Vlogging is more popular than ever. In response, manufacturers have introduced specialty cameras for vloggers. But do you really need a dedicated camera to vlog? We compared the Sony ZV-1 and Panasonic G100 to an iPhone to find out.
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Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
The post 6 Reasons Why Dedicated Cameras are Better than Smartphones for Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
Modern smartphone cameras are amazing! They have facilitated an explosion in photography that shows no signs of stopping. Mobile phone cameras, apps, editing, and sharing have given people access to creative outlets that were unthinkable a mere 15 years ago. If the best camera is the one you have with you, then 9 times out of 10, the best camera is right in your pocket! Despite the advances in smartphone cameras, there are still few things smartphone cameras lack. So, in this article, we’ll explore why dedicated cameras are better than smartphones for photography. In other words, there are some photos you just can’t get with a smartphone.
The first of the 5 reasons why dedicated cameras are better than smartphones for photography, is software vs physics.
I don’t want to sound like an old man yelling at clouds, decrying all modern technologies that might make my life better. Smartphone cameras and computational photography are incredible! They can use software and artificial intelligence to capture incredible images of night skies and portrait-style images with blurry backgrounds.
But digital trickery and software manipulations are no match for a mastery of light and physics, and this is where dedicated cameras still have an edge.
Most smartphones have lenses that approximate roughly a 28mm field of view on a full-frame camera. Some have second lenses that go a bit wider, usually about 15mm. It’s also not uncommon for higher-end phones to have a telephoto lens as well, which is roughly equivalent to a 50mm lens.
Nearly all smartphone cameras are stuck at a single aperture value as well, which gives you limited control over a key element of exposure. While there is much that can be done in software to overcome the inherent limitations of these lenses and focal lengths, sometimes you just need a separate camera to get the shot.
Any smartphone can take pictures of flowers. This particular image shows a backlit flower whose petals are glowing with sunlight streaking in from above and behind, and a mobile phone could capture that just fine. However, there is one key element of this image that’s impossible on a smartphone – the foreground blur.
Smartphones have come a long way with so-called portrait-style photography. Portrait mode involves software combined with depth data that allows a smartphone to blur the background.
But not the foreground.
This is one of the things smartphone cameras lack. Try it for yourself!
Take a portrait-style photo with your smartphone but include objects in the foreground that you would like to blur. The background will get blurry, but the foreground will remain in focus.
Blurring both the foreground and background is a time-honored technique to add a sense of depth and perspective to your photos. Perhaps one day the software and AI techniques used on mobile phones will be able to replicate this. But, for now, if you’re using a smartphone, you’re stuck with just background blur.
While smartphone cameras have had pinch-to-zoom capabilities for over a decade, it amounts to little more than just cropping your pictures. Modern smartphones do a better job of interpolating data between pixels and adjusting exposure values on the fly, but at the end of the day, you’re still just cropping.
In the process, you lose a lot of detail. And even then, you just can’t zoom in very far. It’s definitely one of the things smartphone cameras lack, despite some recent advances.
One classic example of this is a picture of the moon.
Smartphone lenses, and the laws of physics, make pictures like this impossible. You have probably noticed if you have ever tried to do a pinch-and-zoom photo of our nearest celestial neighbor.
You’ll need a dedicated camera if you want to get crisp, detailed photos of faraway objects. And this is just another reason dedicated cameras are better than smartphones.
Smartphones aren’t great for most long-distance shooting scenarios, such as this picture of a horse in the pasture.
While pinch-and-zoom can make it seem like you’re getting closer, you won’t get a tack-sharp, high-resolution image suitable for printing and framing.
Like everything tech-related, this is getting better and will improve with time. Some phones now are using stacked periscope-style lenses combined with software and AI processing to mimic 10x or even 100x zoom lenses. Right now, these make interesting tech demos, but the results don’t have the same level of clarity, color, and fidelity as you would get from a DSLR or mirrorless camera with a zoom lens attached.
Another reason dedicated cameras are better than smartphones is background compression.
Something interesting happens when you shoot photos with a telephoto zoom: the background appears to move closer to your subject.
It’s called background compression and is a time-honored compositional technique to make your subjects stand out and take your images up to another level. It’s also impossible to do on a smartphone.
In the picture above, the building is very far away from the woman walking in the foreground. Shooting with a telephoto lens compresses the background and makes it seem much closer.
In this family photo, you can see the trees and leaves in the background, which are very far away. However, they appear closer as a result of background compression.
While some smartphone cameras do have some limited zoom capability, their smaller lenses and image sensors simply do not allow for these types of pictures.
Before I get too far in this section, I want to point out that smartphones are good at capturing some types of fast action. These conditions are fairly limited, though.
You have to be close to your subject, which isn’t possible in a lot of action situations. It also helps if you can lock focus on a specific area where you know the subject will be, or else have a smartphone with amazing autofocus capabilities. And if you can meet those challenges, then your phone could produce some good results.
For a lot of fast action, though, you need a DSLR or mirrorless camera. It helps to have a good lens attached too.
This will let you stand on the sidelines while getting up close and personal with your subjects. It helps to shoot with a wide aperture too, which will let you get a fast shutter speed and freeze the action.
These types of action shots are impossible on smartphones because pinch-to-zoom just can’t get the job done. You’ll get pictures that are pixellated, blurry, or out of focus because smartphones are not able to match the speed and capability of a dedicated camera.
In the picture below, I was sitting in the stern of a boat zoomed in to 200mm. I had to use tracking autofocus to keep the picture sharp. My brother was also in the boat with his smartphone, and he didn’t like any of the shots he got.
The last of my reasons that dedicated cameras are better than smartphones relates to portrait photography.
This one might ruffle some feathers because phones have gotten so much better at portraits in recent years. In fact, some people can’t even tell the difference between portrait-style images shot on mobile phones and actual portraits taken with a dedicated camera. I have trouble sometimes too. In the coming years, mobile phones are going to keep getting better and better.
For now, and into the foreseeable future, dedicated cameras still have a significant advantage.
Software and AI, and computational horsepower can do a lot, but they can’t keep up with a good lens and physics.
In the picture below, the girl’s eyes are tack sharp but there is a subtle falloff as you look towards the edge of her face. Her hair goes from sharp to blurry in a smooth, even fashion.
The background isn’t just blurry – it’s obliterated. Mobile phones can’t do that.
You don’t need expensive gear to take great portraits either.
In fact, you can spend far less on a used DSLR or Mirrorless camera than you would on a mobile phone with portrait mode.
The shot below was taken on a Nikon D200, which came out in 2006, and can be found today for about $ 150.
The lens is a cheap 50mm f/1.8. And the results blow away anything you can get from a mobile phone.
All the subtle details, like the way her eye is in focus but her ears are slightly blurry, to her hair slowly fading away, to the bokeh in the background, make this image a cut above what you could get from a smartphone. Just another reason that dedicated cameras are better than smartphones for photography.
Before anyone gets out a bucket of tar and some feathers, please understand that I think smartphone cameras are amazing!
Despite the things smartphone cameras lack, they can take incredible pictures and technology will only make them better with time. I just think it’s important to understand their limitations and have a sense of some of the pictures they can’t yet achieve.
What about you?
I’m curious what your experience has been with smartphone pictures. Does your smartphone take the kinds of shots you want, or have you found that it can’t yet replace your DSLR or mirrorless camera?
I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to share your thoughts and example images in the comments below.
The post 6 Reasons Why Dedicated Cameras are Better than Smartphones for Photography appeared first on Digital Photography School. It was authored by Simon Ringsmuth.
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Although not nearly as exciting as its new X-T4 camera, Fujifilm has also announced the Instax Mini 11, its latest-generation instant film camera.
The Instax Mini 11 looks very similar to its predecessor, the Mini 9 (don’t ask where 10 went), but it’s received a subtle facelift. Specifically, the camera is more rounded than before and uses a material around the lens that’s different from the material used in the rest of the camera body. The shutter button and the button used to extend the lens now have dimples as well, presumably to make it easier to locate the buttons by feel when shooting.
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Aside from the slight design change, Fujifilm has also added an Automatic Exposure mode that adjusts the shutter speed and flash output based on the ambient lighting environment. Previously, the only option was to choose from a selection of presets that were changed by twisting a ring around the lens.
Fujifilm has also added a new Selfie Mode that, according to Fujifilm, ‘makes it super easy to take selfies and close-up pictures.’ A small convex mirror on the front of the camera makes composing selfies a bit easier as well (this has been on previous-generation Instax Mini cameras).
The Mini 11 also comes in different color options: Blush Pink, Sky Blue, Charcoal Gray, Ice White and Lilac Purple. The Instax Mini 11 is set to ship in mid-March with an MSRP of $ 69.95. In addition to the new camera, Fujifilm has also unveiled two new Instax film varieties: Instax Mini Blue Marble film and Instax Square White Marble film.
{pressrelease}
Valhalla, N.Y., February 25, 2020 – FUJIFILM North America Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of INSTAX® Mini 11 (Mini 11), the latest innovation in its long line of popular INSTAX instant cameras and Smartphone printers.
The INSTAX® Mini 11 has been designed for optimal portability along with a fresh, trendy look. Available in five new colors, the Mini 11 boasts the following new features and benefits:
Automatic Exposure function for better pictures day or night
The “Automatic Exposure” function automatically senses the level of ambient light when the shutter button is pressed, and optimizes the shutter speed and flash output according to the condition. It allows even novice INSTAX® users to take photos that are automatically properly exposed regardless of conditions, producing high-quality instant photo prints on the spot.
Selfie Mode for quick and easy selfies
Users can activate the Selfie Mode, perfect for taking selfies and close-up shots, by simply pulling out the front end edge of the lens after powering the camera on. This makes it super easy to take selfies and close-up pictures.
Custom, interchangeable shutter buttons for style and personalization
The Mini 11 comes with two replaceable and stylish shutter button stickers; a fun and easy way to change the button’s look and to personalize the camera.
Updated design with attention to detail
Mini 11’s rounder, softer, modern look is a direct homage to its Mini 9 predecessor. Contrasting design elements on the Mini 11 are achieved by using a different material around the lens from the rest of the camera body. The Mini 11 is available in five pastel, pale-tone colors – Blush Pink, Sky Blue, Charcoal Gray, Ice White, and Lilac Purple.
Fujifilm’s INSTAX® Mini 11 instant camera will be available at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $ 69.95 USD ($ 89.99 CDN) and is expected to be available for purchase mid-March, 2020.
{/pressrelease}
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Apple has announced its new Smart Battery Cases for its latest iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max devices, and hidden within them is a little surprise. Each of the Smart Battery Cases features a dedicated camera button that launches the Camera app.
According to the product description, the dedicated camera button will launch the Camera app regardless of whether the iPhone is locked or unlocked. ‘A quick press of the button takes a photo and a longer press captures a QuickTake video,’ reads the description.
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| A close-up look at the dedicated camera button, located on the right-hand side of the case when looking at the screen of the iPhone. |
This marks the first time any dedicated camera button has been found on a first-party case or battery case from Apple and further amplifies Apple’s emphasis on photography with its latest devices.
The Smart Battery Cases cost $ 129 for all iPhone 11 models and come in three colors: Black, White and Pink Sand. They are available to order now through Apple’s online store, physical Apple Stores and authorized Apple retailers.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Huawei sub-brand Honor has launched its new flagship smartphone and, as rumored, the Honor 20 Pro is the first smartphone to come with an F1.4 aperture in its primary camera. But that’s not the only news. The new model also comes with a dedicated 2MP macro camera that has been optimized for image capture at a subject distance of only 1.5 inches (4cm) and uses a F2.2 aperture.
The primary camera features a 48MP Sony IMX586 1/2″ Quad-Bayer sensor that produces 12MP image output. The lens is optically stabilized.
The tele lens has an equivalent focal length of approximately 80mm and an F2.4 aperture. It also comes with OIS. Finally, there’s a 16MP ultra wide-angle camera with a 117-degree field of view and F2.2 aperture.
A AIS Super Night Mode captures several frames in quick succession, discard the blurry or otherwise unusable ones, and merges the rest into one high-quality low-light image. The 48MP AI Ultra Clarity Mode uses similar methods for additional detail in bright light.
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The front camera offers a 32MP pixel count and is located inside a hole in the 6.26” 1080p+ LCD display. The device is powered by the same Kirin 980 chipset as the Huawei P30 Pro and comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage. The 4,000mAh battery can be charged from flat to 50% in 30 minutes.
The Honor 20 Pro will be available soon at a price point that makes it look like an attractive alternative to some more established competitors. The device will cost you €600 ($ 670) in Europe. No pricing information for other regions has been released yet.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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| Modern architecture abounds in Palm Springs, mid-century and otherwise. Olympus Pen F ISO 200 | 1/1600 sec | F6.3 | Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm F2.0 |
On the topic of “When will smartphones make most dedicated cameras obsolete?” I tend to be in the “We’re pretty much there already” camp. In my own day-to-day photography, and even for some special occasions where I expect to take more than a few photos, I’ll stick with my smartphone rather than bringing along a dedicated camera.
That wasn’t the case on a recent trip to Palm Springs. I shot with both the Pixel 3 and a Micro Four Thirds camera (the Olympus Pen F, specifically). Here’s where each of them shine, and why I’m glad I had a dedicated camera at my side.
My photographic priority in Palm Springs was the city’s veritable smorgasbord of mid-century modern buildings. Banks, hotels, liquor stores – all housed in stunning modern buildings that are extremely Instagrammable. You know you’ve hit the architectural jackpot when you’re excited to photograph the town BevMo!.
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| Literally the roof of a BevMo! liquor store. Olympus Pen F ISO 200 | 1/800 sec | F5.6 | Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm F2.0 |
There are obvious benefits to any smartphone, including of course the Pixel 3. It’s always with you, even by the pool, photos are automatically backed up to your image library, everything is immediately shareable. But the Pixel 3 presents a few unique advantages: it handles high-contrast scenes particularly well, and the multi-shot Night Sight mode captures a level of detail well beyond what we’re used to seeing from smartphones, even in the daytime.
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| The Pixel 3 does a fine job balancing scenes like this one, and its IP68 waterproof rating means it’s safe poolside. Google Pixel 3 XL ISO 59 | 28mm equiv. | F1.8 |
There are some disadvantages though, which figured into my decision to bring along the Olympus Pen F and 12mm lens. First, the Pixel’s main camera wasn’t quite wide enough for the kind of photography I wanted to do. Photographing mid-century modern buildings from the sidewalk along a busy road doesn’t make it easy to just back up to get the whole thing in the shot.
Using panorama mode for a wider shot isn’t a great option either – image quality is pretty poor. This year’s smartphones are addressing this problem with wide-angle lenses, so if Google ever decides to add another rear camera, who knows what will be possible!
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| Stuff like this is just lying around everywhere in Palm Springs! Olympus Pen F ISO 200 | 1/1250 sec | F4.5 | Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm F2.0 |
Editing Pixel 3 Raws isn’t my favorite experience at the moment, either. Editing Pen F files is familiar and comfortable to me, while handling Pixel Raw files seems to be a quirky process in its current state. When I use Camera Raw I start with a very flat, overexposed image, and when I edit Raw photos in Snapseed I encounter a couple of bugs along the way (and don’t love the small-screen edit experience). It’s more than good enough for something I’ll post on social media, but I wanted a little more control with my Palm Springs photos.
I also found myself taking advantage of a few Pen F features that were handy, if not necessarily must-haves. A viewfinder really came in handy under the bright mid-day sun. I also like a tilting LCD to compose shots from higher and lower angles. Also, the digital level was pretty huge for me, a person with (apparently) a crooked brain who is unable to keep horizons straight.
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| If every Bank of America looked like this I’d be a member tomorrow. Olympus Pen F ISO 200 | 1/1250 sec | F4.5 | Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm F2.0 |
To be sure, there are some third-party workarounds that would have adapted the Pixel 3 to my purposes better. I could have brought a wide-angle attachment lens along and used a camera app with a level. There are trade-offs when using either of these options, though.
I also prefer the anonymity of the Pixel 3. One morning I walked from the center of town a mile and a half to the visitor’s center, a futuristic-looking building that used to be a gas station and is one of the most recognizable structures in town.
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| Roof of the Tramway Gas Station, currently home of the Palm Springs Visitor’s Center. Olympus Pen F ISO 200 | 1/1250 sec | F6.3 | Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm F2.0 |
I was quite conspicuous on this journey for several reasons. For starters, nobody walks a mile to get anywhere in 80°+ heat if they can help it. I’m also incredibly pale and probably a danger to motorists walking under a beaming sun on the side of the road. I also had a Real Camera in my hand, and on top of that, am a lady.
Being a lady alone in public doing something out of the ordinary is, in my experience, an invitation for commentary, usually of the harmless “What are ya doin’ there with that big ol’ camera little missy??” variety. Well-meaning I’m sure, but my male colleagues don’t quite experience the same interruptions.
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| Palm Springs: they aren’t kidding about those palms. Olympus Pen F ISO 200 | 1/1000 sec | F4.5 | Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm F2.0 |
I wish I’d been shooting with the Pixel when I saw the Photo That Got Away. Traffic in the street was stopped at a red light, and I was walking parallel to a pickup truck towing a camper van with a majestic purple mountain on the side. Behind it was a backdrop of actual majestic mountains. It was perfect, except the driver was staring right at me staring at him.
Maybe I would have gotten away with it shooting with the phone. As it happened, it just felt too conspicuous, almost invasive, to pull the camera up to my eye and take a picture. The light turned green and I thought about that photo through the rest of the trip.
In any case, I made it to the visitor’s center, which is a lovely building but I actually ended up taking my favorite picture around the back of it. Funny how that happens.
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| I walked a mile and a half through the desert to take this photo of a bench, I guess. Olympus Pen F ISO 200 | 1/1250 sec | F6.3 | Olympus M.Zuiko 12mm F2.0 |
I liked the experience of carrying the Pen F at my side. It put me in a mindset of taking photos that’s harder to get into when I’m using my phone. But I don’t think we’re far from a future where the Pixel 3 satisfies almost all of the photographic needs I had on a trip like that, and there are real benefits to shooting with the Pixel 3 that traditional cameras don’t provide now. The Pixel automatically backed up all of the trip photos I took with it to my Photos library, where they were instantly shareable, searchable and photo-book-printable. The Pen F sure didn’t do any of that.
When I can get 90% of the image quality from a smartphone that I would from a traditional camera, and the experience of using it as a photographic device – from capture through editing – is 90% as good, I’ll be ready to leave the camera at home when I go on a trip like the one I just took. That day probably isn’t far off at all.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Many smartphones use camera hard and software components that are provided by third-party suppliers, but those components can only get you to a certain point. If manufacturers want to squeeze the maximum image quality out these third-party camera systems, an in-house camera team is indispensable.
It appears Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi has just come to this realization. A leaked internal email from CEO Lei Jun shares details about the creation of an in-house camera department.
With most important smartphone components, such as displays and chipsets being largely indistinguishable between devices, the camera remains the major differentiator in an ultra-competitive market. The new team at Xiaomi should be able to improve camera performance noticeably compared to existing devices.
This is good news, especially when considering the company’s latest dual-cam model Mi Mix 2S is already doing very well in the camera department, scoring 97 points overall and 101 for Photo performance at DxOMark.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Sharp probably isn’t the first brand that springs to mind when thinking about high-end smartphones, but over the years the Japanese manufacturer has released a few quirky devices. The newly announced AQUOS R2 falls squarely into that category, being the only smartphone—as far as we are aware—that comes with a dedicated video camera.
The new Sharp comes with a dual-camera setup on the back (so far, so normal) but instead of using it for improved low-light image quality or zoom capabilities, the AQUOS R2 reserves a 16.3MP unit exclusively for video recording. Stills capture, meanwhile, is performed by the 22.6MP camera on board.
The video module records 4K footage with an ultra-wide angle lens that features a 135° field of view. Electronic video stabilization reduces the viewing angle somewhat, but the camera still produces a nice cinematic look, as you can see in the sample video below.
An AI-powered function automatically captures still images during video recording, and on the front there is a 16.3MP front-facing sensor for selfies and video-calls.
All other specs are truly flagship smartphone worthy. The device features a 6.0-inch “notched” display with 19:9 aspect ratio and 1440 x 3040 pixels resolution, the OS and apps are powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset and 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage can be expanded up to 400GB via a microSD card slot, and all components are wrapped up in a IPX5/IPX8/IP6X body.
If it delivers in terms of image quality, with its super-wide-angle video camera, the AQUOS R2 can be an interesting option for vloggers and other amateur video shooters.
The LG G6 and V30 are, at least currently, pretty much the only other native super-wide smartphone camera options out there, but the image quality of the super-wide camera lags noticeably behind the main module. We’ll be curious to see how the AQUOS R2 stacks up.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
[ By Steve in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]
Seems everyone wants their own dedicated traffic lane these days… and it seems they’re getting them! Is white line fever taking over your neighborhood?
White Stripes would make a great band name… oh, wait. Anyway, there’s no point demanding urban authorities cut it out. Car and truck drivers had better get used to sharing the road all official-like, no matter that traffic is certain to suffer in the short term at least. Can’t we all get along, seeing as we’re all getting along in the same direction albeit in varied types of conveyances and at different speeds?
If jay-walking is a crime, shouldn’t text-walking be too? The question is being dealt with, and not always in a tongue-in-cheek manner – let’s call it “raising awareness” since that imparts a resistance to mockery in a “won’t someone think of the children?” kind of way. Only the top boffins at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah know whether their segregated Walk/Run/Text lanes are serious or not… and what if someone’s walking or running WHILE texting? DOH!
Then there’s the above “Text Walking Lane” somewhere in Belgium that looks official on first glance but last we heard, English isn’t one of Belgium’s official languages.
OK, so skateboarders are the red-haired children of non-vehicular traffic but don’t they deserve a little lane lovin’ too? No? Maybe you’d prefer they see you hatin’ as they rollin’ on the sidewalk, hmm? At least one ‘boarder has taken measures into his or her own hands, as seen above on a bike trail in Ottawa, Canada’s Centretown.
Catering to some of the 170,000 cyclists that ride across London every day, this segregated bicycle lane will stretch from west to east, pass through the heart …
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London could become much more bike-friendly with SkyCycle, an elevated route for bicycles only that runs along the existing rail network and would enable …
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Never mind the bollards? Uh-uh: these traffic stoppers halt wayward vehicles like no traffic cone can. The best bollards, though, are designed to look great!
Click Here to Read More »»
[ By Steve in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]
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Photographer Corey Rich’s most recent project, titled ‘Dedicated’, is a video detailing the working lives of three other notable photographers – Dave Black, Robert Beck and George Karbus – using Nikon’s latest flagship camera, the D4s. Along with the final cut of ‘Dedicated’, a making-of video that shows the 21-day whirlwind tour to capture the footage and interviews for the documentary project was released. See video
News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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