Camera Phones are the Trend of the Future
A phone is not a just a phone anymore, and a camera is not just a camera anymore... the two have merged and become camera phones! A camera phone is typically a cellular phone that has the capability of taking digital photos, storing them, and possibly even e-mailing them if the phone has an internet connection.
The addition of a digital camera to some of the newer model cell phones is a benefit that many have found very useful. Not only is it less bulky to carry a camera phone that has the capability of being either a phone or a camera, but it is also far more convenient to to carry only one device. In addition, a camera phone can come in handy when a person doesn't own a camera or has inadvertently left the camera at home but wants to take a picture.
A Short History Lesson
The first form of commercial camera phone was put on the market in 2000. It was invented just a few years prior, which means it was developed and ready for the public to purchase rather quickly. Sharp Corporation was the first company to launch and offer camera phones, and the phones were first available in Japan.
Now, there are several major companies that manufacture camera phones, such as: Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson. Each manufacturer has several levels of camera phones for sale. The most expensive ones are able to take pictures with higher resolutions -- rivaling some of the best point-and-shoot standalone cameras on the market -- and are made so that taking pictures with the phone does not quickly and completely deplete the battery.
Benefits
Having a camera phone can be a real asset in many situations. For example, people in different professions have been using camera phones to assist them with their jobs. Journalists can use their phones to take pictures and e-mail them to their office, the police can use them to take pictures at crime scenes, and people in the corporate world can use them during business meetings.
Disadvantages
Camera phones can be very beneficial in certain circumstances, but they can also be used for negative reasons. People have been known to use camera phone to secretly take pictures of people who do not want their pictures taken, they've been used to take illegal pictures of copyrighted documents, and they've been brought into locations where cameras are not supposed to be used - such as museums, live shows, and other venues.
Camera phones can be used in various sneaky ways, and some countries have even banned them from being sold. Other countries only allow camera phones to be sold in their countries if the phones come equipped with a device that makes a recognizable "camera sound" every time a picture is taken.
Tips for Using Camera Phones
It is not always as easy to take a great picture using a camera phone as it is using a regular digital camera. As technology advances, it's becoming harder to take bad pictures, but there are still many techniques that can make the quality of pictures better.
- Resolution: Camera phones usually come with different resolution settings, so it's a good idea to set the resolution at the highest possible level. If the phone is set on a low resolution, the pictures will likely come out blurry or very fuzzy. The tradeoff, of course, is larger file sizes for higher resolutions.
- Dark Backgrounds: Remember that most cameras, especially camera phones, will take better pictures if the room or setting is brighter rather than darker.
- Get Up Close: Camera phones tend to take better pictures when they're used at close distances rather than for far away shots. Remember: Too close is not good either, and "digital zoom" actually reduces the quality of your photo.
- Experiment: The best thing about owning a digital camera or a camera phone is that pictures can be erased as quickly as they were taken. With this in mind, it can only lead to better, higher-quality pictures if the camera is used for experimental pictures that can be utilized to figure out how things work.
