By Tara Tuckwiller on December 20, 2012 in
Smartphones are killing the cheap digital camera, some say -- even some professional camera critics.
"The cheap compact camera is sliding inexorably into obsolescence," declares Ben Keough at DigitalCameraInfo.com. "What good is a truly pocketable camera if you've already got a camera in your pocket, as so many of us do?"
Or, as his colleague Liam McCabe puts it: "Does anyone need a $280 camera that acts like a $200 smartphone?"
Not so fast, says Time magazine tech blogger Harry McCracken. He points out that even a "garden-variety $120 point-and-shoot" does things -- like zoom -- that no phone camera can.
Who's right? We tossed both gadgets into the boxing ring to find out.
Round 1: Photo quality
Winner: Cheap digital camera
Only the very latest smartphones -- like the iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S III -- can match even cheap, under-$250 cameras here. Phones from just a few months ago (like the iPhone 4S) crank out photos that look grainy, fuzzy and unnaturally colored by comparison when blown up large, in head-to-head tests at Gizmodo.com and Mashable.com.
But at normal snapshot size, will you notice the difference? Try this quiz at CNN.com, to see if you can tell which photos came from an expensive digital SLR (single-lens reflex) camera and which were shot with a phone.
Round 2: Video quality
Winner: Tie
Both gadgets can shoot HD video, but we didn't find any head-to-head tests.
DxOMark.com -- a website that meticulously tests camera sensors -- says the Samsung Galaxy S III shoots better video than one well-regarded compact digital camera, the Canon PowerShot S100 (*Est. $350). But don't expect beautiful movies from a lesser smartphone, say testers at Mashable.com and Gizmodo.com.
Round 3: Speed
Winner: Cheap digital camera
You know when you hit the "take a photo" button on your smartphone ... and then a few seconds later, the phone finally gets around to actually snapping the picture? And you wind up with a blurry photo -- or worse, you miss the moment entirely? Good cheap digital cameras don't do that.
To be fair, the latest crop of smartphones has solved that annoying problem, CNET testers are relieved to discover. Still, some cheap digital cameras -- like the Best Reviewed Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX150 (*Est. $220) -- can actually fire off machine-gun bursts of up to 10 frames per second (fps), to capture sports and fast action. Try doing that with any smartphone.
Round 4: Zoom
Winner: Cheap digital camera
Zoom lenses can fold up incredibly small -- but still too big for a smartphone (although LG says it's working on one). That's one reason why Time's McCracken argues that smartphones won't kill cameras just yet. Most cheapies have at least a 5x optical zoom -- 10x, for some. Ultrazoom cameras can zoom way closer.
Yes, smartphones do have digital "zooms," but those usually just pixelate and destroy the photo. You can also buy a zoom lens attachment for your smartphone, if you like.
Round 5: Features
Winner: Tie
Even under-$250 digital cameras come loaded with extras -- panorama, 3D, special effects to make your photo look like a cartoon or an oil painting. Some smartphones do too -- and there's always an app.
Round 6: Photo sharing
Winner: Smartphone camera
Half the fun of shooting with your phone is sharing your photos instantly, thanks to that always-on data connection.
A few cheap digital cameras have built-in Wi-Fi, but even with those, you have to be within range of a Wi-Fi connection that's configured to work with it. And most cheap digital cameras still make you do an old-fashioned cable-to-computer hookup before you can share anything.
Round 7: Size
Winner: Tie
Both fit neatly into a small pocket. Cheap digital cameras are thicker than smartphones (less than an inch, though) but not as tall -- a little bigger than a business card.
Round 8: Convenience
Winner: Smartphone camera
The best camera is the one you actually have with you when you need it, as the saying goes -- and that's probably your phone.
Round 9: Battery life
Winner: Cheap digital camera
For shooting blitzes, cheap digital cameras clearly win. These single-use gadgets are good for 175 to 250 shots per charge -- which would quickly kill your phone's battery.
Round 10: Price
Winner: Cheap digital camera
Monthly fees: Smartphones have 'em, cheap cameras don't. Once you spend the $100 to $250 for the camera, you're done.
The Decision: Cheap digital cameras win!
But maybe not for long. Smartphone cameras traditionally shoot laggy, disappointing photos -- but the latest smartphones have solved those problems. If smartphones ever get zoom lenses, cheap digital cameras will be in real trouble.
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