Question: would you have made the same pictures with a DSLR ?
Yes and no
'Yes' because the hands capture what the eyes see, regardless of which camera is at hand.
'No' because with Hipstamatic I determine the used filters in advance and the captured images are what they are whereas with the images captured with my Sony the RAW files are processed in post and I would probably crop away some empty blacks, burn the blacks even further, use the wider dynamic range for more detail, make the lady in the park stand out a little more, stick with color, etc.
Where some see the limited capabilities of smartphone cameras as impediments I see them as opportunities to explore. As an example, a black and white filter turns out to be a perfect match with the limited dynamic range of the small sensor to create high contrast backlit images as both the whites and blacks burn out easily.
By taking the possibility of post processing out of the equation one is also forced to get creative to capture the images in camera as envisioned. As there are few controls to tinker with one also needs to fool the light meter from time to time by letting the exposure settle on a different scene followed by a quick recompose and image capture.
Personally I like these kind of challenges as they make me a better photographer, stick with your trusty DSLR if one prefers a more predictable outcome
