iPhone 11 Pro Comparing photo abilities of iPhone 11 Pro to an 11 year old camera

[phobos]

Thought some of you might find this interesting.
We’ve been hearing for a while how good camera phones have become and while they have improved quite a lot they certainly are not much to talk about.
But I wanted to put my assumptions to the test so I took out my 2009 Panasonic GF1 and started testing.

If you’re too bored to watch the video here’s the summary.
As expected the 11 year old GF1 could easily beat the iPhone 11 Pro

Here’s the link to the full video.

 

[austyn23]

The phone wins because most of the users (myself included) want something easy to share. Point, shoot and share with family and friends.

And of course the fact that you always have your phone with you, and not the camera.

There is where the phone beats any camera.

 

[fokmik]

what about video? because, pictures are motionless and soundless...videos are more important

 

[phobos]

what about video? because, pictures are motionless and soundless...videos are more important

With video, any dedicated camera would win as well. Of course if we compare it to an 11 year old camera like the GF1 the iPhone would win hands down.

 

[phobos]

The phone wins because most of the users (myself included) want something easy to share. Point, shoot and share with family and friends.

And of course the fact that you always have your phone with you, and not the camera.

There is where the phone beats any camera.

I mention that in the video as well but a lot of times I catch myself, wishing I had my camera with me!
Either way I think it's interesting to see the comparison and to tame overall expectations users might have.

 

[Robbosan]

The phone wins because most of the users (myself included) want something easy to share. Point, shoot and share with family and friends.

And of course the fact that you always have your phone with you, and not the camera.

There is where the phone beats any camera.

Untill you want to blow them up to print and put on the wall, ok for scenery but not people.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

The phone wins because most of the users (myself included) want something easy to share. Point, shoot and share with family and friends.

And of course the fact that you always have your phone with you, and not the camera.

There is where the phone beats any camera.

I think you’ve missed the point. This is about image quality, not convenience and yes we all carry smartphones with a camera on it.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

Thought some of you might find this interesting.
We’ve been hearing for a while how good camera phones have become and while they have improved quite a lot they certainly are not much to talk about.
But I wanted to put my assumptions to the test so I took out my 2009 Panasonic GF1 and started testing.

If you’re too bored to watch the video here’s the summary.
As expected the 11 year old GF1 could easily beat the iPhone 11 Pro

Here’s the link to the full video.

Very interesting and thanks for sharing. I’m not at all surprised though to be honest. No smartphone will ever take a better picture than a decent camera with a larger sensor and a better lens.

I’ve never understood why an iPhone can’t process the blues properly in a picture of the sky for instance? Pixel duplication and software confusing itself most likely. Look through the photography threads here and you’ll see this pattern and even when the Pro iPhones are used.

 

[fokmik]

With video, any dedicated camera would win as well. Of course if we compare it to an 11 year old camera like the GF1 the iPhone would win hands down.

yes, of course, we keep your 11 years difference...thats why you made this thread
we cant compare today iphone with today imax video
But again, if you can make a diff between 11 years old video camera recording with the 11 pro video it would be appreciate

 

[austyn23]

I think you’ve missed the point. This is about image quality, not convenience and yes we all carry smartphones with a camera on it.

No I didn't, the video is great comparison, I'm just saying that the phone "wins" because is something we always carry with us and nowadays it take really good photos.

The sound of the 11P is really good, but of course a good speaker would sound better.

If you like photography you will always have a pocket powerful camera with you; but the average user don´t.

I have a 3 years old Canon powershoot that blows the iphone 11 in every way (even video), but has been sleeping on the drawer for the last two years.

The camera wins in photo.
The speaker wins in sound.
The phone wins in sales hahaha

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

No I didn't, the video is great comparison, I'm just saying that the phone "wins" because is something we always carry with us and nowadays it take really good photos.

The sound of the 11P is really good, but of course a good speaker would sound better.

If you like photography you will always have a pocket powerful camera with you; but the average user don´t.

I have a 3 years old Canon powershoot that blows the iphone 11 in every way (even video), but has been sleeping on the drawer for the last two years.

The camera wins in photo.
The speaker wins in sound.
The phone wins in sales hahaha

The average user not into photography isn’t going to care about image quality and this was about showing that an old camera can still outperform a modern smartphone. The lens on a smartphone is far too small to compete with a proper large optical lens on a camera. We all take decent pictures with our iPhones but the images lack details when zooming in and are rarely good enough for anything other than sharing online or small prints.

Sales? Not sure why that is even relevant to anybody other than the manufacturer? It certainly doesn’t validate whether a camera takes a better picture than another. A phone is a computer with many uses whereas a camera has a particular purpose and isn’t competing in the same market use wise.

 

[ericwn]

First, OP, thanks for the effort. I’m not surprised that the good old GF1 (I remember I wanted one...) pulls off great images.

The more one invests in image editing the bigger the gap would become in my opinion.

The typical snapshot taker will likely get better results straight out of the camera from an iPhone though, in my opinion. If our digital cameras all had much better JPEGs out of the gate without us having to spend hours post processing, they’d still be in more demand today.

 

[akash.nu]

First, OP, thanks for the effort. I’m not surprised that the good old GF1 (I remember I wanted one...) pulls off great images.

The more one invests in image editing the bigger the gap would become in my opinion.

The typical snapshot taker will likely get better results straight out of the camera from an iPhone though, in my opinion. If our digital cameras all had much better JPEGs out of the gate without us having to spend hours post processing, they’d still be in more demand today.

Have to agree with every word here. If the digital camera software was as sophisticated as what Google, Apple & Samsung are putting out there then every digital camera would win compared to a smartphone.

Having said that, even Samsung’s own point and shoot cameras don’t come close to the image processing prowess their galaxy or note series smartphones are capable of.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

The typical snapshot taker will likely get better results straight out of the camera from an iPhone though, in my opinion. If our digital cameras all had much better JPEGs out of the gate without us having to spend hours post processing, they’d still be in more demand today.

Of course but I would hope camera manufacturers still have a bit of hope that photography isn’t the dying art it’s become in the smartphone world. Including the types of post processing software onboard that iPhones have does tend to take a lot of the skill out of taking a photo and developing it into a good image. I’d like to say that’s my opinion but it’s a fact sadly. The modern consumer has expectations when it comes to taking photos and this is down to smartphones having clever software. The vast majority don’t care as long as the image looks good within a second of tapping the screen.

I miss the days (which wasn’t long ago) where we can admire a good photo and not have to assume the person hasn’t taken a good pic but the phone has actually filtered the hell out of it for Instagram likes lol. It has meant however that the use of a proper camera does seem to get more respect these days.

 

[Nordichund]

I used to carry all the DSLR gear around on my travels. Took some beautiful photos that I am really proud of. Yes a bigger sensor and top glass is hard to beat. However as the well known saying goes it is the photographer who captures the image not the camera.

I am so impressed with many of the images I have seen taken by photographers on mobile phone cameras. The technology is only going to improve. I can remember the first phone I saw that could capture images on the Nokia 7650, but they were really poor. Compare the images on the phone to then and now?

Even with my iPhone 11 Pro, I still love taking my Fujifilm 100T around with me when I want to lose myself in the world of photography. I happily use both side by side.

 

[The-Real-Deal82]

I used to carry all the DSLR gear around on my travels. Took some beautiful photos that I am really proud of. Yes a bigger sensor and top glass is hard to beat. However as the well known saying goes it is the photographer who captures the image not the camera.

I am so impressed with many of the images I have seen taken by photographers on mobile phone cameras. The technology is only going to improve. I can remember the first phone I saw that could capture images on the Nokia 7650, but they were really poor. Compare the images on the phone to then and now?

Even with my iPhone 11 Pro, I still love taking my Fujifilm 100T around with me when I want to lose myself in the world of photography. I happily use both side by side.

That’s obviously true to an extent but there is no denying a phone can give very good results with minimal effort and regardless of how talented the operator is at spotting a good photo opportunity.

Phones are very good until you start zooming in and you’ll see things start to get fuzzy. A phone struggles with clear blue skies even the 11 Pro. You’ll see blocks of blues in weird shapes where the software has struggled to process the changes in tone for example. For general point and shooting though modern smartphones are excellent and has pretty much replaced compact cameras. Of course talent will also play its part in delivering a good picture. Some people will take a better picture on an iPhone 8+ than others can achieve on an 11 Pro. That’s life.

 

[ericwn]

Of course but I would hope camera manufacturers still have a bit of hope that photography isn’t the dying art it’s become in the smartphone world. Including the types of post processing software onboard that iPhones have does tend to take a lot of the skill out of taking a photo and developing it into a good image. I’d like to say that’s my opinion but it’s a fact sadly. The modern consumer has expectations when it comes to taking photos and this is down to smartphones having clever software. The vast majority don’t care as long as the image looks good within a second of tapping the screen.

I miss the days (which wasn’t long ago) where we can admire a good photo and not have to assume the person hasn’t taken a good pic but the phone has actually filtered the hell out of it for Instagram likes lol. It has meant however that the use of a proper camera does seem to get more respect these days.

Good post and thanks for the response. I think that as photography enthusiasts we need to keep an eye on both sides of the story, an open mind.

Of course the tools got better. Computational photography has caught up to a degree where the smartphone quality is good enough to many.

I sure appreciate someone who has great photo post processing skills or PS skills, but I can also appreciate film shots and iPhone shots too.

What smartphones do is stuff that the makers of digital cameras failed at, where the tool makes it easier for the photographer and gets out of the way. That entire “darkroom at home” PP area was not the norm in film days for example. Most of us brought their film to a photo lab and got pictures back in return.
That of course takes some of the responsibility away from the photographer but they still have to capture the moment they saw at that time. That to me is the main achievement: capture the moment, if possible with an interesting framing too.

I also hope that some camera manufacturers survive this turning of the market, because the image capturing to me is as much fun as the image consumption later on. But we all get different things out of photography which is great!

 

[NoBoMac]

Did not watch the video, so apologies if covered there...

But, not really a fair comparison, as the GF1 has a 4/3 sensor in it (for sensor novices: hella bigger than what's in a phone or P&S cameras at that time), "real" interchangeable lenses. The GF1 is more DSLR while phones are P&S.

A more interesting comparison would have been something like my 2008 Canon SD1100: P&S, small sensor like in phones, 8MP, decent glass lens with decent optical zoom.

Have not done a side-by-side with an iPhone, but still use the Canon when on road trips in situations I don't want to take the phone or my DSLR (read: can get damaged) or while driving on said road trip (yes, not safe, but can work the Canon with one hand and snap a quick picture of something I see out the window and fits nicely in the cup holders, center console). Have been pleased with the image quality coming from the Canon, even though not the best of the era and might be out-shone by current phones.

 

[now i see it]

iPhone is good for snapshots and vid clips and that's it. Apple did to photography the same thing they did to music - made it available and convenient for the masses but at an inferior quality.

 

[akash.nu]

iPhone is good for snapshots and vid clips and that's it. Apple did to photography the same thing they did to music - made it available and convenient for the masses but at an inferior quality.

I’m not sure if we can call it “inferior” quality since that depends on the usage. The whole photography spectrum has changed over the last few years. I mean how many people really actually blow up pictures and print them now? If we look at the percentage it would be minuscule compared to the number of people post on social media.

Instagram is the biggest example of some awesome and creative pictures / videos that were taken from phones, drones and various other action cams. The usage of heavy photography gear based situation has decreased over the years. So I say it’s more fit for purpose type of thing rather than the “quality” as such.

 

[phobos]

Interesting to read all the different opinions. Keep them coming!

A couple of things I've only mentioned in passing or didn't mention at all, to avoid having a 30 minute video.

1) The quality of the images from the iPhone drops considerably with the other 2 lenses. Only the the default lens gives the best results. The other 2 lenses give really inferior results. a) they're quite bad in low light b) they lack detail c) night mode and other computational tasks are not used d) there's an insane amount of lens flares produced from even the tiniest light source, which is an indication of poor quality lenses.
I avoid using the other 2 lenses unless it's an insanely well lit environment and the environment doesn't have a lot of detail.

2) When the iPhone combines a lot of different exposures to create an image there are cases where the stitching is absolutely abysmal. Think of it as Jpeg artefacts but much bigger in size. Like patches of different elements. These are revealed easily when trying to edit the image in Photoshop and Lightroom. Only way to avoid having this is by shooting RAW which basically foregoes any computations and makes the photo taking process longer than actually taking a photo with a camera. There are also other issues like ghosting/fringing around silhouettes.

Can someone take good pictures with a phone? Absolutely. But it will take probably as long as whipping your actual camera out, and in the end the final image won't be as detailed or as flexible to adjust as a RAW camera file.

Even though I understand that in most cases people see these pictures on their phones so in the end it doesn't matter how good the quality is, I must say I don't agree entirely with that argument.
As an "artist" I would like to see my work look good on whatever medium. Wether it's printed, it's shown on tv, or just seen on a 4 inch screen. So if in the future instagram dies or let's say I want to see my work on another medium I know that the work can still look good there.

It's why for example TV shows from the 60s that were shot on film still look amazing to this day and TV shows from the 80s that were shot to tape look terrible. Shows that were shot on tape to save costs or because no one would be able to tell the difference on 80s limited resolution TVs, wasn't as forward thinking and as a result they painted themselves in to a corner. When seeing transfer of film to 2K and now 4K and beyond the shows and films that were shot that way reveal detail that hasn't been seen before and of course with more cinematic qualities due to the way things had to be shot.

So the way I think about it is like this. Make sure that the tool you're using to take your pictures, make your art etc doesn't end up making you shoot yourself in the foot. Just because you're watching your images on 4 or 6 inch screens now, doesn't mean you need to produce work that will only look good on that screen.

 

[kamikazeeMC]

I tried to replace my old Sony A65 DSLR with a Pixel 2 when it came out because I can be lazy to carry it around. While the pictures were fine when viewed less than 100% and on small screens they fall apart quickly when viewing bigger. Also I find shooting with a phone uninspiring compared to a traditional camera, the act of holding the viewfinder to your eye, quickly being able to change settings with physical controls, makes shooting more fun. I’m happy with what I can get out of modern phones for spur of the moment shots, but when I go out with the intention to take photos, I’ll happily drag around a proper camera.

This works out well with me wanting the 5.4” iPhone, will have a good enough camera and not have to go for the Pro models and can put the difference towards a Canon R5 setup.