I have lost count of the amount of times I have heard someone say, within earshot, the iPhone has a great camera! I don't actually disagree - in fact in my view it does have a great camera but in what context?

If you are measuring the iPhone's camera capability against other smartphones then you would probably be hard pushed to find a lot better. However, as any owner of a digital bridge or DSLR camera knows, the smartphone camera's just don't pack the punch when it comes to viewing your photo on a screen size larger than 5x3 inches.

The smartphone camera does have one huge advantage over all other camera's - it's generally always on you! As I found out earlier this week, on a short break in Devon with my 7yr old daughter, you can't always have your favored gear with you - especially when you are in the company of family who are not so patient when it comes to creating photographs.

Sometimes you just have to use what you have, however imperfect that maybe, and however much you know it won't be as good as what you could create with your preferred set-up.

So here are a few shots taken with the iPhone 5, whilst away. The first shot is straight from the iPhone - unedited and the following shot is with some tonal adjustments in Lightroom to try and give the grainy images a little pop.

Notice the grain and flat contrast in this capture straight from the phone

sunset on Hele beach - taken with iPhone 5

sunset on Hele brach taken with DSLR - long exposure using neutral density filter

Many of you have heard me say this a zillion times - Photographers take pictures not cameras! But clearly using the right tool for the job really does make vast difference - depending on your objective and desire to get the best you can.

When you can't or haven't then using a smartphone can still get you some decent "snaps" and applying your photographic knowledge - especially when it comes to composition - is the same whether you are snapping with your phone or carefully crafting an image with your DSLR.

The post production can still vastly improve the photo but remember you are working with a JPG rather than RAW file so the image won't tolerate to many adjustments.

If you want to find out how dynamic range, pixel quality, lens optics, exposure control and many more aspects of the digital camera improve picture quality compared to smartphones then book yourself on one of my workshops or beginners photography courses today.

Phone Camera Vs the Digital Camera | Is the mobile good?

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