iPhone X vs. DSLR

Posted November 08, 2017

Share To

 

  TweetEmail

Last week, millions of people lined up at their local Apple Store or camped out waiting by the door for their mail carrier to get their hands on the brand new iPhone X. The iPhone X is a new departure for the iPhone, boasting a whole slew of new features for smartphone users. The phone also includes some serious hardware updates to the iPhone, and, of course, a new camera system that will give you some of the best videos and photos a smartphone can offer.

The dual camera system on the back of the phone has a 12MP wide-angle and telephoto lens, ƒ/1.8 aperture and ƒ/2.4 aperture respectively, 10x optical zoom, can shoot in 4K at 60fps, and has built-in exposure control. This is one of the most powerful camera systems on any smartphone on the market. With smartphone cameras getting better and better, especially on the iPhone, the question remains how it compares to a DSLR camera.

In the professional world there is a fading stigma against smartphone cameras in favor of DSLR or other dedicated cameras. People say that there's no way you can get the same quality images, with as much flexibility with a phone as you can with a dedicated camera. While there is certainly more felxibility in terms of shooting with a dedicated camera, the reality is that it's not much, and you can get amazing images with your smartphone just like you can with your DSLR.

With the iPhone X already in some people's and filmmakers' hands we can do a comparison to show us just how the iPhone sizes up against a DSLR. In a new video, filmmaker Lee Morris for Fstoppers does a side by side comparison of footage captured with the new iPhone X and footage from his GH5 DSLR.

As you can see in the video, the camera on the new iPhone X (even the camera on older models) is amazing. You can basically get the same image with the iPhone as you would with a much more expensive dedicated video camera or DSLR. The color, sharpness, resolution and motion capture is almost exactly the same. The only place where the DSLR may out perform the iPhone is when zooming, because of the better lens and sensor. If you have to zoom, just get closer to the subject (advice we give for all cameras no matter what you are using). 

The iPhone has opened doors in video production in the past years that have greatly diminished the barrier to entry for video production. All you have to do is take the phone out of your pocket and start shooting -- even with an older model -- and you can get amazing results. 

The truth is, despite some opinions in more traditional operations, that professionals are using iPhones to produce video and, as you can see in the video above, the results are amazing. While they may need to use some accessories for sound and lighting, the phone is an amazing tool for situations when you don't want to lug around a lot of gear to a shoot. It also opens up a lot of possibilities for filmmakers and media operations to get the same quality they were getting with large crews and expensive gear with a fraction of the price tag.

In an individual producer's case this means having a lot more flexibility in your shoot and not have to invest in a lot of equipment to start out and be able to produce content easily and seamlessly. This is also a great option for any news operation. With large gear and crews you are confined by the number of cameras and crews you have to gather news and cannot support a big operation without spending a ton of money. With iPhones, you could use every person in the newsroom to gather and produce news and widen your reach greatly.

The iPhone, and smartphones in general, are quickly changing the face of video production. Anyone with a smartphone, and the right training, can become a professional video producer. The notion that smartphones are for snapchats and cat videos only is an outdated opinion. You can shoot documentaries, news packages, music videos, travel videos, advertisements, feature films and really anything with the iPhone. Addtionally, you can use a whole slew of apps and accessories to improve the camera even more, gain more control, edit your video, and share right from the device.

Have you gotten an iPhone X? We want to hear from you how you've liked it and see the video you are making with it.