Digital Photography: Does the iPhone Portend the Future of Cameras?

Last month I described how the high-end cinema and videography market has been unexpectedly shaken up by the adoption of DSLRs for use as top-quality video cameras. The way in which Hollywood has embraced these cameras must be really upsetting to the traditional players in the market who are seeing their cameras replaced by ones that are 1/20 the price, while producing results that are just as good, if not better due to the DSLRs greater versatility.

Could a similar thing happen in the still camera field?

When Apple first announced it was going to enter the competitive cell phone market just three years ago, there were many pundits who questioned if Apple could successfully compete as a newcomer against the well established players.

Of course Apple’s critics were really off the mark, as history has shown. They totally underestimated the paradigm shift caused by the iPhone’s use as a small computer. I, like many travelers, often use mine in place of a laptop when on the road. I use it as GPS device, check weather, stocks and news while away from my desktop iMac.

Oh, and I also use it as a camera. The first generation iPhone’s camera was defiantly sub-par, but the 3-megapixel camera in the current 3GS is acceptable as a point-and-shoot camera. Of course, it hasn’t replaced my DSLR cameras. However, when I have been caught without my regular camera and I need a photo, it has produced results acceptable for a small print or online use. One of the photos accompanying this column was shot using the iPhone. Hopefully it’s not too obvious, once it has been printed.

“The Best Camera Is The One That’s With You,” is the way Chase Jarvis, a highly regarded commercial photographer in Seattle, describes the iPhone. He has certainly taken his experiences to an amazing level writing a photo book, creating an app and building a community website, thebestcamera.com, where iPhone photographers can upload their images.

If you check iTunes, Apple’s online store, you’ll find there are, amazingly, almost 2000 apps in the photography category. That’s considerably more than you’ll find for a Mac or even a PC. Granted most of them are only small programs but they cover an amazing gamut of applications. Even Adobe has gotten in on the act with a Photoshop app, and it is free, like so many of the apps offered on iTunes.

For example, when I am on location and want to capture the exact location I also shoot an image with the iPhone as it automatically captures the geographical coordinates. I have tried several add-on GPS units in the past year, and honestly none of them work as consistently well as the GPS in the iPhone. I try to remember to shoot a picture on my iPhone when I am on a shoot so that I can then download the exact geo location and transfer it to the EXIF data on the photos captured on a DSLR.

The camera in the 3GS can also shoot video and there are now several apps that improve the look of video captured on the camera. They are obviously far from being at the level of Final Cut Pro but they can certainly get anyone started on the basics of movie production.

It is pretty safe to presume that the next versions of the iPhone will have a better camera, as sensors are improving all the time. I am now more certain than ever that phone cameras will supplant low-end compact cameras for all but the most ardent photo enthusiasts.

Those camera companies that rely on point-and-shoot cameras for much of their profits have to be concerned; that is, unless they work with phone manufacturers and view them as an ally.

I’ve mentioned it before but I would love to see an innovative camera company working with Apple to integrate the iPhone into a high-end compact camera or even a DSLR.
Imagine plugging an iPhone into the back of a camera body. The camera would then be able to use the computing power of the iPhone to add functionality. For starters you’d immediately get a far better screen than any current camera offers. You’d get the ability to add GPS coordinates to every image captured. You could choose to have a thumbnail image stored on the iPhone. You could automatically and instantly upload these images through the iPhone’s data system for copyright recording in real time or for a distant client to view.

The apps in the iPhone could be used to edit and modify pictures captured on the host camera.

I reckon if this were ever to happen, the number of apps that would appeal to professionals would skyrocket. Essentially, it would be a great way of opening up the camera to outside developers, which is something that’s not possible with today’s cameras as they are all closed systems.

Unfortunately, I suspect my dream is unlikely to come to fruition, as camera manufacturers do not want to give up their control. History, though, shows they will be on the losing side with this attitude in today’s world.

What’s far more likely to happen is that Apple or another phone manufacturer will eventually introduce cameras that are so good they will put many camera manufacturers out of business.

What do readers think? I’d be interested to know. Am I blowing smoke? Does my hypothesis make sense? Let me know what you think.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1
In the rest of the world it seems Panasonic has made quite a name for itself as a purveyor of good compact cameras. For example, Panasonic says it was the number one seller of compact digital cameras in Europe in 2008. However, in the U.S., Panasonic does not do so well and does not seem to be on the radar screen in quite the same way. I’m not sure why this is. Perhaps Panasonic has chosen to concentrate on the European market and not worry about the U.S. as much. Or are tastes different in Europe? Or is it because Panasonic has been highly visible as the primary sponsor on Toyota’s F1 Grand Prix car for the past few years? The Formula One championship is the second most watched sport, everywhere in the world except for the U.S. where it is probably less popular than tiddlywinks.

I first experienced using a Panasonic still camera briefly two years ago when I tried the Lumix DMC-FX35 on a media trip. I was impressed with the image quality from the small 10.1-megapixel compact camera. Since then the company has introduced several newer cameras that have all garnered good reviews.

Panasonic is one of the founding members of the micro four-thirds consortium that was announced in 2008. In fact, Panasonic was the first to introduce a camera to meet the specs when it introduced the Lumix DMC-G1 at Photokina in 2008. It was well received as potentially the first so-called EVIL (an electronic viewfinder instead of a mirror) camera that would be acceptable for camera enthusiasts and even professionals. I never managed to evaluate one other than on display at trade shows.

In the summer of 2009 Panasonic introduced the GH1, which was essentially the same camera as the G1, but with the added ability to capture HD video. I have now finally been able to try one for a short time. I’ll admit that my expectations were high as I do believe this sort of camera will become more common in the future as it potentially overcomes many of the shortcomings of hybrid DSLRs that have to contend with the mirror that gets in the way when shooting video.
So how did I find the GH1 in real use?

Overall, I liked the camera. Its small size is definitely a plus, yet its ergonomics are fine. I like the way the rear LCD screen rotates, which is really useful when shooting video and for grabbing stills in awkward situations. There is no need to manually switch between the two ways to view. Instead, it is done automatically by sensing when your eye is close to the eyepiece, it then switches automatically between the view­finder and the rear screen.

Sadly those of us who love the clear view through an optical viewfinder on a DSLR will still be disappointed in the electronic viewfinder. Although the GH1’s viewfinder is possibly the best one out there, it still shows some lag, and details are not as clear. On the other hand, it is useable when shooting video so it’s much better than relying on the rear screen, which is the only way to view on DSLRs set to video capture.

Not surprisingly, the still image quality obtained by the 12.1-megapixel CCD sensor is just about the same as that found in the Olympus cameras, that is to say it is fine as long as you don’t shoot above ISO 1600. The HD video quality is excellent. In fact it’s almost as good as video captured by much more expensive video cameras. The average person would be hard pressed to see any difference in clips produced by this camera.

Bottom line, the GH1 is not a substitute for a traditional DSLR for still action photography. However, it is easier to use as an HD video camera than the present hybrid DSLRs. One of its shortcomings, though, is its price—Panasonic charges $1499 for the camera with a 14–140mm lens.

It’s ironic that there are no cameras on the market that don’t present shortcomings as we move from “old” cameras with just one function to multimedia capture devices that can take stills, capture video and operate as a computer. I’ll bet that in five years we will have plenty of cameras capable of performing all these functions.
I believe the Apple iPhone and the Panasonic DMC-GH1 both give hints of what will be coming in the future.

John Rettie is a photojournalist who resides in Santa Barbara, CA. He has been using a camera as a professional for 39 years, a computer for 29 years and has combined his knowledge of both for the past 16 years. Readers can contact him directly by email at [email protected].