Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge
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Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge
#2The trick to getting the best out of camera phones is to shore up their weaknesses with external devices. Cell phone cameras are multiple stops slower than "real" cameras (i.e. they take in 1/4 to 1/8th as much light). So you add light to the scene to shore up that weakness.
Most of these pictures were probably lit very carefully with high quality lights, or else were taken in bright daylight, and the phone was probably held in a high quality tripod. It is also likely that hundreds of dollars worth of software was used to edit each of these images.
It's pretty cool that you can get such nice results from a phone. But you'd probably have an easier time of it on a five year old aps-c camera with a macro lens, to say nothing of modern 35mm cameras.
These images are somewhat analogous to the videos of fake hamburgers that fast food companies use to sell their product. That is, the physical conditions where this picture was taken did exist. It's not totally CG. But the images are designed to make you think that you can get results that practically are out of reach for most of the people looking at the photos.
Still knowing that can also allow you to make better cell phone pictures by taking into account those weaknesses when you're taking pictures. There are valuable techniques to learn from these images, aside from the fact that they are all high quality art.
Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge
#3Pretty crazy that you can get this kind of shots with a mobile tbh. Until very recently you would require a DSLR with a bulky specialized lens. For reference this is what a typical macro lens looks like https://images.app.goo.gl/nf5keSiugxyb2pmA6
Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge
#4The trick to getting the best out of camera phones is to shore up their weaknesses with external devices. Cell phone cameras are multiple stops slower than "real" cameras (i.e. they take in 1/4 to 1/8th as much light). So you add light to the scene to shore up that weakness. Most of these pictures were probably lit very carefully with high quality lights, or else were taken in bright daylight, and the phone was proba…
> But you'd probably have an easier time of it on a five year old aps-c camera with a macro lens, to say nothing of modern cameras.
That's probably true but as a casual hobbyist, it's so much easier to justify spending $1k on a phone and a few hundred on apps than getting buying a legit macro camera setup, especially used camera equipment.
I was frustrated by the macro limitations of the iPhone 13 pro and started perusing for macro camera setups and totally balked at the prices. It made more sense to hold out for another major camera spec bump in the next generation of phones (which is rumored).
Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge
#5The macro capability is a really fun addition to the iPhone. It can be hard to get a good shot though, quite often focus is off – the best way I've found is to use the Halide app, then you can enable macro mode and "focus peaking", which will highlight the in-focus area with a colour. This means that a) you are definitely in macro mode all the time, and b) the focus is fixed and you adjust what is in focus by moving the phone around until the right bit is highlighted. I have also had good results with the default camera though, but it's harder to control.
If you look at the photos close up they don't look amazingly sharp, and the "blur" around the edges looks a bit odd (not sure if this is just a macro lens thing or something iPhone specific), but regardless, it's a pretty awesome capability to have in your pocket at all times!
Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge
#6The trick to getting the best out of camera phones is to shore up their weaknesses with external devices. Cell phone cameras are multiple stops slower than "real" cameras (i.e. they take in 1/4 to 1/8th as much light). So you add light to the scene to shore up that weakness. Most of these pictures were probably lit very carefully with high quality lights, or else were taken in bright daylight, and the phone was proba…
> But you'd probably have an easier time of it on a five year old aps-c camera with a macro lens, to say nothing of modern cameras. That's probably true but as a casual hobbyist, it's so much easier to justify spending $1k on a phone and a few hundred on apps than getting buying a legit macro camera setup, especially used camera equipment. I was frustrated by the macro limitations of the iPhone 13 pro and started per…
I don't know what your budget is, but it is not that expensive to get into a "real" macro setup, at least compared to the cost of a new phone. Try this on for size:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1485795-REG/7artisans...
https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_nkw=a6100&_sacat=...
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1059024-REG/manfrotto...
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1459178-REG/viltrox_v...
These items come out to a total of about $1,000 and will vastly outperform any iPhone. Note that I am not recommending this particular setup as I am not a macro photographer, I just wanted to demonstrate what's possible. I'm also not saying you're wrong to wait for a better cell phone camera. Your preferences are your own and there is nothing wrong with them. Just trying to provide some information.
Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge
#7Is this the climax of smartphone macrophotography? How much better could it get from here, seems impossible with the given constraints.
Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge
#8Pretty crazy that you can get this kind of shots with a mobile tbh. Until very recently you would require a DSLR with a bulky specialized lens. For reference this is what a typical macro lens looks like https://images.app.goo.gl/nf5keSiugxyb2pmA6
The issue is the working distance.
You'll note that the photographer there is shooing with a lens that has a fairly long barrel. For the Nikkor 105mm macro lens - https://coinimaging.com/nikon_105vr.html
At 1:1, there's 15.3 cm between the front of the lens and the subject.
But if you're shooting with a rather short lens (e.g. those in the camera of a phone) then the working distance is very close.
This becomes important important when photographing insects (you'll note there are no photos of insects in that collection)
Some other lenses and their working distances - https://www.kielia.de/photography/calculator/working-distanc...
The Olympus 30mm shooting as a macro lens has a working distance of 16mm (quite different than the 153mm of the Nikkor 105mm macro lens).
The "getting close" also impacts the "how do you light it" and keeping the subject out of the shadow of the camera.
Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge
#9Is this the climax of smartphone macrophotography? How much better could it get from here, seems impossible with the given constraints.
Although not a macro-related problem perse, these look great at the size they are taken, zooming in or enlarging them a little bit shows some of the flaws (overly processed, computational errors).
These pictures have been made by people who have photography as a serious hobby and know what they are doing, hence the well-lit and positioned scenes. I have not been able to make a picture like these without a lot of effort. But it is possible.
That said, it's a pretty incredible feature so far!
Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge
#10The trick to getting the best out of camera phones is to shore up their weaknesses with external devices. Cell phone cameras are multiple stops slower than "real" cameras (i.e. they take in 1/4 to 1/8th as much light). So you add light to the scene to shore up that weakness. Most of these pictures were probably lit very carefully with high quality lights, or else were taken in bright daylight, and the phone was proba…
I got the canon 100L macro lens last spring for my 6D mark II (after drooling over it for literally 10 years), and ended up getting the iPhone 13 Pro when it came out. So I'm a macro noob with no other equipment.
Can confirm, everything out of my dslr + macro lens comes out perfect. It's ridiculous how hard it is to take a bad picture with those. Fluorescent lights, cloudy days, handheld, they're all perfect.
That being said I've definitely used and shared more images from my iPhone macro mode. There have been a bunch of misfires, lighting is hard, sharpness is not there across the board - but it definitely scratches that itch and I find myself using my macro lens less.
Although after writing this I fully expect to run around my house for an hour next time the sun is out to take some macro shots with the macro lens :D
TL;DR - even as a pixel peeper the convenience of having macro on the phone puts dust on my dslr macro lens.