Camera issues on HTC EVO 3D: It's not easy being green
How is the camera on your HTC EVO 3D treating you? While the debate rages on about how significant the three megapixel difference between the original HTC EVO 4G and the EVO 3D really is, reports are starting to come in that software issues are creating what might become an even bigger concern.
Some users on the official Sprint forums are reporting that the camera locks up after taking a picture, disabling all of the on-screen buttons. To correct this and regain camera functionality, users are forced to stop the camera process through the built-in task killer. (As I have experienced this issue intermittently on several occasions, I can corroborate that this does seem to be a legitimate bug that is currently present in the EVO 3D.)
G&E reader Jay is experiencing a different issue, but one that is just as annoying: his camera has actually been turning green. He tried taking his phone to Sprint, but they couldn't see any problems. A YouTube video demonstrating his problem is below.
Are you experiencing these or any other issues with your EVO 3D camera? Hopefully HTC is working on a fix, but in the meantime I'm sure our phones can really sympathize with Kermit the Frog: It's not that easy being green.
I got the lock up issues, the green issue. The auto white balance is horrible. Forget about getting a decent picture when its funny outside. I really despise the camera. Pics come out better with some setting tweaks, but its still worse than the OG Evo if you ask me. Hoping its software related so that it can be fixed via an ota.
funny/sunny, same thing.
I too have the green issue, and first noticed it about a week after getting my 3D at launch. Emailed HTC, and they indicated it was a known issue and being worked on…so we’ll see I guess.
The problem I experienced all the time is when I install applications the “install”button on the permissions screen is not operable and I have to reboot in order to get the installation done. Very annoying.
Same here screen locks and freezes and any picture trying to capture is not saved and also getting the Kermit the frog affect need fix soon
Same happen to wife evo 3d sprint said that nothing to make won’t to change the phone I’m done with evos and sprint moving to a different provider they don’t see anything wrong with the constant reboot with my evo 4G HTC sense and all the drop calls and they don’t see the problem with the camera and the freezing and color issue an the evo 3D that my wife and son have why do I pay the 8 dollar insurance for those phone and all I get hey guy live with it ma vafancullo sprint
Got the lock up’s, Sprint exchanged it. Now my new 3D is also doing it.
I spent the whole day today taking 3D photos and panoramic photos with my phone while on a trip in the mountains- they all came out beautifully! I guess I’m one of the lucky ones without the issue. I never took the ota, and I’m rooted running vipers ROM with netarchy’s test 5 kernel.
It’s locked up on me only once so far, fingers crossed…
I am also experience camera issues. Sometimes when I go to take a picture, after I take the picture the camera freezes up, so I have to kill the camera. :(
Haven’t had any issues at all. The pics on the 3d look just the same as the og evo. Running stock.
I have both of these issues.
It locks up sometimes for me too, i found that by switching the switch from 2D to 3D / 3d to 2d works to correct it.
Same here. I’m getting the same issues.My pictures keep coming out with a yellow tint even after playing around with settings.
Got a great review on the camera here and how to adjust some of the settings to get rid of the green :)
http://therootofallevo.com/2011/07/evo-3d-getting-the-most-out-of-your-camera-2d-pictures/
I haven’t had any lockup issues but I have been getting green pictures sometimes when in 2d. I haven’t really noticed it in 3D because I dont really use the 3D function all that much. One other issue I am having is when I take 2D videos the first couple of seconds the picture is very pixelated then it clears up.
It’s really not that easy
Mine is more yellow, it seems like every photo is yellow, it has been driving me nuts! The lock up thing only happened once, but it was a couple days ago. I hope it isn’t the new norm. I was wondering if anyone was having issues similar to this.
had issues with taking pictures in 3d mode.. when i went to retrieve them later they were gone…starting to hate this phone, gonna root real soon, thanks htc for crappy software, and thankyou devs for writing better software..
Have noticed the describe lock up and green pictures on both my 3D and my wife’s.
Easy there dude. Not sure if you just got a bad person form Sprint working on it or what, but it’s not their fault. How can we fix something that is a software issue? I had an issue with the camera with the demo EVO 3D on the day it launched and that is why I stayed away from it, along with all the reviews it received. Perhaps HTC isn’t the brand for you, perhaps you should give Moto or Samy a try, but leaving Sprint to go to a worse pricing plan is not the way to go. The $8 for TEP is amazing good choice. I cannot tell you how many people I have to break the bad news to that they have to pay for a new phone out of pocket for full price or that we can’t help them out. I see them regretting it a bit. Hope this helps!
I am having this issue as well, I have also had a dead pixel issue. I got my first 3d a week after release and at night I could see 3 dead pixels on the screen, it was driving me crazy, went to the sprint store and argued for 30 minutes because they claimed they couldnt see anything. Finally I threatened to switch carriers, so they did the replacement for me. As for the green tint issue, I have had this issue on the original 3d I had and the new 3d in low light..
Okay, so I took it back in to the Sprint store here in LA and dropped it off for 2 hours. I showed the rep how it was turning green and informed him that I did not want to come back later and hear that they couldn’t see any problems. Well, sure enough when I came back they said that they found no problems! I asked for a manager and was quickly introduced to the assistant mgr who proceeded to tell me that there was no defect. After forcing him to walk around the store with me to see the camera turn green, he still assured me that it was not a defect! He took 3 other Evo 3Ds and they all did the same thing, see no defect! I then asked him, “so you’re telling me that the pix are SUPPOSED to be green?” He once again assured me, NO DEFECT!
I took it to repair center due to camera freezing up and on my pictures when I zoomed in the screen would go dark. They ordered me another phone. I also had a dead pixel but they said that the phone has to have more than 5 bad pixels to exchange. luckily the camera issue was enough to exchange it.
The issue of the green tint has been widely discussed on a number of forums (Sprint, Android Central, Phandroid, xda, etc.). The video posted here does a good job of illustrating one of the manifestations of the issue, but it also shows up in other ways. There’s been a fair amount of analysis by users, and it is almost certainly a software issue.
It only manifests itself under certain conditions, but when it does show up, it can sometimes be very hard to work around. Beach scenes for example seem to almost universally trigger at least some level of the green tint, but plenty of other scene types do as well. And, as demonstrated in the video, seemingly imperceptible differences in the scene can trigger it in a dramatic way.
Based on what I’ve seen, it is very likely that this problem affects every EVO 3D, but many users have never seen it because the conditions that they’ve taken pictures in haven’t triggered it.
For what it’s worth, in support email responses, HTC has acknowledged that they’ve recreated the issue, indicated that it is a software issue, and said they are working on a fix. If you have seen the issue yourself, I would strongly encourage you to file a support ticket on the HTC website and attach a sample photo or two. You’ll probably get a response back indicating that HTC already knows about the problem. But, the more tickets that get filed, the higher priority it should be, and the more likely they will actually fix it.
As for the lock-up, it looks like a good old fashioned bug. Clearing data in the Camera app regularly seems to keep it at bay. I would be surprised if it wasn’t addressed fairly quickly.
Yeah, it’s a software issue that will be addressed in the next HTC update (and likely affects all phones, don’t bother taking it back for a replacement). I’ve got a more straightforward video demonstrating the effect here:
Posted on an earlier gripe session
.
Before I start my gripe session let me say this. The evo 3d is leaps and bounds better than my original evo. That being said, I have serious issues with my camera on the 3d. Not only is the 2d quality horrible, but trying to get a decent shot when there is even the slightest bit of motion is impossible. I mean lets face it, in real life you can’t get everyone to stop where they are at just so you can steady your hand to get a half decent shot. So much for capturing the moment! Honestly! I’m so disgusted with this camera that I don’t even bother to use it.
Does it affect every EVO 3d, or just ones who took the OTA? I’m wishing that people having the problems would post up what version of the firmware they are on. I never accepted the OTA, and I have never seen any problem like this green tinting, and I shoot pics on my 3d CONSTANTLY – inside, outside, bright sun, no sun, landscapes, portraits. It’s not the best in low light, of course, but my white balance is good and so colors are awesome. In 2D or 3D mode.
I did experience the phone locking up recently, but as I commented in the related thread, I had recently switched to a live wallpaper. Ditched that and have not had any lockup since.
It’s really bizarre for this not to affect some of us AT ALL. I really suspect the OTA.
edit: “white balance is good and colors are awesome” – not sure where that “so” came from.
The only tint issues I have with the camera are when I’m using the flash and even then its not every pic. Pics with no flash come out perfect if there is sufficient light where I’m @. I’m running stock but accepted the ota update that was released around launch day.
Exact same issue, comes and goes. I figure it’s an internal hardware problem that can’t be fixed easily so I’ll just hang onto the thing and hope it doesn’t happen when I’d like to use it.
Camera turning green is seriously an annoying issue..It’s good to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same unwanted rehashed information. Wonderful read
My EVO 3D camera issue is a little different. I do get the locking thing, but what irritates me the most is the fact that I get a red tinge in one of the corners when in landscape mode. I got a replacement phone, and it still does the same thing. I think this normally happens when I am taking photos under fluorescent lights. I have tried to adjust the white balance, but that does not completely get rid of the red tinge. Not sure what else I can do to fix this.
I have yhe same problem with yellow, plus if there is any shade or shadow in the day i can’t get a good picture.
I agree with little motion I get a big blur, or if there is a liitle shad the camera canot adjust. Am also disusted
I haven’t really noticed it in 3D because I dont really use the 3D function all that much. One other issue I am having is when I take 2D videos the first couple of seconds the picture is very pixelated then it clears up.
Yes the issue is green but as from me you should Contact HTC, tell them your concerns and what is wrong. There is not one single thing that is made that has been problem free since man has started making objects.
Its Gr8 ! I have got a great review on the camera here and how to adjust some of the settings to get rid of the green :)
Thanks for sharing this blog with us.
Hi [email protected],
I am facing the same problem in HTC 3d EVO, is your problem fixed till now, if yes kindly share the resolution of this.
Thanks in advance..
Manish