Wednesday, April 12, 2006
The 2 Megapixel Story
Camera phones are fast replacing a number of regular phones. The vengeance with which manufacturers are integrating cameras into handsets has ensured that even the handsets aimed at business users, such as the Nokia 9300i and the O2 Atom/Mini incorporate some pretty heavy duty cameras.
The camera integration has in fact reached such a stage that any self-respecting phone would incorporate at least a megapixel camera. The cutting-edge feature to have though is the 2-megapixel variety. The question is: is it really worth the extra money you pay for it? Without getting into model-by-model comparisons, I am questioning the entire range of 2-megapixel camera phones. Are they really worth it?
For the most part, no.
Despite the cameras being 2-megapixel, the image quality isn\u2019t really that impressive. Whether you take the K750i, W800i (essentially the same phone), N90, Samsung\u2019s D600, LG\u2019s P7200 or even the new RAZR, the photographs are not yet at a level of clarity that they replace my need for a Digicam. Sure, if I have one of these, then I can take better shots when I am not carrying my camera, but they aren\u2019t necessarily better.
Even if we stop contesting the image quality part, according to manufacturers, we should carry 2-megapixel phones to capture life\u2019s moments as they come at us without notice. I disagree. The simple reason being, all these phones take a long time to get into the camera mode that by the time you are ready to click, the moment has already long gone. Take the N90, for example, or the P7200, it can take between 15 and 30 seconds for the phone to get into the camera mode. So much for capturing "sudden" moments\u2026
The next hindrance relates to usage. How many of you actually take enough pictures to warrant a 2-megapixel camera? When I say take enough pictures, I am talking specifically about pictures you would like to keep on your PC, take color printouts of and/or share it with friends and family members via e-mail.
I kept a 2-megapixel camera with me for three months. In those months, I took all of 20 pictures and if I hadn\u2019t taken those pictures, I really wouldn\u2019t have missed much.
So what it comes down to is this: while I am sure some of you will argue that you shoot a lot more photos than I do or don\u2019t mind paying the extra money that manufacturers are charging, but the ultimate fact is that the latest generation of camera phones hold no value, at least from a photography standpoint.
They are slow, they are expensive and the camera, while great for a phone, is not really anywhere near something I would want to carry around. Why not purchase a regular phone and a Nikon S1, S5 or the Sony T9? They are compact enough to not make your pockets bulge and will definitely give you far better results.
Manufacturers need to do a few things to make a convert out of me. First, give me a faster interface. While the phone operating systems have become richer, the hardware hasn\u2019t changed much and it shows. The situation deteriorates even further the minute you get into the camera mode and that\u2019s simply unacceptable.
Secondly, give me a longer battery life. If I can only take 30 odd photos before the battery requires a recharge, then I can neither use the camera attachment nor stay in touch using my phone.
And finally, if the camera is on a phone, I want it to be pictbridge compatible, or at least provide me some good printers that will print wirelessly through Bluetooth so that I am able to cut out the PC altogether.
It\u2019s great to see manufacturers making strides towards improving camera phones and their overall quality, but there\u2019s no value in these gadgets that warrants blazingly steep price tags.
source:http://www.cooltechzone.com/Departments/Featured_Story/The_2_Megapixel_Story_200604122285/
