SMARTPHONE ROUND-UP
An array of useful features, such as high-resolution sensors and wideangle lenses, make smartphones a great choice for landscapes. Amy Davies recommends her top picks
One of the joys of landscape photography is a good long trek to an unusual or particularly picturesque location. However, if you’re anything like me, that can be marred somewhat by having to lug around a heavy kit bag full of gear, full of ‘just in case’ lenses, tripods and all manner of other accessories that invariably don’t get used.
These days, however, smartphones are incredibly good and will suffice if you find yourself without your kit bag. One of the genres that smartphones excel in is landscape photography – where you’ll generally find yourself shooting in good light and with a wideangle lens, which is usually the best-performing lens in a typical smartphone’s multiple array.
Modern smartphones also come with a host of other useful features for landscape photography. That includes things like a level gauge to help you to keep your shots straight, the ability to shoot in raw format, high-resolution modes, different colour effects that you can add or remove in camera, and an ultra-wide lens to help you get even more of the scene in shot.
Many of the smartphones currently on the market will do an excellent job – certainly as an ‘always with you’ camera. However, it’s safe to say that some perform better than others, or have useful functions that you won’t always find on every model.
In this round-up, we’ve chosen the best currently available, which, as you might imagine, means they come with a price premium. If you’re looking to save cash, look for an older-generation model, or even check out the second-hand market. For example, rather than the iPhone 15 Pro Max, look at the iPhone 14 series.
Alternatively, try looking at some of the ‘mid-range’ options on the market. This might mean you lose something like a telephoto lens, but that might not be a deal-breaker if landscapes are your main area of interest. You might find it useful to make a list of all the features you really want and see which smartphones match up – sometimes you’ll be surprised by the savings you can make.
For now, read on to discover what makes these four picks great for landscapes. Don’t forget to let us know via the usual methods listed on page 3 if you’ve been using your smartphone for landscapes.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
• From £1199
The most recent iPhone flagship model, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, has a number of features which make it particularly useful for landscape photography.
First off is the main sensor (1x lens, 24mm f/1.8 equivalent) which has a high 48MP resolution. By default, images are output at 24
