what if IQ of smartphone is as good as ILC one day?

[GutiWong]

will you still shoot with ILC?

 

[Hal Wilson]

will you still shoot with ILC?

The IQ of ILCs will improve as well. So unlikely a 'phone will ever match the IQ of a 'proper' camera; physics dictates that certain factors cannot be improved simply by electronics and algorithms alone. You'll never get a teeny tiny 'phone camera lens to resolve detail the way say a Nikkor Noct or Plena can. The area where 'phone manufacturers are moving forward is in AI, but even this won't ever fully replace a 'true' photographic image.

 

[John Crowe]

Assuming that ever happens, one will still need a broad lens selection.

 

[topcat74]

I do not have or will ever have a mobile phone. So I don't have to worry!

 

[yardcoyote]

Of course. There's a lot more to photography than pure IQ. Every shot I take with a smartphone is a collaboration with the software designers behind the computational photography, and I don't always agree with their opinions. I prefer to do my own work most of the time.

 

[John Gellings]

will you still shoot with ILC?

Yes, because I do not like cellphones ergonomically and I hate their reliance on wide angles to get anything near high resolution.

That said, if cellphones keep getting better, and address my wants, I might actually use mine to make photos along with my other gear.


The thing is this… how many of use use one camera? Most of us use more than one camera these days. Some cameras work better than others for certain types of photography. So I see no need to only use one type of camera.

--
https://www.johngellings.com
Instagram = @johngellings0

 

[ishwanu]

Gee, I don't know. Will the phones offer eye-level viewfinders, articulating LCDs, real physical controls, long focal length zooms, larger sensor areas, action-freezing and bounceable Xenon flashes, built-in tripod sockets, and good ergonomics?

 

[tbcass]

will you still shoot with ILC?

Yes, for reasons of ergonomics, lens focal length, speed of operation, control over the final results among other things. People focus too much on IQ. Good IQ is a given today. The difference is in all the other aspects of choosing a camera with IQ being the least of my worries.

 

[dmanthree]

will you still shoot with ILC?

Yes, because it's very unlikely that camera development will remain static while phones progress. Cameras will always have the advantage.

But, like now, I'll use both depending on the desired result.

 

[bastibe]

For many purposes, the IQ of a smartphone IS already as good as an ILC. For instance, for Instagram, photo notes remember a restaurant or phone number, arguably for random snapshots. Anything that won't need to be reproduced larger than on a smartphone screen.

But where a smartphone will never be adequate is in terms of economics and manual control.

 

[Fujiuseruk]

Now what the cheap compact camera was back in the day vs dslr .
Point and shoot for masses .

A lot us back then was often happy with our compacts when it was inconvenient to carry our dslrs and think that’s pretty much the way of the smartphone now .
I’ve got quite a few A3+ prints framed that where taken with a smartphone that I wouldn’t have gotten at all if only owning a system camera .
I always have my smartphone to hand…

 

[Michael Fritzen]

Looking from this side it might be easier (and perhaps more likely) that phone function gets integrated into cameras. Time will tell.

 

[Maoby]

With each new generation, the gap between traditional cameras and smartphones gets smaller and smaller.

2008

iPhone 3G (2008) / Lumix G1 (2008)

www.instagram.com/maoby_digital_camera/

www.flickr.com

2010

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www.flickr.com

2013

Canon EOS Kiss X7 (2013) / iPhone 5s (2013)

Explore this photo album by maoby on Flickr!

www.flickr.com

2015

Nikon 1 J5 (2015) / iPhone 6s (2015)

www.flickr.com/photos/maoby/albums

www.flickr.com

2022

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www.flickr.com

2025 …

And I feel that the arrival of AI will speed up the process.

To be continued ...

 

[Gato Amarillo]

Doesn't have to be as good as, just good enough for the purpose. If a viewer can't tell the difference on the screen doesn't matter which you shoot with. That's true whether it's a phone screen or a wall-size 8K display.

So even though larger sensors will (probably) always have advantage in image quality, for many uses it may not matter. We're already seeing national ad campaigns and music videos shot on phones.

Right now my camera has advantages of long lenses, quicker reflexes, and more convenient control. My phone has the advantages of smaller size plus I can shoot, process, and transmit all from one pocket-size device. And it also makes phone calls, can browse the web, and can make my payment at the grocery store.

If I could only have one I'd go with the phone.

Gato

--
It's a work in progress, but the website is up and running:
https://jrsprawls.smugmug.com/
.
Personal pictures, road trips, rural nostalgia, and kitty cats:
https://www.instagram.com/j.r.sprawls/

 

[Boris22]

Oh crap! Does that mean I will have to buy a smart phone?-Not happening in this lifetime. That means I 'd have to learn how to take pictures with a camera shaped like a big pop-tart. Not my style.

 

[Ysarex]

will you still shoot with ILC?

I carry a camera with me everywhere I go. Normally it's my little Canon G7 compact, but often I'll put a bigger camera in the car. If I go to the grocery store I take a camera -- everywhere.

Not knowing what I may encounter that I'd like to photograph I have minimum expectations for the camera I carry. I've learned over the years what I can reasonably expect and be able to carry -- my G7 compact is just a little bigger than a phone and meets my requirements.

I can't be prepared for everything but to cover as much as possible my minimum requirements are:

1. 3X to 4X wide to normal zoom.

2. Full manual exposure control.

3. Must save a raw file.

4. At least 9 to 10 stops of usable DR captured in that raw file.

About ten days ago I saw this:



That's backlit with 10+ stops of DR. I saved multiple raw files and stitched them together. No phone camera is presently capable of saving a raw file with 10 stops of DR. Not there yet.

 

[john Clinch]

Well in 2 weeks I’m going on holiday and just taking an iphone 14 pro

It seems crazy but i thought i did give it a go. The main camera produces a solid image. Back in the day I’d have traveled with a fixed Lens compact and slide film. I’m definitely ahead of that, particularly in low light. Infact I’ll say that the main camera of my phone has better iq than any 35mm slide I’ve scanned

The 13mm and 75mm equivalent options are definitely a bit more touch and go. But i took an nice landscape on the ultra wide of my iphone 12. My sister asked if she could use it. She printed A3 i think. Certainly bigger than A4. It’s now on the wall of a cottage she rents out. Its stunning. If you do right upto it the lack of detail shows. My target is photos for a Blurb book so in should be ok.

 

[Fujiuseruk]

will you still shoot with ILC?

I carry a camera with me everywhere I go. Normally it's my little Canon G7 compact, but often I'll put a bigger camera in the car. If I go to the grocery store I take a camera -- everywhere.

Not knowing what I may encounter that I'd like to photograph I have minimum expectations for the camera I carry. I've learned over the years what I can reasonably expect and be able to carry -- my G7 compact is just a little bigger than a phone and meets my requirements.

I can't be prepared for everything but to cover as much as possible my minimum requirements are:

1. 3X to 4X wide to normal zoom.

2. Full manual exposure control.

3. Must save a raw file.

4. At least 9 to 10 stops of usable DR captured in that raw file.

About ten days ago I saw this:



That's backlit with 10+ stops of DR. I saved multiple raw files and stitched them together. No phone camera is presently capable of saving a raw file with 10 stops of DR. Not there yet.

Actually some phones can almost . Think it’s 8.17 pdr for apple pro14 anyway

I’m just not good enough with raws myself





--
It’s all about the zoom.

 

[JahnG]

The ergonomics of a phone camera is completely unusable (at least for me). There is no OVF/EVF, no good zoom, probably not easy to use and fast dedicated exposure settings, no easy and fast AF/MF settings. There is not a start up of the camera and first picture taken with eye at the OVF/EVF in perhaps a second ie, like in (my) DSLR.

Sure, the phones take (AI controlled) 4"x6" quality pictures and those that are satisfied with that and the technical and ergonomic limitations of a phone will go on using phone cameras, like they already do.

Jahn

PS, and yes, touch screen usage is nothing for me :-(

 

[JahnG]

Gee, I don't know. Will the phones offer eye-level viewfinders, articulating LCDs, real physical controls, long focal length zooms, larger sensor areas, action-freezing and bounceable Xenon flashes, built-in tripod sockets, and good ergonomics?

Well said and much shorter than I succeed to say

Jahn