Nowadays, the photographic features of a mobile camera are on par with high-end digital cameras and DSLR cameras. Thus, it can be said rightfully that the camera is taking more precedence as the top-most feature to look out for in a smartphone.
While there are a gamut of smartphones like HUAWEI P30 lite that boasts of having superior camera functionality, it’s good to explore different camera options in mobiles.
Whether you love taking picturesque photographs or if you are a selfie lover, it’s essential to know how well a camera performs when purchasing a new smartphone. If you already have a smartphone and looking for an upgrade or fancy a change, here’s what you should look for in a high-performance camera of a smartphone:
Megapixels
The most apparent camera feature to consider is the number of megapixels. The greater the megapixel, the better the image quality. Gone are the days of 5MP, 8MP and 10MP cameras, today most smartphones are equipped with higher MP ranging from 48MP to 64MP and 108MP. However, only accounting for high megapixel value does not guarantee superior image quality.
Lenses and Zoom
Besides the megapixel, also look out for the type of lens and zoom as these are features that will enable you to take crisp photos. It’s worth noting that some of the cameras have 2x optical zoom and wide-angle lens to produce stunning shots that leave nothing out of sight.
Some phones like Huawei P30 lite come with a triple camera in the rear and can go higher up to quad cameras for the ultimate photo-taking experience. It’s good to have multiple fixed lenses with different focal lengths compared to a single fixed lens so that you can experiment. Here are some common lens and zoom types to watch out:
- Ultra-wide-angle – Characterised by the degree of wide-angle, it can go as high as 120-degrees to shoot without limits.
- Super zoom lens – Compared to 2x optical zoom lens this hyper sampling lossless zoom technology will let you capture incredible photos at a distance with attention to detail.
- Depth camera – A great feature for taking background blurred or Bokeh photos
- Telephoto camera – Deliver greater zoomed-in shots delivering up to 2x to 3x optical zoom
- Monochrome camera – Some brands like Huawei provide monochrome sensors to improve low light performance and take sharp monochrome shots
Smart Camera Assistant
A valuable feature for avid photo shooters and social shooters, an automatic assistant, recognises and optimises photos to adjust settings like colour, lighting and contrast. As a result, this will enable you to produce breathtaking shots effortlessly.
Such assistants are backed by high-end technology like AI or Artificial Intelligence to empower automatic recognition. For instance, the Huawei P30 lite camera can detect more than 9 real-time categories in the front camera and 22 different categories in the rear camera to automatically configure settings for each.
Video Shooting Resolution
Today, several smartphones offer 4K video, which means the videos you capture also turn out to be of better quality. On the other hand, affordable smartphones have 1080p video quality, which also offers quality high definition video shoots. Moreover, explore whether you can take slow motion and fast motion videos and the resolution that is on offer. Most smartphones today provide 960fps speed for capturing amusing videos.
Aperture
Aperture refers to an opening or hole in the lens’ diaphragm through which light passes. It is like the iris and pupil of the eye that gathers light and thus enables it to produce quality images. It is measured as an F-number, and a higher F-number denotes a smaller hole, thereby less light passes through it. Therefore, it’s vital to look for a brighter aperture with smaller F-numbers.
Focus and Shutter Response
When it comes to autofocus, most phones today offer great focus and shutter response to enable shake-proof photographs. Knowing how much frames per second or fps, the camera captures is a great way to understand how the autofocus responds under conditions where the subject moves fast. Some phones also offer automatic face detection and smile detection to enable flawless focus on shots.
At the outset, it may be difficult to assess the camera performance of the smartphones; however, the above pointers can help you select the right camera features. To get a fair assessment, it may also be worth checking out the shots that are captured by the camera. This will enable you to know whether the camera is up to its standards and lives up to its promises. Also, check out reviews to give you a good indication of the camera’s performance.
As the camera technology keeps evolving, it’s vital to look for camera features that offer the best value.