Photography tools, which to use?
In recent years smartphones have gained recognition as being pretty darn good devices to have on you at all times. It’s sort of like a Swiss army knife of technology. But one specific tool that has always been important to people is camera quality. What phone has the best camera for photography and videos? It’s always a staple in every smartphone commercial. Companies boast the amount of mega pixel improvements that have been made on their latest model. But the real question of this post is whether or not these new and improved technological Swiss army knives stack-up. Specifically against a purpose built tool for photography, the DSLR camera. Here are some key points that make each one of these pieces of tech desirable:
| DSLR | SMARTPHONE |
| Manipulability (shutter, ISO, Aperture, colors, white balance, focus, presets, quality) | Very portable (fits in pocket) |
| Changeable lenses | Decent quality and colors for phone photography |
| Purpose built (shoots very high quality) | Rapid share ability on all phones (unlike most cameras that still cannot) Photography can be shared quickly |
| Memory space (changeable as well, can hold a lot of high quality items, doesn’t have other programs getting in the way) | On the fly auto settings are generally pretty good |
| Battery life (changeable, expandable, swap out and keep snapping away) | Quick connection to social media and photo apps quickly and able to edit right away right on the phone |
| Better in extreme lighting conditions (tripod, shutter, aperture, ISO controls, Exposure) | Geo marking certain locations so that they can be located again to snap more pictures at any given location |
| No interference from other apps, phone calls, other tools found on a phone, etc. | Ability to also access a plethora of other helpful and useful apps that can be used for photography |
So what tool is best for photography?
So in light of this chart I think it’s safe to say that both of these devices have unique and important roles in our lives. But in terms of which is the best tool for photography? I am going to have to give it to the purpose built tool, the DSLR. Hear me out this is my reasoning. I use both for photography but I always prefer to take pictures with my Canon DSLR over my iPhone. Whenever I have my camera it is my go-to. Its images are just that much more clear and crisp and the colors more vibrant. I am also able to change and manipulate everything easily. It is straight forward right there with the buttons and navigation menu. Always remember, mega pixels aren’t everything. But of course not all of us carry our DSLR to and from classes or out for a night out on the town. Or even every time we want to shoot a couple pictures of our meal for a food blog. So this is where the smart phone takes over. Smart phones are terrific for social media and quick snags while passing through somewhere or when you don’t have access to your DSLR. And of course they do a fine job.
What photography tool I chose
So it really all comes down to how much do you love photography and quality. Of course the DSLR images especially when shot in raw format always seem to look a lot better. That doesn’t mean that the smartphones can’t look good too. I have some images of the two photo devices (see images of devices attached) that I myself use and love them. I have also attached my own pictures to show just how similar the two devices take images. There are some times almost unrecognizable differences. This is especially the case once edited and uploaded to a social media style site. (Reference images attached). So although at the end of the day I love using my DSLR for photo journeys more than my iPhone 6. That doesn’t mean that I don’t like my iPhone. And most of the time I am carrying my iPhone so that just makes it the tool I grab for the most. And if you are creative and adventurous you can make great use out of either of these tools for photography, or both!
