Today, most of the people own camera phones, even though they don't know the advance features and potential of the camera on the phone. All they care about is how many megapixels the camera has, without even understanding that a 2 megapixel camera can sometimes take better quality images than a 5 megapixel camera. Then there are other features to look for that can help you in taking better snaps with your phone. The screen size plays an important role as it is your viewfinder and a larger screen surely helps in getting a better view of the frame you are clicking. Another thing to take care is the screen's display resolution, all the latest phones come with a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels which is good enough, but there are phones with poorer resolution also which would make a decent picture seem pixilated and blurred. Then, you should also check how long the camera takes to startup, how long it takes to save an images as well as how well the camera lens is protected. In terms of advanced features, you should look at what extra settings are available; does it have red-eye reduction, white balance adjustment, effects, ISO sensitivity, shooting modes, timer as well as on the fly images editing.  | Camera phones just don't take imagess; they are also capable of recording videos. So in case, the major requirement is also of shooting videos then it should be checked if the camera records video at VGA (640 x480 pixels), QVGA (320 x240 pixels), CIF (352 x 288 pixels) or at QCIF (176 x 144 pixels). Then the time duration of a single recording, voice in video, and time taken to save a clip should also be taken into account before taking a decision. Now, if you go to the market to buy a camera phone today, you will easily find over a 100 phones of different brands sporting cameras and claiming to be the best. So, we sorted through the mess for you. These 25 phones on the next few pages are those that, we believe, have the best overall package; a good camera, good looks and the right mix of extra features and overall specifictions to give you good value for money spent.  |  | LG KG920
Rs 19,500This phone is the contender for the 5 MP camera crown from LG. It snaps imagess at a resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels and records videos in QVGA resolution at 30fps. Its camera lens is protected by a mechanical cover. The phone has a strobe flash to assist in the dark. The strobe flash is better than an LED flash, but not as good as a Xenon flash. In terms of response time, the phone's camera interface is quite slow, even though it is capable of taking decent quality imagess. | MotoRAZR2V8
Rs 17,500The much awaited sequel to the original RAZR,the RAZR2 has a 2 MP camera that again suffers from the same QCIF video recording feature. The phone doesn't has any type of flash to support the camera. The camera however takes good imagess even though it lacks flash and doesn't have any autofocus. The phone's interface is also quite fast. |  |  | LG KE970 Shine
Rs 12,900 This sleek slider has a 2 MP camera with autofocus that snaps imagess at 1600 x 1200 pixles and records videos in QCIF resolution. It has a LED flash that is effective in low range only. However the images quality is above average. The camera doesn't have any protective cover on it and suffers from the slow interface problem. Sadly it doesnt have any night mode also. | Moto ROKR E6
Rs 11,200 The ROKR E6 has a 2 MP camera that records videos in CIF resolution. It lacks any type of flash to aid in taking pictures in dark. it also lacks any protective cover making the lens prone to dust and scratches. The camera is just average, but in terms of startup and processing the interface of the camera is quick. Plus, it gives the option to use it as a webcam also. |  |  | Moto ROKR Z6
Rs 10,500The Z6 slider features a 2 MP camera that performs very well and takes above-average snapshots. Sadly, it records videos only in QCIF resolution. Like all the other Motorola phones mentioned, the Z6 also lacks any protective lens cover. It does feature a LED flash that helps to some extent in taking imagess in low light conditions. The Linux based UI is fast and so is the camera response time. | Nokia E90
Rs 35,000 The latest communicator from Nokia came out after a long gap, but proved to be worth the wait. It features a 3.2 MP autofocus camera that takes imagess at a resolution of 2048x1536 pixels.It also has a bright LED flash but does not have a camera cover. The camera also captures video in VGA resolution at 30fps.The features almost every setting possible from red eye reduction to ISO settings to exposure compensation as well as sequence modes. As it uses Symbian UI, the response time is a bit slow. |  |  |
Nokia E61i
Rs 17,000 The E61i is an upgrade to the E61 and comes with a 2 MP camera that records videos in CIF resolution at 15fps. As it is a more business class phone, the camera is simple and provides basic options such as night mode, timer and white balance. Again the Symbian OS leads to slow response time. | Nokia N70 Music
Edition
Rs 11,000 The N70 was the first N series phone by Nokia. N70 Music edition is just an N70 with black housing. It features a 2 MP camera with Carl Zeiss optics with fixed focus. It records videos at CIF resolution and has a slider cover at the back to protect the camera lens.The phone's camera startup time is slow, but the processig time is compartively faster. |  |  |
Nokia N80
Rs 14,000 The N80 features a 3.15 MP fixed focus camera. Even though there is no autofocus the camera takes above average snapshots in daylight. It comes with an LED flash and it records videos in CIF resolution. The phone lacks any camera cover, but the camera has options to set exposure, contrast, timer, and shooting modes. | Nokia N73 Music Edition
Rs 15,500 Featuring one of the best 3.2 MP cameras with autofocus and Carl Zeiss optics, this phone records videos in CIF resolution at 30fps. It features Carl Zeiss optics and a mechanical shutter (better for low light). It has a slider cover that protects the camera lens and the flash. The flash is bright and works great in low light. The startup time of the camera is around 5 - 7 seconds and it takes 3 - 4 seconds to save an images. |  |  |
Nokia N93i
Rs 26,700This shiny clamshell from Nokia features a 3.2 MP autofocus camera. It is the only phone available that provides 3X optical zoom! Oriented more towards video recording, the N93i records videos in VGA resolution at 30fps and resembles a sleek camcorder, when shooting mode is activated. It features Carl Zeiss optics and takes average imagess but good video. It also has a bright LED flash integrated, but sadly it suffers from high noise levels when zoom is used. | Nokia N95
Rs 25,500 The first phone to come with a 5 MP autofocus camera. The N95 snaps imagess at a resolution of 2592 x 1944 pixels and features Carl Zeiss optics. It has an LED Flash and records videos in VGA resolution at 30 fps. The camera response time is slow and it takes around 6 -7 seconds to fire the camera up and another 5 seconds to process the images and save it. The phone offers a plethora of setting options ranging from Exposure, ISO, color nuances, contrast to shooting modes and timer. |  |  |
Nokia 5700
Rs 11,200 Nokia 5700 belongs to the Xpress music series of phones from Nokia, which is more music oriented. Even then, the 2 MP camera in the 5700 performs upto the mark. It records video in QVGA resolution and takes decent still imagess. It also has a LED flash and provides option to set panorama, night mode, sequence, white balance, and color effects. | Nokia 6233
Rs 8,200 This Series 40 phone features a 2 MP camera with fixed macro focus in a simple and elegant candy bar design. Although the images quality of the phone is just average and it does not feature any type of flash, the phone scores on its capability of recording videos in VGA resolution at 30 fps. The camera is placed in the centre and does not have any cover making it extremely prone to fingerprints.Its UI is faster than its Series 60 counterparts in both navigation as well as camera operations. |  |  |
Samsung D900i
Rs 12,500 The D900 from Samsung has a 3.15 MP camera with autofocus. It records videos in CIF resolution and has a weak LED flash. The camera is fast, it takes just around 3 seconds to capture an images and process it, however if we compare with the N73 or K790i, the camera still falls short-but only slightly. You can adjust exposure compensation, ISO sensitivity levels, white balance as well as the degree of images compression. | Samsung E840
Rs 9,700 The E840 belongs to Samsung's metallic series and features a 2 MP camera in a stylish slider form factor. The camera is good under most conditions and even though it provides options to optimize the white balance and ISO, there is no flash. It takes videos in CIF resolution. The phone also provides option of burst mode where multiple imagess are taken at a quick speed, but the larger number of imagess you choose, the smaller is the images size. |  |  |
Samsung U600
Rs 13,500 The U600 is one of the latest phones from Samsung to arrive in India. It features a 3.2 MP camera with flash and though the addition of a flash helps to a certain extent while taking imagess in low light, the phone still doesn't stand up in comparison to the images quality standards of the N73/K790i. It records videos in CIF resolution and allow for setting of picture size, shooting mode, color effects, white balance, and ISO. | Samsung P310
Rs 16,500 This credit-card sized phone features a 2 MP camera with flash that is capable of taking good quality imagess even though it lacks autofocus. The camera records videos in CIF resolution. The little phone provides white balance, exposure compensation as well as ISO settings. The images editor allows for addition of frames as well as color effects. |  |  | Sony Ericsson K550i
Rs 8,200 The K550i has a 2 MP camera with autofocus and belongs to the CyberShot series. However, it doesn't have a Xenon flash like its other CyberShot counterparts. it records videos in QCIF resolution and has dual LED flash that is very bright. Additionally it offers night mode, timer, burst shooting and white balance correction. It also has a sliding cover to protect the lens from any accidental fingerprint and scratches | Sony Ericsson K750i
Rs 8,000 This was the phone that set the standards for camera phones and is still a great buy. It's 2 MP with autofocus takes amazing imagess, and at times even better than some 3MP/5MP cameras. It records videos at QCIF resolution and comes with a slide cover for the camera lens. The LED flash is powerful and works great in macro mode.In terms of speed, it just takes around 3 seconds to take and process an images. |  |  | Sony Ericsson K790i
Rs 12,700The K790i features a 3.2MP autofocus camera, however the major advantage that this phone has, is the incorporated Xenon flash. Sadly, it records video in the ancient QCIF format, even though it with an images stabilizer for the video recording. It offers a BestPic mode which is extremly impressive and takes 9 shots in one go. It also has an active slot cover for the camera lens. | Sony Ericsson K810i
Rs 15,100 The K810i is an upgrade over K790i. It features the same CyberShot 3.2 MP camera and xenon flash alongwith camera shortcut keys with dedicated lights that light up when the camera is in use. It is slimmer than its predecessor, especially the camera lens cover, has a diffrent keypad design and features 3G, which was absent in the K790i. |  |  | Sony Ericsson K850i
Price TBAEven though it's not available in the market as yet, the K850i cannot be left behind. It features a 5 MP camera with autofocus and Xenon Flash. It also has a 3 LED video light with an auto-lens cover and it boasts of Sony's proprietary CyberShot technology. It records videos at QVGA resolution at 30fps and provides settings for scenes, picture size, focus, flash, self-timer, ISO, metering mode, white balance, and effects. | Sony Ericsson P1i
Rs 20,000 The latest in the P series from Sony Ericsson, the P1i features a 3.15 MP camera with autofocus. It records videos at QVGA resolution at 15fps and comes with a bright single LED flash. The camera has a full automatic exposure control as well as manual overexposure controls and white balance, focus settings. |  | Sony Ericsson W960i
Price TBA This is the phone that I am eagerly waiting for. The W960 features a 3.15 MP camera with autofocus. It records video in QVGA resolution at 15fps and has dual LED flash. It offers exposure controls, white balance, dedicated macro mode, color effects as well as mutli shoot modes. Sadly, there is no BestPic mode which would have been a great addition. |  |
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