Camera Phones

In his book "Get Seen", Steve Garfield makes the point that you don't always need expensive kit to make video for YouTube. He's used a wide range of cameras, including a "flip" camera and a Nokia N95 phone on various occasions.

I've been looking at upgrading my mobile for some time now. I've never been a fan of Apple products. For some reason, every time I've used them, it's been a disaster. So I really didn't want to move to an iPhone (despite what so many people tell me). I'm not that interested in all the apps. I want a phone that does the basics well and then does some other key functions superbly as well.

That's how I've ended up with a Sony Ericsson Vivaz. It's a smart phone. It synchs easily with Outlook. I have unlimited Internet access on the account (almost as fast as my land line!!). But what REALLY caught my attention was the camera. It's 8Mp for a start and, with video, shoots in High Definition. The stills function also has a trick I haven't seen often before -- the ability to take panoramic shots. Just point the camera at the starting point and snap. Move around to the next point and the camera vibrates to tell you to stop -- it then takes that frame automatically. Move on to a third image. It takes that and then stitches all three together.

I'm going to play with this new toy in the coming days and will show the results here or on YouTube.