Why Are Phones Often Good Enough?
Mobile phones are good enough for a lot of uses. Quality is a many sided coin, but at the end of the day, if is ok to the eye, then it is ok.
As with all things, there is always better, but as with those things, quite often better is subtle, subjective or just plain too much.
Z9 too much for this type of thing? Probably.
The reason phones are good enough for some uses is simple.
We have had far too much for a long time in the bigger and better cameras and formats and even the camera designers know that. The phone engineers know they are not competing with a full frame DSLR or mirrorless, even though there are plenty of examples of coming close enough in some comparisons, but like car manufacturers, who may make F1 cars at one end of the scale they are only making for a speed limit restricted, low expectation audience on the whole.
Phone image? Could have been easily. No movement, nothing hugely enlarged, decent light. All possible.
Nice pic or video easily done for sharing on social media? A phone is fine.
Multi million dollar Hollywood production or Olympic grade sports? No hope (yet).
The rule of advances lower in the range reflecting improvements at the top always holds true, but as with the way of things, the bell curve of expectations to outlay and effort is in favour of the lesser offer providing the far greater user base with all they need.
Phone? No hope. Movement, distance, low light, all out of a phones reach at the moment.
There is still room for specialists, but they need to let go of the low end of things. It is no longer good enough to just have a better camera and know how to use it, because far too often, that untapped potential is overkill for the end users needs.
The smoke and mirrors that photographers have always employed to their own advantage is biting back, but all is not perfect in phone-camera land. The latest Google Pixel add highlights the magic eraser option, but even on fleeting glimpses on the TV, I have noticed missing feet, odd cloning effects, plasticky shadow recovery, all non professional looking work (at least they were honest).
We have to do better.
We have to do it regularly.
We need to remember to do the basics well before getting caught up in tricks.
We then have to employ the tricks better than others do.
Such is life.