Apple Studied Paintings and Shined Light on People to Perfect New Portrait Lighting Feature

[nevheatley3]

Well... for portraiture on a budget, you could go with a Nikon D3400 for $500 (normally $550) and an AF-S NIKKOR 85mm f/1.8G for $480, for a total a touch under $1000 - but you're right that this doesn't include any lighting gear.

Alternatively, there's the AF-S NIKKOR 50mm f/1.8G for $280, leaving just enough budget to throw in a SB-R200 Wireless Speedlight for $165...

(Now, you're a Cannon fan obviously, and there's nothing wrong with that - whether you consider the above Nikon kit 'good' or not I will not argue... )

Used Canon 5D - $300
50mm f/1.8 - $100
2 x Aftermarket Manual flashes with on body controller, umbrellas and light stands $300

$300 to spare.

Still not as convenient, accessible or friendly as the iPhone. Nevermind what you have to learn and prep to use the equipment properly.

The iPhone, while making it hard for some business models in photography, is awesome.

 

[ilovemykid3302012]

You made a similar quote yesterday and were proven wrong why it's not a gimmick. I don't believe Apple ever intended or create 3D Touch to be a gimmick. This Company truly believes in the little features that make the user experience more convenient with simplicity. And that's what 3D Touch is, a convenience and short cut that is useful for those who appreciate it. I don't think the word "Gimmick" appropriately describes 3D Touch at all. It's just you don't find it useful, but don't short sell this feature because you Don't like it.

It's his opinion and you proved him wrong? Lol. A lot of people think it's a gimmick, we get it, you don't.

 

[M.PaulCezanne]

Most people are still purchasing every two years and to them this is a BIG Upgrade and others are Upgrading to Plus for the first time so it's a Super Big Upgrade.
One needs to think beyond himself to be successful.

I am thinking beyond myself - to the thousands of power users who know these upgrades aren't nearly worth the $ and are primarily designed to drive people to revenue producing apps.

One needs to open his mind to understand sophisticated arguments.
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Lol, you know a lot of people that smash their phones to pieces, rendering them worthless, right when they buy new phones??
No??
Neither does ANYONE else here.
Soooooo, since iPhones retain about 80% of their value to resell a year later, your post should more accurately read:
“$150-200/year for a slight camera upgrade, a new battery that hasn’t had 365 charges on it, & the latest gen processor? really?”

First, I love your handle. I listen to Tycho all the time when developing. And if it's you - I looove your music.

Second, come on, you know that's still not worth the money for most people. I agree the devices hold their value, so if you're smart enough to keep it safe, you won't be paying too much. certainly the upgrades are upgrades, but the value proposition just isn't there. if it were, Apple wouldn't have so much damn money. that's the point, isn't it? can't blame them, but let's be honest.

hey if you're willing to pay, and your'e a satisfied customer, great. there just isn't enough from model to model to justify the upgrade.

 

[Tycho24]

I am thinking beyond myself - to the thousands of power users who know these upgrades aren't nearly worth the $ and are primarily designed to drive people to revenue producing apps.

One needs to open his mind to understand sophisticated arguments.
[doublepost=1506110300][/doublepost]
come on, you know that's still not worth the money for most people. I agree the devices hold their value, so if you're smart enough to keep it safe, you won't be paying too much. certainly the upgrades are upgrades, but the value proposition just isn't there. if it were, Apple wouldn't have so much damn money. that's the point, isn't it? can't blame them, but let's be honest.

hey if you're willing to pay, and your'e a satisfied customer, great. there just isn't enough from model to model to justify the upgrade.

Incidentally... http://mashable.com/2017/09/11/apple-iphone-upgrade-program-not-worth-it/

It’s DEFINITELY worth $150-200/year to me to always have the latest phone... after my initial investment many years ago, that works out to like $15/month to always have the latest tech & a fresh battery (the one thing that degrades experience fastest, imo).
Your mileage may vary of course, but at that VERY minor expense, it’s hard to knock anyone in a genuinely meaningful way, that goes that route!

 

[BruiserB]

Lol, you know a lot of people that smash their phones to pieces, rendering them worthless, right when they buy new phones??
No??
Neither does ANYONE else here.
Soooooo, since iPhones retain about 80% of their value to resell a year later, your post should more accurately read:
“$150-200/year for a slight camera upgrade, a new battery that hasn’t had 365 charges on it, & the latest gen processor? really?”

You're right, of course, that iPhones generally have pretty good resale value, but I'm not so sure about 80% anymore. For one, Apple pretty much always drops the new price of last year's phone by $100, so you're competing against that. Also, it seems that upgraded storage phones depreciate more...so unless you just bought the basic storage level, there's going to be about 60-70% of the extra memory cost that depreciates. Plus iPhones do seem to depreciate more than they used to....this seems to have changed once contracts went away. So I do think the real cost each year is more in the $300-$350 range.....maybe closer to $250 if you buy the lowest storage level model.

Also you have to be willing to do the legwork to sell the phone yourself and put up with Craigslist scammers and weirdos to avoid paying someone else a commission to sell it. I don't mind doing that, but it's not for everyone.

 

[PantalonesSucia]

In what way? Looks good to me, and I direct video for a living.

I think the combination of the red/yellow channel dominated B&W mix with the stark black background makes it look like a photoshop cutout. But red/yellow will make most people attractive in B&W.

One of the examples I saw looked like a poor mask job on the hair. It's cool they threw it in there. Most people will use the hell out of it. But I think if you know what you're looking at, it's nothing that'll blow your skirt up.

 

[Tycho24]

You're right, of course, that iPhones generally have pretty good resale value, but I'm not so sure about 80% anymore. For one, Apple pretty much always drops the new price of last year's phone by $100, so you're competing against that. Also, it seems that upgraded storage phones depreciate more...so unless you just bought the basic storage level, there's going to be about 60-70% of the extra memory cost that depreciates. Plus iPhones do seem to depreciate more than they used to....this seems to have changed once contracts went away. So I do think the real cost each year is more in the $300-$350 range.....maybe closer to $250 if you buy the lowest storage level model.

Also you have to be willing to do the legwork to sell the phone yourself and put up with Craigslist scammers and weirdos to avoid paying someone else a commission to sell it. I don't mind doing that, but it's not for everyone.

Valid points!
I still find it worth it.
Look at it modularly... say you could just upgrade your camera to the latest for $60. That would be awesome, cheap, and worth it for many. A new battery, installed for $65 is certainly a reasonable deal. And say iPhones were like a PC & you could drop the latest processor in it... $100 would be a damn fine deal to get the A11 chip w/ the new neural network component & the ability to process the new portrait lighting, etc.
Adding just those three components comes to $225! To me- that’s roughly the value of having those components in my CURRENT phone, much less in a brand new one! =)

 

[CarlJ]

Incidentally... http://mashable.com/2017/09/11/apple-iphone-upgrade-program-not-worth-it/

You keep quoting that article - the url says "upgrade program not worth it", but the article itself doesn't argue that the program is a bad deal, it simply argues that if you sign on, you'll keep spending money every year to have new iPhones every year (and OMG, think of the children!) - but if that is one's goal, it's not a bad deal at all.

Apple has never made the argument that everyone needs to upgrade their phone every year. Some people feel the need to do so, sure, but that's on them, not on Apple (and it's kind of funny to read the comments each year from people who have the previous year's phone and seem to somehow feel insulted that the new phone isn't an enormous upgrade from it, like Apple is personally hurting them somehow - again, Apple never argued that they had to upgrade every year).

Me, I'm looking to upgrade from my (3 year old) iPhone 6 to an 8, and it'll be an enormous improvement in speed, memory (double the RAM means much better context switching), camera, water resistance, and TouchID, and I'll finally get a few things like 3D Touch (which, yes, some don't use and thus call a gimmick - I'm looking forward to it for some specific uses). I like the screen on my 6 just fine, don't really need edge-to-edge. I'd love to have the dual-lens camera on a non Plus-sized phone, but I can live without. I'll let everyone else jump on the v1.0 iPhone X this year.

 

[macs4nw]

Any company that wants to be successful is going to sweat the details.....

Ideally yes, but they don't however all have the perfectionist DNA Apple is known and appreciated for.

Many companies will do the least they can get away with to get to, or stay, at the top (while always keeping those profit margins near the top of their priority list) by bombarding consumers with new models which sometimes have features of trivial value, in order to get to market first and appear like they are at the forefront of development, and impart the impression they produce the 'must-have' gadgets for consumers.

But you are right, the truly great products that have features of enduring value, require a lot of thought, intensive research and diligent testing.

 

[M.PaulCezanne]

You keep quoting that article - the url says "upgrade program not worth it", but the article itself doesn't argue that the program is a bad deal, it simply argues that if you sign on, you'll keep spending money every year to have new iPhones every year (and OMG, think of the children!) - but if that is one's goal, it's not a bad deal at all.

Apple has never made the argument that everyone needs to upgrade their phone every year. Some people feel the need to do so, sure, but that's on them, not on Apple (and it's kind of funny to read the comments each year from people who have the previous year's phone and seem to somehow feel insulted that the new phone isn't an enormous upgrade from it, like Apple is personally hurting them somehow - again, Apple never argued that they had to upgrade every year).

Me, I'm looking to upgrade from my (3 year old) iPhone 6 to an 8, and it'll be an enormous improvement in speed, memory (double the RAM means much better context switching), camera, water resistance, and TouchID, and I'll finally get a few things like 3D Touch (which, yes, some don't use and thus call a gimmick - I'm looking forward to it for some specific uses). I like the screen on my 6 just fine, don't really need edge-to-edge. I'd love to have the dual-lens camera on a non Plus-sized phone, but I can live without. I'll let everyone else jump on the v1.0 iPhone X this year.

See I'm in the 6 boat too. LOTS of us thought the 6S and 7 just didn't add enough to warrant the purchase, no matter how much cash we have lying around. Heck, just on principle I'm not giving my money to Apple (or anyone) unless it's really worth it, and then I'm happy to throw down.

But then I started thinking that since the X is arguably FOUR cycles beyond the 6, even at the price, it might be the best value of the bunch IF you feel the need to upgrade. Ironically, it's now become the only one I'm considering (and I'm considering it strongly cuz i like new stuff - BUT ONLY IF IT'S WORTH IT). Though I'm not sure about the true utility of animated poop emojis.

BTW - i guess i could take or leave the upgrade program, but certainly the arguments people are making with respect to the iPhones holding their value only serve to bolster the argument that it's better to buy them outright and sell them on the market later yourself (if you dare) if you want the most $ back.

 

[doelcm82]

See I'm in the 6 boat too. LOTS of us thought the 6S and 7 just didn't add enough to warrant the purchase, no matter how much cash we have lying around. Heck, just on principle I'm not giving my money to Apple (or anyone) unless it's really worth it, and then I'm happy to throw down.

But then I started thinking that since the X is arguably FOUR cycles beyond the 6, even at the price, it might be the best value of the bunch IF you feel the need to upgrade. Ironically, it's now become the only one I'm considering (and I'm considering it strongly cuz i like new stuff - BUT ONLY IF IT'S WORTH IT). Though I'm not sure about the true utility of animated poop emojis.

BTW - i guess i could take or leave the upgrade program, but certainly the arguments people are making with respect to the iPhones holding their value only serve to bolster the argument that it's better to buy them outright and sell them on the market later yourself (if you dare) if you want the most $ back.

I'm also rocking a 6+, and only considering the X.

As for animated poop emojis, there are twelve animated emojis to choose from. I probably won't use the poop one, but some of the others are cute. If there's a way to export the animations and overlay them on edited home videos, they'd make great narration. Think how many millions Peter Jackson had to spend to animate Gollum, and now you can do it from a device in your pocket.

 

[44267547]

It's his opinion and you proved him wrong? Lol. A lot of people think it's a gimmick, we get it, you don't.

Your point is moot, as you were not involved in the discussion yesterday to fully understand the comments made. But the word "Gimmick" is overly used and abused when it comes to tech. Nor does is that what it means if someone else doesn't approve of a feature Apple released. It has complete functionality, that doesn't make it a "Gimmick", It makes it an unappreciated feature. That's the difference that most don't seem to understand, including yourself.

 

[AlexH]

There fixed that for you. A Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR Camera (Body Only) retails for $3299 while the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L III USM Lens goes for $1999.

Because everyone who wants a camera better than a smartphone naturally goes for one of the top of the line cameras in the world (with a top of the line price tag). Why not throw Leica pricing in the mix? Ridiculous. You jumped from smartphone to pro level gear. That’s not a fair assessment of my argument, and you know it.

Realistically, any entry level mirrorless ILC or DSLR will take far better pictures, some even shoot 4K. Let’s take a look at M4/3 for example. You can get either a Panasonic G7 + 14-42mm lens for $797, or an Olympus E-M10 III + 14-42mm lens for 799. Both shoot 4K, come with very decent kit lenses, sport sensors MUCH larger than a smartphone’s, and you’ll have very nice lens, lighting, and accessory eco systems open to you. The remaining cash could be used to invest in entry level off camera flash gear. Similar pricing exists in the Sony lineup, Fuji’s offerings, and others.

In the future, don’t twist my words if you’re not being fair to the argument. It’s not nice.

 

[0947347]

Another gimmick like 3D Touch and iMessage effects. Samsung would never have thought of this. And Google is probably laughing at such a gimmick when Android has split screen and a dynamic home screen and not just a grid of static icons. I can see the weather on the home screen which is super important every time I unlock the phone.

I have an iPhone and I can see weather without unlocking it.
All of the buildings, I spent time in, have these huge holes in the wall, covered in glass, so you can see outside.
Marvels of engineering

3D Touch is super useful, but heavily underused and underrated, because people find it easier just to tap

Talking of the amazing Samsung and Androids in general, do they still have 2 or 3 mail apps, 2-3 browsers, 2-3 photo apps preinstalled? My horrific experience with mail and photo browsing and editing on my last android (2 years ago) was a reason I went back to iphone. The default settings and apps were mostly *****.
Only thing I miss from android, is a DOWNLOAD FOLDER

 

[Billymac19]

Does this technique work with cat photos?

lol been trying with my dog, cant seem to get it to work for me

 

[J InTech82]

I'm curious what the sensor size is in the new 8 / X? I keep hearing the camera sensors are larger in the iPhone 8 Plus and X, but haven't found the actual size listed anywhere. Larger sensor with same pixel density will typically result in lower noise. Add a wider aperture and the improvement is even more. Would love to see some 1:1 comparisons with the 7 Plus and comparison of the sensor size.
[doublepost=1506097741][/doublepost]

It is ridiculous to assume one needs a 5D Mark IV and a 16-35 F2.8L lens to get significantly better than the iPhone. A 5 yr old outdated rebel with an APS-C sensor and a kit lens on the used market for $400 would provide significantly better results.

Oh I wasn’t arguing that you couldn’t. I think the iPhone takes incredible photos, he was just saying a really good camera cost less than one thousand. You think the Rebel takes better pictures then the 5D Mark? That’s a whole ‘nother topic but I disagree.

 

[ke-iron]

$1,000/year for a slight camera upgrade? really?

No one said you have to upgrade your iPhone every year. That would be the same as upgrading the same model car every year. You see it doesn’t make sense. If you look at the changes in a product from year to year, it will seem minuscule, but look at the changes every few years in and it will be significant.

 

[jerwin]

Does this technique work with cat photos?

watch your facebook feed to find out.

 

[DaveWil]

Love the idea, not thrilled with the implementation. So far their demo photos do not look good to me. Hope it is a lot better in person.

 

[ilovemykid3302012]

Your point is moot, as you were not involved in the discussion yesterday to fully understand the comments made. But the word "Gimmick" is overly used and abused when it comes to tech. Nor does is that what it means if someone else doesn't approve of a feature Apple released. It has complete functionality, that doesn't make it a "Gimmick", It makes it an unappreciated feature. That's the difference that most don't seem to understand, including yourself.

It's a gimmick to me as well, I don't and never have used it. As far as my point being moot, wrong. That's your opinion and nothing else.

 

[44267547]

It's a gimmick to me as well, I don't and never have used it.

Re-read what you just posted above. Your contradictory comment has zero relevance to something you have zero experience with. Therefore it Makes your point moot, because you can't comment on something you never have used. Deflection noted otherwise.

And For a second time, you have no idea of the previous context in the last thread, because you failed to actually read the prior comments to even understand what was posted. 3D was NOT even the primary topic of discussion, it was the functionality versus productivity side of it.

 

[ilovemykid3302012]

Re-read what you just posted above. Your contradictory comment has zero relevance to something you have zero experience with. Therefore it Makes your point moot, because you can't comment on something you never have used. Deflection noted otherwise.

And For a second time, you have no idea of the previous context in the last thread, because you failed to actually read the prior comments to even understand what was posted. 3D was NOT even the primary topic of discussion, it was the functionality versus productivity side of it.

Yawn. I know exactly what was said and what I said. My point still stands, you can argue all you want.