GWhen it comes to beautiful memories, photos and videos are indispensable and irreplaceable. Countless people use them to express their creativity on Tiktok, YouTube & Co.
The source for most of these images and films are, of course, smartphones. But which devices are best, or at least particularly well suited, for recording moving and still images?
Are the manufacturers’ flagship models, which often reach prices in excess of 1000 euros, a point of reference? In principle yes, says Andreas Seeger from the mobile phone specialist magazine “Connect”: “You can say that the more expensive a smartphone is, the better the camera equipment is, because this is basically what is most expensive in terms of hardware .”
1000 euros for a camera smartphone?
However, buyers can also stack a little lower in price. Andreas Seeger mentions around 500 euros as the price limit for smartphones that take better pictures even in poor light.
“In good light, most smartphones actually take good photos, even devices that cost around 300 euros,” explains the expert. In more difficult situations – in backlight or when it’s dark – the wheat separates from the chaff. “Then you need a device that is a bit more expensive.”
From 1000 euros, it is mainly the focal lengths that make the difference, says Seeger. In this price range, smartphones have several lenses: In addition to the normal wide-angle and the ultra-wide-angle, which are actually standard, there is also an optical zoom – with two, three or even five times the magnification.
The quality of the enlargements is limited: “Powerful zooms with a good light intensity do not fit into these flat mobile phones. After all, nobody wants to lug around a piece that is five centimeters thick,” points out Werner Lüttgens from the photography trade magazine “ColorFoto”.
Higher-priced models have several lenses on board in order to be able to offer the right optics for different shooting situations
Source: dpa-tmn/Robert Günther
“Therefore, the solution at the moment is to install many complete cameras with optics and recording sensors,” explains Lüttgens. This is very expensive and increases the price. Basically, the expert welcomes the effort: “The many cameras are good, because they offer the possibility to take pictures with different angles.”
The operation of the many cameras is then relatively self-explanatory, says Lüttgens: “The camera does a lot on its own.” Otherwise, the various cameras can be selected directly on the display.
Pay attention to optical image stabilization
Which other factors influence the photo quality of smartphones? “A larger image sensor is better because it delivers less noisy images,” says Michael Wolf from Stiftung Warentest. “An optical image stabilizer is also very useful if done well.”
In addition, however, it is hardly possible to draw conclusions about the image quality solely on the basis of technical characteristics. You just have to test that.
Under no circumstances should you be infected by pixel madness, warns Wolf. “More pixels doesn’t mean better image quality in any way.” On the contrary, having too many pixels squeezed onto a tiny camera sensor increases image noise. The smartphone then has to calculate this noise out of the photo with great effort, which can lead to other image errors.
And can one orient oneself to the well-known names of optics or camera manufacturers, which are often emblazoned on smartphones or lenses? Probably not, says Michael Wolf, dampening expectations: In our tests we have not observed that mobile phone cameras with prestigious names are always the best, he says.
But Werner Lüttgens is certain that these companies make sure that everything with their name on it has a certain quality: “Of course they don’t make these cameras, but they work on the development, certify the processes and they test them the whole thing too.” Therefore, one can rely on the fact that one receives a certain quality.
Are photo and video quality related?
And do you have to choose good pictures or good films when you buy a new device? No, says Michael Wolf. In general, one can assume that a good smartphone camera delivers both good photos and good videos.
“The lens and the image sensor are the same,” explains Wolf. “But videos are more demanding in terms of computing power.”
Andreas Seeger sees a slight tendency when it comes to quality: “You can get the best video quality from Apple these days,” says the expert. “But when it comes to photos, the Android manufacturers are more advanced.” Basically, Seeger is also convinced that good photo results with a smartphone usually also mean good or even very good quality for the videos on the device.
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