What does a camera mean to you?

An analysis of student and sta opinions on cameras

Companies o en predict what consumers desire from a product. rough data collection services, many modern businesses are able to understand everything about their consumer. For example, in a recent survey conducted by Marques Brownlee on mkbhd. com, out of twenty million votes, the Google Pixel 6a was voted the best smartphone camera. Brownlee is a well respected smartphone and technology reviewer. He and his team created a system where multiple photos from di erent smartphones were compared and voted on blindly, allowing for unbiased results. He published his ndings from the survey online and made his nal results available on YouTube. is survey only brought what the public wants from a camera into question.

Not all consumers are focused on smartphone cameras. Photographer and counselor Kelly Applegate expressed his disinterest in smartphone cameras as compared to a standalone camera.

“I don’t care about my smartphone camera,” Applegate said. “However, I have noticed that the quality has signi cantly improved. I’m looking for a professional camera since I’m a wedding photographer.” e di erence in quality separates the smartphone from the professional camera. Picture quality is important when deciding what the photographer is seeking. Vibrance and realism are one form of balance in a camera. When taking a picture of a grassy eld, a camera might auto change its settings to increase the green. at is an example of vibrance. In some cases the camera might make the colors darker and more realistic. While it’s closer to reality, it might not be exactly what the photographer wants unless they tweak the photo themselves. e same principles apply in contrast where the camera can take a more vibrant and colorful photo, where realism is desired. e picture quality depends on what the individual prefers.

“I prefer lighting and clarity,” freshmen Philip Zink said. “ ose are my two big preferences. It’s really annoying when the picture is too dark and I have to adjust the brightness.” e consensus of the beholder is a major factor when deciding the picture quality of a camera. A great majority of camera accessibility today is through the smartphone. Many students take photos on some form of mobile device. e simplicity and portable use of the phone camera creates a major convenience for the photographer and has the ability to take photos in seconds. However, some teens do not care about their phone cameras.

“I don’t think phone cameras are that important on a phone,” freshmen Jonathan Wu said. “I don’t look for them when shopping.”

Wu is not the only student to feel this way, for Zink also shared this sentiment.

“When shopping I would look for a camera, but that would be secondary,” said Zink.

All in all, some students agree with phone cameras being good enough for them. e average student might pick any modern phone up and be content with its abilities. Technology has reached a period where the values of the consumer and whether the product is suitable for the values is objective.