The camera on iPhone 5

[Eric Hardy]

I had been thinking of buying a small pocketable camera to keep with me at all times because my DSLRs and lenses weigh a lot so are not always to hand. Anthea, very reasonably, suggested that I really didn’t need yet another camera (I have five, with the Canons 450D and 60D in constant use) so I did a bit of lateral thinking and bought myself the iPhone 5 instead – I thought that wouldn’t count  . It is still a new toy and I tried out its panorama setting on Fingest church, which is about six miles from us (good Midsomer Murder country). You just set it in panorama mode, touch the camera symbol, slowly pan round and press “done” when finished. The iPhone does all the stitching together before saving. The quality astounded me. Here is the shot.



Eric H

[NightHawk]

How very coincidental that you started this topic off Eric.

We're about to change our current mobile phone contract, and have been favouring the iPhone 5.

As you know we already have an iPad so exchanging data between the two devices will be extremely beneficial.

I always carry a small digital compact camera around with me for convenience, which just slips into my pocket.  I actually tend to use this more now than my Nikon D60 DSLR, especially when we're out Geocaching.  The quality of the photos are excellent, and I don't always need to have a depth of focus shot to bring emphasis to a particular subject.  As you know, compact cameras have a fixed focus so all the scene is in focus.  If I need to isolate anything in the photo I can always do that in post-production with Photoshop CS5.

I am VERY impressed with the quality of your photo Eric, and I'm sure you're going to be using your new 'toy' very extensively from now on.

As you say, much less cumbersome than the full size digital cameras you own, which are not always practical to carry around with you.

You'll always (or should have unless you forget  ) have your phone with you should you need to call for assistance for whatever reason.  So you're not likely to miss that 'photographic opportunity' either.

[Eric Hardy]

Thanks Laurie. I too have an iPad, another toy (I don't see why being 86 should prevent you from enjoying toys  ). What is so amazing is that they talk to one another. Any entry I make in my iPhone  "contacts" miraculously appear in my iPad "contacts"; equally any photo I take with the iPhone appears in the iPad photo stream. I know that up there somewhere is an iCloud but the technology just baffles me  . I have given up trying to understand how when you are looking at a photo in portrait format you can turn the iPad or iPhone through 90 degrees and the photo swivels round. It makes me think that the next computer should be an Apple/Mac but I don't think I can justify that expense quite yet while the old computer is still in working order (just).
By the way, did you see all the panorama, it comes out rather large on my computer so I had to scroll across to see it.
Eric H

[NightHawk]

As long as the technology works for you Eric, and you're actually getting the results you want from it, then you don't need to fully understand the bare bones 

I don't think age should be a barrier to technology either.  If you've got the interest in it to begin with, then that's half the battle.

A few years ago, when Windows 95 was the current Operating System, I put myself through some college courses to learn Computer Configuration & Maintenance and Networking.  I learned how to diagnose hardware faults and how to build a computer from the base upwards.  I also learned how to network computers for home use and in an office environment.

At the end of the course I got my City & Guilds certificates and could have gone into a computer administration job if I'd been so inclined to follow that path.

However, the knowledge I had gained was really for my own benefit.  I just wanted to have the confidence to deal with any computer problems myself, instead of paying extortionate charges for calling out computer engineers.

The knowledge has enabled me to do just that.

I too am inclined towards going for an Apple MacBook Pro when my current laptop decides not to play fairly with me and needs replacing.  However, the cost of Apple Macs are considerably more than Windows PCs, so unless they come down drastically in price I may have to resort to staying with Windows.  (Unless I win the Lottery of course  )

Regarding your iPhone panorama photo here, I can see it all on screen at once without having to scroll.  I do have a widescreen laptop so that's the reason there.  I wanted a big screen area for all the graphics work I do, so that was the reasoning behind it.