Tech Roundtable VOL. #1 - Which One Seems More Useful as a Secondary Camera: Macro or UltraWide?

[Tej Dave]

Heya Explorers! 
I welcome y'all to the first volume of our Tech Roundtable series. For the first volume, it was damn necessary to have a really debatable topic. And yes, we have it too! Nowadays, since there's a trend of having dual or tri-camera setups in our smartphones, we have two options as our Secondary Camera - An UltraWide and a Macro Camera.

 

But… In most mid-range smartphones, we either get to see both of these lenses if it's a tri-camera setup, or if it's a dual-camera setup, we need to compromise on any one of them or both, since some brands do use an unnecessary, 2MP not-so Depth sensing camera as well. XD

Which One Seems More Useful as a Secondary Camera: UltraWide or Macro?

 

As far as it comes for the use case, both the cameras stand completely alike to each other. One covers a bigger Field-of-View, whereas one gets you closer into the Miniature World. One makes sure nothing gets left out of the frame whereas one reveals the hidden beauty in small things.  

 

When both join hands, they cover from the vast expanse of a landscape to the tiniest dewdrop on a leaf. That's how both bring out something exceptional into the table, from the smallest details to the widest vistas! But what about their individual capabilities? 

The UltraWide Wonders

 

The UltraWide Camera always captures the grand landscapes, fitting everything into one shot. These Wide-angle shots give a sense of space and context. Wanna see some examples: Here we go…Picture Credits: Ishan Wankhade & Himanshu Chitravanshi  

The Macro Magic 

The Macro Camera sees the world in the way most of the other lenses cannot. It sees the tiny details which are incredible! It focuses on the minutiae like the texture of a petal, or the patterns of an insect’s wings. Have a look…Picture Credits: Uvesh Gogda & Himanshu Chitravanshi 

Getting into the Groove

So… As in the user's perspective, which secondary camera do you think proves to be more useful over the other among the both? For my opinion, I would definitely go with the UltraWide Camera, since I do have a frequent need for a wide-angle FOV, in certain tours and trips. Also, if the UltraWide Camera has good Auto-focusing software optimisations, then with a closer perspective, it can also get us outcomes similar to that of a Macro Camera (not the exact same as Macro Camera, but it works tho). Due to auto focus capabilities we can go near and due to higher resolution we can further crop that image with preserved details. Hence, close capture + further crop makes it a more detailed, macro-like image. 

Whereas, the Macro Camera requires a bright yet balanced lighting setup to use its full potential, unlike the UltraWide Camera, which can give decent results in normal light conditions as well. What do your views say? Continue the debate in Comments! 

Signing off
~Tej Dave

[SudhanshuRoy]

Ultrawide is preferable over macro any day for me to capture a wider view. Plus, ultrawide lenses can also be used for macro shots, making them more versatile. Despite offering a 2MP macro lens, brands should prioritize including a high-resolution ultrawide lens with autofocus capabilities. This setup often results in better macro shots, as the autofocus allows for closer shots and the higher resolution ensures detailed images that can be cropped without losing quality.

[Ashay Sakhare]

Useful Information

[Kabali]

IMO, Ultra Wide can be preferred instead of the Macro Camera. As we may take some group photos also, so it would be better. 

[Rajveer_Singh]

Ultrawide lens is beneficial, like capturing the full context of the scene and include more persons in frame without stepping back

[ImPrateekParashar]

I'll prefer UltraWide with the capability of a Macro Camera

[Himanshu_snap]

Well Explained bro

[jaisharan2]

TBH i find ultrawide lenses more practical and useful 

[Syed_Nabi23]

ultrawide 

[Syed_Nabi23]

brother lovely shots

[iamRavitheja]

Very useful information and amazing photography 

[AKBhavsar]

UltraWide 

[Vaibhvwrites]

The ultra-wide lens has more utility to me than the Macro setup, as it gives me more reason top explore and enjoy the life in a more detailed manner.