Camera phone vs. DSLR.

[tpwpny]

My first foray into this part of B&B with a (loaded?) question... or maybe better yet, a rant:

I've always gotten better shots with my iPhone than my DSLR. To a point of frustration. The difference in quality & color, even vs Program mode of my Canon EOS SL1, frustrates me.

I know 90% is the photographer. Skillwise, I'm an amateur at best but I do know my way around a camera. Still, my iPhone always seems to come out with a better exposure, crispness, and color.

Do cameraphones have an algorithm built in?

Only other guess I have is that an iPhone's pancake lens (for example) is a much wider aperture than my f3.5 / 18-55mm, and iPhone automatically bumps up ISO to insane levels.

Is there any other difference?

 

[Edcculus]

Without going into detail, yes there is a huge difference between a DSLR and a phone camera. Mostly in sensor size and lens quality.

But it does not matter what camera you use. The best camera is the one you have with you, and that you can get results from.

Where you will see a phone camera fall short - situations where you need to adjust shutter speed (it blur a moving object or stop a fast moving object). Situations where you need to control DOF. Low light, off camera flash, continuous focus/ shooting action, file size, lack of RAW format and probably more.

That being said, I take a lot of pictures with my cell. It produces good images, and its always with me. I use a "real" camera when I need to do any of the things listed above. Some cameras have built in processing that is better or worse. I shoot RAW most of the time, so I'm doing all of my post processing on the computer. Ive heard tell that Fuji's JPEG engine produces some very good in camera files that need little manipulation.

 

[tpwpny]

The results part is what frustrates me. I always seems to get better shots from my iPhone. I am going to try a 1.4 or 1.8 lens and see if that offers any satisfaction - I'm mostly doing portraits of my family, events, etc. so a lot of my DSLR woes have to do with avail light.

 

[shaveitoff]

If you are getting good results with your iPhone stick with it. You mentioned that the phone pics seems sharper and clearer than photos taken with your camera. It could be hand shake that the iPhone compensates for better than the camera. Phone cameras and cameras all do a bit of processing of the jpegs, so colors will be dependent on this.

If you are looking at trying a 1.4 or 1.8 lens, I assume your exposures on the Canon are too dark. Maybe you could test your camera. In daylight, take a shot on fully automatic. Is it darker than you think it should be? Also, go fully manual and then get the setting to the point that the light meter says the exposure is correct. Is it still too dark? If so, your need to compensate when shoot, or the camera has a setting (like exposure compensation) somewhere that is affecting things.

But don't feel like you should be using a dslr. If it turns into a chore, using the gear can get in the way.

 

[ItsTaz]

I don't think that buying a lens will help resolve your concerns. DSLRs have many setting that you can control. Maybe some settings are working against you, set to the "wrong" option. Is there an option to reset the camera to factory defaults?

I don't know if an iPhone uses auto ISO. I have one, but never checked. It's probably safe to assume it does. I know my Nikon has it and I use it all the time. Does your Canon have auto ISO?

Can you post some pics as an example?

 

[tpwpny]

I don't think that buying a lens will help resolve your concerns. DSLRs have many setting that you can control. Maybe some settings are working against you, set to the "wrong" option. Is there an option to reset the camera to factory defaults?

I don't know if an iPhone uses auto ISO. I have one, but never checked. It's probably safe to assume it does. I know my Nikon has it and I use it all the time. Does your Canon have auto ISO?

Can you post some pics as an example?

AFAIK, iPhone has auto-everything (except flash.) I did a comparison of shots one time and saw that iPhone likely gets its great versatility (IMO) from boosting ISO so it can use ambient light as much as possible. Plus the aperture sometimes meters as low as 1.2 so it can boost shutter speed a bit. I've always seen more radiant color in my iPhone shots...but worth more experimentation as you suggest.

Will post some pics when I can.

 

[Cash_Stronomer]

I always keep my phone in my pocket whilst I'm out with the camera, as yes sometimes there are some shots I just know I'll do better, at least for now, with that. Rare, but sometimes. I think it just depends on what you are doing. If I want the subject close and consuming the attention of the photo, than you can not beat the DSLR for that. The Bokeh can get insane if you're aimed right. But if I want a centered subject, but a crisp back ground as well, the phone is just awesome for that. The DSLR is as well, but it's a little more challenging sometimes.

 

[Chapinahat]

Try a prime. Canon 50mm f1.8 is cheap and ideal for portraits. I prefer fast primes for portraits, the irony being my favourite recent portraits of Megan were with a 70-300mm zoom!

 

[hydro-magic]

Amazing how good cameras on phones have become. There are situations where you need a "real" camera to get certain shots, but the phone can do a lot of things pretty well.

 

[Cash_Stronomer]

Just an after thought, getting that perfect shot after a bit of struggle and some out takes with the DSLR that comes more or less naturally with the cell is probably way better than the shot itself. Personally I find the reward only half as fun as the test. Never stop practicing and always set the goal 'too high' a little bit.

 

[ItsTaz]

AFAIK, iPhone has auto-everything (except flash.) I did a comparison of shots one time and saw that iPhone likely gets its great versatility (IMO) from boosting ISO so it can use ambient light as much as possible. Plus the aperture sometimes meters as low as 1.2 so it can boost shutter speed a bit. I've always seen more radiant color in my iPhone shots...but worth more experimentation as you suggest.

Will post some pics when I can.

I just checked the body you have. Your DSLR sensor should be able to run circles around a cell phone sensor. Have you actually increased your ISO to the 3200-6400 range to see if that helps?

 

[TropicalHotDogNight]

DSLR cameras are both a blessing and a curse. They have the capability to take amazing pictures, but you have to be a good enough photographer to know how to use them properly. As a hobbyist, I tried getting into photography a few years back, and my DSLR made it harder to take great pictures, since I did not have the skills and knowledge of how to set the camera up for each shot. When I did do things right, however, I got far better results than with my cell phone.

 

[ItsTaz]

DSLR cameras are both a blessing and a curse. They have the capability to take amazing pictures, but you have to be a good enough photographer to know how to use them properly. As a hobbyist, I tried getting into photography a few years back, and my DSLR made it harder to take great pictures, since I did not have the skills and knowledge of how to set the camera up for each shot. When I did do things right, however, I got far better results than with my cell phone.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[tpwpny]

Well, first things first, we'd need to know how you're subjectively quantifying "better results" between the two systems. Methinks you're shooting with programs and auto on your camera. A lot of DSLRs, especially the entry level variety like yours (mine too), don't do well on auto. Try finding a local photography store and see if they teach an intro to photo class.

Personally, I get better shots off my phone in general for web purposes because my phone is a static system. The focal point barely ever changes. The depth is always exactly the same. The ISO doesn't need to alter much. The angle is always the same so my perspective is adjusted when shooting at all times. When using my DSLR I have to factor in all that on every shot and it's a bit of a hassle to get a good shot, but worth it. I've got a 20" x 30" wedding portrait framed sitting in the other room that I shot and you can't even see a fleck of grain in the photo. Not even a smidge. You can't do that with a camera phone.

For CASUAL shooting, a camera phone is going to outperform a DSLR 99.9% of the time, generally speaking.

I'm typically shooting in either Manual or Tv mode. Once in a while I shoot in Program and rarely in Auto; in Program I do get shots comparable to my phone-- and I've found sometimes Program will choose an intermediary ISO that I can't set as an option myself.

All in all, the "better results" I notice with my phone is that colors are a bit more vibrant and it uses ambient light more robustly in almost any situation.

 

[tpwpny]

I just checked the body you have. Your DSLR sensor should be able to run circles around a cell phone sensor. Have you actually increased your ISO to the 3200-6400 range to see if that helps?

Funny you mention it, but I have bumped up ISO of late. I try not to... I don't like the noise once you get up over 1600. Does help a bit.

 

[hydro-magic]

I'm typically shooting in either Manual or Tv mode. Once in a while I shoot in Program and rarely in Auto; in Program I do get shots comparable to my phone-- and I've found sometimes Program will choose an intermediary ISO that I can't set as an option myself.

All in all, the "better results" I notice with my phone is that colors are a bit more vibrant and it uses ambient light more robustly in almost any situation.

Check out the settings in your camera if you want to bump up the color saturation. There's probably a setting for that but I'm not familiar with Canon settings. I learned on an old manual film camera which was great just for learning the basics of photography. But these days I rarely shoot in full manual. I usually use either shutter priority or aperture priority depending on what I'm trying to capture. Exposure compensation also comes in very handy. I've noticed my old Nikon DSLR blows out the highlights pretty consistently so I pretty much always turn it down 2/3 stop or more when the highlights are really bright.

For ambient light shooting the bigger sensor of a DSLR should do much better than a small phone sensor. If you can go up to ISO 1600 without too much noise, that's way higher than your phone can go. I just use auto ISO all the time with a max ISO set so the camera won't try to go above the level where noise gets bad.

 

[ouch]

I guess a discussion of the Scheimpflug effect is beyond the scope of this thread.

 

[djh]

I guess a discussion of the Scheimpflug effect is beyond the scope of this thread.

Just love it when you talk dirty.

 

[PeteB]

When I first got my DSLR (D7000), I was shocked at how bad the images where. It took a long time to learn how to use it, in terms of setting it up as well as post processing. The RAW images where very lifeless. Jpegs, set by the camera were better though.

Look at your settings within the camera for colour, saturation, contrast etc. Also, try and get some Jpgs from the camera, dont use the RAW. See how the Jpg looks. Tweaking the RAW image takes a bit of knowledge, software and effort. The standard Jpgs should be enough to get your confidence up in the camera.

 

[wazabees]

.. or do use RAW. If you're interested in photography, Adobe Lightroom is a brilliant RAW editor, and it'll keep track of your images. There is a bit of a learning curve, but if the interest is there, it's very rewarding.