17-Sep-22
I shot some pictures this morning on my daily walk but this time I was carrying two phones. One was my 2 year old Google Pixel 5, which I have always viewed as a fine camera and I’m able to take lovely pictures with it. The other is the brand new iPhone 14 Pro. While I didn’t need a phone upgrade, I did feel the need for a camera upgrade before I left on a couple of trips. I wanted something that shot better 4K video and my DSLR does not. Plus, weight is an issue.
So on to the photos. You can find lower res below, however you can find full res versions on Flickr at https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjA7vFs. I selected these 5 because they had the most variety of the dozen different shots I took, not particularly because they were the best or the worse. I put them side by side using GIMP with no additional photo processing, so they should be as oranges to oranges as I could make them. (I was going to say “apples to apples” but…
The Trains:
I find the iPhone photo a little over processed, for instance there was quite a bit of dew on the grass and since the processing seemed to focus more on the wood of the train, that element was lost. The Pixel photo picked up the dew, but overall the photos didn’t pop. I think my best picture would have processed it somewhere in the middle.
Garden Bunny:
I really prefer the Pixel photo here. I feel like it did a better job of capturing the actual light. The iPhone photo makes the bunny feel a little over-bright and same with the flower above the bunny. A little better depth of field on the Pixel photo as well, look at the logo on the barrel.
Sidewalk:
I’m mixed on this one. I feel like the Google Pixel 5 photo once again captured the breadth of the changes of the exposure better. It better conveys the mood of the actual time of the image. The brighter iPhone photo compromises the breadth of exposure for a photo that has richer tones and a sharper image to my eye. Again, like the Train, the truth would be somewhere between the two.
Stop Ahead:
The size of the picture that the two cameras shoot was one of the things that jumped out at me. The 4×3 picture is a different aspect than I am used to taking, with the Pixel set for taking 16×9 photos, so I will be interested to see if the iPhone will allow me to adjust that. Nice vibrant colors in the iPhone photo and that feels like the image that was closest to reality.
Tennis Court:
The iPhone wins this one with a sharper image and better processing of the colors and even the highlights in the trees. I feel like the aspect ration difference pays off here too.
I’d like to hear your comments. Message me on Twitter @N4BFR with your thoughts.