MY main squeeze is now my cell phone. iPhone 14 pro

[21limited]

Even though I shoot thousands of photo’s every year usually throwing away at east 5 for everyone I keep, last year 2024… I kept over 1000 cell phone photos and over 600 DSLR photos. Given that iPhones are the most commonly used cameras on flickr, with Canon in second, I can see this cutting into camera sales even more as they get better. The low light capacity of these phone sis very good, probably due to some in camera stacking, it shoots raw, and at 24mm equivalent it shoots 48 MP and the images hold up compared with my 36 MP FF.

Some examples….
2024-10-21-AP-Opeongo-Access by Norm Head, on Flickr

2024-10-08-AP-Starling-Lk_lookout by Norm Head, on Flickr

2024-10-07-Lk-St-Peter-PP-12 by Norm Head, on Flickr

2024-08-22-AP-Opeongo-Annie's-Bay-fishing-1 by Norm Head, on Flickr

2024-07-21-AP-Penn-to-Rock-access-9 by Norm Head, on Flickr

2024-07-19-Penn-Lake_sunset by Norm Head, on Flickr

My wildlife images still require a DSLR,.
2025-02-26-Feeder-Creatures_RB-nuthatch by Norm Head, on Flickr

But for less than 100 mm, the iPhone has pretty much taken over. MY wife is having a similar time with her Google Pixel 7.

 

[Digger...]

Whats the bird?

 

[21limited]

The bird is a Red Breasted Nuthatch. I have a mating pair following each other around the yard near the feeders right now. They are common to this area, I see them on hikes far from any bird feeders, They tear apart pine cones for the pine nut s, high up in the tops of pine trees.. On my screen he’s pretty close to life size in this image.

 

[cgw]

Phone cams everywhere makes my little Ricoh GR cameras all but invisible since the LCD is the VF.

 

[KJ_North]

Well it all depends upon what you want to take photos of. There are spots a camera phone will suffice but it has a long long way to go to replace a good Camera and Lens. Forgot to add some nice shots there.

 

[21limited]

It alreeady replaces a good camera and lens in many instances….just not for everything. In my house it has repalced my ZS100, my Optio WR90 and other small sensor cameras. I gave my useage stats. For me, it has taken the #1 spot from my APS-c and FF DSLRs. LIke flickr, with thousads of customers, the same result is evident. Apple phones are #1 in useage, Canon is second, everyone else is way back. So, it’s not just me. I would argue phones have eaten the traditional manufacturers small sensor lunch. There are photos you can’t take with cellphone, there are also pictures you can’t take with a DSLR. Cell phone can’t do decent macro or telephoto. Large sensor cameras can’t do wide aperture wide Depth of Field.

My keepers for the year
1,000 cell phone images, 600 DSLR images.I’d be surprised in anyone with good phone (mine’s best camera is 48 MP), is much different. Flickr stats counts agree with me. I don’t expect my APS-c camera to do what my FF camera does and I don’t expect my FF camera to do what my APS-c camera does, and I know, neither of them will do what my phone does.

I’ve compared my cell phone images to DSLR images. It’s not a matter of sufficing, it’s matter of being better at some things.

 

[cgw]

Think you've beat this point to a pulp. We get it. We have cell phones, too.

 

[21limited]

As being beaten to a pulp, that’s about as gentle as it gets. But not of interest for discussion? I’ll go with that. I guess a thread expecting discussion of cell phone camera use is just not in the cards. So be it.

 

[Ysarex]

As being beaten to a pulp, that’s about as gentle as it gets. But not of interest for discussion?

Sure, it can be interesting to discuss. I don't use them because they're still too limiting for my needs/expectations. I regularly take photos that the phone cameras aren't up to task for. I only save raw files and I require a camera be able to capture 10 stops of usable DR. There's a wide range of phone cameras including some new 1" sensor cameras like Xiaomi that get close, but I have no reason or incentive to downgrade what I'm using now -- when I'm out I always have a camera with me. If I didn't go out specifically to take photos then I carry an MFT Oly Pen which weighs less than a pound w/lens, is smaller than my phone in two dimensions and outperforms the phone cameras in meeting my requirements. The photo below is side to backlit and was taken with my Olympus Pen -- the raw files recorded 10.5 stops of DR. Can't do that with most phone cameras.

Otherwise I'm very glad they're so ubiquitous and have gotten quite good. Lots of folks get great value from them. My daughter uses an iPhone to take pics of my two grandkids and if she didn't have that phone camera I'd buy her one pronto.

I’ll go with that. I guess a thread expecting discussion of cell phone camera use is just not in the cards. So be it.

 

[21limited]

I only save raw files and I require a camera be able to capture 10 stops of usable DR.

The iPhone has native sensor of about 14 EV, and a practical limit of probably around 12.5. MY Pentax k-3 is 13.4, our K-5s are 13.47 my K-1 is 13.9.

Not really much difference.
Canon POwerSHot G7 one inch sesnor has a Dynaniic Range of about 12.7

DXOMARK

www.dxomark.com

My LUmix ZS 100 has a DR of about 12.5

DXOMARK

www.dxomark.com

For max dynamic range hassleblad XD-50c and a Pentax 645z to the lead the pack with 14.9 and 14.8. I doubt you’ll see much difference in .5 stops of DR. AN Olympus Pen -F is rated at 12.4, functionally the same as an iPhone 48 MP main sensor camera iPhone 14 and above.

That being said, deciding what camera you use based on technical specs is nonsense. After a DR of 10 you can get used to whatever.
The iPhone 14 and above are pretty amazing low light cameras. AN not at all DYnmaic Range limited compared to almost any other camera, not just 1 inch sensors.
2024-07-16-AP-Rock-Lake-pano-sunset by Norm Head, on Flickr

 

[cgw]

Sure, it can be interesting to discuss. I don't use them because they're still too limiting for my needs/expectations. I regularly take photos that the phone cameras aren't up to task for. I only save raw files and I require a camera be able to capture 10 stops of usable DR. There's a wide range of phone cameras including some new 1" sensor cameras like Xiaomi that get close, but I have no reason or incentive to downgrade what I'm using now -- when I'm out I always have a camera with me. If I didn't go out specifically to take photos then I carry an MFT Oly Pen which weighs less than a pound w/lens, is smaller than my phone in two dimensions and outperforms the phone cameras in meeting my requirements. The photo below is side to backlit and was taken with my Olympus Pen -- the raw files recorded 10.5 stops of DR. Can't do that with most phone cameras.

Otherwise I'm very glad they're so ubiquitous and have gotten quite good. Lots of folks get great value from them. My daughter uses an iPhone to take pics of my two grandkids and if she didn't have that phone camera I'd buy her one pronto.

View attachment 284589

These days, my main concern is whether the image communicates, regardless of how it's made. Old news: smartphones killed a flagging BestBuy-grade compact segment once smartphones became the EDC for the masses who never used any sort of camera much. Seems borderline absurd to argue otherwise. What the OP misses is the ability of smartphones to share images and video easily and instantly. Given our "attention economy" tell me that's not a game changer...

 

[21limited]

What the OP misses is the ability of smartphones to share images and video easily and instantly. Given our "attention economy" tell me that's not a game changer...

Oh, that’s not the only game changer. With apps like Merlin, when out birding I can snap an image with my DSLR, take an image of the back screen of my camera with my phone, and immediately identify the birds, log it’s location with the built in GPS and send the data to Cornel for their science projects without leaving the place where I saw the bird. It’s really pretty incredible.

With this guy….
2013-06-01-Rough-winged-Swallow by Norm Head, on Flickr

I took this image in 2013, but never identified it. Opened Merlin, took the image from the TV monitor, Merlin informed me it was a Rough WInged swallow, a bird I didn’t even know existed. It used to take us a half hour of flipping through a bird book hoping to make an I.D, and sometimes getting it wrong. 12 years later with my phone, I added it as a lifer.

Although smart phones are used by many people who aren’t that good, a good photgrapher can still take great images with one, and under the right circumstances, just as good as he/she might get with a MILC or DSLR. There’s nothing stopping anyone from taking a great image with a cell phone, as long as the image fits the restricted focal length of the phone.

If you can get an image of a bird on your phone from a flcikr page or photo site, you can identify it. Although you would have to load the data pack for the part of the world it was from.

 

[cgw]

Think you missed the point. That's small beer relative to video uploads to Tik Tok.

 

[21limited]

I’m talking about my experience, I don’t do TikTok. But I do miss your points. I don’t think they are very well explained. So far I kind of look at them and go “huh, WTF?” But I do hate small beers.

There is absoltuely no point to small beers, gimme a pint.

 

[Ysarex]

The iPhone has native sensor of about 14 EV, and a practical limit of probably around 12.5. MY Pentax k-3 is 13.4, our K-5s are 13.47 my K-1 is 13.9.

Not really much difference.
Canon POwerSHot G7 one inch sesnor has a Dynaniic Range of about 12.7

DXOMARK

www.dxomark.com

My LUmix ZS 100 has a DR of about 12.5

DXOMARK

www.dxomark.com

For max dynamic range hassleblad XD-50c and a Pentax 645z to the lead the pack with 14.9 and 14.8. I doubt you’ll see much difference in .5 stops of DR. AN Olympus Pen -F is rated at 12.4, functionally the same as an iPhone 48 MP main sensor camera iPhone 14 and above.

That being said, deciding what camera you use based on technical specs is nonsense. After a DR of 10 you can get used to whatever.
The iPhone 14 and above are pretty amazing low light cameras. AN not at all DYnmaic Range limited compared to almost any other camera, not just 1 inch sensors.

Nope. That was clueless Gerald in the video and I don't know what he was testing and he didn't say. I suspect not a raw file.
Here's usable DR for an iPhone 14 from a good source: Photographic Dynamic Range versus ISO Setting
8 stops and that agrees with some iPhone 16Pro raw files I've been able to test -- 8 stops on their best day.

DXO DR specs are not usable DR they're what a machine can measure. Here's where to get better data: Photons to Photos

Here's a raw file from an iPhone 16Pro, it's backlit, exposed to clipping threshold, and it's falling apart at 8 stops. So as I said you can't do 10 stop raw files with most phone cameras.

P.S. I'm talking about raw files from the cameras. I insist on having a raw file. You're thinking about Apple ProRAW files right, they're not raw data.

2024-07-16-AP-Rock-Lake-pano-sunset by Norm Head, on Flickr