The Camera

[Captcha Your Soul]

The HTC Thunderbolt for Verizon Wireless is supposed to come with an 8mp camera/camcorder able to record in 720p.

It is supposed to use an all-new sensor for better performance in low-light situations and just better overall performance.

However, new info** from people who have the phone suggests that the camera performs pretty much the same as any other android phone (The Droid X, Incredible, etc) which would place it a tier below the iPhone 4.

Why can't android phone manufacturers match the camera performance put out by the iPhone 4? What do you guys think is the reason?


** by new info, I am referring to the poster "WorldOfJohnboy" who posts at DroidForums and has the pre-production model in hand. He does not have an NDA and is openly answering any and all questions about the TB. He is 100% legitimate, as he posted pictures of him with the phone, his username, and a timestamp.

here is the quote:

Johnboy, any chance to check the camera quality and compare to the Droid X?? I'm not impressed with the X camera quality at all...

I did a quick compare last night, and the difference is minimal if at all. I believe they are the same specs, so it would make sense.

Note that he may not have known that the phone has an updated sensor. Either way, he said there is very little difference between his X and his test model TB.

 

[Fhiz]

...what new info?

the only info that has been implicitly said about the bolt's camera is that its upgraded from the incredible.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

It (supposedly) has a newer sensor than the Dinc so it should perform better. I would compare it to the myTouch 4G (but maybe a little better) and I think the myTouch takes great pictures.

 

[_JKK_]

This is one place that no Android manufacturer seems to have mastered yet, which is sad.

It's HTC, which (honestly) doesn't have a great track record as far as cameras go. Improving the camera (and the camera app) is one of the things that I hope HTC has focused on.

That said, the camera should be a step up from the Evo 4G and DROID Incredible, as it is an updated sensor. I'd honestly settle for a camera on par with the iPhone 4, and hopefully that will at least happen.

 

[I am Fake Jesus]

it was said to be a new 8mp camera compared to other devices like evo an incredible. same camera in inspire i do believe...look there for expected results

 

[SUB-dawg]

the 8mp sensor is better then the dinc and evo. it is better in low light and motion shots.

 

[I am Fake Jesus]

the inspire camera looks good to me. anything is better than the camera in my iphone 3g.

iv got a real camera if i want serious shots

 

[FatalErrorz]

If they ever release the phone, I'll take pics and post them up from both the Bolt and the Evo. Wifey wants a Bolt, and I own an Evo. (I've also had 4G for almost a year, which pisses her off)

 

[zshazz]

He ended up adding pictures and video to his first post:
YEAH baby! My Demo will be here today! - Droid Forum - Verizon Droid & the Motorola Droid Forum

Keep in mind the cat video was recorded at standard definition... the HD clip is the one where he was recording his TV (which doesn't really tell us much, but I guess we'll have to live with it).

I think the picture of the cat sleeping looks really good as long as you don't zoom in on it.

I'd wager that the reason that camera quality usually isn't "as good as the iPhone" is because of the fact that it's 8MP. It just seems like the higher MP it is, the more susceptible to noise it is.

 

[experiment 626]

Yes,head over to the Inspire 4G Forums and check out their Pictures Thread. The Inspire takes excellent pics.I believe the Inspire and the Thunderbolt share a lot of the same hardware so that should give you a pretty good example of the Bolts' quality.

 

[Cory Streater]

The pictures are nice, but I think the original question is still valid. Why not match or exceed the iPhone in terms of a quality sensor? Is it that it's just too expensive to do so?

 

[deltwalrus]

Honestly, for emailing pics to people or sharing them online, the resolution on most new phones is overkill. You could even print a 4x6 from a Droid and you wouldn't notice a quality loss. Unless you plan on printing large posters or prints, the cameras on all of the latest smartphones are "just fine."

 

[SpaceHippie]

If you read the thread the guy is reviewing the phone. He said battery life is awesome. Granted he isn't in a 4g area, that still nice to hear.

 

[FatalErrorz]

The pictures are nice, but I think the original question is still valid. Why not match or exceed the iPhone in terms of a quality sensor? Is it that it's just too expensive to do so?

The thing with the pictures too is that if you go max size on an 8mp phone (which is default for some strange reason) you can't print it unless it's on a poster...as one poster above stated. First thing I do is change my settings to a 640X480. It then crams 8mp into a much smaller area, making it less "dotty". Then I print it out on a 5x8 photo paper...

The Megapixel Myth

^ Good reading