I don’t think it is right to call it an “issue”, the camera module has been know for a long time, none of this should be a suprise.
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When I spoke to Miquel at the London Pop-Up a few months ago he said that Fairphone were looking at replacing the camera module with something else due to the poor camera quality.
I guess we will see whether that eventuates, and what the camera quality would be like in that result.
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I think there are different specific requirements for everybody. It wouldn’t make sense to build a phone with all features on highest performance only for it to suit individuals. A product must be affordable and suit main stream.
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Same. These are not bad quality shots. The quality is ok according to me. Better than FP1. Exposure management and dynamic range management are better.
Three things we can have in mind :
1- The reviews are performed with the standard camera soft : the quality may be better with other apps.
On FP1, the quality is higher with OpenCamera app.
1bis- The soft may be improved during the next months, through the updates.
2- I am very confident there will be one day a 13MP or 16MP module available. That was one of the message when the FP2 was presented : it should be possible to upgrade the camera module.
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While this hopefully turns out to be the case, one should only by the FP2 if you are happy with the current camera. The upgrade may never happen, even with the best intentions.
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The camera module will be easy to upgrade, even inside the module. Don’t worry about this. And don’t forget what the phone was made for in the first place. The camera is just a showcase … that will work.
The quality of the picture is not only dependent on the amount on the amount of MP. On such a small sensor like in a phone, the picture might get worse with increasing MP because the pixels interfere with each other.
Shots in the dark are difficult because the small module can only catch very little light. But long exposure is also difficult because a physical image stabilizer would be the total overkill therefore risking blurry pictures.
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Yep, it more or less depends on the software after the sensor and how cleverly it deals with the information from the sensor. Good cameras often do not have a high MP count, but they use a lot of clever post processing to make the “best” (from the user’s perspective) of the received information. I wonder how well auto-focus features, face-detection and touchscreens will work together in the future. Could be fun.
I sitll think people need to buy the phone that exists not what might happen. There maybe a reason that noone has forseen that prevents upgrading the camera. It could happen. It probably won’t, but if you buy it and are happy with the current spec then anything else is a bonus.
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The main goal of the phone is not the perfect camera. I was just saying that if people worry about it, the camera will one of the parts of the phone that will be very easy to upgrade. Even the SoC still has room for a better camera as well. So there is nothing to worry about. The camera is not really an issue not to buy it.
Excellent review, with a number of infos not yet seen here or on FP blog.
I couldn’t agree more on the brilliant modularity/repairability, and alas also on the cost…
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Thank you.
The FP2 looks really good - looks like they are going to hit the 15,000 target which is great news. I really hope they manage to find a way of allowing people to pay in instalments. As Daria told me, this is not easy with the crowdfunding model where a batch of phones is only produced once the money’s in. I hope too that they manage to crack the problem with regional networking standards. If it works in the US and elsewhere with the existing chipset that will make a huge difference. Also, fingers crossed on the operating systems issue…
I have a FP1, and given the way one can efficiently resell it I may well have been pushed to switch would the operating system issue have been clearer.
Now, in spite of the crowdfunding fail-trigger risk, I wait for actual detail on this, because non-root-by-default and no alternative system means a definitive loss of control for me.
I just cannot regress to installing a new OS by myself.
You can have root (thanks to unlockable bootloader) and self-built Android versions on the FP2. Check out the following threads:
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Yes it is. @mutschatscho Do not buy it only because there might be a camera upgrade in the future. If the cam is a deal breaker, wait until there are more phones and pictures into the wild to check if the quality is good enough for you. And if it is not, wait until there a) really is an upgrade available and b) that upgrade is tested and suits your needs.
There are two reasons for that: Firstly, it is not clear that there will be a camera update until there really is. Secondly, i can very well image that Fairphone does not want hundreds of buyers to buy a Fairphone + plus the upgraded camera upfront. Instead I can imagine the future FP2 releases either all come with the better module (to prevent electronic waste) or you can choose the camera module when ordering (like you can customize some laptops at currently). Everything else does not really make sense if sustainability is a goal.
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But wasn’t the camera a well-known model which was integrated in many other devices? If so, the camera quality check at gsmarena.com lets you compare it to cameras of other phones. Can someone provide a list of these other devices maybe?
A rather useless article from “Der Spiegel Online (SPON)” in Germany. Also in the SPON-Forum discussion people don’t get the point. Instead of fair production and the chance to upgrade the FP due to its modular design, people only discuss that they can repair their iPhone as well. Several years ago I promised myself never to post in the SPON forum, I will also not do it for the FP, but maybe somebody wants to share a bit more expierence and background there.
Cheers from Vienna,
Georg
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Well, for me this article is a good example for someone who decides to make bad press withough explicitly making that intention clear (compared to “Bild” for example).
The impression after reading ist: Well, they really tried … (zu deutsch: “Sie waren stets bemüht…”).
And how is this achieved? By postulating opinions as facts:
- In general the FP company is belittled and not taken seriously (that there is a lot of attention and awards for them is not mentioned of course)
- The author describes his opinion of the looks of the phones as facts (chunky and cheap looking)
- He claims that there will be no upgrades of the modules (and that’s of course a negative point to him)
- He claims that the hardware is low performance and the software is old, completely ignoring the fact that there are many phones with this processor and this andorid version
- Of course the FP cannot be compatible to mass production because everyone has the same standards as him and the phone doesn’t meet them
It’s cleverly written because there is no actual lie in there but the composition of “facts”, opinions and the arrangement of arguments and counter arguments is in such a way that you can only come to the same conclusion as himself: “The FP2 is a great project […]. But it will stay a enthusiasts product.”
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That’s why Spiegel online has the reputation of being the Bild for the educated folk. People! Don’t read spon!
Sent from my phone - please excuse my brevity.
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