Put Down Your DSLR and Pick Up Your…iPhone?

There’s a new trend making its way up the photography ladder. Everyday picture-snappers love it, but professional photographers are turning to it as well as their preferred method of capturing images digitally. Of course, I am referring to the iPhoneography phenomenon.

The iPhone 4 features a 5-megapixel camera with built-in LED flash and 5x zoom. The iPhone also features two cameras (on in back and the other in front) that facilitate the snapping of self-portraits, touch focus, and great share features that rival every other camera phone out there.

However, compare the iPhone’s specs to those of the Canon PowerShot S90, a popular compact digital camera, and there really is no comparison. The Canon PowerShot S90 features a 10-megapixel lens with built-in flash and a 15x combined zoom (3.8x optical and 4x digital). It features manual and automatic focus, exposure and shutter speed control, and all those great features that come with an actual handheld camera. The Canon PowerShot is just a better machine for capturing images.

Then why are photographers like Chase Jarvis putting away their DSLR’s in favor of a lesser quality mobile camera? Well, clearly it depends on your definition of lesser quality. In his video promoting his iPhone photography app, “BestCamera,” Jarvis talks about the benefits of iPhoneography over traditional digital cameras. (You can view his video on YouTube here: http://pixb.ly/bestcamera) He says pictures are about moments, not megapixels. And, really, he’s right. Who cares how crispy the photo is after a certain point? The subject is more important than the technical quality of the photo, anyway – its the subject of a photo that captures the eye and inevitably sells prints.

There is also something to be said about the act of taking pictures on an iPhone as opposed to whipping out a digital camera. People are less relaxed with a camera present. C’mon, you know its true. An iPhone doesn’t even look like a camera. It hangs out in your pocket and comes out to snap a shot just at the right moment. It is quick and easy, and you don’t have to bring an extra device with you – it is your phone after all.

Jarvis notes that there are probably around 10 great photos to be taken wherever you are at any given time. iPhones make it easy to capture those shots – and what iPhone photos lack in quality they made up in post-processing at the app store. Here are two iPhoneography apps you may want to take a look at:

CameraBag ($1.99) Dramatically enhance your photos using the many classic camera and film simulations in CameraBag. It’s like having a dozen unique cameras all in one app!

CameraBag focuses on emulating styles and processes from some of the most interesting cameras of the past to enhance the mood of an image, and the results are stunning.

ShakeIt ($0.99) ShakeIt emulates an instant film camera on your iPhone or iPod Touch. Of course ShakeIt could never replace the good old Polaroid, Instax and Instamatic cameras – but hopefully it brings back some of that fun!

ShakeIt develops its instant photos slowly, just like the real thing. Of course you can always shake your instant photo to speed up its developing time.

And if these apps haven’t got you convinced, take a look at some comparison photos pitting the iPhone against the Canon PowerShot S90. Originally posted on www.iphoneography.com, (THE blog on the topic) these shots were unlabeled, daring you to guess which camera took which shots. We’ll tell you at the bottom of this post so you can try and guess first – Let’s see if you’re right!

Ready for the answer? iPhone photos are on the Left, PowerShot photos are on the Right. Not too shabby!