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I have a Galaxy 7. I have definitely gotten better straight-out-of-camera landscape shots from my DSLR (with a suitable lens) than I have from my cell phone. The difference in image quality alone is enough to make me prefer the DSLR, but it also handles dynamic range issues better, and the color fidelity and sharpness is significantly better, among other factors.
Sharpness is better with the DSLR, definitely. I guess this depends on what look you are going for. You said "color fidelity." I'm guessing that means you want a picture that basically reproduces reality. The image looks the same as what the eyes see. Yeah, a DSLR wins with that. I respect that. That's one good use of photography. If you want creativity to go beyond reality, the cell phone's unedited images win IMO. If you shoot raw with the DSLR and are willing to spend a lot of time editing, you can end up with a better final product using it than the cell phone, though (even if creative effects are what you're looking for).
Sharpness is better with the DSLR, definitely. I guess this depends on what look you are going for. You said "color fidelity." I'm guessing that means you want a picture that basically reproduces reality. The image looks the same as what the eyes see. Yeah, a DSLR wins with that. If you want creativity to go beyond reality, the cell phone's unedited images win IMO.
The cell phone IS editing the images to produce these "beyond reality" effects you want. It's processing the image and turning out that result. It's just doing so automatically, with a manufacturer-created preset. I agree that the Galaxy 7 has some quite nice presets.
If you want free range to engage in "creativity to go beyond reality" you cannot beat shooting RAW on a DSLR or similar quality mirrorless. But with that, you as the photographer have control over the image processing, rather than ceding it to a manufacturer preset. Again, this can be messy, but it can also far surpass generic presets.
Just as a larger point, editing is editing whether it occurs in camera or on a computer. Modern digital cameras, both those in cell phones and those in dedicated devices, are really just little computers with optics attached. Additionally, the process of taking sensor data and turning it into an image file inherently involves "editing" what to include and how to present it. Some devices and settings do this more automatically with scripted processes, while others leave more for the photographer to micromanage. But either way, processing/editing is occurring. If a file is coming out as a jpeg, tff, etc., from a techie POV it's fundamentally inaccurate to call it unedited, I'd say. Either you told the device/computer how to process it, or a robot did.
The cell phone IS editing the images to produce these "beyond reality" effects you want. It's processing the image and turning out that result. It's just doing so automatically, with a manufacturer-created preset.
If you want free range to engage in "creativity to go beyond reality" you cannot beat shooting RAW on a DSLR or similar quality mirrorless. But with that, you as the photographer have control over the image processing, rather than ceding it to a manufacturer preset. Again, this can be messy, but it can also far surpass generic presets.
Oh I agree. (And you're right I wasn't clear on my use of "editing.") Just different things go in the win column for the cell phone and the DSLR. In terms of having very good in-camera creative effects, the advantage in my experience goes to the cell phone. The in-camera creative effects that I've tried on entry-level Canon DSLRs are inferior. If in-camera creative effects are not something the photographer wants, than this cell phone advantage is irrelevant to that person.
One thing I would add is that one huge advantage in using a DSLR in bright sunlight is the ability to use the optical viewfinder rather than the lcd screen. Holding a camera out at arm's length, whether it's a cell phone or DSLR, looking at an lcd screen in direct sunlight makes it very difficult to see, much less frame, an image. With the optical viewfinder, or EVF for that matter, there's no reflection of things behind the screen, no "blanking out" of the screen, etc.
One thing I would add is that one huge advantage in using a DSLR in bright sunlight is the ability to use the optical viewfinder rather than the lcd screen. Holding a camera out at arm's length, whether it's a cell phone or DSLR, looking at an lcd screen in direct sunlight makes it very difficult to see, much less frame, an image. With the optical viewfinder, or EVF for that matter, there's no reflection of things behind the screen, no "blanking out" of the screen, etc.
Agreed...
I would like to also mention that when shooting video with a DSLR, the "optical viewfinder" is not operational... So holding that DSLR out to see the LCD is an issue. My wife has the "Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200" which eliminates the above issue and is a bit smaller, lighter and cheaper than a DSLR.
I would like to also mention that when shooting video with a DSLR, the "optical viewfinder" is not operational... So holding that DSLR out to see the LCD is an issue. My wife has the "Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200" which eliminates the above issue and is a bit smaller, lighter and cheaper than a DSLR.
Choices never seem to end.
Mirrorless cameras use an EVF which you can also view video through the viewfinder. The added plus to most mirrorless systems, such as Sony, Panasonic and Olympus, is that they allow interchangeable lenses.
One thing I would add is that one huge advantage in using a DSLR in bright sunlight is the ability to use the optical viewfinder rather than the lcd screen. Holding a camera out at arm's length, whether it's a cell phone or DSLR, looking at an lcd screen in direct sunlight makes it very difficult to see, much less frame, an image. With the optical viewfinder, or EVF for that matter, there's no reflection of things behind the screen, no "blanking out" of the screen, etc.
That is good to know about the optical viewfinder. I've found the difficulties with the DSLR EVF in broad daylight frustrating. The Galaxy's EVF seems fine no matter how sunny it is though. But at least this info. helps me for when I'm using the DSLR in sunlight.
Yeah, Frostnip he clearly knows more than I do about photography. Once I clarified that I believed the Galaxy has better in-camera creative effects than entry-level DSLRs do, I don't think there was anything we disagreed on.
Mirrorless cameras use an EVF which you can also view video through the viewfinder. The added plus to most mirrorless systems, such as Sony, Panasonic and Olympus, is that they allow interchangeable lenses.
"Mirrorless cameras typically lack the viewfinders found on all SLR cameras, but some higher-end models manage to pack this feature in. While most mirrorless cameras don't include a built-in viewfinder, many brands offer an external viewfinder that connects to the flash hot-shoe. Regardless of whether it's built-in or an optional accessory, the only sort of viewfinder on most mirrorless cameras is the electronic type."
Really the only advantage of the SL1 over the Sony is the ability to use interchangeable lenses. The RX-100 has some great specs but I see that it has only 3.6x optical zoom. I'd never want to be limited to that but I guess it depends on what you want to shoot.
It has a mode of "double zoom" which is quite good - considering it has over 20MP, the 7X zoom still has 10 or so.
In 90% of the shots I take, the RX does the job.
When I started using zoom a lot I noticed how badly it skews the perspective. For example, a zoom of a sailboat coming up a 1 1/2 mile wide bay makes the bay look like a thin creek.
I've had the luxury of having a few cameras sitting around for years...so the proof is in the pudding of what I tend to bring along.
BTW, I get fantastic videos with a $250 DJI Osmo (stabilizer) and my iphone 6s. But, of course, they are close in.
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