Best camera phones in India

Nokia Lumia 1020

Credit : Engadget

The camera's 41-megapixel sensor is undoubtedly the Lumia 1020's major selling point. The combination of the wide-angle lens, f/2.2 aperture, very effective built-in image stabilizer and maximum ISO speed of 4000 makes this smartphone better suited to hand-held low-light photography than most other comparable devices. The Lumia 1020 offers a built-in, lens-based image stabilisation system that Nokia claims offers a 3-stop advantage compared to smartphones with no anti-shake. In practice we could hand-hold the Lumia 1020 in fairly dark conditions and still get sharp results for both stills and video without resorting to using the rather ineffective built-in flash.

You can digitally zoom the lens by 3x by swiping up and down on the screen - we'd recommend that you forget this feature, though, as zooming in does degrade the picture quality slightly, despite the claims that it's a lossless zoom, and its also only applied to the image at 5 megapixels, rather than the highest resolution of 38 megapixels. The lens has a minimum focus range of 15cm, not bad, but not really good enough for macro shots.

Apple iPhone 5S

Credit : iMore

The iPhone 5S' improved camera is probably its biggest selling point. Cameras are no longer afterthoughts on smartphones: they're becoming the most important feature, for many, as they slowly but surely replace point-and-shoot cameras.

If you're getting a new iPhone for its camera, get the 5S. A suite of new and useful upgrades help make the already-good iPhone 5 camera into something even better...but, in a landscape riddled with increasingly impressive phone cameras, the iPhone stands out a little less than before.

Unlike many megapixel-packing smartphones, the iPhone 5S camera stays at 8 megapixels, the same on paper as last year and even the year before. The sensor, as Apple will proclaim, however, is 15 percent larger: the pixels are physically bigger (1.5 microns), even if there are the same number of them. The camera's aperture is larger (f/2.2). All of these elements add up to better low-light exposure.

Newer A7-driven processing also enables true burst-mode shooting: hold down the shutter button and you'll snag as many shots as you desire. The iPhone 5 could take multiple shots with quick taps, but the iPhone 5S can capture rapid-motion activities like sports events (or, in my household, random baby tricks). Instead of spamming your Camera Roll with identical-looking images, the new iOS 7 camera app cleverly bundles them in a subfolder, and even autopicks what it considers the best shots. This decision is based on image crispness and other factors; you can pick your own favorites easily, and delete the rest at the touch of a button.

Samsung Galaxy S4

Credit : Cnet

The Samsung Galaxy S4 camera is a big upgrade over other sensors it has put into phones, and with a 13MP sensor you can see why. It is capable of taking some stunning photos and comes with a decent auto mode, which enables you to get really great shots no matter what the framing. In terms of camera features, the Galaxy S4 comes with a whole bunch of new shooting modes like Drama mode, Animated Photo, Eraser, Dual Shot. Panorama Mode, Rich Tone (HDR) to name a few.

HTC One

Credit : Techno Buffalo

A big change on the HTC One is the camera: it's 'only' a 4MP sensor. It should be put into context though: the camera has a smaller sensor but much larger pixels to capture 300 per cent more light than traditional imaging sensors, and therefore more data, to make your pictures look that much better on the go. It comes with a fast F2.0 lens but also offers an optical image stabilization system. The HTC's camera menu is quite comprehensive for a smartphone, but we would prefer some of the options, for example exposure compensation and ISO, to be more accessible. It's also worth mentioning that the latter option is only of limited value as the HTC One, like most smartphones, does not display shutter speeds.

Nokia Lumia 925

Credit : Fonearena

Nokia Lumia 925 has an 8.7-megapixel lens with PureView processing algorithms.

Instead of the 928's Xenon bulb, the 925 returns to LED flash; two of them, in fact. This time around there's a sixth lens in the Carl Zeiss optical assembly, which Nokia says will take clearer daytime shots. In addition, you have a backside-illuminated image sensor, autofocus, and 4x digital zoom.

The camera app is pretty plain by default, but like all Nokia phones, it includes lenses for panorama and Nokia Smart Cam, which adds a load of effects you also see on top Android phones. You'll be able to edit photos as well.