iPhones,iPads, Macs and PCs (maybe) a general topic.
Feb 21, 2019 22:59:34 #
Hi all,
Sometimes the best camera is the one you have with you and for a lot of the time it can be an iPhone.
I've just spent a few hours looking at the new 'bokeh effect' that is built into the latest iphones with 2 lenses and let's start with that.
Essentially this uses both lenses to create 2 photos with depth information. It can calculate how far away something is and that allows it to figure out how to apply blur to photos. This depth data is embedded in the heic file format, unfortunately this is lost when the file is saved as a jpeg.
Apple Photos app version 3.0 is capable of working with Heic but it requires osx 10.13
So a fair option is to transfer photos from the iPhone to the iPad for editing. I think you can transfer with Airdrop (maybe) but it's fairly straightforward to use the iCloud for transfer too. Although storage is limited for free.
Apples brought new features to the iphone X type iPhones but the iphone 7 plus and 8 plus are supported by 3rd party applications.
The best i have found so far is focos (not mispelt).
There is a free version and a pro version ($9.99 €12.99) the free version is pretty good but I think the pro version is probably worth the upgrade fee.
As long as the file is in the HEIC format you can edit quite freely set the forward and rear bokeh and even refocus. The iphone has huge depth of field so the software can place the focus pretty much in any part of the frame.
Instagram also has a focus feature that can be used for both video and photos and you don't have to share on instagram, it can save to your camera roll.
One problem with the iPhone as a camera is it's pretty difficult to hold steady. I've found a selfy stick sprung holder has a 1/4 20 thread and holds the iPhone quite securely attaching this to an arca swiss L bracket gives a reasonable grip. Some apps support a cheap bluetooth AB shutter release so you can use the shutter without needing to be pressing on the screen.
Of course using an arca swiss mount allows you to use tripods and other devices.
If you want to get the best battery life on your iphone, this link has a lot of options to reduce battery usage.
https://www.payetteforward.com/why-does-my-iphone-battery-die-so-fast-heres-the-real-fix/
I hope this thread will be useful for iphone photography issues, feel free to add your own tips and recommendations.
Sometimes the best camera is the one you have with you and for a lot of the time it can be an iPhone.
I've just spent a few hours looking at the new 'bokeh effect' that is built into the latest iphones with 2 lenses and let's start with that.
Essentially this uses both lenses to create 2 photos with depth information. It can calculate how far away something is and that allows it to figure out how to apply blur to photos. This depth data is embedded in the heic file format, unfortunately this is lost when the file is saved as a jpeg.
Apple Photos app version 3.0 is capable of working with Heic but it requires osx 10.13
So a fair option is to transfer photos from the iPhone to the iPad for editing. I think you can transfer with Airdrop (maybe) but it's fairly straightforward to use the iCloud for transfer too. Although storage is limited for free.
Apples brought new features to the iphone X type iPhones but the iphone 7 plus and 8 plus are supported by 3rd party applications.
The best i have found so far is focos (not mispelt).
There is a free version and a pro version ($9.99 €12.99) the free version is pretty good but I think the pro version is probably worth the upgrade fee.
As long as the file is in the HEIC format you can edit quite freely set the forward and rear bokeh and even refocus. The iphone has huge depth of field so the software can place the focus pretty much in any part of the frame.
Instagram also has a focus feature that can be used for both video and photos and you don't have to share on instagram, it can save to your camera roll.
One problem with the iPhone as a camera is it's pretty difficult to hold steady. I've found a selfy stick sprung holder has a 1/4 20 thread and holds the iPhone quite securely attaching this to an arca swiss L bracket gives a reasonable grip. Some apps support a cheap bluetooth AB shutter release so you can use the shutter without needing to be pressing on the screen.
Of course using an arca swiss mount allows you to use tripods and other devices.
If you want to get the best battery life on your iphone, this link has a lot of options to reduce battery usage.
https://www.payetteforward.com/why-does-my-iphone-battery-die-so-fast-heres-the-real-fix/
I hope this thread will be useful for iphone photography issues, feel free to add your own tips and recommendations.
Feb 21, 2019 23:32:11 #
Feb 22, 2019 07:47:49 #
Thanks for the info. Capability keeps moving forward. Wonder where it will be in 10 years.
Feb 22, 2019 09:03:57 #
Fake Lightning Cables are a problem.
There is supposed to be voltage protection built into the cable. without it there is a chip in the iphone / ipad called the tristar chip which can get damaged by the fake cables.
If its a mfi cable (made for iPhone) cable apple will have charged the manufacturer $4 for the little board that sits at the end of the lighting connector. So just on price you know some cables have to be fakes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL2BtbigI4Y
It's a bit long but explains quite well. most micro usb cables, don't have anything but wires although some magnetic ones do. USB-C is something else again.
There is supposed to be voltage protection built into the cable. without it there is a chip in the iphone / ipad called the tristar chip which can get damaged by the fake cables.
If its a mfi cable (made for iPhone) cable apple will have charged the manufacturer $4 for the little board that sits at the end of the lighting connector. So just on price you know some cables have to be fakes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DL2BtbigI4Y
It's a bit long but explains quite well. most micro usb cables, don't have anything but wires although some magnetic ones do. USB-C is something else again.
Feb 22, 2019 12:02:12 #
Feb 22, 2019 14:14:55 #
John_F wrote:
Which iPhone are you dealing with here.
Mine is a 7 plus but it seems to be common to all the phones using the lightning cable. I also noticed with a knock off cable my ipad was very slow to charge, which is what got me looking in the first place. Swapping to an apple lightning cable same charger it raced away. I had the ipad on charge overnight and was at 64% and i had turned off all notifications, background refresh, wifi and bluetooth.
I'm also seeing reports of accessories not being recognised (including apple ones) on OS updates due to damage to that chip inside the iphone from these unauthorised cables.
Micro usb cables seem to be chip free , unless its a magnetic tip.
If the charger is well regulated then, maybe not having the NX chip in the lightning cable isn't so bad as it should still be regulating the supply but not every usb supply is made to a high standard and the cheaper they are the more likely they are to be poorly designed and made.
Ravpower makes cables with the mfi certified chip but you can also buy cables from other brands which have the mfi logo but are fake on Amazon. It is a mess and i'm not impressed with Apple and its design that allows this problem to occur. I'm not going to use third party cables any more the risk isn't worth it.
https://mfi.apple.com/MFiWeb/getAPS
I used this to check a cable on ebay MC-1015 by FoxSun Foxsun has 10 certified products this was not one of them.
I went searching on ebay for a real 3rd party lightning cable it was difficult sometimes the manufacturer was licensed but the part wasn't. vut ebay item number 153321520757
seems to be genuine however its more expensive than buying direct from apple!
The $4 board apple licences for the cable ends.
The fake ones at $0.008 each, yes less than 1 cent each.
https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/high-quality-8PIN-IC-Lighting-connector_60771198208.html?spm=a2700.7724857.normalList.7.5b73295el6SR2w&s=p
Feb 24, 2019 22:47:15 #
The problem with knock off cables, really comes in to play when you plugin a charger.
They are pretty much all switch mode power supplies. which chop up mains power and converts it into something approaching 5 Volts.
Unfortunately there is massive variation between what is supposed to be output and what they actually do put out.
http://www.righto.com/2012/10/a-dozen-usb-chargers-in-lab-apple-is.html
Surprisingly Apple supplies are quite good but not actually the best. The fake chargers tested have shown in the article to be terrible and while some are better than others, we can't really test them ourselves. There are a few photos to help spot the real from the fake in the article.
Short version some chargers just have too dirty an output to be feeding to our devices and we need to be taking better care of our devices if we want them to last.
They are pretty much all switch mode power supplies. which chop up mains power and converts it into something approaching 5 Volts.
Unfortunately there is massive variation between what is supposed to be output and what they actually do put out.
http://www.righto.com/2012/10/a-dozen-usb-chargers-in-lab-apple-is.html
Surprisingly Apple supplies are quite good but not actually the best. The fake chargers tested have shown in the article to be terrible and while some are better than others, we can't really test them ourselves. There are a few photos to help spot the real from the fake in the article.
Short version some chargers just have too dirty an output to be feeding to our devices and we need to be taking better care of our devices if we want them to last.
Feb 27, 2019 15:38:15 #
Live Photos:
This is an interesting little feature, the camera records a little video before and after the shot. This can be used as is or post processed to say a long exposure or a loop or left as is. This is a pretty unique feature, that adds to the story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBl61LSLyfw
The iPhone has quite a few hidden controls, this next video shows how to use them. Getting out of autofocus and auto exposure alone is going to make a big difference to your photo quality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZNH8k7JlCo
This is an interesting little feature, the camera records a little video before and after the shot. This can be used as is or post processed to say a long exposure or a loop or left as is. This is a pretty unique feature, that adds to the story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBl61LSLyfw
The iPhone has quite a few hidden controls, this next video shows how to use them. Getting out of autofocus and auto exposure alone is going to make a big difference to your photo quality.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZNH8k7JlCo
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