In digital photography there are two steps: STEP 1: capture the light and save it in 0s and 1s STEP 2: process the original 0s and 1s into a new set of 0s and

In digital photography there are two steps: STEP 1: capture the light and save it in 0s and 1s STEP 2: process the original 0s and 1s into a new set of 0s and 1s that is much more pleasant to the eye -> DSLRs do STEP 1 extremely well and STEP 2 poorly. But, almost all professional photographers would not even let their DSLR do STEP 2 because they prefer anyway to do it themselves MANUALLY (e.g. in Lightroom, Photoshop etc). Therefore they never use the STEP 2 functionality of their DSLR. And I think they wouldn't use the STEP 2 functionality even if their DSLR was good at it. That's because they want FULL control of the final outcome. Probably this is why DSLR companies haven't invested a lot in upgrading the STEP 2 functionality (so far). -> Smartphones do STEP 1 poorly but they do STEP 2 extremely well using algorithms. So they cater for different needs: When you want to sacrifice STEP 1 for convenience, when you just want a decent photo fast, when you're not that opinionated about the final outcome and would rather let smartphone decide it etc etc. Also, because they can't do STEP 1 very well, they are limited to a specific photography style, the "everyday well-lit snapshot" style. They can't do sports photography, they can't do wildlife photography, they can't do macro etc. So, smartphones are convenient, and do a few things very well, but they can't do miracles. DSLRs are not convenient, but if you add some extra work, they can do miracles! (My prediction is that DSLR companies will start upgrading their STEP 2 algorithms a lot in the future and try to convince more people to use their cameras as "point-and-shoot". But they will fail. People will continue using their mobile phones, because they are light and much more convenient)