# New phone v Fujifilm kit



## Moscool (Jun 8, 2003)

Crossroads, here we are...

I'm now almost always leaving my heavy DSLR and Canon 'L' glass at home, although the superiority of its results is obvious compared to my iPhone 6...

So the choice is now:

1) Buy a cheap (ahem...) modern iPhone, sell the DSLR and buy a light APS-C only system such as Fujifilm

2) Buy an iPhone 11 Pro and ditch everything else, knowing that I can always rent kit for a week for this 'trip of a lifetime'

Any views?


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## ChilBear (Mar 20, 2005)

I just read about an iPhone camera adapter that accepts 52mm filters and had an aha moment. I have a 7+ because of the camera and still use my canon on occasion but do not carry it either. One thing I don't like is the Apple HEIC format - no option and always resaving to send JPGs to others so they can open


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

A lot depends on what you do with the images. If you consistently make large prints (11x14+) then the DSLR has to be your best answer. Computer slide shows on high res monitors, yeah you will really see the difference. Ditto big time image crops.

Personally about the only thing I do with my images nowadays is display them on either on a 1344x1008 20 inch monitor or on a 1920x1080 monitor. Share a few over the internet. And occasional limited cropping 8x10 prints. For all of these my Fuji XP 90 waterproof is up to the task, plus it's light weight, waterproof, shock resistant and generally fairly easy to use, with sufficient exposure compensation to handle some fairly tough lighting situations.

I have a lovely old Linhoff 4x5 that can take out of this world images. It cannot do that sitting in a box in the basement. The Fuji is usually in my coat pocket when I step outside the door.


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## Moscool (Jun 8, 2003)

eMacMan said:


> A lot depends on what you do with the images... my Fuji XP 90 waterproof is up to the task, plus it's light weight, waterproof, shock resistant and generally fairly easy to use, with sufficient exposure compensation to handle some fairly tough lighting situations.


Very interesting. I have always found that an APS-C was just right for my needs (detail and depth of field) so that would point to a higher end compact or a mirrorless system. Have you tried the artificial depth of field settings on modern iPhones? How natural do they look? 
Also, I've never tried to use RAW on an iPhone. Any success with that?


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

I'm in the same boat as you are; I rarely lug around the DSLR and lenses. My wife recently got an 11 Pro, and I'm impressed enough with the results, even in low light, that I'm considering selling my gear and getting one myself.


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## eMacMan (Nov 27, 2006)

Moscool said:


> Very interesting. I have always found that an APS-C was just right for my needs (detail and depth of field) so that would point to a higher end compact or a mirrorless system. Have you tried the artificial depth of field settings on modern iPhones? How natural do they look?
> Also, I've never tried to use RAW on an iPhone. Any success with that?


Don't own an iPhone and probably never will. If a higher end compact is adequate for your needs then that is where I would start my search.

If memory serves Fuji has a fairly compact camera with a larger sensor, but it lacks the wicked zoom range of many cameras with smaller sensors.


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

Moscool said:


> Have you tried the artificial depth of field settings on modern iPhones? How natural do they look?


On the dual (or triple) lens phones, it's actually pretty convincing. There are some situations that confound the system, but for the most part it's good, sometimes as good as a fast SLR lens. It's the consistency that's the problem. Mind you that can be offset by being able to change the depth of field after the fact.




Moscool said:


> Also, I've never tried to use RAW on an iPhone. Any success with that?


Unless I'm in a hurry that's all I shoot. I find low light pictures get botched pretty badly noise processing wise, but are somewhat more recoverable in RAW. 

"Moment" is my go to app lately for shooting RAW.


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## Moscool (Jun 8, 2003)

polywog said:


> "Moment" is my go to app lately for shooting RAW.


Looks like I should sell everything and then try out a new phone.

Tell me a bit about Moment: do you use it instead of Camera? Do pictures go into the Photos library?

Thanks!


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

Moscool said:


> Looks like I should sell everything and then try out a new phone.
> 
> Tell me a bit about Moment: do you use it instead of Camera? Do pictures go into the Photos library?
> 
> Thanks!


I actually picked up an 11 Pro Max over the weekend, but held on to the DSLR in the meantime. It's so close to be great, but there are still use cases where the DSLR would fare better (aside from obvious things like telephoto lenses, speed lights, pixel density.) 

I'll try to get a couple of samples up for you to gauge for yourself. PM me if interested. Long story short, noise is still a problem, 1:1 is disappointing. Focus can be hit and miss. Night mode is fantastic (I've done hand held 3 second exposures with no visible camera shake) but it's limited to the "main" lens. With adequate light there would be very few times where I'd regret leaving the DSLR behind.

Moments is a separate photo app. It's got a pretty simple but power interface. The photos are saved directly to Photos library, so you can edit with iOS's baked in Photos or a 3rd party editor. I find for raws, I end up processing in Affinity Photo either on my iPad or Mac.


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## Bigmac02 (Jan 20, 2015)

So far, I would imagine the fujifilm, modern iPhone would seem the most doable??’Go w the underdog


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## CubaMark (Feb 16, 2001)

I love my iPhone (7, I'm not in the vanguard) and the photos it takes, but... having had a DSLR (*sniff* "had"), I can't imagine not having the flexibility of a camera that affords optical zoom, interchangeable lenses, filters, etc. Am I being a fuddy-duddy when I state there's no camera phone on earth that could compare with a dedicated DSLR setup?

I mean, it comes down to your needs and working style. Though there is the adage, that necessity breeds creativity


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## polywog (Aug 9, 2007)

CubaMark said:


> Am I being a fuddy-duddy when I state there's no camera phone on earth that could compare with a dedicated DSLR setup?


Well, there's no better camera than the one you have with you 

I tend to agree with you. I find phones tend to be great for some use cases, 'good enough' in many and not worth using in others. In the future I don't think sensor quality is going to be the limit, it's the glass you can't replace.


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