iPhone as camera for recent Disney vacation

[Mr_Canuck]

So we just spent two weeks of spring break in Orlando, Florida, with six days at Disney. It was a great time. I never once considered taking my DSLR. But I did take my Sony RX100 as a proposed compact holiday/travel camera. I was with family, and the trip was all about family and fun.

In the end, I didn't take the RX100 out of its case, and exclusively used my iPhone 5 as my camera. I just didn't feel like it. As we walked around the resorts, I saw numerous people with slr's about their necks, and a handful of people with tripods and even a 70-200/2.8 behemoth. I thought to myself, "you're not here for the same reasons as me."

Most of the time, the iPhone was just right. It was always in my pocket, but never in the way. For outdoor shots, it was decent enough, though in particular the highlights were blown out of all recognition. Indoors, without the flashlight, it was very average and noisy. With the flashlight, the shots were disturbing and grey. For fireworks or nighttime lit subjects it was actually fairly effective. The most limiting thing was the autofocus. Very challenged in many situations, and I missed some good shots.

Doing it again, I would've attached the RX100 to my belt and used it. I would probably have an album of photos I'd want to look at. With the iPhone, I do have a sufficient record of the trip, and a few that can be printed. But it's not a very photo rich record of the trip. That said, I probably still have more photos to take home than I would have back in the film days.

Either way, I still would not have taken my dslr on this trip. Never missed it. It wasn't about scenery or portraits, and I was more interested in enjoying the next ride or attraction than trying to get some scenic shot of a resort that I can probably get somewhere online. I captured my family and some of the highlights in context. And not once did my wife complain about me stopping to take photos!

Fun times.

 

[Mt Spokane Photography]

Looking back to my Disney Trips, the first was in 1956 or 1957, and 3 or 4 more times later, the photos are now valuable, and I wish I had better images. The first, in the 1950's when I was young were taken with a B&W film in a box camera. Later, I had various cameras, but I liked the ease of use with my Olympus superzoom and 35mm film.


Since I was taking photos of my kids on the rides during the last few times, I found a zoom to be valuable. I like close ups of the faces coming down things like the water slide, and photos inside some of the dark indoor rides.

I think that you will wish you had the DSLR when your kids are grown up in 20 or 30 years. I wish there had been one when I went.

In 1998, my daughter went to Disneyland with my grandson and took my new Digital Camera, a 1.3 MP Fujifilm MX700. It struggled at almost everything compared to even a camera phone today.

 

[Loswr]

I think that you will wish you had the DSLR when your kids are grown up in 20 or 30 years. I wish there had been one when I went.

In 20-30 years, I bet we'll wish we had a 4 gigapixel 3D-holographic camera for our kids' pictures today.

But I agree with the idea – I'd prefer to capture the best images I can, today. Here are three examples of images for which my iPhone would not have been usable. For the first one, a waterproof P&S would have worked (provided it had a wide enough lens) - I was on the raft ride with my 1D X and 24-70/2.8L II. The second was taken with the 1D X and 70-300L at 300mm. The third was at ISO 8000 to get a fast enough shutter speed to freeze motion (note the feet off the stage).

 

[expatinasia]

In the end, I didn't take the RX100 out of its case, and exclusively used my iPhone 5 as my camera.

Forgive me, but I do not understand. The RX100 is a very good camera, ideal for what you wanted, and you had it there with you. It is far superior to the iphone, and is as small as a pack of cigs. Why did you not get it out of the case and use it?

Some may even argue that if you just wanted to have fun you would have been better off leaving the phone at home and taking the RX100. ;D

 

[Mr_Canuck]

In the end, I didn't take the RX100 out of its case, and exclusively used my iPhone 5 as my camera.

Forgive me, but I do not understand. The RX100 is a very good camera, ideal for what you wanted, and you had it there with you. It is far superior to the iphone, and is as small as a pack of cigs. Why did you not get it out of the case and use it?

Some may even argue that if you just wanted to have fun you would have been better off leaving the phone at home and taking the RX100. ;D

All good points, for which the only answer is this: I've been personally struggling with my photography for some time. Where it fits in, lack of creative interest. I think that maybe my statement was that I decided to just go on a holiday and not worry about capturing it in pictures. I wanted to live in the moment, and simply put it to memory. Non-photographers don't seem to be too worried about taking pictures. So why not me for a change?

All of this said, I think I have enough shots that are iconic of the trip and suitable to add to the album. For example, my son's 11th birthday and a shot of him next to Disney-Mickey statue in front of the castle, etc. And our family at the entrance of Epcot, in the sun, on the first day, well exposed.

I wish I'd shot with the RX100, and only from a photo quality standpoint. But I'm not going to regret it cuz it was a splended time!

 

[mackguyver]

Mr_Canuck, I have to say that I agree with you on most of your points.

I've had important occasions where I was more focused on my camera and getting the shot than the event itself. I'm rather sad to have missed out on those special moments. For me, the solution is to leave the camera at home or bring the 5DIII with 50L - it keeps it simple. A couple weeks ago, I received my 1D X, and the next day I left for the beach to celebrate my anniversary. The 1D X (and other gear) stayed at home. I wanted the trip to be about "us", not my new camera. Since returning home, I've made up for the lost time, of course

 

[AcutancePhotography]

Were the pictures you took "good enough"?

Not every photograph has to be a technical and artistic gem. Many times you want a picture to remind you of something or to allow you to share your experiences with someone else. For those pictures a cell phone camera may be just what is needed.

In looking at my family pictures taken by my grandparents/parents, the quality of the shot composition and the quality of the film exposure does not adversly affect the emotions of the picture.

In 50 years we will look back at the pictures we take today with the cell phone cameras and probably will feel the same---- "gosh that was a nice picture of Grandma in the park."

 

[Mr_Canuck]

Were the pictures you took "good enough"?

Not every photograph has to be a technical and artistic gem. Many times you want a picture to remind you of something or to allow you to share your experiences with someone else. For those pictures a cell phone camera may be just what is needed.

I was looking through them again on the weekend with my family. There are some really great shots there, and they liked them too. More than good enough. And plenty of megapixels to make some prints.

One thing I neglected to mention. : Really, really important!!! I was regularly texting or emailing photos to my extended family back in Canada each day. They became part of the experience in a good way. It was seamless and instantaneous with the camera/phone integration.

 

[expatinasia]

Really, really important!!! I was regularly texting or emailing photos to my extended family back in Canada each day. They became part of the experience in a good way. It was seamless and instantaneous with the camera/phone integration.

You are absolutely right, there is a massive market for this. Just look at the Nokia Lumia and Samsung models. I have no idea how the three compare to an IQ perspective, but there is going to be a lot more cameras with phones attached than not in the future.

 

[Tiosabas]

Really, really important!!! I was regularly texting or emailing photos to my extended family back in Canada each day. They became part of the experience in a good way. It was seamless and instantaneous with the camera/phone integration.

You are absolutely right, there is a massive market for this. Just look at the Nokia Lumia and Samsung models. I have no idea how the three compare to an IQ perspective, but there is going to be a lot more cameras with phones attached than not in the future.

Yeah, consider the size of a 3G/4G dongle, they can be made pretty tiny. They could be integrated into a DSLR with a SIM card slot. Altough you would need to pay for the data.