News

New study assesses the future of camera-phones

April 21, 2005

DUBLIN, Ireland - A new study from Research and Markets looks at the potential in the emerging market for camera-phones.

According to a news release, the purpose of the 40-page study was to determine if currently available camera-phones are capable of delivering acceptable consumer prints and to assess how the images produced measure up to those produced by the most popular standalone consumer cameras. Prints from images obtained by camera-phones with resolutions of 640 x 480 (two models), one megapixel, and two megapixels were compared to those from a single use film camera, a single use digital camera, and digital point-and-shoot cameras of one-, two- and three-megapixel resolution.

Six test subjects, representative of standard consumer photo activities, were photographed: a house in full sunlight, an interior shop display, an outdoor portrait in bright open shade, an indoor portrait, a close-up of small objects, and an antique spice rack in dim interior lighting.

Standard consumer 4 x 6-inch borderless glossy prints of all 54 test shots were made using three different methods:

• a home inkjet printer;
• thermo-autochrome equipment at a corner drug store kiosk; and
• an online service that uses a silver halide-based process.

The prints from these various sources were used as the basis for the evaluation of the results.