Just how good/bad is the iPhone camera?

divamum

My current cellphone (Palm Centro, and formerly I had a Treo) is nearing death, and alas my provider is now insisting that I upgrade my plan when I replace it. The new plan will cost me quite a lot more a month for the same services we currently have :rolleyes so I'm shopping around the various services and may consider switching if I can put together a better deal for our family's needs.

I know the iPhone has some fun applications for photographers, but how's the camera in it? Is it a reasonable point and shoot, or is it as bad as most cellphones? Just trying to amass information to throw into the ring as I research this. Thanks in advance!

Oh, fwiw, we have historically been PC/Palm in this house - not big fans of Mac. Also, as far as mp3 players we've gone with units which don't force you into iTunes but are seen as external hard drives. Those aren't dealbreakers, but if an iPhone is going to be particularly irritating on that front it's probably worth my thinking twice before going that route.

Thanks in advance for comments and thoughts!

bloomphotog

I'm a HUGE fan of the iPhone. Check out http://thebestcamera.com/ for examples of photos taken with the iPhone, via Chase Jarvis' "The Best Camera" app.

Here's a pano I shot with the iPhone 3G last summer. Keep in mind, the new 3GS has an even better camera.

divamum

Thanks Josh - I have to say, that's impressive! I really don't like the only-touchscreen-keyboard, but if the camera in it is a serious contender, I may have to look into this further. I think ATT even with an iphone will actually be a cheaper plan for us than staying with Sprint and getting a Pre, since my husband uses NO data at all and Sprint is now only offering everything for everybody plans, whereas ATT still seems to be a la carte.

Hmm. More food for thought.

ANybody else? Love it, hate it, have another cellphone with a decent camera in it that I should consider?

CWSkopec

I've got the Google phone (1st gen) through T-mobile and love it!! I'm not sure if the 1st gen is still available, but the Android operating system is much more open (no iTunes required!) and has a huge assortment of apps as well.

Here's a shot from a couple weeks ago:


Pretty good job for conditions that even my XTi couldn't fully handle without some manual blending on my part.

(Android powered phones are also now available through Verizon, a friend just got the Droid and loves it)

Internaut

It's crap, but what the hell I like it . I really like the "Best Camera" application.

Ekaj

The camera on the iphone is garbage... but theres an app for that.

But seriously.. who actually uses a cell phone camera for anything serious? (other than Chase who is really just selling apps and books)

I bought my iphone for the amazing system and apps... Check out strobox and that remote control dslr app for photography stuff. That's not even mentioning the myriad of other apps. No other phone has that.

Zanotti

I see many wonderful iphone photos on the internet - I have never actually taken one myself. I have the 3GS model - supposedly with the improved camera.

My typical results are roughly equivelent to most camera phones, worse than the simplest P&S.

Light is critical, keeping the lens clean is critical, and holding the thing still is very difficult to do.

I expect many of these wonderful shots you see are being held in some kind of tripod and re worked extensively in post.

Perhaps I will be flamed here by all the iphone experts, but as a stand alone camera I only use it for the most non critical snaps. (That being said, the phone and aps are great things and I like the unit and service.)

Z

divamum

Thanks guys - keep the comments coming!

As for apps... well, I'm a hardcore Palm person, and they had apps before the iPhone ever hit hte market :hide I always joked that the Treo did/does everything the iPhone does if not with as pretty a screen.

And why care about the camera? It's frequently what I have with me even when I DON'T have a point and shoot. I don't expect perfection, but if it's better than some of the others, then it's worth taking into consideration. Certainly not a dealbreaker.

kres

I shot lots of stuff with my iPhone on a week long trip this summer:



Take a look at this at a larger size HERE. That's pretty respectable for a Camera phone!







Camera Bag is the app I use the most, by Vint Shift is handy too. Camera Genuis and "Gorilla Pod" are in a dead heat for camera app replacements.

Dan7312

If you are replacing your cell phone for one with a camera for completeness you should at least look at the Blackberry Tour. You get a mechanical keyboard and it has a camera. I don't use the camera in it that much but here is one pic from it http://www.danalphotos.com/Other/BBUpload/9775350_67Hm7/1/#676061212_EmcSv-A-LB

There seem to be a lot of BOGO offers for Blackberry's too. When got mine the monthly cost was less than for an iPhone, which I also looked at. ATT's coverage where I am and go just didn't work for me and I wanted a mechanical keyboard. BTW the mechanical keyboard (IMHO of course) is the best I've found on a cell phone.

There are issues uploading to SmugMug with a Blackberry but I'm working on fixing that and it think RIM is too.

divamum wrote:

My current cellphone (Palm Centro, and formerly I had a Treo) is nearing death, and alas my provider is now insisting that I upgrade my plan when I replace it. ughts!

colourbox

One of the great things about the iPhone camera...and I'll bet one of the reasons people get good pictures with it...is the fact that you have spot metering and focusing. If you don't already know, there is a little square in the iPhone viewfinder, and you can tap the screen to move that square to set the point of focus and exposure. Shifting the square just slightly over is sometimes the difference between a "wow, did you take that on a phone?" photo and really ugly clipping or the subject out of focus. Being a phone, you can't separate the exposure and focus points like you can on better compacts, but just being able to have that control can make a big improvement in quality.

That said, most of the really good iPhone photos involve lots of light and favorable light. If the light is where you need it, it can do well. But I do not like the iPhone camera in challenging or dim conditions, and unfortunately I often want to use it at a party or at a restaurant with friends, and it always lets me down. Underexposed, blurry, noisy pictures. So I still carry a fast, flash-equipped pocket camera with me.

darkdragon

divamum wrote:

Thanks guys - keep the comments coming!

As for apps... well, I'm a hardcore Palm person, and they had apps before the iPhone ever hit hte market :hide I always joked that the Treo did/does everything the iPhone does if not with as pretty a screen.

And why care about the camera? It's frequently what I have with me even when I DON'T have a point and shoot. I don't expect perfection, but if it's better than some of the others, then it's worth taking into consideration. Certainly not a dealbreaker.

I am a convert from Treo (we had them starting with the 600 and up until the iPhone 3g was released). The camera is decent and a lot better then the Treo, the new iPhone is a lot faster then PalmOS was - and I was deadset against anything not PalmOS after I tried a WinMobi phone, just sayin.

The new 3Gs with the spot focusing and video capability is really great. Of course that tiny lens isn't going to be as good as an slr or decent p&s, but it is always there in your pocket and ready to go when you are somewhere that you didn't bring your camera. I've been in those situations. Actually the first decent digital camera I got was because my phone (treo 600) really let me down in an emergency (well, photo emercency...a rock concert).

Sorry, I couldn't find any of my iPhone photos. You should search Flickr and Smugmug for the iPhone tag/keyword

divamum

Thanks all - you've definitely piqued my interest! The whole thing may be moot for a while since it turns out my husband and I although on the same plan do not have the same contract renewal dates which would mean early terminatino fees blah blah blah blah blah.

This is especially annoying now I've discovered that we're eligible for a nice discount on ATT through our work - ~15%. This would DEFINITELY make it cheaper than any Sprint plan, including the one we're already on. Have to figure out what to do about this.....