The Best Smartphone Cameras

Every smartphone – and even most basic phones – can take photos, but how many of them can take good photos? Of course, the quality of any given photo has a lot to do with the available light and the skill of the photographer, but a lot also depends on the equipment, and in this regard not every phone is built the same.

While it used to be all about how many megapixels you could cram into a phone, there has been a growing recognition by smartphone manufacturers that more needed to be done to help users prepare to take a good photo, and also edit and share a photo once a subject has been successfully captured. With these important factors in mind, several recent smartphones have separated themselves from the pack with well-earned reputations for photographic excellence.

Here are four Verizon smartphones that will make you want to leave that stand-alone camera at home:

Droid Bionic

The Droid Bionic continues Motorola’s well-earned reputation for producing some of the best smartphone cameras and video recorders. The 8.0 megapixel camera includes an 8x zoom, automatic focus and LED flash. The editing tools include cropping, geo-tagging, color enhancement, resizing, and special effects.

HTC Rezound

The HTC Rezound was built for high-definition entertainment and that includes the camera. The 8.0 megapixel rear facing camera captures high-quality stills and 1080p HD video, and includes fun effects like slow motion recording. It also has a low light feature, which helps you take better night shots, and instant capture, panorama and burst modes to make sure nothing is missed. A full suite of photo editing and share features rounds off one of the top smartphone cameras on the market.

Samsung Galaxy S III

OK – I know it’s cheating to include a smartphone that isn’t even available yet, but by all accounts the highly-anticipated Samsung Galaxy S III will be on a lot of “best smartphone camera” lists when it hits Verizon’s stores early next month. The many helpful features include zero shutter lag and a one-touch burst mode, which will automatically take 8 photos and instantly show you which one is the best. Also included is high level integration with your address book, so the Galaxy S III can face-tag pictures and prompt you to share them with the tagged person using the instant Buddy Share feature.

iPhone 4S

The iPhone went from having just an OK camera on the iPhone 4 to having what might be the best smartphone camera on the market with the iPhone 4S. The 8.0 megapixels and advanced optics on the 4S deliver stunning images, even in low light situations. Face detection, grid lines for better composition, and a full suite of photo editing tools add to the impression that you are using a top-flight camera rather than a smartphone.