drbilly

I’ve seen apps that make the cell phone more than simply a point and shoot. If they can figure out how to increase the sensor... who knows. But in the future, something will replace the cell phone.

PhotonHog Loc: Annapolis

Phones are for making phone calls. Cameras are for making images. Yes, most phones now have cameras, really an add on, that for some do rather well. It is VERY easy to just point and shoot with the phone; it is always right there. But that tiny sensor and third party add on lenses will NEVER approach the level of a real DSLR or even a good larger sensor point and shoot real camera. The sensor is the heart of any camera and still - bigger is better. Yes more mega pixels, some phones now boast over 10, can help but the quality of the image still comes first for real photography. So will smart phone cameras ever replace DSLRs? No for the serious photographer, never. Yes for the use who just needs an image now to send out for others to see.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

This site seems to be the current state of the art for iPhone astro.

http://www.iastrophotography.com/iastrophotography-gallery/

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

There is an app (lots actually) for that.

joehel2 Loc: Cherry Hill, NJ

They already have replaced them. I volunteer at Independence National Historical Park. When I am posted at the Liberty Bell, it’s not uncommon on a busy day to have 1300 people an hour visit. Generally, all visitors take a photo of the Liberty Bell or have someone take their picture in front of it. In my experience, only about 2% of visitors have a dedicated camera, I.e., point & shoot, or DSLR.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

I had my cell phone and was able to take this picture. If I would have had my camera and the movement and time it would have taken I would not have this picture.

Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

I think that people will just take more pictures and pictures. It appears so. I find the cell phone clumsy to shoot pictures. Yes they have improved.
One issue most cell phones are not used accept for facebook and social network posting. The most frustrating issue to me is the ergonomics of
a phone held up by the tip of your fingertips. I would like to know how many phones fall in this process.

Stash Loc: South Central Massachusetts

Not for me. I'm old school and prefer a camera that was made for that purpose. I don't need a camera that plays games,
surf the internet, texts, etc., etc., etc. That's why I still have flip phone I guess and not a so called smart phone..

DanielJDLM

Not as long as the sensor size is so miniscule.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

To all - the excellent images in the link above have EXIF data you can access via your EXIF Viewer. Note the wide apertures, short focal lengths and low ISOs. iPhones appear to excel in these situations. Remember all the old time photographs, typically headshots and similar static portraits? Until cameras, film, lenses combined to support 1/500 and faster, we don't see 'action' photos until around 1910 (google images from Paris, London and Stockholm Olympics).

What will be interesting is whether our societal standards will lower to meet the lowered quality of phone images? Consider images today from our newspapers / periodicals who canned all their staff photographers 10+ years ago. Those who desire higher quality, they still have staff or outsource to premium stock agencies such as Getty Images and similar to obtain news images such as from the crowd of photographers around Zuckerberg at an event earlier this week.

hainesr007

All of you old school DSLR users need to wake up and smell the coffee. The DSLR, whether you want to believe it or not, is going to die a rapid death. The younger generation coming up will be buying smartphones with dual and Tri cameras that actually take excellent pictures, some at 40 megapixels and above. And there are some very sophisticated attachments coming. With that said. The mirrorless camera is already ushering the DSLR out. Even the vaunted Canon and Nikon are aggressively trying to get high end mirrorless cameras out because they know it is the wave of the future. Many pros have already switched to mirrorless or have added a mirrorless camera to their repertoire. They simply do things better and faster than DSLR.

Tomfl101 Loc: Mount Airy, MD

Think of the cell phone as the proverbial mouse trap. Build a better one and the world will lead a path to your door. This explains why Apple and Google are two of the biggest companies in America. The cell phone eliminates more jobs every day. Remember when we needed alarm clocks, paper maps, calculators, record players, note books, stop watches, video cameras and yes consumer level still cameras? These multi-use devices are simply amazing. Our lives are all better and more efficient because of them. Technology and innovation will ultimately make the DSLR unnecessary for all but the most critical applications. As a professional I will use the camera that delivers the best image quality at the lowest possible cost. Right now it's the DSLR. Soon it will be mirrorless. And sadly the cell phone will most likely be in my bag (or pocket). Fortunately, SKILL will always be needed. No matter how well auto functions work the human mind and creativity will will always separate the good from the great. So rest assured, the cell phone will never destroy the joy of photography!

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

Cameras are going to follow the path they have always followed. As technology advances, a small percent will work with advanced technology that allows for greater control of the process to get the best picture possible. Lower end tech (cell phones right now) that does all the thinking for you will be popular among casual snapshot photographers. This technology advance is not new.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

"What will be interesting is whether our societal standards will lower to meet the lowered quality of phone images?" Did not realize there is a societal standard being lowered regarding pictures. I am 75 in my whole working and social involvement the quality of pictures never came up. Children, the market, vacations. Sports stuff like that. Standards?? Look at the political situation in this country. Federal, State, and local level. Republican or Democrat we have no standards.

Skiextreme2 Loc: Northwest MA

With the start of "selfies" cell phone cameras became very popular and because so many people have cell phones strapped to their heads, it's no wonder that people use them to get snapshots. Many get lucky and "snap" great looking images, but as many have mentioned, most images that get blown up to anything but social media size, the quality is not there. People are getting lazy, especially the younger generations, and don't want to spend the time to learn photography as many of us have.

So, yes, cell phones outnumber DSLR's and other fine cameras. But, in the future, people could be walking around chipped and have a heads up display in front of their face, blink to take a picture, tap your ear and speak a name to make a call, along with a lot more features, but I think there will be dedicated cameras (and photographers) for a long time to come