Better Photos from iPhone

[DPS Ammonite]

I found a simple technique for getting better up close photos from an iPhone 6. I hold, with one hand, my 10x Hastings Triplex hand lens centered over the iPhone lens and the phone. See the difference (look at "ton" in Washington in these photos of a 1 $ US bill. 

 

Now, maybe we can see the pebbly texture of eggs or the grain in petrified wood.

 

Photo without handlens: 

 

[DPS Ammonite]

Photo with handlens: 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Yes, i've been doing this for several months now, and it certainly pays dividends! 

But any shaky hands are magnified by 10 so, a firm rest for the hands is essential.

Detail I cannot see with my fading eyesight is revealed.

 

Still don't know what it is, though.

[Walt]

Very nice!  Did @Bobby Rico ever elaborate on where Mrs. Rico found the lens he clipped to his phone?  I suppose I could just google it...... always forget about that! 

[Kane]

There is something called Olloclip that is designed to be clipped to an iPhone for magnification. It runs a bit of money, though, and if one is handy enough one can MacGuyver something similar using a plain magnifying lens and some elastic bands. The later generations of the i-products are not bad at taking macro shots if one knows how to use the camera feature effectively. Tapping on the screen can help focus on the object as opposed to the background, automating light levels (tapping on a dark object on a light background will lighten the darkened object, and tapping on the light background will darken the object). There are third-party apps like Camera+ that can add other features, but most will simply be post-editing zoom, which does not increase the pixel count and just makes the picture a bit blurrier. There is also the feature in the Photos app native to the operating system that allows for a wide range of editing tools, such as colour, light, contrast, shadow, cropping, straightening etc. 

 

But the one thing one cannot get around is the poor results in taking distance shots and trying to zoom in. For that, nothing beats a standalone camera. The Nikon I got Deb has great zoom and 10.3 megapixels, so I rely on her to snap those nature shots of animals that would be spooked by getting too physically close. I have seen zoom attachments for iPhones and iPads, but again that runs into some serious dosh.

[Bobby Rico]

1 hour ago, Walt said:

Very nice!  Did @Bobby Rico ever elaborate on where Mrs. Rico found the lens he clipped to his phone?  I suppose I could just google it...... always forget about that! 

Hi Walt my clip on lens was a gift so maybe from amazon. I think they are under $30, maybe a lot cheaper. Like my great friend said you do need to rest your hands the stiller the better and also very important  good light . I spent a good hour photographing yesterday and it was a lot of fun like looking at a strange landscape. I found a nice crystal formation I can’t see it at all with the naked eye probably 1mm. If you don’t have much money this is a great investment. Cheers Bobby 

[Walt]

10 minutes ago, Bobby Rico said:

If you don’t have much money

I believe this is probably on my family's coat of arms.....

[Bobby Rico]

9 minutes ago, Walt said:

I believe this is probably on my family's coat of arms.....

I hear you brother. I would not be without one now .

[Jaimin013]

On ‎23‎/‎08‎/‎2018 at 2:26 PM, Bobby Rico said:

Hi Walt my clip on lens was a gift so maybe from amazon. I think they are under $30, maybe a lot cheaper. Like my great friend said you do need to rest your hands the stiller the better and also very important  good light . I spent a good hour photographing yesterday and it was a lot of fun like looking at a strange landscape. I found a nice crystal formation I can’t see it at all with the naked eye probably 1mm. If you don’t have much money this is a great investment. Cheers Bobby 

 

Hi is there is a particular brand you would recommend from Am? I have a Samsung s8 plus it seems as though there are more products geared towards iphones but I guess I just need to look harder and any general mag lense would work..

[Bobby Rico]

@Jaimin013

I have an IPhone but I think your camera phone pretty good too. I got a set containing 2 macro and a fisheye  lens. They are lots on amazon and they all probably quite good. I would get one with a case then you have a great tool in the field. £20 should hook you up.

[Jaimin013]

3 minutes ago, Bobby Rico said:

@Jaimin013

I have an IPhone but I think your camera phone pretty good too. I got a set containing 2 macro and a fisheye  lens. They are lots on amazon and they all probably quite good. I would get one with a case then you have a great tool in the field. £20 should hook you up.

Thanks I will have a look for one! The s8 camera is pretty impressive so hopefully a macro lens will get me some nice closeup shots  

[Bobby Rico]

8 minutes ago, Jaimin013 said:

Thanks I will have a look for one! The s8 camera is pretty impressive so hopefully a macro lens will get me some nice closeup shots  

Remember you need to photograph in good light and it took me a few different times to get the most out of the lens. It really quite amazing to see great details that are normally  hidden .