Palm Treo 700p Cell Phone Review - Imaging
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Alfredo Padilla Published on March 15, 2007 Comment on this |
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Resolution (2.87)
To test the resolution of the images captured by the 700p’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 Treo 700p received a score of 830.2 lw/ph horizontally and 789.3 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 Treo 700p isn’t going to replace your digital camera. We score resolution slightly differently to our sister site digticalcamerainfo.com, so the Treo 700p earned a resolution score of 2.87. If we were to score resolution the same as dgitialcamerainfo.com, the 700p would have earned a score of 0.86.
Color (7.59)
The Treo 700p does a credible job of capturing colors. To test color accuracy, we photograph the industry standard GretagMacbeth color chart and run the images through the Imatest software, which compares the Treo 700p’s colors to the original chart colors.
This shows that, while the 700p does a creditable job of capturing colors, there are some issues. In particular, blues and purples are inaccurate and all of the colors are some way from the ideal. But the overall results are good, so the 700p earns an impressive color score of 7.59
Noise (1.05)
To test noise we take photos of our standard color chart at different lighting levels. We then run these images through the Imatest noise test. The Treo 700p’s camera did well on the noise test, posting an average score at our lowest lighting level, but very good scores at all other lighting levels.
Live Preview (7.5)
The Treo 700p’s preview function provides a very good indication of what the final image will look like, supported by the 700p’s high resolution screen and good pixel density. Colors are ever so slightly faded, but details are sharp. We were pleased with the Treo 700p’s live preview, especially compared to other phones when the live preview bears little resemblance to the final product, the 700p does a good job.
Unlocked Standby to First Shot (5.05)
To test unlocked standby to first shot we set the phone into standby mode and then time how long it takes to turn the phone on, launch the camera application and take a shot. We repeat this test 5 times. The Treo 700p did a very good job for cell phone, completing this procedure in an average of 3.96 seconds. Many cell phones require a much longer amount of time to launch the camera application, so this is a very good score for a phone. Compared to a digital camera like the Pentax Optio M20, which took 3.42 seconds, the score is not as good. When you consider that many cameras only take a couple of seconds to start up, the 700p’s performance looks even worse.
Shot to Shot Time (0.6)
To test Shot to Shot time on the Treo 700p we turned off auto preview and then took 5 shots in quick succession, measuring the total amount of time it took from the first to the last. We would normally use burst mode to measure this feature, but the Treo 700p does not offer burst mode. We were able to take 5 shots in 25 seconds which works out to .2 frames per second. This is a terrible score, compared even to other cell phones, especially those with burst mode. Compared with a digital camera like the Pentax Optio M20, which can take .7 frames per second, and The 700p is more than 3 times slower than an entry level digital camera.
Shutter to Shot Time (6.67)
To test shutter to shot time on the Treo 700p we take a photo of a stopwatch that we start running at the moment we press the shutter key. The time displayed on the photo shows how much time it took for it to process. The Treo 700p had a shutter to shot time of .3 seconds. Compared to an entry-level camera like the the Pentax Optio M20, which had a shutter to shot time of .63 seconds, The 700p fares well. However the M20 does not score well in this area. For compact digital cameras a good shutter to shot time is considered to be .2 seconds, and the 700p is slightly slower than this. On thing to consider is that the 1.3 megapixel images produced by the 700p are much smaller than the 3, 4 or 5 megapixel images taken by entry-level cameras.
Interface (8.0)
The 700p’s camera interface is simple and easy to use, allowing for quick access to your photos, easy switching between camera and video mode, and intuitive zoom controls. A separate menu allows you to control items like shutter sound, image size, naming and dates. Getting to the feature you want is easy and comfortable. We like that Palm has created a much more usable interface than that found on many phones, although this is of course aided by the dearth of features.
Photo Album Software Internal (7.0)
The 700p’s photo album software is easy to use and provides an array of good features. Creating slide shows is as simple as organizing the photos into the albums you want and then hitting the prominent play button. You can also customize the slideshow with audio captions or music, change the slide delay and choose from a selection of transition affects.
You can add voice memos to pictures, making it easy to store information about when/where/why you took the picture. You cannot add effects to your pictures in the album software. Overall we liked the ease of use and features provided by the 700p’s album software, it’s a step above what most phones offer.
Manual Control (0.0)
The Treo 700p does not provide any manual controls. Although we understand Palm’s wish to provide a simple and elegant user experience, it would have been nice to have basic controls like white balance available. These are present on even low end cell phones, and their lack is sorely felt on the 700p.
Zoom (1.0)
The 700p provides you with a 2x digital zoom. Because all types of digital zoom are merely a software crop and enlargement, which can also be done on your computer after you have taken a shot, the 700p only scores a single point in this area. Most modern phones only have digital zoom, with only a select few that have the much more useful optical zoom.
Focus (0.0)
The 700p has a fixed focus lens. Until recently most phones had fixed focus, with only high end camera centric phones equipped with auto focus lenses. Such lenses are more popular on phones today, but are probably not a high priority for a business device.
Flash (0.0)
The 700p does not have a flash.
Metering (0.0)
The 700p 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 700p’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 (0.0)
The Treo 700p does not provide any white balance options. White balance is used to evaluate color based on the source of the light. Preset white balance options are fairly standard on cell phones nowadays, and we were disappointed by their lack of on the 700p.
Image Handling (0.0)
The only image handling options that the 700p offers is rotation. Even basic options like cropping and resizing are absent, much less advanced options like color correction or red-eye reduction. These features are usually found on higher end cell phones, and it was disappointing to see them absent from the 700p.
Video
Overall Video Score (6.0)
The Treo 700p records video at either 352 x 288 or 176 x 144 (MMS standard). Videos taken at the higher resolution provide good quality for small screens, and are even viewable on a computer monitor, but aren’t good enough for viewing on a television. The options offered by the 700p are fairly standard, allowing you to apply a couple of affects, like black and white and turning audio on and off.
352 x 288 video recording was once just found on higher end phones, but is no becoming more widespread. Compared to other cell phones, the 700p’s video recording is average, but it isn’t a patch on even a low end camcorder. The options offered by the 700p aren’t very extensive either compared to other phones or camcorders.
Video Resolution (3.46)
To measure the video resolution of the Treo 700p, we shoot the standard ISO 12233 resolution chart and run stills from that video through Imatest imaging software. The Treo 700p scored 181.5 lines of horizontal resolution, and 190.9 lines of vertical resolution. ?This compares pretty poorly with even a cheap camocorder like the $250 Canon ZR700 camcorder, which captured 363.7 and 257.8 lines respectively.
Video Compression (2.0)
The Treo 700p captures video in 3GP format, which is a standard for mobile video. You do not have the option to capture video in any other format. Compared to other phones the 700p does not provide a wide range of options for video compression.
Interface (7.5)
The video capture interface on the 700p is exactly the same as the stills image interface, except for differing options in the menu area. This means that the interface is intuitive and easy to use. Compared to other phones which have either extremely complicated interfaces or overly simplistic ones, the 700p strikes a good balance between the two.
Manual Control (0.0)
The Treo 700p does not provide any manual options for white balance, shutter settings, or gain. Some high end phones do offer this functionality, but most phones do not.
Zoom (0.0)
There is no zoom, digital or optical, for the Treo 700p’s video capture. This is an unfortunate omission as many phones with 352 x 288 video capture do offer some type of digital zoom.
Editing (0.0)
The Treo 700p offers no options for editing video on the device. Video editing is rarely found on cell phones, but some higher end devices do have it.
Modes (2.0)
The Treo 700p provides 176 x 144 video capture, which is the standard for MMS video, although this is not made clear in the video capture software. There are no options for scene modes on the 700p. Many phones offer a clearly marked MMS video capture setting, which makes it easier for the user to know what they are looking for when deciding on settings. We were disappointed with the dearth of options on the 700p.
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