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LiE_

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 23, 2013
1,682
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Funny enough, I was watching a video related to this just 5 mins ago.



Here's an example of what I'm talking about above. In less than ideal lighting, the iPhone sensor cannot produce photos anywhere near the dedicated camera.

You tell me which one is which.

IMG_0682.jpeg


cruise-2019-4.jpeg
 

akash.nu

macrumors G4
May 26, 2016
10,824
16,930
Here's an example of what I'm talking about above. In less than ideal lighting, the iPhone sensor cannot produce photos anywhere near the dedicated camera.

You tell me which one is which.

IMG_0682.jpeg


View attachment 882907

It won’t be fair for me to comment as I’m viewing this on the phone but I’ll go with the red jumper on Fuji and the T-shirt on iPhone?!

But if I’m correct then the comparison is u fair given the distance from subject and light source / angle being different in both pictures.
 

LiE_

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 23, 2013
1,682
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UK
It won’t be fair for me to comment as I’m viewing this on the phone but I’ll go with the red jumper on Fuji and the T-shirt on iPhone?!

But if I’m correct then the comparison is u fair given the distance from subject and light source / angle being different in both pictures.

The other way round ?

Yea it's by no means a proper test, just to me and the photos I take it's night and day which is which on a larger screen. On a phone it masks the noise and lack of detail in the red jumper photo.
 
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akash.nu

macrumors G4
May 26, 2016
10,824
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The other way round

Yea it's by no means a proper test, just to me and the photos I take it's night and day which is which on a larger screen. On a phone it masks the noise and lack of detail in the red jumper photo.

Oops yeah it doesn’t look bad on the phone screen and I’m too lazy right now to put it up on the big screen.
 

Ledgem

macrumors 68020
Jan 18, 2008
2,034
924
Hawaii, USA
Here's an example of what I'm talking about above. In less than ideal lighting, the iPhone sensor cannot produce photos anywhere near the dedicated camera.

You tell me which one is which.
The difference was clear to me viewing on my 27" retina iMac, but I also note that the iPhone seems like it missed focus on the top photo. If you look at the background (and the person whose backside is in the photo) the photo quality appears better. I'm not sure if it would have been more difficult if the focus were correct on the first one.
 
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||\||

Suspended
Nov 21, 2019
419
688
Computational tech in mobile phones is unlikely to equal or surpass a quality dedicated camera anytime soon. You just can't beat the physics of light ATM. If one understands the inherent strengths of what makes a quality camera necessary to photographers, it's sill fairly easy to pick out the phone image.
 

LiE_

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Mar 23, 2013
1,682
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So I decided to take a step away from using a dedicated camera for a while. I've not really been using it much and honestly don't feel compelled to bring it out. I've listed it for sale as I could use the funds for other things. I'll be using my iPhone 12 for now and will likely pick up a 13 pro in September.
 

Expos of 1969

Contributor
Aug 25, 2013
4,741
9,257
So I decided to take a step away from using a dedicated camera for a while. I've not really been using it much and honestly don't feel compelled to bring it out. I've listed it for sale as I could use the funds for other things. I'll be using my iPhone 12 for now and will likely pick up a 13 pro in September.
An interesting tale. Hope to see some results from your "new" only camera.
 

jz0309

Contributor
Sep 25, 2018
10,144
26,545
SoCal
So I decided to take a step away from using a dedicated camera for a while. I've not really been using it much and honestly don't feel compelled to bring it out. I've listed it for sale as I could use the funds for other things. I'll be using my iPhone 12 for now and will likely pick up a 13 pro in September.
as has been discussed in multiple threads here recently, the best camera is the one you have on hand!
I do love the photos I can take with my 11 Pro, but for me personally I would not want to do without my DSLR...
Best of luck!
 

Darmok N Jalad

macrumors 603
Sep 26, 2017
5,259
45,279
Tanagra (not really)
I think a lot of people have gone that route for similar reasons. Why have a camera just sitting in a bag at home? Taking a camera with you is a commitment, but I take mine almost everywhere. Because of that, size and weight a big factors for me in choosing gear. The G9+PL100-400 is under 4 lbs, and even then I sometimes consider getting something lighter. The day you have to carry your gear plus a child for half a mile is when you really start thinking about bulk and every extra ounce!
 
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ericgtr12

macrumors 68000
Mar 19, 2015
1,774
12,174
So I decided to take a step away from using a dedicated camera for a while. I've not really been using it much and honestly don't feel compelled to bring it out. I've listed it for sale as I could use the funds for other things. I'll be using my iPhone 12 for now and will likely pick up a 13 pro in September.
Hard to knock anyone for wanting to do this, especially if serious photography is no longer your thing. The iPhone is a perfectly good point and shoot camera.
 

jz0309

Contributor
Sep 25, 2018
10,144
26,545
SoCal
Hard to knock anyone for wanting to do this, especially if serious photography is no longer your thing. The iPhone is a perfectly good point and shoot camera.
I don't want to rehash what has been discussed recently in some other threads here, but I respectfully disagree with your statements above, the iPhone is perfectly capable of serious photography, it does have limitations, no doubt, but doesn't prevent you from being a serious photographer.
 

ericgtr12

macrumors 68000
Mar 19, 2015
1,774
12,174
I don't want to rehash what has been discussed recently in some other threads here, but I respectfully disagree with your statements above, the iPhone is perfectly capable of serious photography, it does have limitations, no doubt, but doesn't prevent you from being a serious photographer.
Sure, I can see that argument. It's really in the eye of the beholder and if that's how it's viewed for the user then so be it. From a technical standpoint though, an iPhone is just a phone with a camera, the sensor is limited and the lenses are pea sized and the camera itself is one just a feature of the device.

There's simply no comparison between that and a DSLR or mirrorless on a when it comes to quality and function, from that standpoint it's a step down.
 

Clix Pix

macrumors Core
I would never give up my Sony A7R IV mirrorless interchangeable lens camera or my compact RX100 or the amazing "bridge" camera, the RX10, but I use all of my gear at different times; if I'm out-and-about without another camera with me and see something I want to shoot, I pull the iPhone out. If I'm at home I usually use one of the other cameras but there have been times when the iPhone was closest to hand and therefore did the honors. Most of the time, though, I'm not shooting something meant for printing, gallery display, etc., and that makes a difference, of course.
 
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ericgtr12

macrumors 68000
Mar 19, 2015
1,774
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I would never give up my Sony A7R IV mirrorless interchangeable lens camera or my compact RX100 or the amazing "bridge" camera, the RX10, but I use all of my gear at different times; if I'm out-and-about without another camera with me and see something I want to shoot, I pull the iPhone out. If I'm at home I usually use one of the other cameras but there have been times when the iPhone was closest to hand and therefore did the honors. Most of the time, though, I'm not shooting something meant for printing, gallery display, etc., and that makes a difference, of course.
I gotta tell you that I've been looking at this lineup, mostly because they're well known for their dynamic range and most of my photography would benefit from the upgraded from the Canon 6D MKII. However, I think I would be more inclined to go with the AR7III as it is I have a hell of a time opening up raw files at 24MP, let alone 61 ?

The other consideration I have is all the lenses and accessories being in the Canon ecosystem, I would either need to get adapters or just sell it all off and switch over. Just not sure I'm quite ready for all that yet but eventually I'll likely be making the switch.
 

akash.nu

macrumors G4
May 26, 2016
10,824
16,930
Sure, I can see that argument. It's really in the eye of the beholder and if that's how it's viewed for the user then so be it. From a technical standpoint though, an iPhone is just a phone with a camera, the sensor is limited and the lenses are pea sized and the camera itself is one just a feature of the device.

There's simply no comparison between that and a DSLR or mirrorless on a when it comes to quality and function, from that standpoint it's a step down.

On this argument I urge you to watch the following videos.



 
Last edited:

Clix Pix

macrumors Core
It took me a while to come to grips with the decision but back in late November 2019 I took the plunge and traded in all my Nikon gear for the A7R IV and three lenses...... I was already familiar with Sony's products, having used the NEX 7 some years ago, plus a series of the wonderful compact RX100 cameras as well as the RX10 M4. I am not interested in shooting video; I'm a stills shooter all the way. At that time Nikon was just getting started with its new Z series of mirrorless camera bodies and lenses and they didn't offer what I wanted and needed, so after much thought and angsting and hand-wringing I realized that it was time to say goodbye to a brand I had been using for many, many years.

I knew myself well enough to realize that I couldn't just do this new gear thing partway -- I couldn't just buy a new camera and a couple of lenses and still plan to use the older gear, a totally different system, alongside it. I also was not at all keen on the idea of using adapters -- Nikon-to-Sony, Sony-to-Nikon, the older Nikon F-mount-to the newer Nikon Z-Mount..... No, thanks! At that point much of the Nikon gear had already been sitting in the camera bags for a rather long time as it was. I figured that I might as well go all the way with this shift to mirrorless and to a new system and so I did...... Non, je ne regrette rien.

Backing up a little here: even as I was in the early stages of thinking about shifting to mirrorless, I realized that I would also need to update my computer, which at that time was the 2015 MBP and so my first order of business was taking care of that and buying an MBP in 2018 which was much more robust in terms of storage and RAM, as I knew I'd need that no matter what kind of system I wound up buying. When I made the decision to go with the A7R IV and its 61 MP some months later, I realized that I still might have issues with those large files, but thankfully I have not. I did have to add a couple more external drives, though, and that has worked out well for me. I keep just what I'm working on in the computer, and then after I'm done with it, off the files go to external drives -- still reasonably handy and accessible but not taking up space on my 1 TB SSD internal drive. Files older than a year go to the archival drive.

As it happened, my timing was pretty good, as while I was mulling things over, changes were happening, so I waited until Nikon announced their Z series and the cameras and lenses started finding their way to people's hands; I had also initially started out thinking that if I went Sony that I'd go with the A7 III but somewhere along the line had decided that the A7R III would better suit my style of shooting and my needs.....but just as the Nikon Z cameras were coming out and I was realizing that it probably wasn't going to be the system of my dreams, then Sony announced the A7R IV, so I waited again, another period of time, for that camera to be reviewed and also in users' hands. Finally one day I said, "enough of this waiting! Just DO something!" and I did.
 
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r.harris1

macrumors 68020
Feb 20, 2012
2,190
12,628
Denver, Colorado, USA
The great thing is that we are all spoiled for choice when it comes to quality image making instruments. I almost feel like the discussion is past it’s sell-by date :). There’s something for every choice of workflow, style and interest. My choice is: Just use them all:cool: . I mean, geez, I can fire my profoto strobes using a profoto camera app on the iPhone. That means I can use my same lights from all 4 of my cameras (including phone). Wow. Flexibility, choice, quality. It’s an amazing time to enjoy capturing images!
 
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ericgtr12

macrumors 68000
Mar 19, 2015
1,774
12,174
It took me a while to come to grips with the decision but back in late November 2019 I took the plunge and traded in all my Nikon gear for the A7R IV and three lenses...... I was already familiar with Sony's products, having used the NEX 7 some years ago, plus a series of the wonderful compact RX100 cameras as well as the RX10 M4. I am not interested in shooting video; I'm a stills shooter all the way. At that time Nikon was just getting started with its new Z series of mirrorless camera bodies and lenses and they didn't offer what I wanted and needed, so after much thought and angsting and hand-wringing I realized that it was time to say goodbye to a brand I had been using for many, many years.

I knew myself well enough to realize that I couldn't just do this new gear thing partway -- I couldn't just buy a new camera and a couple of lenses and still plan to use the older gear, a totally different system, alongside it. I also was not at all keen on the idea of using adapters -- Nikon-to-Sony, Sony-to-Nikon, the older Nikon F-mount-to the newer Nikon Z-Mount..... No, thanks! At that point much of the Nikon gear had already been sitting in the camera bags for a rather long time as it was. I figured that I might as well go all the way with this shift to mirrorless and to a new system and so I did...... Non, je ne regrette rien.

Backing up a little here: even as I was in the early stages of thinking about shifting to mirrorless, I realized that I would also need to update my computer, which at that time was the 2015 MBP and so my first order of business was taking care of that and buying an MBP in 2018 which was much more robust in terms of storage and RAM, as I knew I'd need that no matter what kind of system I wound up buying. When I made the decision to go with the A7R IV and its 61 MP some months later, I realized that I still might have issues with those large files, but thankfully I have not. I did have to add a couple more external drives, though, and that has worked out well for me. I keep just what I'm working on in the computer, and then after I'm done with it, off the files go to external drives -- still reasonably handy and accessible but not taking up space on my 1 TB SSD internal drive. Files older than a year go to the archival drive.

As it happened, my timing was pretty good, as while I was mulling things over, changes were happening, so I waited until Nikon announced their Z series and the cameras and lenses started finding their way to people's hands; I had also initially started out thinking that if I went Sony that I'd go with the A7 III but somewhere along the line had decided that the A7R III would better suit my style of shooting and my needs.....but just as the Nikon Z cameras were coming out and I was realizing that it probably wasn't going to be the system of my dreams, then Sony announced the A7R IV, so I waited again, another period of time, for that camera to be reviewed and also in users' hands. Finally one day I said, "enough of this waiting! Just DO something!" and I did.
Interesting take on it and it looks like you took the time to make sure you were all setup going into it. Can I ask how you went about your trade? I am thinking I would probably sell all of my Canon gear off and then use the money towards the Sony but if there's an option to trade towards it somewhere reputable I would consider that too.
 

ian87w

macrumors G3
Feb 22, 2020
8,704
12,636
Indonesia
Looking at many historical and exceptional photography, many of them are not taken by fancy DSLR/mirrorless. In fact, many are taken before digital. But based on how some people look at photo quality today, apparently the quality is on the pixel, not on the actual photograph. People will take some random picture with their DSLR and claim how great it is because of the technical pixel peeping. It's funny. :D Photography for the techies has evolved from the art of taking a picture into the spec contest. How sad.

I'm going to guess that many historical photographs of the old, if shown today without their historical background, would be ridiculed on how blurry and noisy they are.
 

turbineseaplane

macrumors G5
Mar 19, 2008
14,788
31,569
One set of cameras I had that made images unlike any I've ever seen were the Sigma Merrills (Foveon)

I can always tell those shots in my photo library
 

ericgtr12

macrumors 68000
Mar 19, 2015
1,774
12,174
Looking at many historical and exceptional photography, many of them are not taken by fancy DSLR/mirrorless. In fact, many are taken before digital. But based on how some people look at photo quality today, apparently the quality is on the pixel, not on the actual photograph. People will take some random picture with their DSLR and claim how great it is because of the technical pixel peeping. It's funny. :D Photography for the techies has evolved from the art of taking a picture into the spec contest. How sad.

I'm going to guess that many historical photographs of the old, if shown today without their historical background, would be ridiculed on how blurry and noisy they are.
I'm a firm believer of learning the craft before spending a ton on gear. I used to be a guitar instructor once upon a time and I would encourage my students to get an entry level guitar and see how well they like it and get a feel for whether or not it will be something of interest before investing a ton of money into a higher quality one.

I have the same philosophy with photography, for me it was the Canon 40D with kit lenses and I used it for years before finally getting the hang of it and finally upgrading my gear to better bodies and lenses. I'm far more interested in a well framed composition with foreground/background, exposure, etc than pixel peeping, it's just not my thing.

My favorite photographer is Fred Lyon and his best work was in the 50s and 60s, everything was manual and on film and I can say his photos (even back then) to this day make me envious. I've tried recreating some of his shots with all my brand new bitchin' gear and still can't come close to getting what he sees with his eye. When you're good you're good, choose your medium.

All that said, my biggest issue with phone cameras today isn't the technology as much as it is the lack of lenses. There's no way anyone will convince me that you can get the same quality or reach of a 70-200 F/2.8 on a FF sensor, it's simply a physical limitation and will remain that way no matter how many tiny lenses the paste on it. There is no substitute for quality glass. As far as being a quality point and shoot, I don't question them at all.
 
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