I’m a long time photographer, I’m going from the iPhone 11 (decent camera, but I don’t think it fully replaces a mirrorless camera for night photography or portrait photography) to the iPhone 14 pro max. Do you guys think the iPhone 13,14 pro max cameras have essentially replaced the stand alone camera, for all practical purposes.
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iPhone 13 Pro Max Photographers: has the iPhone camera overtaken the camera
- Thread starter flp
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For casual shots, the iPhone will do just fine. But it still cannot compete with my Sony A7iv with a 35 or 50mm GM lens if I want a nice printed shot, I’d still go for my full frame.
Not for me, by any means. While really quite good, the iPhone can't match my 32mp DSLR coupled with a high-end lens. Nor can it match the diversity of focal lengths I can get with the DSLR. My quality compact is better, too. Having said that, I'm sure that the phone is more than adequate - quite good, actually - for a whole lot of people. My camera usage goes back 60 years now, so I am biased, too.
I don’t have a full frame camera (I have an Olympus m4/3 camera and a Sony RX100mk5 for when I want something smaller) and while phones are killing the compact camera sales I still feel that if the pictures I am planning need better quality (like for my camera clubs) then I will take a camera. The phones are getting close and probably close enough for 90% of the picture taking public but they aren’t quite there for me.
Then again for my last two trips (Spain and the French wine country) I only took my compact Sony and my iPhone 12 which I never thought for those “once in a lifetime trips” I would leave my larger camera at home.)
Casual pictures sure. But no phone will come close to beating my 47MP full frame with a 500mm lens (I’m a wildlife photographer).
Not even close.
The iPhone 14 Pro sensor is only 9.8mm x 7.3mm. A Sony A7R4's sensor is 35.70mm x 23.80mm. Computational photography / fake shallow depth of field can't take the place of the real thing. The lenses they put into smart phones are impressive, but they are nowhere near the quality of anything professional. It's no replacement for a dedicated tool if your true interest lies in capturing high quality, print worthy images. And that's not to say it isn't a good camera!
However, I will say that it's an incredibly flexible / fun / convenient tool and as far as documenting your day to day life is concerned... there's nothing better. I just make sure, if possible, to always shoot some "real" photos with my "actual" camera, alongside the 4K HDR video and slow motion and super-wide angle photos that my iPhone provides.
The iPhone 14 Pro sensor is only 9.8mm x 7.3mm. A Sony A7R4's sensor is 35.70mm x 23.80mm. Computational photography / fake shallow depth of field can't take the place of the real thing. The lenses they put into smart phones are impressive, but they are nowhere near the quality of anything professional. It's no replacement for a dedicated tool if your true interest lies in capturing high quality, print worthy images. And that's not to say it isn't a good camera!
However, I will say that it's an incredibly flexible / fun / convenient tool and as far as documenting your day to day life is concerned... there's nothing better. I just make sure, if possible, to always shoot some "real" photos with my "actual" camera, alongside the 4K HDR video and slow motion and super-wide angle photos that my iPhone provides.
Absolutely not: fuzzy low light pictures, unhelpful image format & too much compromise - give me a decent dSLR with ring and full flash anytime. Phone 13 pro max 240 g :memory capture (brilliantly available and immediate) Camera 2kg: need planning and a big bag, photographs worked up, catalogued and used mainly for work.
For a wildlife, wedding, or landscape professional, probably not.
But for an internet social media professional and maybe even a YouTuber, the phone is sufficient.
Here is some of my gear for photography/video. Z6ii and Z7ii. Maybe I'll take some pictures of the same subject with the Z7ii and the iPhone 14ProMax next week, upload them and you can compare for yourself.
But for an internet social media professional and maybe even a YouTuber, the phone is sufficient.
Here is some of my gear for photography/video. Z6ii and Z7ii. Maybe I'll take some pictures of the same subject with the Z7ii and the iPhone 14ProMax next week, upload them and you can compare for yourself.
This. I don’t even reach for my dslr for everyday family snapshots anymore. The iPhone’s quality is good enough. And the fact that it’s always with me, much smaller/lighter, and easier to share images from more than outweighs any quality gains I would have gotten from the dslr in most situations.
For my more edge case photography, my dslr still wins out. The iPhone simply can’t compete with a 500 mm prime for wildlife photography. The same is true of nightscapes and astrophotography. However, the gap is starting to narrow there much faster than I was expecting.
On a recent trip, I stuck my 13 Pro on a tripod just out of curiosity to see what it could capture of the Milky Way. I was completely floored by the images I got. Is it as good as what I got with my dslr that night? Nope. But it is more than good enough for the average person to share with friends/family/social media and it was shockingly easy to capture compared with my dslr workflow. Both of these images were single 30 second exposures in ProRAW from the stock camera app and 3-4 minutes of editing in Lightroom on the phone. Not dslr quality yet. But that day is coming sooner than I thought. And in the meantime, the iPhone makes astrophotography accessible to WAY more people, which is pretty cool.
This question gets asked every September and so far the answer is still: nope.
I’ve taken a trillion iPhone photos. Some of them have been good. Some I’ve even gotten paid for. But I didn’t truly enjoy taking a single one of them. I’m probably old fashioned (or just old) but for still photography, a screen held at arm’s length will never replace a viewfinder for me. I just never feel like I’m “in the zone” when I’m shooting on an iPhone—probably because I associate it too much with the mild dopamine rush of internet addiction, text messaging, etc., and because it lacks the satisfying physical controls and ergonomics of a traditional camera.
And really, it’s a buzzkill when my “camera” interrupts to remind me to file my taxes, that an eBay auction is ending in 15 minutes and that the 49ers just scored a touchdown while I’m trying to capture a moment.
The inherent optical limitations of those tiny lenses are a whole ‘nother enchilada… although I admit it’s impressive how far they’ve come. But I honestly feel like even if they *could* take photos indistinguishable from the best film and digital cameras in the world, the ergonomics are just a bummer and a non-starter for me.
I’ve taken a trillion iPhone photos. Some of them have been good. Some I’ve even gotten paid for. But I didn’t truly enjoy taking a single one of them. I’m probably old fashioned (or just old) but for still photography, a screen held at arm’s length will never replace a viewfinder for me. I just never feel like I’m “in the zone” when I’m shooting on an iPhone—probably because I associate it too much with the mild dopamine rush of internet addiction, text messaging, etc., and because it lacks the satisfying physical controls and ergonomics of a traditional camera.
And really, it’s a buzzkill when my “camera” interrupts to remind me to file my taxes, that an eBay auction is ending in 15 minutes and that the 49ers just scored a touchdown while I’m trying to capture a moment.
The inherent optical limitations of those tiny lenses are a whole ‘nother enchilada… although I admit it’s impressive how far they’ve come. But I honestly feel like even if they *could* take photos indistinguishable from the best film and digital cameras in the world, the ergonomics are just a bummer and a non-starter for me.
The thing is, iPhone photography changed the game by -always- putting a camera in your pocket. Casually snap a picture of the family during a walk in the hills, or take a picture of a striking sky, or snap the cat while it’s playing with a ball of twine. For these kind of casual shots which you might otherwise not have captured at all, the iPhone is king.
I’ve noticed that — ever since I turned off WhatsApp saving images to the camera roll — my iPhone camera roll has kind of turned into a record of significant events, beautiful views, and interesting moments. It challenges your sense of composition, to make something interesting out of an ordinary but emotional moment.
When I had a standalone camera (I’m only a very casual photographer) I used to only take it with me on specific expeditions and holidays. It resulted in a photos archive where only a very few moments are documented, and those in quite a lot of detail: the holiday in Lanzarote, the walking trip to Ben Nevis. I found it too cumbersome to carry, take out and use.
I understand that for those who are dedicated photographers, hobbyist or professional, an iPhone camera will likely not replace a DSLR camera with a large sensor, but I think improving iPhone photography has the potential to change how you think about photo’s as a record of your life.
I’ve noticed that — ever since I turned off WhatsApp saving images to the camera roll — my iPhone camera roll has kind of turned into a record of significant events, beautiful views, and interesting moments. It challenges your sense of composition, to make something interesting out of an ordinary but emotional moment.
When I had a standalone camera (I’m only a very casual photographer) I used to only take it with me on specific expeditions and holidays. It resulted in a photos archive where only a very few moments are documented, and those in quite a lot of detail: the holiday in Lanzarote, the walking trip to Ben Nevis. I found it too cumbersome to carry, take out and use.
I understand that for those who are dedicated photographers, hobbyist or professional, an iPhone camera will likely not replace a DSLR camera with a large sensor, but I think improving iPhone photography has the potential to change how you think about photo’s as a record of your life.
A good point. There is certainly no point buying a cheap camera if you have an iPhone and the market for such is shrinking fast.
I’ve not used my Nikon D850 for months and months now and is actually pristine with a really low shutter count.
If anyone is looking for one and is in the UK, drop me a PM.
If anyone is looking for one and is in the UK, drop me a PM.
That seems a bit sad. A landmark camera, probably the last great Nikon SLR. I suspect you can get a good price from someone with a heavy lens investment and if you are not using it there is no point keeping it. From experience of even professional cameras kept as back-ups, they don't fair well just sitting around for long periods.
I did the same for a “once in a lifetime trip" - took just the Canon compact and the iPhone. It was nice not lugging the heavy gear everywhere and the photo results were excellent.
I know there are a lot of camera purists, but the thing is side by side you can't reliably disinguish the iphone photos from the DSLR/Mirrorless photos, despite the smaller sensor sizes. I think maybe this is due to the computational photography. When I get my iphone 14 Pro max I am going to do some hardcore comparisons to my sony mirrorless and see what's up: well lite portraits, low key portraits, night shots, long exposure shots, macros. And I plan on showing them to photographers and non-photographers, It will be interesting.
Ditto pretty much what everyone else has said. For nature/landscape photography, iPhone is pretty good. For wildlife, no. Some photos require 1000mm lenses, low f/stop and high shutter speeds that a mobile device just can’t provide.
I’ve started using a mount on top of my Canon to mount my phone. Works pretty well.
I’ve started using a mount on top of my Canon to mount my phone. Works pretty well.
nope...i only use my phone to take photos of my dog on my daily walks. otherwise it's a dedicated camera. i typically travel with both a film and digital camera, although my last trip I only took film.
there is too much enjoyment from the act of photographing with nice gear for me to give it up and use a phone. not to mention quality.
there is too much enjoyment from the act of photographing with nice gear for me to give it up and use a phone. not to mention quality.
It only replaced my Mirrorless camera mostly for casual shots and of my daughter (somewhat) when I know I have the chance to bring my camera I prefer shots with the camera because physics really cannot be beat, but if I am bringing stuff and with her current age sometimes it is too much to bring it and the iPhone is a very nice alt especially since the shutter is so fast that I rarely get a blurry shot and anyone who has kids know that is one of the hardest parts of taking pictures of kids
"The best camera is the one you have with you."
"F8 and be there."
These truisms were long mouthed by the photography crowd. Those who now poo-poo the cameras in smart phones apparently never believed them.