[robboftw]

The camera on this honestly isn't bad at all.

I've done a small comparison against the iPhone 4 (considered to have a good camera) and the Nokia N8 (the best camera).

The test conditions weren't perfect so it's hardly a massively fair test but it should give you an idea of the images under decent lighting. I didn't adjust any settings on any of the phones, it's all standard.

BB 9900 (5MP) - Link

iPhone 4 (5MP) - Link

Nokia N8 (12MP) - Link

And as you can see here, when cropped a bit, the differences start to become smaller (click to enlarge) -



If there is anything more specific you want me to photograph, just say. I assumed most people know what an 8 pack of Coca Cola looks like so it's easier to imagine what it should look like in reality.

While it will still vary in different conditions, I'd say that overall those pictures seem to be a fairly accurate representation of the various cameras.

Also, remember that everyone considers the Nokia N8 to be the be all and end all of mobile phone cameras, so you generally won't get a better shot than that.

Bear in mind though with image/settings adjustments you could probably increase the gap in quality, but the 9900 has software based images adjustments (as it's EDoF) and they make quite a difference too.

Also, the 720p HD video is surprisingly good, as is the image stabilisation feature! It looks absolutely 100% crisp on the phone screen itself, and not bad when uploaded either.

[dalton4L]

Problem is, all the pictures and video I see of the 9900 are weak. Sure it stacks up well in a very controlled environment, but what few pictures I've seen of less controlled settings show that the picture quality is anywhere from pretty good to awful, usually more towards the awful side. Video looks okay in controlled settings, but I have seen a lot of low quality, choppy videos recently.

Don't mean to flame, this is just my opinion.

[robboftw]

The thing is though, phone cameras are very temperamental, you generally need good lighting and have to adjust settings to get decent results. Even the N8 pictures can come out rubbish if conditions aren't ideal.

It is, overall, an inferior camera to the iPhone 4, Galaxy S II, N8, etc. However, it gets the job done and the shots are often more than acceptable.

[FBA]

The BB pics above indicate that the image is crisper than both of the other phones. I honestly don't know why some say that the lack of A/F is a deal breaker for them. Most pics I take with mine are actually better than on my 9780.

[abass]

The BB pics above indicate that the image is crisper than both of the other phones. I honestly don't know why some say that the lack of A/F is a deal breaker for them. Most pics I take with mine are actually better than on my 9780.

People aren't mad about the camera.. They are mad at the fact that they cannot take extremely clear CLOSE UP shots (because of the lack of AF) which is still kind of a ridiculous reason to not buy a phone over that sole issue, but it's their problem at this point..

[glassofpinot]

Can it take a closeup of a business card or a receipt? I have read mixed answers, & I probably use that on 50% of my shots (there are good character recognition apps that save me a lot of key entry).
Posted fr CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[robboftw]

Long story short - yes, it can.

[Bold9930]

Vid is great, but they messed up on not implementing the focus controllor the camera, no question, but I'm over it now. There's too much other good stuff that they did extremely well that offsets this. Just use the flash, it helps a lot to freeze the object.

Hey, the iPhone sucks for calls, but that doesn't seem to be holding them back either.

[rayzian]

Can it take a closeup of a business card or a receipt? I have read mixed answers, & I probably use that on 50% of my shots (there are good character recognition apps that save me a lot of key entry).
Posted fr CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

it can but it'll be out of focus unless you step back and use digital zoom which is a good work around but won't look as good as a 9800 using AF to take the same close up shot.... when it comes to normal shots in bright lighting conditions i find the 9900 takes much better photos than my 9800/9700 did.. or maybe thats because the 640x480 screen res makes them look better....