Choosing the best smartphone camera can really be a difficult task. Whether it’s an Android smartphone or iPhone, it does not matter, choosing the smartphone with the best camera can cause a lot of headaches. In this article, we will try to explain the technical characteristics and the ideal criteria to buy the best phone to take pictures.
How to choose the best smartphone camera
In this guide, we will see what parameters to consider to choose the best camera of a smartphone …
1) Photo sensor
The most common belief is that cameras with more megapixels are better than others. The reality is different, especially if we have to choose the best smartphone camera. In fact, the sensors of the smartphone cameras are very small and too many pixels do not offer improvements, indeed, may be a problem. The truth is that the best digital camera is the one with the largest sensor, even if it has a lower number of pixels.
The first rule is therefore to check, among the technical features, the size of the sensor, even before the number of megapixels. For example: the camera of a Samsung Galaxy S8 has a 1 / 2.5″ sensor and its size will have a diagonal of 7.18 mm ( see conversion table ), while the sensor of the Samsung Galaxy S7 1 / 2.6″ will have a diagonal less than 7 mm.
| Sensor Size | Diagonal (mm) | Length (mm) | Height (mm) |
|---|
| 1.5″ | 23:36 | 18.7 | 14 |
| 1″ | 15.86 | 13.2 | 8.8 |
| 1 / 1.2″ | 13:33 | 10.67 | 8 |
| 2/3″ | 11 | 8.8 | 6.6 |
| 1 / 1.6″ | 10:07 | 8:08 | 6:01 |
| 1 / 1.7″ | 9.5 | 7.6 | 5.7 |
| 1 / 1.8″ | 8.93 | 7:18 | 5:32 |
| 1/2″ | 8 | 6.4 | 4.8 |
| 1 / 2.3″ | 7.66 | 6:17 | 4:55 |
| 1 / 2.5″ | 7:18 | 5.76 | 4:29 |
| 1 / 2.7″ | 6.72 | 5:37 | 4:04 |
| 1/3″ | 6 | 4.8 | 3.6 |
| 1 / 3.2″ | 5.68 | 4:54 | 3:42 |
| 1 / 3.6″ | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| 1/4″ | 4 | 3.2 | 2.4 |
| 1/6″ | 3 | 2.4 | 1.8 |
| 1/8″ | 2 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
| 1/10 “ | 1.6 | 1:28 | 0.96 |
From these 18 items it is clear that the sensor of the Galaxy S8, although discreetly larger than the previous model is better and therefore able to gather more light and take better pictures. For the record, the sensor of the iPhone 7 is 1/3 inch, identical to the previous models of the iPhone 6s.
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Unfortunately, some manufacturers do not declare the size of the sensor, in these cases it will be better to opt for other considerations. The important thing is to clarify that it is useless to buy the latest model of Chinese smartphone with a camera over 20 megapixels, and then find that the photos are worse than those obtained with a 12-megapixel camera, but with a larger sensor. Of course, the sensor alone is not enough to quantify the quality of the camera that will have to be supported by lenses and valid materials, to make the most of.
2) Opening of the diaphragm
The aperture of the diaphragm is the maximum amount of light reaching the sensor and is indicated with the abbreviation f / .. So, to choose the best camera for smartphones consider that the higher the aperture will be and the greater the brightness of the camera, avoiding the risk of blurred or low quality photos. The new Samsung Galaxy Note 8 has an optical zoom with aperture of f / 1.7, extraordinary value for a smartphone. Thus, the opening of the major diaphragm will be the one with the lowest number following the letter “f”.
3) Optical image stabilizer
The image stabilizer is a very useful function, which allows you to contrast and limit the flicker effect in the shots as much as possible. The optical image stabilizer is increasingly used in the best smartphones and allows you to get better shots, especially in special conditions and low light. But how does the optical stabilizer work? In smartphones, the module (OIS = Optical Image Stabilization) allows to cancel the human tremolos, thanks to the use of a gyroscope and the movement of the optical sensor compartment, in order to compensate for the small involuntary movements of the user.
4) Other parameters
Other parameters to consider when choosing the best smartphone camera are: the optical quality of the lenses, the shutter speed and the ability to shoot video in 4K, with a high number of frames per second. Of course, in addition to these basic guidelines, there are many tricks and effects, to improve the smartphone photos through apps and software, making them better than the original.
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