Camera is a bit of a joke
Let’s be blunt, the W380’s camera is very much an extra rather than an integral part of the handset. That much is evident by the fact that there is no dedicated camera button, rather you have to select the camera option from the main menu. It’s not a huge problem, but it does make taking quick snaps that little bit more difficult.
Before we get onto picture quality let’s spend a moment looking at the camera options. Upon starting up the camera you are presented with two options, each corresponding to a soft key; the left hand option is ‘Capture’ and is used to take a picture, whilst the right hand option, ‘More’, brings up a menu with the following ten options:
- View all pictures - this shows you all the pictures you have taken with the camera.
- Shoot mode - you can switch between normal and burst mode here.
- Picture size - this allows you to select the size (and quality) of the camera pictures taken. The default option is 1 MP, but there are also VGA and QVGA options available.
- Night mode - allows night mode to be activated for taking pictures in low light conditions.
- Self-timer - here you can activate a self-timer that allows you to take a picture with yourself in it.
- Effects - offers a range of three different effects that can be applied to picture taking; Black & white, Negative, and Sepia.
- White balance - contains a range of pre-set options for adjusting white balance according to the lighting conditions you find yourself in.
- Picture quality - you can switch between normal and fine mode.
- Shutter sound - there are four different shutter sounds available.
- Save to - you can set whether pictures are stored in internal memory or on the memory stick.
There is a 4x digital zoom available, but only for pictures taken at QVGA (320 x 240 pixels) resolution. VGA (640 x 480 pixels) resolution features a 2x digital zoom, and the 1 MP (1280 x 960 pixels) resolution has no zoom. Zooming is accomplished using the up and down sections of the navigation pad. The brightness of a shot can be adjusted by using the volume rocker, with maximums of +/- 2.
In terms of quality there isn’t much to say other than it’s what you would expect from a 1.3 mega pixel camera, that is to say, nothing spectacular. The camera is fine for taking the odd picture here and there, but you wouldn’t want to rely on it as your main camera. As mentioned above, it’s an extra and should be viewed as such, rather than being a defining feature. Another thing with the camera is that it is extremely bad in low-light situations. This is, after all, a music handset. Camera sample photos below.
It’s also worth noting that there is no video capture function on the W380i. That’s right chaps, no video recorder. It’s already been said, but it’s even more relevant now, the camera is an extra!