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Since upgrading to the Apple iPhone 4S several months ago, it has increasingly become my daily camera of choice. As it’s the device that I seem to have with me almost every minute of the day, I no longer have to kick myself for not having a way to capture an unexpected moment or scene. In this multi-part series, we’ll be discussing several photography tips for capturing surprisingly good images with the iPhone. Please note that these articles will be discussing photography tips for the iPhone 4S, Apple’s latest and current model, and its associated technologies and capabilities.
With a focus on simplicity and design, Apple products have long held an interest for graphic professionals from a range of specialties.
Their photo and video editing packages and the processing speeds of their Mac line of computing products can reduce the amount of workflow time for pro photographers and videographers drastically. So it was only a natural fit that this philosophy of pushing the boundaries of technology in the interest of the evolution of artistic capabilities would trickle down to handheld devices such as the iPhone line.
If you’re either new to the iPhone, or new to taking the iPhone seriously as acceptable device for capturing images when your DSLR isn’t handy, these photography tips will walk you through some of what can be done with the device, as well as what cannot be achieved with satisfactory results.
First things first…the gear.
The iPhone 4S camera is essentially an 8 megapixel point and shoot which will hold resolutions up to 8×10 inches in print. With an infrared filter and an f2.4 aperture, the quality of the optics surprisingly rivals many point and shoot options on the market. The device also uses an LED flash which can be set to auto or turned on and off as with any camera, and it can also be turned on for low-light video situations. The video capabilities of this small device are mind-blowing, as it can capture full 1080HD video, large enough to eat up the storage quickly even on the high-end model with 64GB of storage. Apple claims that the image signal processor used on the chip within the 4S is as powerful as any point and shoot on the market and as I’ve noticed no lag time with the shutter speed of the device, I believe this is clearly a true statement.
Getting into the basics…hold it steady!
One of the drawbacks to a device this small is its light weight. With a DSLR unit, the bulk of the camera is often enough that we can eliminate much of the motion which would blur our images simply by resting the weight of it in our hands. This is not the case with the iPhone 4S. At 4.9 ounces (140 grams), it can be very difficult to hold the phone steadily enough to eliminate motion. This was especially noticeable on a recent trip I took with my family to the beach, where even the light winds made shooting video a difficult task without inducing motion-sickness to viewers during playback on a large screen.
If you’re serious about toting your iPhone around as a viable alternative to packing your primary camera everywhere you go, think about getting a small travel tripod or monopod. After our trip to the beach, I picked up a Studio Neat Glif Tripod Mount for the phone, which is essentially a bracket that clips onto the device and ads a threaded tripod compatible mount. I also purchased the Joby GPM-D1EN Gorillapod, which I think is one of the absolute most brilliant pieces of gear that I now own. Between these two products, I can now place the camera in a steady enough location to reduce most motion blur.
Digital zoom…don’t even think about it!
As you would probably expect, the iPhone 4S (as well as older models) don’t have optical zoom capabilities due to their slim design and instead rely on digital zoom. If you’re not familiar with this term, essentially whereas optical zoom capabilities of telephoto lenses allow us to magnify our image using the glass within the lens, a lens that does not have this technology uses digital zoom which is not really “zoom” at all. It just enlarges a portion of the images that you select, which quickly degrades image quality. And it degrades it quite drastically.
Therefore, to produce acceptable close ups with the iPhone 4S, you’re left with two options. The first is very simple: just get closer to your subject. This will produce good image quality without relying on the digital zoom function. However, this is not always possible in every scenario. Manufacturers have started to address the lack of optical zoom capabilities within the iPhone by producing miniature telephoto lenses which are mounted to the device. While these are not even close to what you would mount to your DSLR in terms of optics quality and reach, they do a surprisingly good job for a mobile device. I picked up the telephoto lens from Photojojo and while it’s not ever going to win an award for the most durable product on the market, it claims up to an 8X zoom, which is the equivalent of around 200mm. I’m not precisely certain whether it reaches those actual numbers, but it does do the job in a pinch if you’re trying to capture an image of wildlife on the opposite side of a pond and it’s just not feasible to approach by foot.
