A Look At The Camera Facility On The Feature Packed Samsung Galaxy S2

By Author: Emma Rosher
Total Articles: 195
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When taking a close look at the new Samsung Galaxy S2 mobile handset there are numerous excellent features on which we can focus attention. With nearly every review of this phone highlighting the quality of the phones processor and screen I thought we should take a closer look at the devices built in digital camera. These are often facilities we all use but pay very little attention to just how good they are. So asides from the usual flash and autofocus, what camera features does this phone boast that set it apart from many of its rivals?

The handset incorporates two different cameras, one front facing unit that is ideal for conducting video calls and a second rear mounted camera that for the purposes of this review we shall label as the main camera. I will not write to much about the resolution of the unit as that seems to be an area that many people seem overly obsessed with, but suffice to say at 8 million pixels it is one of the higher specification phone cameras on the market. When you first activate the camera facility you can access a menu that presents you with many options. Asides from the familiar flash ...
... modes there is the option to select the shooting mode in which you wish to take the photograph. This gives you several options of preset modes that are optimised for specific shots. An example of this is the Smile Shot mode which does not take the shot the minute you press the shutter but instead waits for the subjects to actually smile before capturing the image. Another great shooting mode that is available is the Panorama which takes a sequence of eight snaps whilst you are moving in one direction. The phone then analyses the pictures and stitches them together to create one very wide angle shot. This is perfect if there is an expansive scenery shot you want to capture or a crowd scene such as a football match or a concert.

The most important thing to remember about the camera function on the Samsung Galaxy S2 is that it really is up to the user exactly how much or how little control they have. Most users will inevitably leave the settings on auto to capture moments they may otherwise have missed. Should you want to get a little bit more professional however the phone offers comprehensive manual controls that are on a par with many stand alone digital still cameras. There are four ISO settings to choose from as well as the automatic function which determines how sensitive the sensor is to the amount of light that is present. The higher the rating means photographs taken in really low light are captured with more quality. If you want to get yourself in the snap and there is nobody around to take the photograph for you then the handy timer mode gives you either 2, 5 or 10 seconds to get yourself into the frame whilst there are also several white balance settings to help you achieve the perfect shot.

These are just some of the functions that make the camera facility just one of the many special features that can be found on the Samsung Galaxy S2. The model looks set to recreate the success that the original model enjoyed and it looks the best equipped phone to rival the esteemed iPhone 4.

The Samsung Galaxy S2 and the Samsung Tocco Icon are available now.