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Josh85826

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jan 27, 2018
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Ottawa
Does the iPhone X quality as good or beats a dslr camera that would be in the same price range? I would mostly be doing car photography. Or is the iPhone X worth it for the camera?
 
No, a $1000 phone’s camera would not compare to a $1000 camera. However the camera does one thing. The phone does many.

Ultimately it depends on what you’re looking for and how important photos are to you. If you make your living from photography or if you’re blowing up the pictures then it’s silly to buy the phone. If photography is incidental then you’ll be very happy with the camera quality on the iPhone X. It’s great for a phone but it won’t compare to a dedicated camera of the same price range.
 
A dslr is simply going to mop the floor compared to petty much any cell phone camera. Simple physics and optics for one. Comparing the sensor the size of a fly turd with at least at least a aps-c sized sensor and good glass.
Now if the X would suite your needs, hard to say without knowing exactly what those are. Car photos can pretty much be taken with any camera. :p
 
I’m not sure you’ve given enough information to really say. Is photographing cars just a hobby or part of a business? How will the pictures be used? If they’re just going to be posted on social media, your needs will be different than if you plan to make large prints.

The iPhone X takes great pictures for a smartphone. But, at the end of the day, it’s still constrained by having a tiny sensor, fixed aperture, and plastic lenses. A DSLR of similar price will always take better pictures. The iPhone gets away with this because it’s not just a camera, but also does a host of other things. At the end of the day, you have to determine what your needs are. If you occasionally take pictures of cars as a hobby and mainly share them on social media, the iPhone is probably the better buy since it does so many other things. If you’re serious about photography though, you need a serious camera. The iPhone will never truly replace a DSLR.
 
Does the iPhone X quality as good or beats a dslr camera that would be in the same price range? I would mostly be doing car photography. Or is the iPhone X worth it for the camera?

There is no substitute for the flexibility of a DSLR with interchangeable lenses, and many of those lenses can far exceed a $1000 price point. If you are interested in doing car photography beyond just taking snapshots, you need to learn about the appropriate lenses and techniques for doing that successfully.....

The iPhone X is a marvelous smartphone with a dandy camera but in no way does it replace a DSLR and its lenses.
 
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I personally have a X and a Nikon 5600. They BOTH have advantages. Hard for me to have Nikon ready when daughter does something picture worthy. I by far can get better pics with Nikon, obviously, but if it isn’t with me and setup... So easy to have X in hand and ready.

You will never, well not for a while, get pics from a mobile phone than compare to a properly shot DSLR camera pic.
 
I’d say no but you can get closer to the high end point and shoots if you buy some high quality moment lens.
 
Oh god no the image quality of an iPhone photo is generations behind a DSLR. My iPhone 8 produces photos of similar quality to my old Canon Digital Rebel camera. I’m currently using a 6(or maybe 7, it’s rain resistant)D and photos look amazing from it.

However! The photo quality from an iPhone 8 or X is decent compared to other smartphones.... and they do shoot in slow motion unlike my Canon!

Phone tech will improve in time..... but so will DSLR tech. I honestly thought there wasn’t much more a camera could do when I got my Rebel but how wrong I was when I got my 6 or 7D.
 
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Does the iPhone X quality as good or beats a dslr camera that would be in the same price range? I would mostly be doing car photography. Or is the iPhone X worth it for the camera?
The simple answer is no, the iPhone X does not take a better picture than a DSLR with the appropriate lenses.

If you are taking pictures of cars and especially if they are moving and you intend to take panning shots then there is no substitute for a proper camera.

The iPhone X has a great camera as a point and shoot and will give great results for most situations for convenience, but it’s not better. You also won’t get the satisfaction of taking the photographs and knowing it’s your own skill that has made the result. Food for thought.
 
Does the iPhone X quality as good or beats a dslr camera that would be in the same price range? I would mostly be doing car photography. Or is the iPhone X worth it for the camera?

iphone X is no way near a dslr, absolutely NOT AT ALL!
 
Technically no, however there is a possibility an amateur will end up with a better picture on the iPhone X.

Many DSLR cameras even set in their "auto" modes wont dumb down the art and skill of photography enough to produce a picture that "looks" better.

A good photographer will have many more options available with a DSLR camera giving them many more possibilities to produce a better image.
 
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From a hardware specification and data output perspective the iPhone, or any mobile phone, will not be better than a dslr.

That being said you can have the most expensive camera in the world and still take a worse picture than any mobile phone if you don’t know how to take a good picture.

If you’re only outputting your photos to social media or digitally you might be able to get away with using the iPhone X but even then in the perfect situation you’d still get “sharper” pictures from a dslr.
 
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DSLR v the latest smartphone comes up often.
Let's be honest, if it was better (or even close), Nikon and Cannon would have gone out of business.

But the fact is you can't argue with the laws of physics. Bigger sensors and professional glass will always beat smartphones.
 
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DSLR v the latest smartphone comes up often.
Let's be honest, if it was better (or even close), Nikon and Cannon would have gone out of business.

Or the fact that these posts come up often is that, for some, if not a lot of people are finding that the iPhone X, for their use can replace a dslr.

If you didn’t know about “real” bokeh the portrait effect is more than acceptable.
 
Or the fact that these posts come up often is that, for some, if not a lot of people are finding that the iPhone X, for their use can replace a dslr.

If you didn’t know about “real” bokeh the portrait effect is more than acceptable.
But the question was not for their use, but
Does the iPhone X quality as good or beats a dslr camera that would be in the same price range? I would mostly be doing car photography. Or is the iPhone X worth it for the camera?

It can't beat it. Is it good enough or acceptable for some? Yes of course.
Is it more convenient to carry, absolutely!
Can it beat a DSLR? Not a chance.
If I was taking a photo I cared about I'd prefer a 10 year old DSLR to an iPhone 10.
 
But the question was not for their use, but


It can't beat it. Is it good enough or acceptable for some? Yes of course.
Is it more convenient to carry, absolutely!
Can it beat a DSLR? Not a chance.
If I was taking a photo I cared about I'd prefer a 10 year old DSLR to an iPhone 10.

Still think it depends on the intended output.
 
I will chime in. I asked in the camera thread as to what and if I should buy a DSLR. In the end I realized for now, I wouldn't make enough use out of it as it would just be a hobby. I want to look more into it before I jump in. I went with the iPhone X a month ago coming from a 6+ and the camera is great for a cellphone camera. There are apps to help you edit a picture and make it look nice.

Until you a ready to invest in lenses and study different ways to shoot then I would hold off.
 
I will chime in. I asked in the camera thread as to what and if I should buy a DSLR. In the end I realized for now, I wouldn't make enough use out of it as it would just be a hobby. I want to look more into it before I jump in. I went with the iPhone X a month ago coming from a 6+ and the camera is great for a cellphone camera. There are apps to help you edit a picture and make it look nice.

Until you a ready to invest in lenses and study different ways to shoot then I would hold off.
Knowing how to use a DSLR properly is an important point. Anyone can pick up a cellphone and take a picture.
A DSLR takes a bit more getting used to (even in auto mode).

But for anyone who is interested enough to do a bit of learning, the rewards are images with much better IQ.
Photography is a great hobby. I enjoy it when I can.
 
DSLR lense prices are ridiculous.

They can range tremendously depending on the type of lens and whether you are buying a top of the line lens with wide apertures and the best optics vs a non-pro lens that is might cover a wider zoom range but prioritizes cost and size/weight over performance, aperture, and image quality.

You can get a 50mm f/1.8 for a DSLR that is excellent and will cost only $100. It’s a pretty simple lens design. On the other hand a 70-200mm f/2.8 is going to cost you over $1,000. That said you can also get a 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 for much less. It will be lighter and smaller, but lacks the wide aperture and the image quality won’t be in the same class.

When considering price it is important to recognize that a lens is a long term investment that can hold resale value quite well. My Nikon 80-200mm f/2.8 was purchased in 2004 and still works perfectly even with the latest Nikon camera bodies. I could even sell it for a decent amount if I wanted to. As good as the iPhone X camera is, it can’t capture the types of photos I can get with this fast telephoto lens.

Many DSLR and mirrorless lenses cost between a few hundred and a couple thousand dollars. They can get much more expensive than that for the exotic lenses and giant telephotos, but most DSLR shooters don’t buy lenses that cost more than $1,500 or so. When we do, we tend to get many years of service out of them.
 
Sell an iPhone ex in 8-10 years and it might command 20% of its original value and probably barely function.
As @sean000 mentions above, older lens still function as intended.

Check signature for my little collection of glass.
 
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