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Lets face it.... THE DROID CAMERA SUCKS!

Hi guys! I have been a big defender of the Droid camera until now. I just cant figure out why the camera sucks so bad. Some of the pics taken with it look as bad as the pics taken with my old 1.3mp Samsung Ace camera!

To me, the issues make no sense. Some picture look great, some look aweful. Also, I NEVER get the red brackets. Mine are always green.

Heres the types of pics I have taken, and the results:

Food (inside, natural light)- These pictures look AWESOME. As a foodie and awesome cook, I always take pictures of food. For some reason, with the droid they ALWAYS come out beautiful. They look like a 5mp camera should. Sometimes the flash goes, sometimes not (auto). Either way, they always look great.

Outside, day time, natural light- Decent pics but not 5mp quality. I took one of some windmills yesterday in overcast. They look OK but definately not 5mp good.

Night time, indoor portrait, flash- These pictures look aweful. They are downright embarassing. They are grainy and out of focus, with or without the flash. And yes, I get green EVERY time.

I can provide examples of each situation if needed. I think this issue needs to be discussed. Thoughts?

Comments

supitsmike

How about you link a photo with what you consider to be bad, and one to be good so I can do a small comparison between the two?

nickc50310

You got it!

Good quality. Yes that is a brat taco. LOL! Made it as a joke but it was fairly tasty.

Windmills. Decent quality but not great.

Pic of my brother. HORRIBLE. Had green brackets and everything.

I cant understand how these can all have come from the same camera.......

yewslus

Agreed that this camera is worse than my 3.2MP Dare. However, I hand it to Moto to have an auto-adjusting flash. Flash pictures are never washed out, always just enough light. Very nice.

I am waiting for an app or OTA that will replace the current camera. I don't think the HW is bad, but the software and drivers sure do stink.

n0yxl

It doesn't "suck" -it just has high ISO noise issues. That is mostly due to the incredibly small image sensors that are stuffed into these phones. I'd say it's on par with other devices with the same sensor/driver combo.

I've actually been very pleased with my camera since the 24.5 day bug issue has past and (hopefully) gone.

nickc50310

n0yxl wrote:
It doesn't "suck" -it just has high ISO noise issues. That is mostly due to the incredibly small image sensors that are stuffed into these phones. I'd say it's on par with other devices with the same sensor/driver combo.

I've actually been very pleased with my camera since the 24.5 day bug issue has past and (hopefully) gone.

So basically they skimped on hardware and the 5mp camera will never be as good as it should or live up to the hype?

supitsmike

nickc50310 wrote:
n0yxl wrote:
It doesn't "suck" -it just has high ISO noise issues. That is mostly due to the incredibly small image sensors that are stuffed into these phones. I'd say it's on par with other devices with the same sensor/driver combo.

I've actually been very pleased with my camera since the 24.5 day bug issue has past and (hopefully) gone.

So basically they skimped on hardware and the 5mp camera will never be as good as it should or live up to the hype?

No, doesn't neccesarily mean that. Just means that you'll have to wait till December for it to work as it should.

If you all think THIS is bad, you should have seen the G1's camera when it was first released. It was abysmal in all it's glory.

nickc50310

So Mike, the update will correct the horrible picture quality in certain pics?

supitsmike

nickc50310 wrote:
So Mike, the update will correct the horrible picture quality in certain pics?

Edit for Clarity:

The internal clock or whatever you call it, has the auto balanced fixed every 24.5 Days, hence the reason why people on these forums were all "[edit] ITS FIXED WHEN WAS THE UPDATE?!" There wasn't one. It was all internal.

The patch, however, will permanantly fix everything so yes, it will fix the quality in it.

It seems as though the biggest problem in prictures is the noise level -- which is caused by the flash itself.

kenyu73

Can you manually set the ISO instead of using Auto? I've heard that setting that (higher or lower?) in low light areas helps with the noise... I'm no camera expert, I'm just relaying what I've heard.

I also have Eris so I cant test

AFguy

If you are that particular about the camera and picture quality, then buy a digital camera. I mean come on guys, its like you expect a "perfect" do-it-all-in-one device. What will you expect next, for your cell phone to tuck your children in bed for you. come on.

supitsmike

AFguy wrote:
If you are that particular about the camera and picture quality, then buy a digital camera. I mean come on guys, its like you expect a "perfect" do-it-all-in-one device. What will you expect next, for your cell phone to tuck your children in bed for you. come on.

Well to be honest, 5MP isn't really all that great anymore. It's not like you're going to get astounding pictures as opposed to using a Nikon or something. However, I believe people's gripe is for the phone to take pictures with the quality that it says it does. Just by looking at these pictures I know for a fact that they are not 5MP quality (I graphic design a lot), and, not only that but the camera is gimped due to the problems with internal software.

So until people complain about their Droids not putting their kids to sleep I think your statement is a little irrational, as anyone who says "My camera isn't taking the quality pictures that it said it would" is being rational.

Ardoreal

The Droid takes some pretty nice pictures. Stick to your strengths and photograph in the outdoors. Even my iPhone 3GS use to stink horribly at taking indoor pictures.

The video on the Droid is unmatched, even compared to iPhone. So...just chill.....

NSesta1687

I'm glad someone posted this because I thought it was just me or my imagination. I also had the Dare and the Voyager...The Dare's pictures were outstanding and the Voyager's weren't so bad either. I switched to the Curve and the pictures were horrendous.

Finally I get the Droid and the pictures are soooooo grainy and not crisp good colors at all. I thought the Dare and crappy Voyager took much much better pictures for a camera phone than this 5 mp camera, which honestly was a big selling point for me...total bummer.

n0yxl

nickc50310 wrote:
n0yxl wrote:
It doesn't "suck" -it just has high ISO noise issues. That is mostly due to the incredibly small image sensors that are stuffed into these phones. I'd say it's on par with other devices with the same sensor/driver combo.

I've actually been very pleased with my camera since the 24.5 day bug issue has past and (hopefully) gone.

So basically they skimped on hardware and the 5mp camera will never be as good as it should or live up to the hype?

Let's be realistic here; it's a phone -not a Nikon D90..... It is what it is. You just can't fit a big image sensor into a phone that's already cramped for space; not possible.

5mp = marketing hype. The silly marketing term "Megapixels" really says nothing about image quality, i've made exellent 8x10 prints from an 1.3mp olympus! It's all about learning how to shoot with what you have, good composition, available lighting, etc...

mricet1005

While I agree with issues on the quality of the pictures, my biggest gripe is with the operation of the software (not even referring to the 24.5 day focus issue). I find the software very slow, even when I set the focus to infinity. There is a significant lag on pressing the shutter and then there is a significant amount of time before it is ready to take the next picture. I have also had the camera software autonomously shut down and jump back to the home screen right when I was trying to take an important picture.

I had one instance where after taking a 3 minute video, the camera software locked up and gave me the force close dialog. Not sure if the software was hung up transferring the file to the memory card or not. I clicked forceclose and then the camera hung. Could not power off. Had to remove the battery to reset the phone.

I hope some of these issues are addressed in the software update, not just the 24.5 day date bug.

unknown

I will say I take one picture and it is good quality I take another and the quality isnt the greatest but yes it is better than any phone out there. There was a memo from verizon leaked to the internet and it mentioned a Dec.11 OTA update so we will see.

glenlo@yahoo.com

"It doesn't "suck" -it just has high ISO noise issues"

Hmm His ISO eh ... well I just looked it up in the winkypedia and it says ISO issues= sucks

glenlo@yahoo.com

You must work for Verizon. The customer unservice dept. How about you tell the sales dept to use that in their "pitch" . Having had many cell phones over the years..used to be every one year remember that? All my cameras were fine , this one should be at least as good as a 1.x pixel or 2.3 env lg . The pics I have from my daughters lives are excellent and always something that I would not have my camera available. This phone not only is a hit or miss but the hype or mishype is actually worthy of a class action suit. We are talking about secret updates to fix something that they say was not there . Causing countless hours online and at store talking to misinformed or downright closed mouthed reps . One phone call to customer diservice no update and they dont know what Im talking about. 1 hr later after a visit to the local verizon store and finding out about the hidden restocking fee not included in the pitch or as they refer it as the "electronic" agreement you digitally signed ha ha. $35 dollars to return a verizon described working as it was designed to phone , sounds like a red focus ring of death to me and as I write this remember this is a microsoft tactic... fix it in the field , deny its broke, sell sell sell. THe anticipated Dec 11 update which is also the day Pearl Harbor happened are two sorry events with a phone so potentially great that I do rec everybody to get a camera, return the phone , cancel your contract, and o yes post your greivences here ... not to mention as I understand the price is crashing to $119 from $199 ... something Microsoft does not do as quickly. Perhaps the word is out on this mess of a phone did I mention lagging also? :smileysurprised:

skidemn

n0yxl wrote:

nickc50310 wrote:
n0yxl wrote:
It doesn't "suck" -it just has high ISO noise issues. That is mostly due to the incredibly small image sensors that are stuffed into these phones. I'd say it's on par with other devices with the same sensor/driver combo.

I've actually been very pleased with my camera since the 24.5 day bug issue has past and (hopefully) gone.

So basically they skimped on hardware and the 5mp camera will never be as good as it should or live up to the hype?

Let's be realistic here; it's a phone -not a Nikon D90..... It is what it is. You just can't fit a big image sensor into a phone that's already cramped for space; not possible.

5mp = marketing hype. The silly marketing term "Megapixels" really says nothing about image quality, i've made exellent 8x10 prints from an 1.3mp olympus! It's all about learning how to shoot with what you have, good composition, available lighting, etc...

Thank you for your post, I'm glad to see someone actually gets it!

Image quality has less to do with the stupid MP rating, and everything to do with the size of the image sensor (and quality of image processor). I'm sick of seeing 10+MP point-and-shoot cameras with a smaller sensor than a 6MP DSLR camera and people expect the photo to be better on the point-and-shoot. At some point manufacturers need to educate the public on what makes a good image, instead of relying on marketing hype which leads to disappointment. Let's take that a step further- the Canon 20D, 30D, 40D and 50D DSLR cameras all have the same size image sensor yet the MP ratings have grown each year to where the 50D is double a 20D's MP rating. Yes, there is an image quality difference- not because of the MP rating, but because of the processor improvement (or the addition of multiple processors) that has lowered noise and increased color sensitivity, etc.

Do you honestly expect the microscopic image sensor on the Droid to compete with a much larger image sensor found on a 5MP dedicated camera? Now compare your Droid photos in the dark to an iPhone or as in my case, my old Dare... How can you be unhappy with the high ISO noise of a Droid picture taken in the dark when you can't even take the picture on other camera phones? Sure the image may not be great on the Droid photo in the dark, but when you compare apples to apples, it beats the competition hands down since other camera phones can't take the shot to begin with! I'm starting to believe that Motorola would have better satisfaction ratings if they had called it a 3MP camera so people would be surprised by the good image quality, rather than be let down people's unrealistic and uneducated expectations for a 5MP cameraPHONE.

skidemn

droidannoyed wrote:
You must work for Verizon. The customer unservice dept. How about you tell the sales dept to use that in their "pitch" . Having had many cell phones over the years..used to be every one year remember that? All my cameras were fine , this one should be at least as good as a 1.x pixel or 2.3 env lg . The pics I have from my daughters lives are excellent and always something that I would not have my camera available. This phone not only is a hit or miss but the hype or mishype is actually worthy of a class action suit. We are talking about secret updates to fix something that they say was not there . Causing countless hours online and at store talking to misinformed or downright closed mouthed reps . One phone call to customer diservice no update and they dont know what Im talking about. 1 hr later after a visit to the local verizon store and finding out about the hidden restocking fee not included in the pitch or as they refer it as the "electronic" agreement you digitally signed ha ha. $35 dollars to return a verizon described working as it was designed to phone , sounds like a red focus ring of death to me and as I write this remember this is a microsoft tactic... fix it in the field , deny its broke, sell sell sell. THe anticipated Dec 11 update which is also the day Pearl Harbor happened are two sorry events with a phone so potentially great that I do rec everybody to get a camera, return the phone , cancel your contract, and o yes post your greivences here ... not to mention as I understand the price is crashing to $119 from $199 ... something Microsoft does not do as quickly. Perhaps the word is out on this mess of a phone did I mention lagging also?

Pearl Harbor day is December 7th, and the camera fix was technically not a fix but rather a software glitch that you can read about in numerous other threads. If you are gonna rant, at least be informed and factual in your rant so as to appear somewhat credible.

glenlo@yahoo.com

{keep it relevant}

M_R_L

As a long time camera buff (Nikon and Canon) I just had to jump in here. I have a Canon 4MP point-and-shoot and a Canpn 10MP SLR - both take excellent pictures in the realm they were designed to operate in. The image sensor is almost the same size but the SLR has advanced noise reduction (as well as many other picture control options) that allows for larger prints. I agree with the above discussion that the MP rating is a joke. You cannot expect the minute sensor in the Droid to take images comparable to a dedicated camera. There are several small Canon cameras that weigh less than the Droid. Go get one if you want to take pictures. Use the Droid for that passing shot you might want to show someone but not for a picture your are going to print and hang on the wall!

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