Manufacturer: Sony Ericsson
Model: C905
Price: Contract
www.sonyericsson.com

Sony Ericsson has refreshingly led the way with cameraphone technologies, in advancing image capture capabilities ahead of unnecessarily amplifying megapixel counts, beyond what the inarguably small sensor of the devices can handle.

The Sony Ericsson C905 is the first of the brandʼs 8MP cameraphones, but comes after the company stuck to a 5MP sensor with two of its figurehead Cyber-Shot handsets – the K850i and C902. That skip of megapixel expansion has clearly benefited the new C905, as the device not only features the increased resolution, but also a range of new capture functions. First up is the cameraʼs Smart Contrast function that automatically compensates exposure for either bright or dark areas, while the consumer-friendly face detection also makes an appearance.

Whatʼs pleasing about the C905 is that the headline capture functionality is supported by usability akin to a standard compact camera. In landscape mode the 2.4in LCD screen displays a smooth feed for image capture, while all standard phone buttons are replaced with blue LEDs displaying basic capture tools such as focus type, flash function and so forth.

Image quality is, as with previous Sony Ericsson devices, generally good for a mobile phone. Exposures are generally accurate, while colour rendition is good. It must be said that noise control and fine detail rendition is generally poor still, but when considered against its cameraphone peers, image quality is generally good.

Pros:
Camera-esque functionality, ample LCD

Cons:
Images still display some common cameraphone flaws

Our Verdict:
All told, the C905 is a real challenger up against entry-level compact cameras, and is more than a worthy photographic companion to have in your pocket at all times

What Digital Camera Score: 91%