Palm Pre sample video

OK, you're probably thinking this is a bit of an unfair comparison although the Apple iPhone 3GS camera lacks an (arguably useless) LED flash, the Palm Pre camera lacks the (absolutely essential) auto-focus, as well as video recording

But, other than the difference in camera and storage specs, the missing GSM/UMTS radios, and the limited selection of apps, the Pre provides 95-105% the iPhone 3GS user experience and features a QWERTY keyboard that is pretty impressive!

People currently looking for a subsidized über-phone in the US are going to compare the iPhone 3GS and the Pre (and perhaps even the T-Mobile G1 and the Blackberry Storm). So what about the 3 megapixel camera on each device?

The iPhone 3GS camera improves significantly over the iPhone and iPhone 3G by adding auto-focus (with macro) and video recording. Its the only other phone (beyond the Nokia N93i) that features continuous auto-focus during video recording. The resulting pictures are a little soft, but color balance is excellent. The sensor is somewhat noisy, but good image processing helps.

The touch to focus feature is nice, but the associated spot metering is hit and miss, with some shots getting overexposed. Id still prefer a dedicated 2-stage shutter button for better grip and control. Im also wondering why the iPhone 3GS email client still downsizes pictures to 800×600 pixels, making it impossible to send original pictures to Flickr, for example.

Its a shame that the Palm Pre camera lacks auto-focus (and lacks a macro, in particular). Nonetheless, the resulting pictures are quite nice, especially with proper lighting. Theres a decent amount of detail, and color balance is good. Low-light performance is rather poor, however.

Its possible to record time lapse videos with the Pre, since image processing takes place in the background, but thats no substitute for proper video recording. Hopefully, this is going to be remedied soon.

To wrap this up, here are a couple of iPhone 3GS sample videos.

Update: (Feb 28, 2010) Palm just added video recording support to the Palm Pre. Here is a sample video.

For more information, visit http://tnkgrl.wordpress.com/2009/06/25/apple-iphone-3gs-vs-palm-pre-camera/

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• tnkgrl
• cameraphone
• Pre
• sanfrancisco
• potrerohill

[imlieksokewl123]

wow. this has a 5 mp ? and the evo has 8mp camera but this seems better :P

[qrpkgrl]

@imlieksokewl123 The Palm Pre feature a 3 MP camera without autofocus. It records 640x480 at 30 fps (VGA), whereas my EVO 4G sample video is 1280x720 at 25 fps (720p HD).

Are you using the best YouTube settings to watch?

The Pre's video is more fluid (30 fps vs. 25 fps), but there's a lot less resolution (VGA vs. 720p HD) and as such, less compression - so you can't really compare.

If I set the EVO 4G to record at the same resolution as the Pre it'll probably look just as good if not better.

[ependergrass]

That's really not bad..... I will finally get usable video with this thing replacing my Touch Pro!

[qrpkgrl]

@07liberian Look, I appreciate your feedback, and perhaps I'll consider using another, more attractive location near my house for future sample videos, but can we drop this now?

I review a lot of phones, and also always take the same pictures in the same conditions near my house. These sample pictures and video are just content to support posts on my blog (link in my profile).

[07liberian]

@qrpkgrl It Even Seems Like The Same Cars Pass By In Every Video LOL

[qrpkgrl]

@07liberian I know, I live there :) This is conveniently close to my house.

[07liberian]

@qrpkgrl San Fran Is A Beautful City With MANY Great Locations Similar To This, If Not Better.

[qrpkgrl]

@07liberian No. I want to be able to compare phones so I need the same location and conditions as much as possible.

[07liberian]

It's About Time To Start Switching Up The Locations For Your Sample Videos.