Amateur photographers- Whats ur view regarding smartphone photos

[srkmish]

I consider myself an enthusiast, amateur photographer( Currently using sony hx20v) and also have workable knowledge of photoshop. My photos- http://500px.com/srikantmishra.

I wanted to specifically ask other enthusiast/amateur/professional photographer if they consider high end camera phones worth it i.e. Lumia 920. I am waiting for Lumia 1020 and Honami, but what has been your experience so far regarding image quality in terms of sharpness, bokeh and macro capabilities.

My hx20v takes good photos in right conditions and they look very good after a lil post processing( Take a look at my photos in the link given). I was wondering if the current or upcoming camera phones can give me this much quality as well so that i can get rid of carrying another device with me.

 

[ohbrilliance]

Sorry that I can't offer advice specific to the Lumia.

Two limitations I see with a good mobile phone, are limited bokeh and limited post-processing capability. It's very hard to have out-of-focus areas on a camera with short focal lengths as found in mobile phones. The only decent way to get a shallow depth of field is to shoot very close to the subject.
A few weeks ago I attempted to take some 'proper' shots with my iPhone. I was happy with how they turned out, a definite improvement on the P&S Canon I had a few years ago. What I did find though, was that there was almost no room to adjust the photos in Lightroom. The default JPEG compression leaves next-to-no further data to play with. Here are the shots: http://somethingchanged.com/photos/out-and-about-in-melbourne/

Having said all that, those limitations on the Lumia depend on the focal length and image formats that are available.

Lovely shots on your site, especially capturing vivid colours.

 

[maflynn]

My perspective is that sensor size on cameras is one of the major categories to consider when purchasing a camera. The smaller the sensor the less light gets captured. Couple that with an ever increasing pixel count means that many phone cameras produce grainy or noisy images either in low light situations or when looking at them in full res.

I personally like the flexibility that a digital camera provides, I use a Micro Four Thirds camera that allows me to change lenses as the situation calls for.

Looks like you're using a point and shoot camera (nothing wrong with that) and you've produced some great images. I think you may be taking a step back if you use the camera in a smart phone as your only camera.

Things to consider.
How fast/easily can you get an autofocus lock.
Hows the shutter lag, i.e., pressing the button how long will it take to the acutal shot
Zoom, how much/little can you zoom in and out?
flash - will a tiny led be sufficient.
Lack of controls for ISO, aperture, and shutter speed limits you to adjust the camera to the situation.

I'm not familiar with the Lumina though reports have shown that it has a great camera but I wonder if its image quality matches your current camera and how it performs. You may grow frustrated if its slower to snap images then your current camera

 

[bmac4]

I don't know much about photography, but I did really enjoy looking at your pictures. They all looked really well done.

 

[LorPGDL]

well, i consider myself a fan of having great quality pictures, thats why i was thrilled by the prospects of the htc ones low light shooting capabilities (after having had an iphone 5)

needless to say, i now carry around a sony nex 3n with a 50mm 1.8 fixed lens because i dont want precious memories to be sullied by crap image quality.

i predict- physics cannot be broken, so smartphone cameras will never be any good for anything other than bright daylight photography.

 

[srkmish]

Thanks all for liking my pics. I guess the consensus is that its not worth abandoning a dedicated cam as i will lose out on image quality. Thanks ,ill stick with my camera for now. God knows what technology will be there in 5 years. Maybe an all in one device which will have amazing image quality.

 

[Dontazemebro]

Yep stick with your camera, those are absolutely gorgeous. Kind of makes me wish I took photography seriously back when I was in high school.

 

[asthamapheo]

honami and lumia 1020 are your best options, the galaxy s4 zoom is also a good camera phone but it'd be hard to carry it and squeeze it in your pocket.

the GS4's 13MP camera is currently the best camera on a "normal phone (my opinion) and i'm completely happy with the results it produces.

 

[Black Magic]

I consider myself an enthusiast, amateur photographer( Currently using sony hx20v) and also have workable knowledge of photoshop. My photos- http://500px.com/srikantmishra.

I wanted to specifically ask other enthusiast/amateur/professional photographer if they consider high end camera phones worth it i.e. Lumia 920. I am waiting for Lumia 1020 and Honami, but what has been your experience so far regarding image quality in terms of sharpness, bokeh and macro capabilities.

My hx20v takes good photos in right conditions and they look very good after a lil post processing( Take a look at my photos in the link given). I was wondering if the current or upcoming camera phones can give me this much quality as well so that i can get rid of carrying another device with me.

Fantastic photos. I think you could replicate similar quality with an iPhone 5. You'd probably need to get a few lens attachments to get some of those macro shots. I only say this because I would love to see what you could do with a camera phone. Looks like you have an eye for great shots!

 

[Markyboy81]

Nice pictures, I think if you did go with something like the lumia 1020 you would miss the 20x optical zoom of the hx20v. Having the optical zoom is great for wildlife photography as you've demonstrated in your photos.
Although the 1020 does have zoom capability, this doesn't compare to an optical zoom and removes all the benefits of the oversampling, which is the main attraction of pureview, in my opinion.

 

[b166er]

The 920 takes amazing pictures, the best I've ever seen on a phone. I'm sure the 1020 is even better.

However, if you're really passionate about photography, I don't think you will find any phone right now that would be better than a high end point and shoot.

 

[Tarzanman]

I am surprised that anyone who knows much about how digital cameras and photography in general would have to ask this question.

Don't expect a phone to ever be better than a point and shoot. Diffraction limits and small objective lens size alone will limit the results you get.

Then there are more practical concerns like battery life, work flow, ergonomics and reliability

 

[Macman45]

Up until very recently, I never really considered my ip5's camera to be of much use, but I have started using it for quick shots, and I have to say that the results have been way better than I expected. I would normally reach for my Lumia, or Fuji, but of course sometimes a photo opportunity presents itself when you aren't packing a camera. With a little practice, the Iphones camera can be a pretty effective little tool.

 

[maflynn]

I think digital cameras may be on the endangered species list, but not yet. I think the long term prognosis is not healthy given the ever increasing performance of camera phones.

With that said, I think that point and shoot type cameras are what will get hit the hardest and the more prosumer type stuff will survive. I'd much rather have my Olympus OM-D or E-PM2 with my when I go to DisneyWorld or to some sort of family event. My iPhone camera works well enough for the quick and dirty stuff but for trips I always carry a camera. The E-PM2 when size is a concern, the OM-D when the view finder makes life easier