HTC Touch Diamond2 camera tested – the best Windows Mobile cameraphone yet?

Cameras have always been the Achilles heel of HTC devices. No matter what else they throw at their smartphones, the output from their cameras has always been decidedly mediocre.

The company once told us that their priority was in the speed of the camera rather than the quality – due to the more spontaneous way in which phone cameras are used – and this is something that is certainly noticeable with the 5MP offering in the Touch Diamond2.

The camera app loads and focuses quickly, and there is minimal shutter lag. We would have preferred a dedicated button for all of this, though, rather than controlling it solely through the touch screen, and there’s no flash either, so reduces its usefulness after dark. But hey, you can’t have everything…

So what of the quality? For my money they are as good as any Windows Mobile phone (although still not up with the best of Nokia or Samsung on S60). The samples below were mostly taken on the default settings – for my money they look a touch over-sharpened, but this can be reduced in camera.

As you can see, in flat light the images are typically unimpressive, but in good light the Touch Diamond2 can produce some pretty decent results. Click through for the full size versions.

A misty morning, images quite flat and even a touch under exposed.

A sunny morning, the colours are very good.

A few more similar images, with just a little touching up in Photoshop. You can definitely get prints from this camera. Note that it shoots in widescreen by default, which you would likely need to turn off in portrait images.

Thanks to Clove Technology for the loan of the Touch Diamond2.

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