“The iPhone is the mobile device of choice these days for doing most things that need a network. So it shouldn’t be a surprise that the phone has carved out a prominent place on Yahoo’s photo-sharing site, Flickr,” Stephen Shankland reports for CNET.
“The Flickr Camera Finder, Yahoo’s statistical counter of camera use among its members, shows that since the arrival of the iPhone 3G model earlier this year, the phone has vaulted not only over all other camera phones, trouncing the Nokia N95 in second place, but also almost all ordinary cameras,” Shankland reports.
“Right now the iPhone is in a virtual tie with Canon’s Rebel XT and Nikon’s D80, two SLRs whose popularity is waning with the arrival of newer models from the dominant makers of such cameras. Only Canon’s newer Rebel XTi outranks the iPhone,” Shankland reports.
“My guess is the iPhone’s better-than-average network abilities are responsible for the prominence. For the same reason, iPhone users also use Google Maps and other online services more than most mobile device users,” Shankland reports.
Full article, with graphs, here.
In other words, the (oft-argued as) crappy 2-megapixel camera isn’t good enough for any serious picture-taking. Yet, in the competition with DSLR Rebel, it comes up right there. Let’s not forget all those other cellphones with more megapixels and built-in flash.
As with all other things, it is very clear that feature set alone (as in a bullet-point list) does not a successful cellphone make (or an MP3 player, or a sub-notebook, or a desktop computer). Builting a feature set that 95% of people will use 95% of the time is the holy grail and Apple has found it.
Oh, and by the way, MDN, your link to the full article points us right back here. Feel free to delete this paragraph once the link is fixed.
In addition, when you consider all the myriad camera and photo apps now available for iPhone, it opens up a lot of new creative possibilities.
just wait til Apple puts a great camera in their next phone… one can hope at least…
It is still one of the crappiest cameras on I have had on a phone since my Sidekick 2. The shutter speed is slow and you it is difficult to take pictures of yourself. I would like a better shutter speed and the ability to reassign the button, bottom line.
I love my iPhone camera. It does quite well for what it was intended. I have a good stand-alone digital camera, but the iPhone takes quite good pictures and has one very big advantage — it’s alway with me!
People say that the iPhone camera isn’t good enough for serious picture taking, fair enough, but how many people with cameras that are good enough actually use them for anything other than disposable snaps for which almost any image would do. Not a majority. It would be nice if it had a better camera but it’s just not a deal breaker.
Hey you guys!
The link for the full article, with graphs is
http://macdailynews.com/index.php/weblog/comments/19504/
i.e., this same article.
Please fix the recursiveness, MDN!
Having an iPhone is like having a polaroid in your pocket. It’s not the best quality camera, but very convenient, fast, and enough quality to get the message across. Flickr stats say it all.
But wait, the Sony Ericsson t3429 has 34 dopelpixels and has a better quality aspect ratio. Also, the Samsung DG346BOOYAKASHA has a double doppleganger and a 2.343 aspect ratio quickener, so it must be the best…
…right?
iPhone bitch. Read it and weep.
I’m with Jamie.
Check out this iPhone photo
http://www.flickr.com/photos/macbart/3132023180/
Better yet. Here’s the larger version. Not bad for a phone?
And the camera is not one of iPhone’s stronger features. It’s the ease of use in getting the photos online that makes the difference. More mega-pixels is not so relevant.
iPhone will continue to be the phone that is used to full capability by its users, instead of the so-called “iphone killers” with more (or higher spec) features that users do not bother figuring out how to use.
The best camera is arguably the one that takes the best pictures. And in my experience, the best photos don’t come from the camera with the most megapixels or even the best image quality. They come from the camera you have with you when you want to take a picture.
@ Sum Jung Gai
Exactly!
If you build it well, they will use it.
I have over 14,000 images in my Flickr photostream — most taken with one of several Canon point & shoot cameras.
I still use a camera when making a specific trip to an event or to a location but the camera now stays at home otherwise. The iPhone camera does what I need it to do. With AirMe it is uploaded to my Flickr account automatically. Ease of use is so much more important to me than megapixels. Based on the stats the same is true for many other people.
As Jerry Jacka, the foremost southwestern indian art photographer once said, “The secret to superior photography is F8 and be there.”
Having the phone/camera with you is the most important thing.