My Newest Camera: The HTC Incredible 2

This is the backside of my HTC Incredible 2. The camera lens is in the lower-left corner. Immediately above it are two LED lights that provide "flash" illumination in low light. The slot above the LEDs is the speaker, which you'd use for use the speakerphone feature.

Yeah, I know: It's a phone; specifically, an HTC Incredible 2. It's also a mobile computing device that provides wireless connection to the Internet, either through my provider's 3G network or my broadband connection at home. Depending on which application I launch, it can also be a turn-by-turn GPS navigator, an MP3 player, a video player, a video recorder, a voice recorder, an electronic book reader, and yes, a digital camera. As with most devices of this type, it's not that it does any one of these things exceptionally well, but rather that it can do so many of them well enough to be useful. Keep in mind we're talking about something that measures 120mm x 60mm x 10mm and has a 100mm (4-inch) diagonal screen.

The digital camera part is pretty impressive as these things go. It has 8MP of resolution, auto-focus, face detection, auto-ISO, auto-LED illumination (there's no flash as such), and digital zoom. Exposure, contrast, saturation, and white balance are all adjustable. It automatically geo-tags each photo with your exact longitude and latitude. For those who like visual effects, you can choose the way it renders JPEGs. Among the many rendering options are vignette, shallow depth-of-field, vintage, sepiatone, negative color, and solarize. It even includes a self-timer--although finding a way to aim and secure a smartphone with no tripod mount on a stable surface requires better than average ingenuity.

To switch the phone into camera mode you simply tap a camera icon on the screen. This opens the "camera app," which displays whatever the lens on the back of the camera is aimed at. (There's also a 1.3MP front-facing camera that's designed mainly for video-conferencing. Yes, it does that too.) The camera controls are located along the short sides of the frame. On one side is a scrollbar that controls the digital zoom. Slide your finger up to zoom in, slide it down to zoom out.

On the opposite side of the screen is the shutter button, which looks like the diaphragm of a lens. Tap any place on the screen and that's where the camera will focus. Tap the diaphragm icon to release the shutter, after which you'll hear a "click." The shutter is actually silent, so if you'd rather not hear a click you can simply mute the sound.

As wonderful and convenient as it is to have such an amazingly full-featured camera built into my cellphone, there's no way in hell I'd consider this a substitute for a "real" camera. The only viewfinder is the screen, which washes out in bright light. You have to hold the phone along the edges while keeping your fingers out of the way of the lens, so it's difficult to get a firm grip. There's enough shutter lag that action shots are out of the question (unless of course you're shooting video. As I said, it does that too.) Image noise and compression artifacts are minimal in bright light but atrocious indoors.

Here's an example of what you can expect from a decent cellphone camera. The image is downsized and slightly cropped but otherwise unprocessed.

And yet... On occasions when I'm out and about and either can't take a DSLR with me or don't want to, the camera built into my cellphone is definitely better than no camera at all. It's perfect for visual notetaking. In one snap I can not only record a scene I might later want to revisit, I also record the exact location and time of day. I don't even have to bother with connecting the camera or mini-SD card to my PC to download a photo; I can attach it to an e-mail or text message and send it to whomever wants a copy. Small wonder that smartphones are beginning to displace point-and-shoot digital cameras among snapshooters as their camera of choice. And if you should happen to use one yourself from time to time, trust me, I completely understand.

 

Comments

[David]

GO ANDROID!!!!

[Syed]

Awesome phone, congratulations! Always wanted one of these to replace my BB Torch. I can't help thinking that it may be a little too fragile for my use since I don't tend to "baby" my smartphone, throwing it about here and there in and out of my briefcase. Nevertheless, the huge screen (and resolution) is the real winner here. I might just get one for myself this coming XMas.

[Pat Trent]

I fully agree with your observations. I came to the same conclusions after experimenting with my HTC Thunderbolt. I like having the phone camera available for emergencies, such as photographing the scene of an accident. It's also useful for reminding myself what a potential purchase item looks like.

[Miserere]

I got that very same phone a month ago. It does a lot of things, but I'm still going to buy a camera app to expand its possibilities.

Very nice photo of your kid; I'd be curious to see how it prints as an 8x11.

[Jay]

Awesome phone. I love my HTC. Cameras on them aren't the greatest by any means but they do work well when it is the only camera you have. Enjoy your phone!

[cheap jerseys]

I came to the same conclusions after experimenting with my HTC Thunderbolt. I like having the phone camera available for emergencies, such as photographing the scene of an accident.

[Joe Dasbach]

Did you also compare the iPhone in your decision?

[cheap customized jerseys]

I can't help thinking that it may be a little too fragile for my use since I don't tend to "baby" my smartphone, throwing it about here and there in and out of my briefcase. Nevertheless, the huge screen (and resolution) is the real winner here. I might just get one for myself this coming XMas.

[Cam]

I've got the iPhone 4 and it's so good I've sent some pics to press!!!

[Tim]

Yup, I agree with your approach on all counts. Several of my friends are well into their smartphone photography (iPhone or Android, depending), using Vignette and other suchlike tools for applying effects and styles.
The idea that a mobile (and I have the Desire HD myself, also 8-megapixel territory) might produce a finished work of art is still rather abhorrent, so I prefer to use mine for snapshots, "indications" of what's going off nearby that go onto mobypicture, and noting waypoints.

[led par lights]

It very helpful for me and other people have a cellphone with camera, most especially with LED flash, because I like taking pictures every time I wake in the mornings. I'll be taking pictures with my pregnant wife, so if my baby comes out I'm going to show her my wonderful life we have. Praise GOD and thanks a lot!! Thanks for sharing!!