Camera phones have really come a long way. It didn’t seem more than just 2-3 years past when the pictures you got out of most camera phones were routinely out-of-focus, badly exposed and so full of noise grain that they were only usable if you shrunk the image to pint-size, i.e. for web use only. The iPhone 4S apparently has a pretty good built-in camera, as does the Galaxy Note. In fact, I’ve found myself taking a lot of camera phone pictures of Hannah since picking up this gargantuan phone.
The phone supports customization, including a variety of both shooting and scene modes, exposure compensation, and adjustable aspect ratios, white balance and ISO. The lens itself is wide too at 28mm, and the out-of-camera JPGs, especially in good light, are pleasing.
It’s not perfect though. The camera sensor is – by my guess – where entry-level compact camera sensors are, but still not anywhere near the upper range compact cameras (e.g. the Olympus XZ-1) nor mirrorless cameras and certainly not DSLRs. The camera’s multitude of customization options are also accessible via touchscreen menus, and there’s the inevitable lag when you bring them up. Lastly, the Note lacks a dedicated shutter-release button. Normally this wouldn’t be too much of a problem… except that the Note’s a large camera, which means your fingers need to stretch quite a bit to press the Home key to release the shuttle.
OK; time for samples! All the pictures were taken in available light:
Hannah looks so tall!! Kids sure grow fast :)
Hi Lisa,
We think that Hannah is rather tall for her age. Or perhaps she was over-nourished??? Hee hee.