calling all iPhone users..... Are iPhones that good? Are they worth it photographically? What do you use your iPhone for? There is a possibility that I may have an iPhone 6 through a contract deal through hubby's work and deciding on whether it is worth the money or not. Any thoughts on iPhone photography very welcome.
why what do Samsung do? My phone has zero photographic capabilities and I had never considered it untillhalf an hour again when he told me about this good offer.... @graemestevens
@icamera uses just his iPhone for his main 365 project. He is a master photographer. He loves street shots, and his iPhone allows him to be more covert. I looked at your project, and I think you would like it for your street shots as well. I've tagged icamera, and I'm sure he can give you some excellent insight. I know he has some great processing apps that help a lot. His iPhone shots are so good that sometimes I'm surprised it's his iPhone and not his DSLR.
You know, many photographers use their camera phones very effectively. My shot from yesterday was taken with my iPhone, while just out and about. One person's project [@iCamera] is shot entirely with his iPhone and he takes some terrific shots, so you can check it out for the possibilities. Advantages: 1. they are always with you, 2. they are very discreet, 3. they have a surprisingly good camera (the zoom is kind of weak, though). I don't know what they are charging you for it, though, so good luck!
@rosiekerr@cejaanderson I follow @icamera and love his work. It's a much better deal than ones on the market but in two minds....I'm not much of a technology or phone user so it's more a question of the camera in it. Thanks for your input. Much appreciated.
I've just got the iPhone6. The camera is good quality, much better than the iPhone4. It has great apps for adding filters etc. I love the shots i take of my kids. And it's great for when I don't have my BIG camera to hand. Good luck with your decision
I have some iphone6 in my project, but @icamera is the place to go to really see the iphone can do. The iphone6 camera is an improvement over the 5s and I am loving mine. It's easy to use and the apps that give you more manual control over the camera (Camera+ and ProCamera are a couple of the better ones) are a piece of cake to use as well while gaining exposure/shutter speed/ISO/etc adjustments.
My entire main 365 album is shot strictly with iPhone 5s, no exceptions - it is the premise of my project. Only the "Extras" album contains DSLR images. With the following reply I've tried to keep clear from technical jargon/comparisons/etc and stay in the realm of practicality from my personal experiences of daily use.
Frankly, I think the iPhone is seriously underrated as a photography tool. I found myself getting severely caught up in needing to continually upgrade and purchase better photography equipment thinking, "If I only had [fill in the blank] I would be able to get this or that shot better, etc". So I started this project limiting myself to my iPhone in order to improve as a photographer by removing the "quality of the tool" from the equation. The saying we are all familiar with goes "Great photographers make great images, not the equipment." And I've proven to myself this is quite true. A few of my "portfolio" images have been taken with my iPhone, viewed and critiqued by career professional photographers who had no idea the image was made with an iPhone. I say that only to prove that in my opinion the iPhone (along with most cell phone cameras of the iPhone quality or above) can be considered genuine photography tools. Finally, there are a number of extremely famous photographers who have iPhone (or other phone camera) portfolios.
Addressing your questions in order:
Q: Are iPhones that good? Are they worth it photographically?
A: Well, I definitely think they are underrated, but it also depends what you are comparing them against. There are a LOT of better phone cameras, and then also if one starts to compare with P&S or other types of cameras then in my humble opinion you are no longer comparing apples with apples. Bad pun partially intended LOL! The iPhone creates an 8MP image. In comparison, the first Nikon DSLR D1 model that cost approximately $6K USD when it first came out, created an image less than 3MP. So "good" would be relative I guess, because that D1 would still outshine the iPhone as soon as you consider anything other than MP. But all that to say that the iPhone is absolutely adequate.
Q: What do you use your iPhone for?
A: Well mostly, email. Oh you meant photography LOL! ;-) Personally I do almost all my street photography with it. It is very fast, light, and extremely inconspicuous. With the latest iOS release and a couple camera apps (like Camera+ and ProCamera), the camera is as versatile as it's ever been. Also for some reason, it still is not viewed as an "official" camera. For example I have gone onto property with my DSLR and not taken more than an image or two and have been thrown off the premises by security. Just for grins I returned a few days later and took dozens of photos with my iPhone and was never even approached by security. People in general tend to react the same way to it. They don't know if I'm taking a photo, checking my email, or changing to a different tune. I have done some landscape and still photos with it but those start to push it's limitations rather quickly. Speaking of limitations, what are those?
Well, in a nutshell, using an iPhone is like using a low quality DSLR in auto mode with a wide angle prime lens and a fixed aperture at, say f/8 or f/11 with no ability to change it. (That's not the actual aperture, which I think is really f/2.2 or thereabouts, but seems to 'feel' about that aperture in comparison to 35mm DSLR.) Anyway, recent iOS upgrades and third party camera apps have really enhanced control over the camera to include manual control of shutter, ISO, focus, and exposure compensation within its technical limits. (For example, the iPhone shutter will go no slower than 1/2s).
The one that bugs me the most is the fixed aperture. This really all but takes depth of field right out of the equation. Unless you have the phone very close to the subject (and I mean very close), you will not get any reasonable depth of field. So plan on 80% of the time having everything in the scene in the focal plane.
Also the lack of lens zoom can be initially frustrating on the odd occasion it costs you a shot, but it also forces one to "zoom with your feet" which I've grown to love and embrace. There was a well-known professional photographer (and sorry I don't recall who/where read or I'd post the link) that had several identically composed photos. The only difference was zoomed with lens vs zoomed with feet. His point was that when you looked at the photo where the photographer was physically closer, the image just had a more intimate and personal feel to it whereas when zoomed from 400mm, even though the subject filled the frame, the image seemed to feel impersonal, cold, and distant. Sort of like the eye knew without really be told that the image had taken from a great distance. At first I was skeptical but after several examples really began to agree with his findings. I find now that when I do use my DSLR, I've noticed my first reaction is to first get physically as close as possible before going to the lens to zoom. And I kinda like that. I feel it's made my photography better.
There are also 'attachable' macro and telephoto lenses available for the iPhone (and probably other cell phone cameras), I'll refrain from delving into details of those, suffice to say these items are available (of varying quality) and attempt to overcome some of the iPhone's shortcomings.
Well I have rambled an awful lot, but I hope my experiences were helpful in some way as you consider your options. While I don't feel it necessary to push or promote a particular phone (and I'm not sure I'd buy an iPhone 6 just to use exclusively as a camera), I *would* like to encourage you and/or anyone else to take a hard look at their cell phone camera as a serious photography tool and not to underestimate it's potential to produce an award-winning image when it has been composed well and/or carries a powerful message or story. I truly feel the daily exercise with my iPhone has worked to improve my mind's eye... although I have a long way to go still...
I am just about to go into the Apple shop to set up my iPhone 6! The camera is what sold it to me, upgrading from the 3. I love using the phone, always with you, and great fun. This month I am doing an Advent meditation with the iphone camera so look forward to getting to know the 6. The Which? report said it was the best phone/camera. But also the most expensive! Get it!
@newbank Oh ok - I see you were interested in some technical aspects; sorry for the confusion. There are a couple technical gurus on 365, Alexis @abirkhill and Frank @frankhymus who will hopefully have some great technical input. But from a general perspective, the iPhone is with certainty rather behind on cell phone camera technology with other manufactures. There are without question better phone cameras than the iPhone (any model). My wife has the Galaxy S5 and for whatever reason I can't seem to produce images with it that are (technically) any better than the ones I produce with my iPhone. In fact, I sometimes think it has worse grain and ISO noise (not that I care too much about those now). I know Nokia has a phone which takes a 41MP image and also supports RAW mode. I've processed a work colleagues images and was quite pleased with the result. All that to say that I think the quality of the camera from phone to phone, although having technical differences would end up being rather relative in practical comparison? I think it would be akin to comparing a Nikon CoolPix to the Nikon D4. Absolute tangible and potentially impactful technical differences, but put them both in the hands of Joe McNally to take a portrait and probably no one would know the difference of which camera was which just by looking at the resulting images.
I've used my iPhone 5 for my one colour a month project and when my laptop broke, a couple of months ago, I used my phone too. It's easy to use, especially with running children around, and it's so easy to take with you! As you love street photography I think it suits your needs.
I love mine. I found myself using it to take more photos this summer on vacation than my expensive camera! Pics are crisp and clear. I don't think you will be disappointed.
I have been using my Iphone5 for most of my street photography for our mentoring group and have found I can definitely get closer and be more discreet than i ever could with my SLR!! I think the quality of the shots is great!! If you zoom in you do loose quality so best to get as close as possible.
I am due to upgrade to the Iphone6 at the end of this month and I have heard lots of good things about the camera. Looking forward to using it. I am sure you will love it.
As you may know, I haven't had time to break out the DSLR that much lately. But the iPhone 6 has been a godsend. I agree with @icamera There certainly are better camera phones and better equipment but a good photographer will take great shots with a $10 disposable camera. There are some amazing apps to edit with that will give you any look you want. For example I have the photoshop app, this allows you to reduce noise defog, etc. in a nutshell I would say yes it's a great camera. Sorry I have rambled on a bit too :)
For me, the phone camera (I have and use an iPhone 5 and no plans to upgrade any time soon) is today's Point and Shoot/Bridge Camera replacement, and I do use it more than just occasionally. Wide Angle and DoF from 2 feet to infinity whether you want it or not, and low light performance that is just, well let's be kind and let's say just don't... For suitable images, fine.
I don't use the camera phone apps (my eyes just can't deal with the small screens even on the iPhone 6 Plus or the Galaxy 5) but bring them in to big Photoshop and Camera Raw, usually correcting tone, cropping and especially sharpening. Here's an example of the sort of thing the phone does well, note the HUGE field of focus, here with help from Photoshop. And it is in rather poor light to boot...
Just don't get sloppy and snap happy. Hold the camera as straight on as you can, and as steady as you can despite the extremely awkward grip and "soft" shutter. And do remember to watch the highlights and the focus point you want by tapping on the screen.
I've recently got a iPhone 5s and it has a great little camera. Not used it a lot ... but when i have its not let me down! ignore Graeme :) @graemestevens
I use my iPhone 5 all the time to take pictures. I'm saving up for a DSLR, since the quality is always bound to be a little low on a phone, but it's worked great for me so far. I even bring it traveling, since (for me) it seems to work better than a point-and-shoot camera. Not as good as a real camera, better than a point-and-shoot or camcorder. :)
You really can't go wrong with an iPhone for photographs. I use Samsung (just upgraded from an SG3 to an SG5), but my children use the iPhones and I've played with them a bunch. The LG is really good (my husband uses that). Using apps is important for processing or do as Frank mentioned (and I do this a lot with photos) and import them into processing programs on your computer and work with them. My project has had to rely on the phone photos a lot, but I'm really impressed with what they can do (regardless of brand--remember, you are the one in control, not the camera!). The first day I got my new phone, I took this shot (no, not an iPhone), and I bet you could produce quality to a meh shot with additional apps, and macro attachments, etc. @espyetta would probably give great advice too! Have fun!
I have used my iPhone 5 for a huge part of my 365 project. It is amazing what you can capture with this phenomenal photographic instrument. Check out the web for iphonographers. There are a lot of people out there creating stunning images with the iPhone.
I use an iPhone 5s camera for documenting the morning sky outside of my front door...Most of the photos in my "mornings" album from the past few months are taken with the phone camera actually :)
Hi @darylo! You know I use mine a lot, right?
I use my IPhone 5s many days of the week. Before that I had a iPhone 4s. They have very good cameras and then you can do so many processes with cool apps. They do not take good pics in very low light....way too much noise and blur. But they do so many things right. If you touch the screen as you look at your shot, you chose your focus point. That also does light metering the shot for that spot you touched. Which can make you photo go too dark...if you slowly tilt the iPhone back up or down, it will slowly get a bit lighter, more light and then be too light. You just tilt it around to you get the light you want. You can really crop the pic and it look good too, if you did not zoom in the first place when you took it. I am amazed at how well it can do macros. I take bug macros with my Canon T2i with Canon 100mm f.2.8 lens....but sometimes, my iPhone with an attached macro lens (I bought in a kit...about $20 per lens or less...they attach magnetically) will handle the shot better because it does not need as much light to get the pic as my macro lens does. I can also get at lower angles and different angles....stick my hand right in there with that bug. That bug is pretty small....about an inch long I guess. See? (and also, if you look at the links on this post of mine, it links to some iPhone macro video I did of this same bug....Iphone video, compared to my DSLR is amazing. Because you can see what you are doing, hold the camera steady, and focus properly. Plus, it is all ready to upload to youtube once you are done..if that is what you want to do...)
I wouldn't be without my smart phone camera. I have a Samsung now and have had an iPhone in the past. A lot of the photos I take for this project are with my cell phone, including my clouds one this week. They are great for spontaneous shots and for those ones where you don;t want to be noticed. I would go for it if I were you!
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Frankly, I think the iPhone is seriously underrated as a photography tool. I found myself getting severely caught up in needing to continually upgrade and purchase better photography equipment thinking, "If I only had [fill in the blank] I would be able to get this or that shot better, etc". So I started this project limiting myself to my iPhone in order to improve as a photographer by removing the "quality of the tool" from the equation. The saying we are all familiar with goes "Great photographers make great images, not the equipment." And I've proven to myself this is quite true. A few of my "portfolio" images have been taken with my iPhone, viewed and critiqued by career professional photographers who had no idea the image was made with an iPhone. I say that only to prove that in my opinion the iPhone (along with most cell phone cameras of the iPhone quality or above) can be considered genuine photography tools. Finally, there are a number of extremely famous photographers who have iPhone (or other phone camera) portfolios.
Addressing your questions in order:
Q: Are iPhones that good? Are they worth it photographically?
A: Well, I definitely think they are underrated, but it also depends what you are comparing them against. There are a LOT of better phone cameras, and then also if one starts to compare with P&S or other types of cameras then in my humble opinion you are no longer comparing apples with apples. Bad pun partially intended LOL! The iPhone creates an 8MP image. In comparison, the first Nikon DSLR D1 model that cost approximately $6K USD when it first came out, created an image less than 3MP. So "good" would be relative I guess, because that D1 would still outshine the iPhone as soon as you consider anything other than MP. But all that to say that the iPhone is absolutely adequate.
Q: What do you use your iPhone for?
A: Well mostly, email. Oh you meant photography LOL! ;-) Personally I do almost all my street photography with it. It is very fast, light, and extremely inconspicuous. With the latest iOS release and a couple camera apps (like Camera+ and ProCamera), the camera is as versatile as it's ever been. Also for some reason, it still is not viewed as an "official" camera. For example I have gone onto property with my DSLR and not taken more than an image or two and have been thrown off the premises by security. Just for grins I returned a few days later and took dozens of photos with my iPhone and was never even approached by security. People in general tend to react the same way to it. They don't know if I'm taking a photo, checking my email, or changing to a different tune. I have done some landscape and still photos with it but those start to push it's limitations rather quickly. Speaking of limitations, what are those?
Well, in a nutshell, using an iPhone is like using a low quality DSLR in auto mode with a wide angle prime lens and a fixed aperture at, say f/8 or f/11 with no ability to change it. (That's not the actual aperture, which I think is really f/2.2 or thereabouts, but seems to 'feel' about that aperture in comparison to 35mm DSLR.) Anyway, recent iOS upgrades and third party camera apps have really enhanced control over the camera to include manual control of shutter, ISO, focus, and exposure compensation within its technical limits. (For example, the iPhone shutter will go no slower than 1/2s).
The one that bugs me the most is the fixed aperture. This really all but takes depth of field right out of the equation. Unless you have the phone very close to the subject (and I mean very close), you will not get any reasonable depth of field. So plan on 80% of the time having everything in the scene in the focal plane.
Also the lack of lens zoom can be initially frustrating on the odd occasion it costs you a shot, but it also forces one to "zoom with your feet" which I've grown to love and embrace. There was a well-known professional photographer (and sorry I don't recall who/where read or I'd post the link) that had several identically composed photos. The only difference was zoomed with lens vs zoomed with feet. His point was that when you looked at the photo where the photographer was physically closer, the image just had a more intimate and personal feel to it whereas when zoomed from 400mm, even though the subject filled the frame, the image seemed to feel impersonal, cold, and distant. Sort of like the eye knew without really be told that the image had taken from a great distance. At first I was skeptical but after several examples really began to agree with his findings. I find now that when I do use my DSLR, I've noticed my first reaction is to first get physically as close as possible before going to the lens to zoom. And I kinda like that. I feel it's made my photography better.
There are also 'attachable' macro and telephoto lenses available for the iPhone (and probably other cell phone cameras), I'll refrain from delving into details of those, suffice to say these items are available (of varying quality) and attempt to overcome some of the iPhone's shortcomings.
Well I have rambled an awful lot, but I hope my experiences were helpful in some way as you consider your options. While I don't feel it necessary to push or promote a particular phone (and I'm not sure I'd buy an iPhone 6 just to use exclusively as a camera), I *would* like to encourage you and/or anyone else to take a hard look at their cell phone camera as a serious photography tool and not to underestimate it's potential to produce an award-winning image when it has been composed well and/or carries a powerful message or story. I truly feel the daily exercise with my iPhone has worked to improve my mind's eye... although I have a long way to go still...
I am due to upgrade to the Iphone6 at the end of this month and I have heard lots of good things about the camera. Looking forward to using it. I am sure you will love it.
I don't use the camera phone apps (my eyes just can't deal with the small screens even on the iPhone 6 Plus or the Galaxy 5) but bring them in to big Photoshop and Camera Raw, usually correcting tone, cropping and especially sharpening. Here's an example of the sort of thing the phone does well, note the HUGE field of focus, here with help from Photoshop. And it is in rather poor light to boot...
Just don't get sloppy and snap happy. Hold the camera as straight on as you can, and as steady as you can despite the extremely awkward grip and "soft" shutter. And do remember to watch the highlights and the focus point you want by tapping on the screen.
Good luck with what you do end up with.
I use my IPhone 5s many days of the week. Before that I had a iPhone 4s. They have very good cameras and then you can do so many processes with cool apps. They do not take good pics in very low light....way too much noise and blur. But they do so many things right. If you touch the screen as you look at your shot, you chose your focus point. That also does light metering the shot for that spot you touched. Which can make you photo go too dark...if you slowly tilt the iPhone back up or down, it will slowly get a bit lighter, more light and then be too light. You just tilt it around to you get the light you want. You can really crop the pic and it look good too, if you did not zoom in the first place when you took it. I am amazed at how well it can do macros. I take bug macros with my Canon T2i with Canon 100mm f.2.8 lens....but sometimes, my iPhone with an attached macro lens (I bought in a kit...about $20 per lens or less...they attach magnetically) will handle the shot better because it does not need as much light to get the pic as my macro lens does. I can also get at lower angles and different angles....stick my hand right in there with that bug. That bug is pretty small....about an inch long I guess. See? (and also, if you look at the links on this post of mine, it links to some iPhone macro video I did of this same bug....Iphone video, compared to my DSLR is amazing. Because you can see what you are doing, hold the camera steady, and focus properly. Plus, it is all ready to upload to youtube once you are done..if that is what you want to do...)