Let's be honest, professional photographers probably visit blogs like this and laugh heartily as they read geeks like me pontificate about the differences between two similar tiny lensed smartphones. In their minds smartphone photography is currently as the same embryonic stage as digital photography at the turn of the millennium, an interesting distraction from the true art form.

We all know how that played out, digital cameras advanced rapidly. Now, even midrange digital cameras outperform the pro-amateur analogue cameras of yesteryear in many ways. How long before midrange smartphones outperform the digicam classics of today? Eight, perhaps ten years?

However, before I fall into my usual trap of putting the technological horse before the creativity cart, let me back up a bit and explain something that's been frustrating me for the last three years.

If bloggers, forum admins, pundits, commentators and readers put as much thought and research into the art of photography as they do into the feature list of Nokia's newest phones then we could all take wonderful photos right now without pinning our hopes of the next thing.

With this in mind let me tell you about a new S60 app I've been alpha testing for Carl Zeiss. In essence, it's a 'How To' guide to photography, not just smartphone photography but all photography. It includes technical information such as, 'What are the numbers on my lens?', and follows with something a little more human like, 'How can I make people look more relaxed when taking portraits or group photos?'.

One interesting section is entitled 'Top Tips'. I've been informed that there is a good possibility that this section will be populated with tips from the likes of you and I, complete with links to your online presence. Neat!

The interface is extremely basic, not much more then a hyperlinked list. But to be fair this is a product in its early stages. Though I'm not expecting it to work in some radical new fashion, I'm sure each new build will add layers of polish.

I've included a video (in HD no less!) so that you can get a feel for the style of the Carl Zeiss application and a taste of the information it offers. I'm showing it to the Nokia Creative community at this early stage to obtain advice to pass onto the developers.

Please leave your thoughts, observations and questions below. Would you welcome this application? Would you expect to see hints and tips offered for your specific model of smartphone or are you happy with the more generic focus that this app currently has? Let me know in a comment below, and stay tuned for updates with each new build.