Does any member photograph Orchid flowers with a Mobile phone?
Prabhi S

Hi Prabhi, yes...ALL my photos are taken with my IPhone. I sold my Nikon last year as the phone takes way better pictures and I can edit right from the phone.

I use the I-phone a lot because so many of my orchid picture taking opportunities are on the road. It would not be easy for me to bring my SLR along to take pictures. I am either at a monthly judging, a show or an orchid meeting and bringing out my Canon 5D Mark IV is not easy.
My I-phone 11s is much better with images then my previous 6s was. But there are limitations. I use the Canon SLR at home with flash and colored backdrops. But I have learned over the years that photographing orchids is hard even with the best equipment! the flowers are so three dimensional that with any camera, depth of field is hard to maintain. In other words, is what I want to show in focus? It is not easy to do. As a further point, tubular flowers are very hard to photograph. Which area do you want in focus? But like so many things it is practice, practice and more practice.

Thank you all, My MacBook Pro died and my Samsung is on the way to grave. Maybe have to start using my Cannon DSLR.
Prabhi S

I have stopped using a regular camera years ago. The iPhone 11 is doing fine for documentation, and surely for more.

I have two Nikon's from the 80's. My granddaughter borrowed them for a college class. I had not removed the batteries! Contact points are "beyond repair", so I've been told.

I use my iPhone for photos too. Once in a while I still use my really old SE and with proper lighting sometimes you get lucky. This is from my old IPhone SE:


All other Photos are from 7Plus or "newer SE".

Hubby wants to buy the GoPro camera 📷 because it is only $400 and you can upload photo directly online supposedly.

Gigi, I've seen action shots and drone images from the GOPRO and they are awesome....not sure I've ever seen close up , macro or portrait images though. I guess it just depends on what the majority of your pictures are.

If Go Pro cameras are advertised as "action cameras", I am just wondering if they can be produced to take quality still pictures from fairly close up? Many are not image stabilized while some offer it.

When I am shooting images for publication in the AOS magazine, it is all about lighting, tripod, close up or macro lens. Then the AOS has photographers guidelines as to how images are to be composed. But I do not think that you guys are talking about that here. I think that you are looking at 'grab and go' pictures, correct? Seems to me that you need to research which line of tablets, I pads or cellphones have the best quality lenses for close up work. This is where I would think that all of the emphasis should be. If you get in fairly close on a small 3/8" or 1/2" flower,
can the lens capture an image that close and have it be sharp.
I know that a few Galaxy models and Samsungs might but my I phone 11 has some limitations when it comes to close ups. And even then, when you are doing close up work, we have to old the camera very still. That at 73 gets tougher and tougher for me.

Plus when I am called on the be an Orchid Show photographer, my cellphone camera is along for the ride. She defers to the big SLR for that work. Flash, tripod, backgrounds, make a huge difference.

PLUS I see that Lindsey and Elaine submit some gorgeous images here. Ask what they use. To shoot a flower with a black background really makes all the difference in the world.

I also take all my still pictures, and videos of the grandkids with my iPhone. It takes beautiful pictures.

We have a GoPro and use it for underwater videos, but we also have a still camera for underwater pictures and it takes better stills than the GoPro. Not sure if there's something new, but my GoPro doesn't have a viewfinder and no zoom feature either so you don't know what the camera is 'seeing' until you get it to a computer to play back.

That's what I try to tell my hubby. I am not a swimmer or a go "action" photographer. It might help if it is "windy" 😀 and my adenium blooms are swaying with the wind. My iPhone is super covenient. Having the "Plus" or "Pro" does help too, although mine is really old. It is an iPhone 7plus.

I've consistently used a mobile phone for photos for years now. I did have a Panasonic digital point-and-shoot camera about a decade ago, but the sensor slowly degraded with time and is no longer usable. I have had good results from Samsung (Note 3 and now an S10) and Google (I have a Pixel 2, my wife uses a Pixel 3a).

Two key factors in taking good photos with a phone are:

1) ensure it has focussed on the subject of the photo - most phones can be focussed by tapping on the subject on the screen when you are in the camera app

2) try to keep as still as possible (image stabilisation has gotten better, but motion blur is still an issue and it becomes a bigger issue with low light levels).

As has been mentioned earlier in this thread, the background also makes a huge difference!

Australis said: I've consistently used a mobile phone for photos for years now. I did have a Panasonic digital point-and-shoot camera about a decade ago, but the sensor slowly degraded with time and is no longer usable. I have had good results from Samsung (Note 3 and now an S10) and Google (I have a Pixel 2, my wife uses a Pixel 3a).

Two key factors in taking good photos with a phone are:

1) ensure it has focussed on the subject of the photo - most phones can be focussed by tapping on the subject on the screen when you are in the camera app

2) try to keep as still as possible (image stabilisation has gotten better, but motion blur is still an issue and it becomes a bigger issue with low light levels).

As has been mentioned earlier in this thread, the background also makes a huge difference!

Thank You
Prabhi

Yes I do. I would not say I am an expert. I have a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 which gives me tremendous pictures, but I end up with the phone a lot.