Sanyo M1 Cell Phone Review - Imaging
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Alfredo Padilla Published on March 15, 2007 Comment on this |
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Resolution (3.3)
To test the resolution of the images captured by the Sanyo M1’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).
Click on the image above to view the full resolution image
The Sanyo M1 scored 859.9 LW/PH horizontally and 773.4 LW/PH vertically. This is a good score for a cell phone, and you are seeing the effects of the Sanyo’s 2 megapixel camera as compared to the 1 megapixel camera found on many other phones. For example the Motorola Q and its 1.3 megapixel camera scored 569 LW/PH horizontally and 515.2 LW/PH vertically.
Compared to a entry level digital camera though, and the Sanyo M1 reveals that it is still a camera phone. The Pentax Optio M20, for example, received scores of 1682 LW/PH horizontally and 1620 LW/PH vertically. We score resolution slightly differently to our sister site digticalcamerainfo.com, so the Sanyo M1 earned a resolution score of 3.3. If we were to score resolution the same as dgitialcamerainfo.com, the M1 would have earned a score of 1.0.
Color (5.66)
To test colors on the Sanyo M1 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 from these charts the Sanyo M1 has some serious trouble reproducing yellow, as it came out significantly under saturated. It also had some trouble reproducing greens and to a lesser extent blues. Despite this the Sanyo M1 put together a respectable overall score, significantly better than phones like the Motorola Razr V3m and LG Chocolate. The Palm Treo 700p however did much better than the M1 with a score of 7.59.
Noise (0.67)
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 Sanyo M1 posted a poor noise score, especially compared to the 1 megapixel cameras found on many phones. This is not surprising as one of the costs of higher resolution is often higher noise. The M1 posted high noise scores at every lighting level, including the highest noise at 60 lux. At the other lighting levels the LG Chocolate posted similar noise levels. Overall we were not impressed by the noise levels found in the M1’s photos.
Live Preview (8.0)
The Sanyo M1 uses both of its screens for live preview, as you can take photos with the phone open or closed. As would be expected, the larger and higher resolution internal screen does a better job with live preview. The QVGA screen provides good detail, and color replication is very good as well. The external screen does a significantly worse job, with the largest difference being pixiellation caused by the lower resolution screen. The size of the screen also severely limits its utility as a viewfinder. That being said, we were happy that the option to take photos with the phone closed was there. Overall we decided to score the M1 on the high quality internal screen’s preview, and view the external screen preview as a nice, but low quality, extra.
Unlocked Standby to First Shot (4.1)
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 capture a photo. The Sanyo M1 took an average of 4.9 seconds to complete this procedure using both hands.
This is not a very good score for a camera phone, and is influenced by a couple of factors. First of all, hitting the camera key does not take you directly to the camera as on most phones, rather it takes you to a menu where you can choose to activate the camera amongst other actions. The second factor that contributes to the M1’s poor score is the auto focus lens, which adds almost a full second to the camera’s time.
The Motorola Razr V3m, a flip phone with a fixed focus lens, only took 3.5 seconds to go from unlocked standby to first shot. The M1 also does poorly against a stand-alone digital camera like the Pentax Optio M20 which took 3.42 seconds to complete a similar test. Based on our tests, you should not expect to take spontaneous shots with the M1.
Shot to Shot Time (6.0)
To test shot to shot time on the Sanyo M1 we used the multiple shot feature which allows the camera to take 6 shots in a row. It should be noted that these shots are taken at low resolution (320 x 240). When choosing to take multiple shots on the M1 you can choose between normal and fast speeds. On normal speed the M1 took 2 frames per second while on fast speed it took 3 frames per second. This is a very good score for a camera phone, for example the Treo 700p took only .3 frames per second.
However the fact that the resolution of these photos is so low makes it of limited utility. If you want to take a series of shots at the full 2 megapixel resolution you will find the M1’s score plummeting to .18 frames per seconds, a particularly poor score that is affected by the fact that you cannot turn off instant preview and you need to save photos manually after you take them.
We scored the faster of the Sanyo's times, however users should be award of the hit in resolution.
Shutter to Shot Time (2.5)
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 Sanyo M1 took .8 seconds to take a shot. This is a poor score for a phone camera is affected severely by the auto focus lens. For example the Motorola Razr V3m, which has a fixed focus lens, took only .4 seconds to go from shutter to shot. As with active standby to shot, this is an example of a place where you give up some performance for the benefit of having an auto focus lens.
Interface (8.0)
The camera interface of the M1 is well thought out and provides a good selection of information and functionality. Shortcut keys allow you to access the zoom feature, turn the status bar on/off, control flash settings amongst others. This allows you to control almost all features of the camera without entering the menu structure. You also have the option to assign a feature of your choice to a key, something we were very happy to see.
The left soft key allows you to lock focus, while the right soft key gives you access to the camera menus. At the top of the screen is a status bar that gives you information about a variety of settings. Overall we were very impressed with the interface on the Sanyo M1, it is a step above that found on most camera phones. Although not a simple to use as that found on the Treo 700p, it provides far more functionality.
Photo Album Software Internal (4.0)
The Album software on the Sanyo M1 is easy to use and provides a good array of functionality. You have the choice of accessing 2 albums, either an online one that is provided via Sprint, or the one on your phone. When you go to your phones album you can view all of the photos you took. You can open them for viewing by using the left soft key, while the right soft key gives you access to the menu. Here you can send your photo, add it to a contact, edit it and upload it to the web. You can also view a simple slideshow, although there were no advanced options available for the slideshow. Compared to other phones the Sanyo M1 provides a good array of functionality without the annoyances found on phones like the Motorola Razr V3m or the LG Chocolate.
Manual Control (2.0)
As with most phones, the Sanyo M1 does not provide you with many options for manual control. There is an option for manual white balance, which is nice to see on a phone. There are no options for scene mode, aperture priority, shutter priority or full manual mode.
Zoom (1.0)
The Sanyo M1 has no optical zoom. According to the manual it provides up to 16x digital zoom, however we believe that this is a misprint. Rather it provides 16 zoom steps. Our estimate is that the digital zoom is actually 2x. Digital zoom is of limited utility as all it does is resize the image, which you can do on your computer later on anyways. The vast majority of phones only provide digital zoom, if you are looking for a phone with optical zoom the Nokia N93/N93i are your only choices as of the writing of this review.
Focus (5.0)
The Sanyo M1 is one of the newer generation of phones that are including auto focus lenses minstead of the more common fixed focus lenses. Although we are very happy to see an auto focus lens on a camera phone, it does have its draw backs as our standby to shot and shutter to shot tests indicated. The Auto Focus on the Sanyo M1 is fairly basic, with a limited number of focus stops and no manual mode. It is not comparable to the auto focus options you would see on mid range digital cameras, but gives you better quality photos than phones like the Motorola Razr V3m or LG Chocolate that use fixed focus lenses.
Flash (4.0)
The Sanyo M1 comes with an LED flash. Although the flash is of limited utility, really only good at a range of one to three feet, it is a feature that is missing from most cell phones. The flash on the M1 can be set to always on, single shot mode or can be set to automatic. These options are also nice features, and not often seen on cell phones.
Metering (2.0)
The Sanyo M1 provides few metering options. Manual brightness controls are present, which is a nice feature, but other metering controls are not present. Metering allows the camera to gauge the amount of light in the scene and give you a proper exposure. Advanced metering controls allow you to decide from which point or points the light is measured. Such controls are not found on the vast majority of cell phones.
White Balance (4.0)
The Sanyo M1 provides a good range of white balance options, with 5 presets and a manual mode. Most phones, such as the LG Chocolate, provide 5 or fewer preset options for white balance, however few offer manual mode as well. The M1 does not have evaluative white balance mode. This is not surprising as the vast majority of camera phones lack this feature. We were pleased to see manual white balance as well as a good selection of preset options on the Sanyo M1.
Image Handling (2.0)
Image handling options on the Sanyo M1 are limited, as you see on most cell phones. You can resize your images and rotate them. There are no options for red eye reduction, auto color correction or other advanced features.
Video
Overall Video Score (4.0)
The Sanyo M1 is able to take video at either QCIF (176 x 144) or QVGA (320 x 240) resolution. We were pleased to see QVGA resolution available in addition to the QCIF resolution, which is used for MMS video. Video capture on the Sanyo M1 at QVGA resolution is good but not great. We saw a significant increase in quality over the QCIF resolution video captured by the Motorola Razr V3m or the LG Chocolate, however video is still very grainy and does not look good full screen on a computer monitor. Compared to the quality of video you would get from even a low-end camcorder, the Sanyo M1’s video capture is much worse.
Video Resolution (7.37)
To measure the video resolution of the Sanyo M1, we shoot the standard ISO 12233 resolution chart and run stills from that video through Imatest imaging software. The M1 scored 247.5 lines of horizontal resolution, and 297.7 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 M1 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). In this the M1 is most likely helped by the fact that it can shoot at QVGA resolution, while those other phones are stuck on QCIF.
Video Compression (2.0)
The Sanyo M1 captures video in mobile standard 3GP format. Some higher end smart phones like the XV6700 from Verizon offer choices of 3GP, MPEG-4 or Motion Jpeg AVI. Most phones however only offer the 3GP standard.
Interface (8.0)
The interface of the Sanyo M1’s camcorder is similar to that of the still camera. There is an indicator bar at the top of the screen that provides information about your current settings. You can change settings using the keypad as shortcut keys for a wide variety of things, like 1 for flash and 2 for focus. Overall we were very pleased with the interface on the Sanyo M1, it provides access to a wide range of features without creating too much clutter.
Manual Control (2.0)
As with still images the only manual controls available on the M1 in camcorder mode is manual white balance. We are pleased to see this as even some phones that offer manual white balance for stills will fail to offer it for video, for example the LG Chocolate does this. More advanced manual controls are not present.
Zoom (1.0)
As with the stills camera the camcorder on the Sanyo M1 offers digital zoom, this time with 9 stops. Again the manual indicates that it goes up to 9x, but our experience is that it is 9 stops up to 2x digital zoom. As with still images, digital zoom is of limited utility as all it does is resize the image.
Editing (0.0)
The Sanyo M1 does not provide you with any options to edit your videos on the phone. This is unfortunate, but not surprising as most cell phones lack these features. Some higher end camera phones such as the Nokia N93/93i provide some video editing features, but even these are limited.
Modes (2.0)
The Sanyo M1 allows you to choose from a few scene modes, including beach/snow, scenery and night/dark. If you want to take video for MMS you will need to change the resolution to 176 x 144. There is no specific preset for MMS video, so you will need to careful not to go over 512kb in file size. Many phones offer a specific preset for MMS video, or automatically resize it for you. We were disappointed to see these options missing from the M1. The presence of scene modes however was a nice bonus, as many phones lack them.
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