Watch: iPhone 7 Plus Portrait Mode vs. DSLR

AppleInsider

Apple with the recent release of iOS 10.1 enabled Portrait Mode on iPhone 7 Plus, allowing users to add a touch of artistic blur to their images by simulating an enhanced depth-of-field effect. AppleInsider compares the still-in-beta feature to a true prosumer DSLR, the Canon 5D Mark IV with full-frame sensor.

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mscohen

I shoot with a DSLR whenever I care about the final images. My iPhone is handy for random snapshots but I am virtually never satisfied with the color or the resolution. The photos in this comparison video could not be more stark in showing the advantages of a prosumer DSLR over the iPhone. Pay attention to the coarse JPEG compression artifacts in the hair and skin texture, and the terribly artificial skin colors.

misa

Yeah, DSLR will always make a smartphone camera look like rubbish. Be it crushed colorspace, jpeg compression, no optical zoom, lack of ability to focus, no shutter speed control, etc and the list goes on.

The point of a smartphone camera is to be able to take impulse photos. That is all. If you are seriously using it to take photos of your wedding, or produce a 4K film get your head examined because you lose 75% of the color and resolution with jpeg compression even if you lightly compress it to retain the details.

Rayz2016

Not an expert, but I think the Canon shot looks more natural. 

frantisek

Any DSLR with good lens will be better than phone but no DSLR will ever be as handy as phone. And depending of used lens you can get nice art bokeh compare to simple blur.

cpenzone

mscohen said:

I shoot with a DSLR whenever I care about the final images. My iPhone is handy for random snapshots but I am virtually never satisfied with the color or the resolution. The photos in this comparison video could not be more stark in showing the advantages of a prosumer DSLR over the iPhone. Pay attention to the coarse JPEG compression artifacts in the hair and skin texture, and the terribly artificial skin colors.

Apple agrees with you and said this at their iPhone 7 event. Literally said we aren't trying to say this is better than a DSLR

macplusplus

misa said:

Yeah, DSLR will always make a smartphone camera look like rubbish. Be it crushed colorspace, jpeg compression, no optical zoom, lack of ability to focus, no shutter speed control, etc and the list goes on.

The point of a smartphone camera is to be able to take impulse photos. That is all. If you are seriously using it to take photos of your wedding, or produce a 4K film get your head examined because you lose 75% of the color and resolution with jpeg compression even if you lightly compress it to retain the details.

With iOS 10 you can save as RAW, jpg is not mandatory. You need to use other apps for this, however. Built-in camera app doesn't save in RAW.

macplusplus

They've chosen the worst photo for the poster frame by the way. That iPhone shot with red tint may be a glitch, and I bet it wouldn't occur in a second trial. 

wiggin

So I admit I haven't watched the video yet, but I will when I'm not in the office. The fact that they are referring to the Canon 5D mark iv as a prosumer camera makes me immediately question if the reviewer knows what they are talking about. Hasn't the 5D been one of the gold-standard cameras for non-sports professional photography, and specifically for portrait work? No doubt many prosumers have purchased the 5D, but that doesn't make it a prosumer camera. 

Ironically, recognizing that the 5D is a pro camera would show that the iPhone is comparable to one of the best cameras out there rather than just some second-tier high-end camera.

ericthehalfbee

Why bother comparing a phone to a DSLR?

The whole point of Apple adding this feature (and improving camera quality overall) is so that the everyday pictures people are always taking with their iPhone look better than they used to. How can giving people nicer pictures (even though they are not as good as a DSLR) be considered as anything other than a positive experience?

zimmie

wiggin said:

So I admit I haven't watched the video yet, but I will when I'm not in the office. The fact that they are referring to the Canon 5D mark iv as a prosumer camera makes me immediately question if the reviewer knows what they are talking about. Hasn't the 5D been one of the gold-standard cameras for non-sports professional photography, and specifically for portrait work? No doubt many prosumers have purchased the 5D, but that doesn't make it a prosumer camera. 

Ironically, recognizing that the 5D is a pro camera would show that the iPhone is comparable to one of the best cameras out there rather than just some second-tier high-end camera.

Most professionals shooting Canon use the 1-series cameras. They have a radically different user interface and dramatically higher build quality than the 5. Better weather sealing (useful for wildlife, news, and sports). Better through-the-viewfinder use. Faster continuous drive and a bigger buffer (useful for sports). The 5D3 finally gave the 5-series a professional-level autofocus sensor, but the 1 still has significantly better autofocus performance due to a dedicated processor. Don't get me wrong, the 5 is nice. The 1 really is that much better, though.

And if you don't need the autofocus performance, digital rangefinders (like Leica) or medium-format cameras (Hasselblad, Phase One, or Leaf) give far higher image quality.

boltsfan17

wiggin said:

So I admit I haven't watched the video yet, but I will when I'm not in the office. The fact that they are referring to the Canon 5D mark iv as a prosumer camera makes me immediately question if the reviewer knows what they are talking about. Hasn't the 5D been one of the gold-standard cameras for non-sports professional photography, and specifically for portrait work? No doubt many prosumers have purchased the 5D, but that doesn't make it a prosumer camera. 

Ironically, recognizing that the 5D is a pro camera would show that the iPhone is comparable to one of the best cameras out there rather than just some second-tier high-end camera.

Good points. The Canon 5D Mark IV is no prosumer camera. The Canon Rebel T6i is a prosumer camera. 

stantheman

Those who claim that a $4500 camera produces better images than about $100 worth of camera components in an iPhone 7+ are certainly right, but that's only part of the story. If I take 10,000 photos with each camera, those on the iPhone cost me 1c apiece while those on the Canon cost 45c. That's a 45x difference, right off the top.

Next, consider carrying a Canon 5D around for a couple of years while taking those 10,000 photos. How much would you have to be paid to carry that bulky Canon 5D with you 24x7, 365 days x 2 years? I wouldn't, but some people may agree to carry a brick around for $1 a day. Over two years, that's $730. That inconvenience is worth far more than enough to upgrade to a new iPhone every year -- until the Canon 5D is obsolete, and the iPhone camera has new features. If you would have to be paid $5/day to carry a brick, then we're looking at $3650 worth of inconvenience over a two-year time frame.

Of course, you don't have to carry the Canon 5D brick everywhere you go. On occasions when the 5D is left at home, the iPhone camera is worth infinitely more than the Canon. I can certainly think of use-cases that justify the incremental cost and inconvenience of the Canon 5D -- commercial photographers, dedicated hobbyists, status-seeking showoffs, etc. However, those do not apply to me. When I'm spending my money (as opposed to yours), the inferior photos of the iPhone 7+ are just what the doctor ordered.

sflocal

I love the photos my iP6+ takes.  It's the best camera I have to take for spontaneous shots.

That being said, those same photos look like shit compared to the ones I take with my Canon 5DM3.  When you look at an iPhone photo by itself, of course it looks great so long as there's no reference.  

I have friends that take wonderful phone photographs and sadly, they consider themselves to be "photographers" and relish the compliments they receive when they post their photos.  They become very quiet immediately after I publish 5D shots.  That's the difference that an SLR will provide.

I do give Kudos to Apple for the engineering that goes into their cameras.  I wish Canon (or Nikon) put in the same amount of R&D into chip design like Apple does though.

wiggin

boltsfan17 said:

wiggin said:

So I admit I haven't watched the video yet, but I will when I'm not in the office. The fact that they are referring to the Canon 5D mark iv as a prosumer camera makes me immediately question if the reviewer knows what they are talking about. Hasn't the 5D been one of the gold-standard cameras for non-sports professional photography, and specifically for portrait work? No doubt many prosumers have purchased the 5D, but that doesn't make it a prosumer camera. 

Ironically, recognizing that the 5D is a pro camera would show that the iPhone is comparable to one of the best cameras out there rather than just some second-tier high-end camera.

Good points. The Canon 5D Mark IV is no prosumer camera. The Canon Rebel T6i is a prosumer camera. 

I'd actually put the Rebel series in the consumer DSLR category, the 1D and 5D series in the pro category with the 6D and 7D in the prosumer category, perhaps along with the xxD series.

But back to the iPhone...   I agree with the posts that it's all about the camera you have with you when you need to take a photo. To that end, the advancements of smartphone cameras have been amazing. It's sill not DSLR level, but will meet the needs of the vast majority of people.

boltsfan17

wiggin said:

boltsfan17 said:

wiggin said:

So I admit I haven't watched the video yet, but I will when I'm not in the office. The fact that they are referring to the Canon 5D mark iv as a prosumer camera makes me immediately question if the reviewer knows what they are talking about. Hasn't the 5D been one of the gold-standard cameras for non-sports professional photography, and specifically for portrait work? No doubt many prosumers have purchased the 5D, but that doesn't make it a prosumer camera. 

Ironically, recognizing that the 5D is a pro camera would show that the iPhone is comparable to one of the best cameras out there rather than just some second-tier high-end camera.

Good points. The Canon 5D Mark IV is no prosumer camera. The Canon Rebel T6i is a prosumer camera. 

I'd actually put the Rebel series in the consumer DSLR category, the 1D and 5D series in the pro category with the 6D and 7D in the prosumer category, perhaps along with the xxD series.

But back to the iPhone...   I agree with the posts that it's all about the camera you have with you when you need to take a photo. To that end, the advancements of smartphone cameras have been amazing. It's sill not DSLR level, but will meet the needs of the vast majority of people.

I agree. I totally forgot about the 6D and 7D. Camera improvements are the main reason why I upgrade my iPhone every year. Smartphone cameras will only continue to get better. I always use my DSLR while travelling, but it's nice to have a good quality smartphone camera handy all the time. I actually use my iPhone for panorama shots exclusively. I had a canvas made for one of my panorama shots I took a few years ago and was impressed with the result. 

Deezy2016b

Good enough. That's about the best you're going to get for now. The software will get better over time, and the "bokeh balls" effect can be faked in software as well. As proof, check out the new IOS App called Patch - it is a software-only version of what Apple is doing with the two lenses in the iPhone 7, and it works on iPhone 6 and lower.

idrey

Very productive comments here. I'm impress, thank you. Yes the ip7 camera is no replacement for a real camera at any extend, but for an always handy point and shoot camera, it definitely gets the job done. Ip7 camera for impulse photos, dslr camera for important events and travel moments. Two great products that exist in harmony.