Nexus S camera software sports macro mode

By Jerry Hildenbrand
last updated

As we slowly tear into everything new about the Nexus S and Gingerbread, we're sure to come across a slew of little things that add to Android. Macro mode with a decent camera is one of them. Sure, it's not a professional DSLR by any means, but these kind of small improvements add up -- eventually we might be able to replace that point and shoot camera with our phone.

While I'm not likely to win any awards for my awesome photography skills, being able to whip out my phone and do this sure is nice.  And the fact that it's baked into stock Android, and not dependent on a manufacturer's or carrier's value-added skin is icing on the cake.

So all you guys who picked up a Nexus S today (I know you're out there), take a break from hacking it and show off some pictures in the Nexus S forums.  We like looking at your pics as much as we like taking our own. 

Jerry Hildenbrand
Jerry Hildenbrand
Senior Editor — Google Ecosystem

Jerry is an amateur woodworker and struggling shade tree mechanic. There's nothing he can't take apart, but many things he can't reassemble. You'll find him writing and speaking his loud opinion on Android Central and occasionally on Twitter.

18 Comments
  • This is not new . The Og Droid had macro back on 2.1 and still on 2.2 stock and rooted
  • ya my Captivate also has macro
  • My Evo with CM6 does not have macro.
  • Yeah I'm guessing macro mode is on most 2.1 devices since even my Transform has it...
  • Yep, cause my Epic has it on 2.1
  • Will someone explain to me what Macro mode is???? lol....
  • Use Bing????? lol.....
  • I bought the Nexus S earlier today, but I am seeing a problem when receiving MMS messages or attached pictures via text. The image is really blurry and compressed. Is T-Mobile squashing the images or is it the phone!? Any one else seeing this?
  • Same thing with my fascinate. I hate it. (That part, not the phone.)
  • On verizon? I send/receive mms all day and never noticed blurryness unless the pic that got sent was specified in a super low res...
  • Jerry -- Don't spend that Quarter. Its a pre 1965 and is all silver. My X has this mode as well. Works good too.
  • I thought 1964 was the cut-off. Either way, that quarter is silver.
  • Pre 1965 = 1964 or less. Ether way, you are right -- that quarter is silver.
  • Not to troll, but did the person who submitted this post even think about the fact that just about every other Android phone, and just about every other smartphone in general has a macro aka "close up" focus mode? I have been doing macros with my cellphone for years, ever since I got a Samsung Flip. They aren't gallery-worthy, mind you, it is still a cellphone after all. But the close up quarter picture? Sorry, not impressed in the least. edit: just found a few quarters and did a comparison shot with my Fascinate. If the author/photographer in this article used a Nexus S and that's the best it can do for a macro shot, I have to say I am thoroughly disappointed. It's a testament to crap, my decrepit old Fascinate took a macro shot ten times better than that.
  • @joebob2000 Did you even think about the fact that you may not be correct?
    What's with everyone these days jumping at the chance to put other people down if they know about something first? You may have a phone with the macro mode, but your statement that just about every phone has a macro mode is incorrect. Sure there may be a number of phones out there with the macro feature, but there are still a number of phones that don't have it. Beyond that, there are even quite a few phones out there that are still on 1.6 who don't have or know about a number of features that you may have in your updated phone. So the fact that you are "not impressed" is irrelevant. This article is still good information. Sure, I'll agree with you that it may not be a ground-braking, gallery-worthy announcement. But I would bet that there are a ton of people out there who are ready to buy a new phone and are weighing the pros and cons of each device. This is certainly a helpful post to those who don't know about, or have been without a macro option. So let's all try to go easy on bloggers and commenters who are simply trying to help others.
  • LOL. Name one that doesn't. I have owned/used a lot of cellphones and can honestly say that I have never seen one without a macro/close-up mode. Of course I havent tried them all, there may be a few out there that don't, but between all the 2-3 year old BBs I have had, to my old samsung Flip, and all the androids of recent memory, they have all had it. I (like many others) come to this part of the site looking for expert news, reviews, and commentary. Save the "oh neato look at this thing I just realized was there that probably isnt new at all" for the forums. (not to troll...) If this site were true **** I wouldn't be here at all. All I am trying to do here is encourage a higher standard of excellence.
  • MT3G (even on 2.2.1), G1, and probably even MT3G slide. Regardless, which phone cameras don't have a macro isn't the point. You say you were trying to "encourage a higher standard of excellence." I applaud the sentiment, but not a single word in your original post was "encouraging." I too come to these sites looking for expert news, reviews, and commentary. Like many others, I read the comments because often that is where the best information is found. It's exhausting having to sift through the put-downs and other garbage comments to get to the truly valuable information. Wouldn't it be refreshing if, for the betterment of the entire community, readers leaving a comments on these blogs would live up to that same standard of excellence.
  • Nice to see that with all the clean up Google did with Gingerbread that they still left the stock camera UI as fugly as ever :/ The Motorola Motoblur skin for the D2 and DX (and even the Sense UI version) are far superior to the stock version :(