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/

Please mark as answered if this answers your question

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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
    2015-05-12T08:03:46+00:00

    Thanks every one for the info. 

    If MS is bringing out the new surface Pro3's with auto focus camera, I wonder if it  is possible to have ours retro fitted (even if it cost).  Anyone know?

    I am keeping this note short so as not to fall into the trap of 'venting'  about this travesty.  Shame again on you MS!

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  2. Anonymous
    2015-05-12T07:46:29+00:00

    Everyone - Microsoft will do nothing about this issue.

    The new Surface 3 has an 8MP autofocus back camera so they have quietly fixed this and are probably somewhat relieved that this thread is the only real fuss about the Pro 3 camera on the internet.

    No doubt the Pro 4 will also have an autofocus camera.

    By all means keep posting here to vent your frustration, but it's no use asking what Microsoft are going to do about it because the answer is "not a thing".

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  3. Anonymous
    2015-05-12T06:21:19+00:00

    I have just discovered the problem with the camera myself, in terms of its inability to take clear pictures of documents.  In the months since this thread was first posted has Microsoft done anything to fix the problem?

    I purchased SP3 i7 last Dec 2015 and I am just so upset and angry that after reading through the 188 Q&A from unhappy customers MS choose to keep quiet and keep misleading unaware new customers into purchasing this SP3 i7 with inferior camera quality.

    Initially, I discovered this device overheating to unbearable point that the heat penetrates your pants if it sits on your lap while working and become too hot to carry about.   Received no solution except told that some apps used more energy when in used and better to delete that apps. 

    Then, I discovered the camera was not taking clear photos no matter how I tried to focus it.  I even had new glasses made thinking it was my eye sight issue.  In April.

    Like everyone else, I had to use phone camera to take better photos and I was mislead to believe that I had bought something so expensive and did all the research it will definitely come with high quality camera.  

    I faced the same issue as all the above, and looks like I need to spend more money to fix something MS should be servicing us all or at least come up with a solution.

    Thank you all for the feedback, I hope others will read these reviews before making a purchase.

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