Can You Tell the Difference Between Phone Photos and DSLR Photos?

CNN recently published a pop-quiz with 10 photos and a simple question: was the photo taken with a phone or DSLR? The test is meant to open the public’s eyes to the fact that phone cameras are getting to be just as good as expensive DSLRs. It’s misleading though, and Neal Krawetz over at Hacker Factor has a great explanation as to why:

The implied rational is that, with the correct technique, you can take pictures on your cellphone that are just as good as an expensive SLR. However, they do it by showing you thumbnail images that were created using Photoshop. At thumbnail size, even crappy pictures will look good.

Next time, CNN should do a speed comparison between a bike and a car… while they’re both at a standstill.

Phone or Fancy Camera [The Hacker Factor Blog]

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