Samsung Galaxy S3 photography features

We've introduced you to Samsung's shiny new quad core smartphone the Galaxy S3, and now it's time to take a more in depth look at some of the device's most impressive features, starting with photography.

HTC's One X launched with ImageSense, and Samsung have responded with a suite of photo optimisation and editing tools worthy of a standalone digital camera. The impressive 8 Megapixel snapper on their new flagship phone is capable of full 1080p HD recording, plus a whole heap of extra things that make the mind boggle. We've come a long way from VGA snapshots and picture messages people.

Happy snapping with speedier image capture

It seems that next gen quad core processors make a difference when it comes to shutter speed. Samsung have minimised reloading time drastically with the S III, so there’s virtually no lag between pressing the button and the shot being taken. Imagine how much easier this makes stealing snapshots of your friend's party trick or capturing high res photos of your fav animals at the zoo. (Those ocelots move like lightning bolts you know.)

Bursts of inspiration

Burst Shot / Best Photo is a new feature that allows you to snap 20 shots in quick succession (six photos per second), and then recommends the best photo, by using algorithms to determine which has the best light and in which image everyone's eyes are open, plus various other criteria. You can of course override the phone’s choice, if you prefer those shots where your subject is staring blankly outside the frame or is scowling for effect. FYI - angry is not the same as interesting, folks.

Simultaneous photo and video capture

For me this is the most useful and interesting photography feature of this fine flagship smartphone. Just like the HTC One X, Galaxy S3 allows you to capture photos while filming, so videoing a moment doesn't mean you miss out on still photos of what's going on around you. Just think about that for a moment - it's your daughter's first birthday and she's blowing out the candles. Now you have photos AND a family home movie to remind you of the magical moment. Kinda priceless, huh?

Zoom and tag

Two useful tools for group shots and portraits should make getting people centred and pin pointed in your pics a little easier. Face Zoom recognises individual faces in a live view, so you can tap a face and zoom in on that person (sorry unwanted other people in the shot), and group tag makes tagging people a lot easier. Tags are auto-generated from your contact list, so if you tag people as family members in your phone book, you can view all shots of that particular group! Facial recognition at its finest.

And finally... Face Slideshow

Ever watched a photo slideshow on Apple TV or a digital photo frame and never got to the end of the album, so someone's mug gets missed off the presentation? Never fear. If you don't want to see a beloved face or three in your slideshow, you can use the Face Slideshow feature to focus on each person's face in turn, so nobody gets left behind, or forgotten (obscure 90's Disney reference there for our razor-sharp retro geeks).