Anyone successful in taking self portrait shots with the camera? (map camera button?)

[Carioca_FL]

On my first weekend I realized a serious flaw regarding the camera design on the EVO: since there are no dedicated camera buttons (and no way, yet, to customize them), you have to rely on the on-screen button.
And since the camera lens is slightly off angle, it's a bit hard to align the phone to take a decent self shot.

Go ahead, give it a try and post results. It's quite frustrating...

/adds yet another notch on things webOS does better.

//edit: before the Android police comes with billy-clubs in hand, I need to admit that I am pretty happy with Android and was really looking forward to try the EVO.

There, I've said. Now put those bats down.

Seriously guys. Put them down. C'MON!! IT HURTS!!!!

 

[DirkBelig]

Yeah, I miss using the spacebar to take pictures on the Pre. Unless someone makes a patch/hack/app to use the volume controls as a shutter release, we're hosed. Don't forget that we have a front-facing camera which makes it super easy to frame your shot, albeit at a lower rez. My current Facebook photo was shot that way.

 

[FractalSphere]

Yeah seriously two MAJOR fails on their part..

1. The image takes MIRROR IMAGES!
I could see mirroring the shot during the actual shoot, but keeping it mirrored as the final product? Stupid.

2. The DAMN BUTTON! I failed so many times trying to take a shot it wasn't even worth it. It should be programmable to be one of the volume rocker buttons, IMHO. Maybe some clever programmer will hack that?

 

[Carioca_FL]

I've totally given up taking group shots with this phone. I can't tell you how frustrated I was this past Saturday, a day after launch (and still totally stoked with this new phone) when at a party I couldn't, for the life of me, frame a shot.

Luckily, no one really noticed and they continue to fawn over the phone.

 

[pingpongboss]

Yeah seriously two MAJOR fails on their part..

1. The image takes MIRROR IMAGES!
I could see mirroring the shot during the actual shoot, but keeping it mirrored as the final product? Stupid.

2. The DAMN BUTTON! I failed so many times trying to take a shot it wasn't even worth it. It should be programmable to be one of the volume rocker buttons, IMHO. Maybe some clever programmer will hack that?

I bet someone will make an App if enough people want it. I mean, I even found a stopwatch app on the Market that used the volume rocker for start/stop/lap/reset

 

[RayStinkle]

on the incredible and nexus one, the trackball can also be used to snap the picture. i guess the evo has no trackball, so you cant take a self portrait! that kinda stinks.

 

[wado1]

Yeah, I miss using the spacebar to take pictures on the Pre.

i had a pre and never knew that. smh.

 

[DirkBelig]

I think it was in the manual, but I probably read it online in some tips. I know there was a patch to have any button take the picture, but the space bar was enough for me.

 

[FractalSphere]

I found the trick!

Hold the phone *upside down* so the camera is on the bottom. You can still see the majority of the screen, and your thumb can hit the on-screen button. Best solution I've figured out.

 

[Blubble#AC]

There is actually an app called Mirror for EVO 4G that lets you take pics with the front camera. It sounds like exactly what you want.

 

[Carioca_FL]

There is actually an app called Mirror for EVO 4G that lets you take pics with the front camera. It sounds like exactly what you want.

No it doesn't, as I want the rear camera, not the front facing one.

 

[Carioca_FL]

I found the trick!

Hold the phone *upside down* so the camera is on the bottom. You can still see the majority of the screen, and your thumb can hit the on-screen button. Best solution I've figured out.

You can take group pictures in portrait mode, you want them in landscape mode.

I know may sound a bit picky, but I'm just trying to use the camera phone as a, well, camera phone.

 

[Quad150db]

IF you have the flash turned on you can just press anywhere in the center of the screen and hold it for about 3-4 seconds and it will take the pic. Obviously Its going to focus on the center of the screen you are pressing but I will assume that is where your face is going to be anyways..

 

[TrueDrooid]

IF you have the flash turned on you can just press anywhere in the center of the screen and hold it for about 3-4 seconds and it will take the pic. Obviously Its going to focus on the center of the screen you are pressing but I will assume that is where your face is going to be anyways..

+1 thats a good point. It will work for now until im hoping the volume rocker buttons can be mapped sometime in the foreseeable future.

 

[horadin]

IF you have the flash turned on you can just press anywhere in the center of the screen and hold it for about 3-4 seconds and it will take the pic. Obviously Its going to focus on the center of the screen you are pressing but I will assume that is where your face is going to be anyways..

You don't have to have the flash on, I just tried it to be sure.

 

[TrueDrooid]

IF you have the flash turned on you can just press anywhere in the center of the screen and hold it for about 3-4 seconds and it will take the pic. Obviously Its going to focus on the center of the screen you are pressing but I will assume that is where your face is going to be anyways..

+1 good point. It will work for now until im hoping the volume rocker buttons can be mapped sometime in the foreseeable future.

 

[mhespenh]

Also, there is a self-timer you can use, that's been my solution. You can set it to 2 or 10 seconds.

It even chirps at you every second while counting down like a real self-timer.

 

[kellte2]

I've noticed that using the front facing camera produces a slightly weird alignment if you use the phone horizontally. Why did they angle the camera? It makes taking photos with the front facing camera very unintuitive (along with the flipped image).

 

[ronron23#AC]

the camera is angled so when you set it on the kickstand, it looks decent for a skype call or such.

I just sat it down on the desk, and switched to the front facing camera, and it looked like it was meant for that.

 

[imanbushara]

something else that isn't mentioned here is the fact that the "Enter" key on the manual keyboard will take a photo too.