How to Choose a Camera Phone
Camera phones are increasingly popular as people use them for posting to blogs, capturing breaking news, even shooting feature films.
Many cell phones manufacturers now offer integrated digital cameras with a wide array of features. If you are considering a new cell phone and wonder which camera phone is best for you, here's a list to help you pick right cell phone for your needs.
Resolution (or what's a megapixel)
A pixel is a picture element. A megapixel is equal to 1 million picture elements or 1 million dots that make up your picture. The more dots that make up your picture, the finer the resolution and the better quality your picture will be. The higher the number of megapixels, the better quality pictures you'll have. But higher quality usually comes with a higher cost. So you'll have to balance the quality of photo you're looking for with your budget.
Many cell phone cameras are designed for casual snapshots - handy for when you wouldn't otherwise have a camera - rather than replacing a camera. So you can capture a moment when you wouldn't carry a separate camera, but you'll probably still want to bring a camera on vacation.
Self Portrait Mirror
If you want to be able to take pictures of yourself, look for a small mirror near the camera lens so you can see what you're shooting.
Printing
If you want to be able to print out your pictures, look for a cell phone that offers a way to transfer files easily between your camera and your computer for printing. Bluetooth wireless technology is often the easiest way, but you can often transfer files using USB or infrared, depending on your computer. Most camera phones come with any necessary additional software, but some might require additional software tools.
Sharing Pictures
Pictures are no fun if you keep them all to yourself. Think about how you'll want to share photos - through picture messages, email, file sharing, and understand how that works (some are as easy as one step) and the costs involved. If you'll be sharing a lot of pictures, it's often more cost effective to get a data plan on your cell phone.
Memory and Expansion options
Pictures do take additional storage space on your cell phone, so if you love to take pictures, you'll want to choose a camera phone with lots of storage or be sure to upgrade the memory or storage card to maximize your options. There's nothing worse than wanting to snap the perfect shot and seeing a "memory full" message.
Video Capture
Many cell phones with integrated digital cameras now also have a video capture or camcorder feature. Some cell phones record in 15 second intervals while others will record as long as you have memory available. If you're interested in video capture, remember to upgrade the memory.
Shop our selection of camera phones.
Read our reviews of multimedia phones.
