* Smartphone fans may be a little outraged that I'm not using a 2018 phone, but it's only very recently that an Android or iOS phone camera has surpassed the Lumia 950 XL, and then only by virtue of having extra telephoto lenses. So the Lumia 950 XL is a still a great benchmark phone camera.
** The EOS 1200D is from a few years ago, admittedly (launched in 2014), but is still a great DSLR that I/we use regularly.
Yes, the mighty Lumia should struggle against the DSLR, but my prediction is that, most of the time, it won't be too far behind, and that the extra intelligence in the smartphone's image processing might even give a win here and there. Zooming will, again, be key though, with the basic DSLR offering some optical zoom and - in theory - the possibility to screw on whatever outrageous zoom accessory you care to buy!
As usual, I've gone out of my way to find shots that will challenge the best cameras, phone or standalone.
Notes:
- I've tried several resolutions. Both the EOS 1200D and Lumia 950 XL can shoot in oversampled 8MP or at the full 20MP or so. Pros and cons for each resolution - the former allows for greater image purity in low light and for some lossless digital zoom on the Lumia, while the latter obviously delivers more detail in most light conditions. I've mainly gone for the former, having found that the latter doesn't really change my conclusions.
- All photos were taken handheld on full 'auto' on both devices, unless stated otherwise. Mimicking real life users. Yes, I realise that the whole point of a DSLR is that you can fiddle with every setting under the sun, plus you can mount it on tripods, add extra lenses, and more. The full DSLR world. But here I just wanted a quick set of data points of the DSLR in full 'auto' mode.
Let's pit the results against each other, using our Famed Interactive Comparator (FIC). All 1:1 crops are at 900x500 for comparison, but see the links for full versions.
| Note that the interactive comparator below uses javascript and does need to load each pair of images. Please be patient while this page loads, if you see a pair of images above each other than you've either not waited long enough or your browser isn't capable enough! You ideally need a powerful, large-screened tablet or a proper laptop or desktop. This comparator may not work in some browsers. Sorry about that. On Windows 10 Mobile, use the 'AAWP Universal' UWP app, which handles the comparator very competently (see the tips in the app's help screens). |
Test 1: Sunny day, steam train
An easy shot, and using 8MP on both (as a starting point), use your slider as usual on these web-resolution overviews:
This is a particularly good example of showing how phone cameras can often be better than DSLRs when it comes to a simple snap. The dynamic range from the Lumia 950 XL camera is very impressive, while the DSLR is clearly struggling. And no, the 950 XL didn't cheat with a 'Rich Capture' HDR shot, this is a single exposure - I checked. Of course, the Lumia does add a certain warmth and golden cast to proceedings, but its photo is clearly superior.
DSLR fans will say 'Ah, but you're supposed to use a tripod and take three bracketed exposures and then combine them later in Photoshop.' Which is all such a hassle that you can absolutely see why phone cameras rule the roost in 2018.
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and EOS 1200D, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Detail is clearly sharper in the Lumia image, but it would be crazy to suggest that it had better optics than the DSLR. What you're seeing is the difference between a photo that's been tastefully 'enhanced' using phone GPU algorithms and much 'rawer' image that's crying out for such things later in a photo editor on a computer.
Test 2: Station shade
Another view of the station, this time centring it on a group of people and pets in the shade, use your slider as usual on these web-resolution overviews:
Again the Lumia has vastly better dynamic range, plus the DSLR also suffered from lens flare (from its much larger optics), but in fairness the exposure system is very different and the spot metering in the DSLR was working from the passenger waiting room and the subjects, whereas the Lumia was trying to expose for the whole scene and assuming its dynamic range would handle everything across the frame.
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and EOS 1200D, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
The Lumia's handling of detail in this central subject is somewhat darker as a result, but both crops are fine and again you get a sense that the DSLR's image could do with a touch of modern auto-enhancement before the save to JPG. It's a different world going back to shooting with a 'dumb' camera, I tell you!
Test 3: Low light
Staying with 8MP for now, here's a low light test. The oversampling and/or pixel binning should produce decent results on each device. Use your slider as usual on these web-resolution overviews:
Notably, the DSLR warns on-screen that light is low and that a tripod should be used. But even handheld, and despite the Lumia 950 XL's legendary low light chops and OIS, the Canon DSLR manages a tremendously detailed low light photo, thanks to the far larger light-gathering optics and sensor.
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and EOS 1200D, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
Although Windows 10 Camera on the Lumia does a great job of keeping things as pure as possible, and despite some extra digital noise, there's genuine extra detail in the EOS 1200D shot. Very impressive. And did I mention that, despite terribly dark conditions (far darker than either photo makes out), focussing was still near instant on the DSLR, while being a second or so at best on the Lumia?
Test 4: Low light with floodlit detail
Also at 8MP, another low light test, this time with some floodlighting and light dynamics. Use your slider as usual on these web-resolution overviews:
It's not just in sunshine that the Lumia 950 XL's dynamic range comes to the fore - it does a much better job of handling the floodlighting here. And, unusually, it's the Lumia that has the more restrained colours, while the Canon manages a golden glow too far, etc.
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and EOS 1200D, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
It's tough to tell whether one shot has more actual detail than the other because the DSLR made such a mess of the exposure. It's hard to tell on the small external screen just how good or bad a shot is, but if I was after this shot for real with a DSLR then of course I'd have played with a few different exposure values and shutter speeds. That's what DSLRs are all about.
Meanwhile the Lumia just nails the shot. First time.
Test 5: Zoom time
Time to introduce zoom, such a core component of the DSLR scene. Here I'm simply testing the default zoom lens that comes with the EOS 1200D, but it's enough.... Here's the zoomed scene from the 950 XL:
In case you want to grab the original zoomed images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and EOS 1200D, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
This is the clear difference between digital zoom (even if half of this is lossless on the Lumia 950 XL) and optical zoom, which is clearer and more natural. And of course, with a DSLR, if you want more zoom you just screw on another lens and off you go. 5x, 10x, even 20x if light is good enough, if you have a tripod, and so on....
Test 6: Absolute resolution versus zoom
As a final example of where optical zoom helps even a basic DSLR set-up break away from a great phone camera, here I'm shooting a mural from across a river. I've bumped up the resolution on both the DSLR and phone to the full 20MP in order to extract maximum detail. Here's the unzoomed scene from the 950 XL:
In case you want to grab the original (in the DSLR's case) zoomed images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and EOS 1200D, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, again use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
The Lumia 950 XL does amazingly well, I think, in terms of capturing extreme detail at a distance, but look what even this un-expanded DSLR can do. And it's ever thus with optical zoom on a DSLR, the size of the optics in both dimensions means that you can effectively get full resolution (in this case 20MP) yet with full zoom as well.
Summary
Enough though. You'll notice that I haven't scored this feature in a traditional way - there's simply no point. The phone camera (of which the Lumia 950 XL is a terrific example) has its strengths, the DSLR has its likewise - contrary to what you might think, they're simply two different tools for different jobs.
| Phone camera (Lumis 950 XL) |
DSLR |
|
| Strengths |
Typically massive dynamic range, thanks to multi-exposure technology, more advanced sensor OIS built-in means you never have to worry about hand shake and you never have to remember to bring a tripod(!) Light, thing, pocketable. |
Unscrewable optics mean that you just screw on a new lens/zoom system for a particular shot. Fabulous focussing, with a choice of methods and algorithms, depending on what you need. Xenon flash (not tested above, but you all know I love a real flash for people shots indoors and in the evening! |
| Weaknesses |
Limited zoom potential. The 950 XL can zoom to 1.5x natively, some competitors reach 3x with a dedicated telephoto lens, but that's really as far as things go, and all this only in good light. Poor/slow focus - this is phone specific and the Lumias are bad examples, only having PDAF. Some phone cameras do have 'laser a//f' or 'dual pixel a/f' and so on. But this is a 950 XL weakness, at least. Indoor people shots limited by LED flash. |
Poor native dynamic range, it's always assumed that the user will adjust exposure or shoot bracketed images if needed. Typically poor native stabilisation, due to the size and bulk of the optics. You can get stabilised lenses, mind you. Or - yes - just bring a tripod! Bulky, heavy, extra lenses needs cases/bags |
Finally, you'll have noticed that I went 'auto' for the simple data points above. It goes without saying that if you're a shutterbug then you're going to want to fiddle - creatively - to take better shots on both devices. The Lumia has the old Nokia Pro Camera interface for adjusting ISO, exposure, shutter speed, and so on, while the DSLR's interface, both physical and electronic, allows almost any parameter to be adjusted, for arty effects that are just about impossible to replicate on the phone,
Horses for courses, as they say. I enjoyed going back to a DSLR for a few days, but the sheer bulk and weight (and this is without addons) somewhat appalled me. My conclusion is that a great phone camera can now easily take much better snaps than a DSLR, but that when you need heavy zoom, proper flash or simply something arty then a DSLR will usually win out.
In short, leave the DSLR at home or in the glove box, for when you know you're going to need it - the rest of the time, a phone camera of the Lumia 950 XL's calibre* will be better than fine.
* In the Features section of this site, I've done numerous head to heads - in 2018 the iPhone X, Galaxy S9+ and Huawei P20 Pro shootouts will be of interest.