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| Image: MirageC / Moment via Getty Images |
Our last ‘Question of the week’ asked the members of our forum community which phone they prefer from a photography perspective. We wanted to know which phones you’re drawn to, not necessarily because of operating systems, but because of the cameras or photography-related features. Here’s what you all had to say.
Most referenced smartphones
Naturally, many of you mentioned a small handful of phones. Clearly, there are crowd favorites among photographer-friendly phones.
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Apple iPhone Pro series: iPhones were the most common among those who commented, with a preference for the Pro models. Many of you said that the connectivity with the broader Apple ecosystem is a primary reason, though there’s also a preference for the iPhone image quality.
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Google Pixel series: Pixel phones were also very common. You value Pixel phones for their quality out-of-camera results that don’t require additional post-processing and integration with Google Photos.
Less common but still popular
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Samsung Galaxy S Ultra series: Though slightly less common, Galaxy users praised the image quality of the series, especially from the JPEG files.
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Sony Xperia 1 IV / V: The Xperia lineup is popular with many of you who want camera-like controls on a phone with more natural, less processed-looking photos.
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Vivo X series: You like this series because of its Zeiss optics and strong image quality that looks more natural than other phones.
- Xiaomi Ultra: Finally, there were some of you who preferred the Xiaomi phones, especially the 14 Ultra, in part because of the Leica co-branding and associated app.
General smartphone camera thoughts
Many of you pointed out that the brand of the phone is only part of the process. There are other critical features and considerations that make a smartphone ideal (or not) for photography.
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Wide-ranging focal lengths: The range of camera focal lengths is an important consideration on smartphones, with preferences for getting closer with optics rather than relying on digital zoom. Manmachine242 said, “For me, 4..5x zoom is unacceptable if the main camera has to solve this important range with digital zoom.”
- Ultra-wide performance: A quality ultrawide camera is sometimes preferred over the main sensor, as many of you use your smartphone for panoramas and sweeping landscapes. For example, Jagganatha says they primarily use their iPhone for landscapes “because under the right conditions it produces impeccable detailed sweep panoramas with perfect exposure and colour balance.”
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Existing ecosystems: Integration with other ecosystems is also important to many of you. Whether it’s being able to transition from phone to tablet to laptop or using familiar editing programs across devices, you want a phone that can seamlessly connect with other ecosystems. Pavel Vishniakov said “Maybe some Android phones have better cameras, but given that I’m fully in Apple ecosystem, I see no reason to switch phones for a ‘maybe’.”
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Raw capture: A number of you seek phones that allow for robust Raw capture or editing and the ability to use third-party camera apps, particularly Adobe’s Project Indigo or Halide. Robgendreau is among those, explaining that “I often use Lightroom to shoot raw, if I need a good photo. If I am more serious then Halide, and their raw. But lately it’s been Adobe’s Project Indigo, which does some major stacking magic. It’s in beta, so it heats my phone up like crazy, but worth it.”
- Older phones: The desire to hold on to older phones was a common sentiment. Some of you simply don’t see the need to upgrade until there’s something seriously wrong with your current phone, or a major upgrade with the new model. For example, Jefenator says, “I’ll continue buying iPhones with the best camera hardware, but I won’t be accelerating my update plans for just any old incremental change.” Others prefer older features or specs and stick to those models for as long as possible.
Entertaining replies
As always, some of you shared some entertaining answers and anecdotes. For example, A74Me shared about how most will have a smartphone on them, but cameras get left behind. “Your going to have a laugh at this one, the other night it was our Photography club AGM and the new committee was asked up for a group photo, No one had a camera with them and the image was shot on a phone. times are changing,” they said.
Many of you expressed a dislike for smartphone photography in general. For example, Dem Bell said “It is a bit like asking ‘what’s your favourite Microsoft Office application?’ I don’t really like any of them but I have to use them.”
If you haven’t had a chance to answer yet, or just want to see what others had to say, the post is still open. Head on over to the forums to share your opinion on smartphones for photography!
Click here to answer the Question of the week
Our DPREVIEW Tribute:
After nearly 25 years of operation, DPReview closed on 10 April 2023. This difficult decision was part of the annual operating plan review that parent company, Amazon, shared earlier this year.
Over the course of 25 years, DP Review built up a reputation as being one of the most informative places to go for information about that new camera or lens you’re after. DP Review began as an independent reviews site based in the UK in 1998, the brainchild of Philip and Joanna Askey, but it was eventually purchased by Amazon in 2007 and relocated over to Seattle in the USA in 2010.
Cheers DPReview – thanks for the great work and content that guided photographers, videographers and techno junkies the world over!