[UncleVanya]

I think what is being said is that iPhone users are more likely to post than Nikon users since not as much emphasis on social networking and uploading is typical.

There is a bias in the way the data is collected.

This takes nothing away from the awesome pictures taken by phone cameras.

[normhead]

That might be true.....

[K-9]

I think what is being said is that iPhone users are more likely to post than Nikon users since not as much emphasis on social networking and uploading is typical.

There is a bias in the way the data is collected.

This takes nothing away from the awesome pictures taken by phone cameras.

This ...

[Christine Tham]

Great pictures by the way Christine.... amazing what you can do with that small sensor DoF.
A great example, you can complain about what you've got isn't, or you can learn to use what you've got to it's strength. It's always the user's choice

Thanks, normhead. I know how discriminating you are, so if you like a photo that's high praise indeed and I am thankful.

The intention of my post wasn't to spark a debate about who made the sensor or what constitutes a camera, or whether the article was biased or not, but to hopefully create a discussion about the use of the iPhone as a serious photography tool.

What I like about the iPhone is that it encapsulates the entire photography process and workflow (capture, process, publish) in a package that I can hold in the palm of my hand.

Yes, a DSLR with Wi Fi can potentially do the same thing, but it's so much less simple and elegant.

The other aspect of the iPhone that I am exploring is the flexibility - I can choose between capture apps, processing apps and even where I publish and the iOS platform is probably one of the richest ecosystems for doing this.

Anyway, enough talking and back to taking pictures. This is Day 4 - I processed this less than the others, to show the underlying image quality and detail better:

[neostyles]

Iphone photography is kind of a pretty big thing, there are even some pretty neat lenses that you can get for it
http://www.amazon.com/VicTsing%C2%AE-Fish-Eye-Magnetic-Easy-Use-connected/dp...=iphone+lenses

[UncleVanya]

The intention of my post wasn't to spark a debate about who made the sensor or what constitutes a camera, or whether the article was biased or not, but to hopefully create a discussion about the use of the iPhone as a serious photography tool.

What if any accessory lenses do you use - what other tools make it into your photo process? Tripod adapters? Software? etc.

[Christine Tham]

What if any accessory lenses do you use - what other tools make it into your photo process? Tripod adapters? Software? etc.

This is a whole new world for me. I don't know much about what's out there, and I would value input from any other iPhone serious users on this forum.

I have a few friends who are iPhoneographers, and they have been encouraging me to experiment. Today at lunch someone was telling me there are Bluetooth flash units I can buy, lenses etc.

For my current set of photos, I am using the standard iPhone camera app - I quite like it and the burst mode is great. I also have Camera+, and someone showed me at lunch today an app called 645PRO which provides a DSLR like UI. I am mainly using the standard iPhone image editing tools, Facebook and Snapseed. I also have Diptic and Photoshop Mix, but haven't tried them yet.

[Miguel]

I would value input from any other iPhone serious users on this forum

I've been increasingly giving more attention to using my iPhone to take advantage of serendipitous shooting opportunities. It's just super easy to pull my Vespa off the side of the road and have some more fun. The 5s has relatively fine quality. I've been using Camera+ for the past few years and it has gotten both more powerful and easier to use over that time. My workflow usually entails quickly uploading keeper shots to DropBox and then processing them on my iPad Air using Snapseed. I'll also later import them into LR as I like the lens correction function, plus I do a few tweaks.

One free software I do recommend is Microsoft Photosynth for panos. Easy and engaging interface (among the best Microsoft software I've ever used dating back to 1983) and when the light is stable the stitching is tight.

Here's a shot from last week that I've already sold some prints from off our local Facebook page.

Quartermaster Harbor In The Round



M

[Clavius]

This is no surprise at all. If we could make a selection on "smartphones" in general, I think then that would come out as No. 1, no doubt. The best camera is the one you have with you.

[Christine Tham]

I've been increasingly giving more attention to using my iPhone to take advantage of serendipitous shooting opportunities. It's just super easy to pull my Vespa off the side of the road and have some more fun. The 5s has relatively fine quality. I've been using Camera+ for the past few years and it has gotten both more powerful and easier to use over that time. My workflow usually entails quickly uploading keeper shots to DropBox and then processing them on my iPad Air using Snapseed. I'll also later import them into LR as I like the lens correction function, plus I do a few tweaks.

One free software I do recommend is Microsoft Photosynth for panos. Easy and engaging interface (among the best Microsoft software I've ever used dating back to 1983) and when the light is stable the stitching is tight.

Here's a shot from last week that I've already sold some prints from off our local Facebook page.

Quartermaster Harbor In The Round



M

Thanks - I may try and use Camera+ more - I have hardly used it. Will also try out Photosynth.

Great picture, by the way.

[reeftool]

I've found my iPhone 5s to be an extremely reliable camera that goes everywhere with me. It has it's limits like fixed focal length and aperture but it does an amazing job for what it is. The exposures are usually right on. I shot this while on vacation last May. I was taking a walk at the campground were staying at and I took a quick iPhone shot of the sunrise and birds flying around the dock. I was impressed with the way it handled this exposure.

[UncleVanya]

I've found my iPhone 5s to be an extremely reliable camera that goes everywhere with me. It has it's limits like fixed focal length and aperture but it does an amazing job for what it is. The exposures are usually right on. I shot this while on vacation last May. I was taking a walk at the campground were staying at and I took a quick iPhone shot of the sunrise and birds flying around the dock. I was impressed with the way it handled this exposure.

JPG straight out of the camera?

[reeftool]

JPG straight out of the camera?

Yes, it's straight out of the phone. The photo is still in my phone and I checked it. Even the auto-enhance isn't checked. I took a few shots of this scene with the phone. This was the straightest one and the one I uploaded. The other exposures are all identical but a little crooked as I was walking with a cup of coffee and my breakfast which I planned to eat watching the sunrise. I also had my K5 with a Sigma 17-70 attached and took a few shots. The K5 DNG shots are underexposed slightly and appear more of a silhouette although I expect that and it's an easy fix in Lightroom. The IQ of the iPhone 5s shots are comparable and came out great for being quick, one handed snapshots. One thing I never got the chance to get were sunrise shots with the DA 15 as I overslept a bit the following morning and while I got some good shots, the sun was much higher in the sky and the color was gone. The remaining days were overcast. After a year with the iPhone, I feel I can get an excellent photo in just about any conditions as long as I keep it steady.

Here's another iPhone shot. Christmas morning on Stratton Mountain, Vermont. I noticed the rainbow showing up in the squall over the valley and grabbed a fast shot as my phone was handy in my jacket pocket. This shot is cropped and a little PP applied.

[Christine Tham]

After a year with the iPhone, I feel I can get an excellent photo in just about any conditions as long as I keep it steady.

I agree. Someone told me the iPhone actually takes several quick shots when I press the button, and presents the best one. I have never had a bad shot from my 5S despite shooting in poor conditions.


I think the iPhone 4S was the first iPhone that started to rival a compact in terms of image quality, and current generation iPhones I think have features and quality that would be comparable to premium compacts.

Here is one of the first night photos I took on my 4S (no processing, straight upload) - it's a good example of the sort of quality you can get from a night time handheld shot

[Christine Tham]

Me on my bike on a 75km ride on Sat - taken by friend on my iPhone 4S - trust me you do not want to bring a DSLR with you on a road trip: just before this photo was taken I was a doing a rapid descent down to Berowra Waters doing sharp corners at almost 60 km/h



For those interested, here is a log of the ride on Garmin:
Garmin Connect