Product Review: Asus’ ZenFone5 - The Zen of cameras

Mumbai: The ZenFone5 is a device in whose ticking heart lies one of the most user-friendly cameras I’ve ever encountered.

The bundle of photo-friendly features within the device called PixelMaster, works with an 8-megapixel rear camera that comes with autofocus and flash (the front camera is a standard 2 MP with an f 2.4 aperture). It helps that the phone itself has a 5-inch full HD IPS screen, because once you enter the camera mode, you have to touch-select the use mode (or a combo of modes) from among the 10 options displayed. Here are some of the options:

An owl symbol pops up when the light is low. Touch it and you invoke a proprietary technology that adjusts the pixels so that they are about 400 times more sensitive to light. Suddenly, features leap out of the shadows. Choose the Panorama mode and it shoots a burst of frames, stopping automatically when you have swung the camera 360 degrees. Another burst mode is the one called Rewind. Your click triggers a sequence of 31 quick shots, so that you can select the best shot and eliminate the one where a friend just happened to wink.

And then, with PixelMaster you have a feature where you tell the camera which object you want in focus — by tapping it on the view screen.

Those who regularly take group photos know the feeling: There is always that one person fidgeting or looking elsewhere. With the “AllSmiles” mode, your click sets off a sequence of five shots. You then select the nicest expression of each person and the software does a mix and match to create the best combo. Likewise, for selfies, the ZenFone5 ensures no one is missing. You key in the number of people who need to be in the shot and the camera starts a countdown beep and clicks only after every one is in the frame.

But this is a feature I liked most: You are taking a picture of your friends or family in a crowded mall or park — and invariably a passerby, walks into the frame. With the SmartRemove option you can wipe the intruder off!

Phone wise, the ZenFone 5 is a 5-inch, 3G, dual micro-SIM, Android Jellybean (upgrade-able) phone with 2 GB of RAM, 8GB of storage and a dual core Atom processor. So obviously, it also makes and takes calls. It costs Rs 9,999. The 6-inch ZenFone 6 with double the onboard storage and a 13 MP camera will cost you Rs 7,000 extra.