A few years ago, smartphone cameras were developing enormously with each new generation. Lately, things seem to be getting a bit messy. Have we reached the ceiling of mobile photography?
Is the development of smartphone cameras at a standstill?
As an enthusiastic photographer, I have a good system camera with multiple lenses. Around 2019, I noticed that many acquaintances were getting rid of their copy and switching completely to smartphones.
Unlike some ‘purists’, I completely understand that. Of course, it’s great to just have your camera in your pocket. I don’t necessarily like carrying a heavy backpack full of equipment when traveling and having to change lenses twenty times a day. I don’t feel any romance unfolding a tripod or looking through an electronic viewfinder. Smartphones are much easier to use.
Another five years or so, I thought in 2019. Then the development of smartphone cameras will have reached the point where I too will put my trusty Nikon on Marktplaats. Nothing came of that and I don’t see it happening again anytime soon. I have a few reasons for that.
The difference in quality between lenses remains too great
The first time I doubted my Nikon was when smartphones got a solid zoom range. With a main camera, wide-angle lens and a telephoto lens (or even two) you can handle almost any situation. Okay, the difference in quality between the main camera and the other lenses was big, but that would make up for itself, right?
Not so. Even on recent top devices such as the Xiaomi 14 Ultra and Google Pixel 9 Pro, you can still see a very clear difference between the primary camera and the telephoto lens. Without exception, they use a much smaller sensor, which means that the photos you take with them contain less detail. This may not be so noticeable if you only view them on the smartphone itself, but I also want to admire them on my monitor and maybe even print them out.
The fact that manufacturers cannot give all lenses the same sensor has to do with budget and especially with space. Larger sensors cost more and take up more space. This is often not available in smartphones, which of course incorporate much more technology. Camera islands are already very large.
Some manufacturers therefore even use fewer large sensors in their smartphones than a few years ago. While the main camera of the Xiaomi 13 Pro still had a 1-inch sensor, the Xiaomi 15 Pro, for example, has a smaller one. Better software should make up the difference, but that’s the second problem.
Software determines too much
If you place a photo from a ‘real’ system camera next to one from your phone, you will clearly see a difference. Smartphones apply many edits instantly while shooting, creating a result that most people like.
That is logical and not a bad thing in itself. In addition, on Xiaomi’s most expensive smartphones you can choose from two different styles: Vibrant and Natural. Yet the software that manufacturers use largely determines what your photo will look like. For example, it is difficult to adjust the often very high contrast or artificial sharpening.
The solution for this seems to be shooting in the RAW format. However, that is not the solution on a telephone. Smartphones take many snapshots in succession for a normal photo to increase the dynamic range. Because the sensors are so small, RAW images (even after editing) don’t always look better than regular photos.
Progress is too dependent on AI
Of course, there is still development in the field of smartphone cameras. Interesting, for example, is the lens with a variable aperture, which can be found on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, among others. This way you can play with the depth of field yourself. With a portrait you choose a blurred background, while with a landscape photo you keep the entire image sharp.
However, much of the ‘progress’ depends on artificial intelligence. Nowadays you can easily remove imperfections from your photos, replace backgrounds or even add objects. That’s quite funny, but after reviewing the Google Pixel 9 Pro XL, I honestly never used these options again. It does feel a bit like one gimmick.
What I, and I think many photographers, would really want is a next step in image quality. A technical revolution that further reduces the difference between smartphones and larger cameras. For now, that doesn’t seem to be happening. My Nikon can stay for a while.
Read the latest news:
Source: www.androidplanet.nl
