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01-06-2012, 09:18 PM   #1
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The Phone Club!

.

Got an iphone 4s for Christmas. 8MP, BSI sensor, f/2.4 lens, fast startup. Initial reaction: impressed, and a bit surprised at the image quality and performance.

But I guess I shouldn't be surprised at all; time and tech marches on, and sometimes takes off on a quick sprint before we realize how far away from where we're standing it's gone. I guess this is one of those moments for me.

.

I'll start with this quick snap taken as I was walking into a Qwik Trip today... This is straight from the camera, no PP:





Now, there's no way to shoot raw, so this is the phone's jpeg engine, but what strikes me here is the color, the tonality in the car, the metering, and the general pleasant nature of the sky. It's not DSLR quality, but I don't think my 2007 Panasonic Lumix TZ3 would have handled that scene that well. I remember when I used to be impressed with that TZ3.

Anyone else on this DSLR-centric forum have phone cameras that get used more than they care to admit? You're in the club. Post away.


.


Last edited by jsherman999; 01-06-2012 at 09:27 PM.
01-06-2012, 09:53 PM - 1 Like   #2
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.


.... and the jpegs seem to hold up to some PP before falling apart better than any camera phone I've used before, and certainly better than my TZ3.


Here's a straight B&W of the above:



And some 'punch' (1), some graduated-filter exposure control (2), some desaturation (3), and a bit more dramatic B&W treatment (4) :

1,2

3,4
01-06-2012, 09:59 PM   #3
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Commence the Festivities

Jay: Here's one I took with my iPhone 4s December 29th. All three children were home (probably for the last time) and we were about to start the traditional activities. This was originally posted in P&S Contest #49 - Lights, requiring multiple light sourcces, as a test to determine whether a phone qualifies as a Point & Shoot. I use an app named ProCamera. This was not processed other than to resize. At least in this photo there isn't enough DoF to capture the tree lights and the mantle lights but the color of the Victorian loveseat is very close, as are the rugs.


01-06-2012, 10:25 PM   #4
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Looking to get an iPhone 4S this year. I will spec it out with cool film simulation apps. Besides that here are the best things I like.

- Built in GPS location tagging, you can even use this with your main cam, take the first shot with the iphone and follow up with the camera shots not only a good way to judge composition before bring out the big gun but save the files together so you know the GPS location!

- Straight to social network/MSM, I hate mucking around with photos I just want to share quickly, they only need a lower resolution anyway and be in JPEG, with the built in web acess I can share right away without mucking around with my DSLR workflow. With image editor apps I can give them a quick tweak to show of my talent before posting.

- I can use where other cameras arn't allowed. Sometimes I just want to remember someone or something I have seen in a museum or gallery without having a 1:1 digital reproduction of it, they will police my big SLR and even my P/S but not the iphone

Obviously you aren't restricted to just using an iphone but it is the apps that really make the difference, android is starting to get better on this front- I'm getting it instead for the music ability and free iphone to iphone messaging as my wife has one.

01-07-2012, 03:28 AM   #5
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Nice club idea! Because I always have my phone on me I've ended up taking more pictures with it than with my k-5 lately. It's not an iphone, though- it's a blackberry, and if the think I'm trying to shoot is more than a few feet away, the results are bornerline useless. Thing's pretty sharp when used on a "tripod", though!
01-07-2012, 10:11 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by monochrome Quote
Jay: Here's one I took with my iPhone 4s December 29th. All three children were home (probably for the last time) and we were about to start the traditional activities. This was originally posted in P&S Contest #49 - Lights, requiring multiple light sourcces, as a test to determine whether a phone qualifies as a Point & Shoot. I use an app named ProCamera. This was not processed other than to resize. At least in this photo there isn't enough DoF to capture the tree lights and the mantle lights but the color of the Victorian loveseat is very close, as are the rugs.

I like the color quite a bit - it seems to have a bit of softness, probably due to a very low shutter speed & high ISO (what's the exif?)

I love mine for getting indoor snaps I wouldn't ordinarily have a camera in my hand for, but at 1/15s & ISO 800, it's challenged:





However in better light, it's might be the best 'P&S' I've personally shot.

Here's the detail near MFD:



Another snap:

01-07-2012, 10:11 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by Tonto Quote
Looking to get an iPhone 4S this year. I will spec it out with cool film simulation apps. Besides that here are the best things I like.

- Built in GPS location tagging, you can even use this with your main cam, take the first shot with the iphone and follow up with the camera shots not only a good way to judge composition before bring out the big gun but save the files together so you know the GPS location!

- Straight to social network/MSM, I hate mucking around with photos I just want to share quickly, they only need a lower resolution anyway and be in JPEG, with the built in web acess I can share right away without mucking around with my DSLR workflow. With image editor apps I can give them a quick tweak to show of my talent before posting.

- I can use where other cameras arn't allowed. Sometimes I just want to remember someone or something I have seen in a museum or gallery without having a 1:1 digital reproduction of it, they will police my big SLR and even my P/S but not the iphone

Obviously you aren't restricted to just using an iphone but it is the apps that really make the difference, android is starting to get better on this front- I'm getting it instead for the music ability and free iphone to iphone messaging as my wife has one.
All agreed, good summary.

01-07-2012, 10:12 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
Nice club idea! Because I always have my phone on me I've ended up taking more pictures with it than with my k-5 lately. It's not an iphone, though- it's a blackberry, and if the think I'm trying to shoot is more than a few feet away, the results are bornerline useless. Thing's pretty sharp when used on a "tripod", though!
Let's see some blackberry shots Adam!
01-07-2012, 11:54 PM   #9
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cool idea Jay, I take a lot of pictures with my droid x but not usually for photographic reasons. Usually Its just used to document things....




^ testing the panorama function on my phone for a slight different purpose No outside editing


My mom has an iphone 4s and I've shot with it several times, the one thing I greatly envy is exposure control! My phone always wants to lose shadow detail and expose much darker than it should making shooting anything dark colored or in the shade among sunlight near impossible. The only solution ive found is moving into the shade, AF in a darker area and hold the 2 stage camera button down while I recompose the shot from my original location. Since there is practically zero shallow DOF the result is usually never OOF and I get a semi-decent exposure. Very frustrating though and the one thing I greatly wish I could change about my droid. Other than that IMO it spanks the iphone 4s in more ways than it doesn't despite being much older.

edit:

found a couple more on my flickr




an actual panorama with a cheesy flickr border




my tarantula




and a lizard at a pet store




I think they show that the camera is definitely good enough for normal stuff like this!

Last edited by yeatzee; 01-08-2012 at 12:34 AM.
01-08-2012, 01:15 AM   #10
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Well done Jay.
Good idea.
Recently got the iPhone 4, and overlooking the grain of most of the images, they turn out OK:







I like the HDR option, and the ease of the camera use on the phone.
The DR is far too limiting to me, though.
01-08-2012, 01:21 AM   #11
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Doesn't do badly at all, but does benefit from some PP work:



01-08-2012, 04:56 AM   #12
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I have the iphone4 and my 16 yr old son the Samsung Galaxy S2 - the Samsung simply kicks its ass in the photo dept - some snaps from my son







01-08-2012, 06:18 AM   #13
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QuoteQuote:
Conclusion:

When speaking strictly about quality from the photos and videos I’ve taken the past few days, the iPhones 4S has the better camera. The iPhone’s videos are much smoother thanks to it’s stabilized lens, and the photos (on average) come out to be a bit more clearer/sharper. It’s not substantially better, nor in anyway is the camera on the Galaxy S 2 bad, but it’s still better. That being said, I’ve been using the S2 for 6 months now and have been plenty satisfied with it as a camera when I don’t have my ‘real’ one with me. The Galaxy S 2 does, however, win in the category of feature or the camera with it’s ability to take photos and videos at varying resolutions, being able to manually choose the ISO/exposure/white balance/color options, as well as various scene settings such as beach/portrait/fireworks/sunset/text/etc.



In the end, based on the photos and videos I took above, it is my opinion that the iPhone 4S does have a better quality camera/lens.
iPhone 4S vs Samsung Galaxy S2 Camera Comparison | jRin.net
01-08-2012, 06:26 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Tonto Quote
...

- Straight to social network/MSM, I hate mucking around with photos I just want to share quickly, they only need a lower resolution anyway and be in JPEG, with the built in web acess I can share right away without mucking around with my DSLR workflow. With image editor apps I can give them a quick tweak to show of my talent before posting....
For this very reason I purchased an Eye-Fi (mobile) card for my Oly Pen. I hate the camera in my phone and I hate having no controls like a point and shoot - so I use a small form factor MFT's and the card auto transfers the files to my phones storage for me to put up on Facebook, or to email/text to others. The files transfer over in about 10 seconds and do so automatically whenever a pic is taken.

c[_]

P.S. Great thread idea Jay!
01-08-2012, 06:56 AM - 2 Likes   #15
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I use my phone(s) to take pictures wherever I go!
For example:
Nokia N95


Sony Ericsson W995:


iPhone 4:



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