rashbre central: picture this

Sunday, 20 January 2019

picture this


I'm deciding how much photography I can offload to iPhone instead of DSLR. I think I've reached the technology crossover, at least for some types of picture. Looking back, one of my oldest surviving cameras is a film-based Olympus Trip 35. I didn't own it from new, but swapped it with a friend for (I think) some kind of hi-fi equipment.

The Trip was always very unassuming. It had a few basic settings but within its 35mm f2.8 lens it would usually take great travel style pictures using the circular metering cell on the front. The camera has a ring around the lens to adjust the type of picture and even the aperture, but mostly the automatic setting gave good results.

So now I'm thinking about when I can use my iPhone as a proper substitute for a DSLR. Can the iPhone really be the equivalent of the Trip 35 on a longer trip or holiday?

I've decided to play around with the iPhone and maybe look at some tutorials. I take plenty of pictures through the eyepiece of a DSLR, but I'm sure there are some different techniques when holding the phone like a postcard out in front.

Time to trial just an iPhone before my next extended trip away, to see how much I trust using a smartphone to take my main snaps. Of course, I've used phone cameras for years (right back to old Nokias) but I have noticed for the last 2-3 years how good the jpegs from an iPhone have become. It'll be a trade off between the weight and baggage of a 'proper camera' vs the lightweight nature of simply carrying the phone.

I've also just noticed the twenty or so tutorials on the Apple site about iPhone photography. It's got to be worth a look, and a play.

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