According to Flickr’s 2017 Year in Review, half of all photos uploaded to their site were taken on a smartphone, up from 48% in 2016.
DSLR uploads were also on the rise (33% from 25% in 2016). Point-and-shoot uploads suffered a decline this year, dropping from 21% a year ago to 12% this year.
Smartphone photographs may continue to dominate the market, as Google has introduced three experimental photography apps:
- Storyboard, available only on Android, transforms videos into comic book layouts. The app automatically takes interesting frames from the video and lays photos onto a single page using one of six visual styles. If you do not like the image that is produced, you can pull down to refresh.
- Selfissimo, which will be available on Apple and Android devices, snaps black-and-white selfies whenever you pose. You simply need to tap the screen to begin a photo shoot.
- Finally, Scurbbies, only available on iOS, allows you to remix your videos by scratching them as a DJ would an album. With two fingers, you can save these videos and share them as well.
If you are excited by these new apps and want a good smartphone to take photos, you may be wondering which phone is the best. The Galaxy Note 8, Google Pixel 2 and iPhone X are all great options in 2017.
- Galaxy Note 8 features a 2X optical zoom lens, image stabilization (which guarantees clear photos, even if your hands shake), and live focus.
- Google Pixel 2, which received rave reviews from Trusted Reviews, also has optical stabilization and a wider aperture to allow in more light.
- iPhone X features the TrueDepth front-facing camera that was primarily designed for FaceID authentication but also makes selfies more detailed. The rear-facing system features two 12MP cameras, which offer advanced pixel processing and wide color capture.
Even less expensive phones, though, offer 12MP cameras these days, so you can still take solid photos on value devices.