Camera Talk

This article poses the question: Can an iPhone compete with a DSLR?

http://www.cheatsheet.com/gear-style/can-an-iphone-camera-compete-with-a-dslr.html

My personal take on this is that smartphones let you get a shot quickly, and many do take some good shots, as long as you understand the smartphone camera's limitations.

The matchup in the article borders on ludicrous. $15,000 worth of gear vs. an iPhone.

But an iPhone can't compete with a DSLR, let alone a good film camera. But film vs. digital is a different discussion.

The comparison is technically absurd, and besides, DSLR guys also carry smartphones. But I like this paragraph, core of the issue:

"The things users give up by choosing a smartphone over a DSLR — high image quality and complete control over the images produced — are things that casual photographers aren’t going to miss."

A local news photographer recently reported that he was using an iPhone for his work, besides an expensive DSLR system. He used the phone mostly for candids and street work in good light, or in news situations where it was unwise or impractical to stand out with a pro camera. Made sense to me.