Camera Phone - skeptical about quality of pictures

iceman_2001_ie

I am really not interested in camera phones, but at a glance, every phone has a camera now. With this in mind, I want to upgrade to a phone with the best possible camera.

I saw the thread which advertises the CDMA phone for $2.5k. It looks good, but, honestly, WAY WAY too expensive. I can buy a really decent SLR and a really decent phone for all that money. And probably pay for a holiday to the Med to take some really nice photos too (with Ryanair of course - and a tent).

Anyway.

I saw the ad on T.V. for the Samsung D500 with the 1.3megapixel camera - that sounded really good.

Its within the price range I'm interested (the prices were in sterling) but
EUR300 - 350, sim-free, is around the price I'm willing to pay.

Has anybody got this phone, or have they seen/heard any critisism of it?

Is it likely that similar phones with equivalent/better camera will be appearing shortly on the market, or is this ahead of its time, for the price they want?

My working 6310i which will do me, I guess, for another 3-6 months, and I am willing to wait until there is more competition for this quality of camera.

Fudger

Wait, they aren't worth the trouble. I had a V525 and that Nokia cheap one and they are a waste of time. My digital camera does the job and obviously a whole lot better when I need a picture. I binned the camera phone and bought myself a nokia 3100, little brick. Mobiles should only be for making and taking calls, text messages, hammering in nails (for to hang the clear and sharp pictures i took with my digital camera) and for floating in pints of beer. Keep your money.........

flywheel

camera phones - over time as quality and optics evolve they will improve for sure - but you wouldn't find me bringing a current camera phone out to a situation were i'd want quality pictures - but for those 'moments' without a camera or when not needing a quality shot they can prove useful...

here's a thread from earlier in the year which tried to do present comparisons using handsets available at that time (although no megapixel camera phones were used)

there are a couple of megapixel ones from the SE S700i in this thread - will try and put up some from the 6630 when i have some time

FranknFurter

I've owned a LOT of fones........

Best camera quality Iv seen in a phone, tied between the GX20, GX30, and Nokia 7600, (First nokia cam iv used for longer than a week tho, but it is crystal clear, in video as well as capture modes).
All within your price range.

(And believe it or not another great cam & phone (IMHO) was / is the 7650..... god I wish Id kept mine, I miss it so damned much! )

Worst cameras Iv ever seen, The SE P800's camera is abysmal, which is so dissapointing considering the phone is amazing.
The Nokia 3200, *shudder* like looking at a picture taken thru a glass of water.
Any seimans fone, god they are bad.


I reckon your best bet is to go with somthing like the GX30, or one of the upper end nokias.

(for photos, the 7600 is actually damned good, and youve got 50 mins of video recording / mp3's, problem is its shape, if you have big or swollen fingers, forget it (thats why Im swapping mine)..... but im a bit of a gadget freak )

Invader Zim

Buy yourself a Pentax s5i or a Canon Ixux 40 (Ixy 50 in Japan, SD 300US) .

Both tiny cams (90 x 50 x 20 ish)

and then get a decent phone.

elderlemon

A Camera phone is not a replacement for a regular digital camera... yet. The CCD and the optics on the phone are simply not at the same level as digital cameras and until they are the phone quality will always lag. So if you want good photos buy a decent camera.

However, having said all that camera phones are getting better. The resolution is increasing (every 3 months) and we're now up to 1.3mp available with 2mp coming soon and even 5mp announced. So its only a matter of time. What camera phones are good for right now is the odd snap - not something you will treasure for the next 20 years but just something to capture a moment and maybe share for a while. I've taken some ok shots with a 6600 and newer phone models show even better results.