There have been plenty of occasions where someone has asked me which camera they should buy up to a certain price point. My first question almost always is to ask them what smartphone they currently have. The reason for this is because smartphone cameras have come such a long way that they’re now viable tools for photography and video.
I’m pretty certain that many other professionals have recommended that beginners use their smartphones too and there are several reasons as to why this is brilliant advice. I should clarify that this is not aimed at people who are looking to operate as professionals, nor is this a sponsored or affiliated post in any way shape or form.
It’s Not the Camera
I imagine that almost every professional at some point in their career has told someone that it’s not the camera but it’s the photographer. This is especially true if you’re a beginner because in my experience, many who are just starting out as photographers or as videographers tend to focus on the gear more so than the actual craft. This is predominantly why saying it’s not the camera is a great way to get beginners to start thinking about the important aspects; like composition, lighting, use of colors, and storytelling. Of course, as you progress in your career and become more adept at your craft, the tools you use will start to become more important to your preferred workflow. For beginners however, that’s not necessarily the case and it tends to be more important to draw their focus to the subject as opposed to the gear. On that basis it doesn’t matter if someone who’s just starting out is shooting on an iPhone, a medium format camera, or a Red. Chances are the results they will be producing will be very similar regardless of the gear.
The most convenient camera to shoot with on a small plane.
Works great for cigars too.
It's Not the Settings
When you’re starting out in photography trying to figure out all of the settings can be a little overwhelming. Understanding how the exposure triangle works in any given scene can be a little tricky. Of course, these are settings that professionals and experienced photographers should know, however, if you’re just starting out, it’s really not that important.
The most important thing about photography and almost any artform is composition. A badly composed image is a bad image regardless of if the settings are correct. For this reason, starting out with an iPhone can be great way to develop the properly valuable skills.
The interface of the iPhone camera allows you to step away from the settings and focus on the content. Adjusting the exposure with an iPhone is extremely intuitive and easy to do. If a scene is too bright or too dark then one can adjust it with a simple tap on the screen. Developing skills related to good composition, lighting and use of colors are far more important than knowing what ISO you should select. What’s even better is the fact that if someone did want to understand camera settings then there are apps that allow you to shoot in manual.
My favorite photography app is ProCam which offers some brilliant options including full manual controls. For video, many people seem to recommend Filmic Pro although I don’t personally have any experience with this app. In any case the point is that with iPhone you can avoid being bogged down by settings and instead just go out and shoot.
Does it matter that this image was shot in auto?
Why iPhone and Not Any Other Phone?
Simply put, the current iPhone is the most well-rounded smartphone for photographers and videographers. In terms of photography the iPhone offers incredible image quality for a smartphone especially with features like "Deep Fusion." This individual feature produces images with a great deal of detail and low noise even in tougher lighting scenarios.
The other reason is that the iPhone for a number of years now has consistently offered the best video features. Even now, none of the other major manufacturers offer video features that are as good as the ones in iPhone. Features like being able to shoot at 4k 60 fps and Full-HD at 240 fps are not available in any phone from any of the other major smartphone manufacturers. These types of features aren’t even found in many top-end DSLR and mirrorless cameras which makes iPhone a fantastic choice. Due to this iPhone is a more well-rounded device for both video and photography.
The Best Camera
This is probably one of the biggest cliches within the photography industry, but, it’s still relevant and very true. The best camera is the one that’s with you. Your smartphone is almost always with you and it makes sense to make full use of it. In my experience there have been a good number of individuals who have wanted to get into the industry only to end up wasting money on cameras and lenses. They ended spending up a good deal of money on a new gear, only to find they hardly ever use them. This is a very common mistake that many beginners seem to make. It takes far more effort to pack a bag with cameras, lenses storage cards, and charged batteries and many times people just forget.
The other reason is that it's difficult to go out and shoot with equipment you don't fully understand. Most of your time will be spent trying to figure out how the gear works or trying to figure out your mistakes instead of actually shooting. The camera then becomes a hindrance and that saps away any passion you initially had. It would be prudent to build and develop your passion for photography before spending lots of money on a camera system you may not fully understand or appreciate.
iPhones now offer incredible options both for photography and videography. Not only that but in this small compact device you have three very useful focal lengths to shoot with and an interface that can be described as idiot proof. With these three focal lengths you can comfortably shoot many of the different genres within photography.
If you are building an interest in photography, then my advice would be to avoid spending lots of money on a new camera and simply use your phone.
I have comfortably shot architecture with just an iPhone and it performs extremely well in many situations.
The Best Device to Learn on
Smartphones like the iPhone are incredible devices to learn and develop new skills. This one device can take photos, edit images, and upload them onto all of the major platforms. You can learn how to edit your images while you edit your images all on one portable device. If you’re unsure of something or there’s something you’d like to learn then it’s so easy to open up the YouTube app and search for whatever you’re looking for. Smartphones are the only device that allow you to do everything related to photography up to a certain point. For a beginner, almost everything that’s required to learn and develop their photography skills are available within this one device.
Final Thoughts
Our industry has a very steep learning curve. Couple that with initial cost of equipment and it can be quite off putting for people looking to explore their talents. Based on that it makes more sense to just use the best device you probably already own. As many people have pointed out, devices like the iPhone have democratized our industry and this I think is a wonderful thing.
You are wrong.
I use the latest iphone 11 pro and have mostly ditched my SLR. Nota Bene: I am not a professional but love photography and for my purposes my current iphone is easier to use and mostly takes better photos than my SLR.
My only advice is look at getting a little Fuji like the X100t etc, phones are amazing (as my comments above state) but a compact mirrorless is awesome to carry around
To embellish your point, it is all of the apps that create the value proposition of the iphone in general not just photography. However, the new iPhones (since IP 7) have the capability of raw image capture, that truly is a game changer for someone who is moving up to more advanced photography.
I wasn’t disagreeing with your basic point. I merely embellished it to say that the apps increase the value proposition of the phone no matter the application. I didn’t entirely understand your last point. I will attempt to interpret it. iPhones had the capability of doing raw image capture starting with iPhone 7. No matter what app you have for raw capture, it will not work on an iPhone that does not have the native capability. You are correct that the stock app put out by Apple does not allow the user to access raw capture. I, for instance, use Procamera. The raw capture is like any other raw file. It is in the DNG format and can be uploaded into Lightroom and has all of the attributes of any other raw file. I can also process using the Lightroom app on the iPhone. I have advised many novice photographers to go this route before spending a ton of money on a traditional camera just to get started.
Similar argument can be made about large format vs full frame.
35mm isn’t a real camera lol. That tiny sensor cannot compare :-).
Well you didn’t make a good point in the first place. I’m just pointing out the flaw in your argument. You can’t simple assert something isn’t a real camera just because you think that to be the case.
Point out why you think it’s not a real camera. Anyone can just make a claim; put some effort behind your claim.
I am ok with your points when you speak facts but the following comment from you is absolutely false: "Also using a single "raw" image from a cell phone is useless pretty much because iphones make an image out of multiple images when you take a snapshot". An Iphone takes a DNG file. I've personally used Raw Digger and Raw viewer to verify that it is a real raw capture. It creates a companion jpg just as you can with an SLR. So, you can go around using the word stupid. However, during an otherwise civil conversation, you have exposed your abject ignorance.
It is obvious to me that you have never shot a raw image on a Iphone. It is no different than a raw image on any other device. I will grant you that a raw image from a camera with a larger sensor will be superior. Nevertheless, I have processed and printed raw images from iphone that are quite usable. It is not my primary camera. However, they can be used to help new people learn the basics of photography. Two other things. You provide no support for your contention that an iphone uses multiple images to create a DNG file... at least, cite your references. As far as continuing the debate, you took first blood by implying that I was stupid. We were having a good debate, but you my friend took it to the gutter. I used the word ignorant because you made empty statements without proof. Have you ever shot a raw file on an iphone? Have you ever printed an image from an iPhone? Well I have done both of those things because I was curious enough to see the results... I think that gives me a measure of credibility that you haven't demonstrated. So, if you want to have a meaningful interchange, provide your cred. Up to now, you've only done empty, meaningless, and yes ignorant ranting. I am using the word ignorant in the context of speaking without knowledge or accurate information.....
OK... fair point. I shoot a Canon 5DSR which is 50 Megapixel.. Of course it is not as good as that but it is still useful. I've attached an iPhone photo. I shot it as a DNG raw file and edited it in LR like I do with all my photos. It is a small abstract. Not a masterpiece but it has credibility. It has good color and good texture. I took it in a dark building with available light coming through one window.
iPhone literally did change the camera world lol. It's not a matter of opinion, you can't say IMO cause it doesn't matter; the fact remains.
Also saying that it's not a camera it has a camera is a completely fruitless point to make.
I've learn photography from workshops, tutorials, videos online, mentoring and just going out and shooting but I've never learnt about photography from any camera I've ever owned nor is that a claim I made. You use the camera the shoot with and use it to practice technique you have learnt you don't learn form the camera.
The point I'm making is that if you own X phone then maybe it's an idea to just go out and shoot with that as a beginner instead of buying a camera. You're getting super bogged down about iPhone vs Android it seems.
Nope I happily agreed I made a mistake about that above so not bogged down at all :-).
As smartphones get smarter as cameras, especially the iPhones, they tend to AI all the user's mistakes away. Yes, it does help learn composition, but so does a piece of cardboard with a hole in it (old school). Phone users tend to be fooled by phone AI as they shoot in awful conditions and get usable shots only to be disappointed when they upgrade to a real camera. Without the depth of field control or understanding lighting their shots really show the skills of the AI guys rather than the user.
All true and all proof that the iphone is the best camera for beginners. :)
I totally agree. I have the iPhone 12 and it is amazing. You can quickly turn off the AI stuff and shoot like a pro. It shoots raw and it has 3 lenses. Plus, there are enough apps out there to let you carry a darkroom around with you for post processing.