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Smart phones nowadays have replaced almost every portable device we used to carry separately just a decade ago. Besides the phone part itself, they now include mp3 and video players, a lot of storage space, full web browsers, GPS navigators which can even replace the dedicated in-car models, cameras and a lot of other stuff.

But the technology is not yet as good as to replicate all the features and quality of those devices separately. So, if you need 200GB of space, a big display or a GPS receiver with a higher transmission power, a smart phone that has all of that integrated into it won’t be of much use to you, and you’ll pretty much have to use separate devices.

The same goes for cameras. Even the best smart phones today barely reach the still and video quality of the cheapest point and shoot dedicated cameras. It’s just impossible right now to cram a good quality camera along with all other devices into a slim smart phone, so the manufacturers aren’t even trying to do that.

There are a lot of photographers that like to always be prepared but do not carry their professional dSLR with them at all times (to cafes, parks, parties and other places, which sometimes may inspire them to take good shots). What they do is take their cheaper and much smaller point and shoot camera. Phone manufacturers noticed this and created a special device for them: a phone with a good integrated camera, at the expense of other features like a GPS receiver and Wifi, and sometimes size and weight.

These phones are an excellent replacement for a photographer’s go-everywhere point and shoot digital camera. With one of these, instead of carrying both the phone and a camera, they carry only the phone, which also consumes less energy and is easier to charge (from a computer’s USB port or using a small travel charger).

Here are some of the best camera phones available on the market:

Sony Ericsson C905. You could say Sony Ericsson is the leading manufacturer of camera phones. They actually came up with the concept with their first Cybershot phone. The C905 continues the good tradition and is packed with camera features (remember, the phone is secondary in these devices). It’s got a 8 megapixels digital camera with a Xenon flash (the one that is used on many compact point and shoot cameras) that shoot high resolution photos and videos at a great quality, with a lot of advanced features like an image stabilizer, burst shooting of 7 frames per second, face detection (useful for focusing), 16x digital zoon, automatic red-eye reduction, and much more. A very fun and interesting feature is the Smile Shooter that uses face recognition to automatically take a snap when the subject is smiling. How many point and shoot cameras have you seen with this feature? Other than that, the phone has a M2 card slot for Sony memory sticks (up to 8GB), a 240×320 screen (like a lot of compact P&S cameras), an integrated mp3/aac player with stereo Bluetooth, and support for 3G networks for fast data transfer.

Samsung Pixon 12 (M8910). This is Samsung’s new camera phone, which was released at the end of 2009, and has a 12 megapixels, wide angle camera with a Xenon + Power LED flash, which is quite impressive. It has a lot of effects and shot modes (including fast shoot of 5 frames per second). On top of that, the phone itself is very slim and light (a bit thicker than the iPhone and weights 119 grams), supports 3G networks, up to 16GB microSD cards (which are pretty cheap nowadays), has Bluetooth, Wifi, aGPS and TV out (to view your shots and videos on any TV set), a great web browser (Dolphin) and a beautiful 3.1 inch AMOLED 480×800 display. Yes, it’s pretty much the best camera phone (or even smart phone) ever.

LG Renoir (KC910). This phone is one of LG’s camera phones, and is replacing the ageing Viewty. It was launched in 2008 (when it was one of the best camera phones available) an is still a good device with a lower price tag than the others on this list. The camera is a 8 megapixels one with Schneider-Kreuznach optics (the good stuff) and Xenon flash shooting 3264×2448 stills and 640×480@30fps videos, which is pretty standard for most point and shoot cameras. It’s got a lot of features, including special effects, manual/auto focus, image stabilization and smile detection (like the Sony Ericsson C905). Other than that, the phone is equipped with everything else you might need, from 3g network support, Wifi and Bluetooth adapters to an FM Radio, GPS navigator and TV out. At this time it sells for about $200, which you could say is a steal for a camera phone with these specs. An excellent choice if you want to save some money while getting the most features possible.

Nokia N86. Nokia is also known for its good camera phones, and the N86 is not an exception. The phone has a wide angle 8 megapixels camera with Carl Zeiss optics and Tessar lens (very good quality), 20x digital zoom, auto/manual focus, dual LED flash (weaker than a Xenon, but still good enough), variable aperture (F2.4, F3.2, F4.8), high speed 1/1000sec shutter, a lot of special effects and modes, red eye reduction, and a lot of other features. It also has a photo editor (useful for quick edits), PAL TV out and direct to printer printing support with compatible printers. The phone also has any other features you might need: Bluetooth and Wifi adapters, 3G networks support, a microSD slot for up to 16GB cards, a great web browser, FM radio, and much more. As if that’s not enough, it also runs on Series 60 Symbian, which means you can find a lot of third party apps for various tasks, from video and music playing to viewing Word files and managing your contacts. At about $250 retail price, this is also an escellent cheap camera phone.

Samsung Innov8 (I8510). This is another of Samsung’s camera phones that made it on this list mainly because it runs on Symbian Series 60 (unlike the Pixon, which runs a custom OS) that give the user access to a lot of useful third party apps for anything from managing contacts to watching videos and using Facebook. This, coupled with the good camera, makes this phone a good all-around choice for anyone. The specs are pretty standard: an 8MP camera with Dual Power LED, a 2.8 inch display, a microSD slot for up to 16GB cards, Bluetooth, Wifi and a lot of other features. The price is a bit higher than, for example, the N86 or the Renoir, but the Symbian OS might be worth the price to some people.

If you are an amateur or professional photographer and carry a point and shoot everywhere you go, you may easily benefit from one of these phones. Why carry 2 devices when you can carry only 1, which also has enough storage space and a music/video player?

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