Types of photography that should be taken with a DSLR camera

Smartphone cameras are incredibly convenient, but they do have their limitations. In some cases, DSLRs can still take great photos that smartphones can't.

1. Portraits in nature

While you can enhance your smartphone snaps with Portrait Mode, a DSLR is still the better choice here. The main subject has more detail than you can handle with a smartphone, and the background will be more blurred than you'd like. Also, the colors won't be the same; DSLRs tend to take more vibrant photos.

2. A sunny day at the beach

DSLRs generally take better photos at a distance than iPhones with more detail. They also crop better.

Sometimes, smartphones fail to capture texture and detail. On the other hand, DSLRs do a great job of making grass and paths look sharp. Cameras also perform better than phones in harsh lighting conditions, although you can supplement your smartphone photography with additional lighting.

3. Glaciers and mountains

Smartphone cameras are fine for general landscape photography, but they're not as versatile, which limits more creative photography.

You could never get anything close to this with a smartphone camera. If you tried to zoom in that far on a phone, the photo would lack significant detail. Smartphones also can't capture many small details, like the small stream near the person.

4. The flag flutters in the wind

Phone photos of flags never look as good as photos taken with a camera. Flags often look flat in smartphone photos.

The phone won't capture the fine details of the flag and you won't be able to use this composition. The camera also captures the color of the sky better than the smartphone and the contrast is significantly better.

5. Close-up of the house

In the photo below, the DSLR captured the mountain in the background and the ice floating on the water perfectly.

Since the author used a 50mm lens and couldn't get any closer, he was limited by his smartphone. Plus, the mountains would be harder to see if he got closer when shooting with his phone.

The camera also captures the wooden details of these houses. The colors are perhaps a little off, as they are less blue in real life. However, you can edit this in Lightroom if you want.

6. Take a photo through an object

First, the main subject – the church – is too far away for the phone to pick up fine details. On the other hand, the building looks very sharp to the camera. Since we're in the shade and there's not much light, we also needed to use Manual Mode. Controlling these levels, other than changing the brightness slider, is more difficult.

7. Street photos on a rainy day

While it's possible to turn rainy days into photo opportunities with your smartphone, many people still prefer to reach for their DSLR cameras when the sky turns gray. You can get more detailed shots of people's umbrellas with your camera, and use a long enough focal length to capture the entire street.

Because you can adjust the shutter speed of your camera, you can capture raindrops as they fall. On the other hand, a smartphone will blur them.

8. Enlarged landscape photo

Even if you have a smartphone with good low-light capabilities, in many cases a DSLR camera is the only option.

Without a good tripod, you'll need to bump up the ISO to 1,600. Despite the grain, this photo is still better than what you can get with a smartphone. The way the camera captures the details in the sky is also impressive. The colors are also better than what you get with a smartphone. The results from shooting video on a smartphone are also not as vibrant.

9. City from above

With a DSLR camera, you'll capture incredible detail, even from a distance.

The above photo also required adjusting the aperture to f/11, which you can't do on a phone without using Portrait Mode. At the time, iPhones typically shot at less than f/2, which wasn't enough for this scene.

You still don't need a DSLR if you're just an amateur photographer, but it's wise to get one if you want more flexibility. Some full-camera shots just aren't possible on a smartphone; knowing your phone's limitations will help determine whether you need one. Detail, aperture, and shutter speed are the three main factors that determine the final result.

Lesley Montoya

Update 25 May 2025