iPhone 13 Pro iPhone 13 Pro as only camera for trip to Europe?

[ToddH]

I recently sold my Sony a6400 after a year of ownership... because I used it so infrequently. It had less than 100 shutter count after 1 year! I just use my iPhone more... plus it is easier to share right from the phone.

Same here! I have two Sony A7RIII cameras collecting dust because I use my iPhone for everything now, including portraits and landscape. Also the professional apps these days, Even Longer, Moment, BeastCam, Halide allow me to use my iPhone like my digital cameras when composing a shot. I use my Sony camera in manual mode, the iPhone is no different. I use raw on the Sony, ProRAW on the iPhone… no difference. Results are nearly the same.

 

[jav6454]

I think using only the iPhone will be perfect. I nearly had the same debate for myself going on a trip to Breckenridge Colorado for the week. I asked myself should I take my Sony a 7R3 camera and lenses or just my iPhone with a tripod. I opted to only take my iPhone and I am glad I did. It’s so much more fun to shoot, edit with and share with friends right away your photos. Especially when shooting ProRAW or using the Even Longer app, and other apps such as moment to using ProRAW and editing with Lightroom made a clear choice for me.
These panoramas were taken with my iPhone but unfortunately I can’t shoot raw on a panorama. However it still did great. Hopefully you’ll get some inspiration from some of these photos even though you’ll have totally different subjects to photograph. You can just bring a small tripod and a holder for your phone to sit on top of a table or what have you that will be portable enough for certain shots. I believe the iPhone is more than capable of producing excellent shots especially one shot in raw. So far I’ve printed 16 x 20“ prints that look fantastic from the iPhone.

Samples: panoramas taken with the 3x camera.
Blurred water shots we’re on the iPhone as well with the regular 1X or wide camera using the Even Longer app for 30 seconds exposure time as the iPhone is mounted to a tripod.

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Those are some great shots.

 

[theorist9]

The replies thus far seem to be assuming it's either an iPhone or a DSLR (or something nearly as bulky). If those were the only two choices, the answer is easy: A DSLR is cumbersome, so just free yourself and take just the iPhone, unless you want to do dedicated photography.

But the more interesting question is this: Is there a benefit to taking a compact dedicated camera in addition to your iPhone? I use a 2012 Sony Cybershot DSC-WX70, and even in 2018 (last time I did the comparsion), my friends said it took better pics than their smart phones. Plus its volume is only ~10% larger than that of an iPhone 13 and, at 114 g, it weighs 1/3 less.

I imagine if you picked up something like a Sony Cyber-shot RX100 VII, which weighs 302 g including batteries, you'd find it both easy to carry and capable of delivering better shots than your iPhone.

Or if you wanted something much smaller and less $, you could look at the successor to mine, which appears to be the DSC-W830, but I don't know if its quality is at the same level.

A final consideration is how much you enjoy the act of photography itself--adjusting shutter speed and aperture, etc. If you enjoy that, you'll want a stand-alone camera that has that capability.

Some samples from my 114 g Sony--smartphone cameras don't seem to capture the texture of snow in quite the same way.

 

[ToddH]

Those are some great shots.

Thank you.
My photos prove to most viewers that an iPhone (current model 13 pro max) can produce DSLR quality images if you take the time and effort to create the shot with the iPhone and specific professional apps.

The DSLR, which takes longer but has more lens choices..there are specific lenses, sturdy tripod, filters, hdr bracketing, loading the raw files on your computer blending of bracketed exposures and edit. Then after a few hours of editing, you’ll airdrop those photos to your iPhone or iPad so that can be shared with others..To me that takes much longer to accomplish than using the iPhone. Sure the resolution is better on a DSLR, but how many of us actually print their photos anymore?? I can easily print a 16x20 from my iPhone. That’s plenty large. Panoramic shots can be printed much larger.

 

[ToddH]

If you are for point & shot and a bit more advance, it'll be more than fine. However, do carry a charger with you as taking pictures often on any iPhone will drain battery quickly.

I second that battery option. I ordered a small leather shoulder bag Crossbody style from Amazon and I carry that with me everywhere. I carry my second iPhone 13 Pro Max in that bag along with three batteries, charging cables, wall adapters to charge the batteries back up and spare glass screen protectors. it’s kind of like my iPhone supply/repair kit. I also have the beast cage to put my iPhone in with an anamorphic lens, and a .75x wide lens, both of these lenses made by beast grip. I have a small backpack with two PlatyPod phone supports

Platypod Max The Flat Tripod Base for Low Angles and Tight Spaces That Traditional tripods Won't go https://a.co/d/eGLLUzN

This is a great tool, you’ll have to add a small ball head or cell phone mount to hold your iPhone, but these are handy and portable.

 

[EthanDMathews]

So I’m going to Europe in about a month and am wondering whether it’d be a mistake to rely on my iPhone as my only camera. Has anyone ever done this?

This is a question I've been mulling for several years now. The easy generic answer is to take both, then use one or both of them as you see fit on your trip. Just be sure to get in at least several days (preferable weeks) of practice with any new apps or gear before your trip.

But if you want an answer more tailored to you, there are a lot of competing factors to consider.

• what kinds of photos do you want to take?
Mostly documenting your trip or photography as digital art?

• what will you do with your photos after?
Share them on social media or use display them on high res screens?

• how much trouble will it be to bring your DSLR?
Are you spending most of your time in one or two cities (and can leave the camera bag at the hotel some days), or are you doing a whirlwind tour of the continent and will have to lug the camera bag everywhere?

• do you enjoy post processing in Lightroom and Photoshop?

The iPhone takes great snapshots, panoramas, and time lapse photography. 4/5 times it does it automatically without the need for much if any post processing. It's light and always at hand. And the iPhone makes it exceptionally easy to share photos with friends and family, directly through the Photos app, texts, or via social media. It also geotags the location of all of your photos (many DSLRs do not) so you'll always know where you took the photo. And Apple also plots them on a map!

In most cases, iPhones take better photos strait out of the camera -- which is usually what you want 9/10 times. DSRL RAW images typically require post processing, which is an added hassle for 9 of 10 images. But it can produce superior results for that 1 in 10.

**If** you enjoy post processing images in Lightroom and Photoshop to take your best images and dial them up to 11, in order to use them as high resolution wallpaper or make prints, then a DSLR is the better choice.

• The image quality from a large DLSR lens will usually beat that from a tiny iPhone lens.
• A DSLR will do better in low light in most situations
• A DSLR is usually better when high shutter speed is required (sports, taking photos from a boat, train, car)
• And a DLSR shooting in RAW will provide more usable color and exposure information (especially if you bracket your shots).

But most of the DSLR advantages require editing *and* viewing on a large screen. If your pictures are mainly going to be seen on other phones or on Facebook, then the differences in image quality won't be that apparent. And people won't be looking at them for more than a few seconds. And almost no one but you will be looking at them after a year or two.

About 80% of the photos I take on vacations could be left to the iPhone. The other 20% will be better with a DSLR, about 5% of which can be radically transformed from okay to wow via post processing in RAW.

Here are some examples -- not necessarily my best, but quick illustrations of how Lightroom/Photoshop can sometimes transform flat images in ways that would be hard to achieve if taken from an iPhone.

First images are SOOC (Straight Out Of the Camera) without editing, and closer to iPhone defaults. The second images are the post processing results that require a lot of manipulation of RAW data. [Note too that these images lose a lot of resolution here too, which diminishes the benefit of a DSLR]

 

[pegasus912]

I’d say the biggest factor will not really be size, but how much experience you have with cameras. Are you going to be relying on auto mode if you had a camera or are you familiar with the exposure triangle and PASM modes? If you will be relying on auto, just use your iPhone. You can always pickup a cheap used camera from KEH or MPB (websites) and see how you like the experience. Also, don’t get scared off by size, DSLRs are big but mirrorless cameras can be a lot smaller (like the Ricoh GR3/3x or Fuji X100v).

 

[teknikal90]

i toured europe for 6 weeks with an iPhone x...it was fantastic

 

[ToddH]

If your images will be viewed on the iPhone and social media and not printed large, then the iPhone will be all you need. However I understand that there will be a need at times for a long telephoto lens, otherwise the 3x camera is enough. If you choose to print, you can create a photo book online with Mpix or Shutterfly or similar. To print the iPhone images larger, I use and app called image size to resize the files. It’s the best app for that.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/image-size/id670766542

Here is a shot taken with the Even Longer app. Frame averaging mode in raw for 40 seconds. Tripod required with this app. It stacks photos day or night and uses the lowest iso possible and all noise is removed and the dynamic range is insanely good when editing. So I resized this image to 33mp and it looks great! Print large. The even longer app allows me to blur moving water or clouds. There is a YouTube video review of this app that explains it very well.

Here is an example of the dynamic range of the files from Even Longer raw file stacking.

Screenshot of raw file:

Final edit in Lightroom mobile:

Even longer is definitely worth every penny. I’m doing the subscription for $12/yr.

 

[StoneJack]

I own two expensive Nikon cameras, D7500 and Z6, for mostly professional use and video content, but on trips iPhone is very much enough. The camera gear is now mostly aimed at pros, rather than hobbyists and camera companies ceasing production of DSLR and compact cameras... mirrorless is a mainstream now, and used mostly by pros. Otherwise, you will be happy with a phone camera. On the other hand, youtubers and vloggers increasingly use specialized cameras, like GoPro or Nikon Z30 or DJI vlogging cameras...so if you are a vlogger, take on trip such a camera, rather than an universal DSLR type camera, these new cameras are ideal for video

 

[Dick Whitman]

This is a question I've been mulling for several years now. The easy generic answer is to take both, then use one or both of them as you see fit on your trip. Just be sure to get in at least several days (preferable weeks) of practice with any new apps or gear before your trip.

But if you want an answer more tailored to you, there are a lot of competing factors to consider.

• what kinds of photos do you want to take?
Mostly documenting your trip or photography as digital art?

• what will you do with your photos after?
Share them on social media or use display them on high res screens?

• how much trouble will it be to bring your DSLR?
Are you spending most of your time in one or two cities (and can leave the camera bag at the hotel some days), or are you doing a whirlwind tour of the continent and will have to lug the camera bag everywhere?

• do you enjoy post processing in Lightroom and Photoshop?

The iPhone takes great snapshots, panoramas, and time lapse photography. 4/5 times it does it automatically without the need for much if any post processing. It's light and always at hand. And the iPhone makes it exceptionally easy to share photos with friends and family, directly through the Photos app, texts, or via social media. It also geotags the location of all of your photos (many DSLRs do not) so you'll always know where you took the photo. And Apple also plots them on a map!

In most cases, iPhones take better photos strait out of the camera -- which is usually what you want 9/10 times. DSRL RAW images typically require post processing, which is an added hassle for 9 of 10 images. But it can produce superior results for that 1 in 10.

**If** you enjoy post processing images in Lightroom and Photoshop to take your best images and dial them up to 11, in order to use them as high resolution wallpaper or make prints, then a DSLR is the better choice.

• The image quality from a large DLSR lens will usually beat that from a tiny iPhone lens.
• A DSLR will do better in low light in most situations
• A DSLR is usually better when high shutter speed is required (sports, taking photos from a boat, train, car)
• And a DLSR shooting in RAW will provide more usable color and exposure information (especially if you bracket your shots).

But most of the DSLR advantages require editing *and* viewing on a large screen. If your pictures are mainly going to be seen on other phones or on Facebook, then the differences in image quality won't be that apparent. And people won't be looking at them for more than a few seconds. And almost no one but you will be looking at them after a year or two.

About 80% of the photos I take on vacations could be left to the iPhone. The other 20% will be better with a DSLR, about 5% of which can be radically transformed from okay to wow via post processing in RAW.

Here are some examples -- not necessarily my best, but quick illustrations of how Lightroom/Photoshop can sometimes transform flat images in ways that would be hard to achieve if taken from an iPhone.

First images are SOOC (Straight Out Of the Camera) without editing, and closer to iPhone defaults. The second images are the post processing results that require a lot of manipulation of RAW data. [Note too that these images lose a lot of resolution here too, which diminishes the benefit of a DSLR]

So I'll be in Glasgow (including Glencoe and Sligachan), London, Paris, and Reykjavik. All of the advantages of the iPhone that you mentioned are the reasons why I was initially attracted to the idea of relying on my iPhone as my only camera. I have no experience with Photoshop; however, I have some experience with Lightroom. The latter has always seemed like the more approachable application to me, and I would love to be able to use it more for the images I capture in Europe. Here are some shots that I took with my iPhone 13 Pro when I was in Palm Springs last year, which I'm mostly happy with. The majority of these were very lightly edited in VSCO.

This is also why I was leaning towards a camera like the X100V, namely for its ease-of-use and ability to take shots that can quickly be shared right off the camera and with minimal processing required. But the more comparison videos I've seen between the X100V and the iPhone 13 Pro (or even older models of the iPhone), and the more shots I've seen of cities like London taken with the iPhone 13 Pro, the more I'm convinced to just rely on my iPhone. I've looked into how much it would be to rent an X100V for the duration of my trip, and while $200 is certainly less expensive than buying the camera outright, I'm still hesitant to go that route (at least just yet) based on everything I said.

Still, the transformations you accomplished via Photoshop and Lightroom are very impressive. I especially like the ones with the palm tree. It look me a second to realize that they're actually the same shot because you did such a good job of removing the wiring and enhancing the colors and lighting.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Thanks for the feedback and complement. I use Lightroom exclusively now. I have tried VSCO before with raw files but I found that it doesn’t control the highlights worth a darn compared to Lightroom. And with Lightroom you can create your own presets to apply them to other photos and save a lot of time. if you do decide to use the Moment app or Halide, don’t hesitate to message me about questions that you may have regarding those. I’ll be glad to help you with everything that I can. they even longer app is great because you can blur clouds during the day and it works so much better than Slow Shutter cam and nightcap etc. but it does require a tripod because it’s not a handheld app. if you have any questions regarding tripod portability and which ones are best etc., I can help with that.

Thanks, will do! And I would love any recommendations that you may have regarding tripods, preferably ones that are ultra portable (i.e., able to easily collapse to fit into a backpack). When I visited Japan in 2017 I took a small JOBY tripod - one of their GorillaPods - and didn't use it the entire trip except for one shot, which ended up being one of my favorite shots from the trip. Needless to say, I was very happy that I had decided to bring a tripod with me.

 

[Dick Whitman]

I had the same thought when I went to London in 2019. Brought my Sony a6000 mirror less with my iPhone X at that time. Carried a backpack with me most of the time when we were on a planned day. Popped out the Sony here and there but ultimately used the iPhone significantly more and the image quality was actually fantastic. Toward the end of the trip I really just used the iPhone. Sure the MP was significantly higher on the Sony but the ease of use and not having to toggle settings to slow down our trip was well worth it.

so in short, yes. The 13 pro cam is significantly better than my x was at the time and I think you’ll get some great shots! I created a joint folder of my Sony and iPhone shots for the trip and looking back at it, you’d have to really pixel peep to see which one was shot on either device.

Thanks, this is actually very helpful as prior to the X100V, the a6000/a6400 was one of the cameras that I had been considering.

 

[nburwell]

My wife and I took a trip to France and Italy back in 2018. At the time, I only brought my iPhone X and (1st gen) iPhone SE (for overseas SIM as my X was not unlocked). Looking back, I captured some pretty good images. However, to this day, I wish I had brought a proper camera with me.

I currently have the Sony a7III + lenses and X100V and probably would have left the former at home and just bring the latter with me if we did the trip all over again.

 

[ToddH]

Thanks, will do! And I would love any recommendations that you may have regarding tripods, preferably ones that are ultra portable (i.e., able to easily collapse to fit into a backpack). When I visited Japan in 2017 I took a small JOBY tripod - one of their GorillaPods - and didn't use it the entire trip except for one shot, which ended up being one of my favorite shots from the trip. Needless to say, I was very happy that I had decided to bring a tripod with me.

I have a couple of the Manfrotto
Manfrotto PIXI Mini Tripod, Black (MTPIXI-B) https://a.co/d/iZr0nGv
And these are lightweight and affordable. The only disadvantage is that you can’t turn your phone to a vertical position because there’s not a position for that on the tripod. So horizontal is pretty much all you get. There are other tripods that are made of aluminum that will provide that option but most of the time I shoot horizontal anyway.

I also use this handy little machine aluminum gadget that is very well-made. I have three or four of these. They are my favorite…
Cinema Mount Mini Smartphone Rig & Aluminum Alloy Grip Handle, Cell Phone Tripod Adapter, Standard Cold Shoe Mount, Tripod Mount, Fit Arca Swiss Compatible with iPhone 11 12 Pro Max https://a.co/d/5lMjaIQ

So, the sturdy plastic Manfrotto tripod is a very helpful tool it’s sturdy and works very well. I’ve never had an issue with it and I always carry one with me. you can just check Amazon for mini tripods and pick a different one if you don’t care for the one I’ve suggested. The aluminum handheld mount that I shared works extremely well with holding the iPhone. You can unscrew the black handle off of it and attach the clamp part directly to the tripod for support of the iPhone. Comes in handy whenever I want to take a 30 second night mode shot. Anyway hope this helps, I take a lot of iPhone photography so I’ve got a lot of experience so if you have any more questions let me know.

Todd

 

[StoneJack]

My wife and I took a trip to France and Italy back in 2018. At the time, I only brought my iPhone X and (1st gen) iPhone SE (for overseas SIM as my X was not unlocked). Looking back, I captured some pretty good images. However, to this day, I wish I had brought a proper camera with me.

I currently have the Sony a7III + lenses and X100V and probably would have left the former at home and just bring the latter with me if we did the trip all over again.

Sony cameras are actually not recommended, buy a proper camera, Nikon or Canon.

 

[cthompson94]

Sony cameras are actually not recommended, buy a proper camera, Nikon or Canon.

Not recommended by who? How are the Sony line of cameras not just as good or better than Nikon or Canon? Are you also discrediting the companies such as Leica or FujiFilm and many others?

The Nikon Z9 for instance has a sensor made from Sony now sure that is with Nikon's specifications, but by your standard that shows that Sony makes capable sensors and it is pretty well known that Sony along with many other brands like Sigma make great glass.

 

[StoneJack]

Not recommended by who? How are the Sony line of cameras not just as good or better than Nikon or Canon? Are you also discrediting the companies such as Leica or FujiFilm and many others?

The Nikon Z9 for instance has a sensor made from Sony now sure that is with Nikon's specifications, but by your standard that shows that Sony makes capable sensors and it is pretty well known that Sony along with many other brands like Sigma make great glass.

Sony has outdated menus, bad ergonomics and generally not recommended by pros, its colors are not good enough (skin color in particular) and camera firmware is not updated frequently and is being leapfrogged in features and performance both by Canon and Nikon. It used to be an only full frame mirrorless camera few years ago but since lost market share and Nikon Z9 is widely recognized as a best camera out there. Sensors are made by another Sony division and have nothing to do with its camera division.

 

[cthompson94]

Sony has outdated menus, bad ergonomics and generally not recommended by pros, its colors are not good enough (skin color in particular) and camera firmware is not updated frequently and is being leapfrogged in features and performance both by Canon and Nikon. It used to be an only full frame mirrorless camera few years ago but since lost market share and Nikon Z9 is widely recognized as a best camera out there. Sensors are made by another Sony division and have nothing to do with its camera division.

1. Are you referring to even the newer menu system? not just the one that was in the A7III and below? Sony's menu also gives a lot more options to customize your experience.
2. Bad ergonomics? that is highly subjective even the menu complaint was subjective but ill give you it, but really? because I always felt Canon cameras were too heavy. case and point of subjective
3. Not recommended by pros? okay now how do you define pro? are you talking about people in their 60s+ who are more familiar with Canon or Nikon because of the length in the business with Sony being newer? Also a subjective answer you gave, Since IMO anyone who is "pro" is making a living on their work and there are plenty of Sony "pros".
4. Also subjective, that is the purpose of RAWs the color science was also changed a few generations ago and most reviews show a pleasant response to the new color science. Otherwise. Still subjective not everyone photographs people, and as I said before the power of RAW files are amazing.

According to Dxomark the Nikon Z9 (which you stated "is widely recognized as the best camera out there") scores on par with the Sony A1 and the Canon R3 with the Sony A1 actually beating it on Dynamic Range and Many of the ISO settings.. the Sony A1 also beats it in frame rate at the A1 doing 30fps which since you like to bring up "pros" would be great for wildlife and sports photography.

I can keep looking up specifics if you would like and not mention subjective answers. I used to use Canon and switched to Sony some years ago, and yes Nikon and Canon are blazing forward with their mirrorless cameras, but please stop bringing up the same complaints you only see in the old generation photographers because there are more than capable brands than just Nikon and Canon.

Edit: I did want to add, thank you for the input on the maker, I knew it was Sony but wasn't sure on specifics and I see now it was from the Semiconductor department of Sony.

 

[ToddH]

Sony has outdated menus, bad ergonomics and generally not recommended by pros, its colors are not good enough (skin color in particular) and camera firmware is not updated frequently and is being leapfrogged in features and performance both by Canon and Nikon. It used to be an only full frame mirrorless camera few years ago but since lost market share and Nikon Z9 is widely recognized as a best camera out there. Sensors are made by another Sony division and have nothing to do with its camera division.

Skin colors are adjusted in post not in camera. All of the images are shot in raw no matter what they look like on camera…they can be fixed in post. Saying that the skin tones are not accurate is kind of dumb. The easiest way to get accurate skin tones is using a gray card to calibrate the lighting in post using the eye dropper tool. I’m not sure how the Sony menus are outdated since the A1 just came out which is pretty much the best high speed camera on the market next to the Z9.

 

[EthanDMathews]

So I'll be in Glasgow (including Glencoe and Sligachan), London, Paris, and Reykjavik. All of the advantages of the iPhone that you mentioned are the reasons why I was initially attracted to the idea of relying on my iPhone as my only camera. I have no experience with Photoshop; however, I have some experience with Lightroom. The latter has always seemed like the more approachable application to me, and I would love to be able to use it more for the images I capture in Europe. Here are some shots that I took with my iPhone 13 Pro when I was in Palm Springs last year, which I'm mostly happy with. The majority of these were very lightly edited in VSCO.

This is also why I was leaning towards a camera like the X100V, namely for its ease-of-use and ability to take shots that can quickly be shared right off the camera and with minimal processing required. But the more comparison videos I've seen between the X100V and the iPhone 13 Pro (or even older models of the iPhone), and the more shots I've seen of cities like London taken with the iPhone 13 Pro, the more I'm convinced to just rely on my iPhone. I've looked into how much it would be to rent an X100V for the duration of my trip, and while $200 is certainly less expensive than buying the camera outright, I'm still hesitant to go that route (at least just yet) based on everything I said.

Still, the transformations you accomplished via Photoshop and Lightroom are very impressive. I especially like the ones with the palm tree. It look me a second to realize that they're actually the same shot because you did such a good job of removing the wiring and enhancing the colors and lighting.

Thank you for kind words. The image with the Palm Tree is a decent example of how a DSLR RAW image captures a lot of extra information (exposure* and color) that you can access via Lightroom (LR) and Photoshop (PS).

The statue of the Dying Gault is another (albeit less obvious) example of how RAW images allow you to fix difficult lighting in post, i.e. over-exposed feet in direct sunlight; and dark shadows to the right.

vs iPhone: the same image taken with an iPhone (see below) simply can't be fixed. The blown out areas have no detail information. Turning down the brightness doesn't help at all. Conversely, the dark areas can't be brightened much at all, because doing so would wash out the rest of the image.

[True, you can shoot "RAW" with iPhones. It's an improvement over JPEGs. But iPhone RAW doesn't contain as much quality information as that from a DSLR. Maybe 1/3 of an improvement?]

The problem is that in order to fully appreciate the power of editing images in LR and PS, you'll need to have RAW photos taken with a DSLR-type camera. There's not much point using PS and LR to edit photos taken with your iPhone.

And there's probably less reason to get a DSLR-type camera if you aren't interested in editing photos with LR and PS.

If you think you might want to get into photography, and take some of your photos to the next level, then a DSRL-type camera is the way to go. Otherwise, an iPhone is a good, easy option.

——————————
* It varies by camera and image, but you can get something 2-4 extra stops of exposure information on either side of your central exposure, i.e. you can easily bring extra light into shadows, dial down overly bright areas, add, tweak or even outright change the colors, and so on. And you can make all of those changes selectively (i.e. in just those areas) without messing up other parts of the photo that are fine. Shooting in RAW with a DSRL, etc. provides a lot of extra information for post processing.

Dying Gaul - DSRL, LR vs. iPhone. Not the best example (the image itself is just so-so), and the RAW image is admittedly a bit flat and boring. I also deliberately made the background darker and less focused to draw a it more attention to the subject. I can make further edits to the RAW version - give it more contrast, etc.

The iPhone is pretty much WYSIWYG. That's as good as it gets and not much else you can do with it.

 

[EthanDMathews]

So I'll be in Glasgow (including Glencoe and Sligachan), London, Paris, and Reykjavik. All of the advantages of the iPhone that you mentioned are the reasons why I was initially attracted to the idea of relying on my iPhone as my only camera. I have no experience with Photoshop; however, I have some experience with Lightroom. The latter has always seemed like the more approachable application to me, and I would love to be able to use it more for the images I capture in Europe. Here are some shots that I took with my iPhone 13 Pro when I was in Palm Springs last year, which I'm mostly happy with. The majority of these were very lightly edited in VSCO.

These are really excellent photos, btw. Great composition. You have a really good eye. I'm not great when it comes to finding interesting patterns or shapes in details. (I'm more suited to landscape).

You might enjoy the option and ability to take some of your favorite photos to the next level with LR and PS, i.e. being able to punch up with colors and contrast, adjust color grading, as well as selectively edit bright and dark areas to better reproduce what your eyes saw -- or take greater artistic license!

LR is the great for ~95% of your RAW image editing needs. As you probably know, LR is fairly straightforward to use, but it's also very powerful. LR has also added a lot of new, powerful tools in the last few years, e.g. the ability to auto-select the sky and mask it, so you can edit it separately from the rest of your image is a great recent addition.

PS is for when you want to make more refined edits, e.g. cloning out telephone wires, or editing via using luminosity masks (i.e. you can select very specific areas that fall within a certain range of brightness or shadow in order to edit them individually, without messing up the rest of the photo).

When I use PS, I mostly use it for a plugin called Lumenzia. It makes it very easy to select areas based on brightness, and edit them selectively (to adjust exposure, color, etc.). It makes using PS a lot easier.

Search: Greg Benz Photography Lumenzia

https://gregbenzphotography.com/lumenzia/

 

[ToddH]

Thank you for kind words. The image with the Palm Tree is a decent example of how a DSLR RAW image captures a lot of extra information (exposure* and color) that you can access via Lightroom (LR) and Photoshop (PS).

The statue of the Dying Gault is another (albeit less obvious) example of how RAW images allow you to fix difficult lighting in post, i.e. over-exposed feet in direct sunlight; and dark shadows to the right.

vs iPhone: the same image taken with an iPhone (see below) simply can't be fixed. The blown out areas have no detail information. Turning down the brightness doesn't help at all. Conversely, the dark areas can't be brightened much at all, because doing so would wash out the rest of the image.

[True, you can shoot "RAW" with iPhones. It's an improvement over JPEGs. But iPhone RAW doesn't contain as much quality information as that from a DSLR. Maybe 1/3 of an improvement?]

The problem is that in order to fully appreciate the power of editing images in LR and PS, you'll need to have RAW photos taken with a DSLR-type camera. There's not much point using PS and LR to edit photos taken with your iPhone.

And there's probably less reason to get a DSLR-type camera if you aren't interested in editing photos with LR and PS.

If you think you might want to get into photography, and take some of your photos to the next level, then a DSRL-type camera is the way to go. Otherwise, an iPhone is a good, easy option.

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* It varies by camera and image, but you can get something 2-4 extra stops of exposure information on either side of your central exposure, i.e. you can easily bring extra light into shadows, dial down overly bright areas, add, tweak or even outright change the colors, and so on. And you can make all of those changes selectively (i.e. in just those areas) without messing up other parts of the photo that are fine. Shooting in RAW with a DSRL, etc. provides a lot of extra information for post processing.

Dying Gaul - DSRL, LR vs. iPhone. Not the best example (the image itself is just so-so), and the RAW image is admittedly a bit flat and boring. I also deliberately made the background darker and less focused to draw a it more attention to the subject. I can make further edits to the RAW version - give it more contrast, etc.

The iPhone is pretty much WYSIWYG. That's as good as it gets and not much else you can do with it.

A lot of this is true but I shoot with ProRAW all the time and just like a DSLR on the iPhone you have to expose for your highlights. The photo of the statue with the blown highlights from the iPhone can easily be fixed by lowering your exposure compensation by a -1 to-1.5 and lifting the shadows. of course it depends on which iPhone you’re using but the current 13 pro models offer excellent highlight control and approximately 14 stops of dynamic range when shot in ProRAW. Also using third-party apps like Halide or Moment and even the BeastCam usually have better highlight and ProRAW control and the default camera as the default camera sometimes adds too much saturation. However all of that usually is canceled out when shot In Raw. I’ll have to look around on my two iPhones to see if I have any examples that I can share similar to what you have. since I do photograph things with my iPhone all the time, I can confidently say that I am extremely good at it without sounding cocky lol, I rarely shoot JPEG. Thanks for your post, it was a good one.

 

[eyeseeyou]

If you plan on printing large prints I'd say to bring a camera otherwise if you are familiar with basic photography fundamentals (mainly composition) the iPhone 13 pro will probably be fine for most situations.

I've brought an SLR and GoPro to a couple of vacations, but primarily due to the hassle of carrying and setting up the cameras I ended up mostly using the iPhone. Afterward, I looked at the pics, and they were great for at least viewing.

 

[HDFan]

Sony cameras are actually not recommended,

Sony has outdated menus, bad ergonomics and generally not recommended by pros,

Sony revolutionized the industry with their mirrorless cameras. Right now Sony and Canon are battling for 1st place (in quality, features) and Nikon is coming up fast as the mirrorless transition continutes