So how do you get the most out of shooting with an i-Phone or a point and shoot? I guess many folks would say, "don't bother trying." But the DSLR is being repaired and as the saying goes, "a bad workman blames his tools". Besides, I enjoy street photography and the point and shoot at least has the advantage of being compact and discreet. I'm interested to hear people's top tips for getting the most out of a very basic camera...
Watch out for bright skies fooling the exposure meter. You end up with a white textureless sky and no detail in the rest of the shot. On bright days I expose for the sky, then lighten the rest of the pic in Photoshop. Avoid using the flash if poss - on P&S's they tend to be either really harsh, or only effective for a couple of metres. Use a longer exposure in natural light instead. Crop in the viewfinder whenever possible.
@longexposure Thanks for saying that about me and thinking to include me in this thread! =)
@jasperc I used my iPhone when I first started this project and recently upgraded to a DSLR. I found that I could really only shoot using natural light. The more light, the better the iPhone can focus. The flash is garish and really doesn't work out too well unless you're going for that "Holy Shit That's Bright!" look. I'm sure you already know this but for focusing, tap the screen on where you want the focus and use the square that appears as a guide. There is also an HDR option you can use if you're looking for more detail. For editing, I use picmonkey. I almost always had to increase the Clarity and Sharpness. And if the lighting wasn't great, I'd often boost the brightness a bit.
I had to edit all my photos quite a bit to get the look I was going for. But, for the most part, the iPhone got me where I wanted to be. Have fun!
I use nothing except my little Canon p&s. I take several shots of the image I want using different settings. Love the macro setting. I rarely use the flash as it tends to wash everything out.
Just remember to be careful to compose nicely, shoot square on (don't tip the camera up and down or left and right unless you are after a specific perspective distortion), do try to take control of the focus and not let the camera take it away from you, and stay still and firmly planted as you trip the shutter, sometimes awkward with an iPhone where the "soft" button is often awkwardly placed. So many people forget and just casually snap away and then wonder why the shots are "no good." In normal light and at normal distances, there is no reason you can't shoot as sharply as with a DSLR, especially at Internet resolution. You can look at my last few days shot with my little Canon P&S rather than the big DSLR for some examples.
Although I am thoroughly enjoying my DSLR, I took pictures with a Nikon coolpix point and shoot for about 1.5 years. On that camera my possibilities expanded dramatically when I learned that "auto" was better than program modes because I had control over ISO and also over exposure compensation. The exposure was definitely related to focus point so I got some control over this that way also (focus and recompose). There are still aspects of the amazing little machine that I miss: closeups were fabulous, wierd angles close to the ground were easier, it was in my purse all the time, it was unobtrusive in crowds. I learned a lot about how wider angle lenses work because I rarely used the zoom.
@pistonbroke Good tips! Especially about exposing for the sky. You mention using longer exposures... Is there a setting somewhere? I am currently using my Samsung Galaxy 2 camera phone while I replace a non-functioning lens on my DSLR. I see the settings panel on the camera phone, but maybe have overlooked the exposure length feature?
I'm experimenting with the settings on my Nikon Coolpix S5300. All my album are taken with a point and press phone. The continuous setting is useful in a lot if situations.
I'm doing 90% with an iPhone 4S as I take most of my pictures on my daily commute and can't be bothered to carry a load of camera gear.
Totally agree with others, the biggest thing is natural light. Low light always comes out really grainy but some of the bright sunlight shots you would not guess on a phone. Also I tend to tune the images in Snapseed and nearly always up the contrast. I have also managed to get some great bokeh by having the main focus point really close but it's not easy!
You can make fabulous images with a point and shoot or an iphone. It is not the camera, it is the photographer. Composition skills and understanding the exposure triangle are important. If your p&s can do this, I highly recommend you take it off AUTO and experiment with what level of manual control it will let you do. Normally, you can put it into PROGRAM mode and that gives you control over ISO, saturation, etc. And a little post processing goes a long way. Here is a photograph I made with a lowly point and shoot the other day: http://365project.org/soboy5/365/2014-04-13
I have upgraded to a bridge camera (so actually a half P&S right? :D) last May or June, and used P&S's since 2008 before.
I think DSLR'S are overrated - nothing against them, really! - because it's acutally the photographer that makes the shot and not the camera. Just try to focus more on composition than on technique and it will go well I think :D
@soboy5 You are so correct! I get so tired of people asking me what kind of camera I have, because they want to be able to take photos like mine. I keep trying to explain that it's not just the camera. I shoot with my Powershot because I don't want to carry around lots of different lenses and equipment with me.
@pistonbroke I am with Pete! I never use flash on my iphone. Also, make sure you touch the screen at different points as you compose your shot. It meters differently and makes the shot lighter/darker. Skies can go super white washed..so you have to tap the screen in different places to get the exposure right, You can "selective adjust" just one area in Snapseed app. So you can lighten up any dark parts you did not want that dark. Iphone is an amazing camera for certain uses. I love mine!
Here is an example of a shot with my iphone...it has much better focus/dof/pixels etc, than my older p and s. And I have it with me all the time..unlike my DSLR, that I often have, but not every day.
I did my first year with a point and shoot and I miss it sometimes. I shot a lot of action shots and I played with my pov a lot. Easy to stick a point and shoot right under the swing set etc. I got low a lot. It's harder with my dslr. There are lots of other things I can do now of course. I had a little dslr bucket list that I'm working my way through but I know I miss shots I could have caught with my little Sony.
@espyetta I can't speak for the iphone, but my point-and-shoot does have some basic exposure controls. It also has some "scene" modes that work very well
I think in a few years people will look back at DSLRs the same way we look at film cameras.. Film cameras still have their use and style today but with a lot more work/knowledge..
I hardly carry the DSLR anymore. The go to camera is a Canon G12, but many of my photos are done with my cellphone. I'm an old film photographer and old habits die hard, I try to get things right on the first shot even though it takes longer than to shoot 20 quick shots and hope for the best. I e-mail myself the shot and then work it on my desktop rather than using the cellphone programs, unless necessary.
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@jasperc I used my iPhone when I first started this project and recently upgraded to a DSLR. I found that I could really only shoot using natural light. The more light, the better the iPhone can focus. The flash is garish and really doesn't work out too well unless you're going for that "Holy Shit That's Bright!" look. I'm sure you already know this but for focusing, tap the screen on where you want the focus and use the square that appears as a guide. There is also an HDR option you can use if you're looking for more detail. For editing, I use picmonkey. I almost always had to increase the Clarity and Sharpness. And if the lighting wasn't great, I'd often boost the brightness a bit.
I had to edit all my photos quite a bit to get the look I was going for. But, for the most part, the iPhone got me where I wanted to be. Have fun!
I use picmonkey for editing.
Totally agree with others, the biggest thing is natural light. Low light always comes out really grainy but some of the bright sunlight shots you would not guess on a phone. Also I tend to tune the images in Snapseed and nearly always up the contrast. I have also managed to get some great bokeh by having the main focus point really close but it's not easy!
http://365project.org/soboy5/365/2014-04-13
I think DSLR'S are overrated - nothing against them, really! - because it's acutally the photographer that makes the shot and not the camera. Just try to focus more on composition than on technique and it will go well I think :D
I took this with an iPod touch for example: