smartphone photography I'm ready to take me some iPhone photographs!

[JLMoran]

OK, this is more of a post for @twangster and anyone else who's a bit of a hard-core photography hobbyist, especially those who want to work only with their phones so they're not carrying around a load of equipment everywhere. Feel free to skip this post if you'd like, I won't be offended. 

 

 

 

I finally got two of the Moment lenses I've been lusting after – the 2x 60mm equivalent telephoto lens, and the new 0.63x 18mm equivalent wide-angle lens – along with the required iPhone case, a wrist strap, travel case, and lens cleaning pen. Will see about grabbing the 170º ultra-fisheye, but first I still need to grab a filter adapter and CPL, maybe also an ND filter.

I took a couple of quick photos from my computer desk and my front door, since I still can't move around much, but they show the effect each lens has pretty clearly. Sorry for the big uploads, but I wanted to preserve as much detail as I could. I applied the Photos app's auto-enhancement tool to each, since manual editing is something I'm still learning, I don't own a copy of Photoshop or Lightroom (although I have Pixelmator), and I do find the automatic edits in Photos to be pretty good to my eye most of the time. I took all three from the exact same position, sitting in my office chair or standing just outside my front door; all I did between shots was add / change the lens attachment. First, the indoor shots:

Control picture taken from my computer desk with no lens attached. According to the Photos app, this was taken with ISO 80, f/2.2.

 

Picture taken from my computer desk with the 0.63x 18mm equivalent wide angle lens, also ISO 80 and f/2.2.

This wide angle lens seems pretty nice at first pic, at least from what I can see. I'm not noticing any significant distortion or vignetting in the corners, and the sign on my daughter's bedroom door is still plenty readable. You can also see how sharp my eyeglasses in the lower right corner still look, again without any noticeable distortion to the shape of the frame or lenses as you get to the corner. I do notice there's a fair bit of noise in the shadowy space between the computer room door and desk, but I can't say without taking more photos if that's an artifact from the lens or just the limitations of iPhone 6s camera's sensor and image processor. Considering this is the first time I've ever used a wide angle, I'm not going to judge the lens beyond what I can see here; would be interested to hear feedback from the others here who are a lot better versed in lenses and photography on how they'd rate this particular lens.

 

Picture taken from my computer desk with the 2x 60mm equivalent telephoto lens, again ISO 80 and f/2.2.

I like how this lens magnifies the image and keeps things like the sign on my daughter's bedroom door perfectly legible, never mind how clearly it shows the ragged edge of where I mucked up the paint job around the door trim.  But I do notice some smudging or artifacting in the upper right corner, where I'd expect to see clean wood grain, and similar issue with the picture frame in the upper left corner. One thing I realize I didn't do before taking these photos was take the lens cleaning pen I made a point of buying and use it on the phone's lens before taking these shots. But even after doing that and taking another set of indoor test pics, I still saw the blurring and smudging; definitely something of an issue with this lens, unlike the wide angle. Is that common with telephoto lenses, or at least the ones designed for phones? I thought I had read that this Moment lens in particular was less subject to the barrel distortion problem.

 

Now the outdoor pics, taken on a rather gray and dreary day:

Control picture with no lenses attached; ISO 25, f/2.2; this wound up being an auto-HDR shot, which I didn't pick up on until after I was back inside, so the image is noticeably different than the other two even after applying auto-enhancements.

 

Taken with the wide angle lens, again ISO 25 and f/2.2, but no HDR.

Still no noticeable distortion in the corners that I can see. This shows a little more clearly how much wider the picture becomes using this lens. Not at all clear why this image came out so much darker than the original, even allowing for the application of HDR by the phone on the control image. The portion of the image taken up by the sky is about the same as in the control image, so I wouldn't expect the phone to be lowering the exposure that much. Possibly because of the coating on the lens, which is described as "low flare, broadband anti-reflection? Something I'll have to keep in mind when using this lens outdoors.

 

Taken with the telephoto lens, still ISO 25 and f/2.2 before applying the auto-enhance, and this is also not an HDR image. Here even more than the indoor image, I can see the barrel distortion in the corners. Not horrendous and something I could crop out in post, but I'd have preferred to have an image as clean at the corners as I find with the wide angle lens.

 

This pretty much wraps up the full set of equipment I plan to take with me, apart from the aforementioned filter adapter and CPL; Moment recently announced their own adapter that's designed to work with both of these lenses, but it's not scheduled to ship until "Spring 2018" and may not be available until after I have to fly down to FLL. I'm going to wait until the start of March, and if there's no clearer picture on the shipping time, I'll have to settle for either no CPL while taking my outdoor shots, or else I'll fall back to a smaller adapter and CPL from Moondog Labs that I found but is only compatible with the tele lens; it doesn't work at all with the wide lens as it's too big, but if I get the super fish lens I could use it with that as long as I'm willing to accept some vignetting around the edges and then crop it out in post. But I think it would be smarter long-term to just skip any adapter and filters until the correct one that works with all the lenses is actually available.

 

The full set of what I plan to bring with me can be seen in the below photo. It all fits on my computer keyboard shelf, and the total weight is only a couple pounds (most of that from the gimbal).

From left to right, we have:

• Rigiet 3-axis gimbal (for getting smooth video while walking around port areas or the ship)
• ShoulderPod hand grip and tripod mount
• Ultra-Pod mini tripod (may leave this one at home, given I also now have the GorillaPod, but it may be handy on a place like the helicopter deck, if I want to take night shot; just would likely need to brace it with my hands if there's any wind)
• Moment iPhone 6s Plus Case
• Moment 2x tele lens (below the case, on the left)
• Moment wide lens (below the case, on the right)
• Moment travel case (with lens cleaning pen clipped inside)
• Camalapse mount for taking time-lapse video that incorporates a slow pan (I'm thinking of using this while capturing a sunset / sunrise or two, maybe find another situation where it could work nicely)
• GorillaPod magnetic mount mini tripod (hoping I can use this on the helicopter deck at night, as I really want to try and get some star shots; will fall back on the Ultra-Pod if the phone plus ShoulderPod combo is too heavy for the magnets)

 

44 days until embarkation!!! I cannot wait!

[monctonguy]

Ah yes.....the days of the good old point and shoot are long gone.....lol

 

But I will be looking forward to seeing the pics of the cruise that you'll get using all these!

[JLMoran]

OK, I re-read the description of that tele lens, and it apparently does acknowledge up front that there is a drop off in focus on the edges and corners. From the product description (emphasis added):

Quote

Sharp in the center with natural drop-off on the edges, you can capture more intimate shots of people, nature, and travel scenes. It’s 60mm focal length will get you closer to the subject so you don’t have to rely on digital zoom. While its natural depth of field becomes even more dramatic when shooting on the newest devices.

So I shouldn't have been surprised by the edge blurring even on the indoor shot; on the outdoor shot it's totally expected, it would seem, and either I'll want to crop it out in post, or leave it there for deliberate effect.

[twangster]

The biggest problem I see is that these are not taken on a cruise ship 

The telephoto outdoor picture does display some chromatic dispersion in the upper corners.  You can see the dark blue edge of the tree on one side a slight yellow glow on the other side.  You'll have to experiment a bit more in different lighting to see how visible it is under various conditions.  It appears worse in the bright background in the upper left and it may be the lower corners also have this but without the bright light it isn't as evident.  Something to play with or be aware of using the telephoto.

Nice kit.  Certainly a lot smaller than mine 

[LetsTryThisPlace]

How does the case let the lenses mount? Do they screw right to it? I have just the crappy clip-on type but I may have to 3D print something for my phone. I do want to get the gimble one of these days but might need to wait till next cruise especially since my wife wants to get another lens for my DSLR I already have. She is wanting to try and learn it more. 

[JLMoran]

22 minutes ago, LetsTryThisTech said:

How does the case let the lenses mount? Do they screw right to it? I have just the crappy clip-on type but I may have to 3D print something for my phone. I do want to get the gimble one of these days but might need to wait till next cruise especially since my wife wants to get another lens for my DSLR I already have. She is wanting to try and learn it more. 

The Moment lenses have a bayonet-type mount. You line up the white line on the lens with the line on the outside of the case, then insert the lens into the opening on the back of the case and turn 90º to lock it. After that it's quite secure. This video shows how it connects.

 

[JLMoran]

By the way, it seems that the folks at Moment also did a gimbal shootout recently. My particular didn't make the cut, most likely because it was a kickstarter project and it's effectively superseded by the DJI Osmo 2 (same price, full feature set of the original DJI Osmo plus some improvements). Had the Osmo 2 existed when I bought my Rigiet, I'd certainly have bought from the known brand rather than a newcomer. But I'm happy with what I've gotten for myself.

[LetsTryThisPlace]

Here is the one issue with a Chinese phone is the aftermarket products. But since I like tech, I do have a 3D printer so I may have to print myself something like that for my lenses. Do I have the time though 

[accio7]

So, I own an iPhone 8 and enjoy taking photos while on vacation but it is not my primary camera. I use a Canon point-and-shoot/non-SLR camera for the majority of pictures. Which iPhone photo accessory would you recommend if you were only to purchase one? I'm really not familiar with cameras in general, but would like to improve my photography skills. (I just can't afford an SLR camera right now.)

Thanks ahead in advance :)

[LetsTryThisPlace]

28 minutes ago, accio7 said:

So, I own an iPhone 8 and enjoy taking photos while on vacation but it is not my primary camera. I use a Canon point-and-shoot/non-SLR camera for the majority of pictures. Which iPhone photo accessory would you recommend if you were only to purchase one? I'm really not familiar with cameras in general, but would like to improve my photography skills. (I just can't afford an SLR camera right now.)

Thanks ahead in advance :)

Are you looking to spend a small amount or go for pretty good setup? I know @twangster shared something elsewhere. I bought a kit for about $15 that's a good starter kit. I bought it for my last phone (which I killed  ) and it was actually not bad for the price. However, you can also go all out and get a really nice set for $150 really depends on what you're looking for. If I get a chance tomorrow morning I'll try out the lens and post some pics too (although I do not own an iPhone so final images may vary slightly)

[accio7]

2 minutes ago, LetsTryThisTech said:

Are you looking to spend a small amount or go for pretty good setup? I know @twangster shared something elsewhere. I bought a kit for about $15 that's a good starter kit. I bought it for my last phone (which I killed  ) and it was actually not bad for the price. However, you can also go all out and get a really nice set for $150 really depends on what you're looking for. If I get a chance tomorrow morning I'll try out the lens and post some pics too (although I do not own an iPhone so final images may vary slightly)

A basic kit is fine unless there is one accessory in particular which you consider essential for photography. I have seen lenses for sale in the Apple Store, but never paid them much attention LOL. 

Thank you so much!

[LetsTryThisPlace]

Just now, accio7 said:

A basic kit is fine unless there is one accessory in particular which you consider essential for photography. I have seen lenses for sale in the Apple Store, but never paid them much attention LOL. 

I do like the functionality of the one that @JLMoran has with that case, it is a great way to do it. Not sure on the cost of that though. This is the one I got (price is now $22) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NH0DLHS/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[JLMoran]

38 minutes ago, accio7 said:

So, I own an iPhone 8 and enjoy taking photos while on vacation but it is not my primary camera. I use a Canon point-and-shoot/non-SLR camera for the majority of pictures. Which iPhone photo accessory would you recommend if you were only to purchase one? I'm really not familiar with cameras in general, but would like to improve my photography skills. (I just can't afford an SLR camera right now.)

Thanks ahead in advance :)

Well, if you're mostly looking to improve your photography skills, it might not be a bad idea to start off with a photography class or just read up on some general techniques from sites like dpreview.com. There are a decent number of classes on Udemy.com, and most of those typically go for around $10-15, so it's not a big outlay compared to getting a lens set or the like. I've used Udemy for some tech training I needed at work and I can say that the well-rated classes do seem to deserve that rating, and the typically low cost of a class makes it easy to try out a couple and see which ones work best for you.

Not being flip here, I've read a lot of sites that all say a variation on, "Don't worry about adding lenses or other things until you've got the basics down for things like framing, composition, any manual controls your camera offers, etc. After you have a solid grasp on that, any investment you make in lenses or other kit will return even more to you." I've tried to follow that, and for the longest time I've just worked on trying to take good photos with my iPhone even knowing all the limits it has. I've gotten enough positive feedback from friends and family that this is the first year I'm seriously looking at extra lenses and such.

If I had to pick just one item to start with, I'd personally go with a clip-on CPL filter for my phone. Most of my photography is done outdoors on vacations and family outings, and a CPL helps a ton with eliminating glare and improving the overall photo in bright sunlight. You can find those on Amazon, and they tend to be fairly cheap (under $20).

If you want an actual lens set to try out, then I'd say go with the Olloclip 4-in-1. Gives you wide angle, fisheye, and two macro lenses. No telephoto option, but their separate tele clip with a CPL on the other end has gotten fairly uneven reviews and probably isn't worth the money.

 

3 minutes ago, LetsTryThisTech said:

I do like the functionality of the one that @JLMoran has with that case, it is a great way to do it. Not sure on the cost of that though.

This was an expensive investment, for sure. Almost $300 total: Each lens cost $99, plus the cost of the phone case (which is like another $35 IIRC). Then there was the travel case, wrist strap, and the lens cleaning pen. You don't have to get all of those, of course; each lens comes with a cover and little microfiber travel bag so you can just throw it in your pocket or backpack if you'd like (and feel safe letting it jostle around). You could get the phone case and one lens, then build up from there as your funds allow. The good thing is that the design of these new lenses allows them to work with any current and future iPhone or supported Android model -- you just need the case for the specific phone and your lenses are perfectly good to go. So the initial cost isn't complete throwaway.

I mainly bit the bullet on this after asking for birthday money from family instead of gifts, and getting enough to cover it, as I've had a lot of other expenses for myself and the family this year besides covering cruise fare, and buying lenses is definitely a "can put off another year if needed" kind of thing. May spend a little of my year-end bonus as well to "fill the gaps" for the filter adapter and filters, but have to see after I've taken care of other outstanding items.

A big driver for me was that tele lens, as there are very few lens add-on companies that sell telephoto lenses, and Moment was one of only a couple that got generally good reviews and also worked with a case instead of requiring a "naked" phone or some other attachment mechanism like a small plate or other incomplete covering for the phone. I do as much video recording as still photography, and having a good telephoto lens to get me closer to what I'm recording and "neutralize" the inherent wide angle view of the standard iPhone lens, is really handy. And since I'm a total klutz, having it attach to a case instead of through a clip or other means that could detach is really helpful, too.

[accio7]

11 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

Well, if you're mostly looking to improve your photography skills, it might not be a bad idea to start off with a photography class or just read up on some general techniques from sites like dpreview.com. There are a decent number of classes on Udemy.com, and most of those typically go for around $10-15, so it's not a big outlay compared to getting a lens set or the like. I've used Udemy for some tech training I needed at work and I can say that the well-rated classes do seem to deserve that rating, and the typically low cost of a class makes it easy to try out a couple and see which ones work best for you.

Not being flip here, I've read a lot of sites that all say a variation on, "Don't worry about adding lenses or other things until you've got the basics down for things like framing, composition, any manual controls your camera offers, etc. After you have a solid grasp on that, any investment you make in lenses or other kit will return even more to you." I've tried to follow that, and for the longest time I've just worked on trying to take good photos with my iPhone even knowing all the limits it has. I've gotten enough positive feedback from friends and family that this is the first year I'm seriously looking at extra lenses and such.

If I had to pick just one item to start with, I'd personally go with a clip-on CPL filter for my phone. Most of my photography is done outdoors on vacations and family outings, and a CPL helps a ton with eliminating glare and improving the overall photo in bright sunlight. You can find those on Amazon, and they tend to be fairly cheap (under $20).

If you want an actual lens set to try out, then I'd say go with the Olloclip 4-in-1. Gives you wide angle, fisheye, and two macro lenses. No telephoto option, but their separate tele clip with a CPL on the other end has gotten fairly uneven reviews and probably isn't worth the money.

 

This was an expensive investment, for sure. Almost $300 total: Each lens cost $99, plus the cost of the phone case (which is like another $35 IIRC). Then there was the travel case, wrist strap, and the lens cleaning pen. You don't have to get all of those, of course; each lens comes with a cover and little microfiber travel bag so you can just throw it in your pocket or backpack if you'd like (and feel safe letting it jostle around). You could get the phone case and one lens, then build up from there as your funds allow. The good thing is that the design of these new lenses allows them to work with any current and future iPhone or supported Android model -- you just need the case for the specific phone and your lenses are perfectly good to go. So the initial cost isn't complete throwaway.

I mainly bit the bullet on this after asking for birthday money from family instead of gifts, and getting enough to cover it, as I've had a lot of other expenses for myself and the family this year besides covering cruise fare, and buying lenses is definitely a "can put off another year if needed" kind of thing. May spend a little of my year-end bonus as well to "fill the gaps" for the filter adapter and filters, but have to see after I've taken care of other outstanding items.

A big driver for me was that tele lens, as there are very few lens add-on companies that sell telephoto lenses, and Moment was one of only a couple that got generally good reviews and also worked with a case instead of requiring a "naked" phone or some other attachment mechanism like a small plate or other incomplete covering for the phone. I do as much video recording as still photography, and having a good telephoto lens to get me closer to what I'm recording and "neutralize" the inherent wide angle view of the standard iPhone lens, is really handy. And since I'm a total klutz, having it attach to a case instead of through a clip or other means that could detach is really helpful, too.

Big thanks to both you and @LetsTryThisTech for your recommendations and guidance, this was outstanding :)

[JLMoran]

Actually, since you have an iPhone 8 I'd make one other suggestion, if you want to start seriously learning the manual camera controls and getting a little more control over your pictures, rather than letting the phone make all the decisions.

There's an app named "Halide" that has gotten a lot of positive reviews. It's $5, and while it has its own automatic mode that's generally gotten good reviews, it also gives you the option of full manual controls while also shooting in RAW format if you want (not required). It's gotten a ton of positive reviews from experienced photographers, and supposedly doesn't have too steep a learning curve. Many controls are gesture based so you don't have to deal with really deep menu controls or the like.

This app has become the one after Camera+ that I pretty consistently see as a "must have" app for serious iPhone photography, especially on the newer models that support RAW format.

As far as other apps that I'd recommend, there's Camera+ and then a pair of long-exposure / slow shutter apps I've installed for night-time photography: Slow Shutter and NightCap. The latter seems to be the better of the two from playing around with both, but I've kept them since each has slightly different features.

[accio7]

2 hours ago, JLMoran said:

Actually, since you have an iPhone 8 I'd make one other suggestion, if you want to start seriously learning the manual camera controls and getting a little more control over your pictures, rather than letting the phone make all the decisions.

There's an app named "Halide" that has gotten a lot of positive reviews. It's $5, and while it has its own automatic mode that's generally gotten good reviews, it also gives you the option of full manual controls while also shooting in RAW format if you want (not required). It's gotten a ton of positive reviews from experienced photographers, and supposedly doesn't have too steep a learning curve. Many controls are gesture based so you don't have to deal with really deep menu controls or the like.

This app has become the one after Camera+ that I pretty consistently see as a "must have" app for serious iPhone photography, especially on the newer models that support RAW format.

As far as other apps that I'd recommend, there's Camera+ and then a pair of long-exposure / slow shutter apps I've installed for night-time photography: Slow Shutter and NightCap. The latter seems to be the better of the two from playing around with both, but I've kept them since each has slightly different features.

I love this forum, you guys are so nice and helpful! Thank you! ???

[Lovetocruise2002]

59 minutes ago, accio7 said:

I love this forum, you guys are so nice and helpful! Thank you! ???

+1 here

The people here are wonderful!

[rjac]

1 hour ago, Sabrinaklai said:

The people here are wonderful!

We have fun here, share info and don't complain....too much...unless it's about a certain pizza on board or RC's math computations on the drink package discounts. But, it is  GREAT place to hang out and learn. 

[Lovetocruise2002]

23 minutes ago, rjac said:

We have fun here, share info and don't complain....too much...unless it's about a certain pizza on board or RC's math computations on the drink package discounts. But, it is  GREAT place to hang out and learn. 

Agreed 100%

[LetsTryThisPlace]

So I made a boo boo and forgot the kit this morning (needed a coffee before I left the house and never got one) so will need to do it tomorrow instead.

[accio7]

12 hours ago, Sabrinaklai said:

+1 here

The people here are wonderful!

 

10 hours ago, rjac said:

We have fun here, share info and don't complain....too much...unless it's about a certain pizza on board or RC's math computations on the drink package discounts. But, it is  GREAT place to hang out and learn. 

 

9 hours ago, Sabrinaklai said:

Agreed 100%

Thanks for the positive feedback, @Matt and his staff have built up a great community :) I'm growing tired of the constant negativity on a certain cruising message board, so this is a nice change :) 

Just to stay on topic, I'm thinking of enrolling in one of Apple's free photography workshops this weekend, specifically one of these courses. They really sound interesting and think that it would be a good start for me!

[LetsTryThisPlace]

25 minutes ago, accio7 said:

Just to stay on topic, I'm thinking of enrolling in one of Apple's free photography workshops this weekend, specifically one of these courses. They really sound interesting and think that it would be a good start for me!

Not sure on the courses as it looks to be location based but that should help you for sure. I am thinking they might even get into the app settings so you can learn what different things do. 

[JLMoran]

50 minutes ago, accio7 said:

Just to stay on topic, I'm thinking of enrolling in one of Apple's free photography workshops this weekend, specifically one of these courses. They really sound interesting and think that it would be a good start for me!

That sounds like a nice little class to take! Long as you have an Apple Store nearby, they're a great resource!

There is also "iTunes U", which was offered directly through iTunes but is now an app that you download to your phone. Bunch of free classes there that are like Udemy in that you go through them at your own pace, but a lot of them are affiliated with colleges and other institutions that have real teachers who will evaluate your work.

[Matt]

On 2/15/2018 at 1:13 PM, twangster said:

The biggest problem I see is that these are not taken on a cruise ship 

This!

[Lovetocruise2002]

3 hours ago, Matt said:

This!

He's getting there!!! ?

What is it @JLMoran? 40 days now?!! or is it 39....

[JLMoran]

47 minutes ago, Sabrinaklai said:

He's getting there!!! ?

What is it @JLMoran? 40 days now?!! or is it 39....

40!!!! W00T W00T W00T!!!