NOTES
Road Tested iPhone 8 Plus Camera: LA > JOSHUA TREE > LAS VEGAS
A short conversational review on my experience using the camera on the iPhone 8 Plus during a recent road trip through the West Coast.
My dream camera kit is one that could fit in my pocket. There have been issues with the cameras that have been included in nearly every iPhone (the 7 Plus is pretty good) but when I first fired off a few shots with the 8 Plus, I was hooked. Quick autofocus, two lenses (28mm and 50mm equivalents) and the ability to quickly edit, build albums and share images.
Would I switch completely to this type of system and join the ranks of the iPhone photographer world? Of course not. The camera on the iPhone 8 Plus is a tool just as I consider my Sony A6300 and Nikon D800. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, which are decided by various situations such as lighting, depth of field and resolution of final images for print. Printing 8.5x11s won't be a problem since the camera puts out a resolution of 12.3 megapixels.
There was some noticeable falloff of sharpness at about 400-600 ISO during low light situations but the images are still usable (I have to add the caveat that I believe "sharpness" is slightly overrated so take my opinion with a grain of salt). During ideal lighting scenarios, the camera was tack sharp; its color reproduction was accurate. I often photographed during the dreaded high noon sun and enjoyed the result of my captures.
I had issues with the new portrait lighting feature in regards to the depth of field (blur effect). There appeared to be artifacts and fringing at the edges of the the blurred subject. It sometimes worked flawlessly but the effect was too inconsistent to use reliably. I mostly avoided using this feature but I'm hoping that Apple will release an update in the future to correct this problem.
I consider this smartphone to be a serious image making tool that allows me to stretch my creative and storytelling muscles in a way that I've not yet done. I'm writing a review, for chrissakes, which I rarely do! The camera on the iPhone 8 Plus will not be for every serious photographer but it's one that fits my style of shooting and enhances my experience, allowing more flexibility, which means more enjoyment. For amateur photographers, I'd say, skip the DSLRs and mirrorless cameras and try this smartphone.
*All photos in this collection were shot on the iPhone 8 Plus and edited in VSCO (exceptions being the black and white photos which were applied with the stock presets that come with the iPhone).
Shoot over any questions you may have to info@carlosdetres.com
Considering the Dallas Shootings in a Bar with Strange Faces
In an ordinary bar in downtown Los Angeles with strangers. Photos from Santa Monica, Hollywood, Santa Clarita and the Los Angeles transit system.
Hollywood
It was the day after the Dallas shootings when eleven police officers were shot, five killed. I walked into a downtown dive bar in Los Angeles, sat on one of the barstools next to the gaming machine. I ordered a Blue Moon topped with a slice of orange and watched Maury Povich on the TV mouth revelations to astonished guests.
The room grew from a couple folks to a dozen or so, all apparently from different backgrounds. A Latin American woman juggled drink orders and come-ons from mens who were old enough to be her father. In the smattering of dialog that I picked up in that room, there was concern of the crisis in Dallas (the latest spear into the heart of America) as an old bearded man in a Hawaiian shirt ratted off his sexual conquests between here and Pasadena.
It was a hot day and I was drenched in sweat, trying to discern the streets of L.A., separating the cavernous, film reel decorated train stations between West Hollywood and the busy intersections of downtown. I was lost in a heap of thought, staring into the memory of gargantuan trees and the windless maze of train tunnels and streets that were not familiar to me.
We were all below, beneath the Mount Olympus of celebrities, recalling our misinformation of facts that too place during that dreadful week in America. Alton Sterling, Philandro Castile and those officers are closer to us in our struggle to adjust to the real facts of a crumbling society, and perched above it all, the faces of two presidential candidates with the audacity to lead a seemingly torn nation. But around me were flapping lips from different colored faces existing in harmony, drinking booze during a hot lunch hour. I knew that we were on the precipice of drastic action, a revolution on its way but when my chicken fingers and french fries arrived on a plate, nothing else mattered aside from the present moment.
