Cell-phone Cameras in WDW

One of the things we treasure most after being on a magical Disney vacation is the pictures we take while we’re enjoying all the wonderful experiences Disney has to offer. My favorite pictures are nearly always the unplanned, candid shots that truly capture a moment – the first look at the castle, the first taste of a scrumptious dessert, or the first hug from Mickey Mouse.

Now that it’s 2019, the cameras that come built into our cell phones are better than ever before – which is fantastic news for those of us who dislike lugging around an expensive DSLR camera and the equipment that goes with it. However, there are still some differences between the quality of a picture taken with a cell phone and a picture taken with a DSLR camera that should be made note of…especially if you want to enlarge your photos and/or want to invest in larger prints with the intent of framing them.

While I am using an iPhone 8, the main camera on an iPhone X takes pictures at the same size and resolution. For a DSLR camera, I’m using my Canon Rebel T5.

Size

First, lets talk image size. As the camera quality on cell-phones has improved, so has their storage capacities. This is really important because the larger the image capture, the greater the amount of storage required, so in the past, cell-phone cameras were designed with this limitation in mind. Now that we can purchase cell-phones with storage equal to that of an actual desktop computer and have access to cloud storage, this is no longer an issue. ALL digital photos are captured at 72 pixels per inch. The actual dimensions of the photo are where you’ll see the size difference, with the iPhone 8 coming in at 56″ x 42″, and the Canon Rebel T5 at 72″ x 48″.

Lens

Another major difference is in the lens. Digital cameras often combine optical and digital zoom. After a little playing around, you will definitely be able to see the point where the optical zoom (where the lens actually adjusts) changes to digital (faked zoom). The quality found in optical zoom is miles beyond that of digital, and the cameras on mobile devices rely completely on digital zoom. When digital zoom is used, images tend to get very fuzzy and grainy looking the more you attempt to zoom in.

Sensor

Now, here’s the really important part – sensors. All digital cameras have sensors that use light in order to create a digital signal. Common sense dictates that the more pixels a sensor has, the better the image, but in this case, size really does matter. The larger the sensor, the more light that can be captured, equaling higher quality photographs (especially in low-light circumstances). Camera-phones simply aren’t able to carry a large sensor simply because the whole goal of the device itself is to be small and compact. Try taking a low-light image with a camera-phone vs. a DSLR, and you’ll see what I mean…the differences can be striking.

Lastly, here are some of the more obvious differences…

• Battery Life
• Shutter Speed
• Burst Shooting

Here’s a comparison between the iPhone 8 (top) and the Canon Rebel T5 (bottom).

These weren’t manipulated other than to crop them to the same dimensions. At this comparison, it’s really easy to see difference in size, as well as in color. Apple phones, especially, tend to artificially pump up colors, while the Canon tends to do a better job capturing greater ranges of colors.

What does all this mean to you?

The end result you want should be your determining factor for choosing whether to use a cell-phone camera or a DSLR (digital single-lens reflex camera). For example…if I want 4″x 6″ or even 8″x 10″ prints, then my cell-phone will do fine. However, if I were to want a larger print – say a 20″x 24″ of Cinderella’s Castle – then I’d definitely go for my DSLR. The reasoning behind this is simple…the larger the capture size, the larger the finished print can be without jeopardizing quality. There are some really fun things you can do with a high-quality photograph – there are even companies out there that can print custom wallpaper!

Here’s an example of a high-quality photo with some post-production editing.

No matter what you choose to use to take pictures, the most important thing is to have fun!