It actually happened, which I would never have thought possible: I bought a cell phone instead of a camera. I have been taking pictures for a long time and the cell phone was always exactly that for me: a cell phone.
For photography, I always preferred to use a dedicated camera. For this reason, I usually only bought cell phones from the middle or budget class.
I would like to explain to you why I have changed my opinion and picked up to a cell phone instead of a special camera.
Why I wanted to buy a new camera
There is a genre of photography that I have learned to love in recent years: wildlife and birds. I live in a rural area and that's exactly where this kind of photography is ideal.
When I walkI have often been annoyed by a beautiful bird, a fox or other wild animals that I haven't had a camera or a long zoom lens with me in order to be able to photograph the animals without disturbing them through my presence.
My "main camera" is a Leica M2 with a 50mm lens. This is almost impossible without disturbing the animals. That's why I thought about buying a so -called "bridge camera".
These are cameras that look like a SLR camera, but have a permanently installed zoom lens.
Most of the time, these devices can get far away motifs extremely close to you (the leader is the Nikon P1100 with an optical 125x zoom).
Of course, such cameras do not come without compromises: Due to its small image sensors, the image quality is more "sufficient" than "good". But I prefer a photo with a lower image quality than none at all.
Why I bought a cell phone instead
For wildlife photos I prefer a focal length of either 400 or 600 mm. This means that I have enough distance from the animals, but I can still take pictures relatively well without a tripod and quickly find my motifs within my screen / searcher.
When Xiaomi introduced his new flagship with an improved zoom, which should be able to increase up to 400 mm with little quality loss, I was immediately curious. Here are the most important data of the zoom camera:
- 200 megapixel sensor on a relatively large 1/1.4-inch sensor. Such a sensor size is used as the main camera for many cell phones.
- The sensor and the optical elements are arranged in a periscope. Even there is a complex lens in a cell phone.
- The aperture is f/2.6, which is bright enough for most lighting situations. It also makes it easier to shoot photos with a blurred background.
- The optical focal length is 100 mm. This can be expanded digitally to 200 or even 400 mm.
After several reviews and tests that I looked at, I bought my cell phone. The zoom has been one of the most important, but not the only purchase argument. I will soon tell you more in a detailed test.
How is the zoom function in practice?
I am really impressed. Up to 100 mm, the image quality is at a very high level and even with a 200 mm focal length, there is hardly any loss of quality. But these are not the settings that are important to me.
At 400 mm, a loss of detailed and sharpness can be seen in any case, but to a degree that is for me in the space of the acceptable - especially when you consider that these photos come from a cell phone. This is mainly possible because of three things:
- The high resolution of the image sensor (200 megapixels)
- The size of the image sensor (1/1.4-inch)
- Digital zoom combined with AI-upscaling
Here are some photos with the 400 mm setting so that you can take a picture yourself:
The digital enlargement highlights chromatic aberrations (coloring spaces), which you can see in the photo with the white background. Nevertheless, I am very satisfied with the image quality. Unfortunately, this suffers from the upload on our website. The photos are very sharp in reality. (Image source: Duy Linh Dinh / Gamestar Tech)
The image quality is absolutely sufficient for me for occasional wildlife photos.The extremely effective image stabilizer also ensures sharp photos, so that even without a viewfinder at 400 mm, I can photograph without a tripod.
- The autofocus recognizes animals and usually reliably sharpen them. Only birds behind branches cause problems. Then the said branches are often sharpened.
- The screen of the cell phone is nice and bright, which makes photography easier in sunlight. I never had any problems reading the display.
I am really enthusiastic about the mobile phone system of the cell phone.It is like I have a small bridge camera with a focal length range of 14 to 400 mm in my pocket.
And best of all: The 400 mm setting is only two finger tips in the camera app.
- If you want to get a new cell phone and the zoom is particularly important, then I can warmly recommend the Xiaomi 15 Ultra as long as the high price of 1,500 euros does not deter you.
- An even better option in terms of zoom and image quality would continue to be a good bridge camera with a cheaper cell phone, but then you have to keep two devices with you.
I find these three models particularly recommended:
- Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ 1000 (large 1-inch type sensor with a 24 to 400 mm lens)
- Sony RX10 III (large 1-inch type sensor with a 24 to 600 mm lens)
- Nikon P1100 (smaller 1/2.3 sensor and therefore somewhat poorer image quality, but with an incredible 24 to 3000 mm lens)
In conclusion, it can be said that modern cell phones have made impressive progress in photography that I used to be able to dream of.
For spontaneous wildlife photos, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is completely sufficient for me. Ultimately, the choice of the device depends on the individual needs and your own expectations. However, I no longer underestimate the flexibility and quality of modern cell phones.
