Cell Phone vs Mirrorless Photography

Today’s post by Mark Toal

Every time I get a new iPhone I think that this might be the one that I can use as a “real camera.” A couple of months ago I bought an iPhone 6 mostly because I needed a new phone and I liked the bigger screen.

I use the camera in the phone mostly to record things that I only want to email, post on Facebook or to remember where I saw something. Since I always have a mirrorless camera with me I seldom need to use the phone for photographs that I might want to bring into Photoshop or print.

Last week while visiting relatives we went to play indoor miniature golf so I decided to leave my camera in the car. On the way out my sister-in-law asked me to take a family photo so I pulled out my iPhone and shot away. It was easy to frame and shoot quickly and they looked great on the small screen of the phone but when I got home and looked at them on my 27-inch iMac I was disappointed in the lack of detail and sharpness.

If I’m satisfied to just use the photo for email or social media the quality is great, but I still want the quality I get from even the smallest mirrorless camera.

Note from Joe: And there are some situations when cell phones are not allowed.