The curtain is revealed...can a smartphone camera really rival a pro camera? We put them to the test in this flower edition. Spoiler alert: the results will surprise you.
Smartphone Vs. Pro Camera
A wedding , landscape, and fashion photographer walk into a bar, not your stereotypical walk into a bar joke however all the above have one thing in common - they use a professional camera in their line of work. In light of this why compare a smartphone to a pro camera? The answer is smartphones are evolving their IQ with each generation of smartphones released and can somewhat mimic the same image qualities as a high end camera.
Let's put to the test how a Samsung s23 smartphone stacks up to a $7,000 camera (Canon EOS R5 + 70 - 200mm RF F4 lens) and discover whether or not professional cameras have set the bar too high for smartphones to compete against.
Testing
The smartphone and pro camera will be judged in 5 different rounds, each round will correspond with an attribute that impacts the image quality, the final round will be a comparison on which provides a better Instagram reel...you definitely do no want to miss out on the verdict.
The smartphone photos were all captured in a JPEG file format, meaning the smartphone automatically edits and compresses the image instantaneously after the photo is captured - these edits include colour grading, sharpening, and potential AI enhancements (Samsung has confirmed that AI intelligence at times is used to boost image quality).
The Canon photos will be captured in RAW files with both unedited and manually edited versions being shown, The RAW files are large uncompressed files capable of capturing a greater amount of image data (i.e. visual detail, colour range, offers great flexibility in the editing stage). The final segment will include some Canon JPEG images.
The comparison aims to judge the cameras while considering how they would commonly be used.
1. Detail
The detail in each of the photos produced some interesting and unexpected results.
Detail in the outline: the mobile photo produced a sharper outline of the flower in comparison to the Canon photo. This sharpness is consistent around all areas of the flower and likely is attributed to the smart sharpening that is automatically applied to the photo upon capture. The canon photo still has a sharp outline but also has a touch of softness to it.
Texture: the detail in the texture of the petals is superior in the Canon photo, the tiny veiny lines that runs through the petals like a small stream of water is visible in the pro camera photo and virtually missing in the Samsung photo. This factor illustrates that the sharpness in the outline of the flower is likely attributed to AI enhancement/editing, if the Samsung camera captured a high level of detail in outline then the same should be true to the contents within the outline.
Before & after
Result
The Canon R5 camera takes this in convincing fashion.
Pro Camera 1 - 0 Smartphone
2. Colour
The camera's ability to capture a wide spectrum of colours with great quality is an important characteristic in producing high grade photos.
The smartphone image has a slightly better contrast in the yellow and green coloured flowers, the colours also reflect a more vivid effect. The yellow and green colours have a slightly paler look in the Canon photos.
The red flowers have a greater natural look on the Canon camera and appears to perform better at replicating the natural colours of the flowers. The red on the mobile photos is still an aesthetically beautiful red, nonetheless visually it has a subtle plastic look.
In the second comparison there is a greater different between the two photos. The Samsung photo on the left once more produces a beautiful red , yet the red in the right photo displays a greater spectrum of red in the flower and capturing the fine inconsistent colour details that is inherent to objects in nature.
Result
Picking the winner proved difficult particularly when the photos have more similarities than differences. I wouldn't suggest the Samsung photos produces better colours, yet for a device primarily used for taking and making calls it certainly was more impressive in that regard. The smartphone captures the point in this round.
Pro Camera 1 - 1 Smartphone
3. Video
At times the moment calls for the camera to be put down and the video recorder to be picked up - metaphorically speaking as both the smartphone and Canon camera are equipped with both features.
The standout feature of the Samsung video is that everything is in focus and that is due to its digital zoom. A digital zoom is essentially a camera that cannot zoom in, with smartphones the image is cropped, then expanded & upscaled. This method does deteriorate the image quality, an unintended consequence is it helps to capture everything in focus.
The standout feature of the Samsung video is that everything is in focus and that is due to its digital zoom. A digital zoom is essentially a camera that cannot zoom in, with smartphones the image is cropped, then expanded & upscaled. This method does deteriorate the image quality, an unintended consequence is it helps to capture everything in focus.
The Canon video recorder captures rich natural colours and recreates a cinematic vibe that adds a professional touch to the scene. In contrast to its lower priced counterpart the Canon camera does not capture everything in focus which is perfectly normal when naturally zooming in. Quick exercise, hold your finger close to your eyes and you will notice your finger is sharp but your surroundings are blurry.
Professional cameras can have a "movie crop" mode, however the crop magnification is quite limited compared to a smartphone.
The Canon video recorder captures rich natural colours and recreates a cinematic vibe that adds a professional touch to the scene. In contrast to its lower priced counterpart the Canon camera does not capture everything in focus which is perfectly normal when naturally zooming in. Quick exercise, hold your finger close to your eyes and you will notice your finger is sharp but your surroundings are blurry.
Professional cameras can have a "movie crop" mode, however the crop magnification is quite limited compared to a smartphone.
Result
The Samsung video is able to provide a close visual display in comparison to the Canon video although the canon offers greater quality and detail, the Samsung video has everything in focus which can be very useful when recording multiple flowers. The point goes to the smartphone due to its user friendly application.
Pro Camera 1 - 2 Smartphone
4. Zoomed
The biggest advantage a professional camera has over a smartphone is the ability to zoom in without losing quality, to enable this are large Pinocchio protruding lens is needed which would not fit the convenience criteria of a smartphone. As noted previously smartphones use a digital zoom which sets up an intriguing test in capturing a distant flower.
The flower was approximately 3 meters away when captured, Can you guess which photo belongs to which camera?
I am sure everyone guessed correctly, by moving the slider to the left the Samsung image is reveled and moving the slider to the right shows the Canon Image.
The detail in the smartphone image is surprisingly sharp, unfortunately the sharpness comes at a cost - the flower takes on a more unnatural over sharpened look in comparison to Canon photo which radiates a softer image while still maintaining its sharpness.
The loss of image quality from the digital zoom is overcome by AI digital enhancement and automatic editing, however it doesn't quite stack up to a camera with a real zoom. In defense to smartphones, this subtle difference will be hard to detect if this photo was featured in an Instagram video quickly showcasing multiple images...this leads nicely into our final round.
Result
The Canon Camera's ability to zoom in and capture the flower in its true form is superior. Overall very little editing was applied to the pro camera photo which takes this round setting up for a nice finale.
Pro Camera 2 - 2 Smartphone
5. Instagram Reel
The Instagram reel showcases the absolute peak of image quality from both cameras with all photos being edited to achieve maximum aesthetic beauty. For fair comparison reasons the last 2 images are Canon pictures captured in a JPEG format, this will highlight what the comparison looks like when both cameras are capturing a JPEG format photo (majority of photographers will choose RAW over JPEG).
Result
Overall both cameras produced amazing images, however the Canon R5 convincingly outperformed the smartphone despite whether the image was captured in RAW or JPEG. The Canon photos looked more professional and created a visually captivating growing force with the introduction of each new photo. The knockout punch has been delivered.
Pro Camera 3 - 2 Smartphone
Conclusion
Going back full circle their is a reason why the wedding, landscape, and fashion photographer walked into a bar with their professional cameras neatly dangling from their neck, a professional camera will capture the flower in its natural form and with greater detail.
The Canon R5 is one of the elite cameras on the market used mostly by top photographers, the results show that smartphones don't have to eclipse professional cameras, they only need to make the race somewhat competitive through its convenience aspect, flexibility of use, and digital AI photo enhancement capabilities. Let's not forget the 3 esteemed photographers entered the drinking facility with their smartphones tucked into their garments and smartphones have become a force to be reckoned with both in a casual or professional setting to a certain extent.
Thank you for your time and effort :)
comment below in english, french, spanish or another language about your experience, opinion, or a question you may have.