iPhone 11 Pro Camera Review • Hacker News Board

Re: iPhone 11 Pro Camera Review

#261

Post by dpark » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 9:04 PM UTC

lern_too_spel wrote: post #211

jankyxenon wrote: post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think Apple has plenty of incentive not to yank reviewable units from people who've gotten them early in the past, when/if they get a bad review. Taints the whole point of doing reviews.

> Taints the whole point of doing reviews. It certainly does, which is why you can never trust an early review of an Apple product. https://www.cultofmac.com/255618/how-apples-blacklist-manipu...

Okay but there’s no concrete examples there. There’s a bunch of broad claims that Apple will blacklist journalists for X, Y, and Z but no names or evidence that it’s actually happening.

I can believe that Apple might do this (especially since he also cites openly breaking rules by doing things like live-streaming when it’s been explicitly forbidden) but this article doesn’t convince me it’s happening or educate me on how much of a problem it really is.

Re: iPhone 11 Pro Camera Review

#262

Post by ctdonath » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 9:06 PM UTC

I want to see an app: full frame high rate recording with all cameras, marking "photos" as time & subframe. From there, be able to later roll individual "photos" forward/back in time, and shift/rotate/zoom/interpolate within that video space. When satisfied, dump the (massive) video and keep the selected photos. Likewise for sub-videos.

I want to focus on getting photos without having to get it right at that moment. Get me ALL the image data, let me indicate what/when I want a picture of, and save details of framing & timing for later.

Live Photos is just the smallest beginning of what we should be able to do with 3 60fps >4K cameras, a half terabyte storage, and an unlimited data plan.

Re: iPhone 11 Pro Camera Review

#263

Post by dpark » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 9:10 PM UTC

matwood wrote: post #14

jonlucc wrote: post #4

The photography in these kinds of reviews is amazing, and the camera looks pretty stellar compared to the XS, but I find myself reading them wondering if it will make my pictures any better. I'm a mediocre photographer at best, and I'm certainly not going to be able to capture many images like the ones in this review.

You're right that equipment does not make the photographer. But, if having better equipment gets you out taking more pictures, it will improve your photography. It just takes practice. We all have amazing cameras in our pockets, and it's possible to take thousands of shots (ie, practice) for effectively no additional cost. When I was a kid, film and developing was expensive to the point that taking a picture was a so…

Practice is deliberate, though. Merely taking a ton of photos won’t make you better if you aren’t actively trying to improve. Lots of people have phones full of photos of their kids that look no different than the photos they would have taken with a 35mm point and shoot.

Most people don’t even try to frame properly, because they don’t know it’s a thing, and also because they don’t really care.

Re: iPhone 11 Pro Camera Review

#264

Post by Damogran6 » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 9:30 PM UTC

My DSLR is aging out...they've changed lens mounts (manufacturers seem to do that just long enough to blow the cost benefit of keeping lenses long term...I use my phone for 98% of my photos. The last one I actually printed out (a panorama) came from my iPhone XS Max.

I just can't justify a $1200 camera purchase to replace my Sony A57...and I'm a little sad about it.

Re: iPhone 11 Pro Camera Review

#265

Post by notadoc » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 9:52 PM UTC

familysized wrote: post #12

The fisherman seen in that photo is also in these very similar photos... http://davidbuddphotography.com/galleries/01-places/china/gu...

Because it's a tourist trap, they're all staged for tourists who pay about 10 yuan (maybe more nowadays?) to snap their picture. Cormorant fishing hasn't been used in decades, so instead the fishermen charge and pose for photos for tourists.

Re: iPhone 11 Pro Camera Review

#266

Post by ricardobeat » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 9:56 PM UTC

_ph_ wrote: post #236

ricardobeat wrote: post #228

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I moved back to aps-c after I noticed my EM10 was giving me nearly zero benefit over the iPhone in terms of quality or resolution. The 16MP vs 12MP is barely noticeable, and the iPhone was actually sharper and had better tone in side-by-side shoots. That was with a 6S!

It would be interesting to know which lenses you used on the E-M10, but while I made good photos with the 6s, in general they wouldn't compare to what I consistently get with mFT. The size difference between mFT and APS-C is neglible compared to the difference to the smartphone cameras. Where the iPhone shines is getting nicely automatically post-processed pictures. Olympus has an iAuto mode, which also aims for that…

I used mostly a Lumix 20mm 1.7, plus the kit 14-42mm and 40-150mm. As far as I know the sensor is the same in the EM5.

Of course the camera gives a lot more creative freedom, but it felt pointless to carry a body + lenses for little improvement in quality, light as they were. I switched to a Fuji XT-2 and am much, much happier.

Re: iPhone 11 Pro Camera Review

#267

Post by dominotw » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 10:00 PM UTC

delfinom wrote: post #185

teilo wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of prominent bloggers and tech news sites, including John Gruber, The Verge, and many others, got advance devices to review. This is normal, and not unique to Apple. They also get Pixels and Galaxies in advance.

Unfortunately, alot early reviewers have perverse incentive to give good reviews to continue receiving early units and getting that as revenue first.

why would ppl keep trusting them if they keep writing bogus positive reviews.

Re: iPhone 11 Pro Camera Review

#268

Post by pwython » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 10:08 PM UTC

sh-run wrote: post #182

pwython wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

M43 cameras are still relevant as the depth of field blur in these phone cameras is faked, sometimes with odd results. An f/1.8 aperture on most camera sensors translates to something like an f/8 full frame equivalent (for comparison, f/1.8 on M43 looks like f/3.6 on full frame). It still lets the same amount of light in, but there's no shallow depth/blur.

Yeah, there's also the benefits you get from longer exposures and the ability to swap lenses. I carry an Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 and Panasonic 100-300mm f/4-5.6, which gives me a massive focal length range to play with in a relatively small package. For a hobbyist like me M43 is great and won't be replaced by a cell phone any time soon. And as much as I'd like an A7iii I can't justify the extra cost and lens size for w…

I recently sold my M43 gear that I primarily used for video (GH5, GH5S), but I had to hang on to my GX85 and Oly 12-40mm f/2.8 for photos -- perfect little walk around combo!

Then I accidentally broke the GX85, and it didn't take long to get the itch to take photos again. So I finally made the jump to full frame with a used A7RII. Man, big difference. In image quality and size of course. Not trying to convert you, M43 still has a place in my heart, but check out used prices on the Sony Alphas. You can get something like an A7II for less than the cost of that Oly 12-40. ;)

Re: iPhone 11 Pro Camera Review

#269

Post by shiftpgdn » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 10:40 PM UTC

ska wrote: post #255

Diederich wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Over 20 years ago, my wife and I were driving up highway 395, just east of the California High Sierras. At the time, we were only using disposable cameras. She suddenly asked me to pull over, which I did, and backed up a bit, to right around here: https://goo.gl/maps/dh4gyRPi71ZQmy4b7 She got out of our 1996 Saturn SL, walked around a few minutes, snapped a single picture, and got back in the car. A couple of months…

Equipment can't make you a good photographer. Luck and taking lots of photos sometimes can get you a good photo, but it's not reproducible. The thing that better equipment gives you is options, and if you know how to use it, the possibility of getting photos you otherwise couldn't get (at least not a decent version of). That's it, really. Even the most modest equipment can take a great photo - but the conditions have…

A great video I came across recently has a guy taking great photos with a $13 disposable camera: https://youtu.be/TFVX0x0dCsU

Like you say, equipment is only a small fraction of the equation.

Re: iPhone 11 Pro Camera Review

#270

Post by partialrecall » Thu, Sep 19, 2019, 10:43 PM UTC

toasterlovin wrote: post #208

partialrecall wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "PR and advertising are not the same thing." A distinction without substance.

Please don't conflate different terms for the purpose of making a glib point. It really doesn't help the conversation. They are different words because they mean different things.

From the perspective of a consumer, the difference is totally irrelevant. Why should the particulars of the exchange between the shill and the company matter to me? They don't.