When the first iPhone appeared in 2007, the switch from analog to digital photography was not long ago for many. At the time, only a few could foresee that smartphones would make the established compact cameras obsolete just a few years later. In 2021, around 155 times as many smartphones were traded as other digital cameras.
The multifunctional smartphone has become the most popular type of camera. Since you always have it with you, the hassle of buying and lugging around another camera is unnecessary for many. What distinguishes mobile devices from cameras: Apart from the USB connection, smartphones come without accessory shoes, tripod connections and filter threads. Also, you can’t switch their lenses to use different focal lengths. As a result, an extensive range of dedicated accessories for smartphones has developed. Some products are useful in the long run, while technological advances make others less attractive.
The most sensible accessories for modern smartphones are stable holders with accessory shoes and tripod connections, compact LED lights with their own batteries and power banks. With attachment lenses and filters, the necessary connections for attachment are missing. The zoom range with good image quality is so large on current top smartphones that most users no longer need optical extensions.
3D printing technology will certainly play an increasing role in the manufacture of adapters. In addition to the basic accessories presented here, there are more for special applications, such as special housings for underwater photography. It would be nice if it would soon be possible to use real flash units.
Winter with a difference
Other issues in the issue
Photo accessories from the 3D printer. Novoflex, a well-known producer of photo accessories, is breaking new ground: a photographer’s idea became the first 3D-printed small series product. Just a gimmick or a small revolution? The biggest challenge right now is imagining what is possible with 3D printing. How does an idea become a printable body? What does a component have to be like so that it can be printed? This can sometimes be difficult for an outsider to understand, but Novoflex welcomes every photographer’s idea. If it is not ready for series production, 3D printing offers a quick and comparatively inexpensive option for one-off production.
camera tests. The T models are the most popular cameras in Fujifilm’s X family. This is primarily due to its operating concept and the retro look. Now the X-T5 is here and we were curious to see in which direction the journey would go. The OM System OM-5 has everything you need: solid autofocus, high image quality, extensive range of functions – it even fits in your handbag.
Battle of the smartphone giants. The top models from Google and Apple want to deliver excellent photos. But who does it better? Excellent pictures – no less is expected from the top smartphones Google Pixel 7 Pro and the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max. Both devices have a clear focus on photography – the Pixel 7 Pro even says it in its name. While Google hasn’t changed the hardware of the main camera compared to its predecessor and has left it at a 50-megapixel chip, Apple is breaking new ground. For the first time, an iPhone works with a 48-megapixel module, which has been known from Android smartphones for a long time. This brings Google and Apple closer together again.
Content of c’t photography issue 01/2023
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(tho)
