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Author Topic: Why not just use a cell phone?  (Read 24370 times)

eronald

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Why not just use a cell phone?
« on: January 31, 2013, 04:05:52 am »

I just had a case of the midnite munchies, and went to the mall, le Drugstore Etoile, and  there was  this glossy A4 hobby magazine called SmartPhoto

AND IT IS ALL DONE WITH CELLPHONES.

There is a lot of real "work" eg. full page well lit and retouched mono portraits,  the usual instagram stuff, and also some quick but informative equipment reviews eg. a double page spread with strips of the same Seine riverview image across the spread done with various iPhones that shows how far we've come.

Quality-wise, the printed work is actually pretty much as good as the 35mm stuff when I was a kid.

The images are photoshopped, but then we photoshop our images too :)

Ok, most of this stuff would do better left at quarter-page but that went for 35mm too, when I was a kid.

From the commercial point of view, I think people in photojournalism and maybe even stock are going to very much feel they are fighting a battle with these kids. It's the 35mm story all over again, spontaneity, immediacy and access fight it out with set-piece quality; however the novelty today is the ability of software to act as an equalizer - look at the iPhone 5 panoramas.

Edmund

« Last Edit: January 31, 2013, 04:36:08 am by eronald »
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Gel

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2013, 04:30:45 am »

Because it's a phone, not a camera.

All this mag shows is what a lot of us already know, it's more about the person behind the instrument than the instrument itself.

But they're incredibly limited, ask again in 10 years.

Rob C

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2013, 06:14:54 am »

Because it's a phone, not a camera.

All this mag shows is what a lot of us already know, it's more about the person behind the instrument than the instrument itself.

But they're incredibly limited, ask again in 10 years.



Were I old enough, I'd probably have heard folks defend 8"x10" in the same way when Leica woke up. However, you are also right: they are terribly limited, even as basically as in allowing you to see what you are doing in sunshine. (With climate change, that might come to determine their usability on the grounds of which continent you dwell upon, so perhaps not all is lost.) What's as bad if not worse, at least with my Samsung Galaxy Ace, is the delay between pressing the clicker and the thing doing anything: you simply couldn't shoot people genuinely à la street, even if you felt that you wanted to. The thing slowly hunts for focus, goes blank and then eventually lets you see what you got - or didn't get, depending on whether you shot a statue or a person. Agreed, many statues are more appealing, but that's something else, and even a possible distraction and diversion of the thread.

Positive side? They are always in your pocket and available. Same as a handkerchief, even if only of paper. Perhaps not quite as relevant as statues, but therein you can find the decline and fall of the Irish Linen industry: paper towels and tissues. The inexorable march of "progress".

Rob C

Craig Lamson

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2013, 08:09:06 am »



Were I old enough, I'd probably have heard folks defend 8"x10" in the same way when Leica woke up. However, you are also right: they are terribly limited, even as basically as in allowing you to see what you are doing in sunshine. (With climate change, that might come to determine their usability on the grounds of which continent you dwell upon, so perhaps not all is lost.) What's as bad if not worse, at least with my Samsung Galaxy Ace, is the delay between pressing the clicker and the thing doing anything: you simply couldn't shoot people genuinely à la street, even if you felt that you wanted to. The thing slowly hunts for focus, goes blank and then eventually lets you see what you got - or didn't get, depending on whether you shot a statue or a person. Agreed, many statues are more appealing, but that's something else, and even a possible distraction and diversion of the thread.

Positive side? They are always in your pocket and available. Same as a handkerchief, even if only of paper. Perhaps not quite as relevant as statues, but therein you can find the decline and fall of the Irish Linen industry: paper towels and tissues. The inexorable march of "progress".

Rob C

So I've been on vacation for a week or so and I have a nice Oly OMD kit  with me.  I've taken at most 10 photos with it.  The rest are iphone 5 photos. Not that I'm much on taking photos while I'm on vacation, but the phone is perfect for the easy snaps one takes of family and fun.  Its always in my pocket, I'm not making prints, and it works.  Beside you can post it to facebook :) 

Really, its no big deal and quite frankly I'm not on vacation TO make images, I'm on vacation to get AWAY from making images. :)
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Willow Photography

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #4 on: January 31, 2013, 09:08:38 am »

Why is everything in the MFDB threads suddenly??

Why are we talking about smartphones here?

Michael, can you start a new department for alternative equipment or something?
And maybe one more for all the people who are most interested in comparing DSLR to MFDB
and talking about theory and science.

When I log on to this MFDB threads I expect to read about MFDB.

Now it is not only the endless talk about D800 as the only camera worth having ( and I have one .-) ),
but also smartphones?!!!

Cant you people read the title of this thread?

Show some respect for the forum and the people using it!

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Rob C

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #5 on: January 31, 2013, 10:12:50 am »

Why is everything in the MFDB threads suddenly??

Why are we talking about smartphones here?

Michael, can you start a new department for alternative equipment or something?
And maybe one more for all the people who are most interested in comparing DSLR to MFDB
and talking about theory and science.

When I log on to this MFDB threads I expect to read about MFDB.

Now it is not only the endless talk about D800 as the only camera worth having ( and I have one .-) ),
but also smartphones?!!!

Cant you people read the title of this thread?

Show some respect for the forum and the people using it!



Indeed.

Rob C

jeremypayne

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #6 on: January 31, 2013, 10:17:09 am »

Cant you people read the title of this thread?

With all due respect ... it would appear you are the one who failed to read the title of this thread ... ::)
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Willow Photography

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #7 on: January 31, 2013, 10:27:12 am »

What a helpful and informative comment.
Look further up Jeremy?

This is Medium Format / Film / Digital Backs - and Large sensor Photography

It doesnt help then to name the thread cellphone..........
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Slobodan Blagojevic

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #8 on: January 31, 2013, 10:29:58 am »

...

When I log on to this MFDB threads I expect to read about MFDB.

...

Cant you people read the title of this thread?

Show some respect for the forum and the people using it!

+1

jeremypayne

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #9 on: January 31, 2013, 10:35:53 am »

What a helpful and informative comment.

Is it really helpful and informative to vocally get your panties in a bunch because someone posted a thread about cellphones in what you consider to be the "wrong" sub-forum?

Start your own thread ... in the proper sub-forum, of course ... because your off-topic rant is just as inconsiderate as any perceived party foul on Edmund's part ...  ;D
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Willow Photography

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #10 on: January 31, 2013, 10:50:54 am »

My panties are quit ok  ;D.

If this was one lonely incident, I wouldnt say a word .
Or 5 or 10th incident.

But it is not. Its a trend.

And this is not an off-topic rant.
It is very much on topic. Topic about respecting the forum and the users.
If you cannot see that, you havent paid very much attention to what is going on here lately.
Or you are one of the few that doesnt care or respect.



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PeterAit

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #11 on: January 31, 2013, 10:53:18 am »

Why not use a cell phone? Because someone might call and annoy me.
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jeremypayne

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #12 on: January 31, 2013, 11:07:59 am »

Quality-wise, the printed work is actually pretty much as good as the 35mm stuff when I was a kid.

iPhone 5 makes GREAT prints ... I haven't tried anything bigger than US-Letter, but at that size they look terrific.

I use the Camera+ app.
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Willow Photography

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #13 on: January 31, 2013, 11:15:31 am »

Why do I bother  ;D
I... and p........ are all over the internet.
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FredBGG

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #14 on: January 31, 2013, 12:17:06 pm »

Why not use a cell phone? Because someone might call and annoy me.

Now that's funny!
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ErikKaffehr

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #15 on: January 31, 2013, 12:58:59 pm »

Hi,

I have an iPhone 4S as job phone. I don't really use it for picture taking. A camera I also have is a Canon Digital Elph. I have used the Canon for some pictures and sometimes I cannot tell if an image was taken with a DSLR or the Elph. Another camera I also happen to have is the Sony RX100. The RX-100 I have used a lot.

Now, I am pretty sure that iPhone cameras are good enough to tell a story. I guess that phone cameras may dominate the "f/8 and be there" situation, simply by being there and being good enough. Nokia managed to put 41 MPixels of decent quality in a cell phone. The Nokia is good enough to impress Stefan Steib, the man behind the Hartblei Hcam and many other things.

The way I see things are moving upscale. Six MP digital has replaced 135 Velvia. At 16 MP digital replaced Velvia 120. With P45 quite a few 4x5" users switched to digital.

I guess that phone camera technology will make inroads in low end digital photography.

Getting back to my RX-100. It has not replaced my DSLRs but complemented them well. When the planets are well aligned, it can approach DSLR quality and it is decent at high ISO.

My take is that phone cameras are pushing point and shoot, while high end point and shoots push APS-C. Mirrorless pushes DSLR. With DSLRs the situation is a bit different. There are two trends Canon moving in the direction of very capable high ISO cameras. Nikon choose to go for high resolution/high DR  with the D800 and into High ISO/High speed arean with the D4. More than anything else the D800 is pushing into low end digital.

Best regards
Erik
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Willow Photography

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #16 on: January 31, 2013, 02:08:32 pm »

I thought D800 was pushing into high end digital  ;D
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BlasR

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #17 on: January 31, 2013, 03:10:01 pm »

Erik,

keep shooting with your iphone ,but check your eyes, I am NOT telling U, to check it your self, but go to a Doctor to check it for U..I got Iphone too, but no way the photo will no be different from my little $433 dollars non name camera I found in the garage sale..Oh I was leaving in CA, in I saw the sign saying GARAGE SALE, I ask my wife, how they can sale just the garage, how they park, if they sale it..I should be a lawyer in sue anyone the sale junk in call it garage sale!

Willow, I hope U don't have a heart attack...Relax, don't read if you do NOT agree..We have bigger problem now, I work to support those the don't want to work.

So relax....
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ErikKaffehr

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #18 on: January 31, 2013, 03:19:50 pm »

Hi,

I am pretty much thinking about the London subway explosions. They posted some phone camera footage. That was authentic material and no one asked about MPixels.

Cell phone cameras tend to be where the action is, when it happens.

The guy who filmed the Kennedy shooting on super 8 got famous, for an image that you barely could see.

Being there matters, a lot.

Best regards
Erik

Erik,

keep shooting with your iphone ,but check your eyes, I am NOT telling U, to check it your self, but go to a Doctor to check it for U..I got Iphone too, but no way the photo will no be different from my little $433 dollars non name camera I found in the garage sale..Oh I was leaving in CA, in I saw the sign saying GARAGE SALE, I ask my wife, how they can sale just the garage, how they park, if they sale it..I should be a lawyer in sue anyone the sale junk in call it garage sale!

Willow, I hope U don't have a heart attack...Relax, don't read if you do NOT agree..We have bigger problem now, I work to support those the don't want to work.

So relax....
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Erik Kaffehr
 

Willow Photography

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Re: Why not just use a cell phone?
« Reply #19 on: January 31, 2013, 05:11:56 pm »

Erik,

keep shooting with your iphone ,but check your eyes, I am NOT telling U, to check it your self, but go to a Doctor to check it for U..I got Iphone too, but no way the photo will no be different from my little $433 dollars non name camera I found in the garage sale..Oh I was leaving in CA, in I saw the sign saying GARAGE SALE, I ask my wife, how they can sale just the garage, how they park, if they sale it..I should be a lawyer in sue anyone the sale junk in call it garage sale!

Willow, I hope U don't have a heart attack...Relax, don't read if you do NOT agree..We have bigger problem now, I work to support those the don't want to work.

So relax....



 :D
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