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In my experience even the cheapest (mirrorless) digital snapshot camera runs circles around any mobile phone's. I used to have a cheap Nikon camera and its pict

In my experience even the cheapest (mirrorless) digital snapshot camera runs circles around any mobile phone's. I used to have a cheap Nikon camera and its pictures still stand-out compared to those of even high-end mobile phones (like my Samsung Galaxy S9), especially in low-light or imperfect lighting situations. If you want to take great looking pictures, buy a camera. Don't settle for a mobile phone.

snapetom 5y ago
I agree. Light issues are like distance issues. It's about capturing data, which cellphones will never match given their sensor and lens limitations. Sure Apple/Samsung boats how good their phones are in low light situations these days. But people forget how awful they were in the past. Cellphones were useless for low light even just a few years ago. They've made great strides, but the lower and lower light you go, cameras are the clear winner.
- meraklis56 5y ago
  I read somewhere, the photos from phones are looking great when are viewed on phones. The moment you view them on a big screen, you immediately understand the picture is not that great as you thought. One could argue the great screens of phones nowadays and the vivid colors affect the perception of the image
  - ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago
    What really is the mark of a pro photographer, is composition, and control of light. My wife is a far better photographer than I am. We could be standing next to each other, shooting the same subject. When people look at my photos, they go “That’s great!”, but when they look at hers, they forget all about mine.
  - snapetom 5y ago
    Absolutely. How you view photos absolutely come into play. Digital? Print? Viewing them on a monitor, even a huge one, has different requirements than, say taking a photo and making a wallpaper (as in a real wallpaper, on a real wall) out of it. I have terabytes of photos that look fine on screen, but if I printed it on an 8x10 to hang up, they look like crap.
mattlutze 5y ago
This feels a little like a decade-old maxim that needs a refresh. Most comparisons that I find of modern flagship handsets against even mid-range point-and-shoots show the dedicated cameras failing to dominate. Particularly with computational processing it gets really tough to honestly just wave a hand and scoff at the mobile as a primary choice for most casual photo situations (and some professional, as well!) I too love my manual-operation DSLRs and mirrorless swappable cameras, and just bought a new lens for my go-to. But I've not found myself in years compelled to spend what I'd need to on a pocket camera that'd beat what my phone can do.

snapetom 5y ago

I agree. Light issues are like distance issues. It's about capturing data, which cellphones will never match given their sensor and lens limitations. Sure Apple/Samsung boats how good their phones are in low light situations these days. But people forget how awful they were in the past. Cellphones were useless for low light even just a few years ago. They've made great strides, but the lower and lower light you go, cameras are the clear winner.

meraklis56 5y ago
I read somewhere, the photos from phones are looking great when are viewed on phones. The moment you view them on a big screen, you immediately understand the picture is not that great as you thought. One could argue the great screens of phones nowadays and the vivid colors affect the perception of the image
- ChrisMarshallNY 5y ago
  What really is the mark of a pro photographer, is composition, and control of light. My wife is a far better photographer than I am. We could be standing next to each other, shooting the same subject. When people look at my photos, they go “That’s great!”, but when they look at hers, they forget all about mine.
- snapetom 5y ago
  Absolutely. How you view photos absolutely come into play. Digital? Print? Viewing them on a monitor, even a huge one, has different requirements than, say taking a photo and making a wallpaper (as in a real wallpaper, on a real wall) out of it. I have terabytes of photos that look fine on screen, but if I printed it on an 8x10 to hang up, they look like crap.

mattlutze 5y ago

This feels a little like a decade-old maxim that needs a refresh. Most comparisons that I find of modern flagship handsets against even mid-range point-and-shoots show the dedicated cameras failing to dominate. Particularly with computational processing it gets really tough to honestly just wave a hand and scoff at the mobile as a primary choice for most casual photo situations (and some professional, as well!) I too love my manual-operation DSLRs and mirrorless swappable cameras, and just bought a new lens for my go-to. But I've not found myself in years compelled to spend what I'd need to on a pocket camera that'd beat what my phone can do.