Full-Frame vs. Smartphone (don't laugh...)

[Chris]

iPhone users also have the option of connecting an external "DXO One" 20 Mpx Raw shooting camera module with a 1* inch sensor onto their camera. The downside is they are a bit pricey. I have never tried one, but it has good reviews. I might be tempted when they perfect their usb C version for Android phones.

Review - DXO One in 2020
www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=wHrn9OGZrQM



Kind regards
Chris

* 1 inch sensors are larger than phone sensors but are actually smaller than one inch due to historical terminology. They measure 0.52 x 0.35 inches

[hmca]

Interesting video and nice share, Chris. But as someone who likes to try to keep things simple, I can't say I find it tempting.

[mart44]

I use my Canon SX260 HS for most shots. Providing the daylight is fair, the camera set on auto captures a scene much as the eye sees it. It's only when the daylight is poor or the shades of night are coming on that something other than auto might be needed.

The trouble is that I often won't be able to decide or find the best settings for a photo inside of five minutes by which time whatever I wanted to photograph is history. The result is that nearly all of my photos are taken during full daylight hours on point and shoot. A degree optical zoom if necessary.

One thing about this camera is its robustness. It had stood up to quite a bit of bumping around in my mountain bike saddlebag. Many of my photographs have been taken while out on bike rides and those who I was with didn't want to be hanging around while I set up a shot. A quick point and shoot seemed the best option. The camera is still working well today despite the rough treatment it had and so I still use it for taking most photographs.

I sometimes use my phone's camera and true to say, it does take a good photo, although I much prefer to use the SX260 camera if I have it with me. It fits into the hand better. A good old familiar feel about it.

I also have a rarely used Olympus bridge camera somewhere that I used for photos of the Moon and scenes of sunsets and rises. Even got a tripod. I might dig these out again and see if the camera is in good order.

[Howard]

Aug 28, 2023 8:36:34 GMT mart44 said:

The trouble is that I often won't be able to decide or find the best settings for a photo inside of five minutes by which time whatever I wanted to photograph is history

Hi Mart
Your comment is so true and reminded me of the old saying (from Arthur Fellig I think)...

"F8 and be there!" 😁

In other words, whack it on aperture priority at F8 (generally considered a reasonable sweet spot) and be in the right place at the right time.

Easier said than done though!

[Chris]

Here is an interesting 14 minute video from Alex Kilbee, a professional photographer who now takes thousands of pictures on his iPhone and is very happy with the results.

I shot over 10,000 street photos on an iPhone: What I discovered
www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=xngDAVKTXrE

Kind regards
Chris

PS Now smart phone photos can be greatly enhanced with AI software such as Topaz Photo AI etc.

[hmca]

Thanks, Chris . I especially liked the work that he shared of Eric Mencher. I am now following him on Instagram. Some really nice black and whites.

[Howard]

Oct 16, 2023 15:29:08 GMT Chris said:

Here is an interesting 14 minute video from Alex Kilbee, a professional photographer who now takes thousands of pictures on his iPhone and is very happy with the results.

I shot over 10,000 street photos on an iPhone: What I discovered
www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=xngDAVKTXrE

The ink didn't work for me immediately but in searching I found another of his vids which I enjoyed.

link

It relates to me in several ways I think...lack of confidence in my ability, nervousness about being intrusive, how do I know whether my photos are good etc.
And it's always helpful to know that the big names fail 99% of the time but it's the 1% that matters.

Knowing that it's okay to be intuitive and immediate without overthinking every shot is also reassuring, especially as I am not overly technical about the subject myself.

His comment about not being restricted to a particular style/type of photographer reminded me of a quote from, I think Saul Leiter (correct me if I'm wrong) when asked about his style, "I don't have a philosophy, I have a camera".
My version is "I'm not good enough to be fussy about only taking a certain kind of photo."

Thanks for putting me onto Alex, Chris, I like his presentation style.

[Chris]

Thank you Helen and Howard for your replies. I enjoy listening to his warm relaxed conversational style. While I will never give up using my slr, there are some advantages in using my smartphone. It's the one you have in your hand, and it attracts much less attention.

As you say Howard, being intuitive and immediate without overthinking every shot can have its advantages. It can take away some stress and allow the creative juices to flow.

An amusing thought just came to mind. Once a friend was showing me his plane spotting slides. I was drawn to the composition an interesting abstract shot of utility poles and electrical wires. I gave a favourable comment on the picture and asked him about it. He replied, "er, um, well I think that picture was taken by accident!" Well, however it was taken, I thought it was rather good!

Kind regards
Chris

[hmca]

I am waiting for a new computer to be delivered.   Until then, I am trying to get a better handle on using my phone.   A friend sent me this video today by Brian Matiash.  He shows us some new lenses that are being developed for the iPhone. Thought it might be a nice addition to this thread.
 

[pontiac1940]

Oct 26, 2023 0:41:11 GMT hmca said:

A friend sent me this video today by Brian Matiash

Thanks. Some amazing stuff. 
Being old school I am still wary of the actual sensors sizes on smartphones. I could not find the sensor physical dimensions for any 48 MP smartphones.
People are posting bird photos from their smartphones on assorted wildlife photo FB groups. So far, most images are not very good...noise and clarity being main issues.  
The nuthatch was photographed in low light at ISO 4,000. It would make a decent print. The nuthatch was shot at about 15 to 20 feet in low light. Could this be done with a smart phone? 

At what point does the phone morph from being a camera into an AI device? Sure we all edit digital photos from our DSLRs and mirrorless cameras but the basic images are not overtly altered.
If a smart phone uses the original image information and creates a new image is it a camera or an AI device?  
Just wondering. 

[hmca]

I think knowing when to use your phone/vs your camera comes into play here. I don't think the phone would be the camera of choice when it comes to bird photography. However, if you saw some rare bird and only had your phone I think an inferior shot might be better than none. I have used Topaz Gigapixel to enlarge images take with my camera and have never been disappointed. I haven't tried it with phone pictures. The lenses he reviewed sound interesting. I am still trying to learn how to maximize results with pictures taken with my phone. However, I would imagine that they might be a great advantage to people who are more proficient with using their phone.

[cjt]

I have an iPhone 14 Pro, which is overkill for many purposes, but!! The thing has 3 lens on the back. It's normal function is 0.5X, 1X, 3X-I think that is what they are. BUT, there is a Macro mode that steps in when you take a closeup, really close. Then, at the 3X mode, you can get a circle looking thing to show up and that will do a digital bit of magic, all the way to 15X!
Now, that 15X stuff is not really as great as one might hope for. But, as a birder for quite a few years but NOT an expert birder, that 15X gives you enough reach to get a photo of a bird that is good enough to help you ID the bird. So, yes, Helen, it is sometimes better than none! And I can send that photo to my really great birding friends and they can tell me what bird I saw and photographed!
Then, you can also take that photo and see if Photos can ID the bird, or the flower, or the tree, which it can do fairly well.

Add these items. There is a free app called Merlin, I don't know if it's available on Android, but this app will help you ID the bird you just saw by leading you through a series of steps. Usually pretty good. OR, if the bird is singing, turn on the microphone and Merlin will take a stab at an ID of the bird. I have not had an opportunity to play with this one yet, but, come the spring migration!

Sorry for long post, but, thought it worth passing along the info on some of the things that birders do with their iPhones and Android phones. Not to mention ways to record what birds you saw today on that walk in the park.
cjt

[pontiac1940]

Oct 26, 2023 22:47:20 GMT hmca said:

I think knowing when to use your phone/vs your camera comes into play here.

Agree. BTW, I use my smartphone camera daily. Such as today when we had dinner at son's for my wife's birthday.  

Oct 27, 2023 2:17:23 GMT cjt said:

that 15X gives you enough reach to get a photo of a bird that is good enough to help you ID

Good point. Perhaps not printable (which I do little of anyway) but excellent for bird ID.  

Oct 27, 2023 2:17:23 GMT cjt said:

There is a free app called Merlin, I don't know if it's available on Android,

Yes, I have Merlin on my android and use it a lot on birds I can't ID. 

[Howard]

Oct 26, 2023 5:08:30 GMT pontiac1940 said:

Just wondering

On the whole, I agree with you, Clive.  But I also acknowledge Helen's post about convenience and unexpected opportunities.

Phone camera sensors are indeed very small and most of the zooming etc is all done with electronic zoom rather than optical, which tends to degrade quality.
A lot of the quality seen in phone photos is down to algorithms, but then so is a jpg in a full frame camera. 

On rare occasions when I have taken a half decent shot on my phone, as soon as I try to blow it up beyond say 7X5, the lack of quality becomes evident, and there is no way I could print at 300dpi for an A3, as I can with my Sony.

I suppose there is a case for both and at the Sydney photo exhibition they had a section for phone pictures and they were, without exception, excellent. Perhaps it's me doing something wrong?

What does annoy me a little is the snobbery of some people that if you use a phone you're not a real photographer. There is enough snobbery in photography already, and that stance is a little old fashioned in my mind.

I'll put it out there though...I'm not a fan of AI and that is really what will impact phone cameras more and more in coming years.

That's my penny's worth!

[pontiac1940]

Also good points Howard.

Particularly liked your "snobbery" comment. The only person who needs to be happy is the photographer.  I'll write more tomorrow.

Now here is an experiment. Today, I took some photos of my wife at her 79th birthday gathering at our son's.  The smartphone photos automatically go to my  Google Photos storage. I'm laying in bed using my tablet...... IF (if) his unedited photo actually displays here, first, I'll  be amazed and secondly, it shows how handy phone technology is.

I'll edit this post tomorrow.  It does not seem to display properly.

EDIT: Well that went sideways on me last night. It was the wrong image and it was cropped when shipped directly from Google Photos.

Here is the image and a great reason to have a smartphone.