Consumer Reports: Snappy New Camera Technology

Tired of taking lousy photos? One of many new smart phones could snap up your game. Many are coming with incredibly innovative camera features. Consumer Reports says the new technology can help you solve some age-old photo challenges.

For example, it can be really tough to get a good group photo. If just one person is blinking or has a bad expression, it can make or break a photograph. But what if you could get the best take of each person and then combine those into one photo? You can actually do that with some smart-phone cameras.

Here’s how—after snapping a photo, you choose a person and thumb through her poses in the photos you’ve taken. Pick the one you like best, and combine it with the best takes of the other people in the photo. Voila, you’ve got the best picture possible!

Phones such as the Samsung Galaxy Note II, LG Optimus G, and the Nokia Lumia 920 all offer that feature.

The Nokia Lumia 920 also takes care of another problem. If someone ruins your shot by walking in on it, you can remove them. All you have to do is tap on what you don’t want in the photo, and the camera takes it away.

On some smart phones, you can set it to certain words such as “cheese.” And the camera automatically takes the picture. It’s on phones such as the Samsung Galaxy Note II and LG Optimus G.

And ever miss a shot because you didn’t take it fast enough? The LG Optimus G senses when your finger is about to snap a photo and takes multiple shots so that you don’t miss the moment.

Consumer Reports expects to see those innovative features begin to show up on traditional cameras in the coming year. The Samsung Galaxy digital camera already allows you to combine the best takes of each person from multiple photos and combine them into one picture.

Complete Ratings and recommendations on all kinds of products, including appliances, cars & trucks, and electronic gear, are available on Consumer Reports’ website.

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