Motorola MOTO Z10 camera samples

With its distinctive kick slider design, the Motorola MOTO Z10 is a phone that will definitely appeal to the image conscious mobile buyer. When it comes to capturing images, the Z10's 3.2-megapixel onboard camera is also capable of grabbing your attention by producing some impressive results.

Shooting at a maximum size 2048x1536 pixels resolution, the Z10's camera doesn't match the pixel count of top-drawer shooters such as Nokia's N95 8GB and N82 5-megapixel cameraphones or LG's KU900 Viewty. However, it does have a good quality camera system inside that produces images you could happily print up in standard photo size.

Features
The Z10 has a built in autofocus system, which can focus from 10cm to infinity, enabling users to get accurately sharp shots close up, and achieve crisply focused images of subjects with more flexibility than a fixed focus camera; you can choose which subject in a shot you want to focus on rather than point and hoping.

An LED flash is included too but although adding extra illumination, it's not as powerful as a Xenon flash and fails to have much impact in dark conditions a metre from the subject. Close in, it can also overpower subjects and doesn't look natural.

A secondary video call camera is included on the front of the phone, above the display. As well as coming into play for face-to-face calls, this is activated if the camera function is switched on while the phone is open - so you can take self-portraits. It's an odd set-up, as Z10 users are unlikely to want to take many low res self portraits. With the phone's closed, the camera button automatically switches on the main camera.

The Z10 has a fast action camera button on its side, that also works as a 2-step capture key, but the zoom control (usable only at lower resolution settings) is operated by the navigation pad control rather than additional side keys.

When the main camera fires up, the viewfinder display automatically flips into photo-friendly landscape mode. The 2-step capture procedure means you can depress the button partially until you're focused on the right subject, and then click fully to take a shot once you've got the composition right.

Settings
A standard selection of cameraphone settings adjustment options are included if you want to override the automatic metering. There's white balance for different lighting conditions (daylight, tungsten, fkuorescent and horizon), picture size (Xsmall, small medium, large and Xlarge) and picture quality (low, medium or high). There's a setting for red-eye reduction using the flash, plus flash on/off or auto.There are a group of exposure modes too (indoor, outdoor, sports, portrait, night and backlight).

You can take multiple shots (3,5 or 10), and there's a self timer mode. You can also add colour effects (black and white, negative, sepia and solarize).

Performance
The Z10's camera can produce fine quality image; it handles colour reproduction very well generally. Naturally, good light conditions bring the best results out of the camera, but the automatic metering system in the phone does a good job on exposure and white balance responsiveness.

The 3.2-megapixel image sensor is able to capture an admirable level of detail, while the autofocus system is speedy and responsive. Image capture and processing is swift too.

In lower light, the camera does a good job in capturing detail, but colours are more subdued. In night or dark indoors situations, image quality deteriorates, with the disappointing flash not adding as much as you'd hope for.

After shooting, there's some in-phone editing tools to tweak images, and you can upload them directly to your favourite websites or blogs using the phone's integrated Shozu file uploading application. You can even create a photo movie using the phone's ArcSoft Media Editor software.