Iphone v pro camera artical

POAH said:
I don't sell images but I still want to have good quality shots of my kids which the iphone can't provide.
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You know what i think the iPhone is a decent camera. The rules are no different to any other camera. It's all about the light and the skill of the photographer.

In the same circumstances, the SLR will be better but that doesn't mean I think the iPhone is a bad camera.
 
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it can't unless your kids are in great light and not moving and even then the quality of the image is fine for looking on face book but certainly not printed for the wall.

its a tiny sensor, with slow AF, slow shutter speeds, very limited dynamic range and horrid noise characteristics.

Ricardodaforce said:
Yes it can. How come others can manage to get some very decent iPhone shots and you can't? I think you need to ask yourself that before you go rubbishing its abilities. The iPhone camera IS very capable of producing some very good results irrespective of your inabilty to demonstrate that.
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POAH said:
it can't unless your kids are in great light and not moving and even then the quality of the image is fine for looking on face book but certainly not printed for the wall.

its a tiny sensor, with slow AF, slow shutter speeds, very limited dynamic range and horrid noise characteristics.
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surely then it's about using it within it's limits. So, don't try taking photos of children moving around in poor light.

Your statements in this thread indicate they camera is terrible full stop.
 
POAH said:
it can't unless your kids are in great light and not moving and even then the quality of the image is fine for looking on face book but certainly not printed for the wall.

its a tiny sensor, with slow AF, slow shutter speeds, very limited dynamic range and horrid noise characteristics.
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Now I understand. You have a faulty iPhone.
 
I'm surprised no ones mentioned the iphone photo shoot yet. With good lighting camera phones can take good pictures. The IQ may not be as good as an slr but it's good enough to capture the memory. Being small enough to fit in a pocket means you don't have to carry around 2kg of kit. As it's said, The best camera is the one you have with you at the time.
 
Andy_S said:
I'm surprised no ones mentioned the iphone photo shoot yet. With good lighting camera phones can take good pictures. The IQ may not be as good as an slr but it's good enough to capture the memory. Being small enough to fit in a pocket means you don't have to carry around 2kg of kit. As it's said, The best camera is the one you have with you at the time.
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Until you see a shot where you wished you'd had your SLR :)

I repeat the iphone may only be more convenient - not better than an slr.
 
because the best camera is the one you have with you at the time. Everyone knows that.
 
EMA747 said:
It depends what you want to do with the photos and what they are of imo. I have the iphone 4 not the S but in some situations I think it it much better than a DSLR.
When I went to Mallorca and also to Norway this year I didn't take my 1DmkIV as it's big and in the case of the Mallorca holiday it was a trip I do annually with old school friends so photography was not the main point (and don't worry we go to the nice bits not the resorts lol!)
In neither case was I expecting to do anything other that just keeps the shots for my own remembering and maybe upload a couple to flickr. In all honesty I don't think I too anything I wouldn't have been able to had I had my mkIV. In fact I think due to the compactness of the iphone and the fact I always have it on me meant I took lots more photos than I would have otherwise and these are some of the best photos of the most memorable times we had.

I think there is a place for both a DSLR and an iphone. I don't think comparing them like for like is really a good thing as they are tools to do two different jobs imo.
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That was well put
 
EOS_JD said:
I honestly can't see how convenient = better
An SLR would clearly be better but just not as convenient.
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By that logic a large format cameras is better than an SLR, but not as convenient, so you should throw your SLR away.

They're all different. Some are better at certain things than others. The trick is to use them to their strengths. Sometimes convenient is best.
 
I found this interesting to look at, thanks for posting. One thing stuck out tho, the street scene into the sun. This is surely about the metering mode given the massive difference in exposure?

I remember someone doing a similar comparison a few years back between the then hot-poop Nokia N95 and the D40. As I recall, all shots were outdoors in daylight, no direct sun shots or high contrast. The conclusion? "OMG the DSLR is dead and will disappear within six months!!!!"*

Wrong ;)

*this may not be the exact wording...
 
joescrivens said:
because the best camera is the one you have with you at the time. Everyone knows that.
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Trying ...hard... Not...to...agree...with...Joe... :D

The iPhone 4 has a 5mp camera, the iPhone 4s has an 8mp camera. Its not so long ago I was shooting with a 6mp camera, albeit with a larger sensor, but in the right conditions they can take some good shots.
 
EOS_JD said:
If you mean an iphone then I'd still say no it's not..... It's just more convenient
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An iPhone is miles better than a dSLR when you are facing an angry rioting mob who are likely to beat the hell out of you and either nick your camera or smash it.

Obviously a CSC or high end compact would be preferable (GF1 or G11 for example), but given the choice, I'd pick the iPhone almost very time, because it's a better camera for the job.
 
DemiLion said:
An iPhone is miles better than a dSLR when you are facing an angry rioting mob who are likely to beat the hell out of you and either nick your camera or smash it.

Obviously a CSC or high end compact would be preferable (GF1 or G11 for example), but given the choice, I'd pick the iPhone almost very time, because it's a better camera for the job.
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Some iconic photos taken during this years riots with phones because of this very reason. With a camera phone the togs fitted on with others doing the same in the mob
 
Byker28i said:
Some iconic photos taken during this years riots with phones because of this very reason. With a camera phone the togs fitted on with others doing the same in the mob
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That's what I was referring to.
 
joescrivens said:
because the best camera is the one you have with you at the time. Everyone knows that.
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No it's not - It's normally the one you left at home :bonk:
 
Ed Sutton said:
By that logic a large format cameras is better than an SLR, but not as convenient, so you should throw your SLR away.

They're all different. Some are better at certain things than others. The trick is to use them to their strengths. Sometimes convenient is best.
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I'm not saying that at all - Of course the convenience is a major point - But better? No. And I agree there's always something better lol
 
DemiLion said:
An iPhone is miles better than a dSLR when you are facing an angry rioting mob who are likely to beat the hell out of you and either nick your camera or smash it.
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I disagree. Try swinging the iphone at them :)

DemiLion said:
Obviously a CSC or high end compact would be preferable (GF1 or G11 for example), but given the choice, I'd pick the iPhone almost very time, because it's a better camera for the job.
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For what job? Middle of an angry mob? You only need to see what the pro's use!
 
EOS_JD said:
I disagree. Try swinging the iphone at them :)

For what job? Middle of an angry mob? You only need to see what the pro's use!
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You really have absolutely no clue about what was happening in August do you?

Half of the images taken on Sunday and Monday night were taken with mobiles and compacts, because it was too dangerous to use anything else.

See what the Pros use? I'm talking about what I was using, as were snappers from AFP, PA and Getty.

Basically you are talking from somewhere smelly.
 
I never saw the point of comparing an iPhone to a DSLR. The majority of DSLR's will be in a completely different league.

Yes the iPhone is great for pulling out and taking a snap of your mates when they nick a traffic cone and put it on their head. But nobody would seriously considering using any phone camera to do the work a DSLR is designed for.

I remember shooting a live band in a pub with a 5D MKII and 24-70L. I was at the bar getting a drink during a break and some guy stood next to me says "nice camera mate, how many megapixels is that?" I told him "21 I think" to which he replied "not bad that's only 9 more than my phone".

I also see videos and stuff pop up on twitter sometimes when companies compare completely different gear, eg comparing the iPhone 4 video camera to an Arri Alexa.
 
Skips said:
Either this is a very poor attempt at advertising for iphone. Or this pro tog needs her monitor calibrated.

I would say that it looks like a reverse advertising ploy, saying that she prefers the poorer "pro" photos and actually balancing them against superior iphone ones. Psychologically she is actually saying, go ahead, your iphone can do everything a pro camera can, infact you're probably going to do a better job and pro togs are much more interested in getting it looking good.

The fact that it looks balanced in the middle with the information swinging the other way is probably just a ploy to make it look like balanced reporting, remember it's the beginning and the end that people pay attention to.
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This is precisely what I was thinking. I'm surprised others haven't mentioned it.

It's a sales pitch, using an expensive dslr to justify the price of an iPhone. If they had used a 60D, people might have thought they'd really need to save their cash to get a 5D. Instead, doing a rigged comparison with a 5D will have the consumer thinking...

'Yeah, the iPhone is expensive, but I'll not need a dslr with expensive lenses. Sure when will I ever take photos of flowers and need dramatic DOF? I'll just get an iPhone and save myself a bunch of money. Some of the photos look even better than the 5D!'
 
Do people actually buy an iPhone on the ability of the camera though? I upgraded from a 3 to a 3GS to save myself some money (and my 3 was faulty so did need to be replaced) but paying the extra for the iPhone 4 with it's supposedly superior camera just didn't interest me. If you want to buy a phone for the camera, you'd buy a Nokia N series ;)
 
DemiLion said:
You really have absolutely no clue about what was happening in August do you?

Half of the images taken on Sunday and Monday night were taken with mobiles and compacts, because it was too dangerous to use anything else.

See what the Pros use? I'm talking about what I was using, as were snappers from AFP, PA and Getty.

Basically you are talking from somewhere smelly.
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Don't think the last part was called for!
 
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It is when you are questioning my accuracy and experience of real events.
 
DemiLion said:
It is when you are questioning my accuracy and experience of real events.
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You can disagree without being disrespectful. We all contribute and all have different views. Anything I say on the TV (with the guys obviously using their TV cameras) showed photographer's with SLRs but I'm not saying there were not plenty with other cameras......

You can put a point over without being disrespectful - no problem disagreeing and if you have experienced it first hand, that is more than I have - i just watched the telly
 
What you saw on the box was a fraction of what happened.

Most of the rioting was completely inaccessible to camera crews.
 
DemiLion said:
You really have absolutely no clue about what was happening in August do you?

Half of the images taken on Sunday and Monday night were taken with mobiles and compacts, because it was too dangerous to use anything else.

See what the Pros use? I'm talking about what I was using, as were snappers from AFP, PA and Getty.

Basically you are talking from somewhere smelly.
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Why is a really expensive top of the range phone less lghtly to get stolen than a camera?
 
swanseamale47 said:
Why is a really expensive top of the range phone less lghtly to get stolen than a camera?
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Because it's low profile, simple as that.

For the record I did get my iPhone nicked in a walk past snatch, but that was during daylight whilst we were still using SLRs (which again were the targets of attempted snatches).

After dark it was just too dangerous to carry a full press set up. Those that had them resorted to compacts and CSCs, others used their mobiles. Generally you're carrying two cameras, assorted lenses and a laptop on your body and/or in a rucksack - it tends to make you stand out a tad. Dropping off all the kit and acting like a normal bod on the street getting trophy happy snaps is a lot safer.

The point is that a dSLR isn't always the best tool for the job, and sometimes a mobile/CSC/compact is better. This thread started out as iPhone v dSLR so I addressed that, but given the option I'd prefer a small camera like a G9 or G3 (both of which I've got for exactly that purpose).
 
But surely an SLR woiuld be better? Again just not so convenient!
 
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How many ways would you like me to say; 'No. No it wouldn't' ?
 
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