Mobile phone cameras are so good now, you have to wonder why you’d spend thousands of dollars on a “proper” dedicated camera. I will confess, when planning this clip I did wonder “what if the phone footage looks as good as my other cameras”, it didn’t, but I’ll concede that for some purposes, a mobile phone will be fine.
Tt’s not just what gear you’ve got, but what you do with it that matters. A videographer has the experience to know what works and what will make you look good. After all, you put effort into creating a brand image and surely you want that to carry through to the videos you make.
That aside, for the uninitiated here’s a more detailed list of the differences between your phone versus a more professional camera:
- Bigger sensor = greater dynamic range (see video), accurate colours
- Bigger sensor and fast lenses = you can choose where to focus, better in low light
- Better lenses = clearer, less warped image (eg curving or blur at the edge). Able to zoom
- Bigger bit depth and bit rate = more information to colour-correct and grade later
- Not over-sharpened. The mobile phone uses software to ‘sharpen’ the image. It is too much.
- Able to control everything like focus, exposure, white balance, picture profiles, versus the phone which is all automatic.
- Better sound with better pre-amps and microphone connectors in a real camera
- Stabilization, all sorts of input / output connectors and mounting points.
I’m sure there’s a bunch more. The holy-grail is a more “cinematic” look and of course the better the camera, the closer it gets to this nebulous ideal.
If this has been useful, please send me a reply email and say hello. (It’s lonely in lockdown 🙂
Keith Rhodes
