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Why has the iPhone stopped people from buying actual cameras?

I

iPhone7ate9

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 22, 2014
720
0
I'm just a little surprised. I mean I know the iPhone has taken over since people can take quick snapshots anywhere they want, but people also voice how much a good camera means to them yet things like optical image stabilization and actual optical zoom have been in cameras for decades. I know not everyone wants to take it with them but for things like vacations and first moments with children etc it just baffles me.

It's kind of funny how they talk about how the aperture on the iPhone went from F2.4 to F2.2. The full frame equivalent of those apertures would be like F14 to F13.
 
Honestly, my digital camera has stayed in my drawer ever since I got a 4S in '11. I used my camera once for a trip to Europe and that's it.
 
The best camera is the one you have with you.

I am moderately into photography. I have owned upper end point and shoots (Canon S95, S100, etc). Sure, the photos looked great, but I missed many shots because I didn't have my camera with me or my battery needed charged. Since the iPhone 5 camera, I have only bothered to pull out my Canon twice, and have since sold it.
 
iPhone7ate9 said:
I'm just a little surprised. I mean I know the iPhone has taken over since people can take quick snapshots anywhere they want, but people also voice how much a good camera means to them yet things like optical image stabilization and actual optical zoom have been in cameras for decades. I know not everyone wants to take it with them but for things like vacations and first moments with children etc it just baffles me.

It's kind of funny how they talk about how the aperture on the iPhone went from F2.4 to F2.2. The full frame equivalent of those apertures would be like F14 to F13.
Click to expand...

Its funny because people don't have any idea what they are talking about when it comes to aperture.
 
iPhone7ate9 said:
I'm just a little surprised. I mean I know the iPhone has taken over since people can take quick snapshots anywhere they want, but people also voice how much a good camera means to them yet things like optical image stabilization and actual optical zoom have been in cameras for decades. I know not everyone wants to take it with them but for things like vacations and first moments with children etc it just baffles me.

It's kind of funny how they talk about how the aperture on the iPhone went from F2.4 to F2.2. The full frame equivalent of those apertures would be like F14 to F13.
Click to expand...
iPhone can top many, most point and shoots. Thats what most people would have in replacement of it. The masses dont understand aperture, focal length, shutter speed, and more importantly how they relate. For them, iPhone is good enough. Their loss.

Full frame equivalent aperture is non-sensical. I dont know what you are trying to say. Aperture, f stop is a ratio of aperture size to lens length. Thus it is already compensated for 'equivalency'...

Focal length is often compensated for based on sensor size... In order to understand a 35mm equivalent focal length...
 
I slowly made the transition from a regular camera to digital in the late '90s. My digital gets a lot less use now. Mostly use my iPhone because it's always with me and it takes good pics.
 
The iPhone and phones like it have simply replaced the lower end of the camera market. Like one of the posters said though, the best camera you have is the one you have with you. And I would also add that most people just want to be able to capture a special moment and aren't worried about the quality so much. I have a Sony Alpha a6000, but it is only useful for pre-planned occasions as it will definitely not fit in my pocket.
 
A few months ago I went to Italy. I took my Canon Powershot elph 310 which is a nice portable camera. On the first day of the trip, the lense had a critical failure . For the rest of the trip, I used my iPhone. We had debated taking the camera in the first place but figured we'd feel more comfortable giving a camera rather than my phone to strangers to take pictures with. The thing is everyone was taking pictures with iPhones there. (And the trick I figured out quickly is look for a couple that is taking a picture, ask if they want their picture taken and then ask to have your picture taken).
 
iPhone7ate9 said:
I'm just a little surprised. I mean I know the iPhone has taken over since people can take quick snapshots anywhere they want, but people also voice how much a good camera means to them yet things like optical image stabilization and actual optical zoom have been in cameras for decades. I know not everyone wants to take it with them but for things like vacations and first moments with children etc it just baffles me.

It's kind of funny how they talk about how the aperture on the iPhone went from F2.4 to F2.2. The full frame equivalent of those apertures would be like F14 to F13.
Click to expand...

I got a bridge camera earlier in the year I sold it. I will say why well to take decent pictures I felt I needed a DLSR and I couldn't afford that for now.

I had to stop and take photos with the bridge camera the Iphone can snap good and sometimes better photos than the camera which required more technique. My 8mp Iphone pictures looked better than most of my 16mp ones.

All I will say is a camera is capable of capturing much warmer and deeper colours where as phones tend to look more washed out.
 
I stopped using my digital camera once I got the 4S. That's when the pictures the iPhone could take became "good enough" for me.

I'm not into photography on a technical level and couldn't care less about the terms or what they mean. If the pictures look good then I'm good. So the need for a standalone camera is gone. Mine sat in a drawer for about a year then I finally sold it in 2012.
 
For most people, taking a picture is half of the equation. Sharing it with someone else is the other half. In this the iPhone excels.
 
I'm not a photo enthusiast and have no desire to become one. I prefer to travel as unencumbered as possible, and with only my wallet and phone, whenever possible.

If I even had a camera, it would be of no use, since it would never leave my house.
 
iPhone7ate9 said:
You can buy a small compact and get OIS and zoom.
Click to expand...

Yes you can, but then you have to carry it in your pocket, all the time, to capture any spontaneous moments. You have to keep batteries charged. And then you have to contend with the fact that if you want to share those pictures on social media, you're going to have to either go to a laptop or desktop to extract those photos, or connect to a media kit on your iPhone or iPad.

Ooooorrr... you can just carry and use your iPhone. For the vast majority of casual users, the iPhone camera (and the cameras on other smartphones too) is "good enough," and since you're already carrying your phone, it's always with you. And even more professional photographers are finding ways to be creative with it too.

I still have a dSLR myself that I use now and then, but it's really for events where I'm planning in advance to take a lot of photos.
 
When I go on trips, I take my phone and 1 or 2 other cameras.

The advantage of my iPhone is it stores the GPS location of the picture. So I try to take at least 1 picture with it at a site so it shows up on my map on the computer. The other cameras, with much bigger storage, can hold more pictures than I can take on a trip.
 
I am happy with the quality of the pictures my iPhone takes, so there is no need for a dedicated camera. Sometimes though, before going on a big trip, I buy a great big camera, use it in the trip and then send it back :)
 
iPhone7ate9 said:
It's kind of funny how they talk about how the aperture on the iPhone went from F2.4 to F2.2. The full frame equivalent of those apertures would be like F14 to F13.
Click to expand...

I don't know what that means. I do know that I'm happy with the photos my iPhone takes.
 
There's no way in hades that my iPhone can compare to the quality shot I get with my D300, but neither can my D300 compare in portability and all around always-have-it-with-you convenience. Therefore, when I know I'm going to be out and about in places where I will likely have good opportunities for quality pictures, my Nikon goes with me. When I'm just out and about with the family, watching the kids at school sports events, etc., the iphone is the only thing I have.
 
indychris said:
There's no way in hades that my iPhone can compare to the quality shot I get with my D300, but neither can my D300 compare in portability and all around always-have-it-with-you convenience. Therefore, when I know I'm going to be out and about in places where I will likely have good opportunities for quality pictures, my Nikon goes with me. When I'm just out and about with the family, watching the kids at school sports events, etc., the iphone is the only thing I have.
Click to expand...

But see you DO have a nice camera, you aren't the ones I'm talking about.
 
iPhone7ate9 said:
But see you DO have a nice camera, you aren't the ones I'm talking about.
Click to expand...

But apple didn't reference high quality DSLRs. At least their keynote specifically noted point-and-shoots. I think that's a totally different realm, and the one that phones largely have replaced for many people. I have to point-and-shoots that I haven't used in two years except for some underwater shots with my Panny Lumix waterproof.
 
For almost the same reasons most of us don't carry a CD player around to listen to music. The iPhone camera is more portable, storable, and less conspicuous while having a slight quality hit versus many DSLR models.

I think I recall some large prominent newspapers actually gutted their photography staffs in favor of having field reporters use iPhone cameras for publishable story photos. If the pros feel these cameras are good enough in the news industry, Instagram-ers and Facebookers have much more camera than required.
 
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