Why Smartphone cameras can't replace DSLR cameras yet.

Everybody is excited about the recent release of the iPhone X by Apple Inc. Besides the edge to edge display and the absence of a Home button, what has gotten many people talking is the camera system. While this might be great news for the average photography enthusiast, to the professional photographer, it's not really a game changer.

1. The type of camera that one buys depends on what they intend to use the camera for.

We are living in the age of content creators, all across the internet, all across the world. Part of the reason for this is the fact that advanced photography and filmmaking technology has improved and become more accessible to many more people than ever before. In the past, the process of getting one’s content to their fans, friends and family was long often complicated process. Today, one can just take a photograph with their smartphone and upload it on social media, within a matter of minutes. This is because the latest smartphone cameras come with the technology that allows them to mimic the effects of an actual DSLR camera. This is an acceptable compromise for the average person who is just trying to capture photos of a birthday party that they are attending to post on Instagram. However, for the professional photographer taking photographs at a wedding or at a football match, such compromises may degrade the quality photography. DSLR cameras provide the professional photographer with a lot more flexibility for controlling many elements of a photography, that smartphone cameras just can not do as well as DSLR cameras.

2. Smartphone cameras are not replacing DSLRs right now, they are replacing “point and shoot” cameras.

Ever since the Eastman Kodak company followed the “razor and blades strategy” in 1888, a new revolution of personal photography and home made videos began. As the years went by, with many technological advancements in miniaturisation and digitalisation, personal cameras became smaller and more efficient at capturing photographs and video. Today, with the recent releases of the iPhone, Samsung and Google Pixel, smartphone cameras can now do a very good job of capturing high quality photographs and videos. This has made Camcorders and "point and shoot" cameras obsolete. However, for professional photographers, using a smartphone camera to capture video and photography still doesn't do justice to their work. DSLR cameras allow photographers to do the following that smartphone cameras generally cannot do:

• Achieving high quality zoom. Smartphone cameras may let one zoom into a subject, but they typically use digital zoom, which simply means that the camera software is not zooming in but merely enlarging the image. This means that one may end up with a pixelated image. Where as, using the optical zoom lens of a DSLR camera, which is easily interchangeable, coupled with the cameras stronger image stabilisers, the photographer will be able to capture images better quality.
• Shooting in raw. Smartphone images are typically saved in the compressed format, JPEG. This means that a lot of information such as exposure range, colour range, white balance range; basically, the information a professional photographer needs for post production, is discarded while saving. However DSLR cameras can not only save in the compressed JPEG format, but also in RAW format. RAW will contain all the information and detail that will enable the photographer to edit the images during post production.

3. Photography is more than just a hobby

As alluded in the previous point, smartphone cameras work well for hobbyists and the content creators that are just starting out. Even professional artists can use them, for their own various reasons. However, for the millions of people across the world, that take photographs and shoot videos for a living, it is all about capturing high quality images. Even though, it costs a lot of money to purchase professional photography equipment and software, doing so ensures this quality. The same can be said about a medical doctor; Though their equipment may be very expensive, it is necessary to ensure that the patients get the best treatment. A first aid kit may contain some of the things that one would usually get at the hospital, but consulting a doctor is way better.

In conclusion, an entire book could be written on this subject of Smartphone cameras vs DSLR cameras. Admittedly, smartphone manufacturers have made a lot of progress over the years, in improving the phone camera, and will continue to help users capture “the best moments”. However, nothing is to say that companies like Canon or Nikon are not also spending billions of dollars in Research and Development, to further improve their products. In the end, the debate between a phone with a camera versus a dedicated hi-tech camera will boil down to this; If you are a content creator just starting out, or an enthusiast, a smartphone camera will do. However, if you want to achieve better results and have more flexibility in post production, invest on a DSLR camera and gear. It will cost some money, but in the long run, it will be worth the investment.