As a professional photographer and owner of Joseph Noonan Photography, I can say with confidence that an iPhone 6s can take great pictures. I took this shot a couple weeks ago on my iPhone on a canoe trip down the Salt River in Arizona. I also risked losing and dropping my phone after we flipped the canoe! Luckily, it stayed put in the cooler.
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| Image I captured recently of the Salt River in Arizona. |
The photo below shows that when conditions are right, that you can take great images on the iPhone. This shot I captured on Priest Lake in Northern Idaho was published in a local Idaho Magazine.
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| Captured at Priest Lake in Northern Idaho and was published in local Idaho Magazine |
Probably the main reason I take my iPhone along on photo shoots is the stunning panoramic images you can capture. This past spring, Britta and I traveled to Palouse Falls State Park in Washington State during the spring melt to capture the falls when they are roaring. The panorama feature allowed me to capture not only the falls but the canyon and the Snake River as it meanders towards Idaho.
I especially like my iPhone 6s. The camera has an impressive list of features "for a phone". Just take a look at these specs:
- 12-megapixel camera
- Live Photos with stabilization
- Autofocus with Focus Pixels
- Optical image stabilization (iPhone 6s Plus only)
- True Tone flash
- Panorama (up to 63 megapixels)
- Auto HDR for photos
- Exposure control
- Burst mode
- Timer mode
- ƒ/2.2 aperture
- Five-element lens
- 5x digital zoom
- Hybrid IR filter
- Backside illumination sensor
- Sapphire crystal lens cover
- Auto image stabilization
- Local tone mapping
- Noise reduction
- Face detection
- Photo geotagging
It is a phone, however, and if you are like me. it is the hub for all your communications, planning, scheduling and organizing all that we need to keep track of in our busy lives. I get more than a little nervous sometimes holding my slippery little phone over a 200' waterfall to get that perfect shot. I have seen many a broken screen from people dropping their phones taking pictures. My phone has its limits and so do I. My Canon 7D is still the work horse for me. I usually pack my full camera gear for our trips. However, my camera gear, tripod and camera bag are overkill for certain hikes or trips and my phone is not enough. I still need to capture high resolution images and usually in situations that are not recommended for an iPhone. For example, balancing on a rock in the middle of a stream trying to get that perfect nature shot. This image I captured in Moran State Park on Orcas Island, WA. with the legs on my tripod precariously balanced in the stream with one leg set up in rushing water.
| Moran State Park, Orcas Island, WA. captured on Canon 7D |
Enter a rugged compact point and shoot that can withstand any punishment we can dish out on our excursions. Britta swears by her Nikon Coolpix AW130.
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| Coolpix AW130 |
Britta has recorded well over 10,000 images on this camera so far. We will post an in-depth review with image samples soon. Many of our trip reviews you see will have been taken on this great little camera.
If your would like to keep your phone in the car when on vacation, do yourself a favor and pick up this fantastic camera.
Never forget: It's All About The Ride so why not record every great moment along the way?
Joe
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