Camera phones

Doesn�t matter how good a camera you have if it isn�t with you when you need it. Maybe that�s why the iPhone just passed a slew of nice DSLR�s to become the #1 camera on Flickr (see graphic). So lets make sure you�re carrying a phone that won�t make you miss your camera. I�m B.C. with the Top 5 Cameraphones, ranked by CNET reviews and user ratings with a special eye to their camera but not forgetting you have to live with it as a smartphone too. #5 -- and this one�s a little odd -- is the Nokia N8 Its odd because the 12 megapixel with Carl Zeiss optics and a Xenon flash is probably the best camera ever put into a phone. It takes amazing photos and HD video. But its running the Symbian OS, which is a dead OS walking and doesn�t enjoy the carrier subsidies we�re all used to. One hard swallow and second mortgage later it can be yours for somewhere between $380 and $480. It makes the list, but that�s it. #4 is the Samsung Focus The Focus has a 5-megapixel camera and flash and shoots HD video capture. None of that is too unusual, but the photos are. Quite impressive and even when it takes a crappy shot, the Focus has good built in tools to correct contrast, saturation, and metering. This is the only phone in our list running Windows Phone 7, which we like but its still a relative upstart. And no front cam on this guy, so no video calls for you. #3 HTC Evo 3D Right off the bat, the headline here IS the imaging: Here�s a 3D camera phone when you�re still trying to figure out if you even want a 3D TV! Look at that: Dual 5 MP lenses on the back. You can shoot 3D stills and video, as well as 2D stuff of course. All the shots are very good, though the 3D effect isn�t terribly dramatic and you have to hold the phone just so to get that effect on the screen - but at least no damned glasses are required. #2 is the iPhone 4 The iPhone 4 is a real good 5 MP camera phone, and of course a great smartphone. But Apple�s inclusion of High Dynamic Range photography right into the guts of the iPhone�s software sets it apart in many situations when extremes of light make most digital photos deletion material. Of course the iPhone has a front facing camera for video calls like Facetime. Oh, and a small thing but one you�ll love every time you take a picture: iPhone 4 takes a shot when you press the button, not a day or two later like many of its rivals. BTW, before we get to #1 are you tired of me telling you about photo quality using words like �real good� and �very good�? Then check out our cool camera phone comparison tool. Pick two cams, see their pics side by side. Our #1 camera phone is the HTC Sensation 4G First off this guy is the only CNET Editor�s Choice in our list today. It has an 8 MP camera, which iPhone isn�t expected to get until the the 5th generation. We haven�t always been big fans of HTC cameras, but this one broke that streak. It even did real well in macro mode for tight close ups. it grabs 1080p video at 30 frames per second thanks to a dual core CPU and can play out videos in HD via its HDMI connector! You can go on vacation with this one device and have a great Android device and really good camera and a video set top box in one package that won�t give you scoliosis! Now, I gotta tell you, picking this list was tough, and all these camera phones rate pretty close so before you pull the trigger on a new smartphone with good pix in mind, make sure you look for the latest smartphone reviews at CNET.com. More top 5�s like this, head on over to Top5.cnet.com I�m Brian Cooley, thanks for watching.