The hot topic of dedicated cameras versus phone cameras is reaching its boiling point.
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ll know that cameras in phones like the iPhone 11 Pro and the Galaxy Note 10+ have been making waves. Do a quick search on the web, and you’ll come across articles that proclaim that you can now ditch your dedicated cameras because the camera in your phone equals it, but is that entirely true? A video from YouTuber Matti Haapoja explores this a little more. Join us after the break to see what he found out.
First of all, I have to say that, I, Like Matti have been left pretty impressed with what cameras in modern smartphones can do. I recently reviewed the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ and came away with a better view in regards to what smartphone cameras could do. Computational photography is becoming incredibly powerful, but it still does have its problems. A recent video from Matti Haapoja shows identical images taken with an iPhone 11 Pro and a Canon 1DX II, and he is blown away at just how far mobile cameras have come. A thread about the video over on Reddit sparked some debate, though.
The general consensus is that while computational photography is indeed impressive, phone cameras still simply cannot compete with dedicated cameras. I have to say that after testing the Note 10+, I do have to agree with this. Yes, I had a great time with the phone and was able to capture some impressive images. However, there were still quite a few problems in terms of image quality, the AI that’s used, and usability when compared to dedicated cameras. Now, can a phone camera replace a point and shoot camera? I think for the vast majority of people they can, and honestly, most people who just shoot for fun will do just fine with a good smartphone camera. However, if you work in the industry in any capacity, or if you need multiple lenses for different genres, you will still need dedicated cameras.
In the video from Matti, it really can be hard to tell the difference between the images when they are side-by-side. I would guess that most people who don’t work in the photography profession would have a hard time distinguishing between the pictures, but there are some telltale giveaways. First of all, the bokeh is just over the top with the iPhone 11 Pro, and honestly, it does not look realistic. Then there are issues in low light situations that really highlight the small sensor struggling to perform.
Having said all this, though, the output from the iPhone is still mighty impressive. Watch the video, do Matti’s little challenge where he asks you to guess which image is from which camera and then come to your own conclusions. For me, dedicated cameras still perform at levels that cannot be reached by smartphones, at least, not yet. How many did you get right on the challenge? Let us know in the comment section below.