Smartphone camera vs DSLR

aisling0800

Is it worth investing in a proper DSLR camera? I want a good camera for taking pictures as I'm in a workplace and we regularly have Photo competitions. A friend told me not to fork out €500 for a camera as a smartphone one is just as good.

Is that really true?

John_Rambo

You'll get a really good second hand full frame Canon 5D mark 1 for peanuts. It's the lenses that are the problem. Good ones are pretty costly. Modern phone cameras are amazing.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058229329/smartphone-camera-vs-dslr

It's the software side of things that has drastically improved the quality of phone camera photos most from the phone manufacturers the likes of Apple, Google and Samsung. These three manufacturers as a general rule have the best software (on Samsung the budget phones don't produce great photos)

The colour interpretation that comes out are now very pleasing and the smart focusing is intelligent.

The whole point-and-shoot camera line was rendered obsolete pretty much.

Even good quality cameras like the Sony RX100 are pretty pointless vs a good smartphone camera and you don't have to carry another camera around.

Unless you are willing to put a decent bit of time into learning photography and photography software and need a quality long zoom there is not a lot of point in getting a DSLR these days really for most cases. There is a good bit of time and effort involved as well as money.

And as said, the DSLR camera is only the start point - good lenses get very expensive.

You'd probably do better in the photo competitions trying to come up with more interesting compositions and having a decent phone camera.

https://www.ephotozine.com/article/9-top-photography-composition-rules-you-need-to-know-17158

Something like a google pixel 4a (or even 3a) will take very nice photos and is probably the cheapest decent camera camera-phone.

You could look at applying effects also with picture editing software like snapseed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCOlVPLP9Xw

elperello

If you have the itch for a DSLR get one and try it but also keep using the phone.

The phone will always win out for the off the cuff pics but getting set up with the camera lends a sense of occasion.

If you don't try you'll never know.

Beasty

DSLRs are great if you can benefit from different lens options for things like sports. However there is also the compact digital option. There are great options from the likes of Sony, Nikon and Canon. They can offer wide zoom ranges and the quality of photos can be as good as many digital SLRs for less than the price of a single additional lens for a DSLR and offering much more versatility than a phone camera

This youtube video was two years ago and things have only come on further in terms of phones since then.

As said the phones (for the brands mentioned, not some budget Xiaomi phone) have come on so much with the software (the computational photography aspect particularly that overcomes the limits of the small phone camera senor size which can come up with very good dynamic range) that it's close for a lot of composition scenarios and as a point-and-shoot will produce better results as the DSLR or mirrorless camera is going to need further editing.

When you consider that it's also so easy to do edits on a phone afterwards compared to a camera when taking into account the extra hassle of dealing with memory cards, requiring a laptop or other device and learning complex photo-editing software (and paying for that) then it's just not worth it for most people unless someone has a real interest in putting the time and expense in.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6irorkXCLyw

https://www.howtogeek.com/659806/what-is-computational-photography/#:~:text=It's%20a%20process%20in%20which,best%20details%20from%20each%20image.

magicbastarder

i think one reason people often get better results with DSLRs - and DSLRs with prime lenses; and do even better again with film; is that the easier a camera makes it for you, the lazier you can get. so it's not necessarily tied to the technological performance of the camera, but about taking your time and hunting for the best angle, the best light etc.

also, personally, i find shooting with a DSLR much more rewarding than using a cameraphone. and i prefer the better control over depth of field a decent standard prime offers.

aisling0800

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118522177#Comment_118522177

I'd be looking mainly for capturing images in a loseless format. Don't really like JPG as there's a lot of compression involved.

I know some Nikon cameras use RAW, NEF or TIFF.

magicbastarder

some smartphones can capture in RAW - i suspect any smartphone which would be considered a good option for photography would. my google pixel 3 does so (DNG format). i hadn't heard of nikon cameras shooting in TIFF, but my (12 year old one) shoots in RAW (the nikon specific NEF format)

Any phone that has a decent camera set-up will have a RAW option, even the cheapest decent ones like the pixel 3a

Even crappy camera phones, a lot of them can produce RAW files.

But are you skilled up on RAW photo-editing - there is a decent learning curve there to actually get good results from knowing what you're doing?

Ideally you need a laptop with a colour-accurate screen also if transferring files from a camera to work there.

And tbh the title of this thread is sort of moot, Mirrorless cameras are the way forward.

Canon, once a DSLR bastion has stopped making DSLR cameras completely and the biggest camera brand Sony has been all mirrorless for a good while in terms of not making any new models.

Don't think that Panasonic make DSLR's either

Nikon are the only really big brand still doing them (and a smaller brand - Pentax)

Unless you're buying a second-hand camera, the advantages of Mirrorless are clear.

MojoMaker

In the €500 camera realm though, as per OP.

dinneenp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118522283#Comment_118522283

I was going to ask do you know your way around a DSLR but based on above, it sounds like you do. There's a learning curve to getting decent photos with a DSLR.

I think it's more of a want than need. You can capture extremely good photos with a camera phone, have a look https://www.worldphoto.org/sony-world-photography-awards/winners-galleries/2015/mobile-phone-award

With a viewfinder and how you hold a camera, it just feels better imho. Could always buy 2nd hand/inexpensive and see how you go.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118534833#Comment_118534833

plenty of mirrorless available second-hand in that price range also

or even brand new for a highly rated dp review camera (and pretty much unanimous positive amazon reviews) and an ideal one for someone new to this type of camera as the OP is (but with scope to grow down the line)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-15-45mm-3-5-6-3-Mirrorless-Camera/dp/B074VQ7L1Y/ref%3Dsr_1_6?keywords=mirrorless+camera&qid=1643214672&refinements=p_36%3A-49900&rnid=389035011&sprefix=mirro%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-6

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canon-eos-m100-review/5

The entry-level EOS M100 is Canon's smallest, lightest camera that offers interchangeable lenses. It's offered at a competitive price, comes with great image quality that's a step up from most any smartphone under a wide variety of circumstances, and yet offers a user interface that should appear polished and approachable for smartphone users looking to get their first 'real' camera.

On the whole, we consider the M100 to be a great value and incredibly user-friendly. If you're a novice, and grow in your photography such that you find you do want to dictate some of your exposure settings, this camera also offers all the manual control you might want.

CabanSail

It’s a bit like asking what car should I buy?

You could get a Polo or a race ready sports car. They will both get you to the shops one will be easier to drive there but the other has greater capacity if you have the skills to use them.

If a phone will do what you need then use that. If you require more performance then get a better camera and learn how to use it. It’s not just owning the gear but also the knowledge required to operate and process.

5uspect

The camera industry is changing. Everyone has a smartphone and point and shoot cameras are worthless in comparison.

Canon are winding down production of DSLRs in favour of mirrorless. Nikon is going the same way and Sony have produced some amazing mirrorless cameras in recent years.

However you still need lenses for these cameras and this is a big investment.

You have to ask yourself what you want from photography. Do you want to capture nice images or do you want to delve deep into the art and technology?

As good as smartphones are they are artificially enhanced. While I can get some nice optical depth of field with my iPhone, the portrait mode is a computational filter and it’s hard not to see its flaws. So you’ll get good images but there’s always that feeling that the photo isn’t authentic or really yours

A fast prime lens can be quite expensive, but it will also hold its value pretty well. My RF 85 f/1.2 L is nearly optically perfect and with the incredible autofocus on my R5 it produces incredible images. However, it’s heavy and attracts attention.

I would recommend a second hand DSLR like a Canon 7D or even a full frame Nikon D800 with a 50mm f/1.8 and just start playing with it.

The automotive example above is apt. You’ve got all kinds of nice cars like Polos and even EVs to chose from. An interchangeable lens camera like a DSLR or a mirrorless is more like a utility vehicle like a tractor. It’s very versatile, it has all kinds of knobs and levers but it’s not the kind of thing you go to a party in.

Tech_Head

For photography competitions, the newer smart phones win. Great pictures, the software will give you a photo that the majority of people thing is great and it’s quick to share the photo too.

I’m an iPhone user so that’s where my experience lies. Upgraded this year after having my last one for 4 years - it’s seriously impressive, especially the low light photos.

I also have a Fuji mirrorless, both have their uses and the Fuji photos are better but the iPhone is used mostly.

Best camera is the one you have with you and phone cameras are much more pocketable.

Just some phone camera examples to show how far they’ve come.

Edit: Reminder that these ones are compressed so won’t be as good when you zoom in

BTW,

the OP (who is a new poster with few posts and now banned as surely a re-reg) has started multiple time-wasting troll discussions across various topics over the last while and never really participated in any of them after the initial post aside from the odd subsequent time-wasting poke

weird sort of troll

https://www.boards.ie/search?domain=discussions&scope=site&authors%5B0%5D%5Bvalue%5D=967207&authors%5B0%5D%5Blabel%5D=aisling0800

you won't learn much about photography using a phone where software does all the work. May get the result but won't know why.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118623137#Comment_118623137

where does it say she is banned?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118821013#Comment_118821013

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