Is it still just a phone? ... or a photographer's tool now?

I recently switched to an iPhone 13 Pro after five years with my iPhone 8.  I'm not a "first" innovator, and the newer iPhone 14 just did not fill any additional needs for me.  Honestly, the three lenses were the major reason.  While in a photo workshop in October, someone kindly allowed me to play with his iPhone 13.  I was sold. Now,  I am going to take you along on my discovery of the phone plus offer a few "hacks" which may liberate you to do even more with a phone camera. 

Mixed in will be images with each of the three lenses.  I hope to keep a good balance with some techie talk.  The experience has lightened the weight when I am exploring new locations looking for future  photography.   I can now move faster with a day pack devoted mostly to water, snacks and maybe battery pack. 

First, I want to highlight an app that offers many advantages over the standard Apple camera controls.  ProCamera was already on my iPhone 8, but I had drifted away from using it until now, when I found it was greatly enhanced.   This app offers high dynamic range (HDR) exposures for scenes with a wide brightness range.   Here's a beautiful sunset in late October.  It used the ultrawide lens.

Look at the detail seen in the shadows without the sun being washed out. ProCamera analyses the situation and usually takes 3 photo spaces to capture from the darkest to brightest areas.  (For ultra cases, it takes 5.)  It was done so quickly that I could handhold the phone. 

Let's look at what each of the three lenses covers at the overlook on Cowanesque Lake south of Corning. 
 

You've seen already the sunset using the ultra-wide lens.  Here is an image using the wide lens.

For the image above, I developed a trick using ProCamera in manual focus.  Photographers choose a small lens aperture so that the background is indistinct.  It keeps your eye on the stump in the foreground.  The iPhone 13 camera does not have an adjustable lens aperture.  However, ProCamera has manual focus plus a feature called focus peaking. Where it detects high contrast around sharply focused places, the screen puts a color highlight on the screen. In the image above, I used the manual focus feature in ProCamera to pull the focus closer to me until only the stump was flashing yellow.   That's one of many useful features it offers.

Next is an image using the tele lens.  In this case, I wanted the image to be sharp for foreground and distant.  Corning Incorporated's headquarters building shows sharpness from red fruit on the trees and right out to the iconic Little Joe Tower.

The versatility of three lenses is clearly seen in these examples.

The small size of a phone opens another window, the ability to place the camera very close to the ground.  This can create a perspective not easily seen (unless you like to lay your head on the bare ground or in a snow drift.)  Here's an example that used the wide lens.

When getting very low, one problem is precisely locating the lens vertically.  Tilted images just don't seem very pleasing.  Here's an example where I wanted to capture a reflection of a tree in a large water puddle on the abandoned farm road.

 

I did this by putting the phone in a holder attached to a small tripod.  The red grips of the Ulanzi ST-03 allow full visibility of the phone screen.  Cost $19.95 at Amazon; it adapts to Arca-style tripod mounts.  With my phone in a protective Otterbox, the Ulanzi is not directly squeezing the phone case. 

Here's another example of a setup using a tripod.  I began from the position seen at right and made a series of small moves until the foreground gate framed the decaying barn with the gate staying just below the lower edge of the barn.  It would be tough to do this handheld, and then to wait for the break in the clouds above roof remnants.

There is one more hack that I've developed.  The only lens filter I ever need is a circular polarizer.  I greatly value a CP filter.  It reduces glare on shiny surfaces whether they be on foliage or water, plus it gives a deeper blue on the sky. I've never seen a filter mount on any phone camera.  I've found  a fix for that.  It combines a SmallRig filter clip with a mating 52mm filter designed to fit the filter clip. See at right:

The details are:

•  SmallRig 52mm Filter Clip from B&H Photo ($30)
  
•  K&F Concept Magnetic 52mm Circular Polarizing   Filter Kit from Amazon ($56)

 Note that the richer blue sky is best done using manual settings in the ProCamera.

So,  when I am traveling light, in the woods or visiting family, I bring a very compact kit of accessories  including the Ulanzi holder, the SmallRig clip, magnetic filter and an ultra small tripod seen also at right.  Add a lens brush and I'm ready.

The first three items fit in a small zipper bag, and along with the small tripod, are easily included where ever I go. 

Yes, I have found this three lens phone to be a great tool.  I'll continue to use my professional cameras and lenses, but maybe I'll reduce my kit by one lens to reduce weight.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any question on ProCamera or the additional tools I've incorporated into my iPhone 13 Pro  kit.

I'll close with a favorite scene that is prepared using Ulanzi on a small tripod.

Paul Schmitt