Selfie or camera portrait….

Quantity versus Quality has always been debated. While mostly masses and less logical people prefer the former, logical people and experts go for quality. Not that quantity of frames in photographic world increased, because people learned photography or were photographed by trained photographers, professionals or enthusiasts, but because pin hole type cameras were integrated on both sides of latest smartphones, backed up by software, which could tweak the exposure values and even the picture itself to produce mostly awful but at times beautiful pictures, and at no cost to bear. But does it matter? No, not to the masses, who are happy to use the latest tool in their hands, and share their frames, some times in irritating huge quantities, direct to their contacts and friends or at times more frustratingly on social media forced on people, who don’t want to see flood of these and get irritated by them. Many a time it is an innocent share of moments with friends, colleagues, relatives or alone, at other times it is a thoughtless action, and even a show off for a new expensive purchase or visit to a rather costly hotel or place. While self-aspiring artist, without any clue about the art itself, wins, the photography itself loses.

Has photography lost? Yes and no. Camera sales are sinking worldwide every year, while mobiles are increasing their sales and their integrated cameras’ technical capabilities. Many studios offering wonderful portraits and event pictures have shut down or are limited to wedding or ceremonial photography. The compact camera has vanished from the market or has gone inside the smartphone. And everyone can click now. One doesn’t have to borrow a relative’s camera, or ask a friend to bring his, when some occasion is there. In fact, one need not wait for an event or occasion and can capture anything at will, many a time every day. So, photography has gained, even when studios have shut down and compact cameras have gone out of the market. But it has gained grossly in quantity but lost massively in quality.

Mobile phone camera, though no where in comparison with a DSLR or system camera, is no evil in itself. It is a versatile tool in the hand of a user, if used with some intelligence and to its potential. It is the reckless use, which motivates the user, sometimes quite hilariously, but also irritates the viewer, which concerns a lover of photography. Apple and Samsung have cameras in mobile, which if used to their potential, with some basic understanding of photography, produce wonderful images, especially in good day light. Other brands, especially numerous Chinese ones offer many similar features at much lower costs. And theses have inbuilt software to correct or tweak the images or to apply addons in these. And then share these, many with happy memories instantly. It is a child’s play. Who bothers then for a DSLR or quality? Very few do bother.

One does bother, because mobile camera photography has some basic problems, though it may not make sense to an average user, in hurry of posting dozens of pictures in Facebook or Instagram. But to a lover of art and who respect photography it does. Firstly, the lenses on mobile phones are 20mm equivalent of a full frame camera. Now at 16 megapixels and above, it is wonderful for most of group photographs, landscape or travel photography in good day light at 100 ISO. At such a wide angle, distortion is common, especially in corners, but the software in camera may correct it many a times to an acceptable degree. If one does not need to enlarge a picture or doesn’t want a printout bigger then mobile size, mobile camera should solve the purpose most of the times.

Major problem arises when one takes selfies or clicks portraits. The 20mm lens is an awful option for that. No photographer in the world would dare to use a 20mm lens for a portrait or a head shot, where the face for sure will be distorted and parts of face at disproportionate sizes. One needs at least a 50mm standard lens or above for a decent portrait. If one sees a portrait with a mobile and a system camera with 50mm or 75m lens clicked simultaneously, the difference seen would be substantial. However, it doesn’t matter to most, as they would never get a chance to come before a DSLR camera with 50mm or 75mm prime lens mounted on it, and would never see an image better than, what they click from their selfie camera or from friends’ mobiles.

More to it the camera sensors are large, so they offer much more clarity and depth in a picture. The lenses, even basic ones render more sharpness and better colour quality than a small mobile camera. In low light mobile camera without flash stands nowhere compared to system camera, and their flash guns too rarely fire the desired amount of light. And mobiles are not made for any studio photography, to add artistic touch to pictures with different sets of lights and flashes.

Reasons above, the photographers or people respecting and pursuing enthusiast photography simply stay away from mobile cameras and use their photography cameras (DSLR or Mirrorless), even low-end ones, which offer more creativity and shoot better pictures. For others instant pictures from mobile with speed of sharing in social media is all what they need. The picture is important and not the photography.

Still one can improve the standard of pictures taken from a mobile. Soon I would be writing blogs on that. How to take good pictures, including from a mobile.

To some up, following are advantages or disadvantages of photo clicking with mobiles and cameras:

Mobile Phone Camera

Advantages:

Instant pictures anytime (mobile always there)

Immediate sharing in social media

Free addons stickers etc

No extra cost

Free edit software (rarely used)

Automatic upgrade with new mobile

No expertise needed, just click it

Decent landscapes possible in good day light

Disadvantages:

Lower quality pictures

Not suitable for portraits

Less clarity, contrast and sharpness

Limited creativity

Camera (dslr or system cameras)

Advantages:

Much better quality pictures

Much better portraits

More clarity, contrast and sharpness

Much more effective in low light

Only option for Studio photography

Unlimited creativity

Better post edit options (with paid software)

Can produce professional images

Disadvantages:

Costly (at least 35k for a basic good camera)

Flashes and Filters may cost more

Not always there, not quick to use

Instant sharing possible only with Wifi to mobile (though rarely done by photographers)

One still needs to learn using a camera to take good pictures