Are camera phones as good as digital cameras?

[Braineack]

at web viewing size, it really doesn't matter.

at 100% it certainly does.

 

[ntz]

no, even the high end phones are not going to outperform the entry level DSRLs or Mirrorless cameras ... when you are viewing the picture on small screen, they might be similar or very often they might appear even better from phone (my wife with iphone 11 always wants to compare with me photos that she takes on the same place and on the phone display Vs me with camera display her photos look usually better, LOL), but when you start working with photo, when you zoom even to jpg it's crystal clear, that phone sensor is not going to outperform traditional camera sensor (dx/fx) by miles ... not even mentioning the lens

 

[davholla]

The other thing is my iPhone can take a panorama, by simply panning the phone. The the sw in the phone does the heavy work of making the pano. And it is so easy to do, that it is frustrating, because . . .
I can't do that with my mirrorless camera, I have to stitch the images in post. And even then it does not look anywhere as good.

What software are you using? I find ICE does a pretty good job.

 

[Braineack]

What software are you using? I find ICE does a pretty good job.

ICE is free and does an amazing job beyond anything cell phone software offers today --especially for perspective corrections.

 

[RVT1K]

Like I've been telling my kids since day one...there's a time and a place for everything.

There's been times when a cell phone was all I had and I have managed to get some decent shots which was better than getting no shots. And I've seen other cell phone pics that were pretty nice.

But for the type of shots I typically want to capture, a cell phone is mostly useless.

 

[Soocom1]

This still boils down to format size. plain and simple.

 

[JohnTorcasio]

The more recent iPhones take very good photos

 

[Braineack]

The more recent iPhones take very good photos

cool story:

Are camera phones as good as digital cameras?

at web viewing size, it really doesn't matter. at 100% it certainly does.

www.thephotoforum.com

 

[mrca]

Of course cell phones are as good as digital cameras. That's why when you see a scrum of pro photographers, they don't have dslrs with 24-70's and 70-200s and instead are firing away with cell phones ... No, I haven't seen that either.

 

[flyingPhoto]

Of course cell phones are as good as digital cameras. That's why when you see a scrum of pro photographers, they don't have dslrs with 24-70's and 70-200s and instead are firing away with cell phones ... No, I haven't seen that either.

Yeah its like why there be a huge glut of 10$ hasselblad and leica cameras on ebay now.... they all swapped to cell phone cameras...

 

[mrca]

Yeah its like why there be a huge glut of 10$ hasselblad and leica cameras on ebay now.... they all swapped to cell phone cameras...

Wow, I should jump on a Hassie NOW.

 

[thomsoxon]

It is helpful topic.Thanks to your answers, I decided to buy myself a new phone with a cool camera

 

[The Barbarian]

ICE is free and does an amazing job beyond anything cell phone software offers today --especially for perspective corrections.

Yes. I'm constantly amazed by the quality and versatility of that freeware ap.

 

[The Barbarian]

Bottom line? I have a lot of really good images that I never would have gotten without my Samsung phone. If I have a choice, I go with my Pentax KP. Or my K3, or even my Pentax Q, all of which do a better image than the phone does. But I don't always have those cameras with me. As the man says, the best camera is the one you have with you.

 

[AlgarveCyclist]

For most amateur photographers, camera phones today are all they really need since they are very capable for what most want to do - share images via social media.

I haven't printed a photo in more than a decade.

Sony are launching their newest camera phone next month, I read that it has the same 1" sensor that their acclaimed RX100 VII uses. That leap will take camera phones into high-end PnS territory.

My current smartphone is the iPhone 13 Pro Max which has decent low-light performance. Before that, Samsung S20 Ultra which served me well. My phone is on my person most of the day. I cycle competitively and train 3-5 hours a day - carrying my Canon R5 and lenses is not a viable option, but I do have my phone with me. Most of my photo's are for sharing with family and friends around the World (we are very spread out) and my phone is perfectly fine for that.

I'm very much pro the latest tech because I am not interested in the tool tech skills some folks desire; I would prefer the camera to take care of everything and leave me to composition alone, ideally. I am a Mirrorless convert and have moved entirely from DSLR, having sold them and their lenses and going all in with Canon's R5 and RF lenses. As someone who enjoys photography but who never prints, doesn't take it very seriously and keeps it at casual hobby level, the tech that this camera brings absolutely provides me with more keepers; the Animal AF is amazingly accurate, the EVF so much better for making small adjustments before shooting.

For hobby photographers like me, camera phones are great! But for those times when you want to get even better images, then DSLR's/Mirrorless will, of course, give you that step up.