Hardware Theory/Suspicion: 3DS Camera varies in quality

[ferofax]

As the title says, I suspect that the 3DS' camera (or rather, the photos it takes) differs in quality depending on the application that uses it. Is it possible that Nintendo haven't optimized the quality of the camera yet?

Spoiler

This is taken using the 3DS Camera app... it's a 3D image, but I took the JPEG one.
Obviously, it might as well be taken with an early model of a mobile phone.

Spoiler

This was taken using a DSiware app (myPostcards). The color of the hand sanitizer is brighter, to say the least.
Also, the grid on the paper is crisper, more distinct. The blurry parts on the grid was because the grid on the paper was actually blurry.
The grain is still visible though, but mostly because there's lack of light. I have different images taken in bright sunlight, and the grain
is still apparent on the ones taken by the 3DS Camera, but the ones taken by other apps have smoother gradients with finer grain.


The angle changed because I got disoriented by the preview--3DS Camera previews zoomed in (not showing full image), this app previews zoomed out so I overcompensated on the angle.


Also, I haven't compared it yet, but apparently Pokedex3D also takes better pictures than the 3DS Camera app, albeit in smaller resolutions (400x240, IIRC--the top screen's 2D resolution). I'll have to check that out, as I've rarely used the Pokedex3D camera for something other than getting stickers.


I think it's fairly safe to assume that if Nintendo wanted, they could develop the app some more to improve the quality of the pictures/videos taken, at least until the visible disparity is gone. Something like making the software compensate for what the hardware lacks. Too grainy? Let the app smooth those out (lots of ways it can do this dithering). Or the ability to set longer exposures (or shorter) to control the amount of light that registers.

What i'd like to see is options like center-weighting, white balance settings (i have a distinct bias to warmer pictures) and maybe some post-processing features like what the DSi had. It certainly has the muscle to pull some powerful software features.

 

[The Milkman]

Cool Theory Bro.
But it could be possible that the postcard app just has a different filter.

 

[SifJar]

Or it could be because you took it from a different angle. For example you said the grid is clearer in the second - well of course it is, the camera is obviously closer to it.

 

[iHavezMyBirdo]

Or it could be because you took it from a different angle. For example you said the grid is clearer in the second - well of course it is, the camera is obviously closer to it.

I agree with this.
Try another test, leaving the 3DS on the table so it doesn't move.

 

[haxan]

coool theory but do it again!!!
and i hope ur right!!!
*crossing fingers*

hey do u guys think that nintendo is lowering the 3ds cam quality and then it tells us to update so we get better quality? (to block flash cards again)
just thinking weird stuff.

 

[ferofax]

Or it could be because you took it from a different angle. For example you said the grid is clearer in the second - well of course it is, the camera is obviously closer to it.

I agree with this.
Try another test, leaving the 3DS on the table so it doesn't move.

i was also thinking about that, but it's hard to keep the right distance and angle from something while waiting for both apps to load. for one, the difference in default preview zooms makes it hard to compensate. the DSiware makes it look like it's far, but it's actually at the same distance.

i'll attempt a few more comparisons, i guess, both in good warm light (preferably daylight) and in low-light conditions.

Cool Theory Bro.
But it could be possible that the postcard app just has a different filter.

which only goes to show that a different, better, software can make all the difference. i mean, what are filters but just different ways of processing the image data?

 

[ferofax]

okay, i've got new pictures on me. it's low-light, all screenshots of while i was making that post before. the 3DS was placed right on top of the touch pad of my laptop, and i didn't move it the entire time. i only used the face buttons and the touch buttons, ever so slightly, to avoid any possible slight nudge that could change the camera angles. i didn't not adjust the brightness of the screen, nor change anything else.

bottom line is, the DSiware photo was still superior, at least with color. it tends to "even out" the color of the pixels, making things look smoother.

Spoiler

Taken using the Firmware camera (press L or R while in the Home menu)
I took this first because i assumed that the firmware camera *may* be different from the 3DS Camera, mainly because of the fact that the firmware camera almost never boots any other software features that the 3DS Camera *may* have, and so might be different. turns out, it's the same, just a quick launch camera mode. As you can see, there's the typical noise, the text looks smudged, but the gradients are okay so far barring all the noise. everything's blurry even though it's just a few inches away from the screen.

Taken using the Pokedex3D AR camera
As you can see, it's considerably smaller since it uses the native top screen resolution (400x240), but the file size is DOUBLE the previoius one--the first one is around 52kb while this one is aroudn 100kb. It's not apparent, but the noise is pretty much the same. the white is still "off-white" because of all the noise, and the text looks smudged because it has stark black parts and grayish parts and some colored noise that scatters the appearance of the text.

Taken with the DSiware myPostcard
Look at the text. It's lighter colored compared to the previous posts, but still pretty readable. Looks cleaner because it has less of the color noise and darker blacks on closer scrutiny. same resolution as the 3DS Camera app, but see how the folder icon was cut off? I didn't move the 3DS one bit, i swear. the text editing icons are pretty unrecognizable though because it probably has the same amount of noise, or maybe a bit less, but the way it keeps the text cleaner makes me think it's processing the colors differently. the previous ones have pixels that are way darker than the pixels next to them, making the text look like it has dark spots, but this one doesn't do that to text. Also, take note that it's cutting/cropping the photos differently: it has less width, but more height. The folder icon on the taskbar gets cut off, but you can see the "Top", "Blog This" and "Report" buttons above, where it is visibly absent from all the other photos. This means the 3DS's sensor can probably create a "square" resolution picture, but the software crops stuff off.

Taken using the 3DS Camera app (default settings)
It's distinctly brighter than the other photos. See how the middle part is all washed out? the 3DS Camera app probably already has white balance adjustments in it, which is why when i took the photo it came out brighter it's common with camera devices when it detects there's not enough light; you will notice this when the preview screen lags--this is because the software is compensating by having a longer exposure time. with better available light, the lag goes away. the noise is still there, and the text is still pretty uneven.

Taken with the 3DS Camera app (max sharpness, default everything else)
As you can see, the text is ridiculously sharp and therefore easier to read, but it has the look of something that was badly photocopied. lines and sharp edges are clearer, but the gradients go out the window. grain everywhere, but the noise is relatively the same.

All in all, this may not verily prove that there's a big difference in quality, depending on how you look at the pictures and judging from the amount of noise, but it does prove one thing:
the software, and the dithering system it uses, makes all the difference. the DSiware app obviously does it better, but the filters on the 3DS Camera app certainly can make things more interesting.