Best Camera choice for general photography – do I need a dSLR?

Best Camera choice for general photography – do I need a dSLR?

People often ask me what camera is best. You can see more about this on my photography page here. I decided to do a quick test to see if the quality from a mobile phone could hold up to a dSLR. So armed with my Nexus 5, Nikon AW120, Panasonic GH4, Nikon J1, Nikon D800 and Sony A7S I shot the same subject and have posted the photos for you to decide.

Image quality comparison

Nikon J1 with Nikon 18.5mm f/1.8 shot at f/5.6
Panasonic GH4 with voighlander 25mm f/0.95 @ f/5.6
Nikon d800 with nikon 50mm f/1.8 shot @ f/5.6
Sony a7s with canon 50/1.2 @ f/5.6
Nexus 5 shot with camere FV5 app with DNG and also JPG
Nikon AW120 in best quality JPG.

comparison between sensors

Nexus 5 Test

Nexus 5 Test – DNG – shot with camera FV 5

Nikon AW120

Nikon AW120

Panasonic GH4 with 25/0.95 voighltander

Sony A7S with canon 50/1.2 FD

Nikon J1 18.5mm test

D800 image

comparison between sensors

Conclusion. Whats the best

For general memories I can say that in good light where you aren’t looking to control depth of field then a mobile phone camera does the job perfectly well.
So don’t worry about carrying you big heavy dSLR – enjoy the moment 🙂

Pros and cons of each camera

The bigger the sensor the more control over depth of field you’ll have. This is sometimes good, sometimes bad.
A compact camera such as AW120 has the advantage it can be used underwater, and in adverse conditions without worrying too much. It also has the advantage of being able to zoom and frame things differently (built in 24-120mm lens) without being massive.