markwilliam1

I see so many people using their cell phones to take pictures anymore. I know they can get better pictures with a camera (I think!) The times they are a changing!

CO

I see that a lot and wonder if they will even look at the pictures again later. If so, they will just swipe their finger across the screen when reviewing photos and see it for a fraction of a second.

SWFeral Loc: SWNM

I think because of cell phones, a lot more people are taking photos now, even if they're not good. And I know that newer cell phones can take great-quality photos, even if the user is not a skilled photographer. And sometimes a cell phone can save the day: Yesterday I hiked to a rocky outcropping in another state for some photos I'd been planning for months, only to discover my Canon 7D was in a coma (from which it fortunately awoke, but only after I'd returned home). The only images I have, which I intend to post, were taken with my cell phone.

BebuLamar

Most don't get better pictures with a camera. They use the phones because the phones work best for them. Nothing you should concern yourself with. People do what they do and simply do what you do.

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

Everyone in my family has a cellphone (except my husband) yet they never post photos to be admired for their craft, but rather for the interest in what they're up to lately. I still enjoy their output, and they admire mine (and enjoy it, I hope!) Since consumer cameras have been available, people have enjoyed sharing their life through photos. That's why I have so many from my parents' childhoods, because my grandmothers like taking photos, but only my father tried to make art with his photography. And my three siblings and both children and grandchildren so far haven't caught the photo art bug. Meanwhile, the cellphones are at the ready. Mine is too, but usually to catch something on the spur of the moment.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

As long as they're happy, who cares?

markwilliam1

No concern just a discussion!

markwilliam1

Don’t need to lecture people.

markwilliam1

I think cell phones are awesome! Just curious looking at people taking photos now. So different from a few years ago....course I’m old!

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Cell phones are getting great and they have their purpose and place, as do SLR, DSLR, etc.
I have no problem viewing cell phone images, and use my S-III often, especially for some panoramas.
(But I do use my big camera a lot more than the cell.)

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

That's today's generation, they demand instant gratification on what they are trying to achieve. Shop for cloths on line instead of driving to the mall and actually walking around. Shop for food on line and when you arrive at the grocery store, a personal shopper will put the bags in the trunk for you. Using a cell phone for photography like it's some home appliance you have at your disposal without learning about the finer points of photography like custom settings and exposure...it's called technology on the move.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

People have always wanted photos of their friends and family and events in their lives. Even back in the film days, most didn't want to learn the "finer points" of photography. They would use an Instamatic or some other PHD camera (push here dummy). They had to take the film to a photofinisher and get everything printed to see their photos. Now their phone cameras are WAY better than the old point and shoot film cameras, they can see them and post them on the web immediately to share. Seems like progress to me. People who do photography as a hobby or an art medium, or to earn money, will still have cameras that require some learning to get the best from.

Strodav Loc: Houston, Tx

I'll admit I bought an iphone 8+ a couple of years ago because of the dual 12mp cameras, x1 and x2 and I do take quite a few photos with it in addition to reminder shots (like license plate numbers, wireless modem password, recipes, ...). It's great for casual landscapes and is actually pretty good for certain types of portraits. It has built in HDR capability, several PP portrait features and good closeup ability. It does have some severe limitations, like distortion with portraits and jpg only images, and I will not be giving up my dslrs any time soon. To be fair, I have heard of some new smartphone cameras that give you access to the raw data.

I know that the sales of dslrs is tending down, seriously down, but the good news is the number of photos taken is growing significantly every year, mainly due to smartphones.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

In my opinion, cell phone cameras generate overall better results than what most people were using 20 years ago for their casual photographic needs - disposable cameras. Yes, times are changing... but in a way, not really!

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I grew up in a small town at the base of the Texas Panhandle. It was at the end of a branch rail line of the Santa Fe Railway. Most of my time growing up, our home was in a part of town that allowed us to hear the horn and other evidences of the local's daily visit, but did not allow us to see it. But for two years, from the time I was 4 until just before my 6th birthday, we lived only about two blocks from a spur with a couple of agricultural industries that received almost daily attention from the locomotive and crew as they spotted empties and picked up cars. And I could watch what was going on. We also took yearly driving vacations in the final years before the interstate highway system took almost all of the interest out of the driving part of those vacations, and when the highway rights of way tended to very closely parallel the railroad rights of way for much of the distance to wherever we happened to be going. The result...I was hooked as a railroad "fanatic" by well before my 10th birthday. And the deal was sealed forever by the time I was 12.

I could (and still can) tell you more about the horsepower, number of cylinders, whether two-stroke or 4-stroke engines, intended service, and manufacturer (and location of the factory) where just about any diesel-electric locomotive you might ask me about. I can identify early and late versions, rebuilt versions, and locomotives that were not bought originally by the railroad currently using them. And I have the skills to accurately create models of them and to make those models run "like well-oiled watches."

Models that I built or bought were required to be prototypically correct, to be lettered correctly with the proper unit numbers, and to either have or to be compatible with the proper type of couplers. In a few cases, models that were hard to find were modified (called "kitbashing") to make them either correct or as close to correct as possible.

And I also remember and cherish the generous and so lovingly well-meaning relatives (and occasionally friends) who gave gifts of models and books. That includes (actually especially includes) models of hopelessly generic or poorly "decorated" or "there never really was one of those" equipment that could never really be used on a railroad that hoped to depict the operation of a "real" railroad. But I will never forget that they recognized and acknowledged my interests.

Of course, I also remember all those kids at at school who knew of my hobby and interest, but just never could understand. To them, it was all just a waste of time and energy. I even had some really good friends (including one long-time friend who meticulously charted the performance of major league baseball teams and players) who were good sports about the whole thing and didn't give me any grief about it, but who also struggled to understand the attraction of it.

Many of those who didn't understand my interest still recognized a nice looking train when they saw one. Others would occasionally report on a trip that they had taken by train. But they had no interest in nor capacity for the details.

The point is this...we here are very fortunate to share a common interest. This is a safe space where we can share very deep aspects of that interest. We can fill in the gaps in each others' knowledge and experience, work through things that none of us really understand, and otherwise help one another be better at what we do. I know that I have changed my stance on a couple of things that I came here with strong beliefs about as the result of information and experiences shared here.

So the bottom line is that we are specialists. Most of the world is not. Just like most of the world cares nothing for the details of railroading. That's the way it works. I care nothing about the details of postage stamps, but I am pretty interested in coins and paper money.

I'd like for more of the world to be more interested in photography and railroads and coin collecting and model railroads. But I cannot force them. I can help and encourage A... at school. I can help the three art teachers (only one of whom is a photographer) that I know and work with frequently.

And cell phone cameras are fine...especially the recent ones. My wife's iPhone 8 can take photos in low light with one click of a button that can require several steps for me to achieve. Just be ready when a cell phone photographer approaches you for help to learn how to do "better."

There is no difference between today's phone cameras and yesterday's Hawkeye Brownies or Instamatics. All serve to get folks taking pictures and help identify those with a deeper interest. Work with it. Don't fear it. And don't stress out trying to make everyone an artist.