Can Smartphones Kill The Point & Shoot?
The HTC One
Like a good mobile nerd, I was up and reading about the HTC One this morning. After sifting through the usual mountain of newer and better specs, I came across something I actually found interesting. HTC has elected to go with a 4 Megapixel camera. Nowadays when the average consumer is looking for a camera, whether it’s in a phone or a Point and Shoot, they’re always looking for that magic Megapixel number. The thing most folks don’t realize is that bigger isn’t necessarily better. There are a multitude of elements that play a role in the quality of a photo. I’m not going to get into the ins and outs of photography because my knowledge on the subject is intermediate at best. What I wanted to touch on and discuss was the idea that the quality of a mobile photo could be a big enough factor to buy a Smartphone and disregard a Point & Shoot.
I love to take photos. I typically have my Point & Shoot (which I actually hate and am looking to replace) with me at any given time. Of course I also take a ton of photos with my iPhone4S. I’m generally happy with my mobile photos so long as there’s sufficient light. This becomes a major issue at night, especially for me as I blog at restaurants. The flash in my 4s, and just about any Smartphone for that matter is AWFUL! You might as well carry around a conventional flashlight for all the good it’ll do. Whenever a new phone drops, I look to the camera first. In this day and age, the specs from one phone to another will only have a small variance. However, if the camera stands out, it immediately pulls me in.
When I saw the 4MP camera on the HTC One, it caught my eye. Without getting into the photo nerdy details, they took the approach of having less megapixels that are larger in size than the average MP. They call them UltraPixels. The UP is 2x larger in size than MP. As a result, they take in more light. The bottom line to the average user? You get better night time shots and more defined/less blurry photos. I want better night time shots. I don’t ever want to use the garbage flash in the average Smartphone. I never want to carry my P&S with me if it can be avoided. It left me wondering:
“It it enough to buy another phone?”
Is the cost of a new phone enough to warrant never having to use a P&S again? The average mid – high P&S runs around $400. That’s 1/2 the cost of the HTC One. If the photos are closely comparable, I think there’s strong value in buying another Smartphone (assuming you were looking to upgrade). Obviously this premise doesn’t apply to people who don’t take photos or have little regard for the quality of their shots. However, if you’re like me and love taking photos and want the best shot for the least cost, then it’s something worth thinking about. I’m not big enough into photography to warrant buying and lugging around an SLR. I still want the best for the least.
So what do you all think? Is a new Smartphone worth the cost of never buying another Point & Shoot?
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J Money Rambles
Definitely think the smartphone will replace the P&S camera just as it does the MP3 player. Much easier to carry 1 thin device then multiple devices.
I’m left wondering at what point the quality of the Smartphone will come up to meet the base standards of the P&S user though. Is it already there? For me low light is the make or break.
Lowlight and Zoom are the big differences
The low light issue is definitely a problem, but since getting my iPhone 5 I haven’t touched a P&S camera nor have I brought one on vacations. My cellphone has taken over.
Yes!
The Graphic designer in me smells marketing BS with this Ultrapixel stuff.
4 megapixels is a 2240×1680 image. If this is the size, it’s still 4 megapixels. If it’s not, it’s not 4 megapixels.
It’d be like saying the skinny guy is 6 feet tall, but the guy built like a linebacker is 6 ultrafeet tall.
Can the new technology take better pictures, probably, but it’s still a 4 megapixel image.
My response means little since you know I shoot with an SLR, but my P&S has become a last resort for photos, really. Between my smartphone for sharing photos RIGHT AWAY and my camera for all the good shots, the P&S has kind of just entered a limbo state in my life.
I actually almost sold it to a friend who needed one. The P&S will go the way of non-iPod MP3 players soon enough.
I’m definitely not the most tech-savvy user – I grumble at my P&S, grumble at my SLR, and am tempted to hurl my Blackberry at various objects if I ever try to take a photo with it. I think you hit the nail right on the head – it’s the damn flash that makes all the difference. If I could have a phone that takes good pictures, I’d never leave home without it and never get caught with bad photos for sharing.. it would be great not to have to lug all the extra camera stuff around. I’d be interested to know what you think of this one if you end up getting it.
In theory, Natasa, I think that if you could add a diffuser to ANY flash, you could get it to fit the purposes of taking better photos by having the light spread more evenly. Haven’t seen it applied to P&S or smartphones, but I’d definitely love to see that happen!