So it seems like that the iPhone 14 basically can't focus on nearby objects like the single-lens iPhones (like the 5s, 6, 8 etc.) and hence you have to hold the phone quite far away from the subject. The 14 Pro has a third zoom lens that allows it to do this, but the regular one doesn't. Since 99% of the pictures I take are of stuff like circuit boards, game controllers, game cases & cartridges etc. it means that basically every picture this phone takes is either out of focus or low-res. I also need to stress that the iPhone 6 picture here was a 1-shot and done while the iPhone 14 pic was the best of ten or so with different distances and lighting conditions. Basically the 6 pic is worst-case while the 14 is best-case. It's really crazy how much worse the 14 is.
You'll need to spend the money for the Pro model if you want to take usable pictures like any phone from a decade ago. Sigh.
I've been generally disappointed with the photo quality of the 14 Pro as well, but for these kinds of shots you will get better results using third-party photo apps that give you more control and take RAWs.
I know there's apps like Halide that give you full access to the camera settings, but from what I understand ever since they went for this triple lens setup the 'default' lens can only focus on things ~25cm away and you need a Pro model if you want to take macro pictures. So I'd assume it's simply a physical limitation of the lens. I actually charged an old 5s back up and even that beats the 14 camera, significantly. It really sucks that basically every time I want to snap a before picture of a repair or document the condition of anything I bought I need to use another camera.
Here's a picture of a PS4 DVD game: Spoiler
Look how randomly blurry everything is and a lot of the high contrast text edges have streaks (look at 'motherlobe edition includes' at the top). There's also massive lens distortion making the edges of the case look warped. It's basically an unusable camera for me. I mostly use it to document the condition of stuff I buy and to take pictures of PCBs, devices during dissassembly / re-assembly and such stuff, small objects on my workbench. It looks quite nice when taking pictures of people etc. during daytime, but for what I actually want to use the camera it's one of the worst I've ever used.
... I'll admit I'm surprised ANY phone is decent for the kind of detail and quality demanded by this post.
If I were to obtain high quality pictures of these kind of things my first idea would probably be to use a camera.
sofakng wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 1:20 am
I'm wondering how the iPhone 15 Pro compares ...
Obviously that's a top end phone but I would hope it's better
The 'Pro' phones are absolutely better, it's just that the non-pro phones have massively regressed ever since they switched to multi-lense phones a few years ago. The 14/15 non-Pro only has the normal and wide-angle lens, the telephoto one that is good for these shots is Pro-only. Seems so dumb to spend hundreds more on an already expensive phone to get back the ability to take pictures of shit on your desk...
Sumez wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2024 6:17 am
... I'll admit I'm surprised ANY phone is decent for the kind of detail and quality demanded by this post.
If I were to obtain high quality pictures of these kind of things my first idea would probably be to use a camera.
Well basically every phone was completely sufficient for me until they made their default lens unable to focus up close. On a 5s/6/8 etc. you can perfectly read 0603 resistor labels and see tiny solder bridges or trace damage. Also like I said and showed you can't even take a picture of a game cart or DVD case without major issues, you basically have to hold the camera further away and the crop. Any ~10 years old iPhone could do that just fine.
That's good to know. Certainly a worthwhile motivation to hoarde a legacy device or save one from going in the bin. You would think Apple executives are old enough to appreciate the combination of macro imaging, flash/torch, and a screen on a single handheld device for more than just photography.
That's nice to know. I have an iPhone 12 (normal version with two lenses) and so far the photos I take seem nice... but it's true I've been struggling to get a better way to take them; I'm using an IKEA eket with a LED stripe powered by batteries so whatever I put inside of it it's lighted, but sometimes the LEDs are too visible no matter how many translucent paper I put over them. Spoiler
I'll try that Halide app to see if it helps.
Last edited by Tak-MK on Fri May 10, 2024 11:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
The camera on my iPhone SE was amazing, I did so much good CRT photography / ‘scanline porn’. I now have a iPhone 12 and despise the camera so much - I have this app ‘Camera+’ that I still need to try, though….
Maybe I'll just take one of my old phones with a dead battery and give it a permanent spot on my bench as a networked camera...
Might also just make sense to get a decent camera. I have nice lighting on my bench already. Nothing is more annoying when trying to solder etc. when you can't see shit. Everything I buy I take pictures of. Used electronics gets taken apart and cleaned / serviced, and it's always nice to be able to look at detailed shots of the interior of some controller two years later without taking it apart again. Also while 9 out of 10 times you don't need the 'before' picture of something before you open / fix it, that one time I'm always really glad I did take pictures.
