National Geographic Photographer Praises iPhone 5s Camera

[Mark Booth]

I'm a photographer and I've owned every iPhone since 2007 except for the iPhone 5. Apple has continually improved the camera in the iPhone and the one in the iPhone 5S is the best, by far! Much superior in low light (far less noise), much sharper images, and much faster (part of which may be iOS 7). It amazes me that the camera that takes up so little space inside my iPhone's body makes vastly superior images compared to my first several digital point and shoot cameras, some of which cost well over $500.

Even as recently as the iPhone 4S, I felt a smartphone camera was just a bit too much of a compromise in image quality. The iPhone 5S camera has completely erased that feeling.

Mark

 

[thaifood]

And yet here you are posting on MR, and he's getting press as a photographer for NG.

My experience is that the people who know just enough about the technical aspects of photography, but have the artistic touch take WAY better pictures than people who know all the tech, but have no touch.

Being a National Geographic photographer, I wouldn't be surprised if that was the actual colour and exposure he was seeing in person. He may also be ensuring no overexposure occurs. You can't really save an image if it is blown out.

One thing I've always appreciated about National Geographic is the skill their photographers have with understanding exposure and light.

 

[JAQ]

I owned the first iPhone, which didn't have a camera.

Sure it did. When the iPod Touch first came out, I used to have to explain to people what it was: "an iPhone without the phone and camera".

 

[Zellio]

very nice

 

[Marc-SP]

I did not mention the 4, but the 4s. And I said that each generation is better than the previous. No doubt.

The point is that there was a very clear leap between the 4 and 4s imaging systems, but from then on it has been just an evolution in terms of image quality (let's say 20% better each year, to put some totally random number ). Probably good enough, as 5s has still one of the best cameras in the market.

The 5s is superior to the 4 for sure. Where the 5s wins out is the dynamic exposure. You get bloom/blowout on the other 5 and 5c.

Also, here's a great site comparison with a TON of photos.

http://www.imore.com/iphone-5s-vs-iphone-5c-vs-iphone-5-camera-shootout

 

[haruhiko]

I'm a photographer and I've owned every iPhone since 2007 except for the iPhone 5. Apple has continually improved the camera in the iPhone and the one in the iPhone 5S is the best, by far! Much superior in low light (far less noise), much sharper images, and much faster (part of which may be iOS 7). It amazes me that the camera that takes up so little space inside my iPhone's body makes vastly superior images compared to my first several digital point and shoot cameras, some of which cost well over $500.

Even as recently as the iPhone 4S, I felt a smartphone camera was just a bit too much of a compromise in image quality. The iPhone 5S camera has completely erased that feeling.

Mark

The iPhone 4S increased the pixel count to 8MP and sacrificed pixel size and the 5S remedied this trade off. This reminds me of the HTC One which bragged about the big pixel size of their camera sensor ("UltraPixel") but unfortunately they went extreme and reduced the pixel count to 4 Megapixel.

(Attached comparison by AnandTech http://www.anandtech.com/show/7335/the-iphone-5s-review/10)

 

[meli]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't someone other than Apple design and manufacture the camera hardware? Maybe Sony or someone? Granted, I'm sure the Apple software plays a crucial role.

Couldn't Samsung or anyone else also purchase the same camera hardware, or do you think Apple has an exclusivity agreement?

 

[Pyrrhic Victory]

And yet here you are posting on MR, and he's getting press as a photographer for NG.

My experience is that the people who know just enough about the technical aspects of photography, but have the artistic touch take WAY better pictures than people who know all the tech, but have no touch.

Getting press as a photographer has 99% to do with things other than the quality of one's photographs. Exposure and white balance are two of THE most basic technical aspects of color photography, so for him to not even understand how to measure those accurately excludes him even from your group of people who know "just enough".

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Really now. And where is your portfolio? I would be interested to see it.

What, I need to share a portfolio of images with the forum in order to know about such basic subjects as exposure and white balance? I may or may not be a skilled photographer, but it does not take any artistic ability whatsoever to identify correct and incorrect EV/WB measurements.

 

[AidenShaw]

I wonder how good it is at taking pictures of red shirts....

 

[macs4nw]

I can't believe a professional said this:

"Best of all it shoots square pictures natively, a real plus for me since I wanted to shoot for Instagram posting."

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

Not commenting on the Instagram portion of that quote, but Hasselblad, the respected Swedish maker of medium format professional camera equipment, was always a great proponent of the square format; they in fact published some booklets in the seventies and eighties extolling the virtues of the square format.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_kw=Hasselblad+Square+Composition It's quite compelling in it's arguments.

Some more articles on that subject:

http://digital-photography-school.com/6-lessons-the-square-format-can-teach-you-about-composition
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/9462076757/square-format-not-so-weird
http://photo.tutsplus.com/articles/theory/a-guide-to-producing-beautiful-square-format-images/

Interestingly, their new (digital) backs have all reverted to the rectangular format.

 

[giantfan1224]

Getting press as a photographer has 99% to do with things other than the quality of one's photographs.

I might be hard-pressed to find a dumber statement on all of MR. This is what people say that go out and by expensive cameras and think all of the sudden they are just as good as the professionals.

 

[triplerocks]

it's pretty promising to see that, but I would probably consider this as a means of promotion for the model, like MS, it is not easy for the new model to transcend their decendants

 

[zioxide]

I can't believe a professional said this:

Best of all it shoots square pictures natively, a real plus for me since I wanted to shoot for Instagram posting.

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.

What's wrong with square? Lots of famous photographers have used square-format film/cameras in the past.

 

[giantfan1224]

I went into an Apple Store on launch day and held my 5 camera next to a 5S and was absolutely wowed with the better quality of the 5S camera. I had no idea it would be that much better.

 

[FrizzleFryBen]

How was it a satirical post? I didn't see any humor in it..

Doesn't have to be funny, nor insulting

the use of humor, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

 

[gmcalpin]

The white balance of that photo is horrible. It is way too cool and there is too much magenta as well. It also looks about a stop underexposed - where are the highlights?

There isn't the slimmest chance that it actually looked like that? I think the professional National Geographic photographer who was actually there might know.

----------

What's wrong with square? Lots of famous photographers have used square-format film/cameras in the past.

Probably doesn't realize the filters are optional...

 

[csalm87]

Is that the mini island from the Harry Potter films?

I was going to ask the same thing. I think it is!

 

[meli]

Yeah, looks like Sony should be getting some of the praise:
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+5s+Teardown/17383/2

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't someone other than Apple design and manufacture the camera hardware? Maybe Sony or someone? Granted, I'm sure the Apple software plays a crucial role.

Couldn't Samsung or anyone else also purchase the same camera hardware, or do you think Apple has an exclusivity agreement?

 

[TMay]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't someone other than Apple design and manufacture the camera hardware? Maybe Sony or someone? Granted, I'm sure the Apple software plays a crucial role.

Couldn't Samsung or anyone else also purchase the same camera hardware, or do you think Apple has an exclusivity agreement?

Sony designed and built the camera module, but not necessarily as an exclusive. Apple designed the lens; don't know who manufactured it. Samsung manufactures their own modules, which may or may not be used in all of its smartphones.

Dxo tested the iPhone 5s, which came in second overall with the Nokia 808 Pureview first and the Samsung S4 third. Those results include video which Apple really dominates, but it does suggest that the 5s is a very balanced camera design although weak in low light.

 

[koban4max]

They shouldn't call the phone a iPhone...since many people use it for camera...might as well call it icamera.

 

[haruhiko]

I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't someone other than Apple design and manufacture the camera hardware? Maybe Sony or someone? Granted, I'm sure the Apple software plays a crucial role.

Couldn't Samsung or anyone else also purchase the same camera hardware, or do you think Apple has an exclusivity agreement?

Yes it's Sony.

And no Samsung will not buy the same module because it's "only" 8 megapixel and will not suit their marketing use: "higher megapixel than the iPhone"

 

[Marc-SP]

The issue is that it is not actually a real square format sensor. It is just cropping = wasting a lot of pixels, and it can be done is post processign very easily, allowing for some reframing. Maybe Apple could use a multi format approach.

From Dpreview.com:
"Nokia is the only phone maker we know of that uses multi-aspect ratio sensors: everyone else simply crops a native 4:3 sensor to get “wider” formats that aren’t really wider, just shorter."

Or crop 16:9 sensors to make 4:3 or 1:1, I would add.
I am not sure if Apple uses a 16:9 or 4:3 sensor i the 5s. In the 4s and 5 it was the same Sony sensor, the IMX145. If I am not mistaken it has a native 4:3 ratio.

What's wrong with square? Lots of famous photographers have used square-format film/cameras in the past.

 

[MacDav]

I thought this was great until I read the guys description of the camera. Sounds like it's straight out of a commercial. I mean come on, "intoxicating" "stunningly" "amazingly" - those all sound like they were picked out of the samsung booklet.

Yeah but he forgot..."Magical"

 

[winston1236]

Lol a "professional" who shoots for posting instagram. Right. Thats not even close to a pro.

 

[Pyrrhic Victory]

I might be hard-pressed to find a dumber statement on all of MR. This is what people say that go out and by expensive cameras and think all of the sudden they are just as good as the professionals.

Wrong, your post is completely illogical. If those people didn't think photo quality was important, they wouldn't be buying those cameras. Anyone with any camera and minimal skill can get press as a photographer, as long as they are (a) photographing exotic places, people, or things that are interesting and rarely seen, OR (b) have media connections, or some kind of reputation and following that will cause media to take notice. That's it. Many people take incredible photographs that the media never see, and the media see many people who never take incredible photographs. There is little or no correlation between the two at all.