New mobile photo cameras

Mobile phones began by taking very rudimentary photos, to quickly increase their quality, which in turn resulted in fewer cameras being currently sold.

On the other hand, and to differentiate themselves, photo cameras focused on having the largest possible optical sensors, to be able to obtain quality photos with the minimum of light, etc…

Current photo cameras have two fundamental components. The optical sensor and the possibility of exchanging the lenses, which are also made of glass and offer high image quality.

Compact type cameras, which do not have interchangeable lenses, usually have an optical sensor that is about an inch in size. Which is very large compared to the optical sensors of mobile phones. And that is the fundamental difference and that is why some people still buy them, since they offer good quality with great ease of use.

But all that seems to be about to change, as Xiaomi and Sony have recently announced the appearance of a mobile phone with a one-inch optical sensor. The new  Xiaomi 12S Ultra  mobile will have a sensor of that size. And that can change a lot in the world of photography

Having a mobile with an optical sensor similar to that of a compact photo camera puts the existence of this type of camera on the market even more in question.

The main limitation of mobile phones for photos is size. It is very difficult to compact optical lenses in a very small space, and mobile lenses are made of plastic and offer less quality than glass. But that also improves and with a good sensor as they announce now, things change. And a lot.

With one-inch sensors (25.4 mm. x 25.4 mm.), the mobiles will make a very important qualitative leap in the quality of their photographs. And I think that will finish off compact photo cameras.

Professional photo cameras are different, they are more expensive and with more technology and larger sensors. Some of these professional cameras offer image sensors. 36 mm x 24mm with more than 45 million effective pixels. But very few need those prescriptions. And therefore it is a fairly minority market.

What seems clear after this announcement of the new optical sensor for mobiles (and surely other similar ones will follow in a short time), is that the photography of the majority of users will be included in mobile phones.

Camera manufacturers will have to adapt and differentiate themselves, but their market will be small. Things of life!!