Why iPhones Are Better Than DSLR?

Photo Tips Podcast:Why iPhones Are Better Than DSLR #25

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When I’m out on a safari, participants of ask me “why do images from my smart phone look so much better than those on my very expensive camera?” The simplest answer is that the LCD screen on your phone is wayyy better than on any camera I have ever seen. As a result they look brighter and sharper than they do on the camera. Another reason your phone looks better than your camera is because the image that you are looking at on your phone is already highly manipulated. Manufactures know that we like to see images that are a little bit punchier and a little bit more saturated, so they’ve programed this into the algorithm. Your regular camera on the other hand is not as aggressive as your phone. As a result you will have to do this in post process.

Although it seems like a good idea to have your device automatically take care of this for you and for what most people want from their image this “IS” a great idea but if you require anything different from what the camera is presenting it becomes a problematic and here’s why. Although a few smartphones out there are capable of shooting raw, what you are fundamentally looking at and sharing from your smartphone is a processed jpg image. Now you could get your camera to produce a processed jpg image with a punchy algorithm, just like your smart phone but it means that you won’t be able to change it to what you want should you decide that you want something different down the line. At least not much anyway. I’m not saying that you cannot manipulate a jpg. Almost everyone has done that. But when it’s been processed this much there won’t be a lot of room to reverse it or to change it to something else. Again, if you are happy with what the algorithm does, this is great. I means that you can take the picture and share it right away. But if you aren’t happy with this, then this will present some problems for you down the line.  

As I said earlier, fundamentally, my experience has shown me that most people are happy with what they get from their smartphone. And since most people are no longer viewing images on large prints, the argument for more resolution is not much of an argument anymore. So if you like your smartphone photos then great. If you need more control and resolution over what you are doing then you’ll need to head to a camera that cannot make phone calls.