why does it seem my smartphone camera takes better images than a pro dslr?

[ph0toe]

I feel as if sometimes I get better pic off a smart phone than I do on a dslr. Idk if I'm not using the camera settings correctly or what have you but I'm getting blurry unflattering pics from a dslr in comparsion to a decent looking photos on my iphone.

I know the fundamentals of shooting a good pic off a dslr (exposure triangle). However, a lot of time when i'm shooting indoors (product photography) or videos, its blurry due to low light.

my camera supposedly shoot great at low light performance and has an iso up to 25600, but i'm trying to shoot at a low iso to avoid grainy images, i mostly shoot at aperture of 4.0 or less for that bokeh sharp effect and shutter speed I just leave it on auto for aperture priority or for manual ill just switch it to whatever that gives me a proper exposure. Butttt.. the pics don't come out crispy or anything

my phone, however at least give me clear images although not great.

Is my external light just that bad? i have a great led light i use but even with just that it isn't doing my photos justice. am I missing something?

 

[D7K]

I’d say that you’re struggling here due to not understanding fully the basics of shooting with the dlsr, I know you say you know the basics but are you putting them into practice when you’re shooting? Have you got any example images? I’d certainly not be shooting anything at 25600, if you’re shooting indoor then yes the light will come into play, are you using a tripod? What is your setup and share a few images with the settings and equipment used and I’m sure we can help out!


Sent from my mobile device because I’m either outside or too lazy to get my MacBook..

 

[jaomul]

One advantage of smartphones is due the technical make up of sensor and lens the focus isn't as unforgiving as dslrs so if your slightly off its not as noticeable (basically due depth of field).

Dslrs are not forgiving here

 

[weepete]

Blur isn't due to low light, you get blur from movement or missed focus. So you need to make sure everything is still and your focus point is accurate.

Phone photogaphs tend to have automatic noise reduction for low light, DSLRs aren't as agressive with this feature though you can generally change that in camera if you shoot jpeg or in post if you shoot raw

 

[Derrel]

I would agree that you are missing out on some fundamentals of digital single lens reflex photography if you're getting blurry low light photos. For example you say that you try to keep the ISO low… Big mistake… You should probably be using an ISO level of 3200 or higher in many if not most indoor sports situations. you do not mention what camera you have but if it is a relatively current model, you should have a pretty good image quality at ISO levels of 1600 or so and probably pretty decent pictures at 3200, and perfectly usable photos at ISO 4000 to 6400.

if your smart phone photos are better than your DSLR photos in low light sports situations, you are not using your DSLR correctly.

 

[Derrel]

I would say that your biggest mistake is shooting at low ISO values "to avoid grainy pictures"... while you may be avoiding digital noise or grain, the result is that you are getting blurry photos...

 

[Jeff15]

I agree with what has been said..........

 

[Designer]

I feel as if sometimes I get better pic off a smart phone than I do on a dslr. Idk if I'm not using the camera settings correctly or what have you but I'm getting blurry unflattering pics from a dslr in comparsion to a decent looking photos on my iphone.

I know the fundamentals of shooting a good pic off a dslr (exposure triangle). However, a lot of time when i'm shooting indoors (product photography) or videos, its blurry due to low light.

my camera supposedly shoot great at low light performance and has an iso up to 25600, but i'm trying to shoot at a low iso to avoid grainy images, i mostly shoot at aperture of 4.0 or less for that bokeh sharp effect and shutter speed I just leave it on auto for aperture priority or for manual ill just switch it to whatever that gives me a proper exposure. Butttt.. the pics don't come out crispy or anything

my phone, however at least give me clear images although not great.

Is my external light just that bad? i have a great led light i use but even with just that it isn't doing my photos justice. am I missing something?

In your focus thread, we went over a few things that you probably need help with.

In low light, your camera NEEDS some light in order to focus. Ordinarily, your camera will illuminate the subject with a "focus-assist" light. Make sure it is turned on and not obstructed.

What is "bokeh sharp effect"?

Your phone camera has a deep DOF, so nearly everything will be in acceptable focus. Consult a DOF calculator (I showed an example in a post.)

In my opinion, an LED light might not do what you are expecting it to do. Try flash or some other type of light instead.

 

[Dacaur]

What lense are you using on your DSLR?

If you are using a kit f3.5 or f4 lense, it's not really a fair comparison. An iPhone 10 has an f2.4 aperature, and is basically a prime lense, with image stabilization.
Try a 50mmvf2.8 or canons 24mm f2.8 lense. Both are great indoors, way better than the kit lense, and being prime lenses are much sharper than a kit zoom lense.
As much as I love my 18-135, for indoor birthdays etc I put it away and use my 24mm f2.8 to get good pictures at usable iso...

 

[ph0toe]

I’d say that you’re struggling here due to not understanding fully the basics of shooting with the dlsr, I know you say you know the basics but are you putting them into practice when you’re shooting? Have you got any example images? I’d certainly not be shooting anything at 25600, if you’re shooting indoor then yes the light will come into play, are you using a tripod? What is your setup and share a few images with the settings and equipment used and I’m sure we can help out!


Sent from my mobile device because I’m either outside or too lazy to get my MacBook..

okay, so this pic was taken with my iphone 8
Imgur

this was taken with a mark 3 5d with the kit lens 24-105mm
Imgur

settings are
f 1/50

shutter 1/16

iso-3200

both are lit in front of the window illuminating natural light with my silk curtains covering it.

 

[ph0toe]

Blur isn't due to low light, you get blur from movement or missed focus. So you need to make sure everything is still and your focus point is accurate.

Phone photogaphs tend to have automatic noise reduction for low light, DSLRs aren't as agressive with this feature though you can generally change that in camera if you shoot jpeg or in post if you shoot raw

thanks. i managed not to get blur in the imgur links i provided above. however, it isn't sharp and well lit as I wanted it. I am using the AF-on button from the back end of the camera and it doesnt select a focus or beep, yet the pic turn out not to be blurry. was I lucky? is it normal?

 

[ph0toe]

I would agree that you are missing out on some fundamentals of digital single lens reflex photography if you're getting blurry low light photos. For example you say that you try to keep the ISO low… Big mistake… You should probably be using an ISO level of 3200 or higher in many if not most indoor sports situations. you do not mention what camera you have but if it is a relatively current model, you should have a pretty good image quality at ISO levels of 1600 or so and probably pretty decent pictures at 3200, and perfectly usable photos at ISO 4000 to 6400.

if your smart phone photos are better than your DSLR photos in low light sports situations, you are not using your DSLR correctly.

I am using an iso of 3200 yet iphone pic STILL came out better than dslr. maybe my other settings are off. I am on manual and same lighting situation

 

[ph0toe]

I feel as if sometimes I get better pic off a smart phone than I do on a dslr. Idk if I'm not using the camera settings correctly or what have you but I'm getting blurry unflattering pics from a dslr in comparsion to a decent looking photos on my iphone.

I know the fundamentals of shooting a good pic off a dslr (exposure triangle). However, a lot of time when i'm shooting indoors (product photography) or videos, its blurry due to low light.

my camera supposedly shoot great at low light performance and has an iso up to 25600, but i'm trying to shoot at a low iso to avoid grainy images, i mostly shoot at aperture of 4.0 or less for that bokeh sharp effect and shutter speed I just leave it on auto for aperture priority or for manual ill just switch it to whatever that gives me a proper exposure. Butttt.. the pics don't come out crispy or anything

my phone, however at least give me clear images although not great.

Is my external light just that bad? i have a great led light i use but even with just that it isn't doing my photos justice. am I missing something?

In your focus thread, we went over a few things that you probably need help with.

In low light, your camera NEEDS some light in order to focus. Ordinarily, your camera will illuminate the subject with a "focus-assist" light. Make sure it is turned on and not obstructed.

What is "bokeh sharp effect"?

Your phone camera has a deep DOF, so nearly everything will be in acceptable focus. Consult a DOF calculator (I showed an example in a post.)

In my opinion, an LED light might not do what you are expecting it to do. Try flash or some other type of light instead.

HOW much light is needed? i am in a pretty dark room with only a dim lamp light. I do have natural lights emitting with . curtains ( but i do not have blinders ) so i leave the curtains cover so keeps my room private. I have an aperture 120d LeD light which many swear is the only light I need, so I thought. There has to be something i'm not doing right.

bokeh sharp effect is shooting at very low aperture to provide that shallow depth of field but I remain in SHARP focus.

 

[Soocom1]

I also think there is a fundamental misunderstanding by many about the final image itself.

The cell phone's camera is optimized for photos shown on small screens (approx 1.5x4 inch approx, equivalent) with the ability to be magnified to around a 5x7 inch equivalent on a computer screen. (Measure it out some time.)

Vs. an image taken with an SLR where it can be enlarged to 8x10 and larger (given the proper settings).

Now I too have struggled with this issue myself and have compared slr images to the phone and discovered one other aspect that many may be able to expand or clarify.
The phone camera actually uses a high ISO setting to begin with and there is no aperture control. Its all done by fuzzy logic programming with am emphasis on making the image as clean as possible and though the images seem really nice on the phone, once enlarged to 200 or 400% suddenly are not as so clean and crystal clear.

Plus given that shake control and the many "idiot proof" software systems in the phone itself, whereas such "idiot proof" systems are NOT in a slr, the final take shows this difference.

 

[Designer]

HOW much light is needed? i am in a pretty dark room with only a dim lamp light. I do have natural lights emitting with . curtains ( but i do not have blinders ) so i leave the curtains cover so keeps my room private. I have an aperture 120d LeD light which many swear is the only light I need, so I thought. There has to be something i'm not doing right.

An ordinary table lamp should be enough light to just get a photo (close to the lamp), even without your LED light. It seems you might be making some sort of error. Can you post an example photo?

I usually recommend a flash, although you can use continuous lighting for product photography. (subject does not move) Try this; remove the lampshade or turn a table lamp toward your subject, place something nearby, and try a shot without the LED.

Make sure your focus-assist light is enabled. Test it by taking a half-shutter press toward a mirror. You should see the little light come on.

bokeh sharp effect is shooting at very low aperture to provide that shallow depth of field but I remain in SHARP focus.

O.K., now I understand. You want the main subject to be sharp, but have the background blurry. So yes, a wide aperture, long lens, and adequate distance behind your subject all come into play, and should be optimized for the best effect.

Just a guess: I will say that with your aperture at f/4, (in aperture priority), a focal length of at least 100mm (or longer if available), and at least ten feet (or more) behind your subject should begin to show you what you want. Optimize all factors (see a DOF calculator) to get the best effect.