Wednesday 17th December 2014
It might come as something of a surprise to the more traditionally-minded artists out there, but one of the most rapidly growing areas of art is mobile phone photography. Hard to believe, I know, but as the technology improves much more rapidly than it does in DSLR cameras, this growing sector is likely to continue expanding. I'm not talking about Instagram selfies or disgustingly filtered images of people's food, but rather completely serious photography - after all, sometimes the best camera for the job is the one you have with you at all times.
Now, once you're done laughing up your sleeve (half of me is right there with you, but the other half is curious), let's take a look at some of the ways that mobile phone cameras are stepping up their game in order to actually become real imaging devices in their own right.
The primary issue with most phone cameras isn't the megapixel count anymore, as sensors are incredibly advanced and cramming a 20 megapixel sensor into a phone isn't completely unheard of. Where these cameras tend to hit trouble, naturally, is the lens. There's an old saying that your photo is only as good as your lens, not your camera, and it's never more true than on a mobile phone that uses a bead of plastic as a lens.
However, thanks to the rising interest in mobile phone photography, a number of aftermarket add-on lenses have come out in recent years that fit almost any make and model of phone that you care to name. Many - maybe even most - of these lenses are available for under $100 USD, which obviously doesn't put them in the same league as any kind of professional DSLR lens, but can still be a dramatic improvement over the lens on your smartphone.
Generally, these lenses aren't classed as specifically as professional lenses, and instead of being sold by the focal length, they're usually simply classed as macro, wide angle and telephoto, but for the price point they're a fun gadget to experiment with, without having to break the bank on professional quality lenses. Even if you're a professional photographer, you might want to try swallowing your pride and seeing what new worlds you might explore with these unassuming little lenses.
Posted on December 17th 2014 on 05:04pm
