Camera Face-Off: Can an iPhone Beat a DSLR?

[rutherfordsc]

Smartphone cameras may be getting more sophisticated, but after pitting an iPhone 6s Plus against a Nikon D3300, the DSLR still reigns supreme.

Camera Face-Off: Can an iPhone Beat a DSLR? : Read more

 

[Jack of no trades]

As a less than amateur photographer, even I know that you don't describe f-Stop in terms of wideness. Add to the fact that sensor size must be taken into consideration when comparing f-Stop, and you'll see that the Nikon far outclasses the iPhone. And praising the Nikon blur (bokeh) in the portrait shot and then condemning it as not as sharp in the bar scene is at most contradictory, and at least uninformed. I'll stop here and let the experts continue...

 

[Sercasti2]

At the toy train pic, you wrote "Nokia D3300" in the caption, je

 

[rutherfordsc]

@Jack of no trades

You have a couple misconceptions in your post. F-stop is a measurement of the size your aperture, and as it gets lower, the opening of your aperture gets wider. This is why many photographers refer to at your lowest possible aperture as shooting wide open.

Second, bokeh is the out of focus section of the shot, which should not deter from the level of focus on your subject. In the bar shot, the D3300's picture looks softer than the iPhone's around people's faces.

On the portrait shot, not only does the Nikon have better focus and detail on the subjects, the creamy bokeh creates much better separation between the person's face and background. The iPhone's pic features a much more detailed background, which is actually somewhat distracting, while also being less sharp and detailed.

As a less than amateur photographer, even I know that you don't describe f-Stop in terms of wideness. Add to the fact that sensor size must be taken into consideration when comparing f-Stop, and you'll see that the Nikon far outclasses the iPhone. And praising the Nikon blur (bokeh) in the portrait shot and then condemning it as not as sharp in the bar scene is at most contradictory, and at least uninformed. I'll stop here and let the experts continue...

 

[Crab Cakes]

Phone cameras are a great tool that you pretty much always have available. They have reached a point where they have totally replaced low-end mass market consumer cameras. But they are still ways off from competing with even a cheap DSLR. And I'm sure versus a mid-range model DSLR it's not even a contest.

We should appreciate the benefits of both instead of yearning for the day where real cameras get replaced for even enthusiast level photography. Which is just not here yet, and may never be.

 

[rutherfordsc]

@Crab Cakes
That's a pretty apt conclusion. It's really interesting to see how far smartphone cameras have come, we're just hoping to illustrate the strengths and weakness of both of these products.

Phone cameras are a great tool that you pretty much always have available. They have reached a point where they have totally replaced low-end mass market consumer cameras. But they are still ways off from competing with even a cheap DSLR. And I'm sure versus a mid-range model DSLR it's not even a contest.

We should appreciate the benefits of both instead of yearning for the day where real cameras get replaced for even enthusiast level photography. Which is just not here yet, and may never be.

 

[WoodWorks]

The portrait image of the Nikon's 3:2 ratio has obviously been cropped to something more like a 5:4 ratio. So your point about the iPhone's 4:3 ratio showing more "distracting elements" is false.

 

[Bob Parkman]

If you have a competent photographer use the Nikon, except for the video, the Nikon wins hands down in every situation. Many aspects of the comparison reflects photographic ignorance.

 

[sandraharriette]

Smartphone cameras may be getting more sophisticated, but after pitting an iPhone 6s Plus against a Nikon D3300, the DSLR still reigns supreme.

Camera Face-Off: Can an iPhone Beat a DSLR? : Read more

Check out Indy Mogul on YouTube - they have some good smartphone tutorials. You'll need some supplementary equipment if you want to get a cinematic quality (also, search for "films made on a smartphone" and you'll be amazed).

I found one made on a Nokia Lumia, my tool of choice, and the maker even included a list of what he used to get that effect. If I hadn't known, I would have thought he had the budget of an A-list indie movie.