-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Non-camera photos
- Thread starter mete
- Start date
The singlemost important factor that determines a camera's capability is the sensor size. Larger sensor = better pics.
Having a high megapixel count on a miniature sensor (like those in cell phones and tablets) can actually reduce the quality, although they certainly are better now than they were a couple of years ago.
The best way to judge is to ignore the MP ratings and compare pictures side-by-side. There is a website for doing just that - you select any two cameras from drop down lists, the website shows you side-by-side photos to vote on, and at the end gives you a score of which camera you liked the best. Like a blind taste-test for cameras!
I don't have a link handy, but will try to find it.
Having a high megapixel count on a miniature sensor (like those in cell phones and tablets) can actually reduce the quality, although they certainly are better now than they were a couple of years ago.
The best way to judge is to ignore the MP ratings and compare pictures side-by-side. There is a website for doing just that - you select any two cameras from drop down lists, the website shows you side-by-side photos to vote on, and at the end gives you a score of which camera you liked the best. Like a blind taste-test for cameras!
I don't have a link handy, but will try to find it.
This comparison site is a little different, but probably more helpful, side-by-side comparisons of practically any digital camera of the same photos:
Spoiler alert: an Applie iPhone 4S is miserable compared to a P&S camera, which is horrible itself when compared to a bottom-of-the-line DSLR. No surprises.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM
------------
Aha! Here's the website I was first thinking of, or one similar: http://camerashowdown.com/
Pick two cameras for a contest. Not many cameras to choose from though.
Spoiler alert: an Applie iPhone 4S is miserable compared to a P&S camera, which is horrible itself when compared to a bottom-of-the-line DSLR. No surprises.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/COMPS01.HTM
------------
Aha! Here's the website I was first thinking of, or one similar: http://camerashowdown.com/
Pick two cameras for a contest. Not many cameras to choose from though.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Mar 4, 2013
- Messages
- 616
Here is an example...
Taken with Samsung Galaxy Note 2:
Basic, entry level Nikon DSLR with prime lens (cant recall the models):
Taken with Samsung Galaxy Note 2:
Basic, entry level Nikon DSLR with prime lens (cant recall the models):
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2009
- Messages
- 697
I like http://www.dpreview.com/ . Most of the other good camera review sites were sold and don't have the in-depth reviews any longer. They are shells of their former selves.
If you want to take pictures, then use a cell phone; if you want to take photographs, then use a camera. Cell phones don't have the range of features versus a camera. For example, you can't adjust the shutter speed or aperture of a cell phone. These functions allow you to do creative things with the photograph, like opening the aperture up to blur the distracting background. Others may disagree by saying that you can do the same thing with an image editor. It depends on how much you want to learn and how creative you want to be.
If you want to take pictures, then use a cell phone; if you want to take photographs, then use a camera. Cell phones don't have the range of features versus a camera. For example, you can't adjust the shutter speed or aperture of a cell phone. These functions allow you to do creative things with the photograph, like opening the aperture up to blur the distracting background. Others may disagree by saying that you can do the same thing with an image editor. It depends on how much you want to learn and how creative you want to be.
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2004
- Messages
- 24,598
Actual megapixel count is just a number...almost. There are many important factors. Aperture size, pixel size, censor size, etc. The Galaxy S4 and LG G2 have 13mp cameras. The new Sonys have a 20.7mp. But the iPhones have "only" an 8mp, yet they often produce the best photos in "blind" comparisons, which proves that it's not only the physical aspects of the camera, but the software as well.
And then there's the "other" hardware as well. Some phones, like the LGs and the Nexus 5, also feature optical image stabilization, which reduce shake, meaning lower ISOs, less noise, and better low-light performance (at least in theory). Newer cell phone SoC (system on chip) processors have more and more features and capabilities. For example, the brand-new Qualqumm Snapdragon 801 that we'll see in the Galaxy S5 and Sony Z2 has better camera capabilities than the previous (but still top-of-the-line) 800, which is more capable than the older 600, etc. And of course, the same holds true for Apple's processors, Mediatek, and in-house processors such as Samsung's Exynos.
All the above is why you can't simply go by megapixel count alone.
And of course, lighting is a huge aspect with any photography. The best camera in the world won't take good knife pics if you're doing it in my dimly lit apartment.
Right now the best camera phones are the LG G2, Samsung S4/Note 3 (and, presumably, the upcoming S5), the Sony Xperia Z1 (and upcoming Z2), the Google (LG) Nexus 5, the iPhone 5S, and the various Nokia Lumias. The king of them all is the 1020, which has a 41mp camera and a xenon flash. Some others have "only" a 20mp camera with LED flash. The 928 has a xenon flash, but "only" 8.7mp. Honestly, you can't really go wrong with any of these phones, as far as the cameras go. It'd be hard to say that any single one is "better" overall, in every aspect (except probably the Lumia 1020), since they all have different features, be it software or hardware, that give them advantages in different areas over another.
Another thing to keep in mind is that many cell phones have a 16:9 picture ratio as the default, because the picture will fit the screen. However, this crops the picture from its actual ratio of 4:3, which results in lower MP. Make sure you set your camera to the highest MP at 4:3 ratio to take the most detailed pictures. Any cropping/reduction can be done later.
And then there's the "other" hardware as well. Some phones, like the LGs and the Nexus 5, also feature optical image stabilization, which reduce shake, meaning lower ISOs, less noise, and better low-light performance (at least in theory). Newer cell phone SoC (system on chip) processors have more and more features and capabilities. For example, the brand-new Qualqumm Snapdragon 801 that we'll see in the Galaxy S5 and Sony Z2 has better camera capabilities than the previous (but still top-of-the-line) 800, which is more capable than the older 600, etc. And of course, the same holds true for Apple's processors, Mediatek, and in-house processors such as Samsung's Exynos.
All the above is why you can't simply go by megapixel count alone.
And of course, lighting is a huge aspect with any photography. The best camera in the world won't take good knife pics if you're doing it in my dimly lit apartment.
Right now the best camera phones are the LG G2, Samsung S4/Note 3 (and, presumably, the upcoming S5), the Sony Xperia Z1 (and upcoming Z2), the Google (LG) Nexus 5, the iPhone 5S, and the various Nokia Lumias. The king of them all is the 1020, which has a 41mp camera and a xenon flash. Some others have "only" a 20mp camera with LED flash. The 928 has a xenon flash, but "only" 8.7mp. Honestly, you can't really go wrong with any of these phones, as far as the cameras go. It'd be hard to say that any single one is "better" overall, in every aspect (except probably the Lumia 1020), since they all have different features, be it software or hardware, that give them advantages in different areas over another.
Another thing to keep in mind is that many cell phones have a 16:9 picture ratio as the default, because the picture will fit the screen. However, this crops the picture from its actual ratio of 4:3, which results in lower MP. Make sure you set your camera to the highest MP at 4:3 ratio to take the most detailed pictures. Any cropping/reduction can be done later.
Last edited:
Even the cheapest DSLR will be better than any compact camera or super zoom camera. I don't know why anyone would spend over $200 on a point and shoot camera when you can get the same quality out of a cell phone. If you want to buy a dedicated camera, get yourself an entry level DSLR and start building a collection of lenses. Those lenses can stay with you pretty much forever.
- Joined
- Mar 26, 2004
- Messages
- 24,598
Lack of optical zoom would be my main reason. Control over shutter speeds and aperture sizes would be another. Very few cell phones have a xenon flash, and have to make do with weak LEDs. There's a lot of things you can do with the small/cheap cameras you can't do with a cell phone. As for why I'd want a small P&S over a DSLR? Cost and size, obviously. There's no "do-all" camera. You can choose extreme portability/ease over capability/size. Anything inbetween will be a compromise. As for having all the choices...well...not all of us are rolling in money.
I find a good Point&Shoot is a good compromise between them. Less costly than a high-end smartphone or a DSLR, almost as portable as a cell phone, sensor size falls between the two, high enough MP count for basic enlarging and cropping, optical zoom is next-best-thing to swapping lenses. Some point-and-shoot cameras even shoot RAW and offer other 'real' camera features like manual focus, aperture, and shutter speed settings.
The jump in photo quality from a cell phone to a p&s is much greater than the jump from a p&s to a DSLR. That all depends on the particular p&s of course. I feel comfortable making 8x10 prints from a p&s, but wouldn't bother printing anything from a camera phone.