[LamarStarr]

I feel like these threads never end.....

[deadcowboy]

This is stupid. Focusing speed will improve with future updates.

Posted via CB10

[Ecm]

[WARN]Please stay on topic -- the discussion of the Passport camera.

Skip the personal comments![/WARN]

Last reminder.

[Mirk]

I feel the OP's pain. I was out fishing with some friends last weekend and missed a few shots that would have made otherwise great photos. Instead of a great picture of a fish I got the side or floor of the boat. All because, from what I assume, is a slow auto-focus.

The Passport takes great pictures, good enough that I don't feel I should have to bring my point-and-shoot with me. Sure, the point-and-shoot is better, but really the Passport isn't that bad. But, the thing is, generally if I'm trying to snap a photo with my phone it's probably an in the moment thing. Also, I've had the phone all of 2 weeks and people are saying I need to update for the camera to work properly, really... common... that's pretty poor on BlackBerry's part. Can't I enjoy the phone for a little bit before having to load on an OS that isn't yet available to me.

[anon(5906760)]

If you wait a month, 10.3.1 will be out with huge camera improvements.

Posted via CB10

[rickkel]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the Time Lapse mode - the Passport has that feature still, doesn't it? Anytime I'm taking a picture of something that is moving I use that mode and the results are quite nice. I don't like that I can't zoom in this mode, but the pics are amazing and I just crop the photo using the photo tools to zoom. I was taking these photos right next to someone with an iPhone 5 and she was amazed that I could do this.

[Ecm]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the Time Lapse mode - the Passport has that feature still, doesn't it? Anytime I'm taking a picture of something that is moving I use that mode and the results are quite nice. I don't like that I can't zoom in this mode, but the pics are amazing and I just crop the photo using the photo tools to zoom. I was taking these photos right next to someone with an iPhone 5 and she was amazed that I could do this.

Great pic!

[Jonesy1966]

I generally don't understand the fixation with cameras in phones. It doesn't matter how many pixels or software fixers it has it's still taking a picture through pretty pathetic single prism glass or plastic optics. Optics are what make your pictures art, no amount of pixels will overcome the having crappy optics.

Anyhow, I also appreciate that people like the convenience of having a single unit to do it all, but I don't get their expectations of perfection.

Having said all that, it sounds like a settings issue to me. Check to see if your device is set to "Sports" mode or something similar, this would keep the focus active. I'm one of the poor sods still waiting for their Passport so I can't check to see what the setting is actually called, but find it and you should also find your solution.

[bp2k7]

The slow autofocus is a legitimate gripe with the Passport and while I'm sure it will be fixed with future updates, it can't come soon enough. When the camera does focus, the pictures are great! It just needs more reliable software.

Often times, it will focus for half a second, and then just get blurry again until I restart the camera. Pretty annoying and not good for productivity.

Being able to take a quick photo that isn't blurry, without restarting the camera, really isn't too much to ask in 2014, and while I don't need professional quality photos, I do need to be able to take a quick snap every now and then to do my job.

[mmcpher]

Camera performance is something that evolves over time on every phone I've had that included a camera and I expect, as the others have mentioned, this will be the case with the latest OS update, with more to follow. So long as the camera has the specs and potential, as the OP suggests it does, I wouldn't mind waiting. FWIW, I think it is perfectly reasonable for any user to highly value the camera features, to the point of spotty performance being a deal-breaker, even though I am just a point-and-shoot klutz myself. I have a Z30 and a Lumia 1520, wherein the camera and display are extremely good, at least to my untrained eyes, which glaze over when all the options pop up. Still takes some mighty nice and mighty detailed photos. I also occasionally use my phone as a stand-in for a digital scanner, so camera performance and specifically focusing ability, become a productivity issue.

[h20work]

So....OP: You bought a powerful communications and productivity device, known for it's screen size and keyboard, and the deal breaker is the pictures it takes? If that was so important, just get a real camera (by Canon, etc). Phones are, um, phones. Cameras are secondary.

In the mean time, perhaps play with various settings of auto, etc to see what happens.

The whole point of having a camera on that powerful communications device is the ability to take pictures and then be able to "communicate" them. I use my phone camera daily for work. Snap a pic, attach to email and send. No need to grap a separate camera , a computer , etc.

I swear some of the people here use the same excuses Mike and Jim did. "Who would want a camera on a work phone?"

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

Camera performance is something that evolves over time on every phone I've had that included a camera and I expect, as the others have mentioned, this will be the case with the latest OS update, with more to follow. So long as the camera has the specs and potential, as the OP suggests it does, I wouldn't mind waiting. FWIW, I think it is perfectly reasonable for any user to highly value the camera features, to the point of spotty performance being a deal-breaker, even though I am just a point-and-shoot klutz myself. I have a Z30 and a Lumia 1520, wherein the camera and display are extremely good, at least to my untrained eyes, which glaze over when all the options pop up. Still takes some mighty nice and mighty detailed photos. I also occasionally use my phone as a stand-in for a digital scanner, so camera performance and specifically focusing ability, become a productivity issue.

I have a Z10.... still waiting.

OP if the camera is important to you (as popular as Instagram is, it seem to be an important feature for many), then find a device that better meets your needs. Hoping that one day an update will fix the issue, isn't a wise course of action.

It always comes down to what is important to YOU and what devices best meets YOUR needs. For some that might be a BlackBerry or specifically the Passport... for many others it's another device.

[ssbtech]

The suggestions by members here to "find a phone better suited to taking photos" is a reminder of why BlackBerry has been struggling.

People want one phone that does all the fun things well. This is why so many people use iPhones. Sure the email and typing experience might suck on the iPhone, but many people who need to format a proper email with attachments will wait until they get back to a PC anyway.

So the BlackBerry might be a great communication tool, but if it sucks at the fun stuff it'll continue to be the "boat anchor the boss gave me to lug around".

[homl]

I I take lots of shots of pets and grandkids who are in perpetual motion and for that the Passport is currently hopeless. I'm pretty sure this can all be fixed with an update and due to the fact that I've got some well focused highly detailed photos I don't think my Passport is faulty. I'd be interested to know how other users are finding it?

Photography has been a hobby of mine for a long, long time. Taking photos of pets and kids with phones and most compact cameras is an exercise of futility. If it is indoors, you might as well throw in the towel. DSLRs with a good external flash is the way to go.
No auto-focus phone cameras is going cut it, the Passport is no exception. To make the best of the situation, disable the auto-focus and face detection features. For the Passport, set Scene to Action, and set it to Burst mod. Lock focus at a stationary object about the same distance as your moving subjects; press the object on the screen until a green square with a lock symbol pops up. Press and hold the shutter button and fire away. The depth of field is very deep with phone cameras, as long as your subjects are about the same distance as the object of your focus lock, they should be in focus. However, this will not prevent motion blur, so to keep blur to a minimum, you will need to track the camera along with the motion of your subjects. Hope that helps.

[The Big Picture]

Its been said 3 times already. 10.3.0.1418 update GREATLY improves auto focusing on the passport.

Can't you people read?

This thread should be closed.

Posted via CB10

[cyprusfire]

I have been using a simple method that never seems to fail me. In the past I would wait for the square to change from white to green, which is indicative of a lock on the subject. Then you touch the screen or hardware button to take the photo and then BOOM!!! It goes out of focus.... made me mad!!!

I then soon realized that if you tap the screen, it doesn't take a photo until it's done locking the focus. So I started trying that and it seems to work really really well!! Essentially all you do is tap the photo before it's done focusing and it will automatically take a photo after it's done focusing. The pictures have been great!!!

[Carjackd]

Last reminder.

The problem is a lot of folks don't read the entire thread as I do and are quick to jump on people. Hopefully the next OS update brings some improvements. Occasionally i get some great shots with my BB10 cameras but there should be more consistency. It is something BlackBerry needs to work on.

It is what it is folks. I'm a long time BlackBerry user but their camera could use some work. Hopefully, that is soon. BTW i did notice that the Camera build seemed better in. 1052 than it does in my current carrier build of 10.3.0.1418

Be good to each other folks, don't be quick to judge someone as a troll.

"Official International Accountant of the Peevishlicious Crew " via my Canadian Passport!!

[theblob]

lol this is why you're departing with it? buy a camera instead. phones are phones, and that's apparently the distinction with the passport, separating business from consumer.

[Dunt Dunt Dunt]

lol this is why you're departing with it? buy a camera instead. phones are phones, and that's apparently the distinction with the passport, separating business from consumer.

Point and Shoot Camera business is DEAD. Even sales of DSLR are down per the Wall Street Journal.

And most of use didn't by a BlackBerry because it is a phone. We bought it because it is a smartphone that has many capabilities, all the OP wanted was for one of those capabilities to work as well as IT SHOULD.

If he tries the update and it's still not what he needs, yes he can go buy a camera that he'll never have when he needs it. Or he can go buy another smartphone that has great camera built in.

[Man@Arms]

It sounds like something that can and I'm sure will be fixed in an update! Perhaps a software bug.

[bhrgvr]

I think the camera is on HDR mode while you take pictures. HDR mode is generally not good for moving objects. Change the mode of the camera to Auto and you should get good photos

I so desperately wanted to love the Passport but it has one fatal flaw I just can't live with - the camera. It is capable of taking better pictures than the iPhone 6 Plus but the downside is the amount of effort and time you need to put in getting your subject in focus. I regularly have to keep refocusing because the Passport will get a crisp focus for a second and then lose it. It usually takes four or five attempts to get a focus lock and trying to do anything that's moving is a waste of time. I've got some lovely photos out of it that side by side with the iPhone are more detailed but I take lots of shots of pets and grandkids who are in perpetual motion and for that the Passport is currently hopeless. I'm pretty sure this can all be fixed with an update and due to the fact that I've got some well focused highly detailed photos I don't think my Passport is faulty. I'd be interested to know how other users are finding it?

[Crazed_BB_Fanatic]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the Time Lapse mode - the Passport has that feature still, doesn't it? Anytime I'm taking a picture of something that is moving I use that mode and the results are quite nice. I don't like that I can't zoom in this mode, but the pics are amazing and I just crop the photo using the photo tools to zoom. I was taking these photos right next to someone with an iPhone 5 and she was amazed that I could do this.

Excellent shot.
Funny story. I was on a tour in Nevada and a young Italian woman tried to jump up and someone was supposed to take a picture while in the air. The entire group tried for 30min - all kinds of phones: iPhones, Galaxy, Nexus etc.

So I finally broke down and told her that I help out. Though she was exhausted from all that jumping around she did jump on more time.
When I went throught the timeline with them they were all amazed. All I said: It's a Blackberry boys and girls.

This was the shot from the Z30. I am glad they kept the timeline feature with the Passport.

[ZeroBarrier]

No offense OP, but your post belongs here:

http://forums.crackberry.com/showthread.php?t=260887

Posted via CB10

[blueburk]

Snap seems truly if u think any phone is as good as a proffesional digital camera i guess u will have a lot to complain about.

posted via my passport

[Troy Tiscareno]

I generally don't understand the fixation with cameras in phones. It doesn't matter how many pixels or software fixers it has it's still taking a picture through pretty pathetic single prism glass or plastic optics. Optics are what make your pictures art, no amount of pixels will overcome the having crappy optics.

Anyhow, I also appreciate that people like the convenience of having a single unit to do it all, but I don't get their expectations of perfection.

Clearly you don't understand, so let me help you out.

Standalone digital camera sales have plummeted over the last 5 years, and are a small fraction of what they were in 2008. Regardless of whether you agree with this or not, the fact is that a large majority of smartphone owners use their phones as their only camera, and further, they use it constantly. Unlike a stand-alone camera, taking pictures with their phone allows them to immediately and automatically have cloud backups of their pictures and enables them to immediately and easily share those pictures vie texts, emails, or social media, something most people do daily (at least).

You may not want to do that yourself, or care, but that just means you are well out of the mainstream. It's hardly a surprise to anyone in the mainstream that camera quality is given a very high priority, when many people use their phone as a camera much more than they use it as a telephone. Unlike a standalone camera, people always have/carry their phone, so it is always there, and that convenience, as well as the convenience that comes with having it networked, means that most people simply aren't interested in stand-alone cameras unless they are photography enthusiasts or professionals.

And so, with more and more people using their phones as their primary or only camera, the quality of that camera grows in importance every year. Companies that fail to understand that are punished by the mainstream market with low sales.

For example, the otherwise excellent HTC One (M8), which excels or even leads in so many areas, has a very weak camera, and that has doomed sales of what would have otherwise been a top-selling phone. HTC it seems has finally gotten the message and has put a lot of attention on their phones cameras as of late, but it's too late to save this year's One sales.

It should also be noted that the two leaders in smartphone sales, Apple and Samsung, have both had excellent cameras on their flagship models, and those phones have been rewarded in the market with high sales.

Take from that whatever you like, but clearly the mainstream market cares about camera quality, and that isn't likely to change anytime soon.