[fordag]

I've had a Pearl, Bold and now I have a Torch 2. None of these have cameras that are capable of zooming. Is this true for all BlackBerrys? I'm guessing it must be if the 9810 still has no zoom capability.

As I understand it there are micro zoom lenses available. Is there any chance RIM will put a zoom capable camera in one of their phones in the future?

Thanks,
David

[dc/dc]

They used to zoom if you lowered the resolution. Anyway, BlackBerry devices are not meant to be a camera replacement, so I don't have any confidence that they'll put a lot of effort into the camera optics.

[tsac]

A couple of things.

volume up / down is the zoom

This may apply to your BB also.

KB24409-The video camera application does not zoom in or out 0 1989858069

[fordag]

@dc/dc: No my BB will never replace my Canon DSLR. I would like simple zoom functionality in the lens however.

@tsac: That does not zoom, that crops your image.

[tsac]

I guess the info from RIM is wrong...sorry

[fordag]

@tsac: No, RIM misuses the term Zoom in reference to the phone's camera. They should be calling it Crop.

[fordag]

Why not something like this in the phones (this article is from 2007)?
Cell-Phone Cameras That Zoom - Technology Review

[hrbuckley]

It is called digital zoom, and yes it is essentially cropping. If having a cellphone with optical zoom is that important to you then I suggest you find one so equipped and buy it. Perhaps an iPhone with this would meet your needs.

[tsac]

Yes, The zoom does work but only to look at a photo that was already taken. when you read the info on the camera it does not indicate it only does zoom after a photo is on the media card. Anyway I checked the BB's i have, 8310, 9700, 8520 and none work the way RIM suggests.

[fordag]

@hrbuckley: No what BBs do isn't even digital zoom, it's cropping only. I have no interest in an iPhone I prefer my blackberry, I just think they should put a better lens in the phones.

@tsac: Yes you can zoom while looking at photos you've already taken, that works fine.

[tsac]

Called a friend who has a 8980( brought back from India) and it does actualy zoom. uses the supplied OS ( 5 level) and does seem to follow the directions RIM gives. Now I want to know why the difference.


From the user guide for his BB.

Camera and video camera
To zoom in to a subject before taking a picture, press the Volume Up key.
To zoom out from a subject before taking a picture, press the Volume Down key.
To take a picture, press the Right Convenience key.
To change the flash mode for a picture, if available, or to turn on low-light mode for a video, press the Space key.

[Bacchus15]

the bold 9900 on OS7 have a zoom

[hrbuckley]

Originally Posted by fordag

@hrbuckley: No what BBs do isn't even digital zoom, it's cropping only. I have no interest in an iPhone I prefer my blackberry, I just think they should put a better lens in the phones.

@tsac: Yes you can zoom while looking at photos you've already taken, that works fine.

Well, from Kodak:

What is digital zoom?
Digital zoom crops your image and magnifies the result of the cropping. This magnification process is called interpolation. To make the cropped area bigger, digital zoom makes up, or interpolates, pixels to add to the image, which may give less than satisfactory results.

So, what does digital zoom mean to you?

And my 9810 works exactly the way Tsac says.

[fordag]

@hrbuckley: What Kodak says is exactly right, digital zoom requires interpolation.

Which means that if my hypothetical 5 mp camera is equipped with digital zoom then I'll always get a 5mp image from my camera. The results can vary from quite usable to appalling, but no matter how much I zoom in or out it's still a 5mp image the resolution stays the same. Basically image interpolation requires software to make up the additional pixels.
Interpolation: Digital Imaging: Glossary: Learn: Digital Photography Review

So at zoom level 1x I get a 2560x1920 image. With digital interpolation at digital zoom level 5x I still get a 2560x1920 image.

That is what digital zoom means to me, and to the photography world. As I said the results can vary from not worth using to fairly decent. Though improvements have been made.

Now for the images files you get with a BlackBerry (9810):
At 1x zoom: 2560 x 1920 = 4.9 mp
At 2x zoom: 1792 x 1344 = 2.4 mp
At 3x zoom: 1280 x 960 = 1.2 mp
At 4x zoom: 896 x 672 = 0.6 mp
At 5x zoom: 640 x 480 = 0.3 mp

Now lets say you somehow mounted the camera on a tripod and took 5 photos of the same object, one at each zoom level. The item remains the exact size in each successively cropped image. It never gets larger or has more detail than the original 1x zoom image, i.e. if it was a dollar bill that you photographed and Washington was 400 pixels wide in the 1x image, he'd still be 400 pixels wide in the 5x image.

So yes the BlackBerry camera is incapable of optical or digital zoom.

The only thing you get by using the "Zoom" function on your blackberry is a smaller image.

[stevetaz]

To anyone who takes photographs the details of digital zoom capabilites of a camera are ignored as it is next to useless. Results are disappointing at best, but if that is what is important to you fordag then look for a different device.

Digital zoom is the way to go, but BlackBerrys are not cameras and I wouldn't expect a phone to offer something like digital zoom. That is why I have a digital SLR, which by the way does not make calls or search the Internet and I don't expect it to. It is a camera.

[hrbuckley]

Originally Posted by fordag

@hrbuckley: What Kodak says is exactly right, digital zoom requires interpolation.

Which means that if my hypothetical 5 mp camera is equipped with digital zoom then I'll always get a 5mp image from my camera. The results can vary from quite usable to appalling, but no matter how much I zoom in or out it's still a 5mp image the resolution stays the same. Basically image interpolation requires software to make up the additional pixels.
Interpolation: Digital Imaging: Glossary: Learn: Digital Photography Review

So at zoom level 1x I get a 2560x1920 image. With digital interpolation at digital zoom level 5x I still get a 2560x1920 image.

That is what digital zoom means to me, and to the photography world. As I said the results can vary from not worth using to fairly decent. Though improvements have been made.

Now for the images files you get with a BlackBerry (9810):
At 1x zoom: 2560 x 1920 = 4.9 mp
At 2x zoom: 1792 x 1344 = 2.4 mp
At 3x zoom: 1280 x 960 = 1.2 mp
At 4x zoom: 896 x 672 = 0.6 mp
At 5x zoom: 640 x 480 = 0.3 mp

Now lets say you somehow mounted the camera on a tripod and took 5 photos of the same object, one at each zoom level. The item remains the exact size in each successively cropped image. It never gets larger or has more detail than the original 1x zoom image, i.e. if it was a dollar bill that you photographed and Washington was 400 pixels wide in the 1x image, he'd still be 400 pixels wide in the 5x image.

So yes the BlackBerry camera is incapable of optical or digital zoom.

The only thing you get by using the "Zoom" function on your blackberry is a smaller image.

Quite right. So the interpolation part is put off from being done on a device with a sub GHz single core Arm processor with limited memory and storage, unless needed to display to the user; or until the image is on a multi-core, multi-GHz, muti-GB system that may also have a graphic co-processor to do a much better job of interpolation. This concept, only storing or capturing data on a mobile device that can not be easily reproduced elsewhere, and limiting the amount of redundant information that may have to be transfered over a wireless connection (do you really want to pay for 15MB of bandwidth to send .9MB of data?) is entirely in-line with recommended best practices for mobile development documented by RIM.

[fordag]

@stevetaz: Clearly you have not read all of my posts. I have no interest in digital zoom. I want an optical zoom lens. Perhaps read fully next time before posting.

@hrbuckley: So then you agree that Blackberry's have no zoom capability at all? Which brings me full back around to my original post, Why doesn't RIM put a zoom lens on the camera?

[NJBlackBerry]

Because 99.99% of customers wouldn't care and don't want to pay for it?

[rambo47]

If you buy a BlackBerry for multimedia stuff like pictures, you didn't do your research. You made an impulse buy and that's just sad. If pictures are such a priority you should have gotten an iPhone or an Android phone.

[tsac]

Digital cameras are cheap. I carry one in my bag and only use the BB when i want a simple quick fairly good photo. If you need a device that does various things like Zoom, then I would by a camera. Save yourself a lot of pain.