Over the last couple of months, I’ve become a champion of sorts for mobile phones and the increasing capabilities of the cameras and processors that these phones carry. While the average user is dependent on computational photography and what the chipset on any given device can deliver at any given moment, it is becoming increasingly obvious that mobiles phones can deliver print-worthy images and for those in the documentary fields who work on the go, a convenient device that lets you bend into your surrounding whilst producing world-class imagery.
Off the back, I’ll state the obvious. Professional cameras have the advantage of bigger sensors and the interchangeability of lens systems. For the newbies, the type of lens you use affects the end result of your image; wide angle lenses offer a somewhat fish-eye distortion that isn’t great for portraits but amazing for landscapes whilst telephoto lenses compress the image which is flattering for portraits but wouldn’t fit as much if shooting landscape images. Over time, smartphones have overcome this problem by installing multiple camera systems on the smartphone with a typical flagship having a wide-angle camera, telephoto camera and ultrawide angle camera (I use a camera in this instance because all of these systems whilst on the same phone, will typically have their own sensors).
The advantage of being able to switch lenses on traditional cameras means you can have one camera body but create images that have varying looks and textures based on the lens you shoot with. Late last week, I took my Canon 6D and a 50mm f1.8 and my Redmi Note 11 Pro and shot my friend under the same circumstance. See if you can spot which is which below;
The obvious giveaway will be the slight distortion evident in the second image as well as the level of dynamic range (in hindsight, I should have shot the camera image with my 24mm lens). With regards to level of detail, unless you go pixel peeping, the Redmi hold enough detail pass for a camera on social media and on print (not billboard print if I should say).
Partnerships between camera brands and mobile phone giants have become a norm in recent times so there’s a promise that the gap will be bridged faster. Nokia, Sony and Vivo have partnered with Zeiss, while Huawei (before the ban) partnered with Leica but post ban, Xiaomi has filled that spot with the renowned Xiaomi 12 Ultra being the first product of that partnership. It still is my opinion that for progress to come faster, the traditional photographer has to adopt the mobile genre as their input is bound to stir these companies in the right direction… faster.
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Images shot by Ufana Ishoyor, Used with Permission.
