If you don’t understand the difference between your images and professional ones, no argument is going to convince you.  Phone camera sensors will undoubtedly continue to improve, but there are many things a phone cannot do which a camera can.

 Like the autor Niall Harbison I could become very enthousiastic about the developing technology of the camera sensor of out mobile devices and the nice results of the pictures we produce with it. As a matter of fact I do. Still I do believe the story is not about the development of the camera sensor of the mobile device from the photo quality point of view.
The same sensors used in our mobile devices now turned a big industry on its head, just a few years ago.  Technology made it possible, but dit not cause the disruption. Back then the photofilm industry of Kodak was huge. When the development started no professional would even consider to go digital.
The disruption of the market was caused by the adoption of the simple to use camera by the mass. The market tipped, and Kodak had to choose another direction very fast – take a look at their YouTube story wind of changes about this little event
 Again now this sensor is disrupting a market. Not because the technology has become so much better al of the sudden, but the way it is used in this mobile device  by the mass will stir up the market.

I work at a company that sells printers. This firm became very succesfull, not because the letter printed on paper was of better quality then the one typ ed on the typewriter, but because of the succes of the wordprocessor. We experience a decline of the use of printers in the office. Again it is not technology causes this, but the changing use of the devices we work with and the way we change sharing our information. Also for our industry I believe we will keep printing – for a while, and some will look at paper as a more authentic carrier of information or one of a better quality. But things will change very rappidly.

Sadly, for you neither of these photos are cookbook quality. They are both out of focus. I have no axe to grind about phone camera proliferation. They will get better;  some films are being shot with them with the benefit of special rigs and adapted microphones. However as has been pointed out sensor size, jamming more pixels on these sensors cannot preempt the concomitant development of mirrorless and 4/3rds segment cameras. It is those platforms which pose a more immediate threat to the installed base of  full system dslr’s. Perhaps you can enlighten us with those lucky souls earning a commensurate living to equal those of us who are employed in the journalistic and editorial fields with cameras capable of capturing a professional sporting event or a breaking news story.
I humbly await your defense. And it is precisely the free distribution of photos on Flickr, et al which has devalued an industry, and commoditized photography to the point that real pros are at a disadvantage when individuals and firms think that photos like information should be free.
Rick Maiman
Polaris Images

Cheap phone cameras can take great pictures if the conditions are right, as long as you do not care about taking pictures in anything other than good lighting, do not care about zoom, and do not care about depth of field, do not care about fast shutter speeds, do not care about using high ISO, and do not care about burst speeds, do not care about shooting in RAW, etc…

If all you want to do is take a single picture in good light, of a stationary object,  with a large depth of field and at one focal length then camera phones are a good alternative to a point and shoot.

I think for the “man/woman in the street” yes – the iPhone is replacing the point & shoot. When I photograph weddings I see very few middle market compact cameras – either iPhones or DSLR/Bridge cameras toted by guests….  and that middle market compacts are, I’m sure, the vast majority of cameras that are sold by many companies….

Also, as so few people are printing out their images – the cameraphone is good enough for most uses…

Many of the DSLR users – most blokes – use their cameras as male jewellery – and don’t really use them for taking photos!

For that reason – plus the proper keen users, DSLR and good bridge cameras will continue – but the volume market will suffer….

I wouldn’t publish those food photos in a cookbook. They’re out-of-focus, dull, and lifeless pics. It goes to show that even with an advanced phone camera, the final result comes down the skill of the photographer.

I’m a little more pessimistic that cell phones will replace medium range fixed lens cameras ($100-$300). Sure if I happen to come across a Lamborghini on the street, I’ll reach for my cell as it is probably the only camera I have on me. But as someone who has never used a DSLR and knows little about multiple lenses and settings, if at a special event or on vacation and am expecting to take pictures, I would probably take my good non-DSLR Canon over my cell in a heartbeat. While the average Joe might not care that much about quality, he probably cares enough to pick a half decent non-DSLR camera over his cell for photos of special occasions. 

I think the best comparison is to the gaming market. You have cell phones for your casual games, and PCs (DSLRs) for your hardcore gaming enthusiasts. However, there is still the strong middle ground console market which appeals to those who want something more than what you can get out of a cell phone, but at the same time don’t want to spend the time and money to get into hardcore PC gaming and configurations.

While sales of non-DSLR cameras have been on the downhill the last few years for this reason, I think we are approaching a point where they will begin to stabilize. Until phone cameras get REALLY good (from a non-DSLR standpoint), these point and shoot devices will be with us for a long time.