone Circles – 2 Stone Circle

LG G4 – Camera shots from yesterday

June 23, 2015Android, Tech Newscamera shots, LG G4, sharpitorGavin Fabiani-Laymond

I was out walking my dogs yesterday around Sharpitor, Dartmoor and took a few photos with the LG G4. These are unedited. If you want to view the full size version, click on each photo. The reservoir is Burrator Reservoir.

LG G4 – Artistic Shots from this week

June 21, 2015Android, Reviews, Tech NewsLG G4, raw camera creationsGavin Fabiani-Laymond

By now you all would have seem the camera quality possible from the G4. Well, I have been using RAW a lot more this week. This has enabled me to create a base image with a lot of high quality data and then finish off post processing the image myself. So instead of showing off pure unedited images, these are all edited myself.

My personal favourite of the week is my local church below. This was created taken 3 bracketed shots in raw with exposures of -2, 0 and +2. Then merged to create a black and white HDR. The photo has superb depth to it.

With the another 3 raw images taken at the same time as the shots above, I created a totally different look using Adobe Lightroom.

Another set of 3 bracketed shots, taken while I was waiting for my Chinese takeaway to be cooked. Notice the viaduct running above.

This was a jpeg edited. This is RBS at St Andrews Cross, Plymouth, Devon, UK. It is a listed building. And the water was filthy.

In my village, resides the Visitor Centre, a grand old building with tons of history. At one point this was the Duchy Hotel.

LG G4 – Shot of the Day

June 19, 2015Android, Tech NewsCamera, google photos, LG G4Gavin Fabiani-Laymond

Taken tonight, National Park Visitor Centre, Dartmoor, Princetown, Devon.

Snapped by the LG G4 and spruced up by Google Photos automatically. Just realised you probably can’t see the white border 🙂 So click on photo to see it properly in Flickr.

LG G4 – Bugs and Batteries – UPDATED

June 19, 2015Android, Tech Newsbugs and batteries, LG G4Gavin Fabiani-Laymond

I thought I would be helpful and contact LG Customer support with all the bugs I have discovered with the G4 and those that also impact the Watch Urbane.

I also asked where I could buy a battery for the G4 along with the charging kit. Let’s not forget that in the USA, LG are offering G4 owners a free battery and charging kit and a 32gb micro sd card. You can also buy extra backs in different colours.

Around 3 weeks has passed, and LG customer support cannot progress any of my bugs as they are not in possession of a G4, to replicate and confirm problems, following which something might occur. I’m speechless over this.

Then we get to the bugs. One of which is repairable if I send my phone back in for repair. Very funny not. It’s a brand new phone, so my solution is that they can take back my phone and give me a brand new working phone. Except, this won’t fix this issue, a software update more than likely will.

The removable battery is flouted as a selling point of the G4 versus other phones like the Samsung Galaxy S6 that have moved to an internal battery that is non user removable. LG customer support informed me that LG Korea decided not to sell or send batteries to the UK. If you could buy and then use a third party battery you invalidate your warranty!

So I’ve elevated the above to within LG and wait their response. On the plus side, LG customer support is reachable with ease by telephone and they do call you back.

UPDATED – Well, I didn’t expect a response at 6pm on a Friday, but the Head of LG Mobile UK has personally responded and has started to address all my points. The email was about 3/4 A4 in length. As my website signature was not used the content is private currently. Once, I have less sensitive data to share, I will update this post again. I will say just one thing, customer support now have a G4.

LG G4 – Shooting in RAW – Continued

June 18, 2015Android, Reviews, Tech NewsLG G4, Shooting in raw continuedGavin Fabiani-Laymond

I have taken a few more shots using the LG G4 in RAW mode using both the default camera app and Camera FV-5. Camera FV-5 is used as it does bracketing automatically.

Typically using FV-5, I am shooting 3 shots with EV differences of +2, 0, and -2. Each sequence creates 6 shots, 3 jpegs and 3 raw DNGs, requiring around 120mb in total. 9 bracketed sequences taken, and that’s 1GB!

So the photo below was captured with 3 raw shots, and I merged them and created a HDR jpeg. Click on shot to see full resolution over at my flickr account.

The next shot is a single raw photo, which I then post processed in Lightroom 6. I must admit, I need a lot more time to understand Lightroom 6.

Back to 3 raw shots taken in a bracketed sequence, then merged to create a lovely Black & White moody shot.

Same again, except this was a hand held shot, using the bracketed mode on Camera FV-5.

But is shooting in RAW worth the effort, extra space and time? Below is a shot taken normally in auto mode, using the default LG G4 camera app, and post processed on the phone using snapseed.

Next 2 shots, all shot on, but no post processing applied. These are jpegs not raw files.

From my initial findings, raw shots do allow for better shots once post processed and stunning HDR shots. But RAW isn’t necessary either, but I would rather I had a phone that provided this feature than not. The options with RAW seem to improve the more I understand Lightroom 6. And that is the key. If I can grasp Lightroom 6 I will be able to create spotless photos!

LG G4 – raw photo images vs jpeg – samples – updated with Lightroom 6 sample

June 17, 2015Android, Reviews, Tech Newsbracketed, HDR, LG G4, photomatix, raw images vs JPEGGavin Fabiani-Laymond

This was a quick test using the G4 camera in raw mode.

I used Camera FV-5 app in bracketing mode to take 3 shots. Exposures from +2,0,-2.

I then uploaded the photos in my macbook and used Photomatix to create a fancy HDR shot. As I’m using the trial the HDR images have 3 watermarks. I will be buying this app soon as its so funky to use.

Normal shot above. This is the original jpeg. Below new HDR shot created from 3 raw images. Whilst HDR adds some excitement, the quality is also improved.

Same again. Normal JPEG below.

And now a fancy HDR combined using 3 raw images.

And one more. Original jpeg belw.

Just look at the HDR shot from the 3 raw images. Absolutely love the drama in this shot.

OK some trees. Jpeg below.

And the new image which again was created from 3 raw images.

Now granted HDR is not everyone’s cup of tea, but its mine.

I will be exploring lightroom to carry out some normal post processing shortly.Also worth noting is the file sizes. Each raw image was 30mb. So for a bracketed sequence of 3, 90mb needed. After post processing the new jpeg created from the raw images is around 14mb.

You also have to factor in the extra steps of transferring the raw images, uploading them into the mac or pc software and all the time needed to create one super amazing shot. And then you share it on twitter or facebook and all that quality is lost!

Update – below is an HDR processed shot via Adobe Lightroom 6. Weighs in at 17mb. Same process as before, merges 3 raw shots.

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