GADGET GIZMO SPECIAL..................Phones vs Cameras

GADGET GIZMO SPECIAL Phones vs Cameras   The best camera is the one you have with you -it's a famous quote. Deciding between carrying a smartphone or a digital camera is a question that has always confused photo enthusiasts. What's Better For Everyday Photos?’ Digital Camera Advantages Optics & Sensor Size Even an entry level digital camera has 5X optical zoom -more expensive ones can go up to 30X. While there have been a few attempts at phones with optical zoom (Samsung S4 Zoom, Samsung K Zoom), they haven't caught on since this makes a phone bulky. In addition, smartphone sensors are way smaller than digital cameras -his affects overall image quality. Quick access Hardware Controls Some smartphones offer pro-level settings like ISO, exposure and shutter speed. But unlike a digital camera, there are no one-touch, quick access buttons on a smartphone to adjust these settings.Each time you want to change something, you'll be fiddling through menus on the touchscreen. Macro Shots Smartphone cameras have come a long way when it comes to capturing macro photos -some even offer a dedicated macro mode. Irrespective, a digital camera fares better at macro -even the midrange camera models are capable of focusing as close as 5cm. Plus a physical aperture allows for a more natural shallow depth of field that gives a better overall macro effect. Battery Life For still images, battery life is not much of an issue. However, when it comes to video, a smartphone's battery drains much quicker. Digital cameras fare better -many can record up to two hours of video on a single charge. Low Light Photography Even the best camera phones can't match a digital camera when it comes to low-light photography.It all boils down to sensor size -larger sensors capture more light. There's no getting around physics! Digital cameras offer higher ISO range which also helps in capturing low light images. Powerful Flash Most smartphones have a tiny LED flash. Compared to that, a digital camera has a xenon flash which is many times brighter and has a better range. Smartphone Advantages Faster Editing Digital cameras offer basic editing options for a photo but for advanced effects you will have to transfer the photo to a computer and use image editing software. On a smartphone, there are apps that offer quick photo editing. Easy Sharing and Backup Again, with digital cameras, you have to first ransfer photos to a computer or to a smartphonetablet to share them on social media. With smartphones, you can instantly share via mail, social media or chat software -using your phones' data connection. Photos can also be auto-uploaded to a cloud service for backup. Better Display Smartphone screen sizes have been steadily increasing: 5.2-inches and above is common now.This makes a phone more convenient to view, share and edit photos. In-addition, the touchscreen of the phone makes it easy to zoom-in or rotate photographs for better view. Convenience Your smartphone is always with you -it's just more convenient to use it for photos. With a digital camera, you need to typically carry it in a bag. When a photo opportunity suddenly appears, your smartphone will be a lot faster than any digital camera. Easier Selfies No matter how bad the front camera on a smartphone is, people still want to take more selfies.You just bring out your phone, start the front camera,  view a live preview of the image and tap to take a selfie. Most digital camera don't support selfies -you will have to make random attempts to  take a selfie as you can't see a preview. Some cameras have tilting or flip out screens that will offer a selfie preview, but you'll realise that using phones for selfies is a lot easier.

Karan Bajaj ET21OCT15