Smart phone photos

So my old phone finally died and I had to go out and find a new one. I really liked my LG Chocolate flip phone. It was by far the best, most reliable cell phone I’ve ever had. Admittedly it took lousy pictures, but that’s what my big cameras are for. And the LG held over 50 CDs of music that I could play on my car radio, which was great on long trips.
But when I tried to replace the LG I found the world has changed since 2007, or whenever it was I bought it. There are hardly any more flip phones available, and the only ones in the Verizon store were certifiable pieces of junk. I really didn’t want a smart phone, didn’t want the extra data charge and didn’t want more complications. About the only thing that appealed to me about a smart phone was being able to get email on it. But my hand was forced, so I asked for the ruggedest, cheapest smart phone they had. It turned out to be a Motorola Razr M, which was on sale for $50.
This is by no means a sales pitch for Motorola. There are a number of things I don’t like about this phone. But on the balance it has worked well enough so far. I can even swipe credit cards with it, thanks to the Square device. The camera is sub-par; in fact I learned this is one of the most poorly rated smart phone cameras out there. But that’s not why I bought it, and it still takes better pics by far than any other phone camera I’ve had. Images have enough resolution that I now take landscape shots from my bicycle when on rides. I wouldn’t have wasted my time doing that with the old phone.
Here’s a short collection of summer photos taken with my new smart phone. One was taken at the Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. You won’t have much trouble spotting that, but nearly all the rest were taken from my bike (or canoe). And yes, I did tweak the color and contrast in Photoshop. The phone cam isn’t that good without a little post-production, but hey – it takes a lot less space than the Nikons.
Enjoy!