Putting aside the meaningless influx of news on how bendable the new iPhones can be, the reviews I‘ve read so far all point to one thing – the camera is solid. Subtle improvements under the hood they may be, but it‘s a trend of continual refinement on the feature that matters a lot of people.
The camera for iPhone is already good enough to replace point-and-shoot cameras. The good news is they are going to get even better with every revision. However, they are not being taken seriously as a competent device, regardless of how terrific they are. They take stunning images, more than enough for viewing on the computers and tablets and smartphones. And that‘s what most of us do these days – share them over social networks, send them over emails. Hardly do we develop and print them out anymore. I love the tangible aspect of running my fingers through the photographs, but nothing beats the convenience of what our array of platforms can offer. Just yesterday, I went to a cultural exhibition and shot those scenes with an iPhone. I went back home, backed them up wirelessly to dropbox. I picked up the Samsung Tab S tablet at the charging station, tapped on the dropbox app and the pictures were synced almost instantaneously. I showed them to my father and we chatted. He‘s a reserved person who doesn‘t speak much, so I really value and appreciate this exchange very much. Technology has brought us closer together. I call this magic.
Such a nifty device, so ubiqitous, so powerful. It‘s a point of reference when I needed something to capture those memorable scene – that smile beaming on the wrinkled face of an old lady, that carefree sensation of a little child hopping across the playground, the family gathering for special ocassions. They‘re all there, frozen in time. The meta data reveals more information, bringing more depth to the conversation as we gathered around and reflect back at those pictures. It fills us with nostalgia, joys, memories, sometimes a tinge of regret. But whatever they are, life goes on and people move on.
I have shot more in the two years with the iPhone than what I have shot all my life. The thoughts of having a dedicated camera seems distanced now. It‘s the advancement of the iPhone camera and the ease of sharing them that interest me the most with each new release.
When I do get my hands on the iPhone 6, it will be my best camera yet.