Camera phone

A camera phone is a mobile phone that can take photographs and often record video with a built-in digital camera. It can also send these pictures and videos over the air. The first phone with a color camera was the Kyocera Visual Phone VP-210, released in Japan in May 1999. At first, cameras in phones were special extras, but since the 2010s, they have become a main reason people buy new phones.

Camera phone clamped to a tripod

Most camera phones are smaller and simpler than stand-alone cameras. With the rise of smartphones, camera phones became very popular. Sales of small separate cameras, called point-and-shoot cameras, peaked around 2010 and then fell. Smartphone cameras keep getting better, offering many useful features along with the phone’s other abilities.

Modern smartphones usually have an easy way to start the camera and take pictures. Some phones even have a special button to make taking photos faster. Camera phones are liked because they cost less and are easy to carry. Many can add extra features using mobile applications, like showing where a photo was taken or combining several photos together. Even though they may not have all the controls of a separate camera, they offer many great tools for taking pictures and videos.

Technology

Samsung Galaxy S5 camera module, with floating element group suspended by ceramic bearings and a small magnet

Mobile phone cameras use special sensors to take pictures. These sensors help the phone capture images even when it is not very bright, but they do not always work as well as regular cameras in very dim light. Most phone cameras cannot zoom in as much as regular cameras and might not have features like a built-in flash or a slot for extra memory cards.

Phones can also record videos and share them quickly using wireless connections. Over time, phone cameras have gotten better, with improvements like better picture quality and the ability to record in high definition. Some phones have special lenses to help zoom in or capture more detail, but they still cannot do everything that standalone cameras can.

Software

You can use software that comes with the camera or get new software. The software that comes with the camera works best with it, but new software might have more features.

The screen usually shows a button to take pictures, a small picture of the last photo, and icons that show things like how bright the picture will be and how much battery is left. Some phones let you change these settings easily.

In 2013, Apple changed how the screen looked for taking pictures, and many other companies used this style later. This new style has a round button for taking pictures and separate options for photos and videos.

Some phones let you use the volume keys to take pictures or videos, and you can usually tap on the screen to focus on something. The phone might also let you take many pictures very quickly.

The screen might show how many pictures you can still take before the phone’s storage is full.

Some newer and more expensive phones let you control things like how bright the picture will be.

When recording video, you might still be able to take pictures, and some phones let you change settings while you’re recording.

Some phones can only record for a certain amount of time before they stop.

"Slow motion" video might play back at normal speed or slower, depending on the phone.

Settings for the camera might show up on the screen while you’re taking pictures or might be on a separate menu. On Apple phones, some settings are in a different part of the phone’s settings.

Phones can usually take pictures and videos in different sizes, and some can zoom in digitally without losing quality.

Photos and videos are usually saved in a special folder called DCIM/ inside the phone’s memory, and they are named with numbers or dates. Some phones can also save them on a special card or a USB drive.

Photos are usually saved as JPEG files. Since around 2015, some high-end camera phones can save photos in other formats like RAW, HDR, and "Bokeh" mode. Phones with Android 5.0 or later can install apps that add these features.

Since 2013, some phones can take pictures and videos from both the front and back cameras at the same time.

Voice commands to take pictures were first added in 2012 on some Samsung phones, and some phones can take a picture after counting down from a hand gesture.

Some phones let you lock the screen to prevent accidentally leaving the camera or changing settings while recording or keeping the phone in your pocket.

Some phones can take a picture or start recording video as soon as you open the camera.

Since the mid-2010s, some phones can add a short video to a photo. Apple calls this a “live photo,” and Samsung calls it a “motion photo.”

Some phones have a “night mode” for low-light conditions. The camera takes several pictures in quick succession and picks the one that looks the clearest. The screen might ask you to hold the phone still for a few seconds to get a better picture.

History

The J-SH04, developed by Sharp and released by J-Phone in 2000, was the first mass-market camera phone.

A camera phone is a mobile phone with a built-in camera for taking pictures and recording video. It started with simple devices that could send images wirelessly. The first commercial phone with a color camera was the Kyocera Visual Phone VP-210, released in Japan in May 1999.

Early camera phones used different types of sensors and technology. Over time, these phones became smaller, more powerful, and easier to use. By the early 2000s, many phones around the world included cameras. Today, almost all mobile phones have built-in cameras, even very basic ones. Modern camera phones can take high-resolution pictures and record high-quality video.

Manufacturers

Some big companies make cameras for phones. They are Sony, Toshiba, ST Micro, Sharp, Omnivision, and Aptina. Aptina is now part of ON Semiconductor. These companies help make the cameras in many mobile phones.

Social impact

Camera as an interaction device

Smartphone cameras can scan special codes called QR codes. These codes link to websites or other digital content through a URL. Cameras can also help recognize objects by looking at images and using visual markers with image analysis. For example, this can help estimate where the phone is to create a real-time overlay for a 3D paper globe.

Some smartphones can add an augmented reality layer. They recognize objects using simple object recognition methods, along with GPS and a compass. They can even translate text from other languages. Auto-geotagging shows where a photo was taken, helping people interact and compare photos. Most phones have a front-facing camera for taking self-portraiture (coll. selfies), video blogging (vlogging), and video conferencing. Usually, the front camera is smaller and lower quality than the rear camera, though some phones like the HTC One M8 have a higher resolution front camera.

Laws

Main articles: Photography and the law and Legality of recording by civilians

When people began using camera phones, it made people think about rules for taking photos in public and private places. The same rules that apply to regular cameras also apply to camera phones. It’s difficult to stop people from using camera phones because they are small, easy to hide, and many places can’t ban them without affecting free speech and news reporting.

Some places, like the Pentagon, courts, museums, schools, theaters, and fitness clubs, sometimes say you can’t use camera phones because of privacy or security concerns. For example, Saudi Arabia once stopped selling camera phones for a while but later allowed them again.

Notable events involving camera phones

Camera phones have helped us see big news events. During the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, many of the first pictures and videos were taken by everyday people with their camera phones, not just news crews. These pictures helped everyone learn what was happening very fast.

Since then, camera phones have recorded many important moments, like protests and big events. They let people share what they see right away, helping others know what is happening around the world.

Camera phone photography

Taking photos with phone cameras has become very popular. This kind of photography is sometimes called iPhoneography, even if it’s not done with an iPhone, because many people use smartphones to take and share pictures. The iPhone and its App Store made it easier by offering many tools for taking, editing, and sharing photos.

The first gallery show with only iPhone photos opened in June 30, 2010, in Berkeley, California. After that, some photographers used phone cameras for their work, showing that phone photos can be just as powerful as those taken with regular cameras.

Camera phone filmmaking

Smartphones with video cameras have become popular for making videos. Filmmakers like these devices because they are small, easy to carry, and keep getting better with new technology.

Today, filmmakers all over the world use mobile phones to record videos. Early examples include New Love Meetings from 2005, a documentary from the Netherlands, and Why Didn't Anybody Tell Me It Would Become This Bad in Afghanistan from 2007, the first story film made with a mobile phone. Other early films are SMS Sugar Man from 2008 from South Africa, and Veenavaadanam from 2008, the first Indian documentary film in the Malayalam language.

Some well-known films have used high-quality smartphones as their main camera. Examples include Hooked Up from Spain in 2013, Tangerine from the United States in 2015, and High Flying Bird from the United States in 2019. These films show how mobile phones can make exciting and professional-looking videos.