Camera phone plays catch-up

The camera phone has brought photo-taking capabilities to many more people, but in terms of picture quality, it still has a way to go.

According to a Gartner Dataquest Insight released in March, feature phones have surpassed the capabilities of many standalone portable devices, resulting in slowing growth rates for media players, navigation devices, and digital still cameras (DSCs).

The report adds, however, that camera phones are not expected to impact the market for digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) and high-end point-and-shoot cameras. This is due to the limitations in image quality, lenses, and optical zoom.

Julien Blin, principal analyst and CEO of JBB Research, says he doesn't see the camera phone replacing the conventional digital camera anytime soon. “Camera phones, in particular mid to low-end handsets, which comprise 70% of the handsets available globally, still have fairly limited storage capabilities.

“Not everybody has a smartphone with advanced features and people don't think about camera phones as devices with capabilities similar to digital cameras,” he states.

Nokia recently commissioned photographer David Bailey to take a series of portrait shots on an 8MP mobile phone. This formed an exhibition called 'Alive at Night', in an attempt to promote the capabilities of the company's new handset, the N86.

However, Chris Fourie, owner of local company Digital Photographers, says current camera phones cannot compete with their DSC counterparts, as the quality of the end result doesn't match up.

“I do not believe the camera phone will ever replace the conventional digital camera, even on a consumer basis. As far as a camera phone is concerned, due to the size limitations and the lens quality in comparison to any conventional or DSLR camera, it is a gimmick.”

There is still a long way to go before camera phones cannibalise the digital camera.

Julien Blin, principal analyst and CEO, JBB Research

According to the Dataquest study, the performance gap between camera phones and point-and-shoot DSCs has narrowed. ”Many high-end targeted camera phones use the same size image sensors, with the same pixel size, as point-and-shoot cameras. They also have dedicated image processors, though typically not the same as those found in standalone cameras,” it states.

It adds, however, that there are tradeoffs when trying to integrate a high-quality camera into a mobile phone. Fourie says some of the major limitations in camera phones involve the lens and size of the digital sensor.

“To maintain and achieve high-quality photos requires good glass (lenses), and I cannot see that the size of the camera phone lens will ever achieve the same results and speed of today's SLR lenses,” he argues.

Blin notes that camera phone makers face a key challenge: improving the megapixels, zoom capabilities, and most importantly, the storage capacity of camera phones. “This is an issue as people care about the form factor - they want smaller devices.”

Tuong Nguyen, principal analyst of mobile devices, technology and service provider research at Gartner, says the initial focus on megapixels has shifted. “More recently, instead of simply increasing megapixels, companies are trying to improve picture quality through better lenses, image stabilisation, and more advanced flash capabilities, so photos can be taken in various light conditions.”

He adds that while handset manufacturers are trying to incorporate capabilities similar to a standard camera, they also have to integrate a number of other features, including the phone's actual calling functions, GPS, and connectivity, which all compete for real estate on the device itself.

“This while keeping the handset fairly compact and the price down - it's a balance between what the consumer wants and adding a more robust camera to the phone,” notes Nguyen.

Nguyen points out that a lot more people are likely to be carrying their phone with them than a full-feature camera. “While not everyone can afford a digital camera, the mobile phone has got to a point where most people have one, and a camera is now almost standard.”

He adds that convenience, functionality, and availability are all driving factors in the uptake of camera phones. “They offer the ability to mail photos to a Web site, or send it to friends instantly, instead of having to go home and upload them to a PC first.”

Blin says convergence and mobile connectivity play a critical role in the user uptake of camera phones. “All those little features, geo-tagging, picture uploading software, and so on - help improve the user experience.

“There is a growing appetite for social networking and mobile blogging applications like Facebook and MySpace, and more and more users are using those apps on their cellphones.”

Nguyen notes that the device allows people to share what they're seeing and makes the experience more immediate. ”Before, this was limited to a few people who had a camera or venue to share photos; now anyone with a camera phone is able to disseminate images.”

”There is still a long way to go before camera phones cannibalise the digital camera,” says Blin. He adds that digital cameras will be able to compete more with cellphones in future, as they become wirelessly connected.

“In the next few years, people will be able to send out their pictures directly to their blog or e-mail from their digital camera, once 4G networks become widely available.”

While sceptical about its tech credentials, Fourie does believe the emergence of camera phones has made a huge impact on the actual taking of photos.

“It has brought the camera in digital format to the masses, and changed the photographic culture in a very positive manner. More people are now aware of the sheer pleasure of taking a photo of a passing moment.”