The Head-to-Head Battle: iPhone vs DSLR Camera

As I stood in Liverpool City Center with my trusty iPhone 5s and professional photographer Sam Mills and his Canon 60D, I couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement and curiosity. The question on everyone's mind was, which camera would come out on top? Would the pros of the DSLR outweigh the convenience and accessibility of the iPhone? In this article, we'll dive into the world of smartphone photography and explore the tips, tricks, and techniques that can help you get the most out of your iPhone camera.

First Things First: Understanding Exposure and Focus

One of the key factors in taking great photos is being able to see what you're doing. There's nothing worse than a blown-out image, where the highlights are too bright and the details are lost. In this case, I was using my iPhone 5s, which has an impressive fixed aperture of f/2.2. But how do I control exposure and focus? It all starts with opening up my camera app and deciding what I want to focus on. For this image, I wanted the landscape to stand out, so I simply tapped on the screen where I wanted the focus to be set. If I had wanted to expose more of the sky, I would have tapped on a darker area instead.

But how does exposure work? In simple terms, it's all about balancing the brightness and darkness in an image. When you tap on an area to adjust exposure, your camera adjusts the brightness accordingly. If you were to set my exposure to the bright sky, everything else in the image would darken. This is because the camera is trying to balance out the overall brightness of the scene. In contrast, if I was taking a dark scene and wanted to expose more of it, I would tap on the darkest spot, which would brighten up the entire area.

Another crucial aspect of photography is focus. And again, this is where the iPhone shines. With just a simple tap on the screen, my camera can quickly adjust its focus to ensure that everything in the image is sharp and clear. This works particularly well when the foreground object is close to the camera, as it creates a nice depth of field.

Ergonomic Grips: The DSLR Advantage

One of the things that struck me during this shoot was how much easier it was to hold onto my DSLR than my iPhone. With its ergonomic grips and contoured design, the Canon 60D felt like an extension of my hand. This isn't just a matter of aesthetics; it's also a practical consideration. When you're holding onto a camera that feels comfortable in your hands, you're less likely to get shaky or lose your grip.

This is where the iPhone really falls short. Without a dedicated tripod or stabilizer, it can be difficult to keep my phone steady while taking photos. But with a little creativity and planning, there are plenty of workarounds. For example, I could use a bench or a tree to support my iPhone, or even enlist the help of a friend to hold it steady for me.

The Grid: Unlocking Creative Potential

One of the most underused features on my iPhone is the grid option. This feature uses the basic theory of ruler thirds to help you compose your shots more effectively. When I enable the grid, it lines up the horizon and other key elements in the image according to this principle. It's a simple but powerful tool that can really help me get creative with my photography.

To use the grid, I simply go to my settings menu, select "Photos," and then toggle on the "Grid" option. This will display a subtle grid pattern over the screen, which I can use as a guide when composing my shots. By lining up key elements in the image according to this principle, I can create more balanced and visually appealing compositions.

Action Shots: The iPhone's Rapid Fire

One of the things that really impressed me about my iPhone was its ability to rapid-fire photos during action shots. Whether it was catching a sports game or capturing fast-moving scenery, my camera could quickly snap off frame after frame without missing a beat. This is thanks to the phone's advanced autofocus system and ability to process images quickly.

To take advantage of this feature, all I had to do was hold onto my shutter button until the action had passed, then select the best photo from the burst of frames that I'd captured. It wasn't always easy, but with a little practice, I found that I could really start to nail these types of shots.

Conclusion: Experimenting with Angles and Heights

As I wrapped up this shoot and began to review my photos, one thing became clear: the key to great iPhone photography is experimentation. By trying out different angles, heights, and techniques, you can really unlock the creative potential of your phone camera.

Whether it's taking a photo from low to the ground or experimenting with unusual vantage points, there are countless ways to challenge yourself as a photographer and push your skills to new levels. And as I looked through my photos from this shoot, I couldn't help but feel inspired by the possibilities that lay ahead.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhi I'm St Smith with cc.com so the iPhone is taking the place as the everyday camera today we're going to put it head-to-head with the professional DSLR to see how it Stacks up let's get started we're here in Liverpool City Center to put my iPhone 5s's camera against Pro photographer Sam Mills and his professional equipment all while showing you how to get the most out of your iPhone photography with a few basic tips accessories and apps Sam will be using a Canon 60D which has 18 megapixels and an ISO of 6400 for great low light photography along with a few spare lenses whilst I will be using my trusty iPhone 5S which only has 8 megapixels but those megapixels are larger than the standard along with the fixed aperture of f 2.2 the first thing about any good picture is obviously being able to see it there's nothing worse than a blar blown out image so one of the key factors to taking great photos with your iPhone is exposure and focus and this is even easier on an iPhone than it is on a traditional DSLR so what you do is open up your camera app and decide what you want to focus on so for this image I want the landscape to stand out all I do is simply tap and my exposure is set to it if I was to set my exposure to the bright Sky it will darken everything else and it's the same for dark scenes tap on the darkest spot and the camera's exposure will turn everything up bright once I'm happy I just tap and hold to lock my settings in and as you can see here's the original image really dark and dingy and here's the final one a lot brighter cleaner and more pleasing to the eye same goes for these shots once's the automatic exposure and once's fiddled and easier to see the subject I'm trying to capture and the same steps go for your focus simply tap on your subject and the camera will focus this works particularly well if your foreground is close to your camera creating a nice depth of field another factor that I noticed when going head-to-head against the DSLR is that the DSLR is a bit easier to hold whilst taking pictures due to its ergonomic grips there's no use spending all that time if you're still going to take a blury image if your hands are too shaky so another great tip is to always keep your iPhone stable you can do this by putting on things like a tripod or if you haven't got one of them available you can use benches trees or even people as well as keeping it steady you still need to frame your shot well so one of the most underused features on the iPhone's camera is the grid option which uses the basic theory of ruler thirds when taking a photo using this grid format what you want to do is line your subject matter up with these cross points it's where the human eye naturally Gra itage towards rather than putting your subject matter slap bang in the middle every time it's going to make your f a bit boring to turn the grid feature on just go to your settings then photos and Camera then simply switch the Grid on just like the slrs iPhones are great for action shots they can rapid fire photos so you can go back and choose the best picture from that best taking be shots on your iPhone couldn't be simpler all you need to do is hold on to your shutter and your iPhone releases a bur of photos and plac them neatly into a pile it automatically selects the best image from the burst and you can also get some really creative shots like these of Sam levitating although I'm going to need a bit more practice before I get to Sam's quality so my last and final tip is just to experiment play with different angles Heights Place things in the foreground the more unique shots that you get they're going to be more interesting to your viewers taking photos from different heights can really transform an image and even change where the eyes is being drawn to all of these tips combined will let you make the most of your iPhone's camera for everyday shooting holiday snaps or even if you're feeling a bit creative and what about the issue of using an iPhone or a DSLR well check that out in the second part of this video next Saturday when I'll be comparing shots sh you the best iPhone photography accessories and apps until then if you like this video please give it a thumbs up as it really helps us out and don't forget to hit the Subscribe button so you don't miss a single video from Cult of Mac 7 days a week also you can check out Sam's photography from the link in the description I'll see you next timehi I'm St Smith with cc.com so the iPhone is taking the place as the everyday camera today we're going to put it head-to-head with the professional DSLR to see how it Stacks up let's get started we're here in Liverpool City Center to put my iPhone 5s's camera against Pro photographer Sam Mills and his professional equipment all while showing you how to get the most out of your iPhone photography with a few basic tips accessories and apps Sam will be using a Canon 60D which has 18 megapixels and an ISO of 6400 for great low light photography along with a few spare lenses whilst I will be using my trusty iPhone 5S which only has 8 megapixels but those megapixels are larger than the standard along with the fixed aperture of f 2.2 the first thing about any good picture is obviously being able to see it there's nothing worse than a blar blown out image so one of the key factors to taking great photos with your iPhone is exposure and focus and this is even easier on an iPhone than it is on a traditional DSLR so what you do is open up your camera app and decide what you want to focus on so for this image I want the landscape to stand out all I do is simply tap and my exposure is set to it if I was to set my exposure to the bright Sky it will darken everything else and it's the same for dark scenes tap on the darkest spot and the camera's exposure will turn everything up bright once I'm happy I just tap and hold to lock my settings in and as you can see here's the original image really dark and dingy and here's the final one a lot brighter cleaner and more pleasing to the eye same goes for these shots once's the automatic exposure and once's fiddled and easier to see the subject I'm trying to capture and the same steps go for your focus simply tap on your subject and the camera will focus this works particularly well if your foreground is close to your camera creating a nice depth of field another factor that I noticed when going head-to-head against the DSLR is that the DSLR is a bit easier to hold whilst taking pictures due to its ergonomic grips there's no use spending all that time if you're still going to take a blury image if your hands are too shaky so another great tip is to always keep your iPhone stable you can do this by putting on things like a tripod or if you haven't got one of them available you can use benches trees or even people as well as keeping it steady you still need to frame your shot well so one of the most underused features on the iPhone's camera is the grid option which uses the basic theory of ruler thirds when taking a photo using this grid format what you want to do is line your subject matter up with these cross points it's where the human eye naturally Gra itage towards rather than putting your subject matter slap bang in the middle every time it's going to make your f a bit boring to turn the grid feature on just go to your settings then photos and Camera then simply switch the Grid on just like the slrs iPhones are great for action shots they can rapid fire photos so you can go back and choose the best picture from that best taking be shots on your iPhone couldn't be simpler all you need to do is hold on to your shutter and your iPhone releases a bur of photos and plac them neatly into a pile it automatically selects the best image from the burst and you can also get some really creative shots like these of Sam levitating although I'm going to need a bit more practice before I get to Sam's quality so my last and final tip is just to experiment play with different angles Heights Place things in the foreground the more unique shots that you get they're going to be more interesting to your viewers taking photos from different heights can really transform an image and even change where the eyes is being drawn to all of these tips combined will let you make the most of your iPhone's camera for everyday shooting holiday snaps or even if you're feeling a bit creative and what about the issue of using an iPhone or a DSLR well check that out in the second part of this video next Saturday when I'll be comparing shots sh you the best iPhone photography accessories and apps until then if you like this video please give it a thumbs up as it really helps us out and don't forget to hit the Subscribe button so you don't miss a single video from Cult of Mac 7 days a week also you can check out Sam's photography from the link in the description I'll see you next time\n"