Travel Photo Challenge: Mirrorless DSLR Camera vs Mobile Phone – The Verdict
While I was in New York City, I experimented with taking photos using my mirrorless DSLR camera, and my Vivo X60 Pro+ mobile phone. I’ve already published the photos I took with the phone, and now it’s time to see the pictures taken with the camera. Is it really worth lugging around a large piece of equipment like this, when almost everyone has an excellent camera in their front pocket? Check out the results of my very unscientific test, below!
For over eight years, I used the Sony A7 to take pictures for our travel blog. That camera got some heavy usage under extreme conditions, and I have to say that I was extremely impressed with its quality and sturdiness. But eventually, the time came where I had to say goodbye. At first, I decided upon the Nikon Z6 II, but decided to sell it again after just a couple months. I didn’t like how heavy the Nikon was, and I also found the menu navigation counter-intuitive, but the one thing I really couldn’t get past was how the lens screwed onto the camera body in the opposite way from the Sony. After screwing lenses on clockwise for so many years, I simply wasn’t able to make the switch to counter-clockwise.
After doing some research, I came across the Sony A7C — what really caught my eye was the “C”, which stands for “compact”. Another big plus is that the Sony E-Mount has been around for years — which means many third party companies are offering lenses at great prices. For the Nikon, there were only a limited amount of Z mount lenses available, and they were very expensive.
I had found the a used Sony A7C at B&H Photo in New York City, and picked it up during our first morning in the city. I was so excited that I couldn’t resist immediately unboxing it, even before we had left the shop! I really didn’t waste any time — it felt so good to be holding a Sony camera in my hands again, I couldn’t have been happier.
Now back to the question of this article: how do the photos taken with my DSLR compare against those taken with the phone? The photographer stays the same, only his equipment has changed. And the verdict is … really, there’s no doubt. Overall, the quality of the Sony camera is on a totally different level, the images turn out so crisp and sharp. The images taken by my Vivo X60 Pro+ are also very sharp but sometimes I notice some strange artifacts. However, another thing to consider is ease of use — especially important while traveling. In this, the phone definitely wins: I just pull it out, clean the lenses, and I’m ready to go. If you want to capture the moment, you sometimes have to move quickly … and getting the DSLR out of my camera backpack and changing the lenses can often take too long.
But what do you think? Take a look at both sets of pictures, and let me know! I’m looking forward to your comments.
From our Travel Blog.
More Photos taken with the Sony A7C DSLR Camera:
https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckqpop3D6G4/
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These photos are Amazing 🤩
Glad you liked them - so what do you think? Phone Camera or DSLR?
Both!!
In fact I don’t use too much the camera, I always use my phone but yes the Camera is more professional and more clear.
I really like these photos.
Thank you again !
Wow those are some amazing photos! I also really like that I decided to step into e-mount since is such a wide variety of lenses compatible! I am waiting for my fx30 to arrive :D
E-Mount or die :) Thank you for the compliment and wow .. that fx30 looks like a beast!
Yeah the fx30 is a beast for video but it is also in great demand so I have to wait patiently until my supplier will have one for me ;)
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I am wondering the same thing the last few months. For sure the phone does the work and it does it with much less fuss and effort. Sometimes it may even be more direct in approaching a scene. And when you look at the pictures on a phone's screen it is hard to tell the difference, especially in wide angle, well-lit scenes.
But I am at an age (I think you too) that I remember photography as something magical, something that involves passion and quality and knowledge. The phone is nothing of that and (for me) will never be.
Of course I am the same man that went out of business when I refused for years to accept that my beloved Hasselblad was dated and I should invest on digital equipment. So I could be wrong again :)
Yes ... I'm at that age :) Developing photos in a darkroom - pure magic indeed and digital photography can never transmit that feeling, ever. At this point I think I just need to use the phone as a tool for specific situation but me as well I think I can't give up my real camera. At least for now. I wish there were more affordable digital backs for large and medium format cameras.
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New York is a dream!! It's my dream city to visit one day and I do really want to have more photos in that city.