#TechTip: while nothing can really replace the quality of a good camera, using your smartphone will capture those candid moments
Some phones, like the new Nokia Lumia 1020 have bridged that gap by including a 41MP sensor in the phone for stunning pictures. Apple has also talked at great length about how good quality the iPhone’s camera is, but it doesn’t come close to the 41MP of the Nokia model. Perhaps something to put on that Christmas wish list is a new camera phone.
When most of us think back to our childhoods, many of the memories that pop up are around the holidays. This may be due in part to the many photographs that were taken and those images tend to stick in our minds. There will be no shortage of pictures taken this year as everyone gathers together, opening presents, preparing dinners and celebrating the holidays.
Good quality cameras have made significant improvements in features and size over the last decade. Traditionally the best pictures have come from Digital SLR cameras, but smaller point and shoots have come a long way. But while these cameras can produce some amazing pictures, they don’t tend to be with you at every moment during the holidays. This means you could miss that great candid shot. There is where you smartphone can save that special memory.
While not at the same quality as regular cameras, Smartphone cameras have also come a long way. The average camera quality on a smartphone is about 8MP in image quality. This is on par with your typical point and shoot camera. The one major difference between the two is the optics. A camera phone, even with the best optics, would have trouble rivaling a decent point and shoot camera, and most definitely can’t be compared with a Digital SLR camera. But for the quality that you would lose, to be able to get that image for posterity is worth the trade off.
Some phones, like the new Nokia Lumia 1020 have bridged that gap by including a 41MP sensor in the phone for stunning pictures. Apple has also talked at great length about how good quality the iPhone’s camera is, but it doesn’t come close to the 41MP of the Nokia model. Perhaps something to put on that Christmas wish list is a new camera phone.Now that you have cameras to cover everything, where do you store all the pictures? There are lots of online photo sharing sites like Flickr. com and Google Photo, (Formerly Picasa) plus sites like Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and many others. Try and find one area, either online or on a computer, to store all your photographs for easy sorting later.
I use Google Photos on Google+ because it syncs up all the photos I take with my Smartphone immediately. I also have an Eye-Fi digital storage card for my camera which also uploads my photos in real time to Google for sorting. If you haven’t heard of Eye-Fi, you should check out their products. Built in to your Standard SD card is a WiFi chip which connects to your wireless network and sends the pictures you take to an online storage site where you can transfer them to an online portal. Makes it quick and easy to get your pictures and start sorting them.
This holiday, take lots of pictures and enjoy the company of those around you. Who knows, many years from now, those candid camera phone shots may be some of your best memories.
I keep you connected 