Dapper snappers

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With professional-grade images that capture immense detail, the smartphone in your pocket can replace your point-and-shoot and even perhaps the DSLR

Divyanshu Dutta Roy

Smartphone cameras have always been about convenience and accessibility and for years people have wondered if the time has arrived when the snapper in your pocket can actually replace your point-and-shoot and even perhaps the DSLR. That question, we think, shall always loom over our heads but with the way things are and where they are headed, we are certainly in the best time ever for clicking a masterpiece.

The best bets

There are no surprises here. The top three cameras that rule the roost are the flagships from each of the three major smartphone universes today — the Nokia Lumia 930, the Samsung Galaxy S6 (and S6 Edge) and the Apple iPhone 6 Plus. Of course, there are notable mentions like the just launched Xiaomi Mi4i or the 41-megapixel Nokia Lumia 1020, which even after two years is a photography beast without a match, but overall, for practical, universal purposes, the top three phones from Windows phone, android and iOS platforms are also the top choices for smartphone shooters.

Each of them have their strengths. While Nokia Lumia 930 offers the most refined manual camera controls we have seen so far on a smartphone producing professional-grade images that capture immense detail, the S6 Edge comes with fantastic 4K recording and incredible optical image stabilisation that fixes even the shakiest of hands. The iPhone meanwhile is the pioneer in gorgeous slow-motion video and those over-saturated, idiot-proof Facebook snaps everyone loves these days.

These smartphone cameras are the benchmarks for the three broadest consumer bases they cover. But of course everyone out there has their specific use-case scenarios and for them, the only way to pick the best one is to do your own research.

Megapixels

For a long time, everyone has been telling us megapixels don’t matter. And that is not entirely accurate. Megapixels are like buckets in which the camera catches light. And while those buckets can vary in size — leading to that often misunderstood prejudice against them — realistically, it is a good place to start your search.

The going rate for mid-range cameras these days is 13 megapixels. Cameras above it are usually considered high end and lower than that are considered entry level. After checking out the megapixel count, look deeper for the sensor size. The bigger the senor (measured in parts of an inch so 1/3 is bigger and better than 1/4), the more detail the images will have.

Aperture

This is the size of the opening through which light enters the camera. Get this: the smaller the value (e.g. f1.8, f2.0, f2.2), the bigger the opening translating to more light entering the camera. The more that light enters that camera means brighter, clearer images even in the dark.

Shutter lag

This is a new annoying development of the smartphone world. It refers to the lag between two subsequent photos. The iPhone has traditionally been the winner in this category and Androids have performed the worst. But with phones of today, the gap is closing fast.

Shutter speed

High shutter speed lets you freeze things in fast motion and slow shutter speed lets you create those cool light streaks. As wide as the range is between them, the better off you will be.

Dynamic range and colour representation

Two quick and dirty tricks phone makers resort to are HDR (high dynamic range) and over-saturation. These settings (turned on by default in most phones) mean the images produced are high on contrast and unnaturally rich in colour. Sure the photos look good on a tiny screen but when you take it out to a computer, consider printing them or use in any professional capacity – these images fall apart due to lack of details, noise and artefacts and pixilation.

What makes it tricky to judge is that there is no mathematical value for saturation and dynamic range settings — these need to be recognised by your own aesthetics and eye. The best way to judge dynamic range is to check for the difference between the brightest and the lightest elements in the image and see how smooth the transition is; if the camera catches the brightest white and the darkest black but not that faded grey, then it’s a giveaway of a bad camera.

Saturation deals with colour representation deals in a similar way. Zoom into the photos to see how wide the colour gamut in the image is. If you only see the shiniest of colours and not the muted ones, then that’s a red herring.

Video resolution

Also run a quick check on the resolution of video it takes. 1080p at 30fps is the bare minimum today and 4K is desirable. Slow-motion recording (the higher the FPS, the better it is) and optical image stabilisation (OIS) are great additions here.