iPhone vs. the mighty Canon 5D?

I’ve been using digital cameras since 2001 or so. I owned 5 of them, mostly D-SLRs, and saw how digital photography’s tentative start transformed into a full stride. So why in the world should I compare the wonderful Canon 5D MKII to my iPhone’s puny camera? Since photography is also about sharing, the iPhone introduces new dimensions that are worth exploring. My first camera was a 1.3MP (Mega Pixels for those not familiar with the acronym) Fuji Finepix, capable of producing respectable photos. But it was the era of full lifecycle digital workflow which captured my imagination (see my previous post on a related topic). I quickly moved over to the legendary Canon D30 (not to be confused with the 30D, a more contemporary sibling). This affordable 3MP D-SLR with its fantastic CMOS chip, made Canon into the digital photography market-maker, ushering an era that pushed film from centre stage to the fringe. A succession of Canon cameras ensued, and I now own the superlative Canon 5D (MKII), with its monster 22MP imaging chip, capable of producing fantastically smooth (shall I say creamy?) photos. So why am I comparing this uber refined photography machine, costing thousands of dollars,  with a lowly 2mp iPhone camera?  In fact, there’s no comparison of features. Trying to do so is like comparing a moped to a Ferrari. Both take you places, but that’s the extent of it. But I can see a paradigm shift when it smacks me in the face. The iPhone does it in spades. (try Googling iPhone. With 350 million results it beats the word ‘Jesus’!)

With its miniscule lens, no image controls, no zoom, and the most annoying ’shutter’ button on this side of the hemisphere,  the iPhone’s camera is a (bad) joke. Even when compared to some of Nokia and Sony Ericson’s phones, with their multi megapixel chips and more thoughtful controls, the iPhone’s camera is rudimentary.  

The 5D, on the other hand, is a marvel of information and imaging technology packaged into the most tactile  and perfectly weighted magnesium alloy body. Anyone who owns one (I now own two generations of the 5D), feels that special bond and impossible love to this otherwise inanimate imaging device. Mount your choice of ‘L’ class lens, train it on a reasonably well lit object, compose a decent frame, and voila! Out comes an image worthy of a thoughtful 20″x17″ print with all its resolution, colors, and silky smooth glory. Shoot and stitch 6 or more photos, and you have a giant print that surpasses (at least in resolution), an 8×10 large format print.  Alas, you can’t put the 5D in your jacket’s inner pocket, pull it out at a moment’s notice, send your photo instantly to your mom, post it to Twitter, Facebook or Flickr, and do so after running it through a gauntlet of easily downloadable image processing software, the most expensive of which will set you back $4.95.

No you can’t!

With the iPhone on the other hand, you can. Easily. Which changes things a bit.

For those using its camera, the iPhone is a very flexible imaging platform. No other smart phone comes close to its plethora of available photography related software. There are hundreds of them available for easy download from Apple’s App Store. From point of shooting (Night Camera), through image processing (Tiffen’s Photo FX), to digital framing (Frame It), you’ve got an endlessly configurable workflow that augments this woefully inadequate camera in ways no other photography device on the market can come close to providing.  

Finally, there’s the iPhone’s specialty. Among the 22000 (last count) applications you can easily download and use, there are countless applications that make it possible for you to send, post, upload, tag, locate (via its GPS) and generally share your photos. And isn’t photography largely about sharing? This platform does it better than most others.  Which changes things a bit.

And what about the downside you ask? (did I already mention how bad the iPhone’s camera is?).

Quite frankly, there is none. Clearly, the iPhone, or any other phone with built in camera, are not suppose to replace our lovely D-SLRs. The two are meant for entirely different types of photography. I’m sure that Jobs’ successors will beef up the iPhone’s camera specs and functions. But that’s not my point. Instead, I dare all my kindred spirits, those of us who are meticulous, pixel peeping perfectionists, with our RAW image processing workflow, and hard won mastery of complex image processing and management tools like Photoshop and LightRoom, to pick up the iPhone from time to time, shoot a little, process a little, and then immediately post it for everyone to see. It’s a lot of fun, and the results are not half bad.