Cameraphone buying guide for dummies

In the last two years, the phones without a camera have become a rare “phenomenon”, but the very fact that almost all the handsets currently on the market have one, doesn’t necessarily guarantee the picture quality. This article is intended to guide you while choosing a cameraphone - mobile device, which is trying to replace the regular camera. We’ll also explain briefly, the importance of each element for the good picture quality.

Hardware:

Megapixels  – one of the main misconceptions is that a greater megapixel number will result in better pictures. Actually, the megapixels are important for the dimensions (resolution), and from there, the larger/smaller picture you’ll be able to print out.

Sensor – In reality, it is the one that transforms the light coming through the lens into information and the bigger it is (physically) the better quality it produces. Unfortunately, the manufacturers do not provide information on what exactly are the lenses used in cell phones. Therefore, only the final result should be inspected and it should be done on a computer, because the small phone display can often lure you into thinking that the quality is great.

Optics – a frequently seen tactic in the cameraphones is to employ lenses by famous manufacturers, such as Carl Zeiss (in Nokia) or Schneider-Kreuznach (in LG). The benefit of having them is contestable, so it shouldn’t be a key element when choosing a cameraphone.
 
Optical zoom – unfortunately, this is a rare feature, due to the fact that it has direct influence on the size of the phone. If you have it however, you’ll be able to zoom in on an object without loosing the quality of the image, in contrast to the digital method. The last one is basically pointless and is better to make a few steps towards the object instead of using it.

Flash – there are three more popular types: LED, xenon and photo flash. The last one can be seen in the latest Sony Ericsson models (C902, C702, W902) and is a reinforced LED light, which in contrast to the regular one can illuminate an object very brightly for a very short period of time. The xenon is identical to the one used in the regular cameras. Once again, the final result is what matters and not the type of the element.


Optics protection and user-friendly buttons – although they come last in the hardware list, these factors are important as well. Getting dust on the lens should be avoided, because it influences the quality of the pictures, and the lid not only protects but activates the camera also. If the phone you are intend to buy has one, see if it’s going to be convenient to use. Do the same with the camera shortcut, because a „struggle” with it can result in shaking and therefore, ruining the quality of the pictures. It’s nice to have shortcuts to the most frequently used options such as flash, self-portrait, shooting mode, and preloaded scenes. In the latest cameraphones, those are often assigned to the numeric keys or the D-pad. In some models, there’s a convenient option to switch between camera, camcorder mode and gallery, which reminds us of the regular photographic devices.





Software:

Speed –there are three important indicators: camera interface startup,focusing and taking a picture (storing the photo and getting ready forthe next one). The speed is quite important, and if there are a lot ofinteresting things happening around you, which you want to recordthrough many pictures, here’s a comparison table of a few 5-megapixelcameraphones and their times:

	Phone	Starting	Focusing	Saving
	Nokia N82	3 sec	2 sec	4 sec
	Samsung Soul	2 sec	2 sec	3 sec
	LG KC550	3 sec	2 sec	5 sec
	Samsung G810	5 sec	1 sec	4 sec.

Autofocus –absolutely important for any cameraphone. More and more phones nowinclude the interesting face or smile detection modes. They are veryhandy, especially if you are trying to make a picture of a restlesskid.

Interface –it’s a matter of personal taste and preference. However, it’s good tohave indicators on the screen of the functions currently active.


Options –here, the manufacturers try to include as many different functions seenin the pocket cameras as possible, but unfortunately, quantity doesn’tmean quality. A typical such example is the ability to manually set theISO, which reflects the light sensitivity of the lens; the greater thenumber, the less light is needed to make a picture, but the sensorheats up more and respectively is noisier. Such options are used mainlyin darker environments and have a rather negative effect on the imagequality (usually, the cameraphones are quite “noisy” in a weaker lightconditions) and this makes the setting useless.

The shootingmodes and the scenes are much more useful. The first ones usually letyou take a series of photos, panoramic and macro pictures. Thepreloaded scenes are an excellent extra for a cameraphone, because byusing them, you can achieve good results in complicated situations,which require professional knowledge of the photographic art. Forexample, you’ll be able to record an image of a candle even if youdon’t know that the color saturation should be decreased so it comesout all right. The most frequently seen shooting modes are landscape,portrait, sports event and sunset.

The whitebalance (for now, always preset and marked according to the type oflighting: daylight, fluorescent, etc.) is used to keep the real colorsin various conditions. There are other extras such as different coloreffects (negative, sepia, black and white), adding ears and frames,which are a way of adding your personal touch to the pictures. Mostpeople rarely turn to these options but if you are in a fun or artisticmood, you should check out what is offered by the various phones.

Somecameraphones let you take multiple pictures for a short period of timeand then you can choose the best ones to store. That’s what the BestPicfunction does. It can be found in some Sony Ericsson models andtogether with the night mode are not important factors when choosing aphone.

Here are some sample photos from our 5-megapixel cameraphones comparison for Q4 2007.


Macros – the macro photography is very impressive, and is a test for the close up focusing abilities of the camera. Good quality means very good detail of the object, including fine details not visible with the human eye.



Video:

Lately, the video recording has become a trend in cameraphones, giving you the opportunity to become the next Martin Scorsese or George Lucas. This element achieves results closer to the ones you’d get with a digital camera but is considerably behind the camcorders. The key factors here are:

Resolution – VGA (640x480) is the preferred one and DVD (720х480) is the future. So far, the only phone recording at such rate is LG KC550. Nevertheless, resolutions such as QVGA and VGA are good enough to use on sites as YouTube, for example.
Frames per second – they determine the smoothness of the video. You want to have at least 20, and more can be useful for effects such as slow motion (LG Viewty supports up to 120 fps).
Sound – for a quality video you need sound. If you are recording a speaking person at about 3 feet from you and you can understand his words in the video, then that’s a satisfactory result.
Effects – effects for the videos can rarely be found. At most, you’ll be able to change the white balance, shoot in black & white, sepia or negative. There are exceptions like Samsung OMNIA, which let you modify or accent on certain colors, achieving interesting results.

Sample videos shot with Samsung OMNIA: normal | color swap | accent
* Note that due to codecs support, you may not be able to play the files.

We advise you to look at videos made with different cameraphones instead of just checking out their specifications. It happens very often that despite the 30 fps with which the manufacturer claims the camera will record, it actually shoots videos in 22-25 and yet, don’t expect excellent quality.

Conclusion:

After deciding to go for a phone based on its design and characteristics, you must look at the pictures and videos it makes on a computer. If you still cannot make up your mind, compare pictures from different devices made in the same conditions. This will give you the best idea about the abilities of the cameraphones.