The iPhone 7 Plus: The Mobile Photographer's Best Friend
Two years ago, when on assignment for City Pages, I had an editor tell me that my photos of food quite frankly sucked. She minced no words when making this clear and rather than resenting her critique, I’m thankful she had the audacity to let me know how shoddy my photography was. Since then, I’ve worked on improving my photography and photo editing, first with a phone, then with a camera and now with the in-phone camera of the iPhone 7 Plus.
I upgraded from an old iPhone 5 to the 7 Plus a month ago, and the difference between the two is night and day. Many photographers have hailed the 7 Plus as an integral part of the modern photographer’s arsenal, and I agree. The photos I shoot on my 7 Plus are crisper and more balanced than the ones that I capture on my Panasonic Lumix, and it’s a lot easier than lugging a camera around. I took in on a trip to Portland with me and use it regularly around town, and the initial results are positive.
What stands out about the 7 Plus is its dual-lens camera. On older iPhones, zoomed-in photos were poor quality and one had to use secondary apps to capture a decent photo on the phone. On the 7 Plus, I use the built-in camera without an app for my photos because the telephoto and wide-angled lenses capture images with equal finesse. Plus, the 7 Plus can shoot in RAW, which expands editing possibilities in Lightroom (which has upgraded its mobile app for these purposes). The 12 megapixel camera is great for both close-up shots and large-scale panoramas and the standard shot-stabilizer helps create lines and landscapes that are less crooked than in phones past.
The other - yet imperfect feature - of the 7 Plus’ camera is Portrait Mode. I love shooting photos with bokeh and faded backgrounds on my camera, especially at night. The 7 Plus has made it easier for me to do it in the day. The lens-blur simulation is sometimes off because it relies on facial recognition, which leads to taking more shots and recycling those with shoddy blurs, especially when it comes to objects. That said, the background doesn’t looked contrived. While some day shots don’t play up bokeh as much as I’d like, the faded backgrounds created in Portrait Mode are a field day for photographers who embrace a dreamy and moody aesthetic.
Despite these imperfections, I find it much easier to carry a 7 Plus around than my camera. For heavier lifting and outfit narratives, I’ll still take my camera over the 7 Plus. For everyday use and spontaneous style and street shots, however, the 7 Plus can’t be beat in terms of efficiency and ease of use.
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