Camera resolution varies with zoom

[Gunpilot58]

Hello everyone.  I've read many comments in regards to the picture quality of the X camera, but none addressing the issue I seem to be having with mine.

I have the resolution on my camera set to 8 mp. Taking a normal shot with no zoom, 8 mp is the resolution produced.  If I zoom in at all, the resolution decreases down to 1 - 2 mp. When zoomed in all the way, the picture size is only 816 x 624!! I checked with the resolution set at 5 mp and it does the same thing.  I have an inquiry into Motorola and they have issued me an incident number and said they have sent my inquiry to their "expert team" for evaluation.  That was over a week ago and I have yet to hear anything back so they must be really busy or totally stumped!.

Has anyone else experienced this problem?  Yes, I do have the latest 2.2 update and that made no difference at all.  I'm beginning to wonder if I should exchange this thing before the 30 days passes?  I hate to because everything else seems to work just fine.  Thanks for your input! 

Randy

[Hulk0069]

You're right never checked before, i hope they find the solution.

[Gunpilot58]

Yes, I'm wondering how many others have clicked on that little "i" at the bottom right hand corner of the screen while viewing pictures and seen anything less than the resolution they have set for the camera?  It first came to my attention when I emailed a zoomed picture to somebody and they asked if I had resized it because it wasn't very big!

[Gunpilot58]

I thought I'd provide an update regarding my original post.  I tested my friends Droid X this morning and found that it does the same thing....picture size and quality decreases as the camera is zoomed in.  I stopped by the Verizon store and checked out two Droid Xs and two Droid 2s and found out they all performed the same way.  I'll assume that everyone else's Droids function the same so that at least makes me feel better knowing that nothing is more wrong with mine than all the others out there.

Since I still haven't heard back from Motorola, I can't say for sure if this is just a design characteristic or what.  I'll provide an update when I get word back from them.  Now I know that I might as well just take a picture in the non-zoomed mode and then crop it later and come up with just as good quality (perhaps better) and size picture than if I'd zoomed in from the start.  I didn't buy this phone for the camera to begin with but it's certainly nice to have if a good camera isn't available.

Randy

[dirkbonn]

---

Gunpilot58 wrote:

I thought I'd provide an update regarding my original post.  I tested my friends Droid X this morning and found that it does the same thing....picture size and quality decreases as the camera is zoomed in.  I stopped by the Verizon store and checked out two Droid Xs and two Droid 2s and found out they all performed the same way.  I'll assume that everyone else's Droids function the same so that at least makes me feel better knowing that nothing is more wrong with mine than all the others out there.

Since I still haven't heard back from Motorola, I can't say for sure if this is just a design characteristic or what.  I'll provide an update when I get word back from them.  Now I know that I might as well just take a picture in the non-zoomed mode and then crop it later and come up with just as good quality (perhaps better) and size picture than if I'd zoomed in from the start.  I didn't buy this phone for the camera to begin with but it's certainly nice to have if a good camera isn't available.

Randy

---

Isn't the zoom feature on the Droid X a digital zoom?  If so, the resolution would be less when zooming.   With optical zooming this would not be the case.

I could be mistaken, someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[DoneDidDroidX]

This is normal. The X uses digital zoom when it "zooms". This means that it actually is cropping the photo to make it appear larger. Now, you have a smaller area and thus less pixels. A lot of compact cameras will have both optical and digital zooms. If you have a older one (without "Smart Zoom", Safe Zoom, " Intelligent zoom" or what ever  your manufacturer calls it) and take a photo at the max optical zoom and then one at the point it goes to digital zoom, you will notice a deterioration in the quality of the photo. With digital zoom it is taking that  (we will say) 8mp photo and cropping it ( you are losing MPs. We will say 6mp) and then trying to bring it back to 8mp by adding information to the photo(interpolation). I wont get any more technical. But, you will see it makes the photo look worse. Newer cameras with one of the newer style of digital cameras will crop the outside and leave the resolution at the lower setting. In a ways giving you a better photo on screen and if  printed small. So if you are just showing the photo on the web or printing 4x6 the zoom on the X is giving you a better photo than if it tried to bring it back up to 8MP.

Long story short...what you are seeing is normal.

[DoneDidDroidX]

Also wanted to add that digital zoom is normal for phones. Not just Android phones.