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What Determines a Smartphone Camera’s Image Quality?

Nov 13, 2015 by GB Leave a Comment

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Screen Shot 2015-11-13 at 12.09.02 PMWell before the DSLR megapixel war ever started, it was fairly common knowledge that megapixels alone don’t result in better image quality. The same statement can be said in regards to smartphone cameras, whose quality is now to the point of most point-and-shoot cameras a few years ago – or even better.

While megapixels are one aspect of smartphone image quality, there is far more to it than meets the eye. Here to explain what makes or breaks a smartphone camera is YouTube tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, known as MKBHD.

In the five minute video, Brownlee breaks down the importance of sensor size, the surface area of the individual pixels, the camera’s aperture (most of which are fixed in smartphones) and other components such as image stabilization. Throughout every aspect, he does a wonderful job to explain in detail concepts that oftentimes become convoluted.

Screen Shot 2015-11-13 at 12.08.33 PMOf all the details and differences he mentions though, one stands out in particular. Processing.

Almost all smartphones output images as JPEGs. As a result, all information captured by the sensor must first be processed by software, which varies from manufacturer to another. This means that the resulting images from one smartphone to another can vary greatly, even if they were to have identical camera setups.

For more videos from Brownlee, you can head on over to his YouTube Channel and subscribe.

[via Lifehacker]

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Filed Under: Gear Tagged With: Camera, Marques Brownlee, Megapixels, pixels, Sensor, Smartphone

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Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

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