I was recently given the Palma 2 Pro for review, and this week I’ve been putting the device through its paces for my article next week.
However, while you’ll have to wait for my full thoughts on the device, I want to discuss the device’s photography capabilities.
The Palma 2 Pro is not designed for photography, but I’ve fallen in love with it for just that purpose.
What felt unnecessary and tacked on at first has quickly become the feature my experience now revolves around. I’ve started enjoying photography again, and it’s all thanks to an e-reader.
What do photos taken by an e-reader look like?
Better than what you might expect
When I picked up the Palma 2 Pro for the first time, the camera was the last thing on my mind.
If you haven’t been keeping up with e-readers, the fact that there is a camera may surprise you. What possible need could there be for a camera on an e-reader?
It’s tempting to think that the primary purpose of the Palma 2 Pro’s camera is for document scanning. It has extensive note-taking capabilities, and the optional pen makes it perfect for annotating scanned documents.
This is certainly the most relevant use case, but the device also has all the features needed for everyday photography.
The Palma 2 Pro has a camera and gallery app preinstalled, and the camera has plenty of optional features.
You can enable a setting to detect faces, or change the exposure, adjust picture size and quality, and even take continuous shots with every capture.
There’s even a Pro Mode where you can adjust the focus, white balance, and light sensitivity. It has far more tools than I expected. So what do these photos look like?
I was reasonably impressed with the results. Every object has soft edges; there’s a peculiar warmth that pervades the images, and detail is blurry at best.
Nevertheless, for a single 16MP camera with minimal post-processing, the results are reasonable.
They certainly aren’t the quality I would expect from even budget smartphone cameras, but for e-readers? I haven’t seen better yet (potentially due to the lack of e-reader cameras on the market).
However, let’s take a look at what I saw through the Palma 2 Pro’s viewfinder while taking my photos.
The Palma 2 Pro’s display isn’t usually that dim in real life. I had to tone down the brightness to avoid the images appearing overly washed out.
An e-ink display is designed for displaying text, not real-life details. This isn’t usually a drawback, as the most common pictures we see on e-readers are book covers. Grayscale is usually enough for this situation.
However, when the device attempts to display what’s shown on the camera, it can only manage a high-contrast, cell-shaded, washed-out image that is incapable of showing vibrant color.
Not only is the image quality awful, but ghosting is an inherent part of e-ink displays. The entire screen has to refresh for a clean image, but this isn’t ideal for the fast animations shown while navigating Android.
When moving the camera, the subject in the image immediately becomes a blurry mess; you have to hold the camera rock steady to get a clear picture. This blurriness doesn’t translate to the final image, but it makes identifying the subject incredibly challenging.
Taking photos on the Palma 2 Pro is therefore not recommended. However, I absolutely love it. Here’s why.
The Palma 2 Pro takes the stress out of photography
There’s no need to worry about quality
My daily driver is a Google Pixel 10 Pro, which has arguably the best smartphone camera on the market today. It takes vibrant, crystal clear images, whether I’m zooming in at 20x or taking a macro photo.
It’s a remarkable piece of equipment, as AP’s Stephen Radochia found out when he took 100 photos of his cats.
Unfortunately, I’m not a photographer. I know the basics of taking good photos with my smartphone, but I find the world of advanced camera settings and editing tips overwhelming.
I know enough to compensate for washed-out photos and low-light conditions, but that’s it.
Taking photos with my Pixel 10 Pro is thus a mildly stressful experience as I try to make effective use of this phenomenal piece of technology. It’s like a beginner driver attempting to drive an F1 car.
Thus, when presented with the Palma 2 Pro’s weak camera and dreadful camera app, my worries melt away.
I don’t need to worry about quality, because the effort would be completely wasted. I can capture the moments in my life without worrying about brightness sliders, warmth levels, or exposure settings.
The Palma 2 Pro offers a photography experience that suits me
It’s a source of continuous frustration that smartphones continue to prioritize hardware that means nothing to me.
The photos taken with my Galaxy S7, which are the oldest in my Google Photos storage, were good enough for me in 2016, and they’re good enough for me now.
It’s a refreshing experience using a “bad” camera.
Smartphone photography can be fun, but you need to tailor it to your personality. The warm, slightly fuzzy photos taken by the Palma 2 Pro are a far better representation of me than the professional results produced by my Pixel 10 Pro.
I look forward to taking my next set of holiday snaps with it, and perhaps using it as an e-reader from time to time.
