Photography is a popular hobby and professional work. People are drawn to images that speak a thousand words as they say. When you look at a beautiful photo, you feel something positive and uplifted, or sometimes images can convey sadness and pain. That’s the thing about photography, people like it because it has an incredible impact on both the viewers and the photographer. In this article we will talk about some of the best smartphones for photography which you can use as alternative of your DSLR to capture precious moments of your life.
Back in the day, SLR or DSLR cameras were the only source or tool a photographer should own to do their work, but as technology advances, we are given handy alternatives for daily use.
Smartphones are the latest tools photographers use whenever they need to take beautiful images. Even amateur photographers and hobbyists trust their smartphones to capture the best photos for them. Besides, these raw images are edited with the best photo editing software on the market.
However, these smartphones for photography can produce images that require little editing, which most would want to happen. But nothing can replace a professional camera if you need a high-quality image at its finest.
Why are Smartphone Cameras Good?
Of course, you’ll be wondering which is better, a smartphone or a camera? Well, if you do have the money, you can get both. But if not, a smartphone is the best choice. Here’s why smartphone cameras are great.
# It’s accessible and lightweight. Unlike professional cameras, mobile cameras are easy to carry around. You can easily access your smartphone and take pictures of a moment. There is no need to bring heavy gadgets around.
# Same-time editing and sharing. Traditional cameras require you to transfer files to your computer before you can edit. For smartphones, you can edit your raw photos immediately with your favorite photo editing app. Then, you can instantly share it on social media or a messaging app.
# A smartphone allows automatic photo backup onto the cloud. When you set your image on sync, it will automatically be saved on the cloud once it is connected to a Wi-Fi network or mobile data. Hence, you can access them anywhere you go.
# You can easily take a photo with your smartphone. It automatically adjusts to the environment compared to professional cameras, where you have to make some adjustments.
# It’s a multi-purpose device. Smartphones are not only for taking pictures, but you can call, text, work, browse online, and so on.
# Best for taking selfies as you can see yourself with the front camera compared to DSLR. Although some cameras have an adjustable screen, it’s still inconvenient compared to smartphones.
Now that you are convinced that smartphones are an excellent alternative to DSLR and digital cameras, what smartphone should you choose in 2022?
Best Smartphone Cameras
With plenty of smartphone companies releasing the latest version of their product, it is hard to decide. But remember, owning the latest version doesn’t mean having a quality image. Instead, there are features and qualities you need to consider when looking for a camera.
iPhone 13 Pro
Apple is one of the biggest smartphone brands that has put much effort into its camera features. They produce one of the best photos you can see, with clear and crisp images that look like you’re looking at an object in real-time.
The latest Apple, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max indulged us with Apple’s A15 Bionic chipset. It has a 1 TB internal memory.
Although the iPhone 13 camera is similar to the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max models, they have improved features.
The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max have a larger sensor and faster aperture. Low-light photography with the latest iPhone is impressive. It’s better than the previous version, but it is hard to spot the difference between the night mode and low-light condition images.
We recommend the iPhone 13 Pro for visual content creators. Shooting video produces excellent and reliable exposure. The AI technology incorporated can be a great assistance when shooting videos. However, when recording a video, the iPhone 13 Pro doesn’t have 960fps and 8K recording.
Apple’s Dolby Vision HDR and ProRes video capture codec are a better alternative for professionals to control their video recording quality. You can focus on one subject to another when shooting a video. It’s a top-notch option when shooting a film or movie.
The zoom quality of the iPhone 13 is better with 3x optical zoom. Although they lack a macro lens, it introduces macro photography to users, permitting sharp and close-up shots unlike any other before.
Aside from its camera features, you don’t run out of space when recording or taking photos. The 1 TB internal storage gives users hours of recordings without running out of space. According to us, this is one of the best smartphone for photography you should consider.
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra’s most standout feature of its camera is its zoom capability. The 108 MP sensor provides an extensive digital zooming ability. Furthermore, the cropping ability is improved without affecting the quality of the image. S21 Ultra’s autofocus upgrades the sharpness of the image.
It has a two-telephoto camera that both have 10 MP. One lens has an f/2.4 aperture with 3x optical zoom, and the other f/4.9 with a 10x optical zoom. As a result, users get better quality images when taken in zoom.
Non-zoom shots are also great. Even images taken in low light are great with S21 Ultra. Using the standard camera mode will be enough, but if you want to take photos with a very dark setting, using the Night Mode is highly recommended.
The Night mode will take time to allow more light and capture the image. It also includes image stabilization for a steady and sharp image to be taken.
The front camera has a 40 MP. So when taking pictures or videos, it produces an excellent outcome.
The Director’s View is a new feature to Samsung Galaxy. It allows users to record a video on both front and rear cameras simultaneously. You can view it on a split-screen or small window overlaid on the main video.
When it comes to shooting videos, Samsung Galaxy tops the iPhone with its 8K video.
Huawei Mate 40 Pro
Huawei Mate 40 Pro makes it to the cut with its exceptional camera features. The main camera has a 50 MP f/1.9 and a 20MP f.1/8 ultra-wide lens. Furthermore, it has a focal length of 18mm, wider than main cameras and other smartphone cameras.
The wide lens of Huawei allows it to take macro photos and permit manual focus when capturing images.
Photos taken with the Huawei Mate look crisp and not over-processed. Users can take images with 30x zoom as long as it is on a well-lit scene.
Meanwhile, low light scenes or challenging subjects can’t escape the power of Huawei Mate. It offers a superb Night Mode option for darker scenes and auto mode for low-light photography. The multiple photography tools available make it appealing to users. Even snapping a photo of the moon can be possible with the Moon Mode.
The front camera adopts the time-of-flight (ToF) sensor, which measures the time for a laser to bounce to the object and provides an accurate 3D map. It can sense the depth of the surroundings. Also, the front camera has a 13MP f/2.4.
For video footage, Huawei has a 4K resolution. But not as competitive as that of Samsung Galaxy’s 8K. However, it still results in an impressive shot that is stable and clear. When capturing close-up subjects, it automatically blurs the background to have a focused close-up object.
Users can enjoy the manual and RAW mode of Huawei Mate 40.
Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra
The latest Xiaomi is one of the heaviest phones with 234 g compared to its predecessor Mi 11 (196g). The phone has a secondary screen display at the back that shows time, date, notification, and a selfie taken on with the rear camera.
Despite the weight and uneven back of the phone due to the camera bump, Mi 11 Ultra is packed with outstanding features better than Mi 11.
The Mi 11 Ultra has a triple camera with a 50MP wide-angle lens, a 1/1.12 sensor, and an f/1.95 aperture. It also includes a wide camera with a 2/2.2 aperture and 48MP that’s excellent for macro photography. The telephoto camera has a 5x optical zoom with f/4.1 aperture.
The various cameras support taking sharp, crisp, and detailed daylight photos. Although it can zoom up to 120x, it’s best to reach up to 20x as the magnification doesn’t look that clear. For zoomed images, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra still stands out to be the best.
For night shots or low-light settings, it produces little noise and captures photos with the best details. Using the Night Mode will improve the image quality by refining the exposure.
For selfies, you have the option to use the front camera with 20MP, f/2.2 specs, or using the rear camera and the screen frame available at the back.
Similar to Samsung Galaxy, Mi 11 Ultra offers 8K resolution at 24fps. It also has a 4K resolution at 60 fps.
iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max
Last on our list is yet another Apple product. The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max are worth the investment when you want a high-quality smartphone with excellent camera specs.
It was even awarded by Trusted Reviews as the Best Camera Phone of 2021. It has three main cameras with a 12MP f/1.6, 12MP telephoto with 2.5 optical zooms, and a 12 MP f/2.4 ultra-wide camera. Although, the four mentioned smartphones have better megapixels than the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max.
iPhone 12 Pro has a minute difference from the latest iPhone. iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max have a better macro mode, optical zoom, and quality low-light images. But iPhone 12 can still catch up with the latest version.
The iPhone 12 Pro has improved its low-light photography features by providing a larger sensor in its camera. The Night Mode upgrades the quality of images using the LiDAR scanner. Aside from capturing beautiful low-light images, iPhone 12 can produce excellent daylight photos with the help of HDR3. The latter technology combines different exposure and copes with various lighting to give a better image.
For video recording, iPhone 12 has 4K resolution and Dolby vision. Hence, it produces a superior color and presentation on the video. iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max have improved their aperture and image stabilization.
The overall improvement of the iPhone 12 Pro and Max Pro is better than previous versions of the iPhone.
Conclusion
Choosing best smartphone for photography depends on the quality of images and videos you need to create. In our list, when it comes to the best zooming quality and video shooting, Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra stands out to be the best. For better image quality, the latest iPhone is on top of our list.
