Listen, we do love phone photography. The number of images that otherwise would not have been captured without convenient phone cameras is unfathomable, and it’s largely their universality that has made it more unusual for people at large to not enjoy the imaging craft we all love, at least a little bit. And, of course, the capabilities of your average phone’s camera are lightyears ahead of those from ten years ago.
That being said, every tool has a time and a place in which it is most appropriately used. It can be fun to challenge yourself with limitations sometimes—but at the end of the day, if you are trying to push your artistry to a higher level, a phone simply can’t match the capabilities of a dedicated tool. These days, the best fit for the widest audience—including and especially for those interested in stepping up from their smartphone’s camera—is a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera. There are options available at price points anywhere from a couple hundred (a used α6000 is still a great option, for example) to a few thousand, with a scalable variety of features to match.
The fine folks over at Wirecutter recently published a fairly exhaustive showdown/look at popular mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras with some interesting commentary, and I’d recommend you take a look at this link. I’m happy to see their number one choice getting some love, as I’ve always been of the opinion that the sensors in that series bat way above their class (especially with the sadly-discontinued 75mm f/1.8 lens, yow!) but, honestly, there’s not a dud on the whole list of the cameras they compared. Having used every one of those, at least for a bit of testing, a lot of what works for you is as simple as subjective preference and budget. My wife and I use four different manufacturers’ cameras regularly and we get fantastic images from all of them.
In a more general way, though, it prompted me to ponder the question of what it is, exactly, that makes it better to reach for the Z f over the smartphone. Here’s a quick list that will, hopefully, get you thinking in turn!
Lens selection
Smartphone manufacturers are increasingly including multiple entire camera units (!) to try to level the playing field a bit, but there is simply no competing with the variety and optical magnificence of lenses available to mirrorless cameras. This is even more true than it was with DSLRs, thanks to the fact that you can adapt multiple manufacturers’ SLR lenses to mirrorless bodies (and there’s even some cross-brand mirrorless compatibility). The joy of working with a lens that exactly fits your purpose, manufactured by true experts in the field of optics, is akin to switching from a hammer to a drill while attempting to put a screw into a wall.
It’s also important to pass along the old adage to those who may not be aware of it, as much marketing focuses more on camera units or bodies—you date the camera, but you marry the glass. High-quality lenses are heirloom-level technical tools.
Sensor size
Here’s one that won’t change for a very long time, as phones absolutely must be pocketable. The average sensor size is 1/2.5″, which is most likely less area than your pinky nail. The smallest interchangeable lens cameras we stock use a Four Thirds sensor, which is nine times larger in surface area. Just like medium format film vs. 35mm vs. 110, the larger the sensor, the more control you have over depth of field and, as a general rule, the higher quality image you can create. (Saying that it’s the smallest we carry is not to suggest that Four Thirds is not a great option—I just participated in making a short film made entirely on Four Thirds and 1″ sensors, and it looks great.) Even with the same pixel counts, the individual pixels are larger on the larger sensor, meaning (among other things) low-light performance will be better and less noisy.
Intuitive interaction
Buttons, dials, and flip-out screens, oh my! The “glass brick” form factor makes perfect sense for phones, but have you tried dialing in manual exposure on one? Or shooting an overhead view blindly? Not a great user experience! Smoothly adjusting aperture, shutter speed, ISO (not to mention white balance and more) with dedicated dials—without even removing your eye from the viewfinder!—is a much more satisfying experience. The mark of a good tool is forgetting you’re even using it, and when you get to know your gear well enough, you’ll be able to focus entirely on bringing the image in line with your vision.
Purpose-built tech
There’s a lot (a lot) of remarkable technology that goes into our omnipresent microcomputers. But that can be a double-edged sword: with the necessity of also being a communication device, media streamer, credit card, etc., there’s little room for hyper-specific luxury. Camera bodies on the cutting edge are using dedicated chips for machine-learning autofocus for tracking ability that would have been unheard of a decade ago. Learning to pull your own focus is still a good skill to have, but the point is that the imaging-specific technology that’s packed into modern mirrorless cameras is remarkable and will outperform the pocket-cam every time.
The fun doesn’t stop there, either. A larger, dedicated body allows for all kinds of accessories—intelligent hot shoes, A/V ports, and even ethernet ports link up with a universe of expandability. Control a whole host of lighting equipment, sync audio from lavalier mics*, transfer your session instantly to your editor… you get the idea. If you want to grow your abilities and your production value beyond the confines of your jeans pocket, a “real” camera is a no-brainer.
*If you’re doing video, good audio is essential. I can not stress this enough.
Plus…
It’s just fun. I’ll be the first to admit that tinkering with gear is a great way to procrastinate, distracting yourself from actually making something of which you can be proud, but that doesn’t stop me from doing it anyway. The feeling of getting to know a new lens or fine-tuning every menu on a new body is uniquely delightful, and I’m willing to bet that a lot of you know exactly what I mean. Those feelings are okay.
I think that about covers it, but let me know in the comments what you think. Is there another big reason to use a dedicated camera for photography these days?
Good article. When I go out, I typically have one of my cameras with me. The one I usually reach for is my Leica rangefinder. The lenses are small enough to where I can have a 28, 35 and 50 mm lens with me at all times. It takes no time to switch lenses.
I have found having a camera can be a good conversation starter. That normally turns into a good photo opportunity
Thanks for the compliment! Great point about starting conversations—an informed picture can tell so much more story.