Japanese Version of the ZTE Blade - It has a 5MP camera?

[Guest ultraa]

It is called Libero SoftBank 003Z, shipped with Android 2.2, apparently it has a 5MP camera??

http://mb.softbank.jp/mb/smartphone/product/003z/

Translation in English:

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=...l=&ie=UTF-8

Full Spec in English:

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?u=...l=&ie=UTF-8

Edited November 18, 2010 by ultraa

[Guest DaveyP]

About 500 million pixels effective pixels

I think the word 'effective' could be misconstrued

a. Having an intended or expected effect.

b. Producing a strong impression or response

expected ... strong impression .. lol

But the quantity of the pixels is do do's anyway.. what's needed is a quality lens.

Edited November 18, 2010 by DaveyP

[Guest Lew247]

The good news is it yet again confirms that 2.2 is going to be available so it shouldnt be "too hard" to get it on ours

The other good news possibly is IF the camera is a better quality one, it may be possible if we can get spares to swap the old one out for the newer one, as long as the software works with both, the cameras are usually pop in/out modules

That and cut a hole where the plastic "lens" is at the back and the camera could turn out to be pretty good

[Guest synet]

With all these Blades popping up all over the world, why can't we still get any proper accessories?!!

[Guest ausroo]

Would be awesome if we could get our hands on this 2.2 ROM.

[Guest oh!dougal]

Would be awesome if we could get our hands on this 2.2 ROM.

I'm sure we will, but its not due to go on sale IN JAPAN until mid-December. (And there's a Chinese 2.2 due about the same time.)

Meanwhile, it seems that the 5 mp camera has ALREADY appeared (with 2.1) in the Finnish market.

So, Finnish friends, we need a rom dump from the original Finnish rom in order for

1/ your 5mp camera to work with other roms

and

2/ the 3mp camera to work with future firmware (like the Japanese-market FroYo) intended for the 5mp camera ...

[Guest Sebastian404]

So, Finnish friends, we need a rom dump from the original Finnish rom in order for

^^ THIS

[Guest AndyHibberd]

Is there an LED "flash" on it too?

[Guest ale_syrj]

Is there an LED "flash" on it too?

No, at least not in the Finnish version.

[Guest Matty-p]

I think the word 'effective' could be misconstrued

a. Having an intended or expected effect.

b. Producing a strong impression or response

expected ... strong impression .. lol

But the quantity of the pixels is do do's anyway.. what's needed is a quality lens.

and biger sensor or at least one thats good at high iso's and has a low pixel density

[Guest spicysomtam]

Every review I have read about the Blade criticises the camera/video. Thus if this is a hardware issue, then it make sense to replace it with a better camera?

[Guest GraviticVortex]

Anyone knows which screen type and amount of RAM Finnish version REALLY has?

Web is full of contradicting claims...

[Guest oh!dougal]

Anyone knows which screen type and amount of RAM Finnish version REALLY has?

Web is full of contradicting claims...

ale_syrj says his screen is described as "TFT", therefore lcd rather than oled.

[Guest oh!dougal]

Every review I have read about the Blade criticises the camera/video. Thus if this is a hardware issue, then it make sense to replace it with a better camera?

There are two different problems with the camera - neither is lack of resolution (quantity of pixels, megapixels).

One is quality of the pixels - noise. In bright light, the noise is insignificant. But in low light the signal to noise ratio gets pretty bad - as with most cameras. I don't suppose many SF owners would remember film photography by "available light" and pushing Tri-X to 1600 ASA by using special developer chemicals ... anyway, the result was inevitably a bit grainy! Same thing with a digital camera.

The SF has no LED 'flash' to provide more light, so it does what it can with the 'available light'. Yes its much more noisy than the sensor you'd find in a DSLR, but the phone, gps, wifi computer AND camera in total costs a tiny fraction of the cost of a DSLR.

The camera produces pictures in near darkness. That's pretty amazing for the price.

The more significant problem is the camera's slowness.

And its strange 'scanning' behaviour. (Which bends things if they, or the camera, move. Its NOT lens distortion!)

Its not that great for photographing anything moving - like people doing things. Cartier Bresson would never have captured his 'critical moment' with this.

But that is not what a phone camera has to be about. Its an 'eye' for the computer, and a means of taking visual notes. If you want a 'proper' camera, go buy one - it'll cost more than an SF!

Its not a great camera, but as a cameraphone, its OK.

More resolution (on its own) isn't going to help. It might even slow the camera down even more.

But a lower-noise sensor, with a faster scan/readout, would be a great improvement to the product.

Maybe our Finnish friends will send in some photos from the 5mp. There's a photo thread somewhere in here ...

Edited November 27, 2010 by oh!dougal

[Guest keijjoo]

Anyone knows which screen type and amount of RAM Finnish version REALLY has?

Web is full of contradicting claims...

512 RAM

5 Mpx camera

TFT screen

is what i got in my pocket

[Guest GraviticVortex]

512 RAM

5 Mpx camera

TFT screen

is what i got in my pocket

Thanks!

From Saunalahti i presume?

Estonian Elisa will sell Blade from december, should be exactly same unit as the one Finnish Elisa/Saunalahti has...

I dont mind the TFT screen, but 256MB RAM would have been less nice.

Edited November 27, 2010 by GraviticVortex

[Guest keijjoo]

Thanks!

From Saunalahti i presume?

Estonian Elisa will sell Blade from december, should be exactly same unit as the one Finnish Elisa/Saunalahti has...

I dont mind the TFT screen, but 256MB RAM would have been less nice.

yes from saunalahti.

[Guest Quu]

^^ THIS

Rom dumb after 2 boots, nothing installed: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2284862/saunalahti_android2.1.rar

[Guest Arr Too]

Rom dumb after 2 boots, nothing installed:

These might be the interesting bits of build.prop:

# begin build properties

# autogenerated by buildinfo.sh

ro.build.id=ERE27

ro.build.display.id=EFIN_P729BV1.0.0B02

ro.build.version.incremental=20101103.093814

ro.build.version.sdk=7

ro.build.version.codename=REL

ro.build.version.release=2.1-update1

ro.build.date=Wed Nov  3 09:44:31 CST 2010

ro.build.tags=release-keys

# Do not try to parse ro.build.description or .fingerprint

ro.build.description=P729B_ELISA-user 2.1-update1 ERE27 20101103.093814 release-keys

ro.build.fingerprint=ZTE/P729B_ELISA/blade/blade:2.1-update1/ERE27/20101103.093814:user/release-keys

ro.build.baseband_version=EFIN_P729BB01

ro.build.software_version=EFIN_P729BV1.0.0B03

ro.build.sw_internal_version=EFIN_P729BV1.0.0B03

[Guest Sebastian404]

Well,

I've tried the ROM out on my SF, and it seems to work fine, I can take pictures without any problems with it....

So either the 5 Mpx camera part is not true/mistake ... or the s/w is a lot cleverer that I'd think.

Quu, have you taken any picture with your phone and looked at the EXIF data and/or size of the jpgs?

[Guest keijjoo]

Well,

I've tried the ROM out on my SF, and it seems to work fine, I can take pictures without any problems with it....

So either the 5 Mpx camera part is not true/mistake ... or the s/w is a lot cleverer that I'd think.

Quu, have you taken any picture with your phone and looked at the EXIF data and/or size of the jpgs?

taked couple test pictures and the resolution was 2560X1920 and image size 659.8 KB

[Guest rishie]

Well,

I've tried the ROM out on my SF, and it seems to work fine, I can take pictures without any problems with it....

So either the 5 Mpx camera part is not true/mistake ... or the s/w is a lot cleverer that I'd think.

Quu, have you taken any picture with your phone and looked at the EXIF data and/or size of the jpgs?

Can you let us know, whether there are any issues with this ROM... and the procedure to flash the tar file?

Also from the build.prop

ro.build.version.release=2.1-update1

Means the build is not froyo!!

Where as the specs mention it to be Android 2.2.

[Guest Quu]

It is 5mp, says so on back cover and on phone-box-whatever.

test-pic: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2284862/2010-11-28%2009.37.32.jpg

[Guest Sebastian404]

It is 5mp, says so on back cover and on phone-box-whatever.

test-pic: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2284862/2010-11-28%2009.37.32.jpg

Thanks for that... Very interesting tho..

2010-11-28 09.37.32.jpg File name	   : 2010-11-28 09.37.32.jpg

2010-11-28 09.37.32.jpg File size	   : 638411 Bytes

2010-11-28 09.37.32.jpg MIME type	   : image/jpeg

2010-11-28 09.37.32.jpg Image size	  : 2560 x 1920

2010-11-28 09.37.32.jpg Camera make	 : ZTE

2010-11-28 09.37.32.jpg Camera model	: ZTE-BLADE

2010-11-28 09.37.32.jpg Image timestamp : 2010:11:28 07:37:29[/code]




VS a picture I took with my Orange Phone using the same ROM...



[code]2010-11-28 10.12.33.jpg File name	   : 2010-11-28 10.12.33.jpg

2010-11-28 10.12.33.jpg File size	   : 189007 Bytes

2010-11-28 10.12.33.jpg MIME type	   : image/jpeg

2010-11-28 10.12.33.jpg Image size	  : 2048 x 1536

2010-11-28 10.12.33.jpg Camera make	 : ZTE

2010-11-28 10.12.33.jpg Camera model	: ZTE-BLADE

2010-11-28 10.12.33.jpg Image timestamp : 2010:11:28 10:12:31

If you open the camera app, press Menu, Settings, Picture Size.. do you get more options?

Edited November 28, 2010 by Sebastian404

[Guest JK-FINN]

Can you let us know, whether there are any issues with this ROM... and the procedure to flash the tar file?

Also from the build.prop

Means the build is not froyo!!

Where as the specs mention it to be Android 2.2.

No, the Saunalahti specs say 2.1. The specs:

http://saunalahti.fi/puhelimet/puhelin.php...pe=handsetmodel

The Saunalahti ZTE Blade is shipped with Android 2.1-update1.

Edited November 28, 2010 by JK-FINN