The Photographers' Corner - 2021 to ?

[2HOTinPHX]

This was near the Grand Canyon some years ago.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

These were at the Aquarium in Scottsdale. If you're in town it's worth a visit.

 

[2HOTinPHX]

This is a friendly cactus looking for a hug... LOL

 

[2HOTinPHX]

I really don't know what I am doing but take enough pictures and you get lucky sometimes
I aas able to get these all in a row...

 

[2HOTinPHX]

This little fella spent a few months hanging out in our backyard in Phoenix. He showed up during the Covid lockdown and gave us a little something else to focus our attention on. Have not seen one since. We were able to identify it as a hermit thrush.

 

[Ronstar]

^ Nice pics!

 

[street]

Beautiful pictures and thanks for sharing them.

 

[TripleLindy]

Since retiring 5 years ago, we’ve been visiting a number of national parks. We were able to rent a house inside of Yosemite that had perfect views of Half Dome, where the sun and moon would rise directly behind it. The moon happened to be full during our visit, providing some spectacular scenery. I wish I was a better photographer, as these pics really don’t do it justice.

 

[Ronstar]

^ Nice pics!

Made me revisit some of my sunset pics

 

[2HOTinPHX]

Great bunch of sunset pictures. Thanks for sharing.

 

[doneat54]

Took this pic in the Little Italy section of San Diego yesterday. It is a the open balcony of a brunch eatery called "Morning Glory" (Yes, that is one huge BAR for a "Breakfast" place that closes at 3pm!). Camera was my phone's wide angle camera (Samsung A53).

I really liked the way this pic came out. The colors, contrasts, detail, textures...... LOTS going on. I am always in awe at the quality of these tiny phone cameras.

 

[Freedom56]

^^^ Nice shots plus from previous page!

 

[Ronstar]

Took this pic in the Little Italy section of San Diego yesterday. It is a the open balcony of a brunch eatery called "Morning Glory" (Yes, that is one huge BAR for a "Breakfast" place that closes at 3pm!). Camera was my phone's wide angle camera (Samsung A53).

I really liked the way this pic came out. The colors, contrasts, detail, textures...... LOTS going on. I am always in awe at the quality of these tiny phone cameras.

Nice shot! I find myself using my cell phone (iPhone 13) on wide angle a lot. Cell phone wide angle creates a unique perspective, yet still crystal clear.

 

[explanade]

I just watched this video, well-known Youtube guy comparing photos from iPhone to two expensive cameras.

Not going to stop lugging my Nikon around but maybe in a few years.

 

[Freedom56]

I just watched this video, well-known Youtube guy comparing photos from iPhone to two expensive cameras.

Not going to stop lugging my Nikon around but maybe in a few years.

I'm not giving up on my cameras and lenses. The sensors are far too small in camera phones and the images are noisy. Holding the phone right up to the subject to get a background blur is not always practical. In my opinion, phone cameras have taken the quality of photos backwards. They have replaced compact cameras but interchangeable lens cameras will be around for a long time for those who want to take the hobby seriously and professionals.

 

[explanade]

I'm not giving up on my cameras and lenses. The sensors are far too small in camera phones and the images are noisy. Holding the phone right up to the subject to get a background blur is not always practical. In my opinion, phone cameras have taken the quality of photos backwards. They have replaced compact cameras but interchangeable lens cameras will be around for a long time for those who want to take the hobby seriously and professionals.

Sure, I'm planning to lug my camera and lenses on trips as well, though to be honest, I've never done large prints, mostly view them on my computer.

Even on my computer the quality differences between my camera and iPhone are apparent.

I disagree about compact cameras though. I had several of them over the years though they were probably no more than 2/3 inch sensors, still bigger than most phone cameras.

The pictures look okay on a computer screen but if you zoom in just a little, the noise and lack of resolution becomes apparent.

Even phone camera sensors are better now than compact camera sensors were 10-15 years ago.

Then there's the special sauce of processing, like blending multiple exposures together, all done transparently to the user.

I know this, I can get some better night shots handheld with my iPhone than I could hand held with my Nikon. For the latter, I'd have to use something like 1/15 wide open and probably steady myself against a wall or a column to get something in good focus. Of course I use tripods and long exposures if I want to take pictures at night.

I'm talking about situations like I'm walking to dinner and may see something and take impromptu shots with my iPhone.

Alternative would be taking my big Nikon and tripod but when I have no specific plans to shoot something, it's a lot of wasted energy and you don't want to lug all that gear into a restaurant.

The guy in the video isn't saying iPhone takes pictures better than $5000-6000 cameras, just that the results are very good, unless you zoom way in, more than 100%.

 

[kcowan]

Lugano is a bus ride away from Lake Como too.

 

[Walt34]

I'm talking about situations like I'm walking to dinner and may see something and take impromptu shots with my iPhone.

As the old saying goes "The best camera is the one you have with you."

I doubt many would claim that phone cameras are a replacement for DSLRs. Even my relatives readily acknowledge that my Nikon photos are far and away better than any taken with a phone camera. So far anyway.

But it's hard to beat the convenience and portability of a phone camera, and that's where they shine.

 

[braumeister]

As the old saying goes "The best camera is the one you have with you."

I doubt many would claim that phone cameras are a replacement for DSLRs. Even my relatives readily acknowledge that my Nikon photos are far and away better than any taken with a phone camera.

A few years ago I would have agreed with this. But there is also the matter of the skill and thought that go into taking a photo. IMHO, DW's iPhone photos are usually as good as my Nikon and often better.

 

[Freedom56]

I agree phone cameras are convenient. I use them all the time when I want to take a picture of a receipt or when I rent a car, take a photo of any damage. But it does get irritating to see all these people with cameras on selfie-sticks when you travel and worse when those cameras appear with the selfie stick in your shot. Some places have started to ban them which would seem to be a good thing but people are stretching their arms out now and getting into my shots.

 

[Freedom56]

Below is a video of shots from all over Switzerland from last month. I took two cameras with me, the Olympus E-M1 and Lumix G9 to shoot 4K Video. No tripods or gimbals this time since we were hiking. The in-body image stabilization is pretty good on both cameras so I shot everything hand held. This video is the Olympus E-M1 with the Olympus 12-40mm F/2.8 Pro Lens. The combination is nice and compact but it's pretty heavy due to the all metal construction of the camera and lens.

 

[JoeWras]

I didn't take a phone on my last overseas trip in 2019. I still used my little pocket digital camera, from about 2013. Not sure what I'll do next time.

Times change. I've recently gone through all our family's pictures, and I can say that the late 40s, early 50s were an incredible golden age for pro photographers using B&W.

My parent's wedding pictures are just incredible. Part of it is the use of high quality 120 B&W film with post WWII cameras. Part is modern (for the time) lighting. And a good part is attention in the darkroom printed on high quality paper. It was art. Their 14" prints are incredible.

Alas, I had to let them go. I digitized them, losing some fidelity. I just couldn't have all the actual prints hanging around anymore.

Meanwhile, wedding photos from the 60s sucked. Those early color pictures didn't last, and the depth and richness didn't appear to be there in the first place. Yet, the event was captured and 60 years later, that's all we care about. Hmmm... That last comment has me leaning to just using my phone for the next trip.

 

[Ronstar]

I took a photography class from a professional photographer. He stressed that lighting is the key. Sometimes he would set up lighting for a couple of days before a 2 hour photo shoot. It is unbelievable how photos pop with proper lighting.

I've taken lots of photos with my iPhone, drone, GoPro, Sony RX100, and Nikon full frame cameras. The best photos have the best lighting. And in my case, given the same lighting, the photos from the camera with the largest sensor are the best.

My iPhone 13 has a sensor area of 35 sq mm, RX 100 is 13.2mm x 8.8mm, Nikon D850 35.9mm x 23.9mm. The Nikon brings in far more light than my iPhone or Sony. Given similar stabilization, the photo quality from my Nikon is better because it brings in more light.

Having a phone handy is great for impromptu photos, but I'll keep lugging around my DSLR when I need to take better quality photos. It would have been impossible for my iPhone or Sony to match this shot taken with my Nikon (from about 200' away)

 

[Ronstar]

Another great video Freedom56! Really captures the Swiss landscape well. Nice choice of music too.

 

[Freedom56]

Another great video Freedom56! Really captures the Swiss landscape well. Nice choice of music too.

Thanks. Switzerland is a great place for photographers/videographers. I shot almost 1 terabyte of video from two cameras during the 6 weeks we were there. It's going to take months to sort out and edit that.