DSLR vs iPhone: Which camera is the one for you?

You’ve heard that old adage, “The best camera is the one you have with you.” While this is true simply for the fact that having the ability to take a photo is far more important than not having that option, it doesn’t address issues such as quality, speed, reliability, and more.

Sure, iPhones or Samsung Galaxy phones take great photos, but do these tiny smartphone sensors really hold up to a DSLR or mirrorless camera? If you had to choose, would you rather have a mirrorless camera/DSLR instead of an iPhone?

Please note that we will be using the terms DSLR and mirrorless interchangeably in this article. DSLR or ‘Digital Single Lens Reflex’ is an older camera technology that has been phased out. Many people still refer to interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras as DSLR cameras, however.

Image quality: DSLR

There is no question that any modern DSLR or mirrorless camera shoots better images than a smartphone. While there are exceptions, mostly gimmicky ones — “This cover was shot on iPhone!” — any professional will shoot on a mirrorless or DSLR camera. Smartphone cameras have caught up to a large extent, mostly by mimicking DSLR image quality via software, but they still can’t match the sheer quality of the images from a good mirrorless camera. This applies to video as well.

Megapixels aside, physics plays a big part in why images look better on larger DSLR sensors. Large lenses and sensors allow more light in, which results in cleaner, less noisy images with a lot of detail.

The reason why DSLR lenses are so large is that the lenses are designed to properly correct and filter the light that’s getting to the sensor, often resulting in superior colour accuracy and contrast. 

ALSO READ: DSLR cameras: Everything you need to know before buying one

Smartphones attempt to do this with software. There’s also the fact that the larger pixels on DSLR sensors help capture more dynamic range, another feature that smartphone cameras try to mimic with computational photography features like smart HDR.

To be clear, smartphones have very capable cameras and you can shoot amazing photos with them. These images are generally flawed and over-processed compared to those you’d get from a DSLR, but for the medium you’re consuming them on — i.e. your smartphone display, Instagram, and other social media — they’re perfectly fine. Side by side on a smartphone screen, you’ll be hard pressed to tell DSLR images from smartphone images.

Convenience: Smartphone

The reason we’re not all lugging DSLR cameras with us wherever we go is very simple: convenience. DSLRs or mirrorless cameras are large and sometimes their lenses are even larger and heavier.

Then consider how we share images. On a smartphone, you simply click an image and share it. If you’re feeling particularly adventurous, you might quickly make a few edits before sharing. The entire process takes mere seconds. Sharing images from a mirrorless camera isn’t that simple. You can transfer images wirelessly, but you’ll usually need an app and will have to jump through a few hoops. 

ALSO READ: Here’s how to use the full 48MP iPhone 15 camera

If you’re shooting in RAW, you might need to transfer images to an iPad or computer via a USB cable or SD card reader and then edit the images in a complex image editing program. Sure, you can get better results from the latter setup, but in most cases, it’s simply not worth the hassle.

The bottom line: Images from DSLRs or mirrorless cameras are significantly better than what you get from a phone, but also require a lot more effort to capture. That effort is only worth putting in if you really love photography and/or are getting paid for your images.

For everyone else, smartphones are far superior. They’re easy to use, always on hand, and can capture great images thanks to new AI features and processing techniques.