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iPhone camera vs DSLR

Attonine said:
Some interesting articles, from a variety of sources, about iPhones and photojournalism. Some of you may be interested.....
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Those are basically arguing whether hacks with iToys count as photographers and talking about people using iPhones where it's better to get a crap picture in fast for publication than take a good picture. What do they have to do with this thread?

Last year the Chicago Sun-Tribune fired their photography staff and told their journalists to use their iPhones. So not only do we not need real cameras we don't even need photographers. Now some hack taking crappy pictures with an iPhone is a professional photojournalist :rolleyes:

You're using lots of stupid anecdotes but they don't change the facts.
 
Symtex said:
I can also shoot photos at 25600 ISO on my DSLR. Try that on an Iphone.
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Good example - but how long has any DSLR been able to shoot at such an ISO? So there was a pre-25600 period for DSLRs, sure we are in the pre-25600 period for phone cameras but to argue the difference will never be closed ignores the obvious development going on.

And when 99.99% of any photography requirement can be met with an ISO that is available on both DSLR and phones the market differential is gone. It won't matter if the remaining 0.01% of photography needs a DSLR, if that market size won't support DSLR development then another answer will need to be found.

Lets take DoF control, it isn't beyond the bounds of possibility that technology will appear that can assess the distance of every part of a phone camera image (using focus-detection), before firing the shutter and digitally introduce OOF variably to duplicate the effect of a wider aperture....creating DoF where none existed in the original image....

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Oracle1729 said:
Last year the Chicago Sun-Tribune fired their photography staff and told their journalists to use their iPhones.
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But what has happened to their sales and circulation - that is the true test of whether that was a good decision.

Same has happened in TV news, increasing numbers of journalists in far-flung places using hand-held digital video cams instead of toting a full film crew and full-size video cam around....indeed some networks seem to deliberately stress the remoteness of the journalist by the poor phone connection they are on rather than worrying about it not being anything like broadcast quality...
 
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Oracle1729 said:
Those are basically arguing whether hacks with iToys count as photographers and talking about people using iPhones where it's better to get a crap picture in fast for publication than take a good picture. What do they have to do with this thread?

You're using lots of stupid anecdotes but they don't change the facts.
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So two articles about Conflict photographers, one from Getty and one from Magnum, stating why they use iPhones for their work, you have managed to reduce to "hacks with iToys".

The original question to this thread was whether iPhones will ever be able to replace DSLR's for the rest of us. Several people in this thread have taken a position, like yourself, that this is simply not possible, the arguments have been based around technical specifications. My position is that it is already happening. I have used real world examples of iPhones being used for professional work. The facts are iPhones are being used by Photographers (individuals with 100% income from taking photos, not anonymous blow hards on internet forums), for photography.

You may not like it, but photography is more than razor sharp images constructed in a studio. For many photography is about capturing stories in an image, people, life, emotion, the "decisive moment".
 
Oracle1729 said:
Those are basically arguing whether hacks with iToys count as photographers and talking about people using iPhones where it's better to get a crap picture in fast for publication than take a good picture. What do they have to do with this thread?

Last year the Chicago Sun-Tribune fired their photography staff and told their journalists to use their iPhones. So not only do we not need real cameras we don't even need photographers. Now some hack taking crappy pictures with an iPhone is a professional photojournalist :rolleyes:

You're using lots of stupid anecdotes but they don't change the facts.
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Well, in this instance it's not replacing the DSLR, but replacing the paid photographer. This is happening to other publications and it's not the iPhone's fault. This is because the publications themselves are not seeing the value of paying for a photographer when they can get photos for free from events that are more current than they could have one of their paid photographers on the scene.

News media and photography is a fast changing market right now and if you can't adapt your skillset you'll be left in the dust. As someone said on another forum with almost the exact same discussion, the person stated how him and his wife were making $4000 a month in the early 90's to make a newletter on their Apple computer for a local trade union and of course, that didn't last. One of my assignments in a required computer literacy class was to make a newletter. It took me about 45 minutes to do in MS Word. Hell, even scribes where put out of a job with the advent of people learning how to widely read and write on their own. Technology makes old jobs obsolete. You can either complain about it, collect government compensation for unemployment, and be bitter or move on to something else. It's inevitable.
 
Attonine said:
You may not like it, but photography is more than razor sharp images constructed in a studio. For many photography is about capturing stories in an image, people, life, emotion, the "decisive moment".
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"Decisive moments" with a phone?? LOL...never. You'll be lucky to get the shot a second after the "decisive moment."
 
simonsi said:
Good example - but how long has any DSLR been able to shoot at such an ISO? So there was a pre-25600 period for DSLRs, sure we are in the pre-25600 period for phone cameras but to argue the difference will never be closed ignores the obvious development going on.

And when 99.99% of any photography requirement can be met with an ISO that is available on both DSLR and phones the market differential is gone. It won't matter if the remaining 0.01% of photography needs a DSLR, if that market size won't support DSLR development then another answer will need to be found.

Lets take DoF control, it isn't beyond the bounds of possibility that technology will appear that can assess the distance of every part of a phone camera image (using focus-detection), before firing the shutter and digitally introduce OOF variably to duplicate the effect of a wider aperture....creating DoF where none existed in the original image....
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There's a physical limitation due to the sensor size and the glass size in front of the sensor. As much as smartphone as improved over the years, they will always be playing catchup.

I've been having the same argument in the astrophotography world. DSLSR are more common and can yield a very good result but they will never be as good as a dedicated monochrome cooled CCD camera with a high quantum efficiency.

I agree to a point though. For 99% of the people, an iphone is good enough. They will probably never need anything more. That's is fine with me. I am not that kind of person. I use feature on my camera that is not available on an smartphone. Does it mean, I don't reach for my phone for a quickie at time ? Nope. guilty as charge here.
 
You can't do AI Servo AF with an iphone either. I can go on and on about things you cannot do with an smartphone. The biggest thing for me is that I cannot shoot RAW and adjust WB afterward. I really have a strong dislike of working with JPEG.
 
Symtex said:
You can't do AI Servo AF with an iphone either. I can go on and on about things you cannot do with an smartphone. The biggest thing for me is that I cannot shoot RAW and adjust WB afterward. I really have a strong dislike of working with JPEG.
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So, even if you don't need these things, you should still use a DSLR? You can't put a DSLR in your pocket. You can't send a photo off to an agency to be published immediately when in the field with a DSLR.

As pointed out on another thread somewhere, most photojournalists use JPEG for speed purposes.

These specification arguments are pointless. Different tools for different jobs. No-one in their right mind would try to take serious bird in flight photos with a cell phone camera. No-one in their right mind would try to do documentary work with a 600mm lens. An iPhone is just another kind of camera. There are fixed lens cameras, medium format, rangefinder, micro 4/3, interchangeable lens, and any combination of these you like. Do they all have the same specs and abilities except the iPhone? Do they all do AI Servo AF? Do they all have super high ISO? You choose the tool that can do the job you need to get done.

I haven't seen anywhere anyone dismissing the qualities and abilities of DSLR cameras. I can't understand how anyone can be so dismissive of work because of the tool that was used to create it. Again, I have provided concrete evidence that cell iPhones are being used to produce quality work by photographers and that work is being reproduced in print media amongst others. I have pointed to individuals who are photographers, there is no other way to describe them. No-one has argued that iPhones are the best choice for sports, wildlife, multi flash studio work. In fact no-one has argued that iPhones are the best for anything, just that they can and are being used to produce work. Like it or not it is happening and the trend will probably increase. Will cell phones make it into the studio? Probably not for some time. There are various add on lenses and accessories and I'm sure it won't be too long before someone tries to do something more serious in fields other than photojournalism, documentary and street using an iPhone.
 
Meister said:
I have yet to see a cellphone that takes acceptable pictures.
A dslr from 1999 still takes way better images than an iPhone.
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Hmmm, I wouldn't quite go that far, an iPhone 5/5s will take a better picture than a Nikon D1.

Yes the glass is the most important factor, however the difference in the sensor will make a difference.

Now the D2/D2H will beat any phone camera. The sensor was a quantum leap improvement over the D1.
 
cjmillsnun said:
Hmmm, I wouldn't quite go that far, an iPhone 5/5s will take a better picture than a Nikon D1.
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I don't believe it. Every phone photo I've seen is worse than mediocre technically. Phone cameras are junk.

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simonsi said:
LOL - you actually believe that?

You may as well have said the world is flat.
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Of course I believe it. You should too. The earth isn't flat, but phone cameras are JUNK.
 
http://instagram.com/koci

Decisive moment is a pretty loose term. Anyway, this Instagrammer has plenty of iPhone stuff that could be termed decisive moment with no problem. A very impressive photographer actually. I believe all photos are with iPhone, and not a selfie or cat in sight!

To be fair, he was nominated for two pulitzers when he was a working photojournalist, so he should know what he's doing.

If anyone's interested, below is Michael Christopher Brown's (the Magnum guy who has chosen to work with iPhone) Instagram feed, again with iPhone, no selfies or cats!

http://instagram.com/michaelchristopherbrown
 
cjmillsnun said:
Hmmm, I wouldn't quite go that far, an iPhone 5/5s will take a better picture than a Nikon D1.

Yes the glass is the most important factor, however the difference in the sensor will make a difference.

Now the D2/D2H will beat any phone camera. The sensor was a quantum leap improvement over the D1.
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I don't buy it. You're just not going to get the same dynamic range as a larger sensor.
 
Gmcube said:
I don't buy it. You're just not going to get the same dynamic range as a larger sensor.
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Can anyone find an actual dynamic range rating on a iPhone 6? 15 minutes of googling doesn't give me an actual EV range. The original 5D had 11.1 stops on a FF sensor. What does an iPhone 6 have?

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Oracle1729 said:
A million monkeys chimping with a million iPhones will catch a decisive moment within a million years.
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Google is your friend

http://connect.dpreview.com/post/7398706941/photographer-iphone-shot-worthy-nyt-front-page

http://thenewdaily.com.au/life/2014/06/05/ben-lowy-iphoneographer-profile/
 
A little iphone love for all the doubters.
 

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