OT: Cameras

[AngryScientist]

Originally Posted by brownhound

Different question but good location to pose question:

I'm taking safari next year. I'm not much of a photographer, frankly, with only a 15 year old DSLR and older iPhone 7.

Should I (a) invest in new iPhone 11 OR (b) invest in mid-level digital camera (say $500)? I'm leaning towards iPhone because of weight, space, and I know I'll eventually need a phone. But does anyone want to make case for new camera?

just the very nature of a safari would mean, at least to me that good zooming would be a must-have. iPhone is great for landscapes and subjects that are right in front of you, but not good at all for an animal or something that is a hundred yards off. i would think you'll want a real camera with a huge zoom lens.

[mhespenheide]

[QUOTE=MikeD;2640901]

Originally Posted by charliedid

I see I'm swimming against the tide here, so I'm out of this thread. Have fun guys.

In fairness, whatever back-end software is hosting this image isn't doing you any favors -- when I downloaded the image, it looked better than this display did.

Your points about convenience are fair, and you're the only person who can judge whether an iPhone or other phone camera is good enough for you. If it is, go for it. Have fun!

Let us know if you come back to the thread, though; if you do, I'll post some counter-examples of images shot from a full-frame camera and we can try to compare. But right now, it sounds like you've already come to a conclusion. Did you check out Houston's comparison upthread? If the difference in tonal range between the two images doesn't matter to you, that's a fair judgement on your part. But to my eye, there's a clear difference between the two images.

[mhespenheide]

Originally Posted by brownhound

Different question but good location to pose question:

I'm taking safari next year. I'm not much of a photographer, frankly, with only a 15 year old DSLR and older iPhone 7.

Should I (a) invest in new iPhone 11 OR (b) invest in mid-level digital camera (say $500)? I'm leaning towards iPhone because of weight, space, and I know I'll eventually need a phone. But does anyone want to make case for new camera?

Safari?

Yeah, if you want to take photographs, you're almost certainly going to want an ILC and a 300mm lens minimum. Or 400mm. Or 800mm. Otherwise some of the larger animals are going to be tiny on your image.

But, if you're asking that question, you might just want to go for the experience and immerse yourself in looking with your naked eyes and a good pair of binoculars. Then ask some of the photographers on the trip if you can buy a print or two, or a collection of screen images. Wildlife photography is a pretty specialized niche and requires pricey gear and practice.

[colker]

Originally Posted by mhespenheide

Safari?

Yeah, if you want to take photographs, you're almost certainly going to want an ILC and a 300mm lens minimum. Or 400mm. Or 800mm. Otherwise some of the larger animals are going to be tiny on your image.

But, if you're asking that question, you might just want to go for the experience and immerse yourself in looking with your naked eyes and a good pair of binoculars. Then ask some of the photographers on the trip if you can buy a print or two, or a collection of screen images. Wildlife photography is a pretty specialized niche and requires pricey gear and practice.

Excellent advice.

[jamesdak]

[QUOTE=MikeD;2640901]

Originally Posted by charliedid

I see I'm swimming against the tide here, so I'm out of this thread. Have fun guys.

It's not personnel but if you can't see anything wrong with the picture you posted then it's cool. The cellphone will serve you well and save you money, win, win!

[joosttx]

Here you go MikeD or anyone. Which post do you like: iphone 11 pro vs Sony RX1r mark 2. Guess which set was taken by the phone and which was taken by the camera.


#1









#2

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by joosttx

Here you go MikeD or anyone. Which post do you like: iphone 11 pro vs Sony RX1r mark 2. Guess which set was taken by the phone and which was taken by the camera.

Due to the sharpness of the beetles, I'd say your camera is #2, but the sky and mountain are somewhat washed out in #1 so maybe the iPhone is #2. I like the #2 set better, but they are both close, when viewed on my iPad Pro. Which is it?

[joosttx]

Originally Posted by MikeD

Due to the sharpness of the beetles, I'd say your camera is #2, but the sky and mountain are somewhat washed out in #1 so maybe the iPhone is #2. I like the #2 set better, but they are both close, when viewed on my iPad Pro. Which is it?

Camera is 2. They are close but for I truly appreciate the difference. Plus with the ergonomics of a camera I prefer it over the iphones ease. It’s very hazy today so that is the washed out look which actually is pretty accurate.

[ergott]

Here are some low light shots with the Pixel 3. I simply can't believe how much detail is preserved. I shoot 6D and fast glass when I can, but this easily outresolves cropped sensor SLRs like the original 7D I used to have. Original fize size links below each shot. Not giving up on my SLR system, but I always try and find the best camera in a phone I can find when shopping for new phone.



Original Uncompressed



Original Uncompressed



Original Uncompressed

[ergott]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

personally, i find it hugely awkward and borderline dangerous to shoot photos one handed while riding with an iPhone. my old fuji compact camera is SO much easier to hold squarely and push the big button while riding. that's a biggie for me.

Not sure about iPhones, but I know for Android I can assign the volume button to take pics. That means I have a sure grasp on the camera and I can usually spray and pray while riding pretty well.

[ergott]

and no, there's no replacement for sensor size.

Camera Canon EOS 6D
Lens Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM
Focal Length 90.0 mm (90.0 mm in 35mm)
Aperture f/2.8
Exposure Time (1/100)
ISO 800
Pixel peeper size

[charliedid]

[QUOTE=joosttx;2641015]Here you go MikeD or anyone. Which post do you like: iphone 11 pro vs Sony RX1r mark 2. Guess which set was taken by the phone and which was taken by the camera.


I'd guess the first set is your phone and the second set your Sony. My point is as you know that posting 1000 px or less on a computer or tablet etc. is fine but posting an original is easy to see the difference.

I hope Mike D didn't take my post as a criticism as it was really just an observation.

[MikeD]

Computational photography. Google it. That's what good smart phone cameras have and what standalone cameras don't. That's what makes these newer smartphones take such good photos and what is being illustrated in the article posted in the first message to this thread. That's what I want in a point and shoot/compact camera, but it's not currently available.

Here's an article on computational photography written in layman's terms https://vas3k.com/blog/computational_photography/

[SoCalSteve]

Originally Posted by brownhound

Different question but good location to pose question:

I'm taking safari next year. I'm not much of a photographer, frankly, with only a 15 year old DSLR and older iPhone 7.

Should I (a) invest in new iPhone 11 OR (b) invest in mid-level digital camera (say $500)? I'm leaning towards iPhone because of weight, space, and I know I'll eventually need a phone. But does anyone want to make case for new camera?

I went on a safari in South Africa a few years back. I am not a great photographer. I purchased a Canon 5D mkIII and a 100-400 Canon L lens. Not a cheap venture, but please take a look at the photographs I took with this combination.

www.stevebrillpix.com look under tab: safari

Please view using a real computer screen , not an iPad or phone. None of these photos were touched up, straight jpeg out of the camera.

Not saying you need this expensive of a set up, but an iPhone is not going to cut it. At least a 300 zoom, if not longer is required.

Enjoy! It was an amazing experience!!!

[bikinchris]

Originally Posted by brownhound

Different question but good location to pose question:

I'm taking safari next year. I'm not much of a photographer, frankly, with only a 15 year old DSLR and older iPhone 7.

Should I (a) invest in new iPhone 11 OR (b) invest in mid-level digital camera (say $500)? I'm leaning towards iPhone because of weight, space, and I know I'll eventually need a phone. But does anyone want to make case for new camera?

Use your phone for landscapes, panoramas and sunsets because it sucks for anything else.
Camera phones are the absolute worst thing for taking photos of anything that moves. My g.d. phone won't even take a still photo anymore. The shutter speed is just too slow. What's worse is that the terrible image quality will get much worse when you try to zoom into the image. All you are doing is taking away pixels from the edge of the image. There is no lens zoom on these cameras.

If you want a camera for a safari but don't want to lug around a DSLR and a bag of big lenses, get a Nikon P900. Yes it breaks your budget, but it will be worth it. The P1000 has an even more impressive lens.