Capturing That Perfect Photo with a Mobile Device

The world of photography has evolved much since the first camera built by Johann Zahn way back in 1880. Although over a hundred and forty years the original analog design is still on display and surprisingly in working order. If you’re lucky you’d probably be successful at getting your hands on one at a curio shop.

The concept of photography today focuses on a much-digitized version that what Johann Zahn imagined however some principles still remain the same. The digital camera lens captures the light rays bouncing around and uses a technique where glass is used to redirect the light to a single point, resulting in a sharp image. Finally, when the light rays converge on a sensor an image is created.

Now let’s fast forward to a more contemporary period. The once luxurious camera is now considered more or less a commodity, which it comes as an added component of our mobile devices. Despite all of us nearly having an inbuilt digital camera in our mobile devices, most of us aren’t aware of getting the maximum out of it. Shocking isn’t it? Yup, I am guilty of this too.

I am not bent on blaming it on the clarity of the camera etc., sure it makes a difference if you’ve got the latest device with 50 or 60-megapixels as opposed to a device with 12-megapixels but to be honest device specifications isn’t everything. It’s been proven that at times the term megapixels can be quite deceptive.

The term ‘more’ doesn’t necessarily mean good. So, instead of rushing out to grab the latest device simply focus on a few simple key elements such as utilizing the best device settings such as ISO, White lighting etc. and also pay heed to surroundings and its natural lighting. You’ll be amazed by the outcome.

The above figure outlines five different megapixel levels respectively, however, there is hardly any noticeable difference between the 12.1 and 50.6-megapixels. Think about it, theoretically, the latter is a tad over four times the megapixel capacity as the former and given our insights on the market the two devices with their respective camera qualities aren’t anywhere close to each other with comparison to the price. Why is this the case? Before we get to that’s let’s run through another example.

Despite the image captured with a 36-megapixel camera being clearer the one, the 8-megapixel image isn’t too bad at all. In fact you could say it’s a pretty darn close race.

Getting back to the all-important question well, the answer lies within the sensor of the camera. Resolution and clarity depend on what photographers call a Rastor format which captures images in either pixels or dot. The format basically creates and stores the files on disk so that it could later be retouched using photo editing software. Raster files (RAW) can later be compressed to decrease file size (JPEG), but with a tradeoff with details.

Once an image is captured in raster format, it stores all details in the pixels of the image. Therefore, limiting the inclusion of new details or improving the clarity of the image. The file however, permits adding more of the existing information already stored in the pixels of the original image, through duplicating adjacent or the nearest pixel.

Many electronic companies tend to boost their visual marketing campaigns by simply altering their advertisements. This is simple and yet a deceptive marketing gimmick.

Sadly, for consumers, that’s how conventional marketing works. If you focus on the fine lines of cameras or mobile devices claiming to have the most superior camera in practical daily conditions then you’d be surprised when you read the ‘exemption clause’.  Below are a few examples.

If you are an ardent photographer like myself but don’t really want to invest in fancy professional cameras nor expensive mobile devices you’d probably want to hold on to your current device and check out some tips on capturing a decent to perfect shot.

Who knows you might just capture that ‘Kodak Moment’.Apple too, have been accused of malpractice when it comes to hyping up their iPhone photography capabilities