Cell Phone Photo Question

@Brian DeFazio,

I just looked up the Samsung Galaxy S10.  It is the highest rated smart phone camera on an independent review site.

Neal, the other difference with your second shot is the angle is more acute than the previous shot.

I have found that the limitations of photos off smart phones tends to directly correlate with the users understanding how to actually optimize all the settings that are available.  All too often I receive "great photos" that are little more than thumbnail photos. Maybe they look great on the phone, but very rarely are they publishable.

I still love my Apple devices for video recording and editing but have yet to find a clean way to take decent long shots without the effects of the shallow depth of field or fake looking bokeh. The 13 Pro takes amazing macro photos though. I keep meaning to try some other camera apps that tout the ability to select lenses and adjust F stops or whatever. Portrait Mode seems promising but sill offers a shallow depth of field even when set to F16. I had a DSLR once but did not like it and doubt I'll ever buy a hardware camera again, so I guess I've adapted my picture taking to these limitations.

  Some of the posts concerning taking pictures with iphones give me the impression that you may have the ability to adjust the point of focus.  If this is the case then for the close-up 3/4 view of the NS coming across the bridge you could try a series of experiments focusing further back along the train to see if you can find a point where everything will be in focus.

  I've never used a phone for photography but when I use my Nikon 55mm manual focus f/2.8-f/32 for up close pictures (which is the usual issue with diorama pictures).  I use a tape measure to check the distance of wanted minimum and maximum focus from those points to the focal plane in the camera and then make adjustments to the focus ring (which indicates these locations) so that the focal point is somewhere between the two locations but still covers the range of interest.  As a check for good focus I use an empty gum pack located at the point of desired minimum and maximum focus, take the shot, and then go up to the computer to see how things look (In the attached example I was testing an idea I had about the focus at mid-range). 

  If it is possible to adjust the focus on your iphone you could set up your shot, use a "focus" check like the gum box and try various adjustments to focus and iphone location and perhaps get a picture like the NS on the bridge with everything in focus.

@John H posted:

On my Iphone 12 you can tap on the screen in the area you want to focus. As to whether you can photo stack using that I have no idea.

On any iPhone if you press and hold the autofocus will lock on that selection. It is focus and auto exposure lock. You can then manually adjust to exposure. I use this a lot.

The Nord 2 smart phone has a complete PRO mode, ISO, F1 -32, WB, etc.  DOF is very good.  Best camera phone on the market.  Less that $400.00 before inflation.   Worth researching..  Highly recommend'...Rated best phone in all the review mags;...

Photoshop can be used to process Depth of Field (Bokeh) into your photos. Below is a quick overview. (1) Open the photo with Photoshop. (2) Make a duplicate layer. (2) Open filters, go to Blur. (3) Open Lens Blur. (4) Move the sliders to achieve the desired Bokeh. (5) Make a mask for the duplicate layer showing the area to be free of Bokeh. (6) Fine tune as needed = Done.

Lionel Amtrak with my iPhone 11 Pro. (Below)

Lionel Amtrak with Depth of Field (Bokeh) - Notice on the steam loco’s tender the work OHIO is no longer visible. The Amtrak is the key loco in the photo. (Below)

To learn how to do this, there are several excellent How Too Videos on YouTube. I am also on the fence about moving up to the iPhone 14.

Hope this helps: Gary 🚂

@texgeekboy posted:

I have an iPhone 13 mini, not pro.  If You take 2 pics in Portrait mode, then go to photos and edit one of them, at the top there will be an orangish box with ‘portrait’ in it. Press it. The depth of field of that pic will be way different than the unmodified one.  You can actually go back in and re-edit it to put the pic back in portrait mode. I don’t know if the results are acceptable to you.

In reading your response I tried what you said with my I Phone 13 mini and the result is really good!  The background retains a sharp focus as does the subject.   I wish I  knew this technique before taking pics for my upcoming article in OGR Magazine.  Those pics are not as clear as I would have liked them to be.  But, hey now I know.   Thanks so much for the tip!  

@trumpettrain,

Thanks for letting me know.  I appreciate it.

Here's another trick I just found out.  In Photos, bring up a picture of a person or thing, it doesn't have to be taken in Portrait mode.  Place your finger on that item and hold for a second.  A shimmering light will flash through the item.  You could then copy and then paste that item into a text message.  I couldn't get it into an email directly though, although I could save the image into a text message and then email it to myself.  A little unwieldy admittedly.

If you look at this post, the picture below was created from the Pennsy gondola.  Note no surrounding clutter.  I found this trick totally by accident.

You’re still stuck with a shallow depth of field despite being able to adjust F stop in the edit. This makes taking the classic 3/4 wedge shot of a locomotive or piece of rolling with everything in focus front to back. Here’s an example:

Shooting at a shallower angle seems to work better so side shots tend to be ok.

I don’t know if anyone’s experimented with add-on phone lenses but I haven’t seen a pinhole one yet. There are some obscure YouTube vids about making your own. Maybe the phones will have them someday.

My philosophy toward picture taking with a phone is that it is something that will constantly improve and that I will use it a bit differently compared to a ‘real’ camera. I even tend to like using my iPad for still photos even though it’s not looked upon favorably by anyone.

Edit: second screen recording attached for clarity.