• Top 5 Camera Phones

    Top 5 Camera Phones

    Prasad Naik, May 04, 2009 1345 hrs IST

    Amazing image quality and superb features will keep shutterbugs happy

    mail share

  Previous   next



Sony Ericsson C905


 


 


 



 


 


We often stress that camera resolution isn't everything when it comes to digital cameras and that the final picture quality depends on a lot more factors other than the megapixels that it has. Having said that, a higher megapixel count also translates into a more detailed image, so it is always better to have as many megapixels as you can afford.


 


The highest resolution that you can have in a mobile phone camera today is 8 megapixels. Sony Ericsson was the first to bring out an 8 megapixel camera phone; the C905. Along with an 8 MP sensor, they have also armed the phone with autofocus and xenon flash along with a nifty LED flash. This works as focus assist as well as a lamp that constantly stays on for video recording in the dark. A well-designed lens cover mechanism protects the lens from damage.


 


The quality of the images is really good. The high resolution sensor works its magic in capturing even minute details of the subject. In low-light conditions, the powerful xenon flash can make your images turn out great. The C905 can also Geo-tag its images with the help of the built-in GPS. The only area where you wish its performance was better is video recording, as the C905 still captures videos in QVGA resolution at 30 FPS.


 


Having said that it would be hard to find a phone with better picture quality, and at Rs. 26,000 the C905 is the pick of the lot.


 


Click here to read full review of the Sony Ericsson C905

Follow Techtree on Twitter

  Previous   next

Do you agree with this aritcle?
YesNo
Related Links
Top Camera Phones Above Rs. 15,000
Landmark Mobile Phones
LG KT770: Nokia N96, Samsung Innov8 Competitor?



Discussion Board
(22) Comments
Rohit
,Mumbai, on May 29, 2009 11:38 AM
What about SE C510 which you reviewed recently Prasad? Isn't it better than 810i? also it is cheaper than the ones mentioned in this compilation?
Report abuse
Prasad Naik
,Mumbai, on May 29, 2009 03:23 PM
No, it is not better than the K810i. Both are comparable in day light but C510 lacks the xenon flash that K810 has which means it is not as great at night or in low-light conditions. The slight increase in video recording doesn’t really make up for this loss. So overall I think K810 is still better. :)
Report abuse
Rohit
,delhi, on Jun 01, 2009 12:00 PM
But C510i has bigger screen, accelerometer and much more camera features than 810? still will you suggest 810i?
Report abuse
Prasad Naik
,Mumbai, on Jun 02, 2009 09:51 AM
When it comes to choosing between features and performance, I would any day go with performance. Plus K810 has all that it needs and things like Smile Shutter accelerometer, etc isn't something that you use or need that often. :)
Report abuse
jit
,jalgaon, on Jun 02, 2009 05:36 PM
but if u look at the overall features c510 scores over k810i, the only plus point in k810i is xenon flash...n dats somthing we can compromise with.
Report abuse
Prasad Naik
,Mumbai, on Jun 03, 2009 10:11 AM
I am sorry but I will continue to disagree with you. For me the Xenon flash is far more useful than anything else. I guess it finally boils down to personal preferences, but I have already stated mine and you are free to have yours.
Report abuse
ketan trivedi
,ahemdabad, on May 29, 2009 11:06 PM
Hi Prasad, Thanks for ur prompt reply. I have finalised to buy either N82 or sony C 905. Once again thnaks a lot for ur advise.
Report abuse
ketan
,ahmedabad, on May 28, 2009 09:23 PM
Hi, It was greta article. thanks for it. But still can u recommend me which one to buy from the list 1) N82, 2) N95 8Gb, 3) samsung pixon, 4) c905 ( but for me budget is high) Please advise me. I want to buy mobile with a very good camera as well as can take very nice pics in night too. Should have good video capturing capacity. And other multi media things. Can easily transfer pics to my family staying at UK. Thanks ketan
Report abuse
Prasad Naik
,Mumbai, on May 29, 2009 09:56 AM
Good quality pics in daylight and at night as well as good video recording. There's only one phone that you mentioned which meets these criteria and that is Nokia N82. C905 might have an 8 MP camera but the video recording is only restricted up to QVGA resolution. Plus 5 MP on the N82 is more than enough in my opinion and it has Xenon flash as well, not to mention the VGA video recording. I think you should go for the N82.
Report abuse
marees
,chennai, on May 11, 2009 10:07 PM
Hi Prasad, great work! I agree that the 5 phones you have mentioned are the best in thier price bracket. This saves a huge amount of research time for any potential camera phone buyer. It would have been an icing on the cake, if you had included atleast 1 camera phone with Optical Zoom for comparision sake.
Report abuse
Prasad Naik
,Mumbai, on May 12, 2009 11:06 AM
Camera phones with optical zoom are now as common as penguins in Sahara. The few that were there have also evaporated over time with no possible replacements in the foreseeable future. It remains to be seen if optical zoom will ever make a comeback in mobile phones. Till then I think we'll have to live with no zoom (which is better than using digital zoom).
Report abuse
manoj
,bangalore, on May 05, 2009 03:06 PM
great pick prasad! job well done,also unlike previous writers you reply the user comments too! keep up the good work
Report abuse
Prasad Naik
,Mumbai, on May 05, 2009 05:42 PM
Thank you. :)
Report abuse
Ponnanaa
,Bangalore, on May 05, 2009 03:22 PM
Providing appropriate replies to User comments and accepting / rectifying errors by the writer is appreciated. I have a K810i and I love the photos and videos. When it comes to camera phones, I guess SE has an edge.
Report abuse
Neetu Banga
,New Delhi, on May 05, 2009 01:12 PM
dream phone.....great fun....cute like zooooes.........(vodaphone ad)
Report abuse
Karan Nandwani
,Mumbai, on May 05, 2009 11:09 AM
Here's the quote from the INNOV8 page "What's more, the C905 is also capable of recording videos in VGA resolution at 30 FPS, something the C905 cannot do. It also has a massive 16 GB built-in memory with option to expand it further, so you'll never have to worry about running out of space for your favorite photos and videos. Priced at Rs. 37,000, the INNOV8 is a bit too expensive, but that's more because of the overall package that it offers than just camera performance. Along with the C905, it is one of the best camera phones that you can buy." There are a lot of typos. Instead of saying INNOV you have mentioned C905 at two places in the para quoted above.
Report abuse
Prasad Naik
,Mumbai, on May 05, 2009 11:50 AM
Thanks for pointing that out. The typos have been fixed.
Report abuse
Azeem
,Mumbai, on May 04, 2009 10:16 PM
You seem to forget that the ZN5 has a max video capture resolution of 176x144. Which is pathetic for any camera with more than 2MP, to be perfectly honest
Report abuse
Prasad Naik
,Mumbai, on May 05, 2009 10:49 AM
No, I have not. I think you'll find that I have mentioned in the article that the ZN5 has poor video recording, but the still image capture makes up for it. And if you need better quality video recording, then there is always the N82. :)
Report abuse
Asset Allocator
,Mumbai, on May 04, 2009 09:41 PM
Go for the N82. Thoughit looks Simple, its got a great camera, and the best thing is the Xenon Flash, its handy, got great memory, is pretty fast, night pictures come out good because of the great Flash, the buttons are small, but the space between the buttons are big, I have got big fingers, but even then no problems typing or texting. Got 3G, can use it once it becomes operational in Mumbai, with the new Symbian update, the pictures have become even better. Got it for 22k a year and a half back, only thing is that prices havent dropped till now, retails for 19k now I believe. Though with that money you can definitely go for a separate camera and a mobile, but I can send pics seconds after shooting through wi-fi, grps, mms, anything. Thats pretty convenient for me
Report abuse
Nagendra
,Delhi, on May 04, 2009 03:43 PM
Good. All phones you have mentioned are worthy of being called great camera phones. However I think If you have selected best 10 instead of 5 then it would have been more interesting. LG Viewty is also a great camera phone. But it is not mentioned because the seats were only 5....
Report abuse
Prasad Naik
,Mumbai, on May 04, 2009 05:09 PM
The only reason why I did not add 5 more to the list is because they would not have been in any way better than the ones that are already there and then it would have just diluted the list. For example the LG Viewty that you mentioned costs more or less the same as the N82 but has worse picture quality comparatively. So instead of having them both, I decided to keep the one that is better.
Report abuse

Opinion Poll