BlackBerry Torch 9800 Review: Keeping RIM's Flame Alive

Camera - Still

The Torch is the first BlackBerry with a 5 megapixel AF camera with LED flash. There’s also some added software functionality as well, including GPS geotagging and facial recognition for autofocus. 

The interface for using the camera is unsurprisingly different from the OS 5 one. What’s frustrating is that tapping on the touchscreen doesn’t autofocus/expose like on other camera interfaces. In fact, autofocus is continuous by default, and primarily changes only when the scene changes dramatically in exposure. The result is that some shots are just going to be out of focus in the preview until the software decides to autofocus.

Portrait and landscape modes work as advertised. The convenience button also changes to shutter, and the volume buttons control digital zoom.

Camera - Options and Scene Modes

There’s a suite of different shooting scene modes. Honestly, I think that most of the time these modes are extraneous, but a number of them sound and are useful - especially discrete modes for Text (which lets you capture things like whiteboards or secret corporate documents) and face detection, which focuses on and exposes for faces. Sports mode seems to reduce the autofocus, LED flash, and other verification steps, and instead just takes a photo immediately. Other modes I don’t feel really do anything that you couldn’t accomplish on automatic. 

The preview isn’t as high framerate as I’d like, as it seems just a bit more stuttery than other devices. 

 Camera - Video Recording

Swtiching into video mode, you’re given a smaller, aspect ratio correct preview. Rotate to landscape and it thankfully gets bigger. The bottom left is a visualizer for how much storage space is free, the right shows you zoom. 

Video Mode

Oddly enough, toggling the video LED light isn’t done by tapping the icon like it is for capturing stills. For that, you’ll have to go into the menus and acknowledge that doing so will seriously drain your battery (no, really?). 

Video recording is limited to VGA (640x480) which is getting long in the tooth for this generation. HD recording is becoming the norm, along with advanced things like multiple mic noise cancellation, both of which the Torch lacks. 

Launching the camera application is thankfully relatively speedy, taking 2.5 seconds. Capture is relatively quick as well, and you can make it faster by switching to sports mode as noted.