g1 camera

[chronos]

I think that the camera should take better pictures. What do you think?

[constellanation]

i think many photography classes and it being an avid hobby allows me to take very good photos.
what exactly do you mean?

[NismoG35]

Chronos i think what you want is an application that allows you to change the settings on the camera a little better.

Control things such as.
-Resoution
-brightness/contrast
-Apply filters
-Zoom in and zoom out

[andonnguyen]

I think that the camera should take better pictures. What do you think?


It actually takes very clear pictures in moderate to good lighting. Although I have found degradation in quality as the source of light has decreased.

[andonnguyen]

Chronos i think what you want is an application that allows you to change the settings on the camera a little better.

Control things such as.
-Resoution
-brightness/contrast
-Apply filters
-Zoom in and zoom out


The program "PICSAY" which is available in the marketplace allows you to adjust brightness/contrast, as well as apply some filters, but after you take the picture.

[f4phantomii]

I think the low-light performance is disappointing, but not necessarily uncommon.

I'm not a big fan of the ultra-wide angle lens it seems to have. It seems like it is the equivalent of a 10mm lens (on a 35mm camera). It's great for taking photos of large landscapes and vistas...not so great for photographing people (without getting right in their face) or trying to take a reasonably detailed closeup of say a racecar across a track or something like that.

I recently had my kids at a huge indoor aquatic center for a party. I could easily stand in one corner of this enormous building and get the whole thing in the frame. But if I wanted a picture of one of my kids doing something cute in the water, I couldn't get close enough without having to get in the pool with them.

It definitely doesn't compete with even the $100 digital cameras out there. I do wish there were some ability to optically zoom, but I realize that would be asking a lot given the size of the G1. An LED flash was definitely well within the realm of possibilities. Still disappointed they didn't include one.

[Pinesal]

G1 is a phone. If you want to take good pictures, buy a camera.

[chronos]

I'm not knocking the phone! I love this phone! I just think the camera should be better. I hope that some will make a app that will allow you to zoom and adjust brightness.

[mithikx]

The program "PICSAY" which is available in the marketplace allows you to adjust brightness/contrast, as well as apply some filters, but after you take the picture.


I'm not knocking the phone! I love this phone! I just think the camera should be better. I hope that some will make a app that will allow you to zoom and adjust brightness.

err i think andonnguyen just mentioned said app that you were looking for,

and yeah camera blows in low light environments

[ministersin]

I LOVE the G1, but I agree the camera is crap.

The shutter lag is UNBEARABLE.

Almost makes for an impossible clear shot. There seems to be little or no correspondence between when screen goes black, when shutter sound goes off and when the actual photo is taken.

And there is a full three seconds or more shutter lag from the time you press the button.

I also notice my button is way down in there. If I press halfway for auto-focus, I literally have to use my fingernail to push the button down inside the camera to get it to fire.

When it takes a great picture it is great, but that is RARE.

I also come from a digital photography background (I have trained thousands of professional studio, portrait and event photographers to make the move from film to digital and have spoken at PMA on multiple occasions), and the guy who said he has a photography background that takes great pics is lost.

The best photography skills in the world can not overcome the hardware downfalls of this camera.

As to the guy who said it's a phone not a camera....I'd rather they have ditched the autofocus and given us a basic crappy snapshot than tried to add an advanced camera. So I agree with you...it's a phone not a camera, so why they tried to add an advanced camera is beyond me.

But they did, and it makes it almost impossible to take a picture, while my $39 phone could just point and click easily.

[Paging Dr B]

agreed but....thats why i own a real camera. Cell phone cameras are just a gimmick and will continue to be until they figure out a way to cram better (bigger) sensors into these itty bitty phones. Cell phone cameras have tiny image sensors which is why they all perform like turd in low light. The smaller the sensor the more light it needs to capture a decent image.
Now im just trying to decide between a D90 and a D300....

[White97Jimmy]

Is there no way to change the picture size? I need to email smaller photos.

[krnboy503]

for me, its taking alright pictures.
if i need it for a vacation or events, i bring along my 10mp digital camera.

[RussianSolja]

Ehh - It's a 3MP camera, You can't really expect much from it. ;)

[ministersin]

for me, its taking alright pictures.
if i need it for a vacation or events, i bring along my 10mp digital camera.

Do you have problems with the recessed button?

[constellanation]

To make the photos smaller either go to settings and change the size or crop.

And I don't think I'm lost for the guy who implied I was lost, I just have realistic expectations for a camera phone, if I plan on capturing something important to me or print something I will use A CAMERA! That's why I own a point and shoot digital. An slr digital and 35 mm, and a medium format camera and even a tripod! However if I want to capture something quickly to share quickly this camera is quite good at that. Not saying the camera couldn't be quicker or have more settings (picsay offers more) but I have realistic expectations for the 3mp camera on my PHONE, if you expect more then perhaps you are lost :/

[one100colombian]

i have a question does any one else camera sound really loud when you use it my makes a really weird noise and i wanted to see if that was normal???

[ministersin]

To make the photos smaller either go to settings and change the size or crop.

And I don't think I'm lost for the guy who implied I was lost, I just have realistic expectations for a camera phone, if I plan on capturing something important to me or print something I will use A CAMERA! That's why I own a point and shoot digital. An slr digital and 35 mm, and a medium format camera and even a tripod! However if I want to capture something quickly to share quickly this camera is quite good at that. Not saying the camera couldn't be quicker or have more settings (picsay offers more) but I have realistic expectations for the 3mp camera on my PHONE, if you expect more then perhaps you are lost :/

I did not mean it as a personal attack. Sorry. I guess what I was saying (and still believe) was that your statement that somehow a digital photography background would make better shots with this camera possible was...not accurate.

It insinuates that the user may not have the skill to make good pictures, when in reality it is a sub-par camera, even for phone cameras.

[ministersin]

I'm an avid photographer and I think it takes great pictures - just have to be patient. The auto-focus is slow, but aside from that no major complaints.

Here are two photo albums that I took exclusively with the G1:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bburgi/sets/72157608604585106

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bburgi/sets/72157608522818860

You don't get the HUGE lag between shutter release, sound and actual photo being taken?

[maclondon]

that it is great at is still life macro shots.

http://flickr.com/photos/cmmorrison/3005057691/in/set-72157608528549772/

its when things are moving or awkwardly lit that it struggles - i think with firmware improvements it should get better - havign some tweekable settings would help
I rarely take photos on the N95 on 'auto'.

[LatinMessiah]

Tips to taking better pics on G1 phone:

1. Make sure there's plenty of natural light (sunlight), but do not include the light source in the shot, not even glare or reflections (it will blow out your picture).

2. Make sure your subject is not moving at all, then press and hold the camera button completely steady until it finishes taking the picture. I recommend resting the G1 on a flat surface while taking a picture.

3. Take three pictures of the same subject and pick the best one later. Zoom in and look for blurry text or small details. Keep only the ones with least blur.

4. In Photoshop, adjust the levels to remove the "haze" in your pictures.

Not everyone may have access to Photoshop, but it really does help make you pics look less like they were taken on a camera phone. Hope these tips help! :)

[outsider]

I'd love to see something like chdk show up for the G1. I doubt it will since it's a firmware replacement but man does it let you do more with you phone.

[krnboy503]

Tips to taking better pics on G1 phone:

1. Make sure there's plenty of natural light (sunlight), but do not include the light source in the shot, not even glare or reflections (it will blow out your picture).

2. Make sure your subject is not moving at all, then press and hold the camera button completely steady until it finishes taking the picture. I recommend resting the G1 on a flat surface while taking a picture.

3. Take three pictures of the same subject and pick the best one later. Zoom in and look for blurry text or small details. Keep only the ones with least blur.

4. In Photoshop, adjust the levels to remove the "haze" in your pictures.

Not everyone may have access to Photoshop, but it really does help make you pics look less like they were taken on a camera phone. Hope these tips help! :)

Good tip!!!

[Wrytch]

Isn’t it possible that someone could develop a camera application that would allow manual control of the camera as several have listed – focus, zoom (digital), brightness and “shutter” speed?

bburgi – I had one of those crummy Nikon Coolpix cameras too once. The thing was constantly adjusting focus even when I wasn’t framing a shot and when I did actually attempt a photo it would take forever to settle in, take and it was generally out of focus. Not to mention, all the constant and excessive mechanical focusing would drain the battery at a ridiculous rate.