Katrina has been taking pictures during her morning walks for me to edit. Photo editing is very relaxing for me and helps destress. Plus it let’s me do a nice thing for my best friend.
I’ve been using professional editing techniques on my best friend’s iPhone photos and I am amazed at how good smartphone cameras have become.
One of my favorites is the edit I did of her dog, Lucy.
In the past, the low resolution JPEGs produced by smartphones would quickly deteriorate with these types of techniques. They would get blocky and there would be awful gradient banding. But with better sensors, lenses, and most importantly, computational photography algorithms, smartphone images are able to get professional results under certain conditions. Plus, high end smartphones now have RAW capabilities, so you can push the edits even more without deterioration.
I pushed this photo of a deer a friend sent me about as far as I could and I still think it ended up with a decent result.
Professional cameras aren’t going anywhere though. It took me quite a bit longer to do these edits. There was a lot of time-consuming trial and error to figure out where I could push and pull things without it all going to heck. Plus the detail is still pretty lacking. Looking at these images on your phone is fine, but if I zoom in to 100% on my 32" 4K photo editing monitor… things get a lot dicier. My DSLR is still going to be a better choice whenever detail is critical.
Also, just because a smartphone says it is 12 megapixels doesn’t mean you get 12 megapixels worth of detail. Detail and resolution are very different things. One is how much you can visually perceive, while the other is just the total number of pixels in an image. A megapixel count gives you no information beyond that. If 6 of your 12 megapixels are blurry, you really only have a 6 megapixel result.
You may have seen some phones being released that have 64 or even over 100 megapixels. Meanwhile, Sony released a professional mirrorless camera that is only 12 megapixels.
So clearly smartphones are better and we should throw all of the big cameras in the garbage, right?
The Sony camera is made primarily for shooting low light photos and video. By using fewer megapixels, they were able to make the photosites on the sensor much larger. Photosites capture photons and the sensor translates those photons into pixels. Bigger photosites allow for bigger, brighter pixels and a much less noisy image in low light situations.
So, think of it as if the Sony has bucket photosites and smartphones have thimbles.
And since the Sony also has giant lenses and a sensor several times larger, it is able to capture more detail than any smartphone, no matter how many megapixels they have.
Here is a 12 megapixel image from a Sony A7S III.
And here is a 108 megapixel image from a Xiami Note 10.
Even though it isn’t a perfect apples-to-apples comparison, you can still tell they are in different realms as far as resolving fine detail. Sure you can read the numbers on the clock and that is impressive for a smartphone, but it’s nowhere near the ability to individuate the tiny speckles on her face.
More pixels without an increase in perceivable detail is usually just a marketing gimmick.
Usually.
There is a computational photography technique called “pixel binning” that is able to take lots of megapixels and whittle them down to only the very best ones. I wrote about that here. You use 64 megapixels to get a better 12 megapixel result.
But they still market it as a 64 megapixel camera, which is where things get dubious. You don’t get 64 megapixels of perceived detail. Honestly, you are probably increasing the perceived detail from 6 megapixels to maybe 8 or 10.
This is why megapixels aren’t really a great metric for image quality anymore—even with bigger cameras. Because if you take a really high-quality 50 megapixels sensor and put a soft vintage lens in front of it, you may end up getting 16 megapixels of detail.
This is why it is important to watch reviews and look at sample images before being any camera—smartphone or otherwise. Megapixels just tell a small part of the story.
And then there are photographic extremes that smartphones will always have trouble with. You can’t use fancy algorithms to outwit physics. Small sensors will always have issues with low light, fast action, telephoto, macro, shallow depth of field, and super-precise color.
Even though I won’t be giving up my big boy camera, I still think computational photography is very exciting. I have been using my new smartphone for most of my recent photography. It’s more fun and more convenient. It’s a camera that I always have with me.
Though it’s nice to know if I ever have a more challenging photographic task, I have that bigass camera to fall back on. My DSLR still takes pretty good photos despite lacking fancy algorithms.
I will say, I am so glad that more people have access to a perfectly capable photography tool. I want as many people as possible to have the option of taking up photography as a hobby. The expense has always created a barrier for entry for unsure hobbyists. And there are a lot of pretentious gatekeepers trying to keep photography a small, boys club. (I had to add that comma to make sure you didn’t think I meant diminutive men.)
With everyone having a camera in their pocket, it’s going to be pretty difficult for them to gatekeep a world with hundreds of millions of smartphones. People can practice with their phones and see if they enjoy photography before investing in better gear.
So what should you do if you want to dip your toe into more serious photography?
As I always like to say, the best way to get better photos is with knowledge. Learn first. Take online classes. Grow your brain.
Give me a smartphone and give a total noob a $30,000 Hasselblad camera and I will probably produce better images every time. (Coincidentally, days after initially writing that last sentence, Karl Taylor posted a video comparing his $30,000 Hasselblad to an iPhone. Spooky!)
I spent months and months learning photography and lighting and image editing and that made more of a difference than any piece of gear I own. It’s why my smartphone selfies look like this…
Knowing how to use lighting effectively is better than any Instagram filter in existence.
If you think you might want to learn more about photography, one of the best online instructors, Karl Taylor, has a free photography course that is perfect to get you started. He uses bigger cameras, but you can use a lot of the principles even with your smartphone. You just have to switch it to the pro or manual mode. There are also fancy photography apps that can make your phone act like a more professional-style camera.
Someone took an FPV (first person view) drone to the world’s highest waterfall and captured 5K footage. This is absolutely stunning. I highly recommend finding the biggest screen you have and standing way too close to it.
I was struggling with my mental health tonight and sometimes doing a kindness for someone helps me feel a bit better.
Dick DeBartolo was MAD Magazine’s most prolific comedy writer, appearing in 445 consecutive issues. He also wrote jokes for a bunch of classic game shows like Match Game.
Also, he was also openly gay during a time when that was not an easy choice. He got to marry his 32 year partner in 2012.
Sometimes being kind starts a chain reaction of kindness. And that is kinda cool.
I was struggling with my mental health tonight and sometimes doing a kindness for someone helps me feel a bit better.
Dick DeBartolo was MAD Magazine’s most prolific comedy writer, appearing in 445 consecutive issues. He also wrote jokes for a bunch of classic game shows like Match Game.
Also, he was also openly gay during a time when that was not an easy choice. He got to marry his 32 year partner in 2012.
Sometimes being kind starts a chain reaction of kindness. And that is kinda cool.
Misinformation is also a virus and our country is just as infected with it as it is with COVID-19.
Bunk thinks he is perfectly innocent publicly posting his bad information. That he is not harming anyone. But he has influence over his loved ones and his friends and maybe even strangers that see his nonsense.
He is a potential superspreader of misinformation.
And that is dangerous.
It’s clear he did almost no research. It’s clear he is basing his opinions on scraps of information he heard god knows where. And yet he speaks with authority and freely spreads his thoughts without a care that what he says is actually true.
I usually try to post fun happy things here, but I think it is important to see these conversations. Maybe you can improve upon what I did in your own personal debates. I know trying to convince people is difficult and frustrating, but we must try to stop the spread of misinformation. We need to get through to those friends and family members who have been duped by the likes of Tucker Carlson and other hucksters.
I turn 40 on the 30th. A few have asked for the link to my wishlist. I’ve tried to update it with my traditional humorous explanations as to why I need stuff.
It is sorted by priority.
Highest is stuff I need.
High is stuff that would be helpful.
Medium is stuff I want, but could live without.
Low is stuff I don’t need now but don’t want to forget about in the future.
Lowest are things I just kinda dream about having but probably can never afford. Like a Ferrari or dental insurance.
You can also donate to the Frozen Nugget fund. (Though it is currently bland baked chicken due to tummy issues.)
And I have that newfangled Venmo biz the kids are doing as well.
I’m @SirFrogsworth or you can stare at this magic eye puzzle with your phone.
Thanks again for always helping a frog out. Hopefully when I turn 40 on Friday I don’t start yelling at kids to get off my lawn or declaring all new music is garbage.
I’m going to be a cool middle aged dude that all the kids look up to. Like, “That Froggie may be old now, but he knows what Pokemon Go is!”
That’s probably not a thing anymore.
BTS?
I know… hatred of capitalism.
Welp, I’m officially 40 now.
Feels weird, man.
How do I look?
Have my youthful good looks disappeared overnight?
First I’d like to thank everyone who got me something from my wishlist. I can’t tell you how much even the little things help. They all add up to a big thing and it makes my life a little easier. As always, your generosity is amazing and much appreciated.
Turning 40 has traditionally been kind of a big deal in our society. You can no longer call yourself young. You are middle-aged. I’m not sure what will change as I start my middle-aged life.
I did try going outside for a bit.
Will I be an outside person in my 40s?
Apparently, it is summer and there is some kind of heatwave. I’m afraid the outside won this round.
Middle-Aged Outside Person Status… to be determined in the Fall.
I tried listening to a bunch of Dad Rock. Will I get stuck in my ways and only listen to Journey and ZZ Top?
Both of those bands are cool, but I have actually been very into “The Hunt for New Music.” An essential activity for anyone who has ever said, “Modern music is trash! It peaked during [insert preferred era of music that is long enough ago to forget the bad stuff and only remember the good stuff]. I don’t know how kids these days listen to that garbage.”
If that sounds like you—you may need to go on The Hunt.
I mean, I still go back to my comfort zone and stick with Stone Temple Pilots, Soundgarden, and Pearl Jam. Reminds me of being back in high school before I got sick.
But with modern technology, musicians are able to create music in their bedrooms now. And they are able to self-publish without a record label. There is so much music now. It is literally a golden age with an abundance of good shit. And while the Top 40 may not always be my cup of tea, if I really search for new music, I can always find something amazing.
I will admit, The Hunt can be overwhelming and it does take a little effort to find that good shit. But when you do, the journey away from Journey is totally worth it.
Like G.O.A.T.
There is this saying…
“If you are not a liberal at 20, you have no heart. If you are not a conservative at 40, you have no brain.”
Has turning 40 shifted my political views?
Let’s see…
I still want Medicare for All because I’d really like dental insurance.
I’d really like the Green New Deal because disabled people will be the first to die if we do not start fixing shit right the hell now.
And I think capitalism is the reason I make less than minimum wage as a disabled person because I have no value in a capitalist society.
So I’m going to declare that saying utter bullshit.
I was a liberal at 20. Now I am the word salad Republicans like to call a “radical-socialist-communist-leftist-Marxist.”
All of those—all at once.
I personally just label myself as a Progressive, but the word salad is fine too. I think being a Progressive means I have both my heart and my brain fully intact.
So it looks like 40 is just another day older for me.
Nothing on my body fell off or broke.
I haven’t become any more of a fuddy-duddy than I already was. I am medium fuddy-duddy.
My only hope for middle age is that medical research keeps chugging along and maybe I will find a bit of health in this decade.
I’d really like to leave the house and see my friends more.
But until then, we still find ways to connect and have fun even if I can’t leave the house.
I turn 40 on the 30th. A few have asked for the link to my wishlist. I’ve tried to update it with my traditional humorous explanations as to why I need stuff.
It is sorted by priority.
Highest is stuff I need.
High is stuff that would be helpful.
Medium is stuff I want, but could live without.
Low is stuff I don’t need now but don’t want to forget about in the future.
Lowest are things I just kinda dream about having but probably can never afford. Like a Ferrari or dental insurance.
You can also donate to the Frozen Nugget fund. (Though it is currently bland baked chicken due to tummy issues.)
And I have that newfangled Venmo biz the kids are doing as well.
I’m @SirFrogsworth or you can stare at this magic eye puzzle with your phone.
Thanks again for always helping a frog out. Hopefully when I turn 40 on Friday I don’t start yelling at kids to get off my lawn or declaring all new music is garbage.
I’m going to be a cool middle aged dude that all the kids look up to. Like, “That Froggie may be old now, but he knows what Pokemon Go is!”
