Exploring the world of iPhone photography
By Jacques Bron on Saturday, August 29 2009
I have been a DSLR (Nikon) user for several years now and I really like the power and customization I can get with pro / semi-pro modern cameras and lenses. Unfortunately, this kind of equipment cannot be taken everywhere. More often than not, I have wished I had with me a powerful but lightweight digital camera. That wish has made me search for the perfect small digital camera, but I haven't found it yet.
Then came Apple's iPhone 3GS. Ok, the iPhone is NOT a good example of powerful camera. But the iPhone it has a great advantage:
it is always with me. I must say that it is always with me since June 2009. I bought a just released iPhone 3GS after my Blackberry Curve got so much ruined that I had to keep the trackball in place with a piece of tape*. The coup de grâce to my Blackberry happened just a few days before the iPhone 3GS was released in France (June 19). I took the decision to go with iPhone, especially after being won over by the iPod Touch's interface.
The iPhone is great. Especially its latest evolution, the 3GS. Even though the BB was a great smartphone, I feel that the iPhone has changed the way I interact with my cell phone. It's not simply a cell phone anymore, it's a whole world of services, applications, entertainment and learning possibilities at your fingertips.
I'm not going to describe the Apple iPhone 3GS and all its features, but I'm going to explain how the iPhone can become a nice little camera and how it can be pushed to a higher level in order to make interesting photos.
1 - The Facts
The technical specifications for the camera in the latest Apple iPhone 3GS are basic. Here's the description taken from Apple's website:
- 3 megapixels
- Autofocus
- Tap to focus
- Video recording, VGA up to 30 fps with audio
- Photo and video geotagging
- iPhone and third-party application integration
In today's era of 10+ megapixels compact digital cameras, that makes the iPhone a very basic gadget (in fact it has a 3.2 megapixels sensor) . But this is where the beauty is. Using a simple camera, the photographer can concentrate on the subject, the composition and not on the technical aspects. The advanced amateur or pro photographer will argue that it is not possible to change the settings. This is true, but it isn't necessary. The autofocus of the iPhone 3GS does the job wquite well. It focuses by default at the center of the screen, but you can select a specific area by touching it on the screen. This is very handing and focusing is quite fast. Another interesting feature is the (simple) exposure control you can get at the same time. Very intuitively, the iPhone will set the exposure by measuring the light at the area where the focus is set. So by changing the focus as described previously, can can also change the exposure. All in all, taking photos with the iPhone 3GS is very intuitive. Most of your shots (under decent light) will be good.
What makes the iPhone a great camera is the fact that it is always with you. This is very important. Who carries a DSLR everyday, everywhere? Who never forgets his or her compact digital camera when going somewhere? Have your cell phone with (and most people do ) and then you have a camera available anytime you need it. Ok, I know what you think. This isn't only with the iPhone. Nowadays, almost every cell phone has a camera in it. And sometimes, a good one. Yes, this is true and many people make photos with their cameraphones. But no other camera has the potential power of the iPhone. Why? because of iPhone photo apps.
2 - The World of iPhone photo applications
With hundreds of photography applications available on Apple's iTune App Store (many of them beeing free of charge, most being inexpensive), photographers can load their iPhones with everything they need to crop, sharpen, color adjust or copyright and share their photos. And the beauty of this is that everything can be done right from the iPhone. No need to download photos on your computer, load Photoshop, etc. After processing photos on the iPhone, sending them on Facebook, Flick, Twitter or on your own blog is so easy that lots of people have chosen to do so.
If you want to learn more about iPhone photography applications and get in-depth reviews, screen shots, check this blog by Glyn Evan. He also offers promo codes that can be used to get some apps for free.
3 - iPhone photography is getting more and more popular
Professionnal photographers like Chase Jarvis, Scott Kelby or Yanik Chauvin are using their iPhone to make very interesting photos. Many other photographers are exploring the world of iPhone photography. As an example, recently, the iPhone has become the most used camera on Flickr, the world's largest photo sharing website.
Here are some of iPhone photography website we appreciate:
With a rumor saying that Apple will add a camera in its next generation of iPods and iPod Touch, this style of photography is certainly going to be very popular and they might just make the world’s most popular music player the world’s most popular camera.
If you'd like to participate in a social network around iPhone photography, come and join www.iphone-shots.com, the photography community website for iPhone users.
* I don't blame the Blackberry. I am the culprit, the one who dropped the BB several times. And the BB resisted...for some time.
