It's that time again: Smartphone upgrade!

Discussion in 'Science and Technology' started by RAMA, Aug 22, 2013.

  1. Tora Ziyal

    Tora Ziyal Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Thanks. But there's way more to the quality of a camera than just the number of Mpx. This is the kind of feedback I was looking for, except that it's comparing the 5s to the 5, not 5c. For some reason, it hadn't shown up on my search before I posted.
     
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2013
  2. Tiberius

    Tiberius Commodore Commodore

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    Anyone who buys a smartphone because they like the camera is a fool. Buy it because you are able to use it well for what you want. Go for the one that has the operating system that you like and that gives you the flexibility you want.
     
  3. Tora Ziyal

    Tora Ziyal Vice Admiral Admiral

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    So... don't buy it because I like the camera... but buy it because I can use it well for what I want... :lol: Well, part of what I want is to be able to take good pictures with it. :lol: I've already picked the iPhone 5something based on its os and other characteristics. All I'm looking for is feedback on the differences between the 5s and the 5c. One of which is the camera.
     
  4. Tiberius

    Tiberius Commodore Commodore

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    Well, first off, as a photographer, I can tell you that a dedicated camera is nearly always going to give you better quality images than a cameraphone. Mainly because the sensor is larger, and therefore the pixels can be larger, and thus you get less noise.

    Secondly, a great camera isn't going to be any good if the phone's OS is crap.
     
  5. Tora Ziyal

    Tora Ziyal Vice Admiral Admiral

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    ^ So I take it you think the iPhone's OS is crap?

    BTW, I already own a dedicated camera. I tend not to have it with me as much as I "should", though, sometimes because I forget it, and sometimes because I just don't want to carry one more thing. I'm not one of the women who carry those huge purses that you could live out of for a week. :lol: So I want another option. And one of the good things I read about the 5s and 5c is that they've increased the size of the pixels (compared to the 5).
     
  6. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    The faster processor, I'd have to say. It really makes apps fly. Plus it has a dedicated co-processor for motion-related apps, which could also be very useful.

    As for the camera, though, I rarely used it on my last iPhone and won't use it much on this one either. A dedicated camera is just so much better. I would never use any smartphone camera as my main one. IMHO it's only for emergencies, like when I don't have my regular camera with me but I see something I like.

    Whichever iPhone you get though, you HAVE to get a decent case. Otterbox makes the best ones.
     
  7. Tora Ziyal

    Tora Ziyal Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah, pretty much everyone says Otterbox is best. If I buy the 5s, I'll definitely get one. Which model do you have?

    If I buy the 5c, well, I'm not going to spend that kind of money to protect a $50 phone.

    Edited to add: Oh, wait, you have the MLB edition Defender, right? ;) I saw some complaints that it's hard to use the fingerprint thing with the case on. Has that been your experience?
     
    Last edited: Oct 31, 2013
  8. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    ^ No, I don't have the baseball version of the Defender. They don't have versions for the Yankees or Mets (yet). :sigh:

    I have the 5s, BTW
     
  9. Timby

    Timby o yea just like that Administrator

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    Basically, the iPhone 5c is the original iPhone 5's hardware in a plastic enclosure. The major upgrades in the iPhone 5s include the fingerprint sensor, a faster processor, a slightly upgraded camera, and not a ton else.

    Honestly, I've been impressed with iPhone cameras ever since the iPhone 4. For example, every photograph in this collection was taken on an iPhone, by a professional photojournalist who's been working for more than three decades in the field.

    You're never going to get a world-class SLR camera on a mobile phone. But there's nothing wrong at all with the camera in the iPhone 5c.
     
  10. Tora Ziyal

    Tora Ziyal Vice Admiral Admiral

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    ^ Wow, very impressive photos! Thanks for posting that.

    Yeah, I knew you have the 5s. I meant which Otterbox, and then I jumped to incorrect conclusions. :alienblush: So which Otterbox do you like so much? And have you had any trouble using the fingerprint sensor with it?
     
  11. Ar-Pharazon

    Ar-Pharazon Admiral Premium Member

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    Agreed on the Otterbox. The GalaxyS4 is so damn thin, I'd be afraid of it breaking in my pocket without the case.

    As far as the camera, how many of us are going to carry a $1000+ camera around with us at all times? ;) (not that some of the phones are much cheaper, but we pretty much need to have the phone with us)

    If I can have a phone with a really good camera, at least I have something to take pictures with in a pinch, but for planned stuff, I'd always bring the Canon.
     
  12. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I like the Defender series. It's solid, plus it has the screen protector built in. And it comes with a belt clip.

    I haven't actually used the sensor yet but I plan to.
     
  13. Metryq

    Metryq Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    I'd say go for the "cyberbrain" and be the envy of every geek out there—way ahead of the curve. Of course, you won't have any shiny hardware to show off, but you can quote your favorite River line, "I can kill you with my brain."

    "The crime scene investigators say someone hacked the driver presets on the victim's car, pushing the seat forward into the steering wheel and crushing his ribs."

    (If you're worried about the NSA hacking your chip, you can always have it externally mounted, but people will say you have a chip on your shoulder.)
     
  14. Tora Ziyal

    Tora Ziyal Vice Admiral Admiral

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    :lol: No, thanks! I've already got a bunch of titanium elsewhere in my body. Nothing in my brain, please! Or on my shoulder. ;)
     
  15. Metryq

    Metryq Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    No adamantium? SNIKT!

    The novel THE PROTEUS OPERATION involves a time war starting in 1975, then jumping back to 1939. After the climactic action, one of the injured commandos receives several orthopedic implants in 2025. Since the 1940s have become his new home, the 2025 doctors warm him not to be x-rayed, or he'll have a hard time explaining his condition.
     
  16. Tiberius

    Tiberius Commodore Commodore

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    Yeah. I've used my girlfriend's iPhone 5 with the new iOS7 as well as the OS before that and found it limiting. I also know quite a few people who have gone from iphones to Android phones and they've all loved it. So, there's probably something there.

    I'm the same. I have a full dSLR kit which is about $15,000 all up. An expensive hobby. And while the iphone 5's camera does perform well, the disadvantages of the iOS system put me off it. Besides, do people tend to use their smartphone camera as their primary camera? When you go away on holidays, is your smartphone your main camera? I tend to use it just for quick snaps, and I'm sure most people would as well. Most smartphones are decent enough for this.
     
  17. Venardhi

    Venardhi Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I'd hazard that most people take most of their pictures on their phone. It is the one camera that almost everyone almost always has on them, and as of the last few years the sensors and software are finally good enough that buying a point-and-shoot is fairly unlikely to give you enough of an upgrade to warrant carrying it around. There are certainly exceptions, but I honestly can't remember the last time I remember someone taking any pictures at a party or the like with anything that wasn't either a phone or (very occasionally) a dSLR.

    I just ordered a Nexus 5 on Thursday. It'll be here on Monday!
     
  18. Tora Ziyal

    Tora Ziyal Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Actually, the last time I went away on holiday, I was still using my beloved Pentax ME Super SLR. You know, the kind with film. ;) By comparison, my digital point-and-shoot is a piece of junk.

    But, yes, lots of people now use their smartphones as their primary cameras -- with mixed results, depending on the phone and the photographer.
     
  19. Mr. Laser Beam

    Mr. Laser Beam Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    It would help if the iPhone cameras had a 16:9 mode. That's how I take all my pics on my main camera.
     
  20. Kemaiku

    Kemaiku Admiral Admiral

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    One of the main things I want to wait and see for next year is the type of camera sensor the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S5 Mini will be packing.

    They haven't updated the camera in the iPhones since the 4S. Which I own, and as an amateur photographer for 12 years now it's been a treat having such a great camera in mine.

    But if they just keep sticking the same on in the thing and the S5 has a 13MP and faster phone next year for £200 less, well, it wins on at least two counts.