best phone for photography

[rahubit369]

help out to find best phone for photography in all conditions

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Buy a cheaper phone and get a half decent prosumer compact camera or a mirrorless one??

Phones are limited by the fact they use tiny sensors,and the best phones ever made for photography,ie,the Nokia Lumia 920,1020 and Panasonic CM1 used above average sized sensors.

The CM1 will be the best phone for photography but uses an old version of Android and has been discontinued now. It uses a 1" sensor which is a few times bigger than a normal phone sensor.

I would probably get a decent phone like one of the Moto G models - India has some specific models like the Moto G Turbo for example and the Lenovo K5 Plus which have fairly decent cameras for daytime use.

I would then use the money saved over a high end phone to buy a Sony RX100.

[peterb]

As Cat says. The best phone camera with a fixed focus lens and small sensor will never give as good a result as a proper camera - at least for anything other than a snapshot or something for social media, or if you are going to look at it on a smallish screen.

The camera on the motog2 is OK for that, and in good light I have taken some good landscapes where the detail is less important than the overall effect.

That said, I have seen some quite good live video from an iPhone (using specialised streaming software) and it gives reasonably good results if there is nothing better (I have seen it used for electronic news gathering) but it is limited compared with a purpose designed video camera, or 'still' camera with video capability.

[kalniel]

The top ranked phone camera according to DXOMark is the Google Pixel. You can see the testing here:
https://www.dxomark.com/Mobiles

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

I have seen pictures from that both,the CM1 has the same sensor as the RX100,so is decent in low light and has excellent dynamic range. The Nokia 1020,has a 1/1.2" sensor,but in lower MP modes its pictures have amazing sharpness and it has probably the best implementation of digital zoom ever made.

DXO never tested the CM1,but the Nokia 1020 was rated similar to the Fujifilm FinePix S100fs which is actually a decent bridge camera from a few years before(a 2/3" sensor camera). This was before they did the phone only tests.

Here is a CM1 review:

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pan...mera-review/10

It also a dedicated shutter button so can be used like a normal compact.

But TBH,I would probably just look for a decent prosumer compact or mirrorless camera.

You pay a huge premium for a better phone camera,and the problem is every time you upgrade you keep paying that premium.

The 13MP and 16MP cameras on the Moto G and Lenovo K5 series are good enough for general purpose stuff,but if you truly want something more adaptable,a decent 1" sensor compact or a mirrorless camera would be a better choice IMHO OFC.

[walibe]

I've done away with compact cameras and use my iPhones when my SLR is inconvenient and truth be told, just about any of the latest smart phones will be more that satisfactory for most users and the top of the range smart phones are so close in terms of image quality that you're better off finding a couple phones that suit you first and foremost (in terms of phone features) then compare the image quality of the smaller selection.

[ik9000]

One of the old manual circular dial ones. Ideally polished black. You should get lovely arty low-range shots of it in all light conditions - try putting bright rear light and a remote flash at 45 degrees via a diffuser, mist it with light water drops, and use a low angle of perspective stopped right down, f2-3 on macro lens. B&W or careful colour grading for some iconic portfolio stuff. Nice.

[peterb]

One of the old manual circular dial ones. Ideally polished black. You should get lovely arty low-range shots of it in all light conditions - try putting bright rear light and a remote flash at 45 degrees via a diffuser, mist it with light water drops, and use a low angle of perspective stopped right down, f2-3 on macro lens. B&W or careful colour grading for some iconic portfolio stuff. Nice.

Lol, had to read that twice before I got it!

[Dashers]

I've got a micro-four-thirds camera, which can get _very_ compact. But are still something else to carry around. The saying goes, the best camera is the one you have with you. And I'm often without mine, but rarely without my phone.

That said, I don't tend to need my camera when I take photos with my phone, as the subject matter is generally not something that warrants the use of a dedicated camera. If there is a situation where a dedicated camera might be useful, I tend to take it.

[Smudger]

I was going to suggest the Moto Z with the Hasselblad Moto Mod added on, but reading the reviews, it doesn't seem all that great.

[TheAnimus]

The 1020 gets a good mention for a reason, it's amazing for a phone. It's also slow. Very slow.

I've a Lumia 950 and I must admit the camera is amazingly good for a phone, even the HDR+ Flash mode that allows you to adjust how much "flash" is used (two photos stitched with software blending).

The Lumia range are far above anything in Android (and I've a pixel too) or iPhone have to offer in low light or macro circumstances. In broad daylight landscapes there is little to tell apart (unless you've a 1020 which makes other phones feel like a knife to a gun fight).

The real question is, what kind of photography are you doing, or wanting to do?

[cptwhite_uk]

If you want manual settings, probably the LG V20, for automatic mode I would opt for Samsung S7 / iPhone 7 plus, depending on output preference (saturated/high contrast or natural looking)

[snedger]

This post's question has prompted me to look at new phones as my Xperia Z3 screen is just a bit too teeny for my sight and so I might upgrade,
Thought it would be straight forward going for Xperia Z5 or XZ, but their camera has got such poor reviews.
The LG V20 on paper looks like it should be so much better, especially the extra wide screen lens - I hope that it's not poor software that gets fixed after I've got a new phone.
Google Pixel and Iphone 7 Plus are the only two candidates IMO.
Having read a fair number of reviews, objectively the Iphone is the better choice, but as usual techies hate Apple - me included - and so all the reviews are biased towards the Pixel.
If I can get a good deal, I'm going to go for the Pixel XL - need the bigger screen and bigger battery - though I've just noticed that there is no memory slot, nor is the battery replaceable.

[delin]

Moto X play is a great phone for taking photos.

[krazy_olie]

No one has released a serious camera centric phone for a while. The Nokia 808 i have still beats current flagships in that department.

[walibe]

No one has released a serious camera centric phone for a while. The Nokia 808 i have still beats current flagships in that department.

Up until 2015 yes. But the iPhone 7 plus and similar dual lense camera phones have moved a step beyond now.