Mar
11
2010
is a camera phone adaquate for photography?
By richardI want to start doing photography again however i only have a 2mp camera phone with 8gb memory. Is this adaquete? Ill be photographing mostly buildings and ruins.
I would buy a camera but i cant afford one at the minute. My phone is a Nokia N81.
March 11th, 2010 at 7:36 am
camera phones are worthless, for that atleast
March 11th, 2010 at 7:38 am
A camera phone is nice but really insufficient for a serious photography hobby. May want to look at e-bay or other sights for either a digital or film camera. With new digital cameras coming out with larger MPs a 4-6 MP camera may be going down in price.
March 11th, 2010 at 8:34 am
The nokia n81 is a good camera and phone and perhaps an ideal way to start out to see if you like the hobby.
However as your tastes and interest develop you will find the colour reproduction a little inaccurate and the ability to do special things like “depth of field” impossible. but certainly as a starter this is the way go, it my help develop your artistic side.
The best thing you can do when you have saved up lots of money is buy a didital SLR like a canon 400d, but for now just enjoy the phone snaps
March 11th, 2010 at 8:47 am
You are joking, arnt you !!!
There are plenty of cheap 5mp cameras out there.
Good luck.
March 11th, 2010 at 9:36 am
No a camera phone will not be sufficient for real photography, you need at least a 6mp to get good results Argos (UK) sell them at low prices we got one for £150 but it is a higher spec than what you would need, so you could get one for less than that look in the clearance section and in sales always a good bargain to be had.
March 11th, 2010 at 10:32 am
What kind of photography were you thinking? Or were you thinking. You’re assuming we’re nuts if you expect encouragement to get back into photography using a cell phone.
The Muse
March 11th, 2010 at 10:51 am
camera phones suck especially 2mp..
get a digital SLR with at least 7mps =](Y)
thats real photography
a camera phone compared to a SLR is like photobucket to flickr..
March 11th, 2010 at 11:28 am
If you want to capture an image just “to look at and remember”, it will be OK but for serious photography I’m afraid it will not be suitable. A phone camera lacks all of the tools required to undertake serious photography. The file size will not be adequate to enlarge the image.
Hope this helps.
March 11th, 2010 at 11:42 am
A camera phone is like using a knife as a screwdriver, maybe without the blood. Ultimately a DSLR is the right tool for the job.
Chris
March 11th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Save for a real camera that you can change settings and lenses on. Then learn how to use it. A 2mp camera phone is only good enough to send in a text to your friends or post on MySpace… You won’t get decent prints from it and you certainly can’t control the exposure, ISO, shutter speed, focus, aperture, etc…
March 11th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
you will look a plonka if you turn up to any photo shoot with a camera phone. but if it is just for your self and you are happy with the quality and the restricted photography controls go out and do it!
good luck and have fun
March 11th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
No, not at all. The pictures are clear, they come out pixellated, and are taken on a screen too small to be able to address composition. Also, you dont have the ability to play around with different effects like a real camera could, that means no exposures, no time delay, no negatives, etc. I suggest spending money on a real camera, save the camera phones for parties and other events, for art, leave it out.
March 11th, 2010 at 2:23 pm
it will be adequate for what you want and can do with it. especially with post processing. i mean people still use pinhole cameras and holgas for serious photography. ignore the snobs. check out flickr. there might be an n81 group already. or maybe you can form one.
March 11th, 2010 at 2:57 pm
If you’re really interested in photography, you won’t let the lack of equipment stop you. Do the best you can with what you’ve got – until you can afford something better!
March 11th, 2010 at 3:29 pm
Save up for an actual camera. A camera phone pic at 2MP is good for sharing pics with friends/family but that’s about it.
March 11th, 2010 at 3:56 pm
In this month’s Outdoor Photography, there is an editorial article with an illustration from a camera phone. It is actually a pretty impressive photo, but it was taken by a professional photographer in a fabulous setting, with a great subject and lighting. Of course, you can’t take up photography as a serious hobby with a camera phone, but you might get some interesting pictures from time to time. So if that’s all you have, go for it, but be saving up for a real camera in the future.
March 11th, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Definitely not. You have no creative control whatsoever over a camera phone.
March 11th, 2010 at 5:02 pm
Those who tell you a camera phone is worthless for photography are talking nonsense. There are types of photography for which it’s not adequate, for sure, but the notion that it’s worthless for photography is ill thought out and ignorant.
Arthur Edwards, a well known press photographer, for example, recently went on a press outing to photograph the Queen, using a Kodak Box Brownie made in 1900. If you have a good eye for a picture, you will capture many interesting images with whatever camera you have to hand.
Sometimes, it’s a good idea, from a learning point of view, to work with a limited camera so that you can learn about different kinds of constraints, and how to overcome them. This will add to the skills you need to be a good photographer ; and being a good photographer is far more about recognising a good picture and being able to make one, than it is about having a technically advanced camera.
March 11th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
[...] is a camera phone adaquate for photography? | Photo Advice [...]