yahumpphotography
- Sep 10, 2023
- 4 min read

Thoughts On What Camera To Buy!

Updated: Oct 18, 2023

Smartphone vs DSLR/Mirrorless Cameras?

Many people getting into photography are using there high -end Smartphones for casual and family photography. In fact many online photography schools are now offering Smartphone photography courses.

The Smartphone Camera has certainly improved by leaps and bounds in the last few years. However, they still cannot match the image quality of a DSLR/Mirrorless. That being said, for most casual photographers, the difference in image quality between a high-end smartphone camera and a DSLR/Mirrorless will not be noticeable, especially when viewing images on a small screen or sharing them on social media.

Most people carry there Smartphone wherever they go, this makes it easy to capture spontaneous moments. The DSRL/Mirrorless camera is bigger and bulkier to carry around all day. Old school photographers like my uncle and myself always enjoyed having our camera equipment with us.

Smartphone cameras have seamless integration with social media and photo editing apps. Most smartphones come with built-in photo editing tools that allow users to crop, adjust brightness and contrast, and apply filters to their images. And because smartphones are designed to be connected to the internet, it's easy to share photos on social media.

It must be noted that many of the current DSLR/Mirrorless cameras now have the ability to do basic photo editing in camera, and have WIFI capacity to connect to the internet. it's worth noting that DSLR/Mirrorless cameras are still the best choice for certain types of photography, such as wildlife photography or sports photography, where a longer lens is required to capture distant subjects.

One of the biggest advantages of a DSLR/Mirrorless camera is its flexibility and control. They offer a wide range of lenses that can be swapped out to suit different shooting situations, from wide-angle landscapes to telephoto portraits. When using a DSLR/Mirrorless camera the photographer controls settings such as aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, allowing photographers to fine-tune their images.

Today's Smartphones have a video capacity for general everyday use, but the Mirrorless Cameras out does both the Smartphone and the DSLR.

The main difference between DSLR/Mirrorless cameras and Smartphone cameras is the image quality. DSLR/Mirrorless cameras have superior image quality – and that's thanks to the sensor size. The high-end DSLR/Mirrorless cameras have incredible image sensors that can capture every little detail in a scene, from highlights to shadows.

Smartphone cameras may outperform older DSLRs, especially in high contrast and low-light scenarios because of the in-built image stabilization and high dynamic range. For example, Samsung Galaxy S21 has an astounding 108MP camera sensor with 10x optical zoom.

Smartphones are not able to capture higher-quality images than a DSLR Mirrorless cameras. But many photographers believe their images taken on a Smartphone look better because the phone automatically adds contrast, saturation, skin softening, and background blur.

Early smartphones suffered in both resolution and noise due to their small sensor size. Advances in sensor technology quickly began to close the resolution gap with larger cameras, but noise reduction continued to remain an elusive challenge for the smaller-sensor cameras in smartphones. The amount of noise is directly related to the overall amount of light captured in an image (which Guichard describes as the photon flow). Fewer photons means more noise. Since a typical smartphone sensor might receive less than one-twentieth of the photons of a 35mm full-frame sensor for the same exposure time, it is much more prone to noise. That difference in sensor size is the equivalent of a 4.5EV (f-stop) deficiency to overcome. Smartphones cameras caught up to DSRL/Mirrorless cameras by conquering noise

This is a stock photo and not owned by yahumpphotography

This is a stock photo and not owned by yahumpphotography

This is a stock photo and not owned by yahumpphotography

In conclusion, the best camera for an individual is a camera that they use!!

I found this great video by OrmsTV SMARTPHONE vs DSLR!

"Are entry-level DSLRs still RELEVANT in the age of Smartphones?"

Retro Cameras: Whatever is old is new again!

Todays Retro cameras combine the classically cool look and feel of the film SLRs and best rangefinders from years gone by and pack them full of cutting-edge tech and many of the conveniences modern photographers have come to expect from some of the best mirrorless cameras on the market.

These cameras use physical dial-based controls that feel much more like a classic film camera. If you want to go all the way and use a film camera for that analog touch, the best film cameras is a good place to start. For those who are looking for an instant retro camera like the famous Polaroid , then best instant cameras is for you.

I found this great video by Camera Zone "Best Retro Cameras for Camera Enthusiast"

DSLR vs Mirrorless Cameras

The last few years their has been an explosion of Mirrorless Cameras on the market. The best DSLRs and mirrorless cameras differ in their construction and design, but not in their sensors, image quality, and indeed many of their core features and technology. The differences are partly physical – the way these two camera formats look, handle and work – and partly technical in terms of the video capture and autofocus systems they offer.