Digital Camera Features We'll Never See In Smartphone Cameras

Mobile photography has always been a controversial topic among photographers. While many folks welcome new technology and a new medium — evidenced by countless guides on taking the best smartphone photos — some old-school photographers are hesitant to embrace the format with open arms. Now that everyone has a smartphone in their pocket, we all have instant access to a camera at a moment's notice. And, thanks to ever-changing advancements in tech, we see improvements in resolution, zoom, and shooting modes with the release of every hot new phone. Still, there are shortfalls. No matter how much the smartphone evolves, there remain things it simply cannot do — or do particularly well.

There's a saying that "the best camera is the one you have," and no tool will ever be more valuable than a photographer's own two eyes. You certainly don't need a fancy camera to be a great photographer. That said, there are functions and features of a digital camera we'll likely never see with smartphone cameras. Sometimes, the old ways are the best.

An undeniable advantage proper DSLRs and mirrorless cameras have over smartphones is the wide variety of compatible lenses. While lens attachments for smartphones do exist and have for a while, we'll likely never see a range of glass as extensive or high-quality as those put out by Canon, Sony, Nikon, or other dedicated camera manufacturers. Most of these options are small, which limits the mechanics and made of plastic, which limits quality even further. 

As stated earlier, most modern smartphones come with multiple lenses. There's often a "standard" or wide-angle field of view on the main lens, then phones like the Galaxy S22 Plus also throw an ultra-wide and telephoto lens in the mix. If this doesn't cover the bases for you, there are various modes, attachments, and apps that can give you a workable (often fully digital) solution for achieving things like fisheye, macro, and tilt-shift — but it's just not the same as camera glass. If you shoot things like wildlife, sports, or anything else requiring a lot of speed and distance, you can pretty much count on the shot you take with your phone to be vastly inferior to one taken with a digital camera and the appropriate lens.

Sometimes, you need to make your own light. When you're shooting portraits, stuck in low light, or working in a professional setting such as a wedding or studio, flash can be an integral part of your setup. Digital cameras come equipped with a variety of means to hook up a light source: built-in pop-up flashes, hot shoes, connections for sync cables, or a combination of all three. You can also set multiple lights up to communicate with each other and fire simultaneously via cable or wireless trigger (radio or infrared). 

Smartphones can't hold a candle to this level of lighting control and integration. Regardless of the manufacturer, the built-in flash that comes with our phones is weak, unpredictable, and fixed. You aren't able to make adjustments for subject distance, exposure compensation, or output. Subjects are often washed out or over-exposed while the background remains too dark. If you want any say in the matter, that's too bad: Your only options are On, Off, or Auto. 

Over the years, there have been attempts to create off-camera flashes for smartphones that never really took off. You can also find "studio strobes" for smartphones that have to be held in one hand while you shoot single-handedly with the other. Your options here are limited, however, and results will never rival the output or control of professional lighting. As cool as it would be to have a hot shoe on our iPhone, that day is probably never coming.  

Modern smartphone manufacturers are in an ongoing, never-ending competition for the most streamlined design. Consumers want phones that fit comfortably in a hand, in a pocket, in a purse — anything beyond a thin rectangle doesn't get much traction these days. While that's a fine form factor for the multitude of roles we ask our phones to play, when it comes to taking pictures, it simply isn't as comfortable as holding a camera. 

Cameras are designed to sit securely in the hand, with all the necessary buttons and controls comfortably at your fingertips. They're often wrapped with a texturized rubber exterior for extra grip when you're shooting. You can also attach various accessories like battery grips or hand straps that give you even more versatility in handling the device. It's safe to say that even if smartphones evolve beyond that thin rectangle, they'll likely never reach a point resembling the ergonomic build of a traditional camera. Instead, we're destined to precariously take photos with our phones balanced between our thumbs and forefingers.

Having a viewfinder is somewhat of a take-it-or-leave-it option these days, as framing up a shot on a smartphone or camera LCD screen is pretty convenient. Regardless, a viewfinder is one camera feature we'll probably never see in smartphones. The components simply don't lend themselves to the form factor of a phone.

If you take a lot of photos, there are some benefits to using a viewfinder, and there's a reason many photographers still prefer shooting that way. Viewfinders are a more accurate representation of what the human eye sees before a digital processor gets a hold of the image. They also force you to hold the camera up close to the body, which makes it easier to balance heavier gear, cutting down on shake. And, if you've ever tried to take a photo in the glaring sun, you know that it can be impossible to make out anything on a screen — your image, the controls, anything — because screens only get so bright. Viewfinders don't have this problem. So while a viewfinder isn't an absolutely necessary feature anymore, it's still nice to have the option. And for smartphones, it's unlikely we ever will.

At the end of the day, photography, as a concept, is based on physics. Understanding how light works is a fundamental part of being a photographer, and interpreting that light into an image is the fundamental function of a camera (along with its lens). There is something inherently special, almost tangible about this process. 

Smartphone cameras are trying their hardest to do all the things a regular digital camera can do. In many ways, they get pretty close, and it's been incredible to watch their evolution. But where they can't make it, they fake it. Depth-sensing blur software, "optical zoom" which isn't true optical zoom, and other camera phone features rely on a combination of digital manipulation and artificial intelligence. It's simply the easiest way for such a small device to accomplish comparable results, and there will more than likely always be a large software component driving smartphone cameras. Here, the moving parts and internal workings of a traditional camera will always do the job a little bit better. It's just physics.