Mobile macro magic!
One of the advantages of having a camera with a small sensor is that it’s cheap and easy to make lenses that focus to very close distances.
Combined with the increased depth of field that the very wide lenses have (and the slower shutter speeds mean you can handhold them), the result is that that they are really good for macro-style shots. Can you think of any camera that might fit these descriptions? That’s right — webcams and mobile telephones!
When photographing children especially, it’s a lot easier to point a mobile phone or small camera at them, rather than a digital SLR with a great big lens on the front (although most children eventually warm to the idea of having cameras pointed at them, and ultimately just grow bored with the attention, allowing you to catch some seriously lovely spontaneous portraits).
Anyway, this means that mobile phones, and small compact cameras are really good for close up macro style portraits (or still life, or whatever). The photo used above, for example was shot with a K800i with no flash (in fact, 1/20s, f/2.8 at ISO 200).
What are your experiences with using mobile phones / camera phones / for photography purposes? Personally, I’ve seen some incredible shots done with mobile phones. Theederv over on DeviantArt, for example, recently posted some photos of his motor (seen to the right, check out a higher res version on DeviantArt), which look pukka, despite being with a mobile.
Is the age of mobile telephone photography upon us?
(thanks to Ed for contributing the bulk of this article!)
Have you read my Macro book?
I am rather proud of the fact that I have written a book about macro photography. It looks like that →
Hang on, did I just say a book? Sorry about that. All modesty aside, it's the book on macro photography. It's got a huge chapter on equipment, tons of info about the various styles and topics, a chapter on lighting, and even a chapter on digital darkroom stuff especially for macro photography.
Seriously, this book is 288 pages long, and it's got everything you ever wanted to know. And loads you probably didn't want to know, but that might come in useful anyway.
Get your copy of the book from Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk today! If you prefer, you can buy a signed copy directly from me from this page.
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This entry is © Haje Jan Kamps / Photocritic.org, and was posted on Wednesday, March 21st, 2007. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
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#1 - March 21st, 2007 at 20:31
Was there a lot of post processing done? These are honestly THE BEST ever photos I’ve seen from a device like that. Now I’ll grant that alot of those pictures I’ve seen from them get generally better the more you decrease the size but still.
Maybe its where I am and the USA in general, I’ve seen a shot with a 3mp camera phone that was generally impressive when I was looking to buy my first PnS years back, I don’t think anything that good is generally available here yet.
You are right about being able to get closer to subjects, my friends sister whom is mentally handicapped and probably many years from now get use to having her picture taken wont stand still for one. I became the hero for getting a few Graduation shots with my older camera in a manual mode so I could shave the time off of autofocus and metering and get shots when she didn’t notice. However until she found out my friends phone had a camera in it she didn’t mind when it was pointed at her, and most times now she’ll not notice when its out but she’ll still run from my new camera if the lens cap is off.
#2 - March 21st, 2007 at 22:42
To Bigstusexy: do they still sell “girl watcher” attachments? Used to be you could buy attachments that screwed on to the front of the lens (filter style) that looked like a big lens hood, but really it was a mirror mounted at a 45-degree angle. The idea being you could take it to the beach and get candids of sunbathers while it appeared you were shooting seascapes.
If you’re handy, you might try making something like that for your camera. If your friend’s sister sees the camera pointed another direction, would she still freak out, or just think you were aiming at something else?
#3 - March 22nd, 2007 at 13:28
Hrm… I know my new camera does accept filters not sure if I ever hear of a ‘girl watcher’ but I might have seen pictures taken with them! heh. No she doesn’t shy way if the camera is out and on unless she knows its probably to get her, she has her times though when she doesn’t mind as much, usually when she is distracted by fun or what have you.
Next up though is her younger sister who I am worried about, you know heavy on the lipstick and skimpy clothes, always gets sick and wants to go home but is never there when the family gets back etc etc. I know she will not have a problem taking pictures at all I’ll just have to not shoot in tiff too much :D
#4 - March 22nd, 2007 at 17:45
This is what I was talking about: http://www.amazon.com/Opteka-Voyeur-Right-Angle-Canon/dp/B000F49052
#5 - March 24th, 2007 at 00:10
I strongly believe that the age of digital photography has allowed almost anybody with a basic technical skill to take a half descent photo. And now within that age we are exploring whats available to the end user with regards to mobile phone camera technology. It wasnt long ago that the prospect of taking an image with a handset seemed a distant dream, for many of us this would have been dismissed as a novelty, a gimmick or a non-nesscesity. Then we moved through the VGA age where really the images people were taking were only good for a laugh, or to enjoy the occasional blurred image of the children or pets. The flash consisted of a bright LED that had trouble lighting even a couple of feet in front. Today is the time where mobile phone cameras have become a truly useful tool, the Sony Ericsson K800 (my photos are taken with) has a xenon flash and a very boast worthy 3.2MP, the Cybershot division of Sony have provided all the features you would expect from a compact camera including a wonderful macro mode and auto focus. The magic happens in print, bluetooth the images to a printer and 7×9 images look almost identical to those taken with a film camera……………thats special!
I dont really know where I’m going with this, it’s late lol
I actually work in mobile phones at the moment, whilst i freelance on the side.
I’m very please that you guys would be interested in my pics, I must say that there was a small amount of PS work to correct colours and sharpen up a little….but it just goes to show whats possible
p.s look out for the Nokia N95 with a 5MP Carl Zeiss Optics Lens…..should be impressive, although I spoke to a Sony Rep the other day and a 5MP Sony Ericsson will be available in the UK around august (sony cams are always better)
Regards
Ben
#6 - March 24th, 2007 at 17:47
I think Sony uses Zeiss on their DSLR line. Will they use that on their phone too?
#7 - March 26th, 2007 at 12:10
The photo of my son’s eyes was not doctored or processed much at all - see my blog post for details - basically, just a bit of sharpening was done.
#8 - April 19th, 2007 at 11:41
http://new.taeint.net/mich/img/LJ/tmb_beetle.jpg
http://new.taeint.net/mich/img/LJ/tmb_beetle_size.jpg
- were made by SE w800i using build-in diode light, croped and resized (ok, little saturation and contrast in PS :} )
i use macro with night mode - seems w800 try to use lower ISO in “night” (? or not :)