Do you think smartphones will eventually replace DSLR cameras?

Do you think smartphones will eventually replace DSLR cameras?

  • Yes

    Votes: 35 23.6%

  • No

    Votes: 113 76.4%
  • Total voters
    148
All I'm saying is no one ever thought phone cameras would reach this level when they first came out. So give it time...
 
Technology could in theory advance enough that focus is just as fast, that the low light performance of a tiny phone image sensor is just as good as a current full frame DSLR sensor at say 20mp. Probably not in the next 30 years, but it is possible.

There could be algorithms that simulate the dof you get on a larger sensor.

The part that you are unlikely to get past is lenses.

I suppose you could then go on and design a phone to be able to attach different lenses so you could add a 300mm f5.6 lens that's the size of a toilet roll inner. Theoretically possible far into the future, but then you would still lack the ergonomics of a camera, and it would just be too expensive.

Or you just have a 500 MP sensor, and you can "digital zoom" from 10mm to get a 10MP 500mm equivalent image.

I still vote no though.
 
Having worked as a freelance photographer: not a chance, happy-snaps excluded.
 
bwana said:
For the happy snapper? Sure, they probably already have. For me though… nope.

Other camera types such as mirrorless may well replace dslr bodies, but not cellphones. Cellphones will be replaced by something else before that happens.
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I agree with this statement. I suspect that the current shape and use of a cellphone will most probably be replaced / integrated into another medium that is more wearable and intuitive (maybe even nanotech), so a better question might be: do we believe that the need for a DSLR-type camera will still exist in the future? And my answer to that is: yes.
 
Ready the title it says "...eventually replace..."
Based on the past trend, I'd have to say yes.
 
No - for 2 main reasons:
1. For the advanced user and/or the purist.
2. The way we treat smartphones vs the way we treat a high end camera. After a few months a smartphone always starts to get scratched, things start playing up, etc.
 
smartphone have mostly replaced pns cameras. They cant replace DSLR due to the lenses involved, MP have already maxed out at way beyond useable levels so unless they can dramatically improve the light sensivity of the sensors to counter the relatively small amount of light the smartphone camera allows.
 
Smartphone cameras are making a big dent into the point-and-shoot segment but I don't feel they will replace the DSLR just yet :)
 
I think overtime they will continue eat away at the DLSR market as the software, lenses and imaging chips get better. However there will always bespoke or special cases where a DLSR will be needed.
 
Rouxenator said:
No, it does not. But the specs have increased as have the image quality. So it is not a direct ratio, but still.
Click to expand...

Discussing the rapid increase in specs (not necessarily picture quality) is like discussing the towing capacity of bakkies. Yes, they have come a long way, but still nothing compared to the capacity of a MAN truck.

Rouxenator said:
Eventually.... it will.
Click to expand...

As many noted above, the physics of light and lenses are a fundamental limit. If you extrapolate the progress in cellphone photos it might eventually intersect the DSLR line, but smart phones might be obsolete by then.
 
I take photos on my projects regularly. It requires a lot of pictures over a short period and varies from bright sunlight to flash. I still prefer a P&S camera over my phone. The flash is much better, the battery lasts longer, it has a physical visor to look through (cellphone screen is invisible in bright sunlight,) switches on faster, shutter time is faster. The only advantage of a cellphone is that it is always available.

If a phone cannot even outperform a cheap P&S, DSLRs are way ahead still.
 
bwana said:
For the happy snapper? Sure, they probably already have. For me though… nope.

Other camera types such as mirrorless may well replace dslr bodies, but not cellphones. Cellphones will be replaced by something else before that happens.
Click to expand...

Happy snappers and DSLRs? Maybe the uber rich happy snapper :)
Those 'happy snappers' are snapping happy with prosumer at best IMO.

You can't walk around with your DSLR 8+ hours a day unless you're being paid to do it. Even the most hardcore DSLR fans will always use their phones for the occasional snap. If you're making money or an enthusiast, then you're doing yourself in by using a phone.
 
Last edited:
It's been a debate for years and no I personally don't think so. Mirrorless cameras are only now starting to improve in technology so smartphones have a way to go. Still, smartphones are being used for pro shoots e.g. Von Wong.
 
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