Surface Pro 3 camera quality

Anonymous
2014-06-23T00:43:23+00:00

i posted this as a question so that the Microsoft techs can have some visibility of this issue

Frankly, I am lividand disappointed at the quality in this product. at first I assumed it was a firmware issue and/or a hardware issue but after performing all of the steps the tech support people have instructedand having been instructed to go the store and exchange for new hardware, I get the same issue.

so this leads me to believe it may just be the quality of the cameras microsoftshipped out on all of the devices

now these were releasednot too long ago and maybe there is a firmware fix out there but until then I am going to share the photos I am able to capture with everyone here 

now I am a student and I bought the pro 3 to be able to take a picture of a document or whiteboard and be able to write on it in onenote. the picture above is of a small target, a barcode, but even taking pictures of a full sized paper with standard size text, it is still almost illegible!

to compare the photos with another device I brought out another moble device: my ipod. the quality of the camera on the device I use to listen to music should surely be about the same quality of camera in the $1600 ten times the size of an ipod device I just bought right? NOT EVEN CLOSE

the first super clear picture is not from the pro 3 but from my ipod WHICH ALSO has a 5 MP camera. as you can see you can easily define everything in t he picture not only to include the sticker underneath the barcode , but the number in that 2D barcode as well. very good job!

the next horrible picture is the BEST PICTURE I could get from the rear camera on the Surface Pro 3. as you can see this is horrible, you can see it’s a bar code, you cannot tell those are numbers underneath. you could guess but you wouldn’t be able to identify any single number

the last picture is the BEST PICTURE I could get from the front camera, which is strangely odd since it is markedly better than the rear camera, although still severely sub-par. you can at least identify some numbers and see that there is a sticker underneath the barcode.

So there you have it. this is the horrible picture quality we can expect from the surface pro 3's cameras and how it compares to equivalent-megapixel MP3 players

Microsoft, If you can address this with a firmware update to make the cameras auto-focus, I will be a happy customer;even half the quality of my ipod I can work with. but this? this is unacceptable.

Surface | Surface Pro | Sound and camera

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Anonymous
2014-12-08T09:51:06+00:00

On Sun, 7 Dec 2014 21:06:04 +0000, OAKNOVA wrote:

>>I am quite disappointed with the camera on the Surface Pro 3 and its inability to focus and take sharp pictures of documents. These days even the most rudimentary and basic phone or camera can take sharp images that can be save, printed. I have to now take a photo with my Samsung phone and then email it to my account and download it as a saved image. Microsoft learn from Apple and create flawless products the first time around. I think I have wasted my money on the Surface Pro 3. Any fixes out there or should I just sell this product?

there is no software fix for this. the camera is fixed focus. here's what I did

as a kludge

http://digitalmediaphile.com/index.php/2014/09/23/get-glasses-for-surface-pro-3-for-clear-documents-take-2/

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Barb

Windows Entertainment and Connected Home MVP

My Blog - http://digitalmediaphile.com/

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Anonymous
2014-11-02T17:11:37+00:00

There is no zoom. It is a fixed focus camera.

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  1. Anonymous
    2014-10-11T10:41:31+00:00

    On Fri, 10 Oct 2014 23:09:17 +0000, Josh_F wrote:

    >>The front and back cameras are fixed focus.  The front camera is optimized for conference calls and up close pictures (selfies, video conferences, etc...).  The rear facing camera is optimized for taking scene based pictures and video captures.

    Other than Microsoft Employees, I'd like to ask (especially in light of the

    recent "Surface is for Business" marketing push like

    http://blog.surface.com/2014/10/surface-commitment-to-business/ ) if folks need

    and use document capture more than they need scene based pictures and video

    captures. The SP3 is a pretty unwieldy device for taking videos using the rear

    camera and I don't think I've ever seen anyone doing this.

    As has been mentioned elsewhere, all MS needs to do to be all things to all

    people is to produce an accessory clip on and make it available free of charge.

    And start including it in the box.

    __________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Barb

    Windows Entertainment and Connected Home MVP

    My Blog - http://digitalmediaphile.com/

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  2. Anonymous
    2014-10-11T00:42:05+00:00

    Hi All,

    I appreciate your time and effort in sharing your concerns and suggestions for your various camera needs.  I have shared your comments.  I also have information on the camera.  The front and back cameras are fixed focus.  The front camera is optimized for conference calls and up close pictures (selfies, video conferences, etc...).  The rear facing camera is optimized for taking scene based pictures and video captures.

    Thank you,

    Josh_F

    Thats the official microsoft statement?...basically no fix...not even an accessory?...I read someplace that you are already working on the next generation of surface pro...so basically what are you saying is simply "thanks for your comments we will implement on our next design for now no fix for you,,,just keep your surface and pay us another thousand dollars when we create the next gen surface pro...thank you very much Microsoft customer"

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  3. Anonymous
    2014-10-10T23:38:53+00:00

    If MS aren't going to fix this then we need an engineer with a 3D printer to design a clip that can hold the Hydrotac lenses on (or part of one) and still clip on to the Surface. I would pay to cover costs, postage and a little extra for a well designed clip.

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