Will the eight-megapixel monsters kill the digital camera?

Posted: 11 November 2008

A number of camera-focussed mobile phones have begun to emerge that offer the kind of features and specifications that some have suggested could spell the end of some more traditional digital cameras.

Last month Phones 4U was just one retailer that was heralding Sony Ericsson's latest mode, the eight-megapixel C905, as "the death of the digital camera" stating that its arrival marked a significant sea change in the combination of camera and mobile phone.

It was noted that the Sony Ericsson C905 not only boasted a high megapixel count, but also came equipped with a wide selection of "immense" camera features, including auto focus, image stabilisation and a 2.4-inch TFT screen on which to view the results.

"Additional non-standard functions include picture blogging capabilities to Facebook, MySpace, etc, whilst the RSS reader is great for keeping up to date with whatever you want," Phones 4U added.

However it is not just Sony Ericsson which is taking on the digital camera sector with its range of high performance Cyber-shot models. The eight-megapixel announcements have just kept on coming over recent months with most of the major manufacturers attempting to get out a handset that will reign supreme at the top of the cameraphone market.

LG is one such company that has been keen to get in on the act with the LG KC910 Renoir - announcing in early September that the handset was the "first full touchscreen eight-megapixel camera phone" to hit the market. In addition to its touchscreen, the LG KC910 Renoir offers Dolby Mobile for Music, as well as an Assisted GPS function and Wi-Fi connectivity, but it is its photographic abilities that the South Korean company seemed keen to draw attention to at the time of its unveiling.

"Top-of-the-range camera capabilities" were promised, including Schneider-Kreuznach certified optics, a xenon flash, image stabilisation, auto-focus, manual focus, face tracking technology, as well as smile and blink detection - features that are also relatively new to the mainstream digital camera market. The phone also offers video recording at between five and 120 frames per second and supports playback of DivX and Xvid content.

"The LG-KC910 follows the success of the LG Viewty, the brand's multimillion selling camera phone," said Dr Skott Ahn, president and chief executive of LG Electronics' mobile communications division. "LG has once again combined a high-end camera with a full size touchscreen interface to provide the ultimate multimedia experience - in yet another world first device."

Around one month later the company was back with another handset that seemed keen to target the camera-conscious buyer. The LG-KC780 once again boasted an eight-megapixel sensor, Schneider-Kreuznach certified lens, face detection and the firm's Smile Shot feature, but now brought to the table something likely to sweeten the deal. "With Beauty Mode users can remove spots and imperfections on people’s faces, making sure the faces appear bright and clear in photos," the manufacturer said in a statement, adding that the new SmartLight system allowed the LG KC780 to "almost see in the dark with adjustable light sensitivity up to an amazingly high ISO 1600".

"We found that most of the time people use the cameras on their mobile phones to take pictures of themselves, their families, friends and significant others," Dr Ahn said on the announcement of the handset. "With this in mind, LG developed the LG KC780 with a number of face-enhancing features to augment its high quality eight-megapixel camera."

Not to be outdone, however, LG's South Korean neighbour Samsung has also entered the fray with its own eight-megapixel cameraphones. Back in August it had already announced the arrival of the i8510 - also known in some international territories as the Innov8 - billed as "the first eight-megapixel cameraphone to launch in the UK market".

Mark Mitchinson, vice president of Samsung Mobile UK and Ireland, said that the new handset was in keeping with its other high-quality camera-focused phones, but added that the company had raised the bar to create "another milestone in mobile phone technology." The phone is equipped with a 2.8-inch LCD screen, multi-video support, 3D surround sound, Wi-Fi, GPS and has 8GB of internal memory which can be expanded to 16GB via external sources and claims to offer a battery life that would negate the need to worry "about limits on size and time".

This was followed the following month by the similarly-equipped Samsung Pixon, which offered similar features with a 3.2-inch full touch screen user interface, x16 digital zoom, auto-focus, fast-shutter, face detection and geo-tagging as well as an "integrated Photo Browser which allows easy photo sharing and viewing, to compliment the high quality picture capability".

So with Sony Ericsson, LG and Samsung stating their intent to continue to bring the most innovative, up-to-date cameraphones to the UK market, does this really mean that mobiles will now overtake digital cameras? Well, with an already firmly established market for professionals and enthusiasts it would seem unlikely, however, with such high performance models now available, some have argued that casual users should be more than delighted with what is available to them.

Samsung recently reported on one Russian website which had pitted the LG KC910 Renoir against the Samsung Pixon to find which model was most worthy of a consumer's cash and noted "both have eight-megapixel sensors, touchscreen interfaces, autofocus and a flash". Despite it adding that "not all cameraphones are created equal" it was found that both had their own individual qualities which would suit different users. It concludes that for photographic prowess, the LG KC910 Renoir's Schneider-Kreuznach lens and xenon flash outclassed the Pixon, but said that those looking for a model with faster responses and a better user interface may prefer Samsung's model.

Only time will tell if the casual user will choose mobile phones over a standalone, dedicated digital camera, but it could be argued that the quality currently available from some of the leading manufacturers means the decision is becoming ever more difficult.

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