Apple iPhone 5s camera shines for National Geographic photographer

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Comments

  • Reply 41 of 56
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by muppetry View Post





    Agreed. My point was just that all other things being equal, a competent photographer (and I'm sure that you are one) can get substantially better image quality with a DSLR. I obviously misunderstood your exact goal when I made that comment.

     

    Yes, on that I agree very much. My goal as a photographer is to challenge myself and I think this is a great opportunity. 

     

    Honestly, better glass is even more important than a good body. I shot most of my collection, here, with only a 20D, but with L level glass. 

  • Reply 42 of 56
    boltsfan17boltsfan17 Posts: 2,294member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by muppetry View Post

     

     

    It's true that you don't have access to the individual images, or to the intermediate 32-bit image but, automated or not, it's still HDR, and the result is likely to be better than most users could achieve by manual manipulation of the compression algorithms.


     

    So what you're saying is if I use the iPhone for HDR images versus bracketing photos with a DSLR and combining the photos in a program such as Photomatix, the results will be better on the iPhone? 

  • Reply 43 of 56
    boltsfan17boltsfan17 Posts: 2,294member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ThePixelDoc View Post





    Where did you get that misconception? I believe there's some 20+ camera apps on the App store to do just that ^^^^, and (OMG!) Android has a nice one with Camera+ for those "other people".



    BTW: if I recall, Engadget (OMG not another pariah!?) among other reviews lauded the 5s camera to be better than the highly acclaimed Nokia 1020... you know, that device with the iPhone Killer 41 megapixel camera? Once again proof that it's not the megapixel count that matters at all; it's the sensor and the lens... and of course, who's behind the shutter release.*



    * It's been said (hersay) that monkeys and cats have a pretty good knack and eye towards taking good pictures when they're not the subject matter.




     

    Those apps you mention that do that are using exposure blending or exposure fusion. That's not the same as taking 5 bracketed shots from a DSLR and combining them in a program such as Photomatix. 

  • Reply 44 of 56
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    cnocbui wrote: »
    Processing power is not a substitute for a larger sensor or better lens.  I don't agree with the rest either.

    Mate, Picasso could create art with a toilet roll and a crayon, it's not the tools, it's the user.

    Great photographs have been created over the last few years using iPhones case in point, this article.

    That's the reality, move on.

    400
  • Reply 45 of 56
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by hill60 View Post





    Mate, Picasso could create art with a toilet roll and a crayon, it's not the tools, it's the user.



    Great photographs have been created over the last few years using iPhones case in point, this article.



    That's the reality, move on.

    I couldn't agree with you more about the importance of the photographer and artistic merit, but the issue in question was  of a technical nature so the artistic element isn't at issue.

     

    I can do non technical when the mood suits:

     

  • Reply 46 of 56
    muppetrymuppetry Posts: 3,331member
    boltsfan17 wrote: »
    muppetry wrote: »
     

    It's true that you don't have access to the individual images, or to the intermediate 32-bit image but, automated or not, it's still HDR, and the result is likely to be better than most users could achieve by manual manipulation of the compression algorithms.

    So what you're saying is if I use the iPhone for HDR images versus bracketing photos with a DSLR and combining the photos in a program such as Photomatix, the results will be better on the iPhone? 

    Firstly, no I did not say that - I was comparing likely results from the same camera source, in response to the OP who said that he needed access to the original images from the phone. If you read the rest of the thread that will be apparent.

    Secondly, even if you do compare DSLR + Photomatix HDRs to iPhone HDRs, while the DSLR image quality should be much better (as I also commented above), the effectiveness of the HDR processing depends how good you are with Photomatix. Photomatix can yield quite good results with optimal images and/or carefully selected custom settings, but it can also produce badly overdone results with its defaults. It's auto image registration also seems to me to be weak - Photoshop does a much better job - but that's beside the point, which is that most casual users have no idea even how to start with a stack of bracketed images, let alone produce a useable result.
  • Reply 47 of 56
    muppetrymuppetry Posts: 3,331member
    boltsfan17 wrote: »
    Where did you get that misconception? I believe there's some 20+ camera apps on the App store to do just that ^^^^, and (OMG!) Android has a nice one with Camera+ for those "other people".


    BTW: if I recall, Engadget (OMG not another pariah!?) among other reviews lauded the 5s camera to be better than the highly acclaimed Nokia 1020... you know, that device with the iPhone Killer 41 megapixel camera? Once again proof that it's not the megapixel count that matters at all; it's the sensor and the lens... and of course, who's behind the shutter release.*


    * It's been said (hersay) that monkeys and cats have a pretty good knack and eye towards taking good pictures when they're not the subject matter.

    Those apps you mention that do that are using exposure blending or exposure fusion. That's not the same as taking 5 bracketed shots from a DSLR and combining them in a program such as Photomatix. 

    Actually some of them use fusion (auto blending) and some use real HDR.
  • Reply 48 of 56
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by cnocbui View Post

     

    Processing power is not a substitute for a larger sensor or better lens.  I don't agree with the rest either


     

    My Fuji x100s has a cropped sensor and a fixed 35mm equivalent lens ... trust me, the right person can shot superior images using the Fuji over any full size DSLR ("larger") sensor with a ("better") pro lens.  Also, I can take better images using an iPhone 5s, than most people that own DSLR's.  I know this to be true.

     

    The photo performance on an iPhone 5/5c/5s is quite remarkable.  It certainly isn't a result of its small sensor and tiny lens.  It is a result of the sensor/lens being supported by a powerful computer processor.

  • Reply 49 of 56
    Holy Shit! What an endorsement!
  • Reply 50 of 56
    murmanmurman Posts: 159member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Boltsfan17 View Post

     

     

    So what you're saying is if I use the iPhone for HDR images versus bracketing photos with a DSLR and combining the photos in a program such as Photomatix, the results will be better on the iPhone? 


    Don't you need a tripod for that on a DSLR? If you adjust exposure shoot another image, adjust, shoot another. The 5s shoots several together, and what if there are moving subjects? Pros and cons depending on situation. If DSLRs get this type of feature (don't know if they don't already), then no contest in terms of results.

  • Reply 51 of 56
    muppetrymuppetry Posts: 3,331member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by murman View Post

     
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Boltsfan17 View Post

     

     

    So what you're saying is if I use the iPhone for HDR images versus bracketing photos with a DSLR and combining the photos in a program such as Photomatix, the results will be better on the iPhone? 


    Don't you need a tripod for that on a DSLR? If you adjust exposure shoot another image, adjust, shoot another. The 5s shoots several together, and what if there are moving subjects? Pros and cons depending on situation. If DSLRs get this type of feature (don't know if they don't already), then no contest in terms of results.


     

    DSLRs will do the bracket shooting, but not the post-processing.

  • Reply 52 of 56
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    Exactly and those are the challenges I want to put myself through. Anyone can take good pictures with a great camera set on auto, but it takes a good photographer to take great pictures with less. I'm hoping I'm that photographer. 

    1) Stop hoping for that. You've already proven to be a real photographer, not some hobbyist.

    2) Very true on the photographer not being dependent on his tools; it's not the camera that takes the picture. Still, when only discussing the tech used, I'd say the iPhone is not the right tool for the job: if one needs to 'imagine what the final photo will look like' it becomes more of a guessing game. Not that people can't make fantastic photos with the iPhone; I just think they should display the entire frame while composing.

    Looking forward to see what you were able to capture, one the bloody thing arrives. I'll take a peek at your site, next month or so.
  • Reply 53 of 56
    hill60hill60 Posts: 6,992member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post





    1) Stop hoping for that. You've already proven to be a real photographer, not some hobbyist.



    2) Very true on the photographer not being dependent on his tools; it's not the camera that takes the picture. Still, when only discussing the tech used, I'd say the iPhone is not the right tool for the job: if one needs to 'imagine what the final photo will look like' it becomes more of a guessing game. Not that people can't make fantastic photos with the iPhone; I just think they should display the entire frame while composing.



    Looking forward to see what you were able to capture, one the bloody thing arrives. I'll take a peek at your site, next month or so.

     

    Which was why the guy in the article took 4000 photo's, getting to know the ins and outs of what the iPhone could do.

     

    Practise makes perfect, as they say, learn your camera whatever it is.

     

    btw the HDR can be adjusted, by tapping different areas of the screen, the only thing really missing from the iPhone is the ability to use the flash at the same time to fill in silhouetted faces, although HDR isn't really suitable for things that move like blinking eyelids.

     

    My first camera was a box brownie, I often wouldn't see the results for weeks.

  • Reply 54 of 56
    philboogiephilboogie Posts: 7,675member
    hill60 wrote: »
    Which was why the guy in the article took 4000 photo's, getting to know the ins and outs of what the iPhone could do.

    Practise makes perfect, as they say, learn your camera whatever it is.

    That's an excellent point. Both, actually! I just have a difficult time composing. Guess I'm going to take your advice and leave my DSLR at home more often.
  • Reply 55 of 56
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by PhilBoogie View Post





    1) Stop hoping for that. You've already proven to be a real photographer, not some hobbyist.



    2) Very true on the photographer not being dependent on his tools; it's not the camera that takes the picture. Still, when only discussing the tech used, I'd say the iPhone is not the right tool for the job: if one needs to 'imagine what the final photo will look like' it becomes more of a guessing game. Not that people can't make fantastic photos with the iPhone; I just think they should display the entire frame while composing.



    Looking forward to see what you were able to capture, one the bloody thing arrives. I'll take a peek at your site, next month or so.

     

    Thanks Phil! 

  • Reply 56 of 56
    thepixeldocthepixeldoc Posts: 2,257member
    cnocbui wrote: »
    You appear to recall inaccurately: 

    http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/17/iphone-5s-review/

    OK.. I stand corrected. Thanks.
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