Top digital camera phones on the market

While the quality isn't nearly as good as a pocket camera or DSLR, there's no denying that camera phones are chasing them. After a LA Times study found that more pictures on the online photo-sharing hub, Flickr, came from the iPhone, it leads one to wonder what kind of pressure this could put on other cameras. Here's a quick look at five popular camera phones. This isn't to say they're the best, but they're certainly up there. Afterwards, vote on your favorite or nominate another.

1. Samsung Memoir T929: The design of the Samsung Memoir T929 would make one assume that it was a camera that featured a phone. Available on T-Mobile USA, the 8-megapixel camera is one of the best (if not the best) on the market, producing photos that would rival most point-and-shoot cameras. It can also upload directly to photo-sharing sites like Flickr and Photobucket, yet there is no Wi-Fi on the phone, just 3G. The Memoir can shoot at seven different resolutions, up to 3,264x2,448, and the user can play around with the advanced settings like ISO, exposure, white balance and color effects. 

2. LG enV Touch: Released earlier this year on Verizon, the LG enV Touch is built with a 3.2-megapixel camera with flash, with the photos visible on the 3-inch touch-screen interface. It also has many of the preset functions common of a point-and-shoot camera, including different white balance, color and focusing modes. There are also a few features special to this camera, including smile detection, panorama, and an auto-airbrushing setting called "Facial Makeover." It can also record video in two resolutions (320x240 or 176x144), and most of the reviews have found the movie quality to be pretty good - for a camera phone. 

3. Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905: AT&T's Sony Ericsson Cyber-shot C905 was built to be a blend of a camera and a phone, not just a phone with a few camera features. The 8.1-megapixel camera includes a slide lens cover with an LED flash above and 16x digital zoom. You can customize the settings on this camera like you would on most other cameras, including resolution (there are four possibilities), color, and white-balance. Special features include red-eye reduction, face detection and scene-specific settings like landscape, beach, etc. It also records video, with quality well-enough for YouTube.

4. Nokia N97: Built with a Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with dual-LED flash, 4x optical zoom and autofocus, the 5-megapixel Nokia N97 is quite the camera. Users can also configure the color tone, light sensitivity, exposure, and geo-tag their photos directly on the phone. And to round things out, it can also shoot MPEG-4 video at 30fps at a 640x480 resolution. Reviewers have found the pictures to be bright and clear, and the video to be about average.

5. Apple iPhone 3GS: You either hate this phone for the hype or love it for all its features and design, but either way, there is no denying that Apple's iPhone is one of the top contenders on the market. Video-capability was finally added to the most recent model, the 3GS, with video-editing software already installed. The 3-megapixel camera also boasts a "Tap to Focus" feature that allows the photographer to adjust focus, color, white balance and contrast. But it still lacks a flash. Thus, outdoor and naturally lit shots come out looking fine, but indoor pictures are usually cloudy and blurry. It is also only available on AT&T (legally), but there is still speculation that Apple is in talks with releasing an upcoming edition with Verizon.

Do you own any of these cameras? What do you think of them? Which camera phones do you think are better than these?

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