In the USA, around 95% of individuals own a cell phone of some kind. While some just own a standard phone where you can only make calls, many own smartphones, which are basically like having a mini computer right in your pocket. Not only that, but cell phone cameras nowadays are incredible compared to even a few years ago.
While many will just use their smartphone cameras to take photos and videos, that is not all they can do. The cameras in our phones are capable of so much more, and can do some really cool and unique things. This article walk through a few of the great things you can do with your cell phone camera.
Measuring/Photogrammetry
If you are doing home home renovations or remodeling, measuring the space between objects is very important. The last thing you want to do is not have enough space for something if you estimated wrong. Now, you might be wondering to yourself how to measure with a camera, and the answer is to use photogrammetry.
Photogrammetry is the science of taking and making measurements from photos. While some people may use expensive cameras and gear to capture these, many types of photogrammetry software will work with a simple phone camera. In addition to measuring for furniture or other renovations, photogrammetry can be used to measure landscapes and so much more.
Scan Documents
With many of us using our cell phones and other devices for business, dealing with paper contracts, receipts and other documents can be a little bit annoying. However, thanks to our cell phone cameras, it is easier than ever to scan these documents right to our devices in seconds.
While you could just opt to use your default camera app and take a picture of the document, there are better ways. There are several apps out there that exist solely as document scanners and will automatically rotate, adjust and crop your document to make it as readable as possible.
Translate Languages
Millions and millions of Americans travel annually, and one difficult part about traveling for most people is the language barrier. Simple things like reading menus, street signs or signs becomes nearly impossible for many of us in different countries. However, if you are armed with a smartphone, you will be able to translate text with ease.
That is because several apps (such as Google Translate) make it easy for you to translate text by just using your camera. These apps can change words in real time and can make reading foreign languages easier than ever, without having to spend months to learn a new language.
Magnifying Glass
We’ve all been in a situation where something important is just too far away to read or too small to read. While it would be great if humans had zoom-in technology in our eyes, that is unfortunately not the case. But thankfully, our cell phone cameras have us covered.
You can either take a picture and zoom into it, or even better, simply just use your viewfinder and zoom in, and everything should be much easier to read and see. This is perfect for menus, small print or anything else that you may have difficulty seeing.
In conclusion, your cell phone’s camera can be used for a lot more than just take pictures, and hopefully this article has illustrated that for you. Surely, more uses and innovations for the camera will come out in the coming months and years as well.