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iPhone 4S Olympics photos put pro camera shots to shame

Monday, August 6, 2012 · 11:19 am · 26 Comments

“It’s no secret that mobile cameras are getting better and better, but a series of incredible Olympic snaps from one photojournalist prove just how far smart phone snappers have come,” Luke Westaway reports for CNET.

“The Guardian‘s Dan Chung has been collecting his podium-placing pics on one page, documenting the London 2012 games in an effort to test how well a tiny mobile would fare.,” Westaway reports. “And as it turns out, from athletics to diving to fencing, the results are very impressive.”

Sestaway reports, “Captions on Chung’s excellent photos reveal that he’s using an iPhone 4S…”

Read more in the full article here.

Dan Chung’s iPhone 4S photos can seen seen here.

Categories: News

Tags: cameras, iphone, iPhone 4S, iPhone 4S camera, iPhone camera, photography

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Comment Feed

26 Comments

Bongo

Monday, August 6, 2012 - 11:22 am · Reply

Neither of those shots are all that great, in my opinion. They certainly don’t put pro cameras to shame, that much is certain.
- ChrissyOne
  
  Monday, August 6, 2012 - 11:34 am · Reply
  
  Did you look at the whole catalog, or just ‘both’ those shots?
  - Bongo
    
    Monday, August 6, 2012 - 11:42 am · Reply
    
    I just looked at the whole thing now – some good shots but I stand by my assertion that it is not pro camera level (nor should it be, really). It is an awesome camera for a phone, but pro cameras still exist for a reason.
    - ChrissyOne
      
      Monday, August 6, 2012 - 12:16 pm · Reply
      
      The camera is irrelevant to whether it’s a ‘pro’ photo or not. Just different tools for the situation. There are of course things an iPhone can’t do, but there are also things a 1DX can’t do.
      We used to get excited about Leica’s because they were small, unobtrusive, didn’t cause subjects to get nervous, didn’t make any noise… no one ever wondered if a Leica was a ‘pro’ camera because they carry a pro price.
      iPhone is the new Leica.
      - C1, the Leica has ...
        
        Monday, August 6, 2012 - 1:57 pm · Reply
        
        …Pro Optics to brag of, and interchangeable lenses, and a bunch of stuff the 4s takes care of automatically. Compared to the cameras of its time, it was an amazing tool.
        The 4s is an excellent substitute for a low-end compact camera, in a pinch, but is hardly a better choice than a Pro model. Or even a better compact model. Still, within its range, it is an excellent choice.
        And then there’s the two factors where it shines! It is unobtrusive and it is likely to be in your pocket at all times. Even a truly compact camera can make some people weird and it makes for a second semi-bulky object in your pocket – beside the phone you always carry. And, even the better compact camera is only significantly better for those pictures the 4s can’t easily take. Extra wide angle shots, for example. Distance shots. High speed shots. Indoors without a flash shots.
        Yes, each has its place. Yes, both are quite capable. No, you shouldn’t obsess over the question “is the 4s good enough?”.
        
        ChrissyOne
        
        Tuesday, August 7, 2012 - 10:09 pm · Reply
        
        It’s funny how photographers as so quick to jump to one side – always about equipment, but in different directions.
        If someone mentions using a 1Ds – then it’s not the camera, it’s the photographer. “I can make the same images on my (whatever cheaper model they currently own)”.
        If they state that they only used an iPhone, then it’s a nice toy, but not a professional choice.
        People just get so hung up on the tools, and which is better, and which aren’t worthy – like a mechanic would only ever carry one wrench around. Photography is a unique situation every time it happens. The Best Camera for each situation depends on how much you can adapt to the box and how much the box can adapt to you. There is not one solution yet.
        
        You can adapt to the box – carry around a bag of yummy interchangeable goodness (or better yet, get an assistant to), hang a heavy thing around your neck, and make people run for cover. The tradeoff? Supreme image quality, fast, precise autofocus, compositional freedom.
        
        Or the box can adapt to you – it’s with you probably every moment. It’s attached to the internet and can publish photos with minimal time effort. It has lots of custom processing treatments that can be applied on the fly. It does not attract attention because almost everyone has one. The tradeoff? Lower image quality, limited focal length options, slower performance.
        
        You will experience situations in photography where one of these factors is more important or more limiting than the other. A product shot demands high quality, but a news event demands timeliness. Any one tool you find will have limitations as well as strengths in a given situation. A good photographer can predict which will do the job better, and be in the right place when the photons bounce their way. Once the image is made, then how it got there is mostly irrelevant.
    - Pat
      
      Monday, August 6, 2012 - 1:53 pm · Reply
      
      Set the Kool Aid aside as Bongo nails it on the end. Learn about photography and then comment. Most modern day smart phones take great pictures for daily driver devices but that is about it.
      
      Most folks cannot even speak intelligently about what megapixels are let alone the other 30 or so derivatives that affect a photographer’s ability to take shots that are considered professional quality.
      - ChrissyOne
        
        Monday, August 6, 2012 - 2:04 pm · Reply
        
        “Learn about photography and then comment.”
        
        HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
        
        twilightmoon
        
        Monday, August 6, 2012 - 3:55 pm · Reply
        
        In Pats defense you don’t post on here very often any more so maybe he has no idea who you are.
        
        ChrissyOne
        
        Tuesday, August 7, 2012 - 10:50 am · Reply
        
        I wasn’t trying to pull rank or expect anyone to know anything about me – the funny part was that he just entirely missed my point and got hung up on equipment. That’s all.
        But thanks for the props.
      - ...
        
        Monday, August 6, 2012 - 2:13 pm · Reply
        
        … ’nuff said. Clown.
      - Thomas
        
        Monday, August 6, 2012 - 5:09 pm · Reply
        
        Take a look at the photo works of ChrissyOne then make your comments after that. She’s good, statistically, she’s your master when it comes to photography.
      - Jeff II
        
        Monday, August 6, 2012 - 5:32 pm · Reply
        
        @Pat: Tip: Click on ChrissyOne’s name. It’s a link to her web site, which is pretty much all about her profession, which is – are your ready for it? – photography. In case you don’t want to click her name, here’s the link: http://chrissyone.wordpress.com
        
        But don’t be too embarrassed. Just don’t go off half-cocked again.
      - althegeo
        
        Monday, August 6, 2012 - 9:17 pm · Reply
        
        The best damn camera is the one you have with you.
        
        ChrissyOne
        
        Tuesday, August 7, 2012 - 10:51 am · Reply
        
        ^ THIS
BMWTwisty

Monday, August 6, 2012 - 11:36 am · Reply

I like the Schneider lens combo and the attachment mechanism and think this is probably the best after-market lens offering for the iPhone. The images are pretty good but you really have to work a bit more with this combo than with a 35mm and zoom lens. I think it proves the in-hand versatility of the iPhone as a multi-purpose platform. Good for Dan!
DJ

Monday, August 6, 2012 - 11:37 am · Reply

Good pix by Dan, but really more proof-of-concept than putting “pro cameras to shame”.

Having said that, the iP4S has an excellent camera onboard, and I use it a LOT.

In-cam post-processing is the area where the iP4S really does lead.
Joseph Blough

Monday, August 6, 2012 - 11:56 am · Reply

Second stupidest headline of the day. (No. 1: “Apple’s next big thing will be huge”)

MDN on a roll!
Agent Provocateur

Monday, August 6, 2012 - 12:05 pm · Reply

No- an iPhone 4 or 4S cannot put a Pro grade camera to shame. Nice Fanboi hype- but only if your standards and expectations are quite low.

A fixed lens phone camera by whatever manufacturer using name your pick technology is not going to be capable of doing the things a proper camera is easily capable of. Not saying you cannot take nice snaps with a point and shoot- which is essentially what a camera phone is- but it’s in no way a Pro grade camera.

Saying an iPhone 4s can put Pro shots to shame is like saying an iPod shuffle & earbuds can put a Mac Pro with Studio Monitors to shame because they can both play music files.
- Radio
  
  Monday, August 6, 2012 - 12:40 pm · Reply
  
  The iPhone is not a fixed lens camera
  It has a canon lens bayonet fitting attached.
  these photos really are superior to many of the pro shots I have seen of the Olympics.
  - Seriously? You see a ...
    
    Monday, August 6, 2012 - 2:11 pm · Reply
    
    … Canon bayonet mount somewhere on the 4s? I checked the iSight side and saw no mount at all. Checked the tech specs and saw no mention of such a feature.
    My daughter has a 4 with a third-party “lens mount” and a couple extra lenses. Better than the bare lens, but only considering the low price.
    Fact: most Pro shots suck. Added Fact: many of the shots the Pros send to the editors suck. That doesn’t mean that the Pros can’t, or don’t, take some amazing pictures! They do. You take enough pictures with ANY camera and you’ll get some excellent shots. Unless, of course, you are the clown in the setup. The 4s pictures I saw were mostly pretty good, at the size rendered. Better than most fixed lens shots. But, hardly better than the better shots from a more flexible camera wielded by a decent photographer.
Troy

Monday, August 6, 2012 - 12:19 pm · Reply

I don’t know what you see but here, it sure looks like the iPhone Olympics, every time that a mobile device is spotted in the TV, it is a iPhone, may be there was other phones, but the apple logo was in all the phones I saw in the public.
Lolopacific

Monday, August 6, 2012 - 1:14 pm · Reply

That’s the type of title that put an entire profession in the grave.

As if the camera makes the photographer.

You can’t print those photos bigger than a thumbnail. If you can’t see they are out of focus and not sharp it is the proof of the incapacity of people to judge a photography. This article is plain inept. Have the writer really seen a pro sport photographer photo close? It’s pissing me off.

I am a professional photographer and an so called fan boy. I only use my iPhone 4 as my personal camera so I don’t have to carry tons of equipment in my life.
omalansky

Monday, August 6, 2012 - 1:27 pm · Reply

What exactly is proved by posting these tiny snapshots? If they were printed, they would be the size of postage stamps. And shooting through a pair of binoculars?! That’s convenient! I call this a ridiculous stunt that proves nothing except how gullible most people are.
- Jonathan
  
  Monday, August 6, 2012 - 9:36 pm · Reply
  
  Couldn’t agree more.
  Also while we’re being grumpy curmudgeons: who the fuck gives two shits about the Olympics? Anyone who matters? Grrrraaarr!
ajendus

Monday, August 6, 2012 - 5:06 pm · Reply

I can’t say that my iPhone will replace my Nikon or Olympus any time soon from the pro standpoint, but admittedly, I have gotten some shots with my iPhone that people have gone as far as asked to buy and print.

The best camera is the one you have with you; the one that gets the shot. There are some pretty impressive images there on his site. Had I seen them on 500px.com, I don’t think I would have guessed they were from an iPhone.