As a smartphone camera user...

[Guytronic]

My most often used feature of any smartphone I've owned has always been the camera.
I was always one who really enjoyed manual shooting in years past which mostly proved pleasurable before the digital age.

Thinking about this I started wondering if my smartphone camera had made me a better photog or a lazy one.

I think the latter is true for myself being mostly a point and shoot type these days.
The one thing I try to do more often now whenever shooting pictures is to spend a little longer composing.

What about you?

• Are smartphone cameras too complex?
• Do you care to take time with your shots?
• Would you like to be a better photographer?
• Do you shoot pics of random things everywhere all the time?
• Are you the artful type that loves that one in a thousand shot?
• Is it OK to let the camera in your smartphone do the thinking for you?

 

[RaRa85]

I love how Nokia paved the way with the Lumia line for optical image stabilization and manual mode for photos. Today I enjoy shooting in RAW with any of LG's flagships though I have the V20 now. I shoot 99% of the time in manual adjusting shutter speeds snd ISO and depending on what effect I want, I use manual focus. With a system like what LG has and even Huawei and Samsung I think smartphone photography is in a great place. And with old classics like the Lumia 1020 and Pureview 808 and that amazing lossless zoom and phones with dual camera setups like the LG G5, V20, Huawei Mate 9 and portrait mode in the iPhone 7 Plus the opportunities are not only endless but thoroughly enjoyable and fun. And that's what a camera experience should be whether you just point and shoot or love to tinker like I do.

 

[RumoredNow]

Q: Are smartphone cameras too complex?
A: No. I can appreciate the manual settings, if not always use them correctly and they do have full auto for whenever and whomever...

Q: Do you care to take time with your shots?
A: I really do. Most of the shots I take have little in the way of "shoot now" urgency so I frequently take more than one shot, use more than one app and/or get into at least some settings. Even for spontaneous shots.

Q: Would you like to be a better photographer?
A: Yes, please.

Q: Do you shoot pics of random things everywhere all the time?
A: Pretty much if they fall into my interests.

Q: Are you the artful type that loves that one in a thousand shot?
A: Hopefully I get a good one out of every thousand.

Q: Is it OK to let the camera in your smartphone do the thinking for you?
A: Sure. No matter how much I fiddle pre and post shot, point and click still has its place.

 

[AccentAE86]

Yes, I love taking photos with my 950. I am a professional photographer and choose my phones based on the camera. The Lumias are hard to beat. I've even tried a professional shoot with my 1020, and took my favourite landscape of 2016 with my 950. I like that it can be complex and manual, or fully automatic. I use both modes, depending on my situation. It's great.

 

[Laura Knotek]

Are smartphone cameras too complex?

No, since I learned how to take pictures on an all-manual 35mm film camera.

Do you care to take time with your shots?

Yes, because I learned how to take pictures on an all-manual 35mm film camera, where failure to compose shots resulted in wasted film.

Would you like to be a better photographer?

Definitely! I don't think one can ever stop learning.

Do you shoot pics of random things everywhere all the time?

Not really. I shoot pictures of things that interest me. I've never been a fan of nature photography (doing it myself). I enjoy looking at nature photographs, but that's not a subject that I enjoy shooting.

Are you the artful type that loves that one in a thousand shot?

Yes. I'm still trying to capture the perfect lightning bolt.

Is it OK to let the camera in your smartphone do the thinking for you?

It all depends. I'll use auto for shots of fast moving subjects or quick shots, but I prefer manual for other shots.

 

[raycpl]

I have used film SLR, DigCompacts & DSLR (although not the top of the line models). Taken loads of picts . When I got the 920, my DSLR began to collect dust in the drawer. The convenience and low/poor light shots was so much better.
Nowadays, the DSLR is used when I'm on holiday for some 'serious' shooting...
The best equipment a photographer has is two feet, and whatever camera he has on him, in my case, its always the hand phone


... !!

 

[aximtreo]

Does anyone use a dedicated light meter when using your smartphone on manual. I use to have a Gossen meter that I used with my manual 35 mm camera but it got lost in the shuffle somewhere.

 

[Guytronic]

Does anyone use a dedicated light meter when using your smartphone on manual. I use to have a Gossen meter that I used with my manual 35 mm camera but it got lost in the shuffle somewhere.

Still have an old Kodak light meter in my photo junk box that works.

Tried using light meter apps and gave up since I guess they aren't that necessary these days.
I remember the later SLR's had a light meter built into the viewfinder.

By the way...
...still looking for that "one in a thousand" after 44 years of snapping pics Lol ...

 

[RumoredNow]

By the way...
...still looking for that "one in a thousand" after 44 years of snapping pics Lol ...

Thanks for the inspiration: http://forums.windowscentral.com/photography-lounge/453492-1-1000-a-new-post.html

 

[RaRa85]

Here's some footage of the circus that I captured recently with my V20. I think its cool that we can take something so small in our pockets and create content worth remembering and cherishing. This was all shot and produced on the phone. https://youtu.be/K6L-sEQfuZw