Summary: Equivalent cameras sample the same field of view with the same number of pixels and the same depth of field. The Sony A7 III, with an 18 mm lens at f/9, is very nearly equivalent to the iPhone 8 camera, provided that the Sony images are cropped to the same pixel dimensions as the iPhone’s. Three outdoor scenes were photographed with both cameras on a sunny day. iPhone raw captures (DNG) were made with the ProCamera app. Raw files from both cameras were processed with Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop. When viewed at a comfortable distance at typical magnifications, pictures produced by both cameras are almost indistinguishable. Well-lit areas of scenes have very similar fine detail rendition. Only at high magnifications (≥ 100% on a standard-resolution display, or ≥ 200% on a high-resolution display) do differences become more apparent. In particular, the iPhone images have greater noise in shadow areas, with some degradation of fine detail, an unsurprising result. However, for many uses, the images from the two cameras are the same.
Key words: Camera equivalence, Sony A7 III, iPhone 8, ProCamera, Zeiss Batis 2.8/18, iPhone Raw
Comments