Phone Cameras (But not huge ones...)

[Zad]

Rather than get a new(er) body for my elderly Canon dSLR, I am coming to the conclusion that I would probably get more use out of a phone with a decent camera. Unfortunately, it seems that the only phones with stabilised lenses and physical zooms are the top-end ones like the Apple / Pixel Pro and the Samsung S-Ultra. They would be out of my price range except that 2 year old refurbished ones are coming in at sub-£300 now.

Catch is, that they are absolutely huge. I need something I can carry with me in a jacket pocket and also not be one of those people who looks like they are about to eat their phone like a Jacobs cracker when they talk on it. The reality is that I probably wouldn't take a big phone with me - I already have a DSLR to not carry with me after all. I'm just going around in circles with reviews, most of which seem to be paid for by the manufacturer or marketing company.

There doesn't seem to be anything between generic image sensors and the premium ones. I need something more than a full-auto camera, preferably something that has low noise for night / sky photos, and is decent for taking landscapes and architecture. Do any of you have current pet favourites?

Cheers!

ETA: I've been bitten by Apple products too many times, so it is unlikely to be an iPhone.

Edited by Zad on Friday 26th April 03:42

[Kermit power]

I think it depends what you're going to do with the photos.

I've got a Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra which goes absolutely everywhere with me - I'm the opposite to you in that I'd get really frustrated with a smaller screen - so it certainly wins hands down from a "best camera is the one you've got with you" perspective, plus the Samsung software does a decent job of providing an acceptable image straight away, which certainly beats spending a long time processing RAW files in Lightroom!

Where it falls down is viewing the photos on large screens or printing them out. If I was only ever going to look at the shots on my phone screen it might be good enough, but if you want an A3 poster print for your wall, the tiny sensor just can't deliver in the same way as a DSLR, and this will be compounded on night shots, where it just wouldn't get close to the low light capabilities of a modern mirrorless camera, although the new AI Noise reduction in Lightroom can perform miracles in that respect.

[Zad]

Hmm interesting. I've been playing around with an iPhone 15 today (a friend's) and that's probably more than big enough for me. The choice seemed so simple when I started out!

[mudnomad]

You need an Asus Zenfone. 8,9 or 10 depending on your budget.
https://youtu.be/6aK407STsGA?si=pT05EDBY9vAph-CI

[Kermit power]

Zad said:

Hmm interesting. I've been playing around with an iPhone 15 today (a friend's) and that's probably more than big enough for me. The choice seemed so simple when I started out!

I should add that most people probably wouldn't know or care, partly because the built in software does a spectacular job of making up for many of the intrinsic physical weaknesses of the tiny sensors and lenses but mainly because so few photos these days ever actually make it beyond the likes of Facebook which horribly compress higher quality photos anyway.

I've got one of the better camera phones which was effectively free since I would've bought the phone anyway and I've also got a Canon R6 (full frame mirrorless body) with some good lenses which all in would've probably been around £7k new, and obviously are 100% for photography.

If I'm shooting something really (as in macro) close up, really far away (600mm lens and the ability to crop on a large sensor), it's really very low light or I'm shooting something moving at speed then the Canon gear wins hands down, but things like landscapes, street photography, portraits, social gatherings and the like in decent light? If you're looking at them on a phone screen, you'd probably have to check the metadata to see which you used to take the shot.

What's really interesting though is comparing unaltered RAW files from each in Lightroom, as that's where you really see just how much of the heavy lifting on the phone is being done by its image processing software rather than its hardware.

[Simpo Two]

Kermit power said:

I should add that most people probably wouldn't know or care, partly because the built in software does a spectacular job of making up for many of the intrinsic physical weaknesses of the tiny sensors and lenses... you really see just how much of the heavy lifting on the phone is being done by its image processing software rather than its hardware.

How about a DSLR with phone software? Best of both worlds?

[Kermit power]

Simpo Two said:

How about a DSLR with phone software? Best of both worlds?

Trying to hold a Sigma 150-600 to your ear would certainly help keep calls short and succinct!

[Simpo Two]

Doh. I'll have a another go...

How about a DSLR with the image processing software from a phone?

[GravelBen]

Simpo Two said:

Doh. I'll have a another go...

How about a DSLR with the image processing software from a phone?

Maybe if you're wanting to remove human input from the processing - but more often I think DSLR/mirrorless users are enthusiasts who want the creative control, so are more likely to process images themselves instead of letting a computer do it automatically without their input.

Some software stuff already has moved across to DSLR/mirrorless though - for example my Fuji XT3 is a couple of models old now but even it can do things like sweep panoramas.

[Simpo Two]

GravelBen said:

Maybe if you're wanting to remove human input from the processing - but more often I think DSLR/mirrorless users are enthusiasts who want the creative control, so are more likely to process images themselves instead of letting a computer do it automatically without their input.

I was thinking mostly of the miraculous way in which phones cope with HDR. I can use 'Active D-Lighting' but in high contrast situations it's nowhere close to a phone. So just that function, switchable, would be very handy - and save having to fire up PS to hammer it out...!

[Zad]

It is probably wrong to look at this as a "Phone replacing a DSLR". It is very much a "Phone replacing another much older phone and want the photos to look as un-crap as possible". From my point of view it is more along the lines of having a budget of maybe £300, and working out where I can get most bang for my buck. I also need a new(er) phone - I mean, I can't even play Pokemon Go on this any more

Thanks for the heads-up on Asus Zenphones. I didn't even know they existed!