Are cell phones as good as DSLRs? My friend says 'yes'.

[AlanKlein]

I'd check out his pictures first. If there better than yours, keep your mouth shut.

 

[limr]

Well, the whole discussion is moot because we ALL know film is still better than either cell phones or DSLRs.














Kidding! Sheesh.

As a data point, I've got a Canon point-and-shoot (SX130...something like that. I never remember its exact model name) and a Galaxy S4 cell phone. The Canon can do more than the cell phone, but the quality of the photos is about the same, and the way I use the Canon is for more documentary shots, or test shots. The Galaxy does just fine for those purposes. When I want to take more artistic shots, I break out the real cameras.

After playing with a Pentax K5 a few weeks ago, I figure that when I want to be creative with a digital camera, I'd choose a DSLR but I'd never go for the Canon or the cell phone.

So. For "real" pictures that I actually care about, I will use film, or when I eventually buy one, a DSLR. When it's just a snap, the cell phone serves perfectly well, making the Canon redundant since it's bigger, it sucks the life out of batteries like nothing else, and it doesn't produce pictures noticeably better than the phone.

 

[Lumac]

There is plenty of occasion where cells phone are not going to be enough (portrait, astro, low light, macro...). Now, for 90% of the people, a good picture is a picture you can put on facebook or instagram. We (by "we" I mean people who tries to improve the way to think and use photography) know the difference between a beginner and an expert (composition, setting, light....). But how many people on the web are able to do the same? How many know what a diaphragme is and how does it affect the picture?

One french photographer did a wedding session with a cell phone (the one with the fruit on its back). He did very well, but I knew the limit of the smartphone (no bokeh, no low light picture, no big prints ...).

 

[Solarflare]

Well, the whole discussion is moot because we ALL know film is still better than either cell phones or DSLRs.

True !

Will take some time until we can reach the resolution of a 4x5 or worse 8x10 large format camera.

Then again, what film DO we still get for a 8x10 large format camera ?

 

[limr]

Still available in 8x10 (and a few of them also in 11x14):

--Ilford in a few different ISOs and b&w emulsions
--Kodak makes Tri-X 320, Portra 160 and 400, Ektar 100
--Fuji makes color sheets, both positive and negative.
--Adox and Fomapan put out b&w emulsions
--MultiTone makes litho films in 8x10, 11x14, and 20x24
and
--Impossible Project has some insanely expensive 8x10 instant film

And that's just at B&H

 

[photoguy99]

Resolution is a non issue anyways.

 

[KenC]

Still available in 8x10 (and a few of them also in 11x14):

--Ilford in a few different ISOs and b&w emulsions
--Kodak makes Tri-X 320, Portra 160 and 400, Ektar 100
--Fuji makes color sheets, both positive and negative.
--Adox and Fomapan put out b&w emulsions
--MultiTone makes litho films in 8x10, 11x14, and 20x24
and
--Impossible Project has some insanely expensive 8x10 instant film

And that's just at B&H

Tri-X and not TMax? If I were still shooting film I would be upset, not that I ever shot 8x10 or even 4x5, but still ...

 

[limr]

They discontinued Tmax in 5x7 and 8x10, but still make it in 4x5, which is generally more popular anyway for those shooting large format. I think there are a few places in Europe still selling off its stock, and one site I checked said it was still producing the 8x10 on demand as a special order directly from the company (for a premium, I'm sure).

I don't have a large format camera - not a proper one anyway - but I do have a 4x5 pinhole camera that I've used with paper and I'm actually planning on getting some 4x5 film now that I've figured out a way to tray develop it

 

[Village Idiot]

Using a phone for photography is like using a butter knife as a cleaver. All the best to your friend.

This is a great analogy, because depending on what you're cleaving with that butter knife, it will still work and some people it will work perfectly, however for other things it's only slightly better than than trying to karate chop a side of raw beef with your hand.

Cell phones can be as good or better than a DSLR depending on the use, but not certainly because of the MP count. I can't attach a flash to a cell phone and I have very limited control, but if I want to record a video or snap a photo and instantly upload it to share or if I'm doing something where I don't want to lug around the weight of a DSLR and related equipment, the phone works perfectly.

 

[Stradawhovious]

Cell phones are far superior to DSLR.


I have never ONCE been able to accept an incoming call or play angry birds on my D7000. It's infuriating.

 

[407370]

My daughter was doing a flute recital in the teachers home (big house) and everyone had a phone to record the event except one total ........ who insisted that he needed his giant tripod + 5DMK3 and separate lighting stand to record the event. The home owner eventually had to kick him out as he was so disruptive but he got belligerent and a few of us parents had to assist him to leave the premises. To this day he would not know what people were getting annoyed about as he was getting the best photo he could.

Time and a place.

If you compare the rate of development of phone cameras to DSLR's the gap should be minimal in a few years.

A diaphragme is a form of contraception.

 

[pgriz]

I think someone already did a hack and installed a video game on a Canon display. Had to do a lot of extra coding to compensate for the libraries that weren't included in the camera's firmware. Said it took several months, and other than proving the point that it could be done, that it wasn't worth the effort. Plus I think the camera's ergonomics are all wrong for THAT function.

 

[astroNikon]

H'ere's a few of my photos visiting the doctors office the other day. They looked good on my phone ...

 

[ph0enix]

I think someone already did a hack and installed a video game on a Canon display. Had to do a lot of extra coding to compensate for the libraries that weren't included in the camera's firmware. Said it took several months, and other than proving the point that it could be done, that it wasn't worth the effort. Plus I think the camera's ergonomics are all wrong for THAT function.

I could have told him that before he started.

 

[pgriz]

I think someone already did a hack and installed a video game on a Canon display. Had to do a lot of extra coding to compensate for the libraries that weren't included in the camera's firmware. Said it took several months, and other than proving the point that it could be done, that it wasn't worth the effort. Plus I think the camera's ergonomics are all wrong for THAT function.

I could have told him that before he started.

Yeah, but he now has the bragging rights, that he's hacker enough to put a video game on a camera display. That's no small shitz he showed there. Of course, slightly more sane people would have listened to your advice and said said the same - but then, they would have had to do something useful with those months. And that could be the greater challenge.