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Bridget Ridder

Neely McLaughlin

English 1001

27 September 2017

Capturing Life: Which Medium is Better?

Photographs capture everything. Looking back at the memories is more enjoyable when

you have the pictures to remember them by. All of the times spent with friends and family, going

anywhere and everywhere. Isn’t it crazy to believe pictures haven’t been around forever? The

first idea of a camera was developed from something called a camera obscura, but not for

making photographs. It was used for only for being able to view or draw the subject. From there,

it has been very successful, which is an understatement. Since then, the industry had people

producing cameras non-stop, in order for improvement to occur. For example, film-based

cameras were developed years later, and these were used for the actual idea of capturing and

prints. Then it wasn’t until 1984 when the first digital camera was introduced that the industry

became even more popular. Now, with more technological advancements, many people are

turning to phones as a simpler way to take pictures. Yet for others, a camera is still part of their

lives.

With smartphones being very popular and the camera quality seeming to improve with

each newer phone, many people got rid of their cameras after finding out that the smartphone

cameras seem just as good. Professional photographer Kristian Dowling states, “[This Mate 9

smartphone] would beat a lot of compact cameras out there in the market, even those from the

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big brands…as long as the person behind the lens puts a bit of thought into the photo, there’s no

reason why this phone camera can’t replace certain (specialist) cameras.” Sales can increase for

just this reason alone; People want camera access right at their fingertips and this is exactly what

they will get. This is great news to cell phone companies, but for camera manufacturers, workers,

and the industry, they may soon be having a decrease in buyers.

There are many jobs that involve using a camera for work: people who work with a

camera, and others who work to build cameras. Dealing with the conflict between cameras and

smartphones has already had an impact on camera manufacturers who “have been reporting

decreased camera sales during the past few years” (Mansurov, 1). As it stands, companies may

eventually be going out of business, and this will not be good for photographers either. Anyone

who has a smartphone can take a picture, so how will they be able to compete and sell their

work? Though all of this said, when Apple gave the presentation of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7

plus, they “specifically pointed out that the iPhone would not be able to match the quality of a

DSLR [camera]” (1). Apple gives the idea that their smartphones, as of right now, won’t be able

to compare to the quality of real cameras. Still, this doesn’t change the fact that people will want

what they want, and if they do not want a camera, the business will continue to disintegrate.

Smartphones make taking a picture very easy. Everyone who has a smartphone has used

the camera feature. Smartphones are effortless to carry around. When the individual is ready to

take a picture, it is as easy as one tap of a finger. Then, there is the picture. Now, if they want to

upload it to a social media website, all that one needs to do is to open the app and post it. Again,

it is a time-saver and hassle-free. No more uploading pictures from your camera, saving them to

the computer, and so on. So why would a camera be a necessity? It depends on who the person is

in order to decide if they would rather a camera or a smartphone to use as the device for taking

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pictures. There are many factors that would sway a person's choice. Some may think the quality

of the phone looks just as good as when it is taken with a camera. “If an image looks good

enough to be shown on Facebook or Instagram, why bother with other options” (Mansurov, 1)?

If someone were to buy a smartphone that already allows them to take pictures, there would be

no need to buy an expensive camera. They might see it as a waste of money. Another reason why

a person may choose a phone over a camera is because they just don’t have a need to know about

cameras. “An average customer” may not understand the specifications and settings of a camera,

nor do they probably care. “‘[The customer] is not viewing the “technical quality of the images,

[they] are responding to the realism and to the intimacy of the photographs people are posting”

on social media. If the person is satisfied with the image, “realism is more important than the

technical quality” (Bareham, 1). A real photographer sees all the details, while an individual who

may be unfamiliar with these factors would not benefit, since for themselves, they view it as an

exceptional picture. Lastly, good quality cameras are big and clunky. Not many people want to

go around carrying these all day. They are also easy to forget if a person is going somewhere and

not expecting to take pictures. Using a handheld smartphone that is light and compact solves the

issue of having added weight to carry around.

Although smartphones are practical, there are many reasons why cameras are more

advanced. One aspect is that individuals can have better control with a camera. With

smartphones, people do not have as much control while taking a picture. The only way to turn a

smartphone picture into a quality photograph is to use the apps for editing, which would be an

additional step. A person can be the best photographer in the world and take decent pictures on a

smartphone, but they can’t take them how they want. Not being able to adjust exposure, ISO,

aperture, or even something as simple as focusing close versus farther away. What happens when

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a person is trying to take a picture with a smartphone on a sunny day? The picture turns out too

bright and “overexposed.” When taking the same picture with a camera, the person is able to

adjust the settings for the picture to turn out just right. Cameras also result in a better-quality

photo. If the individual is using a smartphone to take pictures, and likes one of the pictures

enough to have it be framed, the quality will not be good enough for this to be achieved.

Furthermore, the camera settings go hand in hand to allow the making for a quality photo. An

additional reason that cameras are better for taking pictures is because the battery life lasts

longer. People use their phone for other things, and not just for pictures. A camera is specifically

designed for this usage, and therefore has an exceedingly long battery power. Finally, cameras

have much more storage than a phone has. Again, phones dedicate a lot of their storage to apps

and music, which takes up a large storage amount, and that does not even incorporate pictures.

Though it is as easy as tapping a button on the smartphone and the picture is taken, it may

be more complex than this. Some may think the picture looks fine and that’s that. But even if

they are just using a phone, there are still skills people could learn to improve their pictures.

Some people may not take the time to learn good techniques and they end up using different

shortcuts to make it turn out as a decent picture would look. For example, I was once eating out

with a friend and we wanted to get our picture taken. A mother-figure walked by and we asked

her if she would take our picture. She then suggested for her daughter to take the picture, and

said that she is a great photographer. So, she took a few pictures, and we thanked her and she

handed us back the phone. As we looked at the pictures, we saw that something was different

about them. It turns out that she put a filter on each picture, and she thought that that made her a

great photographer. Sadly, putting a filter on a photograph does not make you a great

photographer. In the scheme of things, using a phone as a camera doesn’t make you a

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professional photographer by any means, just because you can take pictures and edit them. In

many cases, people prefer to choose their phone over a camera. Even still, smartphones will not

compare to a DSLR camera.

Knowing that a camera and a smartphone both take pictures, it all comes down to who

the individual is, and their take on photography, which then decides what they would like to use

for picture taking. “For those who need better overall image quality, [such as photographers and

people who have an eye for taking pictures] larger camera systems have a lot more to offer” (1).

If cameras had never been built-in on smartphones, digital cameras would still be on the rise as a

medium for picture taking. Ultimately, digital cameras are useful and take great quality

photographs, yet smartphone cameras are simple and have easy access to the internet.

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Shot with LG-H810 by Nasim Mansurov

Shot with iPhone 6 plus, and additional back camera

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Shot with RX1, M6, and lastly an iPhone, by James Bareham

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Works Cited

Adams, Eric. “Can a Smartphone Really Replace Your Camera?” Gear Patrol.

https://gearpatrol.com/2017/02/13/pro-camera-vs-smartphone-camera/#4

Bareham, James. “Post-Process: why the smartphone camera changed photography forever.”

TheVerge, 20 June 2013,www.theverge.com/2013/6/20/4377290/post-process-why-the-

smartphone-camera-changed-photography-forever. Accessed 20 Sept. 2017.

Bellis, Mary. “From Pinholes to Polaroids: The History of the Camera.” ThoughtCo,

www.thoughtco.com/history-of-photography-and-the-camera-1992331.

Benovsky, Jiri. “The Limits of Photography.” 20 October, 2014. Limits of Photography

Coutu, Jean. “Smartphone versus compact camera: 7 reasons to use a digital camera.”

https://www.jeancoutu.com/en/photo/photo-related-tips/smartphone-vs-compact-camera-

7-reasons-to-use-a-digital-camera/

Dudley-Nicholson, Jennifer. “Smartphones finally rival cameras for photography, could replace point-and-shoot models.” 18 February 2017.

http://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/mobile-phones/smartphones-finally-rival-

cameras-for-photography-could-replace-pointandshoot-models/news-story/

ae73df1bf0776e120709569fc92adc6e

Goldman, Joshua. “10 ways a point-and-shoot camera beats your phone’s.” 17 April 2012https://www.cnet.com/news/10-ways-a-point-and-shoot-camera-beats-your-phones/

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Mansurov, Nasim. "Are Smartphones Threatening the Camera Industry.” Photography Life.

Accessed 6, April 2017. https://photographylife.com/are-smartphones-threatening-the-

camera-industry

Moynihan, Tim. “Your Smartphone Camera Should Suck. Here’s Why It Doesn’t.” Wired, Conde

Nast, 21 Dec. 2015, www.wired.com/2015/12/smartphone-camera-sensors/