Want a Bionic...but the camera complaints worry me

[Johnly]

Glad to hear that...I too read some bad reports about the camera (but that wasn't going to stop me from getting it), but I have found it to be very adequate.

Yeah man. I was outside, and conditions were nice. Everything was on factory presets.

 

[sabrinasylvester]

Right now I have a crapberry curve and have waited to upgrade to the Bionic since March. But now that it's out the complaints about the camera (and battery life) concern me. But more so the camera. The camera absolutely sucks on my bberry, so I really want to get something with a good camera that will take pictures in low light and of my kids, etc. Right now, I've hesitated to jump and get the Bionic because of the camera complaints (or are they blown out of proportion).

As an alternative to Bionic, I have been contemplating getting the Inc2 but really wanted 4G because it's all around me (work and home). (I don't think I can take this bberry much longer).

Do the camera apps mentioned here (Vignette, etc) really improve the camera? I guess at this point I can wait for the next phone, especially if the camera should/will be better. My husband has a OG and the pictures seem to be okay on it - - is the Bionic camera better/worse/same compared to the OG camera.

Your complaints are well founded! I just got my Bionic and it is a fantastic phone . . . with a horrendous camera. I just posted a complaint on the forum somewhere (my first post, so ....) -- I am SO not a reviewer type of girl, but the DROID BIONIC CAMERA IS SO BAD, I HAD TO POST! I don't understand how so much work could have gone into creating this souped-up smartphone with a camera that is both blurry (the pictures it takes) and slow (its shutterspeed). If having a great camera is a dealbreaker for you, then don't get a Bionic. It's sad.

 

[Cvballa3g0]

My personal experience. the camera is better than the Droid x2 but not as good as the thunderbolt.
4G LTE is WORTH EVERY BIT OF IT. like what other people say, once you go 4g, you cant go back.

 

[Johnly]

Right now I have a crapberry curve and have waited to upgrade to the Bionic since March. But now that it's out the complaints about the camera (and battery life) concern me. But more so the camera. The camera absolutely sucks on my bberry, so I really want to get something with a good camera that will take pictures in low light and of my kids, etc. Right now, I've hesitated to jump and get the Bionic because of the camera complaints (or are they blown out of proportion).

As an alternative to Bionic, I have been contemplating getting the Inc2 but really wanted 4G because it's all around me (work and home). (I don't think I can take this bberry much longer).

Do the camera apps mentioned here (Vignette, etc) really improve the camera? I guess at this point I can wait for the next phone, especially if the camera should/will be better. My husband has a OG and the pictures seem to be okay on it - - is the Bionic camera better/worse/same compared to the OG camera.

If you have 4g, then go for it. The camera is much better than the og or droid x. I found it helpful to take a "junk" picture first, then the rest seem to focus and shoot fast and well. I kinda liked the camera. That Bionic is one fast phone!

 

[greydarrah]

The camera on the Bionic is great. If you have any doubts, go through the pictures sticky thread. You'll find shots ranging from incredible to horrible. That means the camera is capable of great things, but if you don't want to take the time to understand how to use it best, your results will be spotty.

 

[sabrinasylvester]

Sorry, love -- I'm a design professional who works with cameras every day. The Android Bionic is a great piece of 4G equipment with a -0 G camera. And Motorola knows this. Let's just hope they put out some sort of upgrade to it before the holidays.

 

[Johnly]

The camera on the Bionic is great. If you have any doubts, go through the pictures sticky thread. You'll find shots ranging from incredible to horrible. That means the camera is capable of great things, but if you don't want to take the time to understand how to use it best, your results will be spotty.

I agree, Ansel Adams didn't have an SLR, but he knew how to 'adapt and create.' The Bionic is capable of some 9/10 pix. I have seen some fabulous shots that would make anyone proud.

 

[sabrinasylvester]

Fabulous shots . . . that are grainy. I'm just sayin'.

 

[916ninja]

I like the camera actually. I found a nice way to focus in on things that have a tendency to move. When lining up a shot, tap the screen on something static. The focus will adjust fairly quickly and then click. Remember, it's a phone first. I did notice the focus acting crazy on the camcorder though. Very irritating as it will constantly focus every few seconds or so and it causes your vids to look blurry every few seconds. A nicer camera would be nice to show off my bionic e-peen but it would see less use than the camera I never use already.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[kath00]

Totally agree -- camera is horrible. As an amateur photog, I can tell you that unless the conditions are perfect (bright, sunny day, subject holding still, no backlight and very little movement), the camera is just godaweful.

Here are a few basic shots I took with my Droid X and the Bionic side by side inside the house with good indoor lighting. Colors are terrible, washed out, grainy and most of the time blurry. And this after I spent my $5 buying cameraPRO extension because those straight out of the phone were unusable.

Very disappointed given that I think my Droid X takes better pix than this phone does (and that is 2+ year old technology!).

Katherine
Link here, description/caption under each pix:
Droid X and Bionic Pix - kath00's Photos

 

[sabrinasylvester]

What is SO. ANNOYING. is how Motorola could possibly put all that time, effort & money into creating what is truly an electronic marvel . . . yet not care enough (?) to deliver a camera commensurate with the rest of the equipment? That's nothing short of SLOPPY and whoever made THAT decision should be ashamed of himself. 8 megapixels mean nothing if they deliver grainy photos. If you gave Henri Cartier Bresson a Droid Bionic, he would deliver stunning, GRAINY photos. And that sucks because it simply didn't have to be. The iPhone's camera takes better pictures -- Motorola could have delivered better photographic equipment with the Bionic. People rely on their smartphones equally for phone calls AND their other platforms. So you should deliver equally well across the board. Not have an A+ smartphone with a D- camera. Okay I'm done venting now!

 

[916ninja]

Almost annoying as caps lock even. Lol

If it's that big of an issue, take it back. In a sense you're correct. It could have been better, but it's not. The fact is, the Bionic is a phone first. And it's a great phone. The camera is not a big deal to me because I have a camera. If you want to base your purchase solely on a camera, more power to you, generally speaking. Wait for a better phone. Chances are, there will be something else to whine about, but it will have a rocking camera.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[Galamir]

http://www.hasselbladusa.com/products.aspx

Attach one of those to your bionic and your pictures will be amazing!

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[sabrinasylvester]

Just not a fan of mediocrity & sloppy work, dude.

 

[corymcnutt]

On the Moto Forums, they had acknowledged the problem and claim that a fix is in the works in the first OTA update...hopefully that will help the slow focusing, etc. Personally, I have taken some awesome shots with my Bionic. Make sure you wipe the lens; it get extremely dirty, extremely fast, and wiping it makes a world of difference.

 

[1812dave]

On the Moto Forums, they had acknowledged the problem and claim that a fix is in the works in the first OTA update...hopefully that will help the slow focusing, etc. Personally, I have taken some awesome shots with my Bionic. Make sure you wipe the lens; it get extremely dirty, extremely fast, and wiping it makes a world of difference.

yes--the lens is a smudge magnet like on my Storm (anyone want to buy my Storm?). I'm not a big Apple fan, but must say the recessed, tiny lens of the touch almost never, ever got smudged. (but it's a lousy camera )

 

[sabrinasylvester]

Now THAT'S good news!!!! Whoo-hoooo!!!

 

[916ninja]

I wouldn't call it sloppy work... They chose to go with a camera that doesn't meet every individuals standars. But the complaints are minuscule. We enthusiasts make up a small percentage as it is and in that small percentage, people are not liking the camera. Some of the issues can be tweaked with updates I'm sure but in the long run, the Bionic is far from sloppy. You want an example of sloppy, all signs point to xoom. Lol. In the development and QA of things I would not be surprised to see things fixed and enhanced as we go. They may still surprise us. That is the dev cycle for products like the Bionic. As far as we know, it is probably labeled as a defect on their side with the intention of fixing it when they get a chance. Right now they are more concerned with show stoppers. I am speaking with experience from being a part of a company developing and deploying an SAP based erp system. Defects happen and you fix according to priority.

Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk

 

[greydarrah]

I don't know what you're talking about with the whole grainy thing. My photos look great...clear, sharp and no visible grain. Maybe if you shoot everything in very low light with no flash, but that's a tuff scenario for any camera (I would know...I"m a full time profession portrait photographer). Also, If you scroll through the "pictures" sticky thread, while there are plenty of terrible shots, there are also plenty of fantastic shots. I've said it before, but lens glare is this cameras worst enemy. The lens is so close to its glass cover, and that cover is not recessed in the phones body, so any light glare will kill your image. Not only direct light, but reflected light as well. Just shield it with your hand.

 

[sabrinasylvester]

Okay so now i feel SOMEWHAT better! Thanks!