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For a Photograph
October 2019
Recently the iPhone 11 made its debut this past September and many are raving about its camera abilities. From having a third camera that is acclaimed to be capable of telephoto zoom, to its newly featured night mode, it is officially the most advanced smartphone ever created. The iPhone 11 pro was sold out upon its release and has taken less than three days to run out of other models as well. This latest and greatest new piece of technology is even being used by professional photographers, along with professional cameras for certain shoots and clients. While reflecting upon this and being able to observe an iPhone 11 pro myself, the question of “Can phones replace professional cameras?” presented itself.
While light and compact, and have several capabilities similar to expensive cameras, a growing crowd suggests that phones have equivalent if not better capabilities than professional cameras. With the ease of access for users to capture a picture with sharpness and honestly impressive capabilities for such a small device, it can be compelling to use as a primary camera for amateur photographers and photo junkies. However, despite these new and exciting features being built into a phone that is capable of so much more than simply taking pictures, a professional camera is still the best tool to capture photography and life’s splendor at its fullest.
While a camera being better than a cell phone was quite self-evident as recently as 10 years ago, it’s become a rather grey area for modern society. Today’s cell phones, instead of focusing on their music and communication abilities, have shifted towards competing for the most advanced, best-performing mobile camera. This is thanks in large part to social media platforms in the Western world, i.e. Facebook, Pinterest, and perhaps most prevalent, Instagram. With an emphasis on picture quality for everyday events and special occasions alike, this has caused a surface for better picture quality as social pressure continues to increase to present oneself in the best light possible. This increasing social pressure has created an expectation to not only show the best of one’s life in high-quality pictures but to post often as well. The sharper the image, the wealthier and more prestigious the profile, and the more popular the person. This is one of the main goals of those who are lured into the sense of false popularity. To have as many followers as possible with as many likes as possible. To aid with getting more followers and more likes, the more one must post. While near instantaneous posting can be done on a cell phone, it can take longer than desired from a two to three-pound camera, having to upload pictures on a computer, edit them, then upload to social media. What used to be a professional-only quality that came with expensive, interchangeable lens cameras, is now available in like fashion from cell phone providers. With smartphones taking intelligent pictures, the gap between what can be noticeably professional and amateur-quality photographs is closing. Along with this, the speed and frequency of uploading onto social media are no longer compromised for quality like it used to be.
For the purpose of simply taking pictures for personal interest and social media, one is better off having a smartphone camera. One can edit pictures with filters with surprising speed and ease, and the processor in the phone does all the work. It produces sharp, highly contrasting images, has portrait mode built into the system as an option, has good megapixels, and can even shoot 4k video. One simply needs to point, tap, and voila! There are those who may say that there’s no need for bulky camera equipment, several lenses, extra batteries, and SD memory cards when it’s all compacted into one device that can fit into a pocket. Simply enough, it gets the job done with little to no skill or experience. This is perhaps one of the most common thoughts people have when comparing a smartphone to a camera. As can be seen, there are definite benefits of this compact, light, and multitasking tech device.
The purpose of these smartphones with dual or, even as recent, triple cameras on the back of the phone is to capture the best image possible. These lenses can work separately or together. Separately, these lenses serve different functions as far as distance goes. One lens is meant to take super wide pictures, making sure to capture a large group in one frame without having to stand thirty feet away. Another lens, to capture the normal length one has typically had with phone cameras, (about 25-30 mm), and the third lens with telephoto zoom capabilities. This third lens enables the phone to capture images up close with higher detail that might otherwise have been unachievable by a standard zoom lens. Together, these lenses pair their sensors to process the images simultaneously, achieving consistency for the picture or video being taken. These three lenses are put together to provide a phone with the capability to perform similarly to a standard professional camera with interchangeable lenses and do it at nearly half the cost. Although these don’t compromise on quality when the only use is to post on social media and swipe through on one’s phone, it still doesn’t match up with a professional camera.
Typically, what deters people from ‘professional cameras’ is the complexity and skill required to use them, the lenses and accessories, and the cost of the equipment. The average price of a good professional camera in today’s era starts at around $2,000 for the body alone. Keep in mind that the body by itself is only the processor by which images are captured. This is mostly due to the sensor within the camera. The sensor processes incoming light into images we can see on the screen. The better the processor, the better quality and higher resolution of the image. The higher the resolution of the image, the more someone can do with it. It can be edited down to the smallest, or even largest detail to beautify the image with professional software such as Lightroom or Photoshop, without creating a pixelated blur from lower-resolution images. It can be capable of being put onto a poster or billboard while keeping its detail. The greater the resolution (which is measured in megabytes), the greater it can be zoomed in, and maintain its detail. A lower-resolution image, when blown up becomes blurry and pixelated because the number of pixels in the image is being zoomed in beyond its capacity for detail. A picture from a smartphone, even the new iPhone 11 Pro, is incapable of being blown up larger than a 14 x 9” print before it starts to lose its image quality. The larger the sensor, the more resolution it can produce, which is why professional cameras are much larger than cell phones. However, without a lens, the camera body is essentially useless.
Lenses are the tool through which light is seen, creating images that we see, and are then able to be captured, thanks to the body. The average price of lenses can vary greatly depending upon what not only the purpose one wants to use them for but quality as well. These alone can vary from $120 to $4,000 depending on several factors. The better the glass in the lens, the more expensive the lens costs. For comparing to a smartphone, which takes mainly landscape and portrait pictures, a professional lens with good glass that would be considered a landscape and/or portrait lens cost around $1,500 - $2,500. Put these together and the camera setup would be about $4,000. When compared to the acclaimed ‘latest and greatest’ smartphone camera, costing around $1,000 for the pro edition, leaving nearly $2,500 in difference. Although this may seem like a sizable quantity, it makes up for performance differences between this and a smartphone.
What is coined as ‘Night Mode’ in smartphone cameras, is a process of two elements used in cameras called aperture and shutter speed. The aperture is the opening of a camera lens that regulates how much light is let into the image sensor. The wider the shutter, the more light that comes into the processor, and the brighter the image. Shutter speed is how fast the shutter, or system that flips the mirror upward to let light onto the processor thus capturing an image, opens, and closes. The slower the shutter speed, the more light is let onto the processor, working best for low light or night shooting. The faster the shutter speed, the less light is let onto the sensor and the more able the sensor is to capture clear images of fast-moving objects. Simply, to capture night shots, the aperture is wide open and the shutter speed is very slow, allowing for as much light as possible to come onto the processor to capture a clear, visible photograph. To capture sports pictures similar to the ones seen on ESPN, the aperture is narrow, and the shutter speed is significantly faster. This allows a subject to be captured in fast enough processing to produce a clear and sharp photograph of a basketball player shooting a three-pointer and make it appear as if everything is perfectly frozen in time. This process, instead of being automatic as it is in smartphones, is adjustable to allow the photographer to capture a variety of photography styles. Sensors and processors in a professional camera are more sensitive to light, thus they are capable of a greater range of adjustment for these settings and require actual knowledge of light to bring forth its maximum potential.
Being able to manually control the aperture allows for customization in the depth of field, something smartphones are still incorporating into their system, while professional cameras have mastered this tool. In comparison, smartphone autofocusing can focus on specific points throughout the display but does not provide a high-quality of depth. Depth of field is what creates a clear, sharp image of a subject with a blurred background. As humans, we see this all the time. When we focus on something near to us, the background becomes blurred out as our eyes our concentrating on an object at a particular depth of view. For example, take your hand in front of you and point your index finger upward. Now move your finger towards your nose. You’ll notice the closer your nose is to your finger, the more blurred everything is behind it. Moving it away from your nose, you’ll notice that objects become less blurred. In a cell phone, this is not as prominent, whereas a professional camera with the correct lens can exaggerate this, giving it the portrait-style look. This, in part, is what separates a picture from a photograph; being able to capture its viewers with a sense of awe, as the subject is the only focus of attention. Perhaps this form of art is so captivating due to its ability to romanticize the world in which we live, along with those whom we hold dear. It captures how our minds can perceive those we love and presents it in a tangible way.
In photography, there are a great many ways in which an image can be captured. With decent knowledge and appropriate equipment, a simple image is transformed into a work of art. A single moment captured in a photograph can evoke emotions forgotten by the rush of events and the passing of time. Treasured memories are remembered with a warm embrace, and the quintessence of life is shown through a collection of what remains after our lives are lived. For snapshotting these things, smartphones get the job done with grace. However, if one wants to truly capture the personification of what means most to the human soul, proper equipment is required.
- Blake A. Urednick