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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

#51

Post by LegitShady »

asdfasgasdgasdg wrote: post #46
LegitShady wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>few hundred on apps I don't even understand what you think you're going to buy that will make you a good macro photographer for hundreds of dollars. Hundreds on apps instead of dedicated macro hardware? I can't imagine that will do anything but waste hundreds of dollars.

What I was personally referring to when I mentioned "software" is a photo editing application like Photoshop, Lightroom, DxO Photolab, etc. The subscriptions/purchase prices of these type of software is $200+. There are free software versions of these apps but most photographers do not use them.

You're going to need such software whether you use an iphone or a DSLR. There's no difference in cost except the hardware.

Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge

#52

Post by thr0wawayf00 »

LegitShady wrote: post #12
thr0wawayf00 wrote: post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

>few hundred on apps I don't even understand what you think you're going to buy that will make you a good macro photographer for hundreds of dollars. Hundreds on apps instead of dedicated macro hardware? I can't imagine that will do anything but waste hundreds of dollars.

Hence why I'm a casual hobbyist, I'm not trying to win competitions or anything here.

Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge

#54

Post by asdfasgasdgasdg »

LegitShady wrote: post #51
asdfasgasdgasdg wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What I was personally referring to when I mentioned "software" is a photo editing application like Photoshop, Lightroom, DxO Photolab, etc. The subscriptions/purchase prices of these type of software is $200+. There are free software versions of these apps but most photographers do not use them.

You're going to need such software whether you use an iphone or a DSLR. There's no difference in cost except the hardware.

Sorry, to be extra clear, my point is that you will not get these results without such software, because photos almost universally require editing in order to look their best. But my belief is that Apple, with their "Shot on iPhone" marketing, is trying to convey that you will get these results straight out of the camera. This is unlikely to actually be the case. That's the sum of my point w.r.t. software.

Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge

#56

Post by irae »

thekoma wrote: post #16

People seem to always be impressed with close-up images of plants.

Humans can learn a lot from observing the world around them. We do this a lot as kids. So maybe seeing up-close details we either can't see with the naked eye or never payed attention before can be interesting. At least to me, it feels to add completeness to my observation of what nature is capable of, and this enhances my conception of how much I was missing and it is now "complete" to me.

Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge

#57

Post by formerly_proven »

PragmaticPulp wrote: post #44
asdfasgasdgasdg wrote: post #2

The 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…

Great advice. It would be fun to see a behind-the-scenes of how some of these photos were taken > 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. The iPhone camera really is fantastic for what it is (economies of scale are an amazing thing) but you're not wrong. Doing this sort of photography work on an iPhone is more about the cha…

This is even true for digital gear. At base ISO, cameras like a D7100/7200 have as good image quality as it gets for that class, and you can pick those up for cheap. Even fairly high-end, high-resolution full-frame cameras can be had for less than 500 quid (e.g. D800) and those still have outstanding image quality; there really wasn't a whole lot of major improvements in image quality in the last ten years when you control the light (i.e. don't need high ISO).

Things get expensive if you want...

... best low-noise performance (needs sensor from the last ~five years, older stuff usually has color shifts and other issues which are not easy to fix)

... video

... mirrorless

... fast AF (especially if you also want mirrorless)

... all of the above

Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge

#58

Post by esteth »

SingularCrane wrote: post #24
dylan604 wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All Macro photography requires extra light, it's not just anything to do specific to cell phones. That's why there are so many flash rigs designed for this. Also, the iPhone 13 camera has ridiculously fast lenses[0]: Pro 12MP camera system: Telephoto, Wide, and Ultra Wide cameras Telephoto: ƒ/2.8 aperture Wide: ƒ/1.5 aperture Ultra Wide: ƒ/1.8 aperture and 120° field of view If you search for lenses for "real" camera…

ƒ stops need to be adjusted for sensor size [0]. The iPhone 13 Pro cameras all have and equivalent f stop > ƒ/8 [1] [0] https://photographylife.com/equivalence-also-includes-apertu... [1] https://www.dpreview.com/articles/6780391159/all-apple-iphon...

stops only need to be adjusted for total photons gathered, not for photons per unit square

Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge

#59

Post by FollowingTheDao »

Bud wrote: post #55
FollowingTheDao wrote: post #50

Quoted post unavailable.

If you have ten axes to grind about stuff Apple did years ago to build its manufacturing capacity, that's cool and all, but it has zero place in this thread.

Years ago? Try last year!

https://www.theinformation.com/articles/seven-apple-supplier...

And it's sick you think all they did is OK since they needed to "build its manufacturing capacity" and you forget it all the minute they show you a pretty photograph.

And it is also sick that you think sharing the reality about Apple means "I have an axe to grind", and not that I am just a person who cares about humanity.

Re: Apple unveils the best photos from the Shot on iPhone Macro Challenge

#60

Post by JoBrad »

Arkadin wrote: post #15
jclardy wrote: post #11

On the leaf image: “The reason I like this so much is the obvious layering. The depth of field created with the iPhone here very clearly shows you what the focal point is, and represents a fantastic example of how good the software is at completely isolating the foreground, leaving the background blurry. A perfect example of computational depth of field.” — Peter McKinnon Is this correct? From what I've shot in macro…

I believe every photo on iPhone 13 pro is enhanced. https://www.newyorker.com/culture/infinite-scroll/have-iphon... You're right though that this isn't a "perfect example of computational depth of field" as the background leaf looks far enough away where you could have achieved the effect optically on iPhone sensor with right aperature. That being said the blurring does look unnatural to me as it is not even across t…

You can shoot RAW photos on the iPhone. Don’t think most laypeople do, though.
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