In the fall of 2017, I was in the market for a new smartphone. I had a pretty basic Android phone before, but decided to go with an iPhone 8S. One of the major reasons was the rapid advancement in the camera quality of the iPhone and the fact that many now just use their phones for all photographic activities. In addition, I’ve been an iPod and iPad user for many years and the 8S fit well into my workflow.
Now three months later, I find that I use my 8S for a lot of the shots I would have used my Sony DSC RX-100 for in the past. Since I almost always have my phone with me, I’m now ready to take photos at all times. The lead photo is a good example; I was out walking around during a -15 degree C evening and came across the equipment of the local tourist railway awaiting its next run.
There are a growing number of applications to control the iPhone camera and I have tried several:
- The basic iOS Camera app is pretty good for snapshots and videos.
- Manual is a iOS app that lets the user control shutter speed, ISO and the focus point. It produces both jpg’s and RAW/DNG files that can be imported into Adobe Lightroom for further processing.
- Halide is a newer iOS app that also allows the user full control over the camera controls. It too produces RAW files. I’ve only just got Halide and am still trying it out.
All in all, I’ve found the iPhone 8S to be a good addition to my gear. I still prefer my DSLR for serious photography work, but as they say: “The best camera is the one you have with you.”
