Phone cameras are typically snubbed by photographers.  And with good reason!  They don’t have half the technical quality and variations that you can get with DSLR and most professional cameras.  But as they improve die hard photographers continue to be on the defensive on why phone cameras are relegated only to amateurs.  For the time being that might still hold true.

Let’s not dismiss the fact that phone cameras (and Instagram) were the biggest reason for the mass proliferation of photography.  Photography has become an obsession and addiction with the advent of selfies and filters.  The laymen can now create a respectable portfolio with little effort or technical skills (but still requires an intuitive eye and talent).  This however has put a lot of professional photographers on the defensive and in some cases overwhelmed what is considered the mediocrity of photos that are being produced in a large scale by the public.  It has made photography an accessible art form but for some it has diluted the quality and the effort that photographers put in to create pieces of art.  It has also likely given people a false sense of professional photography skills that they don’t otherwise refine or practice.  But is that a bad thing.

Although phone cameras still have a long way to go to meet the quality of DSLR and high res cameras, they are quickly catching up.  You don’t see phone cameras being used by journalists or wedding photographers for a reason.  But equally it has found its way to capturing and documenting everyday life (for better or worse) which wouldn’t have been as possible due to the cost and complexity of professional cameras.  It will be interesting to see how this is addressed in the future, most likely t will be dealt with much like it’s starting to now, with optional complex manual filters and ISO settings for those who want it and automatic for those who just want a picture.

I’m quiet on the fence for both – I see merit and roles for each in different places, complementing and not one substituting for the other.  But what do you guys think?