Does anyone who takes a lot of pictures/video use their phone for all of their photo and video needs?
I recently bought a compact point and shoot that takes great pictures and does 1080p video that looks great on my 55" tv. It made my standard definition digital camcorder obsolete. Now I just have to carry around one tiny thing.
I thought I was making my life as simple as I could until I went to one of my kid’s events and one third of the parents were using their phones to take pictures and videos. I found it hard to believe that with time to plan, they were using thier phones to record their life memories. I know phones are getting better every year, but are they good enough to replace both camera and camcorder full time? I have a work issued Blackberry Bold, so I have no idea what a good phone looks like!
Phone cameras are great for snapshots. You can use some of the nicer ones and take some nice snapshots, and even some arty shots, but the interface, optics, and electronics pretty much ensures that you’ll get tired of it quickly if you need to take more complex shots. For most people, snapshots are all they take and simple P&S cameras are on the way out IMO.
Once you get beyond the basic Point and Shoot cameras there are many models with excellent video capability. The problem is the ergonomics. Unless you are shooting on a tripod, a still camera is very difficult to hold steady for real video shooting. They are great for the video equivalent of snapshots, but are difficult to use for extended periods of time or when doing artistic zoom and pans. For most people, simply video snapshots are all they take and simple video cameras will likely die out, IMO.
A dedicated video camera is still the best thing for taking complex video.
It just depends on how demanding you are. Most people I know can’t even tell the difference between SD and HD to begin with, much less the effects of sensors and lenses (which separates cell phones from cheap camcorders from good ones).
There are objective, quantitative measurements of video quality across devices (various measurements of how well it captures light and handles noise), but what ultimately matters is the entirely subjective measurement of “Is it good enough for me?”
Evidently parents recording kids find cell phone quality acceptable. Take a look at what they’ve recorded; you may be pleasantly surprised or you may find that they just have higher tolerances for bad video.
Besides, 30 years from now when those kids watch those videos again, 1080p will seem as archaic as 240p does today.
And for what it’s worth, your tolerances are likely to be as much a matter of training and marketing than anything. Anybody can be trained to pick out the visual differences between devices, but few start out caring before being bombarded with consumption-driven media.
Accept that “acceptable video quality” will forever change across individuals, devices, and generations and you’ll probably be much happier with whatever device you choose to use
