iPhone 6s photography vs Bridge Camera

[matt869]

I have been enjoying taking photos on my iPhone for a few years now. I currently have a 5C.
However I would like to take my photography a step further. I am due an upgrade at the end of this month and am looking at the 6S.
I was wondering how well the camera on that stands up to a bridge camera and wether or not the extra outlay on a bridge camera is worth it.
An slr is out of my affordable price range at the minute so was looking to see what would be the best option.
Any help with my query and / or a good bridge camera to go for would be much appreciated.

Cheers
Matt

 

[CNeufeld]

I have been enjoying taking photos on my iPhone for a few years now. I currently have a 5C.
However I would like to take my photography a step further. I am due an upgrade at the end of this month and am looking at the 6S.
I was wondering how well the camera on that stands up to a bridge camera and wether or not the extra outlay on a bridge camera is worth it.
An slr is out of my affordable price range at the minute so was looking to see what would be the best option.
Any help with my query and / or a good bridge camera to go for would be much appreciated.

Cheers
Matt

What is a bridge camera?

C

 

[gsmornot]

I have been enjoying taking photos on my iPhone for a few years now. I currently have a 5C.
However I would like to take my photography a step further. I am due an upgrade at the end of this month and am looking at the 6S.
I was wondering how well the camera on that stands up to a bridge camera and wether or not the extra outlay on a bridge camera is worth it.
An slr is out of my affordable price range at the minute so was looking to see what would be the best option.
Any help with my query and / or a good bridge camera to go for would be much appreciated.

Cheers
Matt

Generally, better lenses and bigger sensors will produce a better image. Scratch that, better technique will produce better images. Nah, not quite all there is either. Look, if you have a ho hum camera to a pro photographer vs a pro camera to a ho hum photographer the pro photographer will come out ahead nearly every time. Exceptions would be extreme environments where a cell camera just cannot make the shot no matter what you do. Cell camera, compacts, mirrorless, DSLR's all have the ability to capture a moment but you have to have them with you and you need to practice a bit and study technique. If you will have your bridge camera with you at all times you have a good chance of capturing nice photos often but if not, and you want to remain light, the 6S will be a great option.

 

[CNeufeld]

BTW... One of the biggest problems with the iPhone as a camera for someone who wants to take photography further is the difficulty in using manual settings (with the default app, at least) and the fixed focal length of the lens (approximately 35mm). With a used DSLR (like a Canon 60D) and a moderate zoom lens (17 to 85 mm), you can do an awful lot more experimentation. But without knowing what your actual budget is, or what a "bridge camera" is, it's hard to offer more meaningful advice.

C

 

[se1000]

It all depends on what you're trying to do. Remember, with almost all smartphones, no matter what the picture quality is, you don't have the ability to adjust aperture (there is no diaphragm) or change lenses.

 

[matt869]

Thanks for your advice.
A "bridge" camera, which I thought was a widely used term, is in between a compact and dslr. With non removable lenses.
These:
http://www.digitalversus.com/digital-camera/buyer-s-guide-best-bridge-cameras-a1343.html

 

[CNeufeld]

Gotcha. Never heard the term before, but that doesn't mean anything.

In any case, my advice still stands. The fixed focal length and difficulty in using manual settings will make it difficult to take your photography to the next level. Not saying it can't be done, and that lots of great pics haven't been taken with iPhone cameras. But I would say it's more difficult to be consistently good with an iPhone camera than with a good DSLR or even "bridge" camera. You need to be able to play with shutter speeds, aperture settings, etc.

Having said that... The camera you have with you is better than the camera left in your apartment because it's not convenient. So having a phone with a better camera than your 5c would be an upgrade. Since many of us don't walk around with your DSLR's...

There. A lot of words that really don't help you make a decision!

C

 

[matt869]

Haha, I'm grateful for the advice all the same.

I think if I can pick up a decent bridge camera for around £300 - £400 then I will do that. Like you (and others) have said the manual controls are key and the iPhone just doesn't have the range of manual controls that bridge or dslr's do.

 

[CNeufeld]

My choice was a secondhand DSLR (Canon 60D), and then adding lenses. I think the body was $400CDN, and then a 17-85 or 24-85mm lens for another $200. Then you can add on additional lenses in the future.

Good luck!

C

 

[redman042]

Agreed it's a very tough question to answer since every photographer has different objectives, and there are so many equipment options.

I will say this: the iPhone 6S/S+ comes surprisingly close to (and in some cases exceeds) a higher end camera for 90% of casual shooting situations. You can take the art of photography very far with an iPhone. Given that it's also the phone in your pocket, it's with you all the time, and you can also edit and upload your photo from the same device, it makes a terrific camera. So I'd start there.

Get the new iPhone, spend some time taking photos with it, then figure out what limits you are hitting that are restricting your photography. How to best get past those limits will define what kind of camera you need to supplement your iPhone.

For my wife and I (we take a lot of pictures), we use our iPhones for 95% of our shooting, and turn to a Sony RX100 for the special shots, particularly portraits of our daughter, low light scenes, and images we may want to frame. In rare cases we bust out our older (but still nice) Canon XSi with a 50mm fixed prime lens for glorious shallow depth of field shots.

 

[0970373]

OP - what is the goal with photography for you? This will help figure out what you should get. A bridge camera is fine and I have recommended to many friends that they get that because they have no intention of learning how to shoot manually. For them, it's casual photos, travel, family scrapbook stuff.

If you are looking to actually improve as a photographer, learning techniques, etc, I do recommend waiting a little longer to save for a better camera. It'll be worth it in the long run. You don't even need a DSLR. M43 cameras have come al one way. I have the Olympus OMD EM5 and I use it a lot more then my Canon 7D these days.

The OMD EM10 can be had for a decent price. This way you can practice with it before you invest more in lenses. And when you are ready for additional lenses, you already have a body. When the body starts to get long in the tooth, buy a new body and the lenses will still be compatible with the system.

But it really comes down to what your photography goals are.

 

[asleep]

I don't do that type of bridge.

I like full size->pocketable->phone.

Output from my little old, non-envy-inducing cheap Olympus XZ-1 is still beautiful.