Computers

Comparison of images between a camera and a smartphone: Blurry, please!

3 years ago
Read Time: 5 minutes
by Frank Mccarthy
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“Why do you always carry a camera with you, Sven? You have a smartphone!” – “Yes, but even the built-in camera takes better pictures than a cell phone, Michael.” – “We want to see that first!” In the short version, this was the background for this test. In five cases, the two editors investigate the question of whether you still need a real camera, even though you always have a smartphone with you. In the first part of the camera and smartphone comparison test, the smartphones were surprisingly convincing. In the second part of the comparison, which included close-ups in broad daylight, she was more balanced. Now smartphones have to show if their portrait mode keeps what the manufacturers promised, or if there’s another applause from the cameras, as in the zoom comparison in Part 3.

Subway station: wide angle with artificial lighting.
Venus: close-up.
Street scene: telephoto zoom in daylight.
Monument: vertical position in broad daylight.
Phantom head: Flash/night mode in very poor lighting.

Candidates for the test: Smartphones vs. Cameras

This is how the photo comparison test went

The two editors went on a photo safari together and captured the same decorations with their devices in automatic mode. This is really a first hitch for the Sven Camera Tester, who always has the idea of a better than automatic setup and loves to have the right lens for every subject in his bags. No problem for Cell Phone Tester Michael – whack, it’s over. Comparison of the original images on the screens was critical to the evaluation.

Part 4: Bokeh or selfie – the main thing is that it is well out of focus

Selfie camera vs smartphone test comparison — Störtebeker’s statue in Hamburg’s HafenCity has neither curls nor glasses – yet there are clear differences in photos between his real bokeh and what smartphones calculate using object recognition.

One must think that the great differences in the bokeh effect – that is, a sharp subject against a blurry background – can only be accentuated by hair and glasses. These are often nerve points that the smartphone software has to nibble on when detecting things. Cell phones usually have to account for opacity. In many devices there are 3D assistants or sensors that support calculations with in-depth information, but in the end this only creates the illusion of bokeh.

Camera vs smartphone picture — iPhone 12 Pro Max Selfie Below we take a closer look at the specific sections.

Smartphone vs. Camera: Selfie

Portrait of Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra — Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Portrait of Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra — Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra.

Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max selfie — Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Selfie Panasonic Lumix TZ96 — Panasonic Lumix TZ96.

Portrait of Canon EOS M50 Mark II — Canon EOS M50 Mark II.

Nikon D350 Portrait Picture — Nikon D3500.

Platz 1: Nikon D3500 (relative note: 1,0)

high image quality
Very easy to use

slow chain
No 4K video

Nikon D3500 Portrait Photo — Selfie taken with Nikon D3500. Relative score on this test: 1.0.

Don’t let the brightness of the subject affect you. On the screen where it was evaluated, the image was very detailed, crisp, sharp, high contrast – and – hard to see in the photo department – with a well-blended background: the Nikon D3500 sets the standard for portraits. No smartphone can keep up, but other cameras can.

Platz 2: Canon EOS M50 Mark II (relative note: 1,0)

high image quality
Ease of handling

Autofocus is slower with 4K video
Medium microphone

The Canon EOS M50 Mark II’s portrait is brighter, but ultimately the Nikon D3500 provides more detail. A tight second place leans on the top.

Platz 3: Panasonic Lumix TZ96 (relative note: 2,0)

High image quality in good light
Fast Responsive Autofocus

Severe loss of sharpness in low light

When it comes to photos, the Panasonic Lumix TZ96 can’t keep up with Canon and Nikon; Their pictures are less detailed. In addition, the smaller sensor ensures a clearer background thus reducing the bokeh effect. But Lumix is definitely better and more accurate than a cell phone.

Platz 4: iPhone 12 Pro Max (relative note: 3,0)

Long battery life
Big OLED screen

A little heavy and heavy

Among the mobile phones, iPhone 12 Pro Max captures the best selfie. It artificially blurs the background, but also works around the same theme. As a result, details become blurry, and the edges are less precise than on the cameras.

Platz 5: Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra (relative note: 3,0)

very fast pace
good picture quality

Slippery, chunky back
Memory cannot be expanded

In portrait photography, the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra has to admit defeat against the iPhone, at least in this hands-on test. However, the difference is not so great that we give a different score.

Platz 6: Galaxy S21 Ultra (relative note: 4,0)

Super screen – big, sharp, high contrast, ultra bright
Wi-Fi 6E

big and heavy
There is no memory card slot

Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra creates the best edge on the topic of mobile phones, but it’s still blurry. Unfortunately, this also applies to Klaus Stortebecker, who is largely flattened on the statue.

Bouquet: Cameras beat smartphones

Real cameras don’t have to confuse what the subject is, what the background is and where exactly the boundaries extend: the photographer determines what level should be sharp, and the rest is blurred. So there are no “offset” edges. The larger the sensor, the greater the effect. The only thing left for smartphones with small sensors is digital assistance with object recognition.

Camera test comparing images with a smartphone — Größenvergleich der Bildsensoren: Nikon D3500 (23,5×16,6 mm), Canon EOS M50 Mark II (22,3×14,9 mm), Panasonic Lumix TZ96 (6,2×4,6 mm), Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra (11,4×8, 6 mm), Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (9,6×7,2 mm), Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max (6,9×5,1 mm).

Even the worst camera in the test conjured up a more detailed bokeh image than the iPhone, which performed the best among mobile phones. Even without hair, a number of errors were visible upon closer examination. The tip featured a smooth edge, very sharp in true bokeh. However, the digital effect on modern smartphones is so good that it mimics the desired look very well. As long as you don’t look closely (as we did in this comparison) and don’t compare the computed result to real optical bokeh, the smartphone results are very useful – especially with the top smartphone guild representatives assembled here.

Frank Mccarthy

“Certified gamer. Problem solver. Internet enthusiast. Twitter scholar. Infuriatingly humble alcohol geek. Tv guru.”

Frank Mccarthy

<p class="sign">"Certified gamer. Problem solver. Internet enthusiast. Twitter scholar. Infuriatingly humble alcohol geek. Tv guru."</p>

Comparison of images between a camera and a smartphone: Blurry, please!

Candidates for the test: Smartphones vs. Cameras

This is how the photo comparison test went