Motorola RAZR V3m Cell Phone Review - Imaging
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Alfredo Padilla Published on March 16, 2007 Comment on this |
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Resolution (1.13)
To test the resolution of the images captured by the Razr V3m’s camera we took several pictures of an industry standard resolution chart and then ran it through our Imatest software. This measures how many black and white lines the camera could discern before they started to blur together (a measure Imatest calls line widths per picture height, or lw/ph).
The Razr V3m received a score of 521.7 LW/PH horizontally and 242.2 LW/PH vertically. Compare this to a lower end stand alone digital camera like the Pentax Optio M20, which received scores of 1682 and 1620 respectively and you can see that the V3m is not going to come anywhere close to replacing your camera. We score resolution slightly differently to our sister site digticalcamerainfo.com, so the Razr V3m earned a resolution score of 1.13. If we were to score resolution the same as dgitialcamerainfo.com, the V3m would have earned a score of 0.34.
Color (3.26)
To test colors on the Motorola Razr V3m we took pictures of the industry standard GretagMacbeth color chart, which displays 24 different colors. We then ran the photos through the Imatest software, which compares the camera’s produced colors to the chart’s colors.
Imatest produces this chart that shows the original colors in the small vertical rectangle, the adjusted colors in the middle rectangle and the original captures colors in the outer square. Further analysis is provided by the color analysis chart that Imatest produces. On this chart, the circles represent the colors that the camera captured, while the squares represent where the images should be on this color gamut chart. The longer the lines between them, the more inaccurate the colors are.
As you can see by these charts the Razr V3m had trouble reproducing true colors, especially yellows and some greens which turned almost completely white, however all of the colors are less than ideal. The Razr V3m performs poorly even for a camera on a phone, much less a stand alone digital camera.
Noise (1.05)
We test noise by shooting a variety of images in light conditions ranging from 3000 lux (a bright, sunny day) to 60 lux (about what you would get in a darkened room with a single light), then running the captured images through imatest, which analyzes areas of the image for noise.
The Motorola Razr V3m did well on the Noise test, posting low scores at 3000, 1500 and 500 lux and an average score at 60 lux. The Razr V3m did better than the LG Chocolate and posted a comparable score to the Motorola Q and the Treo 700p.
Live Preview (2.0)
The live preview on the Motorola Razr V3m has several problems. The first is that what you are seeing is pixilated, especially compared to the final photo. There are also significant differences in color between the preview and the final photo, which is unsurprising given how much trouble the V3m’s camera has reproducing true colors. The last issue is that framing with the live preview does not represent the true frame of the picture you will take. The final picture has an additional 5% or so on both the left and the right. This means that if you want to take a picture that fills up the frame you will need to adjust the preview framing accordingly. Overall the live preview on the V3m does a poor job compared to other handsets.
Unlocked Standby to First Shot (5.7)
To test unlocked standby to first shot we put the phone into standby and closed mode and then time the amount of time it takes to open the phone, launch the camera application and hit the capture key. The Motorola Razr V3m took an average of 3.5 seconds to complete this procedure, which is a good score for a phone. This score is also comparable to an entry level digital camera like the Pentax Optio M20 which took 3.42 seconds to complete a similar test. However, this is not an average test for digital cameras in general and people should not expect to be able to capture spurt of the moment shots with the V3m.
Shot to Shot Time (0.6)
To test shot to shot time we time how long it takes to capture 5 pictures in sequence. We turn off picture review and use burst mode if possible. The Razr V3m did not have the option to turn off picture review and did not have burst mode, meaning the photos were taken completely manually. The V3m took 5 pictures in 22.9 seconds, for an averaged shot to shot time of 4.6 seconds. This works out to .2 frames per second. This is not a good score, either for a phone or a digital camera. Those who might want to capture action shots with the V3m will be disappointed.
Set the camera to not display images after capture, if possible. Then time the space between shots when taking sequential images. Use burst mode if possible. Make sure to explain the exact procedure you used to calculate this measure. If burst mode is not available, take 1 set of 5 shots and take the average.
Shutter to Shot Time (4.7)
To measure shutter to shot time we take a photo of a stopwatch that we start running the moment we hit the capture key. The final picture shows how long it takes for the camera to capture the image. The Motorola Razr V3m had a shutter to shot time of .43 seconds. This is an average score for a phone, but not as good as many compact cameras. A delay of almost half a second means that you will have trouble capturing action shots with the V3m’s camera.
Interface (3.0)
The camera interface on the V3m is simple, but not very efficient. The only control you have from the preview screen is digital zoom, which is accessed by pressing left/right on the directional pad. To access all other functions you will need to use the right soft key. The left soft key is mapped to capture, however we find this to be redundant as both the camera key and the center key on the directional pad will also take pictures. We wish that the menu items had been split in two instead so that you do not need to scroll to get to the item you want.
Photo Album Software Internal (1.0)
You encounter the biggest problem with the Motorola Razr V3m’s photo album software the moment you attempt to access it. You are asked if you wish to view the photos “In Camera”, “Saved to Phone” or in “External Memory”. Apart from the fact that your photos are stored in three separate places, we had to wonder what the difference between “In Camera” and “Save to Phone” was. Basically the answer is that all photos you take are initially save to the camera, if you want them stored on your phone permanently, or if you want to move them to your storage card, you will need to select and copy them.
Of course even this is not a simple affair. When you are reviewing your new photos in the “In Camera” mode you can either copy a photo to the phone, or move it to the storage card. Why can’t you copy it to the storage card or move it to the phone? What’s even more confusing is that your copy and move options change depending on which mode you are in. Once a file is copied to the phone, you can no longer move or copy it, even if you want to get it onto your storage card you no longer have the option. However in the memory card mode you can copy images to the phone or move them, in this case back to the camera.
Once you get past this deviously designed font of confusion, the album software on the Motorola Razr V3m is fairly straightforward and even provides some nice extras. You can move amongst your photos and use the center key on the directional pad to select them. If you want to view a larger version you will need to access the option from the left soft key menu. The right soft key is mapped to send the photo via Sprint’s picture mail (there is no option to send via email). You can also choose to upload a photo to online albums which are provided by Sprint. Finally you can view your pictures in a slide show however there are no slide show options.
We were pleased to see editing functions as well, albeit basic ones. You can add a text or video caption, pan and zoom or rotate an image. You can also rename images or set the image as your screensaver, or associate it with a contact. Overall we found the photo album software on the Motorola Razr V3m to be fairly basic, with confusing usability issues that make it extremely frustrating to work with.
Manual Control (2.0)
The Motorola Razr V3m surprisingly provides you with manual white balance; however no additional manual control options are available. This is not surprising as most phones provide extremely limited manual controls.
Zoom (1.0)
The Motorola Razr V3m provides users with up to 8x digital zoom. Digital zoom is the standard for phones found on cameras and 8x is middle of the road. Unfortunately digital zoom is almost completely useless as all it does is crop and enlarge a section of the screen, no differently than you would do on your computer at home. This means that every level of digital zoom leads to significant loss of detail.
Focus (0.0)
The Motorola Razr V3m uses a fixed focus lens. This is standard on most cell phone cameras; however you are beginning to see more phones released with automatic focus available. Fixed focus can make it difficult to get a properly focused photo in certain conditions. We do not award points for fixed focus lenses.
Flash (0.0)
The Motorola Razr V3m does not have a flash.
Metering (0.0)
The Motorola Razr V3m does not allow you to meter your shots. Metering allows the camera to gauge the amount of light in the scene and give you a proper exposure. Metering controls allow you to decide from which point or points the light is measures. The V3m’s lack of metering means that the camera uses the overall light in the scene to decide on exposure. Although standard on stand alone digital cameras, metering controls are not found on most camera phones.
White Balance (2.0)
The Motorola Razr V3m provides you with several preset white balance options, including auto, sunny, cloudy and fluorescent. This is fairly standard on camera phones. The Razr V3m does not provide evaluative white balance mode, which is found on stand alone digital cameras but extremely rare on camera phones.
Image Handling (2.0)
The Motorola Razr V3m provides only very basic image handling options, allowing you to resize images by zooming and panning, and allowing you to rename images. A few phones provide more functions, and smart phones can often obtain additional software that provides a whole range of additional options.
Video
Overall Video Score (2.0)
Video produced on the Motorola Razr V3m is 176 x 144 pixels in 3gp format and uses an mpeg4 encoder. The quality of the video is sufficient for MMS, but you won’t be able to watch the video on your desktop or television. Similar to issues with still photos, many colors are washed out in the video produced by the V3m. We were not impressed with the V3m’s video capabilities compared to other phones.
Video Resolution (3.46)
To measure the video resolution of the Motorola Razr V3m, we shot the standard ISO 12233 resolution chart and run stills from that video through Imatest imaging software. The Razr V3m scored 174.3 lines of horizontal resolution, and 170 lines of vertical resolution. Compare this to the low end Canon ZR700 camcorder, which scored 363.7 and 257.8 lines respectively and you can see that the V3m won’t be replacing your standalone camcorder any time soon. That being said the M1 definitely does a better job than the Motorola Q (57.17 x 122.4) or the Motorola Krazr K1m (77.1 x 103.8).
Video Compression (2.0)
The Motorola Razr V3m uses 3GP video encoding. This is standard video compression for phones, although more and more are offering higher resolution video encoding.
Interface (3.0)
The Motorola Razr V3m’s interface for video recording is very similar to the still photo interface. Once again the only control you have access to is zoom. The interface is very basic compared to other phones.
Manual Control (2.0)
Similarly to still photo controls the camcorder on the Razr V3m only offers manual white balance as a manual control. This is actually fairly good for a cell phone, as most offer not manual controls at all.
Zoom (0.0)
Again similar to the stills camera zoom is digital up to 8x. Unfortunately, as with still photos, digital zoom is almost completely useless as all it does is crop and enlarge a section of the screen. This means that every level of digital zoom leads to significant loss of detail.
Editing (1.0)
There are almost no editing options available for videos on the Motorola Razr V3m. About the only thing you can do is rotate the video. This is not surprising as it’s the rare phone that provides video editing functions.
Modes (2.0)
Like most cell phones the Motorola Razr V3m does not provide you with any modes for the camcorder. The standard video size is perfect for MMS video, although you will need to limit video capture to 30 minutes.
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