Did Jellybean improve the RAZR M's camera?

**Strygun** · 11-22-2012, 09:41 PM

Hi folks,

I'm getting a new phone either tomorrow (black friday deals) or this weekend. Amazon is selling the phone on contract for 1 cent, which is pretty stellar. So far, the only negative aspects of this phone that I've seen are that its camera is sub-par. Did the recent Jellybean update provide any improvements to the camera at all?

At this point, I'm stuck deciding between a RAZR M or an iPhone 5. I like the fact that the M is an android device, syncs flawlessly with Google (which is basically where all of my stuff is), has removable memory, the google Maps app, and it isn't enormous like most other Android devices out there. The reason I like the iPhone five is the stellar camera quality, which is important to me.

I know the camera has been discussed a lot on this forum, but I haven't found anything useful from post-jellybean update.

Thanks!

**WAldenIV** · 11-23-2012, 09:39 AM

I've never had an issue with the M's camera before or after JB. I don't understand the negative opinion of it. It's better than the camera on my old DX, which I also never had issue with.

The Razr M does NOT have a removable battery.

**calbrs04** · 11-23-2012, 04:18 PM

It improved the lag time. Besides that the pictures look as good as any other cell phone camera.

**Motocross_1** · 11-26-2012, 01:04 AM

Anyone experience an improvement in picture quality?

**nbulko90** · 11-30-2012, 05:40 PM

I don't have any personal experience regarding how the camera was during ICS, but here are a few pics I took last week with the Razr M (all post JB). These were taken with the stock camera app, HDR on.

EDIT: I'm coming from a T-Mobile SGS2 and even with how good that phone's camera is, I'm still very impressed. I remember seeing some really crappy looking pics around release for this phone (way before even the JB leak) so you might assume JB improved the camera.

**motionxxusxx#IM** · 12-01-2012, 09:30 AM

These look nice. Do you have any good pics not using the HDR mode? How's the lag on the camera. This is the only thing holding me back from picking up the razr m.

**nbulko90** · 12-01-2012, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by motionxxusxx#AC

These look nice. Do you have any good pics not using the HDR mode? How's the lag on the camera. This is the only thing holding me back from picking up the razr m.

I have a few pics not using HDR, but they're not really good examples of the camera's capability. Tomorrow I might make a comparison of a few different shot styles (macro, outdoor, indoor, indoor low light) using no HDR, and then HDR. I'll be sure to post the results here. I can tell you for sure that there is some camera lag, especially when using HDR mode, but it's nothing unmanageable. Shots are near instant outside of HDR mode, and with HDR on, it's about 1.5 seconds from hitting the shutter to the animation of the picture "floating up" to the gallery box in the corner. For certain though, you're not getting the virtually "zero shutter lag" effect that you feel on phones like the One X or Gnex. It's honestly not a big deal though and just speaking for myself, it definitely wouldn't be enough to deter me from getting this phone if that was the only issue. Just yesterday I tried the Razr HD and HD MAXX out for the first time and I can safely say they have LESS lag than the M, but it's still there, and HDR is still of course slower than non-HDR.

One thing I will say though is that HDR isn't a catch-all. As you probably know you can't use the flash with it on, just by the nature of how HDR works. Also, it shouldn't be used in low-light situations, as it results in a whole lot of colorful digital noise. One thing I've found is that despite the lower megapixel count (6 vs. 8), I've found using the "widescreen" option in the stock camera app to be worthwhile. I'll post a comparison example of that tomorrow too.

After using the Razr M for about 3 weeks, my opinion on it is really simple. To me it feels essentially like the iPhone 5 of the Android lineup. It's not as powerful as the top tier phones out there, but it has no gaping flaws either, so just for that it's a very solid, reliable (at least so far) phone overall. My best advice is not to underestimate the screen real estate of this phone. While it's true that the softkeys take up some room on the bottom, it's still a 4.3" display which is far from small, despite the upward trend. There's a tendency to think of this phone as being a lot smaller than it is just because of the impressively small bezels. Personally 4.3" is the best screen size for me, as I do no gaming or long video watching sessions on my phone. I have no feeling of being cramped while browsing the web on the phone, as the default browser being chrome means that you get an automatic zoom-in when you click something very small), and it's VERY comfortable to hold during long phone calls (excellent call quality/signal too)

**bop43** · 12-01-2012, 07:52 PM

I have had the Droid Razr M since the first weekend it was released. I have enjoyed the phone, but I am disappointed in the camera. I am not a photo professional, but take a lot of photos of my family. I have thought about selling the phone and purchasing a different phone because of it. The camera is very slow in capturing photos and the color saturation is significant. Out of 10 pictures taken, I may get approximatelytwo or three photos worth keeping/sharing.

**DolphinDroid** · 12-01-2012, 08:08 PM

My camera responds faster than any other smartphone I ever owned since the jelly bean update.

Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk 2

**heartagram616** · 12-01-2012, 10:30 PM

Originally Posted by bop43

I have had the Droid Razr M since the first weekend it was released. I have enjoyed the phone, but I am disappointed in the camera. I am not a photo professional, but take a lot of photos of my family. I have thought about selling the phone and purchasing a different phone because of it. The camera is very slow in capturing photos and the color saturation is significant. Out of 10 pictures taken, I may get approximatelytwo or three photos worth keeping/sharing.

Couldn't agree more love everything about this device but the camera. I take a lot of indoor pictures of my kids and thus far only have maybe 10 that were worth keeping it makes me sad/angry.

**motionxxusxx#IM** · 12-02-2012, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by nbulko90

I have a few pics not using HDR, but they're not really good examples of the camera's capability. Tomorrow I might make a comparison of a few different shot styles (macro, outdoor, indoor, indoor low light) using no HDR, and then HDR. I'll be sure to post the results here. I can tell you for sure that there is some camera lag, especially when using HDR mode, but it's nothing unmanageable. Shots are near instant outside of HDR mode, and with HDR on, it's about 1.5 seconds from hitting the shutter to the animation of the picture "floating up" to the gallery box in the corner. For certain though, you're not getting the virtually "zero shutter lag" effect that you feel on phones like the One X or Gnex. It's honestly not a big deal though and just speaking for myself, it definitely wouldn't be enough to deter me from getting this phone if that was the only issue. Just yesterday I tried the Razr HD and HD MAXX out for the first time and I can safely say they have LESS lag than the M, but it's still there, and HDR is still of course slower than non-HDR.

One thing I will say though is that HDR isn't a catch-all. As you probably know you can't use the flash with it on, just by the nature of how HDR works. Also, it shouldn't be used in low-light situations, as it results in a whole lot of colorful digital noise. One thing I've found is that despite the lower megapixel count (6 vs. 8), I've found using the "widescreen" option in the stock camera app to be worthwhile. I'll post a comparison example of that tomorrow too.

After using the Razr M for about 3 weeks, my opinion on it is really simple. To me it feels essentially like the iPhone 5 of the Android lineup. It's not as powerful as the top tier phones out there, but it has no gaping flaws either, so just for that it's a very solid, reliable (at least so far) phone overall. My best advice is not to underestimate the screen real estate of this phone. While it's true that the softkeys take up some room on the bottom, it's still a 4.3" display which is far from small, despite the upward trend. There's a tendency to think of this phone as being a lot smaller than it is just because of the impressively small bezels. Personally 4.3" is the best screen size for me, as I do no gaming or long video watching sessions on my phone. I have no feeling of being cramped while browsing the web on the phone, as the default browser being chrome means that you get an automatic zoom-in when you click something very small), and it's VERY comfortable to hold during long phone calls (excellent call quality/signal too)

Looking forward to your comparisons. Do any 3rd party apps help with the shutter lag and quality?

**Murphy5111** · 12-02-2012, 09:04 AM

Bottom line like others have said is that indoor pictures are pretty much garbage which is a shame. JB did nothing to improve this shots. Sorry. Only negative thing I can think of but to me it's a huge one.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Android Central Forums

**nbulko90** · 12-02-2012, 09:13 AM

I'm really not sure about 3rd party camera apps and shutter lag. The last time I used a third party camera app was Camera360 on my Droid 3 to correct the horrendous white balancing. I have a few indoor shots that I'd consider decent though, I'll post them in a few, and HDR/ non-HDR comparisons are coming sometime this week, or possibly today if the crappy weather clears up.

EDIT: Here are the indoor shots. Both are with HDR off.

EDIT 2: I just tried Fast Burst Camera Lite on the market. the shots are indeed instant. Only downside is you need to purchase the full version $3.99 to able able to focus, along with a whole bunch of other functions.

.

And while I'm at it, here's a comparison of 8MP vs. 6MP Widescreen. On second thought, the difference isn't really that huge. There seems to be a bit less graininess on the 8MP shot if you look along the surface of the cap.

8MP

6MP Widescreen