Upgrade your phone or buy a mirrorless camera in 2023?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 พ.ค. 2023
- It's the question I'm always asked. Should I upgrade my phone for a better camera or just buy a dedicated mirrorless/DSLR camera?
In this video I talk through some of the pros of both mobile photography and the pros of having a dedicated camera.
Canon R5: amzn.to/3GoJOTF
RF 70-200mm: amzn.to/49YVsSC
RF 24-70mm: amzn.to/3R1vbKQ
RF 15-35mm: amzn.to/3sMOL5G
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RF 24-105mm f/4: amzn.to/410raLa
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I was an iPhone-only photographer for the longest time because it got so good! But I miss the power of a camera so I bought my first crop-sensor Sony. SO much more powerful. And now I love splicing shots from both together.
Which model? Which lens(es)?
I love my iPhone 13 Pro as a camera. I also made a premature mistake and sold off my Olympus mirrorless camera. Despite the iPhone’s assets, there’s still something about using a DSLR or mirrorless in certain situations where the smartphone’s camera can’t quite touch. I’m in the market for a traditional camera now. Thanks for sharing a great video.
This is a Major dialogue I am having when faced with buying new phone because of the battery dying. This is very helpful
This video, combined with the experience of my phone battery constantly draining last year on my holiday to Italy, has made me consider a camera for the first time since I last owned one in around 2008. (It was a Canon IXUS). Battery was a huge problem when I was there. On some days I didn't take as many photos and videos as I wanted to because I knew my phone would die before my day of sightseeing was over. Thanks for posting this video.
Probably upgrading my phone for now, but you've made me think of maybe trying to get a used mirrorless camera as well.
One more thing - the way people consume content - take 3 kg of equipment with you and then spend hours processing it so that someone would spend 0.5 seconds watching it on a smartphone? No sense.
I have both a phone and a Sony RX100, and the Sony RX100 take a better pic because of the larger sensor size. If you want to bulk transfer photos & video to your, you can get a micro-SD card. Put the micro-SD card in the camera with an adapter and then transfer the micro-SD to the phone's micro-SD card slot. You can also backup your photos to cloud when it is in your phone.
For my situation, my phone camera is already pretty decent and will capture the memory of the moment well. There is a bunch of processing done to the photo to get it to that point, which can ruin a photo from time to time.
The detail in a phone camera is not that good, on a small screen if you don't zoom in it's unnoticeable, but if you wanted to look more closely at something the lack of details or sharpening jumps out.
The other thing is I love sunsets and and night time or dim lit situations, and the phone camera really still struggles in those situations at times.
So looking into a smaller mirrorless camera that is protected well that I can pull out when I when I want a better picture . My family used to have a good camera at some point in the past and it was always very fun to use, something the phone camera has lost.
"The best camera is the one you have with you" - Chase Jarvis
Nane eys
It’s good for phones to have a good camera quality but can’t compete with DSLR or mirrorless cameras because they’re limited by design
Seeking to upgrade my camera that I love using now (canon t3i). I feel like the phone is an opportunistic camera for me. But when I want a mental deep breath and go shooting with my camera it's just a whole different experience. So I choose my camera. Be interested to see how the mirror less cameras work. I'll also accept used donations of a mirror less lol. Love the videos 🤘 keep it up!
Great content!! What about lenses? I love going on safaris and use my iphone 12, now iphone 15. Always wondering if I should ger a camera. If so, which one?
My Huawei P20 Pro is finally on its way out with the screen flickering when I unlock it. Been thinking about whether to go with a new phone with a good camera which cost a lot, or a cheap phone, maybe a 2nd hand GoPro for camping more dangerous activites, but also a decent budget DSLR for when I go on long trips and holidays. Still not sure what I want to do yet.
Thank you! That was helpful! I've started a TH-cam channel and filming on the rooftop with my iPhone 14Pro. It doesn't matter which time of the day I have - something is always wrong with contrast and exposure 😔 I am totally not happy with my video quality. So considering to buy a camera
Thank you for your video, I mainly shoot Nikon and also recently upgraded my phone. My question is
As the technology improves do you see in the near future where phone will have the ability to capture color spectrum’s nearly identical to mirrorless cameras?
Is there any difference in Image Quality 🤔...? Not in bigger display. Say pls 🙏
I would want to plug a mic or something regardless if I’m using phone or camera
Been on the verge of upgrading my phone but after doing tons of research I'm almost certain I'm gonna invest in a compact mirrorless camera. Just a small pocketable one with a few lenses primarily for street and travel photography. I don't think I'll ever desire a setup that would require anything more than a fanny pack.
Hey, maybe you’ll share your reasoning in my situation.
I am (99%) upgrading my iPhone 11 promax to the 15 promax, mainly for the camera. Especially the video capability. But lately my still photo enthusiasm came back where I started considering a very small portable camera like the X100 or the x-t30 from fuji. My main interest is jpeg, film simulation and seamless workflow.
I even dug up my Nikon D7000 from the good old days with my smallest lenses (like the 35mm f/2 and the 50mm f/1.8) to play with built in colors and if I like the process.
So my question now is - getting a used T30 (first gen) with a 27mm pancake, just shooting on the new iPhone which will offer an improvement on the 11PM or playing with my Nikon +usb-c on the phone.
Would see the point in BOTH upgrading your phone and getting a slightly older camera?
If you have the money the iPhone 15 Pro Max is a great camera system for a phone. But if you wanted to save a few hundred dollars, get the iPhone 15 Plus. You’ll still get that 48MP sensor and it’ll be lighter and have better battery than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. But at the end of the day these phones are still small optics and 10-bit color. If you can get an X100 or equivalent that’s going to be the device you love the most for still imagery in my opinion.
@@_stevenfoster thanks for your thoughts! I am sure I would love taking photos with a dedicated camera again (even the old Nikon is a nice experience to play around a bit). Just the question of convenience to use the photos somewhere and not just bury them in a hdd somewhere. I still have photos from Switzerland and Barcelona that I never got to edit from nearly 10 years ago. Hence my interest in film simulation and ios integration. Also I may be more likely to print photos from a camera rather than a phone regardless how nice.
Having said that there’s plenty of iphone photos that I just keep without doing anything more than keeping them in icloud for future reference.
Not that I have too much money, but I’m only considering the pro max, it’s most likely my phone for the next 4-5 years, like the last one was. If I was to skip one more generation, this would be a no brainer to go for an even better camera / system.
But very likely scenario is the new iphone plus a used fuji T30+27 mm f/2.8+batteries, grip, etc for ≈670 eur
This reminds me of the debate decades ago around personal computers versus serious Unix workstations, "Do I really need a workstation or can I get away with just a PC?" Well, the old Solaris and AIX workstations are relegated to computer museums, and the trendline for commodity phones versus serious cameras is likely to play out similarly.
Curious if the physics of optics play a more unique role in this. Where the PC succeeded was from Moore’s law, it doesn’t quite apply to glass and sensors. The wildcard of course being the possibilities with computational photography… thank you for your comment!
@@_stevenfosterlatest phone are 16 bit
For 2023 would I buy the G7? TZ-90? Pixel 7 Pro?
Another benefit for pros is ocf off camera flash. The bokeh is superior and noticable difference to that of software. bokeh.
Decided to get a canon m50 and a couple sigma primes instead of upgrading my iPhone X a few years ago. Fast forward to now and I have a used R6 and some RF glass. The 24mm main lens on my wife’s iPhone 14 pro is pretty incredible though. What a time to be alive
Comparing your wifes Iphone 14 Pro vs your gear....would you say shes missing a lot?
I'm between the m50 and phone 14/15 pro for my patagonia trip. i really wanted the m50 but the thing is, i'm really worried about carrying the camera around and get robbed for leaving the backpack unattended with my gears at some hostel this is killing me. that is why i think i'm going towards the phoneo upgrade
@@celionetto do not get the M50. I had one and sold it after barely using it. You will want to upgrade so just get something good off the bat
I agree that i phones are distracting. Sometimes I just want to leave my phone in the car when I go out hiking, but I worry that I might miss a good shot. The million dollar question is about photo quality. Do digital cameras take better photos?
Good video
Let’s be real. It doesn’t need to be a full frame if u need in cheaper category. If u get apsc or M4/3 camera it’s great too and u can invest rest on a great lens and boom u got a really good looking photos coz of bigger sensor size in dedicated camera
I am actually thinking of upgrading my phone or buying a mirrorless camera.
Economics says iPhone, Photo quality is neck and neck. Ease of use its iPhone all the way. When I do street photography few people pay attention to me when I pull out my iPhone 13 mini but I have been physically threatened when pointing a Canon telephoto lens in the general direction of a group of children. I'm hoping that the camera companies will start producing some small compact cameras with super high quality lens and censors at affordable prices.
I was actually thinking about buying a new iPhone 15 pro cus I still have Iphone XS, and the camera is not that good especially without much light or buying something like Sony ZV-E10. What are your thoughts? 🙏 Thank you
Do it. I upgraded from the XS to the 15 Pro Max. The image quality difference is night and day. The only thing you need to decide is if you want the 77mm or the 120mm. I have the Max and am thinking of picking up a 14 Pro as well, just to have the 77mm to carry around as well. On the Max, if you want anything between the 48mm and 120mm then you are super digital zooming and it gets nasty at (say) 4.9x! So, choose wisely!
Quality on zve10 is about the same to the naked eye of a flagship phone in my opinion.
Before watching: On the fence (hence why im at this video) but leaning towards phone because phone needs an upgrade anyway for diminished battery life alone, and I can't imagine buying a new budget phone + entry level camera is cheaper than just buying a flagship iphone or pixel
After watching: Still leaning towards phone, I think this video was very informative, but also it seems more geared towards people that do a LOT of photography/video recording. Seems like for a more casual person a phone is really all I need. The battery drain and overheating sucks. But so would carrying around a big camera or forgetting it when im out hiking or exploring a new country or city.
but maybe a point and shoot would be good because with phones u may need it for gps yk
If you want better photos upgrade to a proper camera.
After all the pros of iphone.. he is still recording on a dedicated camera.. because quality over laziness❤
Phones like the vivo x100pro are pioneering "computational photography" and I think the tables have turned where instead of phone companies learning from camera companies, now camera companies need to learn from phone companies and incorporate AI imagery. From the periscope telephoto lens performing so good with such a tiny space and the night time stabilization using AI, I think canon sony and others should bring this tech into their offerings in order to stay relevant.
My phone is my phone, or mini laptop. Again very good but not as good as a full size laptop. The camera is great and quality superb but it is a point and shoot camera. It is always there for the moment. When I have a paid shoot then I need the right tool for the job and that is a full frame, dedicated lens. I am about to upgrade both my phone and my camera for this reason. Half way houses do not work.
Hi, friend. Friend, I am new to product photography. I don't have much money, so I wanted to buy a smartphone to start with. I've researched smartphone cameras and the Pixel is one of the cheapest yet most powerful cameras out there. Do you think pixel 6 is better or 6a? (only for product photography). I heard from reviews that it doesn’t focus well on pixel 6 if the object is near the camera, on 6a the old camera sensor is used, so I can’t decide which one to buy. Thanks for your answear!
I have enjoyed using the 6a over the past year and would start there if I was beginning again. That old sensor is still very good in my book.
pixel 7 is better choice
@@_stevenfoster
Honestly I feel that for the 99%, the jump isn't going to full frame. It would be a jump from the phone to either micro four thirds or APS-C.
Any of those is way better than a phone . Real cameras are great
A couple of years ago I would have agreed, and if you want lots of different focal lengths in a lightweight package, then maybe so. But I've just been culling lots of images, including those taken on full frame, crop and M43 cameras and the iPhone 15 Pro 48MP raw images blow pretty much all my comparable M43 images away 100%. I've had multiple Olympus and Lumix bodies so do have a large range of images to compare with. There are times when (recent) full frame images blow the iPhone (48MP raw) away, at 24mm, but you just have to pick the right tool for the job. Sometimes that''s a dedicated camera, and other times it's a camera you can pull from your pocket that also happens to be able to make calls and access the internet! Given the overall package, once you learn how to use it properly (everything has a learning curve), I'm not unhappy with the iPhone for the times it's been the right tool for the job. And yes, I have a couple of large prints from it.
I just want a traditional camera because I’m on my phone so much
Yeah, I’m at that point of considering a larger phone party ‘cos of the larger screen n a better ‘camera’… But there is nothing like holding a camera in front of me and framing (properly) an image I want to capture. But a new home camera is lots (n lots !) cheaper n quicker … hv’g both wood b delicious, but that’s
££££ I don’t hv at the mo …
FF has much bigger lenses than Phone. Thought that would've been a significant difference. Guess not or you'd have mentioned it.
One of the pros not mentioned is security. Whipping a phone out and taking a shot doesn't get attention. Grabbing a camera, especially with telephoto lenses, makes you a target.
It’s mostly speed. The best camera is the one that’s more portable and faster to take a photo with.
who walks in the street with a tele lens?
@@thebetergede Photographers?
Mirrorless all the way
If only shoot jpg/heif and mp4/hevc on both A7RV and iPhone 15 to reduce fil size and post processing, is it still a lot better in image quality on A7RV than iPhone 15?
Is it good setup if I get A7RV and just one 70-200 F4 Macro II and use standard iPhone 15 for closer shoot? iPhone 15 has 13mm, 26mm and 52mm and less intimidate and always be with you, that tele can get you to 600mm with 2X converter and APSC mode and 1:1 macro. Before this I thought to get SONY Xperia 1 V as pocket camera because it's more natural than iPhone but I will end up carry 2 phones and one not much better than other. I thought to get RX100 because it is more likely to get carry and less intimidate, RX10 will get to 600mm at mirrorrless body size but I hope both will get update with their Exmor T sensor technology. Leica Q3 is nice but I Like Hasselblad X2D color more, with XCD 28mm F4 (28mm FF eq.) on the X2D, it's not much bigger than it and that is one thing I wonder, why carry a smaller camera if it is not pocketable small, you get less grip and EVF yet still need to keep in a bag, that's why I wonder what's the point to get a not so much better and slightly smaller camera and not just straight up an RX100 or a full size capable camera like A7RV which is like their APSC body with a big EVF attached and a good 4 way flip screen. If I going to get a closer lens, should I get 20-70mm F4 which is the actual first lens I thought to get to pair with A7Cii/A7CR before the tele or should I get the wider 16-35mm F4 PZ which cover more range pair with the tele and the missing 35mm < x < 70mm doesn't matter since I can crop. I shoot as hobbyist and use for personal product shoot sometime, I don't like to bokeh the background because I want my photos and videos with story and creativity and also I shoot with phone majority all my life and want to step it up but I not sure should I just enjoy the convenient of just carry a phone and I not sure I will always carry and use the camera body to justify the price. What do you think? Also, can you easily digitally crop in as much as you want like smartphone pitch to zoom during recording video and photo or you have to and only able to crop to the available crop level like APSC mode, how many digital crop level available too?
I would seriously look at color depth. The iPhone line can still only do 10-bit color which is great but my R5 or an A7RV or other camera that can shoot 12-bit or 14-bit color will produce a far more immersive image.
That aside yeah if you need more reach that 70ish or 120ish mm then an interchangeable lens system is the way to go.
1000$ iphone vs 100$ canon dslr + ef 50 1.8 (50$) who do you think would win in all the photograpy aspects
Please help me, Here's my dilemma.
I want something which is handy, I can use it anytime and anywhere. I love taking photos. Close up of an eye, artistic photos of a fruit, buildings, night views.
It's not possible to take a camera everywhere. Especially when I'm trying to go out and stay minimal with gadgets.
This is why I don't want to take a bulky camera
However camera has its own advantages, especially for night shots.
So my question is should I keep buying a good camera phone every two years (because the technology gets outdated) or invest in a good camera.
Even when you fake the funk with a phone the depth of field is off. Processor generated bokeh doesnt look even remotely close in my opinon let alone something like anamorphic. The question is more your budget and intention. If youre gonna record a tiktok theres no point in owning a good camera, it doesnt matter.
Got a Sony xperia 1 mark V. Don't need a big clunky dslr. 😉
So you prefer a full frame then?
You did not say that on a smartphone the different cameras have different sensors and for taking photos one camera gives out a significantly different result compared to the next one, for example a wide angle camera has a resolution while the main camera has a different resolution, then picture quality between them 2 can be different.
With a pro camera the lens is doing all the zooming and the picture will be 99.90% similar.
I hate that wide angle thing on phones. Plus the focus usually affects the image to capture
I used to have Nokia N, then iPhone 3, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Canon eos m, Huawei Mate 10, Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra and this year i have Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. I use my Canon for 3 years that's it. 😅 so smartphone is more convenient and compact. But i don't understand why in my mind I want to buy another Mirrorless camera and then just buy not flashy unflagship phone.
Are you a photographer, do you understand what capturing a good image is, depth of field, focus mode, aparture, or you are just a regular person who wants sharp images. Between phones and camera which will give you a professional image output as it is in real time no wide angle etc
Forgot to compare the most important thing, the picture quality difference 😢
“Compare RF trinity F4 vs F2.8”
Even after having an iPhone 14 Pro for a while, I'm still a naysayer. Sure, it's good, but it's all fixed and electronic and the advertised sensor MP just isn't the case. Hell, get an RP and an 85mm!
If all you use if the Apple consumer (built in) App on standard settings then yeah. Get some of the third party apps and you open up a whole new world.
That's what I also think. Mirrorless camera is just smartphone update.
It's a very nice update depending upon what you want to accomplish with photos and videos.
Undoubtedly it is. Just it doesn't incorporate a phone! Therefore, smartphone is smarter.
The best camera is the one you have at hand. So phone it is. But I would never upgrade my phone for photography because my major purpose is record keeping for memories, and not for fancy images.
Now would I buy a mirrorless camera ever? Nope. I already have 6 expensive lenses with my old DSLR (Canon 5D classic and 20D).
1) expenses involved in upgrading my existing lenses
2) battery life is way better (as long as 1 week) with older DSLR's
3) mirrorless setup is lighter than the old system, but is still too heavy and bulky compared to phones.
So I don't see the merit of adding morrorless to what I have already.
You don't have to upgrade your lenses. You can use an adapter such as a Canon RF to EF.
@@dirklerxstpratt2112 That solves only one of my three problems. Not enough for me.