Thoughts on Phone Photos

Oh my word! Such lovely dolls.
I'm diggin' the outfits!
Were these taken with a camera phone?
They look kind of pixel.

 

yes, i think camera phones can sometimes be surprisingly good!

i love the first photo!

 

Honest answer? Buy a camera. Yes thats the elitist bitch in me that hates camera phones coming out but honestly, they're grainy, highlights are blown out and the auto focus is well off in at least two of them.

The compositional elements show promise but the picture quality is doing you no favours.

 

Honestly, the background is more in focus than the object desired...

Some camera phones can be surprisingly good, but a dedicated camera works much better...

 

Agreeing with River and FunnyLori.
If you can save for a doll, just save up and buy a camera. It's much more worth it in the end. You can focus on the doll instead of the background, it wont be washed out, and the pictures wont be grainy. Camera phones are fine for myspace pictures, but if you're trying to take 'artistic' pictures of your dolls, it's a no for me.

 

I think they are utterly charming and wonderful! If photography is not your thing - then camera phones are really getting powerful enough to produce a passing photo of this calibre! Fun!

 

For camera phone pictures, they're rather cute. I like the first two. While, of course I prefer cameras, and these photos are rather grainy and at times, out of focus, I personally find nothing terribly wrong with them. ^^

 

I really love the panda shot, and i think a normal camera might not have captured the moment so well ^^ the grainy-ness gives it a moody feel that others would have to photoshop in.

 

You should get him a rectangular pan for his birthday!
I think he'd like that.
♥

 

Spamsama: Which Ericsson do you have? I've got the W600i and have noticed that while indoors where lighting isn't the best my photos are beyond grainy, but outside in daylight I get very, very clear photos even at 1.3MP. I'd harbor a guess that if you took outdoor photos during the day with yours that it well my be virtually indistinguishable from the average digital point-and-shoot.

 

Ofcourse I always think a real digital camera is the best and I've yet to tell ANYONE other than my bestfriend about the kind of camera I use for doll photos, because I'm often praised for the pictures I take - people saying I most have one hella powerful camera with the best resolution in the world.

Well.. I'm actually using the camera in my mobile, and it works fine for me, and I somehow find it much easire to work with than a real camera, because it has some "things" that my normal camera doesn't. So atm I prefer my mobile over my digital x'P

I think it really depends on the phone you're using

I use a Sony Ericson W810i

and this is my examples, some pictures has been sharpened a minimum in photoshop, but it's almost not noticable.

 

D'oh! Forgot to meantion it's a W810i, like PeterPan-Syndrome has, in fact. So I do need to try and take some outside because PeterPan-Syndrome's came out great I think!

Which is only more (and better in PeterPan-Syndrome's case) proof that sometimes you can get nice photos from a camera phone. Perhaps not super duper insane 12MB quality photos, but definitely nice enough to share!

 

I got sick and tired of my phone's camera, because although it's fairly good for it's time, the photos still look like a bitch compared to my digital, and Shasta never looks the way I want him to. Unless the pictures are very stylized, or B&W, usually it's not worth it. Owning an actual digital camera is SO worth the money. And Bory's are camera whores, so you must treat us with pretty, sharp, lovely pictures, or they won't cooperate with you. :'DD

 

Quality wise, the photos are a bit grainy and dolls out of focus in some shots, but I think the important thing's the moment's captured! I like the 1st photo and the one with the panda - they're cute!

Personally, I prefer using my camera rather than my cameraphone to take photos; but it's a personal preference. And definitely not to diss the quality of cameraphones either since the technology is improving by leaps and bounds - my cameraphone is actually at 3.2mpx, which is more than my 3.1mpx camera. Lol. I just like the feel of a camera in my hands though.

One thing good about cameraphones too is that since a lot of people have them nowadays, they're great to capture candid, unexpected photos!

I still fail at taking really crisp photos with my phone, but here's one taken earlier of 2 of my boys with my Sony Ericsson K800i (untouched):

 

This is a pic I took on my camera phone, I have 2 cameras, which I love a point and shoot sony and my canon 400D for my more professional pics, but I did buy the new CyberShot Sony Ericsson K850i phone as a little stand by in my bag, for those moments lol and im very impressed, takes some fab pics.

Non of the pics below are changed in anyway and they were not taken on the highest or best setting, for a phone its very impressive, obviously not in the league of my cameras, but for someone who want a phone/camera pretty darn good.








my friends doll

 

I don't have the money for a dedicated camera, as I'm saving for my first boy, but has anyone had any luck taking good shots with a T-Mobile Sidekick camera? I know that they're motion-sensitive, but I'm still curious. What settings did you use and was it day or night, indoor or outdoor?

I'm wondering if I should make this a separate thread...?

Ryuichi

 

I don't have the money for a dedicated camera, as I'm saving for my first boy, but has anyone had any luck taking good shots with a T-Mobile Sidekick camera? I know that they're motion-sensitive, but I'm still curious.

How did the pics turn out? Were they good, great, crappy or don't bother wasting your time? What settings did you use and was it day or night, indoor or outdoor?

I'm no photographer, but I want to have something to take pics of my boy's opening when I finally get him home. I'll eventually get a dedicated camera once the money's there, but I want to do something for when I get my first boy, other than buy a disposable, which I'm not too keen on doing.

Domoarigato for anyone that helps me with this!

Ryuichi

 

My sister has the Sidekick 3 and from what I've heard her say about taking pics with it, you definitely need to have a lot of light. Otherwise, the pics are going to be really dark and grainy.

 

Domoarigto (Thank you very much) for that info. Any idea as to what settings she has it on when she takes pics? I have a Sidekick3 too.

Ryuichi

 

Good camera phone takes good pictures.
Bad camera phone takes bad pictures.
Good camera takes good pictures.
Bad camera takes bad pictures.

Basically, if your phone's got a very good camera [I've seen some spectacular photos taken with the iPhone] then I say go for it.

But if your phone takes shitty pictures, and you buy a cheap camera that still takes shitty pictures, then it's not worth it.

So, basically, it doesn't matter what you're using, as long as it's good quality.

 

Just for reference, my DZ Ani's arrival pics were done with A sidekick 2. I didn't have a real camera available at the time, so I quickly used the sidekick instead. It was dark even with flash, so I had to shine a really bright light directly on her instead. I would recommend Sidekicks for many reasons, but their photo capabilities are not one of them. You read enough reviews, and that's usually pretty high up on the list of complaints. I totally agree with Constance, and honestly, I know nothing about cameras. Since you already have the Sidekick, go ahead and use it, but only cause it's better than nothing. A disposable camera might actually be better since a good camera is not an option for you at this time.

The only time I use the sidekick is when I don't have my camera with me, or for shots that are SUPPOSED to look like cell phone shots for story/LJ purposes. I'm actually looking into getting a better camera right now myself, cause my digital is really old and used to be considered high end, but would be considered low end today. Even with that I'd rather use it than my cell.

arrival pics:http://www.denofangels.com/forums/showthread.php?t=194639

 

(I searched for this topic and found nothing; remove if necessary!)

I know that this seems really dumb, because most phone pictures are crap, but my camera has been out of commission for a while, so I've had to resort to using my iPhone 4S - which I discovered, with HDR, can take pretty good pictures. Now I use it frequently, in addition to my fiances Samsung Galaxy S3, which is even better and more advanced.

So I was wondering, does anyone else like/prefer taking pictures with a phone? Have any good pictures to share? I'll post a couple of mine.

With iPhone 4S:


Katya by RazzyBJD, on Flickr


Katya by RazzyBJD, on Flickr


Untitled by RazzyBJD, on Flickr

With Galaxy s3:


20130115_193518_LLS by RazzyBJD, on Flickr

 

I do think that today's cameraphones are certainly advanced enough to take pretty decent pics! Most of my phone-photos are silly ones done for convenience.


Standing Tall by rainwaltz, on Flickr

Given enough effort, they can produce nice photos; but since I'm usually using a phone for a quick photo I can never be bothered. >A<

 

Well I'm a bit of an instagram addict so I'm constantly taking snapshots of just about everything and I've managed to get some pretty good looking shots of my girl. I'll still default back to my actual camera though if I want to take super nice pictures. I'll definitely try out using the HDR setting tohugh, I completwely forgot the iphone had it.

Here are two of my phone pictures though. For some reason people seem to like the one with the messy background more and I can't quite figure out why.

 

i've actually been considering this a lot... since my camera is at home and i always have my itouch camera on me.

 

I have a big fancy over priced camera
but all of the photos I have of my doll so far have been taken with my droid razr due to the fact that I seem to have lost my sd card
in good natural lighting the quality is pretty good

 

Almost all of my pictures have been taken with my cell, I don't have a camera right now and finding my roommates ok camera is difficult (It loves to hide from me) I have to say I love cell pictures.



I love his eyes in this photo, no effects taken with my HTC Incredible 2

 

Oh man, I can safely say that a good number of pictures I've taken of my dolls has been with an iPhone 3GS, though in recent months, my new iPad has been my goto camera. The convenience that smartphones and tablets bring to the table is kind of ridiculously awesome. It certainly makes taking quick pictures for people that want comparison photos super easy and painless. I feel a little bad that my little point and shoot that I got maybe 2 years ago is just sitting around collecting dust these days.

Anyway, here's a few older pictures from my iPhone 3GS (both taken through the instagram app, I believe)


Untitled by xSingull, on Flickr


Would you like some cream? by xSingull, on Flickr

Annnnd 2 pictures from my iPad. I'm a bit addicted to square photos thanks to instagram. xD;


Wicker by xSingull, on Flickr


long night by xSingull, on Flickr

All these were taken using indoor lighting. The 3GS was a pain when it came to taking indoor pictures. X-x; I usually had to set up one or two of my clamp lights so I could actually see anything. Buuuut my iPad has been pretty great on that front. I usually can just flick my fluorescent desk light on and boom, ready to snap a few pictures. I've even taken a few quick shots of my dolls using just a little book light.

I won't lie though, taking pictures with a big ol' tablet isn't easy. I've been contemplating putting together some kind of set-up for my iPad so I can put it on a tripod or something eventually. Certainly make recording videos easier.

Anyway, I have to say, I definitely prefer taking pictures with a smartphone/tablet. I've always had problems with focusing with most cameras, so being able to tap on the screen to where I want the picture to be focused at is really handy for me. I do wish I had more control of the exposure though. Can't win them all, I guess. :P /rambling

 

I also your Iphone for photo my girl and boy, caz i still bad in using a big camera, and I found out that it's very nice working and easy using a phone

Here a simple of my girl using I-phone App to photo and decorated something fun
Model: Volks Kira SD16

 

Usually I would say ugh no please not the cell phone pictures! But I suppose with the right quality of lighting and patience it does work, which is great. I'm sad though when a phone isn't capable of taking a good picture or the lighting is bad..it's like aww they missed the opportunity to get a really nice picture. D: Now I know that it's not like with taking photos of family and stuff that you could possibly put in frames and hang on the wall (or if people do that with their dolls, that's cool too, just havn't seen anyone do that yet ^^) but the same goes for posting online..you take a photo of something you like and you want to show everyone, you post it on DA or Flickr or here for all to see..it just makes it more likable if the quality is good.

I regret that it took me so long to get my own small camera because while I love looking at all the pictures I took with my phone (samsung galaxy) - the quality just isnt there and all I could do is display them on my phone because the format just doesnt work well anywhere else imo. As long as you have a way to take photos I think it's good to do whatever with you can so you can keep the memories. Although it goes without saying if a DSLR camera magically fell in my lap I would be sooo soo happy haha.

 

My cell takes bad photos indoors and good outdoors. I have taken all my doll photos indoors, so I try to use my camera and not my cell.

 

Honestly; in the right lighting, iPhone 5's take a WONDERFUL quality picture.

But of course, that also means that there are plenties of times that it doesn't. It's either a hit or miss for me.

Alas, I am not a photographer either, so I am missing a lot of knowledge to take a good photograph.

 

These were taken on an Iphone 4g. They are okay, but come out really large for some reason!

 

I use my sony ericsson for pictures. Being 15 and all it's a little hard to get a nice/decent camera. My phone works wonders for now although it kind of gives things a blue tint in natural light

Wish this wasn't so big ^^;

 

I love my camera phone! I'm not a professional photographer and , to be honest, I can't afford a camera. It makes me hesitant to post pics here because I've seen such great photography on DoA. It's something I do for fun and because I love my boy.

 

I have a digital camera i love.

But even still, i think phone photos are a fast easy and fun way to take photos ^_^
I just upgraded to the galaxy note 2 and i love using my phone for photos

 

That was a good idea to let your friend get more comfortable with owning a doll by practicing photography with yours ^^
I think if composition (framing and subject) are good, that can sometimes negate a grainy photo. In cases of these black and white ones, I think it makes them look like old photographs (like from late 1800's up to the 1920's) which weren't very good either.
I only have a phone camera myself, and with the proper tweaking and a steady hand some (read as '2 of hundreds') of my pictures come out to rival a [cheap] dslr camera.

 

Another iPhone picture I snapped during a box opening yesterday:


Dear Mine Korat Box Opening by RazzyBJD, on Flickr

If you use an iPhone in good light and focus correctly and keep a steady hand, you can get some really decent shots.

 

I made this photo by the my old phone when I received my Lily... she is look like the offended child here, because I didn't bring her clothes on my work )))

 

This
most smart phones nowadays have very powerful cameras, but they're only as good as the conditions you shoot in.
Having fantastic lighting is really key to shooting phone photos.

Having a better app than just the phones normal camera app really helps too. I swear by camera+, but there are many other options

An older shot, but one of my best phone photos as far as quality of the product.



I also love instagram for just quick portraits Makes life super simple.
If I can't get the shot I want in instagram, I'll usually shoot it in camera+ then open that product up in the instagram app.

 

Every time I hear people arguing this topic, I have to laugh. The phone cameras...even the first ones...were so far above the first digital cameras (of which I still have one. And it was considered top of the line...creating a file that was a whole megabyte!) I took some darn good pics with that camera.

Pictures are far more than perfect clarity and depth of field. They're composition and concept. Think of what manga artists do with the simplest of lines. Yes, a good tool will enhance your photo, but no camera will repair bad composition and limp concept.

I find the initial images posted at the top of this topic to have a charming "family snapshot" quality. Sure, they're taken with a much older phone camera...but that's a given. They were taken in 2008. OTOH, I find the first one quite lovely. I think the plug in the BG would be better left out, but the angelic glow of the hands around the shimmering heart is beautiful. The shot is about the heart, not the doll. The one with the in-focus BG and out of focus doll is exactly the sort of photo proud parents wave under the noses of all their friends. Alternatively, she looks as if she was on a mission and too intent on where she was headed to hold still for the shot.

It's all in how you look at it.

More often than not, art is about taking advantage of serendipity. (ooo...I think I just wrote my new sig! )

 

Phone photos are cute however for taking pictures of such detailed expensive dolls I think using a camera will show its beauty better.

 

It is a matter of priorities. It is possible to take a good photo with a good 'phone, in the right conditions and with a good eye, but it is far easier to take that photo with a DSLR. However, not many us can afford both, as well as all the extremely expensive dolls we collect, so we have to choose. I have possibly the oldest functioning phone in existence. It makes and receives calls and texts and that is it. But, six years ago, I spent the equivalent of a doll on an entry level DSLR, which I have used extensively since. I get far more pleasure using my camera than I ever would playing about on an all-singing-all-dancing 'phone. I made the right choice for me, but we can't have it all.

 

I have had awful luck with my cameras. I can never get the colors right when I use them to shoot BJD (I have a Canon Rebel and a Canon point and shoot). I've taken great photos with them, however, at the end of the day, I love my camera phone.

 

Good photos can come from anywhere, so can bad photos
The one thing I can't stand are blurred pics, who uploads something like that?

 

I have to say that I use both a camera (Nikon Coolpix) and my iPhone for pictures. Sometimes, the iPhone will take a much better, sharper pic, especially in low lighting. I don't yet have a tripod for my camera, and I'm shakey on the best of days, so low lighting pics tend to be blurry and out of focus on my camera.

 

One of them, When my girl was not set in her ways, but that was taken on a Google Nexus S.

 

You can definitely find a camera for cheap, wether its on Craigslist or just on Best Buy when they have their sales. Point and shoots do amazing jobs and you can use that camera for vacations and whatever else, not just for dolls, so it's a worthwhile investment. Unless you've got a fancy phone like iPhones or the galaxy. Those take great photos (look how far has technology come, man).

 

I use both too. I don't care what vehicle the picture is taken on I just want the picture. Sometimes my phone can get the better shot (and I love the effects it can do) sometimes the main camera. I mourn the loss of my sony ericsson phone (HTC is useless) and when I upgrade sometime in october 'camera that can take decent doll pix and has settings' will be right after 'phone I can acutally use as a phone' in requirements.

As several people pointed out on this thread, some camera phones are better than some digital cameras so yeah - it seems that the camera aspect of the phone is so important nowadays that the manufacturers are putting more money into that development. I've seen some amazing (non doll) shots taken on an iphone and other smartphones.

I had a lovely camera but it got broken when I lent it out to a family member. The new camera I'm still getting used to, and working out settings. While it's slow progress there is definite progress although I also mourn the ability to take good shots in low light which I seem to do more than anything.

For those saying 'why upload grainy or blurred shots' chances are that's what the photographer is capable of with the equipment they currently have. They can't improve if they don't get feedback (which can be done nicely without making them feel half an inch tall) and they can't get feedback if they don't post pictures. So not every shot looks professional, hey newsflash - not every photographer on here is professional. Lucky are those with light boxes, DSLR cameras and the space for SD sets. The rest of us manage with what we've got be that camera, mobile phone or ipad!

 

Very cut poses all I use is my phone to take photo since I haven't made myself go get a camera and it works really well but it has to be in thr right lighting or it gets very washed out and grainy. But I've managed natural light pictures lookk better most times anyway so it hasn't really hindered me to much lol

 

When I first started collecting bjds all I had was my phone camera... wasn't a great phone either... When I upgraded my phone to a blackberry I thought yay a better camera... no.... was VERY disapointed xD ofc I got a camera eventually a few xmas's later, But my first phone with a camera did ok I think






I still like theses photos And sometimes I feel like I cant take good pictures with my camera anyway xD The phone I have now has a great camera, and sometimes when you only want 1 shot, a camera phone will do its there to hand and its easier for me... I don't think there is anything wrong with them at all I am a user of both even though I do have a nice camera xD

 

I think smartphones with nice cameras have the ability to take great photos, ESPECIALLY with the right lighting and technique... Eventually I'd love to have a dslr camera, but for now I only have a point and shoot that's on the nicer side of "standard" and that I lost the cable for so I can't upload pictures, aaaand my phone... And for now I'm just fine with my phone... I'm not super skilled at photography but the quality is good enough to allow me to casually explore and learn a bit about technique.

So I think just for capturing the moment a lower quality phone camera is fine, and for casual photography a high quality camera phone is great, and if one wants to get a bit more serious with photography a decent point and shoot is a good investment, and then obviously the best choice for image quality is a dslr.

It's all a combination of technique and image quality though; a better camera isn't going to entirely fix poor technique, and good technique isn't going to entirely fix a really low quality camera.

 

My camera phone was my best camera for awhile. I knew that it wouldn't have the highest quality photos, but it was a smartphone and had a reasonable 8 MP camera. Now that I have a decent digital camera, the picture quality beats the pants off of my cell phone. It's seriously worth it to invest in a camera in my opinion. I get so much more out of doll photography than I did before

 

its a wonder how far cell phone cameras have come since 2008, eh? Now our camera phones are almost on par with most generic point-n-click cameras :-)

I have a Canon, and I love it very dearly...I hope i can use it much more to show off my ante when she comes