Mobile

It's incredible to learn about all the technologies that are built into smartphone cameras that weigh as much as a paperclip. But, with all this technology, is it still you taking the picture or are you just a moving tripod carrying a computer around to take the picture for you?

Huawei has just announced the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro smartphones in Munich, Germany, touting amazing AI features. How much can AI help a camera, and how good can it get?

This week an eagle-eyed Reddit user discovered that Google has set a date in which it won't offer unlimited, lossless storage for Pixel 2 users. Just how much can we expect from them, and what's fair?

Apple have enabled the playback of HEVC videos and HEIF images on MacOS High Sierra and iOS 11. Unfortunately not every device is able to support it, and others have limited support. Which ones made the cut?

While perusing YouTube I stumbled across Matteo Berttoli Visual’s cinematic video clip that was shot with only the iPhone 8 Plus. The video does a great job showing how far Apple has come in their development of the software and camera behind the media.

I have a confession to make: this past week I've been playing around with images that I've taken with my cell phone over the last year or so. I went to backup my phone's photos and decided why not try and play with them a bit in Photoshop during some downtime. You know what? I've been having a great time, my creative gears are turning, and I have a new found respect and appreciation for that tiny camera built into my phone.

The iPhone 8 now shoots 1080p up to 240 fps which is genuinely an impressive feature. This is especially true when you consider the fact that currently there isn't a single DSLR on the market from Canon or Nikon that can shoot at those frame rates. The current highest is from the Canon 1DX II which can only shoot up to half the frame rate of the iPhone and at a cost of $5,999. In most cases, if you are planning on filming at 240 fps then you may need to look at some very high-end cameras with very high-end price tags. This is where the RED Epic W comes into play and Jonathan Morrison, a prominent YouTuber, decided to compare it to the new iPhone 8.

The circular polarizing filter is one of the most important pieces of equipment to own as a photographer. Its effects are one of the few that can’t be faked in post-processing. It didn’t even occur to me until browsing Amazon that circular polarizing filters are now being made for smartphone cameras, and that got me excited to try one out.

As most of us know, the new iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iPhone X were just recently announced. As a photographer, I have learned to love using my phone as a camera and have been digging a bit deeper into which phone I want to get next. Of course Android makes a few phones with great cameras, but the iPhone has always been known for its photography and definitely markets their phone camera towards it. In these new models, we see some improvements that may be a game changer for any photographer on the move.

On Tuesday this week Apple released their latest mobile operating system, iOS 11. Now Serif, the creators of photo editing software Affinity Photo, have also updated their iPad app to take advantage of the capabilities introduced in iOS 11 such as drag-and-dropping images to and from the new Files app.

Regular users of Snapseed have been in for a shock this week as version 2.18 rolled out across Android and iOS devices. The redesigned app featured a lighter-colored interface and a new “Looks” bar that seeks to emulate Instagram’s now ubiquitous filters menu.

In the last decade, cell phones have made huge leaps forward in technology and capability. It's simply incredible what they are capable of these days, and the amount of processing power and features they have would have been unimaginable not so long ago. The latest iPhones are capable of shooting beautiful images and video up to 4K at 60p. Further, still, the iPhone 8 and X are capable of filming at 240 fps when shot at 1080p, which is very impressive indeed. Both of these features are currently not available in any other similarly priced phone, DSLR, or even most mirrorless cameras. Even popular DSLRs like the Canon 5D Mark IV and Nikon D850 aren't able to shoot at the same frame rates as the iPhone. The question that many people ask is, why?

It's a big year for Apple. This is the year Apple finally introduces some major technological upgrades from augmented-reality and improved cameras to OLED screens in its iPhone lineup. And in doing so, they've released three new models alongside each other, the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X. Most importantly for us, however, is that the new iPhones not only feature the best cameras yet, but also more broadly represent the biggest leap in image technology in a single year thanks both to new hardware and software.

RED made a surprising announcement a few months ago, entering the smartphone market with its Hydrogen phone. What the company didn't reveal then was how its innovative "holographic" display looked. This kept us interested and anticipating what this might be. Now, however, RED lifted the curtain up a little bit more, showing us the concept behind the display.

The smartphone industry is highly competitive and the new LG V30 is one of the biggest devices to be announced this year, so it's no surprise they worked hard to keep the specs under wraps. But LG went above and beyond using a new method to hide important information, just in case anyone got their hands on one.

One of many changes and improvements contained in the upcoming iOS 11 update for iPhones and iPads is the ability to add effects to Live Photos. The three effects — Loop, Bounce, and Long Exposure — can be applied easily with a quick swipe and a tap in the Photos app. Here’s what you need to know.

Sandisk continues to push forward with the release of their record breaking Sandisk Ultra 400GB microSDXC UHS-I Card. Now owned by Western Digital, Sandisk once again topped their previous record-breaking 200GB & 256GB models released in the prior two years.

When was the last time you backed up your iPhone photos? For many people, taking the time to back up what are often some of our most cherished photos rarely gets done consistently. Sandisk recently tried to solve this problem with the release of their iXpand Base, a flash drive and charger made specifically for iPhones.

Finally, the greatest mobile lens company is now kicking things off in serious fashion with offering their lenses to more major phone brands. With iPhone being the flagship for the longest time of prime users they are also offering it to the Google Pixel as well as the latest and greatest from Samsung with the Galaxy S8.

Being a commercial photographer means being able to deliver no matter what the conditions are and pushing the boundaries for the client. In this video, as you’ll see, French photographer Philippe Echaroux was given the challenge to go even further and create stunning portraits using only an iPhone, a flashlight, and a Big Mac box. Yes, you read that last item correctly! If you’re wondering how he did it, be sure to watch the full video.

As photographers, we’re often on the bleeding edge of technology, and these days, the bleeding edge often includes an app for that. However, manufacturers are increasingly relying on apps to control their hardware at the expense of dedicated physical controls — and it’s a practice that must stop.

Wide-gamut images have been supported by the latest smartphone and high-end computer displays for some time, but the software and the Internet has some way to go before the average consumer can enjoy accurately rendered, wide-gamut images across their entire digital experience. Between what Apple called "Wide Color" in the iPhone 7 display and Android Oreo's support for "Deep Color" in similar displays, we're almost here. But none of that matters for the average consumer if websites continue to compress that data, stripping wide color information in the process. The real change has to come from websites like 500px, which just announced support for fully color-managed images.

Who out there captured the eclipse this week? Did you plan ahead, travel hundreds of miles, purchase the right gear, and capture the phenomenon that is a total solar eclipse for that perfect shot? The photos are coming in by the thousands and each seems to be better than the last. Here is my photo capturing 90 percent coverage of the moon over the sun and also a little behind-the-scenes on how I shot and edited it completely with my phone.

If you're an avid user of Instagram, you know one aspect that leaves a bit to be desired is the commenting system. Happily, Instagram has revamped that system by introducing threaded comments.

As smartphones continue to become more ubiquitous and increasingly important repositories of anything from vital information to sensitive photos, the legal standing of police accessing the contents of a phone is becoming a more pivotal issue, one which Apple seems to be addressing.

Last month, Godox announced that they were working on a flash unit that was specifically designed for smartphones. Now, they've made the Godox A1 available for presale. We already knew that the A1 would be capable of being used as an off-camera flash, a constant video light, or as a trigger for other Godox flashes. With the release of the product, we now have more specifics about the flash.

Facebook has put a fresh coat of paint on its app with an overhaul to some of the graphical elements. One major change of note for photographers is that profile photos that appear alongside comments and in the newsfeed will now be circles instead of squares.

Smartphone video is seemingly getting better by the minute. While they may still have a little way to go to match a $50,000 RED Weapon (though it's closer than you think), smartphones can be utilized to create videos of astonishing quality given the obvious limitations (small sensor, fixed focal length lens, noise issues created by limited ISO capability). In his latest video, popular YouTube photography personality Kai Wong discusses various tips to get the most out of your smartphone videography.

I can’t be the only one who dreamt of knowing which image would perform best on Instagram before posting a set or simply what picture people like best amongst a selection. A great photographer should be able to pick his images on his own, but sometimes, when it comes to social networks, it’s more complicated than that. Being able to know what is going to work best to schedule the images accordingly is a huge advantage. Well, there might be a solution out there, and it’s called Cinnac.

Let's face it, we all use our phones a little too often. The average person checks their device over 100 times a day. For this reason, I decided to use a fairly unknown hidden function on most smartphones to help curb my habits. Not only did it help tremendously, but it also brought some unexpected benefits to me as a photographer.

Here we have our first hands-on look at the upcoming RED Hydrogen smartphone they are preparing to release. As many of you know, RED is known for making high-end cinema cameras, but now they have launched themselves into the deep end of the smartphone world market.

In perhaps an unexpected move, a former senior vice president at Google has said that Android cameras are "years behind" the iPhone.

Chinese lighting manufacturer Godox has just released a few details about their most recent project: an off-camera flash for your smartphone. The Godox A1 is more than just a constant light, offering several options in what they are calling their first “phone flash system.”

Getting into video is often thought to be expensive. Buying new cameras, new lenses and specific gear such as stabilizers or fluid head tripods. But what if you could save some money and film with your iPhone, while still getting an amazing quality out of it? In a recent video, Matti Haapoja from TravelFeels gives us a few ideas on how to create cinematic looking footage with our smartphone.

We've all seen those inspiring commercials which claim to have been shot entirely on a smartphone. While technically they were captured with the device they are trying to sell to you, it is often with some heavy equipment adaptation which has always felt a little fraudulent to me, even if they do mention it in the small print which no one reads.

Instagram Stories have quickly become a popular way for photographers, videographers, and other creatives to share real-time work, behind the scenes clips, and other interesting miscellany with their audiences. As their popularity continues to grow, here's how to to make your Stories stand out amongst the crowd.

There are many professional photographers specializing in automotive photography who would find this disturbing. It's really possible to create professional looking images using your smart phone. All you need to add is a tripod, ND filter, and some post production to give your images something special.

A little earlier this month we published a review of ACDSee Pro for iOS. Some people seem not to understand fully the purpose of being able to edit pictures on a smartphone, so to make it clearer, I decided to follow up with a tutorial. The goal is to show you the possibilities offered by ACDSee Pro but also give you some ideas on how to use such an app while on the go.

Blackmagic Design have brought new functionality to the URSA Mini Pro, their flagship camera. Keeping up with the times, users will now be able to download an app in order to control the camera. The best part? They’re letting the public create their own custom versions.

"Could you Photoshop this for me?" I'm pretty sure that's something every photographer hears on a far more regular basis than any of us would like. I get it, people want better photos. Maybe they didn't see that trash can in the background, or they couldn't get everyone with their eyes open at once, or they didn't like the color of shirt they were wearing in the photo. Whatever it is, chances are you've been asked to fix it at one point or another. Well now you don't have to, now you can just refer your friends to Mendr.

The year was 1997: Celine Dion's heart went on, a sheep named Dolly became the first cloned mammal, and the camera phone was born. See the story of how a man's daughter's birth inspired the invention of one of the most ubiquitous devices in the world.

It was less than a year ago I sat here and told you guys about the brilliant Google Pixel and how it was truly an iPhone killer for those wanting to give Android a go. The way manufacturers are building incredible hardware around Google's Android system is far better than it was years ago, and today OnePlus is doing just that with their brand new OnePlus 5.

Deep in the heart of Shenzhen, China, OnePlus is burrowed inside the teeming tech hub. With the smartphone race being dominated by major manufacturers, it’s difficult to see OnePlus competing. They’re hoping that hard work and keeping their pulse on the upcoming available technology, that they can take on the best.

Sneaky advertising is annoying. People often use their social media following to their advantage, featuring paid content to promote products, but the problem is that they often don't disclose that, leaving the consumer possibly tricked into believing it's an honest endorsement. With both the FTC and Instagram itself taking notice of this problematic trend, the company is introducing a new feature to help eliminate the issue.

June 29 of this year will mark the ten-year anniversary of the iPhone's introduction to the world. It has, for better or worse, revolutionized many things about modern life, including how we document it through photos. Here's how the landscape has changed and will continue to evolve.

With the importance that social networks now take, our work as photographers has evolved into something entirely different over the past few years. Nowadays, images must be edited faster than ever, and, sometimes, that means not being able to use our computers, but having to rely on mobile solutions. One of such solutions is ACDSee Pro for iOS, which will allow you to edit your pictures on the go with a straightforward and easy-to-use interface. In this review, discover how it could improve your workflow, whether you are a photographer or an Instagrammer.

You can't go wrong with the narration of Carl Sagan or Alan Watts when it comes to making a video and showing scenes of the great places such mountain ranges, lakes, beaches, and landscapes we have on this planet. Apple took it upon themselves to use this narration in their latest ad campaign. I am impressed with the quality of the footage. The color, the slow motion shots, and to a degree the dynamic range which handled the situations very well.

This video displays basic tips for a person looking to start vlogging or capturing video to showcase their skills. It's aimed at beginners, although there are some great tips for the avid shooter too. How to create a dolly-like effect using only your body, and how long a shot should last to make it something the viewer can actually focus on and absorb is included. It's practical and the video is only two minutes long.

Leica is a company that is synonymous with premium quality at a premium cost in the photography industry. So when Leica co-engineered their second-generation dual-lens camera with Huawei and placed it on the affordable $599 Mate 9 smartphone, I was eager to try it out.

Apple started the WWDC17 event yesterday which is used to introduce the new features to the developer community, for them to use and create new apps with. So here we take a look at what Apple has introduced and what we can expect from our devices in the following months once they launch it.