Round Robin: Help Jennifer with the G1!

[Dr. Tyrell]

Jennifer slammed the G1's camera: "I was very disappointed with the quality of the photos. No matter what type of lighting I was in, the photos always came out grainy and washed out. I was very surprised since the G1 has a 3.2 megapixel camera. I saw no options to change, so I don't know what the problem is. My Centro takes better pictures than what I've been getting with the G1. I also find the camera button on the right side of the G1 to be difficult to press."

The camera is fairly typical for smartphones and is the same one used in the HTC Touch series sans flash and software controls--sure would like to have had a flash! Careful photography produces pretty good photos given the limitations. The JPG images are a generous 2048 x 1536 pixels at 72 dpi and roughly 500 KB in size. There is auto-focus but no zoom, quality or exposure controls. The camera software will be improved in a future build but for now we can at least do some in-camera processing with the nifty PicSay app available in the Market.

I have taken hundreds of photos (see a few shrunken examples below) and find the quality to be reasonable if I pay attention to four things: keep the lens clean, avoid dim or contrasty scenes, set the focus by pushing the button half way before shooting, and hold very steady until the "click" sound.

Cameras this light are hard to keep steady by nature, so where possible I brace the G1 against something. I also check the image before taking the shot to verify that the exposure is as expected, and I recenter the image to control exposure (can always crop later). Scenics generally work best with a dominant sky in the frame. The camera button works fine for me when holding the G1 in both hands and squeezing gently.

Hope that helps. Try first outside in the best light. If you still get bad photos I suspect the camera is broken. Note that you can transfer images (or any files such as music) by mounting the G1 on your computer desktop thru USB. For photos look in the dcim folder.

[jaytee]

thanks for the nice review over at treocentral! It seems like an interesting device. My son, the computer hacker (in the true sense of hacking), wants one for Christmas. We are leaning towards it so maybe I will soon be able to add my impressions. ...I'll try it on weekend mornings when the teenager is sleeping ;-)

[blueline]

I wish I could help but I am currently rocking the iPhone 3g. However I am really interested in th g1and the new android is. Keep up the good work and don't worry you are doing fine on the videos.

[Krynj]

Originally Posted by jaytee

thanks for the nice review over at treocentral! It seems like an interesting device. My son, the computer hacker (in the true sense of hacking), wants one for Christmas. We are leaning towards it so maybe I will soon be able to add my impressions. ...I'll try it on weekend mornings when the teenager is sleeping ;-)

Do it! I would be psyched if my parents got me a G1 for Christmas. Only reason they won't be, is because I'm buying it in a couple weeks.

[Duvi]

This is good info I can pass on to some coworkers with g1s.

[chuazy]

actually htc cameras are pretty bad, they refuse to use better lens, very evidence in touch HD even though its 5mp. i compared my g1 photos and hd photos, they look the same in quality! i.e. i conclude that if you are serious about good camera phones, forget htc..

G1 is still very good for the other parts that was mentioned earlier though...

[Dr. Tyrell]

I noticed that Jennifer had some trouble pressing the G1's touch screen in her video and Rene was fumbling with the Fuze. I think familiarity with screens and interfaces has a lot to do with that. Jennifer is more used to the Treo's small resistive screen whereas Rene comes from the iPhone's superb capacitive screen. These feel and work a little differently from other smartphones.

The G1's capacitive screen is perhaps a little less sensitive than the iPhone's and requires a deliberate press with a slight hesitation. The upside of this is that you are less likely to trigger buttons by running your finger over the screen as can happen with the iPhone. It looked to me like Jennifer was tapping more than pressing which works on the Treo but not as well on the G1.

Sometimes, especially one-handed, it can be easier to roll and press the trackball which is what I use about a third of the time. The G1 hardware was chosen to give developers all the possible input options and I like that there are choices because one input method is not best for everything.

[GadgetGirl]

Hi Dr. Tyrell! I made sure that the camera lens was clean and I held the G1 very steady each time I took a photo. I don't think that I really ever did have the best lighting possible as it has been rainy the whole time I've had the G1. But I've still found the photos to be fair at best. It could just be this particular G1. Or maybe I just need some extremely bright lighting.

[chuazy]

so far do you feel any problems with the lack of proximity sensor, i.e. miss press the screen when answering the phone? I had it when i had to call up a customer service hotline and it led me to the wrong option!

[Dr. Tyrell]

Originally Posted by GadgetGirl

Hi Dr. Tyrell! I made sure that the camera lens was clean and I held the G1 very steady each time I took a photo. I don't think that I really ever did have the best lighting possible as it has been rainy the whole time I've had the G1. But I've still found the photos to be fair at best. It could just be this particular G1. Or maybe I just need some extremely bright lighting.

Humor me and try one more thing. Take a picture normally and then take the same picture with the back cover off. If the image is noticeably better, the lens in the cover is the problem. If not, the camera itself is the culprit.

The plastic lens in the cover is just for protection. Both sides can get dirty or scratched, and it is not ideal optics in any case. (Also, check the camera inside for finger prints from replacing the SIM card or battery.) A new back cover may help. When I get the courage and find a case I like, I may actually drill out the hole.

No doubt that HTC cameras are not on a par with some others but they seem above average for a mere phone camera--we're talking about a $12 part. The Touch Diamond which uses a similar camera even made cnet's recent "Best camera phones" list. Still, the best of the phone cameras are purely for convenience.

And just for fun... Long-Lost Jules Verne Short Story 'The Camera-Phone' Found. "The infuriated victims of the camera-phone-dominated society eventually put all of Europe to the torch."