A challenge that cannot be accepted

A challenge that cannot be accepted

Time to Say

After seemingly seeing off the challenge of point-and-shoot cameras, thanks to the ability to shoot raw, capture 4k videos, use of wider lenses and better manual controls, smartphones are now taking on the ultimate photography device—the DSLR. But is this just marketing hype or have smartphone cameras indeed improved to such an extent? Is it time to bid farewell to the DSLR?

Reet Bhattacharya (name changed) is a final year student of IMU KOCHI and is a member of a popular photography club in Kolkata. He has been into photography, ever since he got a cannon EOS 700D as a gift from his father. He swears by his DSLR camera and never ever believed that a smartphone camera could ever challenge a DSLR – until one day he started using the Lumia 1020 on a recommendation of a friend, a “seasoned” photographer. “It was a 360-degree turnaround for me”, he tells my mobile. As an amateur photographer, he consistently rallied in favor of a DSLR camera, owing to its superior image quality overall. However, Bhattacharya pointed to a gradual shift in mobile photography, with the arrival of camera-centric smartphones that could pave way for DSLR-like imaging optics into a compact form.

Lately, we are starting to see the blurring of the lines between a smartphone camera and DSLR The last few months have seen an explosion of smartphones designed for photography – the likes of Asus ZenFone Zoom, Lenovo Vibe Shot, Apple iPhone 6s Plus, Samsung Galaxy S6, and the LG G4, to name a few. What’s more, there are apps being rolled out such as Adobe Lightroom mobile, SnapSeed and Photo Editor by aviary for easy editing. While the battle between smartphones and point-and-shoots seems to have ceased a long time ago, a new one seems to have erupted between DSLRs and phone cameras this time. We tried to reach out to the industry to know exactly how far smartphone cameras have evolved over the years, and are we near to see smartphones replacing DSLRs?

The rise of mobile photography

Smartphone ownership has increased significantly around the world over the past few years. Just 10 or so years ago, we had a few smartphones that could claim to have got good cameras, such as the Nokia N95 and the Sony Ericsson C902. That has changed today – people now expect a good camera on their phones, and no longer believe in paying a premium for it. Now, no longer do people need to have a dedicated camera to carry around. 2015 ended up being one of the more impressive years for mobile photography in recent history, with phones like the Lenovo Vibe Shot and Gionee Elife E8 arriving in the market. Photography fans were awestruck when Lenovo launched its Vibe Shot in the market last year. With an impressive 16-megapixel BSI (Back-Side Illuminated) sensor, triple LED flash, infrared autofocus, rocker switching between automatic and manual mode, and a design that resembles a traditional digital camera, the Vibe Shot has been one of the best camera-centric smartphones to buy.

Gionee was not far behind when it introduced the Elife E8 in the market. India’s ace photographer Raghu Rai was so impressed with the Gionee Elife E8 that he launched the book “India Through The Eye of Raghu Rai” that features photographs clicked using the Elife E8. Apple, meanwhile, relaunched its acclaimed “Shot on iPhone” advertising campaign, highlighting the iPhone 6s’ superior camera, with selected photos being featured on hundreds of billboards. Taiwanese tech giant Asus, now a fast-growing player in the smartphone business, sees smartphones taking over DSLR cameras—the company recently launched a premium smartphone in the form of the ZenFone Zoom featuring a 3X optical zoom feature and a DSLR-like camera.

Smartphones sales are strong, with total shipments in 2015 standing at over 1.4 billion, up 10.1 percent compared to 2014, according to latest data revealed by market research firm Idc.however, the digital camera market is facing an uphill challenge to compete with smartphones. Total shipments (the cumulative total of shipments from January to December) of digital cameras in 2016 are projected to be 31.00 million units, a year-on-year decline of 12.4 percent. Shipments of cameras with a built-in lens are projected to be 18.60 million units (a year-on-year fall of 16.6 percent). Meanwhile, shipments of cameras with an interchangeable lens are projected to be 12.40 million units (a year-on-year fall of 5.3 percent). Shipments of lenses for cameras with an interchangeable lens are projected to fall 7.8 percent year on year to 20.00 million units, according to the 2016 outlook on the shipment forecast published by the camera & Imaging Products Association, a Tokyo-based industry group.

The obvious reason why smartphones are getting more popular is mainly that they are getting better when it comes to image quality. And in terms of portability, they are more convenient that cameras – you are certain to be carrying your phone around everywhere you go, meaning you can take shots at any time. In December 2015, Flickr, a social network for sharing and posting photographs, released statistics to show the top cameras and device types used by the Flickr community last year. The iPhone 6 was the most popular camera on Flickr during 2015, closely followed by the 5S, 5, 4S, 4, and 6 Plus, the photo-sharing service announced during its regular “Year in review” feature.

Many consumers are already using their smartphones for sharing and storing photos online, according to Deloitte. The 15^th edition of Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions, a report by Deloitte Global, estimates that in 2016, 2.5 trillion photos will be shared or stored online, a 15 percent increase on the prior year. And, over 90 percent of these photos will likely have been taken over a smartphone.

“We estimate that over 90 percent of the photos shared or stored online will have been taken on a smartphone. The dominance of the smartphone for photo sharing is due to its ubiquity and the rate at which owners upgrade their devices. Photo sharing has been and will likely be enabled and encouraged by improvements in smartphone capabilities, as well as faster fixed and mobile connectivity,” according to Deloitte Global.

The Industry Speaks

The unstoppable rise of mobile photography undoubtedly comes from its accessibility. Anyone with a smartphone can get hooked to photography, without needing to invest in expensive DSLRs, according to Shobhit Srivastava and Pavel Naiya, analysts, counterpoint.

“The reason for the meteoric rise in popularity of smartphone camera is accessibility: you have a smartphone handy at all times, never missing a moment. Companies saw that potential and over the years, improved the camera quality in their devices making it a unique selling point. Apple, for example, is advertising in India with hoardings of photographs shot by its customers on iPhones. Accessories maker have come up with feasible replaceable lenses for smartphones, increasing the quality of photographs shot from smartphones.

“Another proposition that worked in the favor of smartphones eating up the DSLR/compact camera segment is value for money. You can get a smartphone with a decent 13 megapixels camera for as low as $80 in India. While a decent DSLR at $220 will appeal only to a niche market of consumers who are interested in and passionate about photography. 

“Connectivity is another important feature that appeals to the consumer. While they can immediately share, upload and edit their photographs on a smartphone, consumers will have to depend on another device in most cases to do from their DSLRs/cameras. Camera manufacturers are realizing this and trying to close this gap. GoPro a video camera manufacturer focusing on making a device that is fully connected so that users can share, upload and edit their content on the go,” Shobhit Srivastava and Pavel Naiya added.

According to counterpoint’s market Pulse December 2015 study, an average smartphone primary camera is now 10.71 megapixels. As Social capital (social media presence and appreciation from peers) is a thing for the millennium generation, with high-quality cameras, the smartphone is becoming the main tool to notify social media presence with selfies and groupies. Smartphone shipments grew 12 percent on Yoyo to reach a massive 1475 million units in 2015, having a direct impact on point and shoot camera market. However, this will not adversely affect the DSLR market in short run and is, in fact, creating opportunities for DSLR companies to target the smartphone customer base who are developing a taste for photography and want to move up a notch.

For, Amit Gujral, marketing head – mobiles, LG India, the evolution of smartphone camera has allowed millions of consumers to actually experience DSLR-like features, like never before. “The world is a smaller place today and increasingly becoming mobile. Today a mobile phone is your best friend, counselor and much more rolled into one. As we share more and more parts of our lives on social media there is a pressing need for a phone that serves the role of a traditional camera (DSLR) but is easy to carry (fits in the pocket).”

He further added, “The smartphone camera serves as a gateway to photography for millions of people. It facilitates business and enables communication. It is a perfect case of technology evolving and enabling people. When we launched the LG G4 we realized that the phone camera and its quality has become a make or break decision for a potential buyer. This combined with the need to offer the best in class product to consumers made LG introduce the G4 which for the first time offered DSLR-like features to photography enthusiasts on their handsets.“

Peter Chang, regional head of South Asia and Managing Director, Asus India, takes pride in its ZenFone Zoom, which comes with a 3x Optical Zoom. He says that the ZenFone Zoom serves as an alternative to a DSLR camera. “Smartphones are increasingly empowering the average consumer to capture visuals, without having to rely on professional cameras on a day-to-day basis. Research conducted by PEW research center further corroborates the same, stating that 92 percent of people today use smartphones to click pictures. With newer, advanced models being developed, ‘photography’ has now been made widely accessible. Another survey conducted by HolidayIQ found that more than 67 percent of young Indian travelers prefer to use their smartphones to click photographs rather than using DSLRs. In addition to the convenience that smartphones have over DSLRs, both in size and maintenance, they are also easier to use and allow users to share photos in real time.

“We at Asus have recently launched the ZenFone Zoom, the world’s first ever smartphone to come with 3x Optical Zoom which is built by innovating 10-element lenses by HOYA that gives you 12x total magnification. The Zenfone Zoom serves as an alternative option for those who want a pocket-sized DSLR and its unique combination of innovations sets a new benchmark for the industry, and will raise consumer expectations of smartphone photography, “he said.

Manu Seth, Senior Director marketing, HTC South Asia, believes that the smartphone camera is fast changing mobile photography. He says that the smartphone has evolved to become the platform for advanced photography, with so many features being added such as optical image stabilization for blur-free photos.

“With an unmatched immersive experience, the smartphone has now become an indispensable part of our lives. The smartphone embraces our lives by capturing vivid photos of the moments with advanced imaging technology. Smartphone empowers us to chronicle and relives our memories. The smartphone camera is fast changing the photography paradigm. HTC smartphones augment the user imaging experience with incredible features. HTC Ultra Selfie empowers users to capture vibrant, real and authentic photos even when captured in low light conditions. Another discerning feature, Optical Image Stabilization clicks unshakably clear images by reducing blurriness. With such benefits, the smartphone camera has created a niche for itself in our lives,” he added.

Allen Wang, President of Consumer Business Group, Huawei India, also feels that the mobile photography has come of age, and it is not surprising to see smartphones have emerged as a strong contender to take over from DSLRs.

“DSLRs have been the first choice for photography lovers for the longest time. However, in the past few years, smartphones have emerged as a strong contender vis-à-vis DSLRs providing similar photography experience with less hassle. Not only are smartphones easy and safer to carry; they come loaded with superlative features making photography a sheer pleasure, anytime and every time. Moreover, the changes seen in the smartphone industry specifically on the hardware and software technology front in recent years have been game changers. Huawei, being the world number 3 smartphone manufacturer, with its two premium smartphones Nexus 6P and honour 7 aims to provide customers with the first in class photography experience.”

Solomon Wheeler, Vice President and head – marketing & communication, Lava International, also feels that smartphones with high-end cameras have replaced point-and-shoot cameras. He credits the smartphone’s compact size for the growth in a high-end camera phone. His company’s new Lava V5 features an advanced camera feature called PDAF (phase-detection auto-focus) that helps the camera focus on fast moving objects more accurately, enabling consumers to capture perfect shots. “Photography has evolved over time with the introduction of new and advanced smartphone cameras. Smartphones with high-end cameras have gradually replaced point-and-shoot cameras. There was a time when people were moving around with bulky cameras on holidays and other social events. Today people have moved on and want to capture special moments in their life and share them instantly. This is one key reason for the growth of high-end camera smartphones”, he added.

Atul Jain, COO, Smart Electronics Business, LeEco India, feels that smartphones have gained DSLR-like imaging capabilities. He says that smartphone cameras will not replace the traditional camera though, as specialists like photographers will continue to favour DSLRs. “I think a normal consumer will prefer to buy a smartphone, instead of buying both of them. Even our Le max has the DSLR capabilities. As a consumer, if I look at it then why would I carry another device with me for a task which also can be done with my primary device that is a smartphone. But yes, there will some special people who are very much into photography or who take it as big passion or profession, who will continue favouring DSLRs”, Jain told my mobile at his Gurgaon-based office.

Manu Sharma, Director, mobiles Business, Samsung India Electronics, feels that the kind of lens size used in a DSLR camera is usually different. He, however, acknowledged that there is a need to improve the quality of image optics being used in a smartphone without compromising the compactness. “The smartphones are very compact and the DLSR is very bulky. I think within the DSLR I would say that lots of changes are happening. DSLR is becoming smaller. Getting DSLR kind of features is very important and I know for sure that a lot of work is happening in that area. But then again the kind of lens size DSLRs use are different and how that would be accommodated in a 5â€inch chassis is something we have to see. There are two ways of looking at it. One is, I would clearly say that camera is one of the most demanded and most used functions in a smartphone. More pictures are taken with the smartphones then you can imagine. So the quality factor becomes important. Secondly, you can get better cameras or metacentric phones but then you compromise a bit on the design and bulkiness. So that’s where the consumer preference lies. So far we have seen that the consumer does not want ‘phone cameras’.”

“We have also launched some good phone cameras in the past where we learned that the consumer doesn’t want to compromise on the compactness and as long as that the required standard is met, the volume of the cameraâ€centric devices will be low because people will want a sleek device but they would expect the camera to be great. Having said that, still a lot of work is possible on the camera as components will get smaller and we will see lots of improvement on the camera side,” he added.

Sony also feels that even though smartphone cameras have improved a lot; comparison with an interchangeable lens camera makes no sense. In fact, Sony argues that interchangeable cameras and smartphones are two different product categories. “Smartphone cameras have improved immensely and are seeing greater usage given its size, weight and convenience compared to a conventional DSLR. However, smartphone cameras do not have the advanced capabilities of an interchangeable lens camera, “says Masaaki Hori, Head, Digital Imaging, Sony India.

“Interchangeable lens camera and smartphones are different product categories and cater to different consumer segments. Interchangeable lens camera with the larger size of image sensor offers photo quality that is significantly better than a smartphone and come with superior image quality, faster autofocus mechanisms, more manual control, and versatility of interchangeable lens”, he said.

For Oppo, camera phones are getting as good as some of the popular cameras on the market. The Chinese smartphone maker is known for its N1 and N3 smartphones – both devices created a niche for them in the premium camera-centric smartphone market. “With smartphones taking over as personal cameras for many professionals, innovation is at its best among brands competing to capture the flourishing market. Thanks to the latest progression in camera technology, you find camera phones as good as or even better than some of the popular cameras available in the market”, says, Sky Li, Oppo Global VP, MD of International mobile Business and President of Oppo India.

Umang Bedi – MD, South Asia, Adobe, on the other hand, believes that DSLRs are going to stay but smartphones have gained powerful cameras that could be a threat to the traditional camera market. He says that adobe’s family of mobile apps and Creative Sync, lets you professionally create and edit photos. “Technology is disrupting existing ecosystems and this is also enabling everyone to click, capture, sketch, draw, paint, create layouts, edit photos and make videos on-the-go. DSLRs are definitely not going anywhere but smartphones which are equipped with such powerful cameras these days are giving them a tough run. Mobile is everywhere and it is how we communicate, buy things, date, find our way and so much more, but it’s not how we create. We take pictures and use apps like Instagram to share moments with others. But there is little-to-no professional creation happening on mobile or tablets.”

”With limited output or interoperability with other tools, mobile creative apps are largely toys, not tools. With Adobe's family of mobile apps and Creative Sync, all your apps and assets are connected across your desktop and mobile devices, so you can do great work anywhere”, he added.

Vivek Tyagi, Director of Business Development, channel and OEM Sales, SanDisk India, agrees that smartphones these days come with advanced camera capabilities. “mobile photography is here to stay. Smartphone users today are demanding phones which support advanced camera capabilities. These criteria are only pushing the need for advanced embedded flash technology like the NAND 7232 – a solution responds quickly and which take photo application performance to the next level, from faster multi-shot and 4K ultra HD video capture, to able to capture multi-shot photos in an editable raw format”,

Raman Barwal, a Delhi-based photographer and co-founder of UK Images, finds it hard to compare smartphone cameras to DSLRs and feels that nothing can beat a DSLR. “DSLRs can help you expand your visions digitally. The thought and even the expectation that this high end/highly equipped handset camera lens will give similar results is highly unlikely and of course seems like a total marketing gimmick to me. Not that they are not easy to use. They will definitely give you much better results than the normal cameras of any other smartphone but if we think they can be compared to DSLR's, we are definitely trying to mix chalk and cheese”, he said.

Conclusion

A few would argue that photo quality of a smartphone come close matching that of a DSLR. Others would say that DSLRs are more versatile; they can accommodate interchangeable lenses, shoot complex shots with fidelity, and capture sharper images. But remember, not everyone needs a DSLR or an interchangeable camera. Sometimes a camera lens itself costs more than the price of an iPhone 6s. Convenience is one big factor for an average user when buying a camera – and that means we already have a winner. No, we do not think it is time to bid goodbye to the trusty DSLR, but we do think that the modern smartphone gives you ample reason to leave it behind if you are not in the mood to be burdened by photographic equipment.

                                                 Raktim Maitra