In recent years, smartphone cameras have improved significantly, and it’s no longer easy to tell which model has the best camera. Megapixels aren’t the only thing to consider anymore (in actuality, they’ve never been the only thing to consider), there are a lot of other factors you should take into account as well. The size, quality, and performance of a smartphone’s camera can be greatly impacted by features that seem unrelated, like the processor and battery life. This is quite confusing, to be honest. But not really. The kind of picture you want to take will ultimately determine what type you take. Which type of photography interests you more, portraits and selfies or landscapes? If you decide what you want, all you need to do is figure out which features the best suit your needs. A camera phone’s features to look for
Sensor
Comparing phones to SLR cameras, their smaller size makes it difficult for them to have large sensors. As a rule, large sensors work well when it comes to reducing noise and are also more sensitive to light. A larger sensor is also necessary if you want more megapixels. Full Frame 36 X 24mm and 6.3 X 4.7mm are the two most common smartphone sensor sizes. Sensors aren’t everything to smartphones. Too large sensors tend to be bulky and hard to carry in your pocket.
Megapixel
Vision is limited in human beings. After a certain point, our eyes simply do not perceive details any longer no matter how detailed the image is that is in front of us. We have to be sufficiently close to the platform on which we are viewing the image to distinguish a 4K image from a 1080-HD image. Further, the difference between an image in 4K and an image in 8K is even harder to discern. An 8.3MP camera is all you need to capture a 4K image. A resolution up to 12 MP will also do, but after that, you are simply increasing the size of your image without adding any noticeable details. Only use a higher resolution than 12MP if you regularly crop your images or if you plan to print them out as posters.
Aperture
The aperture of a smartphone is an important but often overlooked feature. While choosing your smartphone camera, you should pay attention to the amount of light that your sensor can take in. There is a wide range of apertures available on smartphones, from f/2.0 to f/2.4. It may not appear to make much difference numerically, but it does. In fact, f/2.0 provides twice the amount of lens transmission in comparison to f/2.4. This is important in low-light situations. To take better nighttime, evening, and indoor pictures, use a larger aperture.
Zoom
Smartphones come with an optical zoom and a digital zoom. However good the digital zoom is, it doesn’t make much difference. A portion of your photo is automatically cropped and magnified when you take it. In fact, this results in a degraded quality of the image, despite the fact that it magnifies the image. If you crop an image that has been taken without digital zoom, the results will be the same.
By contrast, an optical zoom occurs when a camera employs lenses to create an impression of a larger image than it actually is. That is, it is the zoom that is being used. Mobile phones have not had optical zoom as long as digital cameras. It’s not bad to find a phone that allows you to get even 2X optical zoom.
Autofocus
Most smartphone cameras use one of three types of autofocus. Three types of autofocus systems are available: Contrast-Detection, Phase-Detection, and Laser. Although each of the three mechanisms has its own advantages, Phase Detection and Laser Detection autofocus offer clear advantages over Contrast-Detection autofocus.
Detecting things at a distance using Phase Detection is better, but Laser Detection is better even in low light because it works better even if there’s no light. However, both Phase Detection and Laser Detection have their disadvantages as well; the former is expensive, and is usually only available in high-end phones, while the latter requires external equipment. Contrast-Detection is also not too bad, but if you do choose it, make sure that your focus has Face Detection too. You may also want to check out these Best Gorilla Tripod for Mobile if you are looking for a tripod.
