Smartphone Cameras Will Be Superior to SLRs by 2024, Says Sony CEO

[acousticengineer]

Smartphone Cameras Will Be Superior to SLRs by 2024, Says Sony CEO

Is the reign of the dedicated camera coming to an end?

petapixel.com

MAY 31, 2022 The CEO of Sony’s Semiconductor division claims that smartphone cameras will exceed the quality of single-lens reflex cameras within the next few years, specifically by 2024.

As reported by Nikkei, Sony recently held a business briefing session for its Imaging and Sensing solutions where Terushi Shimizu, President and CEO of Sony Semiconductor Solutions, said that he and his division expect the image quality taken with smartphones to surpass that of those taken by single-lens reflex cameras by 2024, a claim mirrored by presentation materials.

“We expect that still images will exceed the image quality of single-lens reflex cameras within the next few years,” he says.

He argues that this will be possible thanks to the quality of photos that can be achieved by combining its sensors, larger apertures, and computational photography technology.

Associated presentation materials point to Sony’s belief that higher performance camera systems are being developed that are increasing the sensor size and combining that with better image signal processors (ISP) in high-end smartphone models — Sony expects the average size of high-end sensors to double by 2024. These two factors together with what it calls “quantum saturation” and artificial intelligence processing (computational photography), Sony believes that interchangeable lens cameras (ILCs) will be left behind by smartphone technology.

 

[neuroanatomist]

I wonder how Sony’s camera group employees feel about this announcement. Well, management cares mainly about shareholders.

 

[SHAMwow]

I wonder how Sony’s camera group employees feel about this announcement. Well, management cares mainly about shareholders.

I've learned to tune this notion out. People can claim that all they want, but in everyday life, people can't take a dang photo. I hand my phone to someone nearby, and all they have to do is tap the screen twice and they still can't take a decent photo. On new iPhones too. The photographer and cameras still have some road left in front of us.

 

[unfocused]

True for most uses and most users. Rebel and M sales will likely be the most affected. I don’t see the enthusiast market, especially wildlife, birds and sports, disappearing anytime soon. Not until you can get a smartphone with an 800 mm equivalent lens that produces high quality images at large sizes.

 

[AlanF]

True for most uses and most users. Rebel and M sales will likely be the most affected. I don’t see the enthusiast market, especially wildlife, birds and sports, disappearing anytime soon. Not until you can get a smartphone with an 800 mm equivalent lens that produces high quality images at large sizes.

Like this?

 

[Click]

 

[unfocused]

Like this?
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Paging Harry Film

 

[becceric]

Like this?
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I can’t believe Sony would bolt a smartphone on the back of a lens and market it. Not without a longer press release anyway.

 

[old-pr-pix]

You don't understand, The phone will have a small wart on the back side which will house a 100 mm equivalent focal length lens. Sensor resolution will be 200+ MP and digital zoom will make up for the short lens focal length. Powerful AI will fill in any blurred details. You will love the final results which you will only view on the screen of the phone. Sports and wildlife shooters will flock to these new smartphones and will give up on their consumption of ibuprofen and regular visits to a chiropractor.

 

[becceric]

You don't understand, The phone will have a small wart on the back side which will house a 100 mm equivalent focal length lens. Sensor resolution will be 200+ MP and digital zoom will make up for the short lens focal length. Powerful AI will fill in any blurred details. You will love the final results which you will only view on the screen of the phone. Sports and wildlife shooters will flock to these new smartphones and will give up on their consumption of ibuprofen and regular visits to a chiropractor.

Expressed in those terms, I may have to check the resale value of my gear...and back brace.

 

[Joules]

It would be nice if camera manufacturers were willing to augment the capabilities of their ILC lines with the same technical and AI related features that allow the smartphones to "catch up".

A bigger lens and sensor will always create a better image in terms of objectively measurable properties. So if you have techniques at hand that further improve a these, just allow the improvements to be applied to the superior lens and sensor combination before comparing it against a lesser one. That way, the superior hardware should retain its superiority.

I'm sure the phrasing here is just marketing terminology and the guys at Sony know that Software and techniques can take you only so far. So the real point being made here is likely just that for an ever increasing amount of use cases, a smartphone will be a tool yielding results that are "close enough" to that of an ILC and once more than just the result is evaluated, the full package may indeed be better on a smartphone.

Then again, maybe the statement is meant to be taken at face value. It talks about single lens reflex cameras and as those are likely receiving little to no further development in the future, it may actually be possible for smartphones to compare with old technology at some point.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

I will say that having my Samsung S21 Ultra with me all the time and its various lenses up to 10X optical has pretty well eliminated my walk around photography with my R5. I'm considering selling it and just upgrading my phone whenever a jump in photo quality is available. Of course, its not close to what my R5 can do, but its now good enough for many situations, even low light.

 

[Aussie shooter]

Like this?
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Looks like ergonomic perfection

 

[AlanF]

Paging Harry Film

Actually, @HarryFilm has been active here!

The impact of Large Sensor Super-Smartphones on Low-end to Mid-range Photography

Within the past two years, I have espoused a new breed of photographic systems that stand poised to nearly take over the entire low-end to medium range photography "business". There actually IS a magical "Island of Stability" for sensor sizes that both fit the width and height dimensions AND the...

www.canonrumors.com

 

[Maximilian]

*sigh*

 

[SteveC]

Well good.

Maybe the Sony trolls will go after Apple and Samsung/Android then, and leave us alone.

 

[Czardoom]

If smartphones continue to improve and less and less people have "regular" cameras, it won;t bother me a bit. The photos I take with anything but a normal to wide angle lens will always be superior to what they can do. So, less competition!

 

[Quirkz]

I wonder how Sony’s camera group employees feel about this announcement. Well, management cares mainly about shareholders.

I imagine that at least *some* of the camera group will be working on the AI tech & imagine manipulation that makes this possible.

Might also point to the direction that their future cameras will take: More imagine manipulation baked in, more AI upscaling, and so on.

Also interesting that the article says "SLR". Is this really just a jab at manufacturers and photographers still stuck on SLR tech (digital or otherwise) vs mirrorless, or is it simply that the CEO doesn't know the difference and used this phrase to encompass all 'big sensor' cameras. (I'm leaning to the latter, but still...)

 

[acousticengineer]

I'm not backing off from Canon SLR. Will rent Canon R3/R5 on my upcoming trips, use my five EFs with EF to R adapter. Junk my EOS-1dx, and wait for next Canon Mirrorless. Maybe then, sell my EFs, and go all RSs. Was thinking of getting two new R cameras, one for me other for wife who needs hobby since soon retiring. I can't imaging using cellphone for birds in flight, for example. however, I found this recently:

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 just got a '100 % accurate' full specs leak

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4 just got a '100 % accurate' full specs leak

Processor, cameras are the big changes tipped for the new model

www.tomsguide.com

100% accurate leak
Galaxy Z Fold4
7.6" QXGA+ AMOLED, 120Hz
6.2" HD+ AMOLED, 120Hz
Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1
12GB RAM
256/512GB storage
Rear Cam:
50MP + 12MP (UW) + 10MP (3x) <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Inner Cam: 4MP 2.0μm (UDC)
Outer Cam: 10MP
Android 12, OneUI 4.1.1
4400mAh battery, 25W