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For anyone working with or on computer vision applications, the difference is startling obvious: anything with a lens larger than the typical mobile phone/table

For anyone working with or on computer vision applications, the difference is startling obvious: anything with a lens larger than the typical mobile phone/tablet slightly-larger-than-a-pinhole produces useful images, whereas mobile camera images are impressionistic blotchy messes. The reason they have such high megapixels is to hide that their pixel quality is piss-poor. I retain a consumer Canon A40 purchased in '98 for use with computer vision purposes; the highest resolution image it produces is 1024x768 - BUT EVERY SINGLE PIXEL IS STABLE AND CORRECTLY COLOR TONED. There is no blotchy pixel clumps revealed with a zoom. I also have access to a Nikon D7100, and my old Canon A40 produces more stable pixels and is better for computer vision.

ajross 12y ago
Indeed. It's almost like the intended use case of a phone in your pocket, piggy-backing on the same device you use to call your friends or tell the time, is something other than computer vision. I mean, I'm all for well-applied snobbery and picking the correct tools for the job. But, come on. A 30-second perusal of cute family photos on Facebook and a comparison to the photo album you used 15 years ago will tell you exactly what these devices are good for.
- knodi123 12y ago
  I'm just sad that I've still never had a cell phone conversation as quick and crisp as I had over a landline in the early 80s.
  - sosborn 12y ago
    I'm happy to accept the minor degradation in quality for the massive increase in convenience.
    - aidenn0 12y ago
      In my experience it's not "minor" it's more like "You need to just send me a text with that 10 digit number because we've tried 3 times and I've yet to copy 2 of the digits."
corysama 12y ago
So, it seems physics has imposed a correlation between lens size and pixel quality. Makes sense. I have seen snap-on lens attachments for smartphones. Can anyone attest that those do or do not significantly improve the issues that bsenftner described?
- tlack 12y ago
  I haven't seen a great data-driven review of the different smartphone cameras and accessory lenses, but there have been some attempts. Seems like the Schneider and ALPA are best (but pricey), with Olloclip coming in as a decent cheap choice. But to my eyes, reviews like this show the many depressing weaknesses of smart phone cameras: http://www.photigy.com/selecting-the-right-lens-for-iphone5-test-review-1/ http://www.photigy.com/selecting-the-right-lens-for-iphone5-...
daxelrod 12y ago
Is there enough information in the high-resolution blotchy images to get to a more useful lower-resolution image?

ajross 12y ago

Indeed. It's almost like the intended use case of a phone in your pocket, piggy-backing on the same device you use to call your friends or tell the time, is something other than computer vision. I mean, I'm all for well-applied snobbery and picking the correct tools for the job. But, come on. A 30-second perusal of cute family photos on Facebook and a comparison to the photo album you used 15 years ago will tell you exactly what these devices are good for.

knodi123 12y ago
I'm just sad that I've still never had a cell phone conversation as quick and crisp as I had over a landline in the early 80s.
- sosborn 12y ago
  I'm happy to accept the minor degradation in quality for the massive increase in convenience.
  - aidenn0 12y ago
    In my experience it's not "minor" it's more like "You need to just send me a text with that 10 digit number because we've tried 3 times and I've yet to copy 2 of the digits."

corysama 12y ago

So, it seems physics has imposed a correlation between lens size and pixel quality. Makes sense. I have seen snap-on lens attachments for smartphones. Can anyone attest that those do or do not significantly improve the issues that bsenftner described?

tlack 12y ago
I haven't seen a great data-driven review of the different smartphone cameras and accessory lenses, but there have been some attempts. Seems like the Schneider and ALPA are best (but pricey), with Olloclip coming in as a decent cheap choice. But to my eyes, reviews like this show the many depressing weaknesses of smart phone cameras: http://www.photigy.com/selecting-the-right-lens-for-iphone5-test-review-1/ http://www.photigy.com/selecting-the-right-lens-for-iphone5-...

daxelrod 12y ago

Is there enough information in the high-resolution blotchy images to get to a more useful lower-resolution image?