Taken with 30x optical.
Taken with cell phone, cropped to enlarge.
Bill Raymond
The increased camera capability of cell phones has people asking that question. Many have given up on separate cameras to use their cell phone as the camera of choice. How well does that work? It all comes down to what you want to do.
There are several pluses to using a cell phone for photography:
a. Lightweight, and you always have it with you
b. The pictures they take look really good on the cell phones, tablets and computers.
c. No added expense for a camera
d. Easy to share pictures with others on cell phones, tablets and computers
What do you give up by not using a quality compact camera, or DSLR?
a. Zoom lens. Compact cameras and DSLRs are available with zoom lenses having up to 60x of optical performance, which brings the subject very much closer. Optical magnification gives better results than digital magnification found on most cell phones. This is a huge advantage; it makes it possible to get much closer to people and animals (and other subjects) without them knowing you are there, while maintaining good resolution. To see the impact of this, see Figures 1 and 2. Figure 1 is taken with a compact camera that has a 30x zoom lens. Figure 2 was taken with a cell phone from the same location, and then digitally cropped to give the same size picture.
b. Larger sensor. The sensors in compact cameras are a little larger than it is in cell phones. The sensors in DSLRs are substantially larger. Larger sensors equate to better, less grainy, low-light photography. Cell phones compensate for this somewhat by offering wide aperture lenses, which are much easier to produce with fixed focal length (non-zoom) lenses.
c. Adjustable controls. If you want to take more artistic pictures, the ability to adjust camera settings is very important. The more sophisticated the camera, the better the results in challenging lighting environments, which is at the heart of artistic photography.
Bottom line: If you primarily take snapshots (pictures of family and friends) and want to share them on digital devices, then a cell phone does a great job. If you want to be more artistic with your photography (e.g. taking great sunsets, capturing facial expressions from a distance without being noticed) and enlarging photos for photo-books or wall hangings, you will find the separate camera a much better choice.
Bill Raymond teaches the Delve into Photography program (introductory through intermediate) workshop for the PebbleCreek Art Club. The next one will be will be offered on October 14. Registration closes October 7. For more information, go to the www.PCAC.clubexpress.com website (registration is now online).
Click on Classes and Events and go to the October calendar.
Or, call Bill at 623-217-2242 and he will be happy to answer your questions regarding these workshops.