When comparing Google Camera vs Camera FV-5, the Slant community recommends Camera FV-5 for most people. In the question“What are the best photography apps for Android?” Camera FV-5 is ranked 1st while Google Camera is ranked 2nd. The most important reason people chose Camera FV-5 is:
This app takes lets users take long exposure shots and stitches them together in order to produce bright time lapses taken at night.
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Pros
Pro HDR mode
HDR can be activated or deactivated with one swipe of the thumb.
Pro Photo Sphere
Use Photo Sphere and Google Camera to create three hundred and sixty degree panoramic photos easily. Photo Sphere photo images allow the viewer to move around within the world you have created, move up, down, left or right to see everything. Photo Sphere also gives you the tools to create your own Google Maps street view and share it with other Maps users.
Pro Lens Blur
A recently added feature to Google Camera, Lens Blur gives you the SLR like function of creating images with shallow depth of field, or limited areas of focus. Basically, lens blur will only blur the background in order to put more emphasis on an object.
Pro Simple clean interface
Google Camera has a very easy to use and simple interface, with the most important controls right at your fingertips. Google has redesigned the Camera app for every skill level of user, making photography more accessible to everyone.
Pro It is free
It's free if you have one of the supporting devices (Google Nexus or Pixel).
Pro Support panorama shots
Which is also supported by the Android stock camera.
Pro Night HDR timelapse
This app takes lets users take long exposure shots and stitches them together in order to produce bright time lapses taken at night.
Pro Exposure compensation
In order to reduce the chances of over exposure, there is an option where exposure compensation can be activated.
Pro Exposure bracketing
Camera FV-5 has a setting where several pictures will be taken in rapid succession at different exposures.
Pro Control over ISO, exposure times, and f-stop
Much like a dSLR, Camera FV-5 gives users control over light sensitivity, time that the shutter is open, and f-stop.
Pro Free version
There's also a free Lite version.
Cons
Con Requires Android 4.4+ (KitKat)
The Google Camera app system requirements do require Android 4.4 (KitKat) or better, as a result this does leave out a lot of older phones and tablets. The app does take advantage of features of higher end phones, so you will need to upgrade if your device has an older version of Android.
Con Limited device support - Only available for Google Nexus and Pixel
In 2016 they stop providing Google camera for non google devices. You can download APK and install. But it crashes and most likely the video camera will not work.
Con Photo Sphere does not work on all CPUs
For example, Android-Lenny 4.4 does not support this.
Con Menu is stuck on landscape mode
Even when the device is held in portrait, the app's menu is stuck on landscape. This bug makes it more difficult to read whatever is displayed.