The Case for a Camera Instead of a Smartphone

[rjgdjg]

Smartphones may make photo-taking a snap. But how do they stack up against cameras for capturing your cruise memories? Visit http://musingaboutcruising.blogspot.com for some thoughts.

[mskaufman]

My smartphone does not have the same zoom as my camera. The smartphone works OK is ideal conditions but not as well as my camera in more difficult lighting conditions. The smartphone also does not have as fast shutter speed to capture moving subjects.

[chipmaster]

Like music, photography for many is about good enough and convenience. It ain't just cruising but anywhere from B-days, weddings, anniversary, and timeless moments in one's life that more and more are captured with a tablet or smartphone. Compared to the kodak 110 or single focal length compacts from 20 years ago the smartphone blows past image capture away and provide instant edit/share to the world thru instagram/snapchat and for the not hip crowd facebook and blogs.

 

One only needs to look at flickr plot of images by what https://www.flickr.com/cameras

 

No question any dedicated modern camera is superior due to larger sensor, and better lense, but for most good enough is all they want with the convenience, whether it food, formal picture, or grainy picture of the show or MUTs :o I also find I leave my DSLR home more and more as for memories the smartphone is really good enough. For serious action of course nothing beats the big quality of FX and primes and 2.8 zooms :D

[xlxo]

Smartphone/Tablet pictures look great on their native devices. However on a computer screen, the images are pixelated and noisy... especially on low light or digitally zoomed in.

[donaldsc]

I have always felt and continue to feel that any even mid range camera will beat the best smart phone. However, I recently used my Samsung S4 smart phone in pretty good light in an area where there was blowing sand because I did not want to take the chance of getting sand in my good camera. I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the smart phone pictures.

 

I actually did some 4x6 prints from the smart phone pictures with decent picture quality.

 

Remember, I said that I took them in good light and I also did not worry about depth of field.

 

I will still stick w my A6000 for all my real pictures however.

 

DON

Edited August 2, 2015 by donaldsc

[GUT2407]

My smartphone does not have the same zoom as my camera. The smartphone works OK is ideal conditions but not as well as my camera in more difficult lighting conditions. The smartphone also does not have as fast shutter speed to capture moving subjects.

 

Yep.

[PerfectlyPerth]

I like to do pretty large sized photo books with photos crossing two pages, canvas prints, etc, in addition to the basic sharing albums online.

 

I have the iphone 6plus and canon SX50 and use both at the same time on polar trips as the phone takes my GPS points for me.

 

Given my first digital camera "back in the day" was a whopping :rolleyes: 1.2 megapixels - my current phone is 8mp ! I have had canvas prints done from phone shots up to 20inch by 20 inch and they are not remotely grainy. The panorama function works brilliantly and in a huge enlargement nearly 3 feet long I had printed last year there is no join lines or wavering or wobbles visible from my movement when I took the shot.

 

Where the phone outperformed the main camera on my most recent polar trip was in the dark bizarrely enough. We entered an historical hut with only a single torch that we stood on its end. My camera couldnt work out what to focus on and gave up. My phone - I simply touched the screen and it increased the light and bam - fantastic shots of the entire interiour of the century old hut and artifacts.

 

The other place it outperformed the main camera was in helicopters on scenic flights. 6 cold people in parkas etc bundling in to a small chopper - heat and breath immediately fogs up the camera lens - even when it cleared the camera refused to focus beyond the window because of the residual fog. iphone - no effect whatsoever so all the videos I took of the flights ended up being borrowed by everyone else on board.

 

My phone will never replace my "main" camera - I couldnt live without my superzoom canon ! But I love working with both side by side and using whichever one serves the best purpose on the day.

 

I would love to see optical zoom make it into a future iphone but it will never be to super zoom levels obviously.

 

The smartphone also does not have as fast shutter speed to capture moving subjects.

 

Not sure what model your phone is mskaufman but mine has burst mode and I have managed to capture crisp clear series of shots of birds in flight and whales breaching. Out of 10 bursts generally the first and last are slightly blurred and the middle 8 are perfect.

[ab21au]

Sorry but I think your exaggerating a little, and this is a bit misleading.

 

How can you possibly get birds in flight with an iPhone. That is just unbelievable. (Perhaps if they happened to fly towards the camera and happened to get a photo!!! )

 

Now I have 2 late model iPhones and full frame and aps-c cameras and I use my iPhone's frequently, they have a purpose but not for that.

 

I don't like being negative but the post sounds like it was written by Apple ( and I am an Apple fan).

 

Phone cameras simply do not have the speed to take "consistently" good photos that a quality camera can take.

[chipmaster]

In good light and where the focal length is matched the iPhone should rival any specialized camera for even up to 8x10. Remember what matters for blow ups is the number of "pixels" The issue with the smartphone is that the pixel size is so much smaller compared to a P&S and minscule compared to a DSLR that they don't gather as much light as the larger formats and thus low light is a huge weakness.

 

Smartphones also as a rule use contrast focus, thus can't compare to the focus speed of DSLR, but now rival the performance of many entry level cameras due to the super fast computation in the phone.

 

Smartphones will never get over the fixed wide angle prospective, so things like wildlife and or anything that needs a zoom is terrible. Take any digital and try and zoom and you'll get the same crap results, it isn't just the smartphone. The limitation is that you have no focal adjustment, unlike P&S zoom or DSLR lense change capability.

 

Now in the end it's the camera that you have that gets the picture and for most that is their phone that is always there and why it wins as fewer and fewer bother with the inconvenience, weight and cost of carrying an modern specialized camera when each generation of cell phone is improving that at such a pace.

[havoc315]

Depends on the camera you are comparing it with.

 

Remember, a smart phone is subsidized by the wireless carrier. If you stripped out the "phone" -- an iPhone 6+ would still be a $300-$400 prime lens camera!

 

So it depends on the camera you are comparing it with. You can no longer make the general statement that a dedicated camera is better than a phone. It's not true anymore. Depends on the camera, depends on the phone, and depends on the types of pictures you are taking.

 

The article cites several factors:

 

1. Tiny sensors. Very true. But most P&S cameras use a similar sized sensor. Meanwhile, the best phones have faster lenses, better processors.... combined that all, and sensor size is about a wash between a good smart phone and most P&S cameras.

 

2. Wimpy flashes. True, but many P&S cameras have only slightly better flashes. And many of us, wisely choose to never ever rely on a flash. With a faster lens, you can often take better flash-less pictures with a good smart phone, than you can with most P&S cameras. In other words, I'd say this is a non factor compared to most P&S cameras.

 

3. Hard to hold steady because they are so small and light -- I think that depends on the user. Some may find it easier to hold a small phone steady, compared to a 5 lb camera+ lens combo. A small p&s isn't necessarily going to be any easier to hold steady. Again, non factor.

 

4. The screen washes away in bright light --- But cheap P&S cameras are even worse!! This is a good argument in favor of a viewfinder camera. But viewfinder cameras typically aren't cheap!

 

5. Small zoom. The best zoom is foot zoom. You get better images getting closer to your subjects. For some types of shots, the lack of a zoom is a total non factor. You actually are forced to become a far better photographer when you can't lazily rely on zoom. On the other hand, there are indeed SOME shots, that you can't get without a telephoto zoom. Shooting a bird in flight, you absolutely need a telephoto zoom.

 

In conclusion -- No, a smart phone is NOT a substitute for a $3,000 dSLR + lenses. Or even for a $750 enthusiast P&S camera.

But in many many many cases, a smart phone can deliver better than a $200-$300 P&S.

[havoc315]

I like to do pretty large sized photo books with photos crossing two pages, canvas prints, etc, in addition to the basic sharing albums online.

 

I have the iphone 6plus and canon SX50 and use both at the same time on polar trips as the phone takes my GPS points for me.

 

Given my first digital camera "back in the day" was a whopping :rolleyes: 1.2 megapixels - my current phone is 8mp ! I have had canvas prints done from phone shots up to 20inch by 20 inch and they are not remotely grainy. The panorama function works brilliantly and in a huge enlargement nearly 3 feet long I had printed last year there is no join lines or wavering or wobbles visible from my movement when I took the shot.

 

Where the phone outperformed the main camera on my most recent polar trip was in the dark bizarrely enough. We entered an historical hut with only a single torch that we stood on its end. My camera couldnt work out what to focus on and gave up. My phone - I simply touched the screen and it increased the light and bam - fantastic shots of the entire interiour of the century old hut and artifacts.

 

The other place it outperformed the main camera was in helicopters on scenic flights. 6 cold people in parkas etc bundling in to a small chopper - heat and breath immediately fogs up the camera lens - even when it cleared the camera refused to focus beyond the window because of the residual fog. iphone - no effect whatsoever so all the videos I took of the flights ended up being borrowed by everyone else on board.

 

My phone will never replace my "main" camera - I couldnt live without my superzoom canon ! But I love working with both side by side and using whichever one serves the best purpose on the day.

 

I would love to see optical zoom make it into a future iphone but it will never be to super zoom levels obviously.

 

 

 

Not sure what model your phone is mskaufman but mine has burst mode and I have managed to capture crisp clear series of shots of birds in flight and whales breaching. Out of 10 bursts generally the first and last are slightly blurred and the middle 8 are perfect.

 

The iPhone 6+ has a fast lens, great stabilization... Ultimately, it is built to give far better low light performance than many P&S cameras.

[mskaufman]

Not sure what model your phone is mskaufman but mine has burst mode and I have managed to capture crisp clear series of shots of birds in flight and whales breaching. Out of 10 bursts generally the first and last are slightly blurred and the middle 8 are perfect.

 

My phone is a couple of years old (Samsung S4) but then so is my camera (Canon 60D). Glad the phone is working so well.

[GUT2407]

Not sure what model your phone is mskaufman but mine has burst mode and I have managed to capture crisp clear series of shots of birds in flight and whales breaching. Out of 10 bursts generally the first and last are slightly blurred and the middle 8 are perfect.

 

My phone is a couple of years old (Samsung S4) but then so is my camera (Canon 60D). Glad the phone is working so well.

 

There is a major difference between burst mo0de and shutter speed and if someone doesn't realise that they may well get better shots out of a phone than a DSLR.

Edited August 3, 2015 by GUT2407

[havoc315]

 

There is a major difference between burst mo0de and shutter speed and if someone doesn't realise that they may well get better shots out of a phone than a DSLR.

 

Maximum shutter speed on the iPhone 6 is 1/2000. Same as most p&s. But the iPhone doesn't offer full manual controls in the native app, so limited control in setting shutter speed. (There are apps that let you take full manual control).

[PerfectlyPerth]

Sorry but I think your exaggerating a little, and this is a bit misleading.

 

How can you possibly get birds in flight with an iPhone. That is just unbelievable. (Perhaps if they happened to fly towards the camera and happened to get a photo!!! )

 

Now I have 2 late model iPhones and full frame and aps-c cameras and I use my iPhone's frequently, they have a purpose but not for that.

 

I don't like being negative but the post sounds like it was written by Apple ( and I am an Apple fan).

 

Phone cameras simply do not have the speed to take "consistently" good photos that a quality camera can take.

 

Post is definitely not written by Apple - it took me a very long time to "cross to the dark side" and even buy an Apple product - and I spend more time on their support forums whining about stuff than I think an apple fan would do!. If it was written by Apple would it be practically begging for optical zoom ?

No exaggerations at all. I have nearly 20,000 photos from the last two trips alone.

I simply pointed out a couple of examples where my trusty canon (and only been using them since the 70s and nope have never worked for the company) let me down and the phone stepped up.

 

I've taken the iPhone 4, 5 and now 6plus to Antarctica all on different trips. The 4 and 5 were more just behaving as my GPS markers and I also used them in waterproof cases as a spare video camera on zodiacs.

But the 6plus blew me away. And each night on the expedition ship when passengers were photo sharing - plenty of others were blown away by the kinds of shots i was getting on the phone. So for the remainder of the month long voyage I actually concentrated on doing exact comparisons photo for photo.

 

And yes the albatross circle the ship day and night through an entire voyage so everyone is always outside capturing them and petrels and many other breeds. As with each day I was swapping between the canon and the phone and tried the burst mode as a magnificent albatross flew past at eye level and I was chuffed with results.

 

Another place it impressed other passengers was on a very icey zodiac ride around minus 15c not counting wind chill. We were all freezing up, parkas and cameras covered in ice. Slowly putting our main cameras back in bags as some were seizing up. I had my iPhone hanging round my neck but not in its waterproof cover. Two people had 5's and pulled them out and some others pulled out brands I was not familiar with. So for the next hour we continued our icey excursion. Some people got error messages on their screen to switch off and take inside. By the end of the excursion the only two of us left with working cameras were the 6plus and 5. (I did actually sent an email to Apple saying I had dropped in snow and been quite mean to it and it still worked great - they didn't write back!).

 

But yes as I said - until they build quality optical zoom into a phone it's never going to become my sole travel camera. But it's become a darn good spare.

 

So nope - never worked for Apple and never likely to. Just someone who averages 10,000 shots per polar voyage and really enjoyed playing with the comparisons between the two products this time.

[pierces]

For years I carried a P&S all the time even though I've had a camera in my phone for over a decade. The output from the camera was ok but just didn't fill the bill for me, especially indoors. A little over a year ago, I picked up a Lumia Icon and have been impressed with the photo quality to the point that I gave my P&S to my granddaughter and now use the phone for the I-didn't-bring-the-camera camera.

 

With hardware like the 20MP camera in my Icon and the excellent Sony units in the new iPhones, I can see where many folks would consider a decent wide-angle lens on a phone a perfectly acceptable daily shooter.That said, I still carry my honest-to-goodness camera to family events, business travel and of course, cruises. Phones have made huge leaps in their abilities as multi-functional devices but in my current world, they are a supplement to, not a replacement for a travel camera kit. Great photos can be made with just about any camera but I'm not good enough to resist stacking the deck in my favor! ;)

 

My 2¢

Edited August 3, 2015 by pierces

[chipmaster]

Not sure what model your phone is mskaufman but mine has burst mode and I have managed to capture crisp clear series of shots of birds in flight and whales breaching. Out of 10 bursts generally the first and last are slightly blurred and the middle 8 are perfect.

 

My phone is a couple of years old (Samsung S4) but then so is my camera (Canon 60D). Glad the phone is working so well.

 

Please share, I'm interested at the BIF and whale breach! A picture is worth more than an words :D

[mskaufman]

havoc315 is the one with the bird and whale pictures on their phone. I was just quoting from their post. My bird and whale pictures are taken with my regular camera.

[PerfectlyPerth]

I don't tend to share private photos on public websites but when I get to the end of my sorting and editing from the last trip (endless task) I will see if any of my accounts let me share them here without access to my private albums.

 

I meant to ask my coworker today what her new phone is as I noticed it had pretty crisp optical zoom. So Apple needs to catch up to them.

[tempus137]

Has anyone looked at the clip-on telephoto lens for smartphones?

 

I was thinking of getting one to use instead of my GE Pro 50 advanced feature P&S camera. The camera has a great zoom lens (15x) plus 16MP, but it takes forever to save a picture and is limited to a 16Gb SD card.

[c230k]

Check this out for iPhone add on from DXO

http://www.dxo.com/us/dxo-one

 

Tom :cool:

[papcx]

Check this out for iPhone add on from DXO

 

http://www.dxo.com/us/dxo-one

 

 

 

Tom :cool:

 

 

Looks interesting. Nice find.

[havoc315]

havoc315 is the one with the bird and whale pictures on their phone. I was just quoting from their post. My bird and whale pictures are taken with my regular camera.

 

No, that was "perfectlyperth"

 

Though I have certainly seen some good whale breaching shots taken with smart phones --- Though NOT telephoto. So the whale is a pretty small in the frame. And I think those are the types of shots perfectlyperth was suggesting.

 

A smart phone can get the necessary shutter speed in good light, but of course it lacks the optical zoom.

[PerfectlyPerth]

No, that was "perfectlyperth"

 

Though I have certainly seen some good whale breaching shots taken with smart phones --- Though NOT telephoto. So the whale is a pretty small in the frame. And I think those are the types of shots perfectlyperth was suggesting.

 

A smart phone can get the necessary shutter speed in good light, but of course it lacks the optical zoom.

 

Just asked my friend what her phone is that has good quality zoom. Samsung Galaxy 6 - 10x optical zoom.

 

I didn't need zoom etc for the whales - they were a metre away from the zodiac - nice and close - just popping up to say hi and playing around us for 3 hours.

 

Sorry can't do double quote on the phone but someone mentioned the clip on lenses for phone. Yes I was planning to try the ollyclips ? Olli? I saved the website to my favourites to remind myself to buy one. Will give it a test run on an up and coming trip.

[havoc315]

Just asked my friend what her phone is that has good quality zoom. Samsung Galaxy 6 - 10x optical zoom.

 

I didn't need zoom etc for the whales - they were a metre away from the zodiac - nice and close - just popping up to say hi and playing around us for 3 hours.

 

Sorry can't do double quote on the phone but someone mentioned the clip on lenses for phone. Yes I was planning to try the ollyclips ? Olli? I saved the website to my favourites to remind myself to buy one. Will give it a test run on an up and coming trip.

 

The 6 doesn't have optical zoom... must be talking about the S4, which does have 10x optical zoom

 

http://www.samsung.com/uk/consumer/mobile-devices/smartphones/galaxy-s/SM-C1050ZKABTU