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And still not better than LAST YEARS Pixel 2, let’s not even bring up the Pixel 3 camera, wouldn’t even be fair

According to who??? You?

Because all the reviews I’ve seen, the XS bests the pixel 2 in almost every category.


Pixel 3 is a minor upgrade. All pixel does is over sharpen and add contrast to make the picture APPEAR to look better. But it’s not. Color looks very fake.

iPhone XS has better 4K (24,30,60). Better sound recording. Better slow mo. Better panorama. Better dynamic range. Pixel is good just for stills. But to say that the new iPhones are worse than the pixel 2 and 3 is just completely untrue.
 
Let's see what the depth camera does to background light. The bokeh looks pretty good, but how good are the bokeh balls? creamy goodness?
 
Obviously this article is aimed at all those already invested in the Apple ecoSystem. They may be slow to the party, but, I for one, appreciate the effort to make my images better since I am heavily invested already.

Can’t argue with that. Apple Ecosystem is the reason why people stick with and won’t move away. Hardware secondary. That was Jobs never ending gift. His foresight goes on 10 years later. The phones are older tech. At new prices. But the OS is timeless. And that’s why Apple can overcharge as it does. And people are prepared to pay. Admin or despair. It’s the truth.
 
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I no longer carry my DSLR unless I’m doing a formalized photo shoot.

Not saying the iPhone has completely replaced cameras, but they are darn close for 95% of scenarios.
Maybe it's just me, but the real DoF blur looks different than the uniformed blur done in software. At first blush, it easily fools the eye. But when you pay attention, you'll notice that your DSLR shows gradual blurring from the point of focus. I'll stick to regular infinite DoF of tiny sensors and use Photoshop to fake lenses blur to my liking. Once the data is lost, it's lost.

For the vast majority of the population, this feature is great. Not my cup of tea though.
 
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I will be very disappointed if Apple doesn‘t enable Portrait Mode with the wide angle lens - like the XR has - for the XS in an update soon. It‘s not just good for low light portraits, but also for „environmental portraits“ that include more of the surroundings.
 
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According to who??? You?

Because all the reviews I’ve seen, the XS bests the pixel 2 in almost every category.


Pixel 3 is a minor upgrade. All pixel does is over sharpen and add contrast to make the picture APPEAR to look better. But it’s not. Color looks very fake.

iPhone XS has better 4K (24,30,60). Better sound recording. Better slow mo. Better panorama. Better dynamic range. Pixel is good just for stills. But to say that the new iPhones are worse than the pixel 2 and 3 is just completely untrue.

Congrats on barely (but not really) being better than a one year old phone
 
I feel like I’m in the minority here but I don’t understand why people think these look good. They come out so unnatural and utterly fail to replicate boketh in anything other than a poor imitation.

People talk about phones replacing DSLR or mirrorless cameras which I just don’t see. It’s a shame because in the right circumstances phones do take great pictures (there is obviously more to a great photo than just background blur or resolution or sensor size).
 
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And still not better than LAST YEARS Pixel 2, let’s not even bring up the Pixel 3 camera, wouldn’t even be fair
Don't spread misinformation. That's just not true.

The XS camera is better than the Pixel 2, period. This is confirmed with real testing data from Dxomark. Don't discount that unless you have something else even somewhat reliable besides a random person saying it or your own eyes.

As far as the Pixel 3, it's been a tossup with many reviews and some even prefer the XS. The XS universally is said to have better video than Pixel.
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Just replace the word iPhone with "top end smartphone" and you are sorted..
Maybe true, but iPhone still has some of the best cameras even of the best.
 
Why is it that none of my pictures ever turn out like these? I really suck at taking pictures.

Some tips that might help...

Pay attention to your light. Harsh and contrasty mid-day sunlight *usually* sucks and can make your subject appear too contrasty. With that said, usually the brightest object in a photograph will capture a viewer's eye first; and should generally not be something in the background.

Pay attention to your background. Often busy backgrounds, unless you're making an environmental portrait with important and supporting context, produces photos with too many distractions from your subject.

Pay attention to composition. The rule of thirds is a good place to start; but not the end-all be-all to composition. Also, try different camera point-of-views, heights, angles, etc.

There's more, but the above is a good place to start. iPhone cameras are capable of making outstanding photographs.


Also... Take your time. Rather than thinking of the process as "taking photographs," or "taking pictures," I prefer to think of it as "making photographs."
 
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Nothing a subtle tweak in Photoshop can't fix…

View attachment 797995

Perfect!
Too subtle. I enhanced it slightly.

goldenboy.jpg
 
According to who??? You?

Because all the reviews I’ve seen, the XS bests the pixel 2 in almost every category.


Pixel 3 is a minor upgrade. All pixel does is over sharpen and add contrast to make the picture APPEAR to look better. But it’s not. Color looks very fake.

iPhone XS has better 4K (24,30,60). Better sound recording. Better slow mo. Better panorama. Better dynamic range. Pixel is good just for stills. But to say that the new iPhones are worse than the pixel 2 and 3 is just completely untrue.
Word. Other reviews, even Saf who is historically leaning Android agrees the XS outperforms the Pixel 3 in video and several other areas.

Watch the first 30 seconds and tell me how anyone could think the Pixel 3 is better. LOL

 
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Computational photography is completely hit and miss. If you're lucky, it comes out OK, if not, it cuts half your hair or arm. Professionals cannot depend on it. I certainly wouldn't hold my breath, when a proper camera always gets the bokeh 100% of the time, because it's analog, following simple laws of physics.

Agree, results are inconsistent and far from perfect. Computational algorithms & Tech get tripped up in certain scenarios. With certain objects like Glasses. Hair. Fine lines. Etc. etc. It’s definitely hit or miss. However it will improve. That is certain. I remember professional photogs saying the exact same thing about dslrs when they first came out. That they’d NEVER replace film cameras. Well look what happened. Not saying computational photography will replace traditional lenses. But it is inevitable that even dslrs will incorporate some form of computational photography down the road. Fro Knows Photo did a great review of the current iPhone where he said exactly that.
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Maybe it's just me, but the real DoF blur looks different than the uniformed blur done in software. At first blush, it easily fools the eye. But when you pay attention, you'll notice that your DSLR shows gradual blurring from the point of focus. I'll stick to regular infinite DoF of tiny sensors and use Photoshop to fake lenses blur to my liking. Once the data is lost, it's lost.

For the vast majority of the population, this feature is great. Not my cup of tea though.

I agree. Nothing beats the sweet bokeh of Quality lenses on FF dslrs. But even between dslrs and lenses bokeh can vary widely. It can be great or really bad. Computational photography has a long way to go. And results can vary widely as well. I can usually spot the difference btwn “real” bokeh and computational bokeh...but sometimes when it’s good...it’s really hard. It will only get better. And for a smartphone it’s pretty damn cool.
 
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Congrats on barely (but not really) being better than a one year old phone
And what does the pixel 3 do better than the two????

Oh yeah!!!! DUAL SELFIE CAMS!!!! AWESOME!
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Word. Other reviews, even Saf who is historically leaning Android agrees the XS outperforms the Pixel 3 in video and several other areas.

Watch the first 30 seconds and tell me how anyone could think the Pixel 3 is better. LOL

I watched this one too. Usually Saf is pro android but even he can’t believe how great the new iPhone XS camera is.
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Lol, brilliant, they appear to the naked eye to look better... erm.. job done then for most folk!!
So.... over sharpening and high contrast is “job done” for most folk?? Idts. Pixel is a GOOD camera for shooting stills. That’s about it. iPhone does this and everything else I mentioned better.

You also didn’t quote my whole post. I also said colors can look very unnatural due to this sharpening and contrast. Just look at any reviews on YouTube. The one I posted compared XS Max and Pixel 2. Baymowe posted a XS / Pixel 3 comparison. The dynamic range is better on the XS, so are the realistic colors.

(Type your reply here about some “beauty-gate” conspiracy)
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Congrats on barely (but not really) being better than a one year old phone
Did you watch?? I guess it “barely” beats the pixel 3 too then. What difference in camera is there between 2 and 3 besides dual selfies??
 
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And what does the pixel 3 do better than the two????

Oh yeah!!!! DUAL SELFIE CAMS!!!! AWESOME!
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I watched this one too. Usually Saf is pro android but even he can’t believe how great the new iPhone XS camera is.
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So.... over sharpening and high contrast is “job done” for most folk?? Idts. Pixel is a GOOD camera for shooting stills. That’s about it. iPhone does this and everything else I mentioned better.

You also didn’t quote my whole post. I also said colors can look very unnatural due to this sharpening and contrast. Just look at any reviews on YouTube. The one I posted compared XS Max and Pixel 2. Baymowe posted a XS / Pixel 3 comparison. The dynamic range is better on the XS, so are the realistic colors.

(Type your reply here about some “beauty-gate” conspiracy)
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Did you watch?? I guess it “barely” beats the pixel 3 too then. What difference in camera is there between 2 and 3 besides dual selfies??
You seem very uptight sir, maybe a bit of a lie down might help.. no one is criticising your family, don't take it so personal...
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Maybe true, but iPhone still has some of the best cameras even of the best.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for agreeing with me...
 
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