Tag Archives: iPhone

Destination, Gear, iPhoneography, Photography, Travel

iPhone 6S for travel photography

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iPhone 6S Camera App
iPhone 6S Camera App

My wife and I recently visited Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  We traveled around the entire island.  As you can imagine, the scenery and sites where quite picturesque.

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Image from petapixel.com

Just before leaving on our trip we upgraded our iPhone from 5S to 6S.  I was and continue to be very impressed with this rendition.  The camera stills and 4k video are outstanding.  We opted for the 64GB model thinking we didn’t want to run out of space due to large amount of photos and videos.  We didn’t even come close; a 32GB model would have suffice, but that is no longer an option.  In total, I alone shot 77 panoramas, 35 Selfies, 22 Videos and hundreds of other photos.

The panorama feature is by far my favorite.  As a photographer that has shot, stitched and edit numerous panorama’s from a DSLRs files – using an iPhone for this purpose is almost effortless.

12 day photo map
Map Module in LR

Another wonderful feature is the geo tagging of every photo.  The GPS data is nice to have when you import all of your photos into Lightroom.  The Map Module quickly and easily displays all of the location your used your iPhone.  I do have a GPS device for our Nikon DLS.  The Nikon GP-1A GPS Unit seemingly takes a while to lock in its position.  I don’t want to spend my time waiting on a green light to take a photo.  I leave it home more frequently now that I shoot with both my DSLR and iPhone.

Image from digital-photography-school.com
Image from digital-photography-school.com

Our Nikon D700 and iPhone 6S each have a 12MP sensor.  Hard to believe.  The sensors are very different though.  The D700 sensor measures 36x24mm and the iPhone just 4.8×3.6mm.  I am amazed at the quality that something so tiny can produce; however, It does have many limitation.  It doesn’t even begin to perform as well as the larger one.  Low light, action and overall quality are very different.  But when you consider ease of use, size, and the complete package the iPhone places in your finger tips; in my opinion it is hard not to consider it a serious camera for traveling and a complete replacement for a point and shoot camera altogether.  With the addition of a third party camera app like ProCamera, you have most manual setting at your fingertips.  I like ProCamera as it also allows you to insert your copyright info into the EXIF data of every image.

A new feature on the recent iPhone release is Live Photo.  It is an interesting and entertaining feature.  The result is both an image file and movie file; when you import the photo into Lightroom, the .jpg is hidden.  Your options and solution to this issue can be found [here].

Stay tuned for deluge of photos I captured while on holiday in Ireland.  I’ve reviewed and processed all the photos from my iPhone thus far and have a few thousand to work through from other cameras I shot with.

iPhoneography, Photography

iPhoneography p4 – Fish Eye

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Previously published @ outdoorguyphotography.com // iPro Lens System Parts: 1 |2 | 3 | 4

My fish eye arrived and I was instantly enthralled by the extreme field of view (FOV).  This lens is even more fun than the super-wide or macro.  With a 35mm equivalent of 12mm – this is super duper ultra wide lens 2.5 times wider than the iPhone all on its own.

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iPhone Lens Specifications

LENS iPhone Fisheye
DESIGN N/A 3 elements
FOV STILL 62° 160°
FOV VIDEO 46° 120°
35MM EQUIVALENT STILL 30mm 12mm
35MM EQUIVALENT VIDEO 42mm 16mm

I volunteered at the local Humane Society to do pet photos with Santa this past season.  We were in a small room at the facility.  This appeared to be a perfect place to demonstrate the seemingly all-encompassing fish-eye.  You can see from the two images below the difference this lens makes.

iPhone only
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iPhone with Fish Eye lens
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The 160 degree FOV really captures the scene.  I was able to get a fellow photography completely in the frame as he AirDropped his Christmas list on couch as we waited for the next wave of pets.

photo 2

photo 1

I can wait to get this lens out in nature when it warms up some.  There is no doubt unlimited potential for fun with it.

Wrap Up

photo 5If you are looking to expand on your iPhone’s photographic capabilities, definitely check out the iPro Lens System from Schneider Optics.  Just so we are square, I was fortunate enough to receive this IPRO 5S TRIO KIT SERIES 2 kit free, no strings attached in the mail.  Schneider Optics did not ask for a review or have any other stipulations; it just arrived in the mail.  I was very surprised and impressed.  I have enjoyed it so much that I bought the fish eye lens and some other accessories.

I do believe this is a solid, quality product.  There is a telephoto lens available, but I struggle to see the point and only mounted it once.  Additionally, there isn’t a whole lot of difference between the wide and super-wide.  Either one or the other would be adequate I am sure.  The only other item to note is the case required to use the system.  This is only a minor annoyance given the fun I’ve had with this product.

 

iPhoneography, Photography

iPhoneography p3 – Super Wide Angle

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Previously published @ outdoorguyphotography.com // iPro Lens System Parts: 1 |2 | 3 | 4

The following images were captured at the dining room table yesterday evening. 0IP-MACR-S2 This set was taken at home with the iPro Lens System; utilizing the macro lens.  I am pretty impressed with its ability to get in there close and capture such detail.  I maintain that these lenses can create some pretty incredible images with an iPhone. The tip of the knife blade has some interesting detail.  There is lint on my ring – in a few different locations.  I was even more impressed with the quarter.  These images have been even sharper had I utilized a tripod. The fish eye lens has arrived and I has been a lot of fun with it…more on that later.

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iPhoneography, Photography

iPhoneography p2 – Super Wide Angle

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0ip-spwa-s2Previously published @ outdoorguyphotography.com // Parts: 1 |2 | 3 | 4

The following images were captured during a trip to Estes Park, CO this past November. These two photos were taken at The Stanley Hotel with the iPro Lens System; utilizing the .45x Super Wide Lens (14mm in 35mm equivalency).  The first perspective is from the front lawn/patio.  The second photo is of the central staircase on from the second level.

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outdoorguyphotography-0154 As you can see there is some barrel distortion which super-wide angles lenses are known for.  It is a fun lens to attach to your iPhone and explore the possibilities.  This lens was fun to use and has been my favorite thus far.  I an eagerly awaiting the arrival of the fish eye lens 🙂 Here are two more photos; the first is from inside Rocky Mountain National Park.  After our wedding ceremony, Cyndie and I explored the park a bit (still dressed up) in the late afternoon light.  The second photo is what we encountered as we returned to Estes Park.  The local elk heard was milling about.

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iPhoneography, Photography

iPhoneography p1 – iPro Lens System

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Previously published @ outdoorguyphotography.com // Parts: 1 |2 | 3 | 4

iPhoneography is no doubt not a new term to most of you.  I  am just now getting around to really exploring it.  For those that still may linger in the dark and are unfamiliar, it is the combination of “iPhone” and “Photography.”  Super clever eh. ||more on that||

I didn’t abandon my bulky DSLR for those new-fangled, fancy-dancy point and shoots; I am certainly not going to give it up for a picture-taking-phone-thingy either.  There is no denying the convenience and even performance of today’s camera phones. These smart devices have already affected the camera market and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.  As I mentioned in a earlier post, The Future of Photography, people are buying point and shoot cameras less and simply relying on their smartphones for their photography needs.  There are fun things you can use in conjunction with smartphones that make the experience perhaps somewhat more desirable.

1I recently had the pleasure of receiving an iPro 5S Trio Kit Series 2 from Schneider Optics (retail $229.00).  I was instantly impressed and wowed.  This system is a hardware add-on that allows you to screw on lenses; it’s magnificent.  |

2The Trio Kit has everything you need to immediately enhance the quality of your iPhone 5S photos. In the kit you’ll find the cleverly designed case, molded to firmly but comfortably fit your iPhone 5S. The iPro handle can attach to either side of the case and serves as both a tripod mount and a case for your lenses. The Tele, Super Wide, and Macro lenses bayonet easily on to the case providing options to add width, depth, and details to all your shots.

These little lenses deliver some impressive results.  The build quality looks and feels substantial.  I have no complaints.

0ip-spwa-s2
IPRO .45x Super Wide Lens S2 Specs (35mm Equivalency):

Still Mode Video Mode
iPhone Native Lens 30 mm 42 mm
with iPro Super Wide 14 mm 19 mm

0ip-tc00-00
IPRO 2x Tele Lens S2 Specs (35mm Equivalency):

Still Mode Video Mode
iPhone Native Lens 30 mm 42 mm
with 2x Tele Lens 60 mm 80 mm

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IPRO Macro Lens S2
With 2.5X magnification the new Macro lens provides razor-sharp details enhancing emotion in your portraits and giving your very small subjects a very big presence.  From flowers, stamps, coins, and jewelry, to that weird bug you found in the bathtub, this Macro Lens has you covered.

There are two other lenses currently available:  wide-angle and fish-eye – full list here.

I brought the iPro lens system with me on a recent trip to Colorado.  It travels well with its very compact size.  The handle/tripod holds the lenses well while not in use.  All I have mentioned thus far are what I receive to be pluses.  To be fair, this system isn’t perfect, but close.  My iPhone is in an Otterbox.  To use this system I have to dig it out of the case and switch it up with the system-specific case.  There isn’t really any other way to screw a lens on without having the special case.  I am not sure this is a con.  The case is sturdy, but does lack full frontal phone protection.  If Schneider Optics would have partnered up with Otterbox on this venture, it would be perfect.  Schneider Optics really did their homework on this and produced a real quality product that is very easy to use and well made.  The iPro Lens System is currently available for iPhone 4/5, Galaxy S4 & iPad Mini.

What do these lenses look like in action?  I will post photography examples in an upcoming post:  iPhoneography p2.  I really look forward to seeing what I can do with this system while working with the limitations of camera phones.