Moto X: The camera on this phone is an absolute joke

[mtndewgood]

I can take five different pictures of the same thing indoors from the same angle and the light or grain in all of them will look different. It's very inconsistent. I'm no expert but my feeling is this is partly due to the camera always trying to focus when on, instead of focusing when you take the picture like most of my camera phones in the past have.

 

[Cozume]

I know my view of this may seem misguided but I don't understand why, in 2013, Googorola thought it a good idea to release the Moto X with a camera that did not meet or exceed the competition given an environment when it was well known that camera quality is clearly important to most phone-buying consumers.

First, the Moto X is meant to reverse the trend of the spec wars - and it is not a high end hardware phone. It is a mid-range hardware phone. Second, Motorola has never had good cameras. No one buys a Motorola phone for its camera; you buy it for its radio and you accept that if you want a phone with a better camera, it will come at the price of a worse radio because Motorola's radios are the best.

Then, after the world noted the camera's issues they remain largely uncorrected even now. That's the kind of design mistake that will get your company up for sale.

Oh wait....

what is clear to everyone is that it was Google's plan all along to sell Motorola quickly. They wanted the patents, Motorola would not sell the patents without the businesses and so Google had to buy Motorola. But the plan then was to use the patents and Motorola as leverage against Samsung to get a cross licensing agreement and some concessions from Samsung regarding how they clutter up android with their crap software. The minute the ink was dry on that agreement, Google offered up Motorola to Lenovo for sale.

The sale of Motorola by Google had nothing to do with the Moto X's camera or the Moto X for that mater.

 

[SeigaGen]

link?

http://www.droid-life.com/2014/02/0...eeing-android-4-4-2-update-as-early-as-today/

It's also listed on U.S. Cellular's site. But yes, 4.4.2 does have Camera Improvements.

 

[Clocks]

Here's a low light comparison shot between 4.4 (left) and 4.4.2 (right) on the Moto X. This is the last comment I'm going to make about this until updates are released for the American phones. Arguing about it was never my intention.

ImageShack? - Online Photo and Video Hosting

Got another host you can link to?

Or can anyone say what the ISO was before and after? It's an ISO issue that causes the crazy graininess (pictures my GS3 would have the ISO at 300 on the moto X will crank to 1600+).

I also agree with one of the recent posts that you can take 6 indoor pictures and get 6 different results on the X.

 

[Ry]

http://www.droid-life.com/2014/02/0...eeing-android-4-4-2-update-as-early-as-today/

It's also listed on T-Mobile's site. But yes, 4.4.2 does have Camera Improvements.

Thanks.

 

[Infinity]

Found this that others may find useful. Contains the updated camera apk as well as other apks.

xda-developers - View Single Post - 4.4.2 update.

EDIT:

These were posted before. Camera will crash if you try to take a picture using that camera on 4.4

 

[el3ctronics]

Found this that others may find useful. Contains the updated camera apk as well as other apks.

xda-developers - View Single Post - 4.4.2 update.

Who wants to go first?

 

[Clocks]

Who wants to go first?

These were posted before. Camera will crash if you try to take a picture using that camera on 4.4.

 

[Infinity]

These were posted before. Camera will crash if you try to take a picture using that camera on 4.4.

Thanks, I have updated my post with that info. I didn't know that, as I no longer have a moto x.

 

[Haalcyon]

First, the Moto X is meant to reverse the trend of the spec wars - and it is not a high end hardware phone. It is a mid-range hardware phone. Second, Motorola has never had good cameras. No one buys a Motorola phone for its camera; you buy it for its radio and you accept that if you want a phone with a better camera, it will come at the price of a worse radio because Motorola's radios are the best.


what is clear to everyone is that it was Google's plan all along to sell Motorola quickly. They wanted the patents, Motorola would not sell the patents without the businesses and so Google had to buy Motorola. But the plan then was to use the patents and Motorola as leverage against Samsung to get a cross licensing agreement and some concessions from Samsung regarding how they clutter up android with their crap software. The minute the ink was dry on that agreement, Google offered up Motorola to Lenovo for sale.

The sale of Motorola by Google had nothing to do with the Moto X's camera or the Moto X for that mater.

Of course, but the position that "We have decent radios so our cameras can remain subpar." isn't accepted by the general public which may be why the Moto X didn't sell better in the US. The LG G2 has a better camera, good radios, a beautiful screen, and is good and cheap, even off contract. My point is why does Motorola think they can get away with subpar cameras when their competition does not? Because their products are known to have decent radios? I've had a lot of Android phones as of late, few of them Motos (except the Razr and Razr Maxx). The camera just needs to be on par with their competition...not necessarily better than the competition but at least not markedly worse. Just my unique (I guess) perspective.

So consumers are to accept that if they want a Moto phone they should just be satisfied with knowing the camera will not be so good? I guess kind of like how if you want a Samsung phone you have to really be okay with plastic made to look like premium materials. ...and to be fair, if we want apple phones we have to accept 4" max screens?

Okay. I think I get it.



Sent from my Haalcyon iPad Air LTE 

 

[Ry]

Of course, but the position that "We have decent radios so our cameras can remain subpar." isn't accepted buy the general public which may be why the Moto X didn't sell better in the US. The LG G2 has a better camera, good radios, a beautiful screen, and is good and cheap, even off contract. My point is why does Motorola think they can get away with subpar cameras when their competition does not? Because their products are known to have decent radios? I've had a lot of Android phones as of late, few of them Motos (except the Razr and Razr Maxx). The camera just needs to be on par with their competition...not necessarily better than the competition but at least not markedly worse. Just my unique (I guess) perspective.

So consumers are to accept that if they want a Moto phone they should just be satisfied with knowing the camera will not be so good? I guess kind of like how if you want a Samsung phone you have to really be okay with plastic made to look like premium materials. ...and to be fair, if we want apple phones we have to accept 4" max screens?

Okay. I think I get it.



Sent from my Haalcyon iPad Air LTE 

The HTC One and G2 have good cameras. They're not exactly matching the GS4 and iPhone 5c/5s sale for sale though.

 

[Cozume]

Of course, but the position that "We have decent radios so our cameras can remain subpar." isn't accepted buy the general public which may be why the Moto X didn't sell better in the US.

While I would like a better camera on the Moto X and agree with you that the general public does, too and that the subpar camera had something to do with the poor sales of the Moto X, it had nothing to do with the sale of Motorola to Lenovo.

why does Motorola think they can get away with subpar cameras when their competition does not?

I don't think they think that. I think they just haven't prioritized the camera. I agree with you that that is a problem for the sales of the Moto X. However, it has nothing to do with the sale of Motorola to Lenovo.

 

[Haalcyon]

While I would like a better camera on the Moto X and agree with you that the general public does, too and that the subpar camera had something to do with the poor sales of the Moto X, it had nothing to do with the sale of Motorola to Lenovo.


I don't think they think that. I think they just haven't prioritized the camera. I agree with you that that is a problem for the sales of the Moto X. However, it has nothing to do with the sale of Motorola to Lenovo.

I was ignorant it, really, I hadn't taken the time to research the economics of why Google bought and sold Moto. Back when Moto was making pagers and StarTac phones they were the best in my mind.


Sent from my liberated iPad Air LTE 

 

[Cozume]

Back when Moto was making pagers and StarTac phones they were the best in my mind.

See they are the best at making that kind of stuff - because it is all about the radios. But they have to step up their game with the cameras or they are not going to get much market share.

Let's hope Lenovo will prioritize the camera more in the Moto X3.

 

[anon(4931742)]

In my old phone (HTC One S), I very rarely use Flash because of the over exposure. But, my HTC One S was able to take much better low light photos even without Flash.

With my Moto X, I see while using flash, I am able to take very decent photos. I think I will not mind using the flash when needed.

Though not an expert, I feel the high ISO setting is what make the low light pictures make it very grainy and unusable. What camera app (preferabbly free) can I use to adjust the ISO settings?

 

[Cozume]

What camera app (preferabbly free) can I use to adjust the ISO settings?

Check out the camera thread on the Moto X forum here at AC.

 

[mtndewgood]

I wouldn't say the camera is bad. I would say the camera software takes bad shots indoors most of the time. It's more of a software issue imho.

Sent from my XT1056 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[el3ctronics]

Well I forced the update to 4.4.2 this morning and didn't see any noticeable improvement with the indoor picture quality. I'm going to be returning the device to Motorola and sticking with my Nexus 5. Thanks to everyone on this thread for trying to find workarounds. Here's to hoping the Moto X2 has a significantly improved camera b/c I really did love everything else about the device (especially the ergonomics and feel in hand)!

 

[Cozume]

Well I forced the update to 4.4.2 this morning and didn't see any noticeable improvement with the indoor picture quality. I'm going to be returning the device to Motorola and sticking with my Nexus 5. Thanks to everyone on this thread for trying to find workarounds. Here's to hoping the Moto X2 has a significantly improved camera b/c I really did love everything else about the device (especially the ergonomics and feel in hand)!

I would update the camera app, too.

 

[el3ctronics]

I would update the camera app, too.

I don't see any camera update in the Play Store. Is there another way to update it?