1. pythons's Avatar
    These are exactly the types of pictures I take almost daily on the job.

    Perhaps the engineering unit we've seen some pictures from is not final spec?
    I sure hope so - I would like to get the phone however I take around 20 pictures a week for damage reports on cars and I will NOT go back to packing around a point and shoot for something my bold 9650 has done a outstanding job on. I would be offended if after I bought the new bold I needed to pack around my 9650 just to use it as a point and shoot.
    08-07-11 11:53 AM
  2. Masahiro's Avatar
    Is there any particular reason (NFC?) why you don't just consider either of the two Torches? They both have continuous auto-focus, and they both have larger screens to view photos with.
    Last edited by Masahiro; 08-07-11 at 12:01 PM.
    08-07-11 11:58 AM
  3. tumer's Avatar
    You think its getting blown of porportiin wait rill the reviews come out all those A wholes are going to crucify it for the camera I can hear them now
    08-07-11 12:03 PM
  4. pythons's Avatar
    Is there any particular reason (NFC?) why you don't just consider either of the two Torches? They both have continuous auto-focus, and they both have larger screens to view photos with.
    I'm on my third bold type form factor and prefer that to the torch - I realize the torch is a popular phone and see lots of young kids running around with them. I would give them a look for sure when they come out.


    It would be easier if someone on a new bold would simply take a few shots of what the concern is because it's starting to look like the reason they have not done so is because they simply can't - as in it's beyond the ability of the new flagship phone to do so.
    08-07-11 12:13 PM
  5. UrbanGlowCam's Avatar
    Agreed, those pictures look good however they are not the type of pictures traditionally taken on a 'business phone'. People that do insurance adjustments and other things which require pictures taken of texts such as service books for vehicles that come in off lease need to be able to take shots of things that are much closer.

    If RIM is having their Bold line migrate away from the business concept into more of a social phone that's fine - I don't understand it but they can do whatever they want with it.

    Did you see the pictures taken of text from the guy with the new 9930? They are literally illegible and that is the type of picture a "business phone" needs to be able to take.
    The Bold might not be the ideal choice for you if you need an auto focus camera. I understand the issues you have with it too. I think you should consider the 9810 or maybe the 9850/60 if they are auto as well. Possibly an iPhone? Otherwise, maybe it is possible for you to get results with the Bold 99xx too.

    I did see that and think results could have been better from his shots. The end of my post has a solution.

    I also added more information to the OP that could be useful.
    08-07-11 01:42 PM
  6. southlander's Avatar
    LOL! I would buy the 9900 even it had NO camera!
    I gotta say, if I do find the up close shots using the 9930 to be sub par, I will seriously think about getting the new Torch instead. I do take photos of serial numbers and such when doing RMAs on tech gear I support.

    [Edit] From RIM's site it says under the Torch 9850/9860/9810 "Continuous Auto Focus" under the camera features and does not say that at all under the 9900/9930. So then I guess for me if I am not happy with the no-AF 9930, I'll pick up the 9850. Or whichever the Torch model is that is on VZW.
    Last edited by southlander; 08-07-11 at 02:31 PM.
    08-07-11 02:08 PM
  7. southlander's Avatar
    I sure hope so - I would like to get the phone however I take around 20 pictures a week for damage reports on cars and I will NOT go back to packing around a point and shoot for something my bold 9650 has done a outstanding job on. I would be offended if after I bought the new bold I needed to pack around my 9650 just to use it as a point and shoot.
    Times have changed. I once worked on a system for a friend that has a car body repair shop. It was one of the first systems that allowed repair quotes to have digital images attached to the quote and submitted to the insurance companies. He used a 1.2 MP Kodak camera that looked like a huge pair of binoculars. Lol.
    08-07-11 02:36 PM
  8. pythons's Avatar
    Times have changed. I once worked on a system for a friend that has a car body repair shop. It was one of the first systems that allowed repair quotes to have digital images attached to the quote and submitted to the insurance companies. He used a 1.2 MP Kodak camera that looked like a huge pair of binoculars. Lol.
    LOL! I know the system of which you speak. Yes things have changed a great deal indeed & I would like to see RIM at the minimum keep up with the times and not try to keep up in certain things by having to go backwards in others.

    Again, some examples of what an AF shot looks like on my old blackberry 9650.

    If the new Bold Touch ( the supposed business Flagship ) takes shots at the minimum as good as these all of us "business users" would be in happy land. Pictures at this distance simply need to look as good.
    08-07-11 02:45 PM
  9. southlander's Avatar
    If the new Bold Touch ( the supposed business Flagship ) takes shots at the minimum as good as these all of us "business users" would be in happy land. Pictures at this distance simply need to look as good.
    Yes these are shots like I'd take with my Tour as well. Phone cameras are really handy for when I need a model #/Serial # and the tag is on the back of some server or switch. And to make it worse the lighting is always poor behind a rack, etc. So I snake my arm around and shoot it with my phone. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries but saves having to pull something out or take it apart.

    And yes, some times these labels are not printed all that well to start with. So a camera on the phone that takes sharp up close shots is a must.
    08-07-11 03:02 PM
  10. pythons's Avatar
    Yes these are shots like I'd take with my Tour as well. Phone cameras are really handy for when I need a model #/Serial # and the tag is on the back of some server or switch. And to make it worse the lighting is always poor behind a rack, etc. So I snake my arm around and shoot it with my phone. Sometimes it takes a couple of tries but saves having to pull something out or take it apart.

    And yes, some times these labels are not printed all that well to start with. So a camera on the phone that takes sharp up close shots is a must.
    Amen Brother, you tell it like it is!
    08-07-11 03:07 PM
  11. pythons's Avatar
    Some info on EDoF compared to AF.

    But that’s not all. You see, EDOF doesn’t really work as well as Nokia says it does, at least in my experience. Many shots or subjects inadvertently turn out blurry because I don’t have control over the camera’s focus. ****, there isn’t any focus going on anyway, it’s all done in software. EDOF really isn’t that different from fixed focus; autofocus cameras offer far more versatility and far better performance in more conditions. Sometimes, everything comes together and my E5 produces rather decent photos, but most of the time its shots are mediocre, unremarkable, downright crappy, stuff I’d never show off on Flickr or Facebook or anywhere. I mean, even the amount of detail captured by an EDOF camera is less than what can be achieved with a comparable autofocus camera. And that’s because it’s a fixed focus camera at heart. An improved fixed-focus camera, yes, but it’s nowhere near as capable as an autofocus unit.
    Thoughts: EDoF technology versus autofocus in cameraphones | The Mobile Fanatics


    It was simply a cheap way out for RIM, that's all.
    08-07-11 04:52 PM
  12. Maliberti's Avatar
    I am one of those people who does use the phone camera for work quite a bit, I also carry a std P&S as well.

    I like my smart phone camera to produce quality photos; it's 2011 not 1995.
    [IMG][/IMG]
    08-07-11 06:44 PM
  13. Buzz_Dengue's Avatar
    Has anybody tried to read a barcode or deposit a check through your banking app with this technology?
    08-08-11 08:50 AM
  14. pythons's Avatar
    A) the barcode scanner hardly worked on my 9650 anyway with AF.

    B) Which bank has an app for Blackberry that allows quick deposit?
    Buzz_Dengue likes this.
    08-08-11 10:04 AM
  15. melb_me's Avatar
    Handheld photo taken with my Playbook. Looks better on my PC. I had to reduce the file size to upload it. The print in this "guide" is about 75% the size of standard text on a legal document. You should be able to zoom in on the image.
    UrbanGlowCam likes this.
    08-08-11 10:32 AM
  16. UrbanGlowCam's Avatar
    Handheld photo taken with my Playbook. Looks better on my PC. I had to reduce the file size to upload it. The print in this "guide" is about 75% the size of standard text on a legal document. You should be able to zoom in on the image.
    I think it would help if you posted a shot of it at about 2-3x that. If you zoom in at that size it will show pixelation.
    08-08-11 11:53 AM
  17. Buzz_Dengue's Avatar
    A) the barcode scanner hardly worked on my 9650 anyway with AF.

    B) Which bank has an app for Blackberry that allows quick deposit?
    A) ScanLife works sufficiently on my Storm2

    B) No bank? No problem. Phone apps let you deposit checks - USATODAY.com
    08-08-11 01:08 PM
  18. pythons's Avatar
    Handheld photo taken with my Playbook. Looks better on my PC. I had to reduce the file size to upload it. The print in this "guide" is about 75% the size of standard text on a legal document. You should be able to zoom in on the image.
    I'm sorry but that's a horrific image and totally unacceptable from a "business smartphone camera"...
    ...Even for one ALREADY two years old.

    Here are a couple from my "OLD" Bold 9650.

    "IF" the 9900 / 30 camera "IS" the Playbook camera - This is a significant problem.
    Last edited by pythons; 08-08-11 at 01:22 PM.
    08-08-11 01:20 PM
  19. UrbanGlowCam's Avatar
    I'm sorry but that's a horrific image and totally unacceptable from a "business smartphone camera"...
    ...Even for one ALREADY two years old.

    Here are a couple from my "OLD" Bold 9650.

    "IF" the 9900 / 30 camera "IS" the Playbook camera - This is a significant problem.
    I think we've accepted that its an all focus camera. It sounds very important to you to have an autofocus camera. Why not look at the 9810 or other smartphone?

    Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com
    08-08-11 01:24 PM
  20. pythons's Avatar
    A) ScanLife works sufficiently on my Storm2
    Perhaps the storm2 works better with that app than the current bold.....
    ...I removed scanlife because it could pull around 4 barcodes out of EVERY 10 I attempted.

    I've done it side by side with iphones and Droids and there was no contest...
    ...How would that even work on an EDOF camera given the issues RIM already had with this app on AF/




    The APP you linked did not work with ANY blackberry in 2010 and still to this day doesn't work....
    ...In fact NO BANK has an app that lets you use quick deposit with a RIM device.
    ...If you want to do that you would need to buy an iphone or Droid.

    It appears the same goes if you are a bold user and want to take a business related photograph with a 9900....
    ...You simply can't take a business related still shot.
    ...If you need to do that buy an iphone or Droid OR move to a torch.
    Last edited by pythons; 08-08-11 at 01:37 PM.
    08-08-11 01:34 PM
  21. cellinator's Avatar
    If the text is legible, I'm ok. I use my camera a lot to capture text passages and important items on receipts. However, for a 'state-of-the-art' flagship phone, this is not good. I don't think having a "thin" phone is better than having an autofocus camera.

    I'm a bit disappointed since this is a step backward...

    That said, I'm STILL be getting the 9900 when it drops.
    Last edited by cellinator; 08-08-11 at 03:49 PM.
    08-08-11 03:45 PM
  22. pythons's Avatar
    If the text is legible, I'm ok. I use my camera a lot to capture text passages and important items on receipts. However, for a 'state-of-the-art' flagship phone, this is not good. I don't think having a "thin" phone is better than having an autofocus camera.

    I'm a bit disappointed since this is a step backward...

    That said, I'm STILL be getting the 9900 when it drops.
    We can be honest, it's not a 'step' backwards - it's a LONGJUMP.
    08-08-11 03:52 PM
  23. aNYthing24's Avatar
    I understand your frustration pythons, but constantly complaining about it isn't going to change a thing. If having an auto focus camera is really important to you, you should get another device.
    UrbanGlowCam and sf49ers like this.
    08-08-11 03:57 PM
  24. pythons's Avatar
    I understand your frustration pythons, but constantly complaining about it isn't going to change a thing. If having an auto focus camera is really important to you, you should get another device.
    I know you are right & the 9930 is what it is - I'm in high hopes that someone within RIM that has determination power...
    ...Will opt to fix this massive oversight in their future flagship devices.

    I will for sure still try the 9930 out when it hits the shelves and the camera is one of three tests I will run on it....
    ...I WANT this phone to work for me as I've grown used to a BB and would like to stay on one.
    UrbanGlowCam likes this.
    08-08-11 04:06 PM
  25. UrbanGlowCam's Avatar
    I know you are right & the 9930 is what it is - I'm in high hopes that someone within RIM that has determination power...
    ...Will opt to fix this massive oversight in their future flagship devices.

    I will for sure still try the 9930 out when it hits the shelves and the camera is one of three tests I will run on it....
    ...I WANT this phone to work for me as I've grown used to a BB and would like to stay on one.
    I understand your frustations too. I'm hoping edof technology has improved since the past and they managed to optimize it nicely. If they could find a workaround for the closeup shot issue in the near future, I could see edofs replacing auto focus in the long run. It is the same analogue --> digital idea we see in everything. Of course this won't happen until we see a significant increase in edof lense technology/quality.

    I'm hoping RIM at least used one of the better edof systems. Like you said, I am looking forward to giving it a test in the camera dept. upon release.

    Fortunately, there are two things the 9900 camera has over the PlayBooks.

    1. Flash
    2. Close-Up mode

    We can only benefit from these. The PlayBook takes great pictures and captures excellent video. The main concern is closeup shots/clarity. I hope we can be somewhat impressed in this area.
    08-08-11 04:22 PM
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