Gen Z users on TikTok are discovering that modern digital cameras are better than smartphones for taking photos.
In a new TikTok trend, which is set to a remix by George MichaelsCareless whisperingContent creators compare portraits taken with their iPhone to the much better photos taken with a traditional digital camera.
@laurenwolfewent from the worst to the best photos of my life#instagramfototips #iphonefotografie ♬ original sound - Lauren Wolfe
The viral trend was started by the influencerLauren Wolfebeginning of March. In her original TikTok video, Wolfe compared the dimly lit photos she took on her iPhone at sunset on a beach to the stunning, unedited photos she took with a Canon Powershot G7 X.
Wolfe's video has been viewed more than 4 million times, with TikTok users saying, "This has totally convinced me to buy a digital camera."
In a much sought aftercontinued TikTok video, which racked up another million views, Wolfe then explains to eager viewers exactly how to use a digital camera, what settings she uses on her Canon Powershot G7 X, and how to upload images from a camera device to a computer.
“What did I spend $1,300 on an iPhone for?”
Wolfe's wildly popular clip apparently prompted thousands of other TikTok users to experiment with digital cameras at sunset, equating those images with photos taken on an iPhone.
@laurahwclxYou need a camera when it comes to sunsets😍 (Fujifilm XT-1)#fyp #iPhone #camera #modus #sunset ♬ original sound - Lauren Wolfe
In another video, content creator Laurah "shows the difference between taking photos on an iPhone versus a DSLR camera" and shows off how much better her sunset beach photos look on a Fujifilm XT-1.
The clip, which has been viewed more than 600,000 times, surprised TikTok users – many of whom couldn't believe that 'real cameras' would surpass smartphones, and some of whom wanted to know exactly what a DSLR is.
@bellarmrzIB: @laurenwolfe♬ original sound - Lauren Wolfe
The TikTok trend spurred other content creators to test the difference between the iPhone and digital cameras, such asCanonEOS6Dand aFujifilm X-T4, sometimes during indoor photo shoots.
And with each experiment, TikTok users concluded that the digital camera was always, unquestionably, better than the smartphone, leading one exasperated viewer to complain, "What did I spend $1,300 on for an iPhone with three cameras?"
'A good digital camera ruins every smartphone'
It seems Wolfe's simple premise of equating sunset photos taken on an iPhone with photos taken with a modern digital camera, be it a DSLR, mirrorless or point-and-shoot camera, has convinced TikTok users of its supremacy of the latter. when it comes to taking beautiful photos.
Visually savvy Gen Z users discovered that digital cameras (which have huge camera sensors compared to the relatively small sensors on a smartphone) can naturally produce better low-light photos at sunset than any iPhone.
Additionally, DSLR and mirrorless cameras offer much better ISO sensitivity than smartphones, allowing for more vivid and clear images at dusk.
The TikTok trend has also made users aware of the higher quality aesthetics of a digital camera compared to an iPhone. TikTok users criticized the artificial intelligence (AI) technology in a modern smartphone camera and the way it excessively sharpens and sharpens an image, making it look "fake" and "a little too sharp."
@amayacrichtonDe digitale camera is Canon g7x mark iii#digital cameraIb @laurenwolfe @bellarmrz♬ original sound - Lauren Wolfe
In another clip, which has 6.1 million views, model Amaya Crichton compared the sunset portraits she took with an iPhone to the same photos taken with a Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark III.
Although the two different sets of images were both of good quality, viewers felt that the iPhone took "the life and color" out of Crichton's images, concluding that "a good digital camera or DSLR ruins any camera phone".
@lionelisa
For Gen Z users, a photo taken with a digital camera captures everything in a scene with precise detail, making it look "real."
Younger users are not only drawn to the more authentic and complex aesthetics that digital cameras offer, but they are also enchanted by the ability to shoot in RAW format on a mirrorless or DSLR camera, allowing them to truly customize their photos. to adjust.
Digital cameras may not be dead
Since the advent of the iPhone in the past decade, it seemed as if the traditional digital camera was on the verge of extinction.
In recent years, advances in smartphone photography have erased decades of growth in the camera industry. Consumers no longer saw the point in carrying an oversized camera unit and between 2010 and 2021global camera shipments down 93%.
But Generation Z appreciates visual images and wants to stand out with their photography. If anything, this new TikTok trend has shown that younger users can clearly recognize and appreciate that the digital camera has a valuable advantage over the iPhone.
As evidenced by the revival ofdigital point-and-shoot cameras from the early 2000sInfilm photographyAmong Generation Z, social media encourages younger users to produce original content and find new ways to express their online identities. Using a modern digital camera can give Gen Z content creators an advantage over smartphone users.
As long as modern digital cameras offer a different aesthetic than the norm for younger users, they may not die out anytime soon.
Image credit:Header image retrieved fromTikTok/@bellamrz
