Possible Camera Problem (not the autofocus issue)?

[nyijedi]

First, I’d like to say that I’ve read about the autofocus problems with the Droid, and I’m pretty sure that my issue is unrelated to this. Feel free to correct me if you think otherwise. I’d also like to say that I absolutely LOVE this phone. I jumped ship from T-Mobile (former G1 owner since launch) and paid the ETF to get the Droid, and I couldn’t be happier. With that said, I have one issue w/ my camera I was hoping I could get some feedback on.

When using the camera, there appears to be interference/noise on the screen – it kind of looks like very faint horizontal flickering. Most of the times, when I take the actual picture, this interference/noise is not present in the picture (i.e., I just see it when looking at the screen prior to snapping the picture), however, in dark shots, it is sometimes present.

I also sometimes get this interference/noise when taking video in dimly lit areas.

Has anyone else noticed this on their Droids? Do I have a problem w/ my camera, or am I just being really anal?

Thanks so much!

 

[New2u]

I haven't noticed this before, but then again i'm not using the camera much until the patch comes out. But from what your explaining sounds like a possible defect with the unit. If that were happening to me i would just exchange the unit.

 

[nyijedi]

I haven't noticed this before, but then again i'm not using the camera much until the patch comes out. But from what your explaining sounds like a possible defect with the unit. If that were happening to me i would just exchange the unit.

Thanks a lot for the response. We do get 30 days to exchange the phone, right? I was considering doing an exchange, but after reading about some of the other problems other people are having, I wanted to make sure that there was indeed something wrong w/ my camera before exchanging it. Everything else w/ my Droid is perfect, and I'll be mad if I exchange the unit for another one w/ other problems.

 

[New2u]

I haven't noticed this before, but then again i'm not using the camera much until the patch comes out. But from what your explaining sounds like a possible defect with the unit. If that were happening to me i would just exchange the unit.

Thanks a lot for the response. We do get 30 days to exchange the phone, right? I was considering doing an exchange, but after reading about some of the other problems other people are having, I wanted to make sure that there was indeed something wrong w/ my camera before exchanging it. Everything else w/ my Droid is perfect, and I'll be mad if I exchange the unit for another one w/ other problems.

Well what your describing sounds like a manufacturing defect, and that is a warranty for 1 yr.

 

[Droider]

What you are seeing is "noise" in the digital camera sensor and this camera has a lot of it. Camera's with cheap sensors tend to do that. You will especially notice the noise in the camera sensor under lower light conditions (indoors and evenings). If the flash activates, then you may not notice as much noise in the final image but when you are setting up the shot you will definitely notice it. Take the camera outside on a bright day and I bet you won't see those lines when setting up your shot. In addition, if the camera is operating at a high ISO (during those lower light conditions), that can produce additional noise. I've tried this out and if I point the camera at an open window during the day, the image on my screen looks clear but if I move to a dimly lit corner of my house with the camera on then I will dramatically notice those lines you are talking about.

This is why you may encounter people who argue that manufacturers shouldn't be racing to the top with megapixel counts but should instead slow down and actually improve the quality of their sensors and optics. This is why a 3 megapixel camera can sometimes produce a much nicer looking image than a 5 megapixel camera.

So even once the autofocus problem is fixed, don't expect the camera to produce very good images in lower light conditions.

 

[nyijedi]

I know about the 1 year manufacturer warranty from Motorola, but if my camera is indeed defective, I might as well exchange it within the first 30 days - I'm sure that will be much easier than dealing with Motorola.

I've attached 2 pictures and a link to a video I took using the Droid. The first picture was taken in the light, and looks clear to me. The second picture was taken in a dark area, and if you look towards the bottom right of the picture, you can see the interference/noise/streaking I'm talking about.

Also, please check out the short video I took with the droid, which shows some interference down near the keyboard of my laptop.. I'd appreciate any further input from fellow Droid users letting me know if the quality of these pictures and video is normal.

Thanks again.

[video=youtube;Co1yfbscnYE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co1yfbscnYE[/video]

 

[SwordOfWar]

I've noticed this, as well as the slight clicking noise coming from the phone during autofocus. It doesnt make the sound when using the infinite focus option. Seems to only make that noise when the autofocus is changing the focus. I bought two phones, one for me and one for my mom, and both of them do it.

I'm starting to think thats just how the camera works. Its not really loud but if your in a quiet place taking pictures you can hear it.

I'll be waiting for the software update to hit before I do a lot of picture taking.

On a side note, ShopSavvy seems to snap shots pretty easy for me. Sure, you have to move your phone back/closer and line it up straight but it does give me green lines. It doesn't work well in low lit areas though.

 

[Droider]

I think you are just seeing the low light noise and that a new phone won't make a difference. You notice it on the concert pic but not on the outdoor ocean pic. As for the video, I think the noise will be even worse during videos because the sensor is having to work at an even faster rate (higher ISO).

But it couldn't hurt to take it in and see if another phone will perform better and if yes then exchange it.

 

[nyijedi]

I think you are just seeing the low light noise and that a new phone won't make a difference. You notice it on the concert pic but not on the outdoor ocean pic. As for the video, I think the noise will be even worse during videos because the sensor is having to work at an even faster rate (higher ISO).

But it couldn't hurt to take it in and see if another phone will perform better and if yes then exchange it.

Thanks for all of the information, Droider. Your explanation makes sense, and you perfectly described what I was noticing with the camera and the noise. I'm going to consider checking out another Droid before my 30 days are up to see if another camera performs better, but it sounds like what I'm noticing will be present in all Droids. Thanks again.