“Sales of point and shoot (compact) cameras fell 30% by value in
2011 compared with the year before”
...This one line is everywhere in the news.
First it was Apple’s iPhone 4S and now - the just announced,
Nokia’s 808 PureView (yet to arrive on shelves). Smart phone cameras are
stealing the thunder from the compact cameras like never before (The
heavy-weight DSLR cameras are not a part of this equation because of their
obvious distinction in price and technical superiority.)
During this very interesting phase of photography industry, what
really makes me wonder is do camera-phones already have it
all to replace the dedicated (compact) cameras?
Since last 1-2 years, I have been constantly getting amazed by the
amount of people clicking away “snapshots” with their cell-phones. I used the
term “snapshot” here, because while these two terms “snaps” and “photographs”
are used almost interchangeably, the fact of the matter is, they are different.
When you roughly capture something, perhaps just to document an
event or object, without putting much thought into “creating” a picture, it is
a snapshot. While a photograph is a much more
thoughtful execution of the art form, where you pay close attention to the
details (of exposure, composition, image quality etc.).
Knowing this difference holds all the more relevance today, in
fact, more than ever.
It is the knowledge of this difference coupled with your own level
of interest and sensibilities about photography that will decide what you will
buy for your next holiday trip… A smart phone camera or an independent compact
camera…
If you are a casual shooter- never using all the
features of a dedicated camera, preferring convenience over the photographic
control, smart phones is the perfect choice.
By buying a smartphone camera, you can have both - a smart
cellphone and an acceptable quality camera, for the cost of one!
Some latest smart phones are doing a pretty decent job as far as
camera is concerned (and my vote goes to iPhone 4S as of today). With a phone
camera you will always have it with you when you need it (who
forgets the mobile-phone when going out). And you can get the instant
connectivity to internet for sharing and uploading your photos on web. Also, as
far as iPhone 4S is concerned there are some really impressive image-editing
features too.
But, if you are a bit serious about your photography, you might
miss out some things by relying solely on your phone camera.
Following are the reasons why someone serious about
photography will not leave his/her dedicated camera at home when heading
to that exotic holiday destination...
1) Absence of optical zoom
Optical zoom is provided by the lens (i.e. the optics) preserving
the image quality. Most of the compact cameras of today have anywhere between
3X to 10X (or even more) optical zoom. Whereas cell phone
cameras use digital zoom only, resulting in loss of
details in the image.
2) Image stabilization
Cell phone cameras don’t use in-camera optics for image
stabilization. They either have digitally enabled image stabilization or don’t
have the image stabilization at all.
3) Shutter button location
In some touch-screen smart-phones the shutter button is on the
screen. The very sensitive touch screen interface sometimes makes it difficult
to locate the button and click the shot while keeping the phone still.
4) Sensor size and flash quality
The image sensors of cell phone cameras are generally smaller than
the ones on the compact cameras. Cell phone cameras produce noisy images at
high ISOs. Also the images often lack basic color details and tonal balance.
Generally, in low light situations phone cameras perform very poorly.
Also, phone cameras have a much room for improvement as far as
their in-built Xenon flash is concerned.
5) Megapixels
Barring some pricy and higher-end models, phone cameras cannot
boast of the mega-pixels ranges that compact cameras can offer. Megapixels is
not everything to judge the quality of a camera but there is every possibility
that you grab some rare shot and then want to make a larger print out of it.
Cell-phone cameras have a major limitation in this department due to smaller
megapixels. Well, nobody wants to take a chance while it is the question of
preserving some special and rare moments of life…
What I conclude in general is, cell-phone
cameras may be good enough for day to day photography and candid shots but
compact cameras make sense even today if you care about image
quality and the serious creative control over your photography and they are
here to stay until the cell-phone cameras overcome all of the above mentioned
limitations.
Image & Article ©
2012 Gyaneshwari Dave
