6
If you like taking photos with your smartphone, you’ve probably wondered if it’s time to equip yourself with a dedicated camera. Here are 10 clues that show that it may be time to move on.
Photography has never been so popular and practiced as much as it has since the advent of the smartphone. Always available at the bottom of a pocket or a handbag, the latter has the added advantage of being very effective, the image quality constantly improving. Whether Apple, Xiaomi, Huawei or Samsung, the various manufacturers compete in ingenuity to improve their performance and provide new functions.
Although smartphones are capable of taking excellent shots, it is also legitimate to wonder if it would not be better to equip yourself with a full-fledged camera. Compact or bridge cameras, reflex or mirrorless, the choice is endless and it may seem difficult to take the plunge. However, some clues show that it is probably time to abandon your smartphone to equip yourself with a “real” camera.
Nikon Z fc
Note Digital

-
Fnac.com marketplace
935.99
How the pricing table works
Introductory price €699

Note Digital

- All
- Naked version
- 14-42mm kit
- All
- Naked version
- 14-42mm kit
-
reBuy
550.99
How the pricing table works
1. You want it
It may seem obvious, but yes, desire is the first criterion! Buying a camera is not just for experts or professionals. Whether with a modest camera from Panasonic or a box with a worked look from Leica, having fun allows you to take better pictures, to apply yourself. If the “more technical” side of a reflex or a hybrid can impress, most boxes offer automatic or semi-automatic modes to progress at your own pace.
With Fujifilm’s X-E4, manual controls are directly available to control exposure time or quickly compensate exposure. © Guillaume du Mesgnil d’Engente / Digital
2. You’re tired of touch
It is clear that the use of the finger of his smartphone has supplanted traditional keyboards and other styluses thanks to an intuitive aspect without common measure. Despite all these advantages, using ergonomic physical controls can be much more effective than a small fingertip touch button. We are thinking, for example, of Fujifilm, whose hobbyhorse is a retro look associated with manual controls very oriented towards traditional photography.
3. Looking for better image quality
As we mentioned in the preamble, the image quality of smartphones has improved considerably, helped in this by the automatisms boosted with artificial intelligence which allow you to easily take most of your photos. However, the cameras can deliver better image quality, even with an entry-level hybrid such as OM System (formerly Olympus) or Sony.
Sports photography is one of the disciplines that is difficult to access with a smartphone, especially when a long focal length is required. © Guillaume du Mesgnil d’Engente / Digital
4. You want to improve in photography
Of course, it’s not the tool that makes the artist, but it contributes to it. Getting better at photography requires both theory and practice. That said, benefiting from a tool designed by and for photographers also makes it possible to release certain brakes that one could encounter with the simple touch screen of a smartphone. Equipping yourself with an entry-level camera from Canon or Nikon is a good way to get started.
5. You want to separate the photo practice from your other activities
Even if this point is not necessarily the most obvious, it remains crucial. Dissociating your photo practice from your smartphone is not a crazy idea. The smartphone is already used as a GPS, to browse the Internet, consult social networks or bank accounts, video, as an alarm clock, or even, let’s be crazy, as a telephone. Parting with it will sanctify the photo process to better invest in it or immerse yourself in the photo exercise.
Many settings are available on expert-oriented cameras. © Guillaume du Mesgnil d’Engente / Digital
Fujifilm X-T200
Introductory price €849

Note Digital

-
Rakuten
846.00
How the pricing table works
Introductory price €750

Note Digital


(1)
- All
- Bare case
- 16-50mm kit
- All
- Bare case
- 16-50mm kit
-
Digit-photo.com
749.00
How the pricing table works
6. You want better control of your device
Whether on an Apple iPhone or on the latest references from Samsung or Sony, manufacturers deliver smartphones with a photo application. If it is often very limited, it sometimes benefits from a “pro” mode which allows access to more options. Third-party applications also exist on application stores. However, advanced settings can be more numerous on a classic camera to obtain control perfectly suited to the situation at hand.
7. You would like to develop new photo disciplines
Thanks to a camera, it is easier to envisage new photo uses than with a smartphone which may be too limited. If Apple has unveiled a macro mode with its iPhone or Oppo and Huawei a significant optical zoom, it is difficult for them to compete with the lenses of dedicated devices. This is all the more true since it is possible to change it to an SLR or a hybrid, while certain cameras are designed to meet specific criteria. If photo disciplines are very accessible, others require solid knowledge, but the choice remains varied (portrait, sports, flash, animal, wedding, studio photography, macro photography, astrophotography, underwater, etc. ).
Difficult to achieve this image on a smartphone. © Guillaume du Mesgnil d’Engente / Digital
8. You are considering post-production for a custom rendering
It’s hard to completely miss your smartphone shot, even in difficult conditions. The automatisms provided by the manufacturers are powerful, but they can also lack personality. The integration of raw files is increasingly widespread on smartphones, but there is not necessarily real interest in using it. With raw files from a camera, the working latitude is generally greater and allows digital development or advanced retouching to better adapt to the photographer’s vision.
9. You feel frustrated
The lack of zoom, image quality, color rendering, or all of the criteria we mention can be a source of frustration. But this is not inevitable. While you won’t automatically improve with an SLR or mirrorless — and there will be new frustrations to deal with — getting the right camera is a great way to better enjoy the practice of photography.
In this situation, the algorithms of a smartphone would surely have tried to catch up with the deliberate backlighting of the photographer. © Guillaume du Mesgnil d’Engente / Digital
10. You have the ambition to become an expert
To conclude, parting with your smartphone also allows you to meet a very specific need or desire, such as creating lightpainting at OM System, anamorphic video at Panasonic, or using original filters based on silver rendering at Fujifilm. The options and advanced configurations are numerous and answer a niche or complex questions. A sometimes winding road has to be traveled, but obtaining a result that lives up to one’s ambitions and personal investment ends up being a real pleasure.
If you think we forgot a criterion that indicates it’s time to ditch the smartphone, don’t hesitate to share it with us in the comments!
We would love to say thanks to the writer of this post for this incredible material
10 clues that show it’s time to switch from a smartphone to a “real” camera
You can find our social media profiles as well as the other related pageshttps://www.ai-magazine.com/related-pages/