Smartphone News

Do you think you could tell the difference between an image that was shot with a pro DSLR vs one that was captured with a smartphone? Do you think a pro photographer could tell the difference?

Stephen Shore fondly recalls his Polaroid SX-70. Shore, known for color images of everyday America, in books like Uncommon Places and American Surfaces, loved the immediacy of the SX-70. “Whatever you observed and chose to picture was right there,” he says of that ingenious little device.

If your creative juices are running low, and you need a jolt of inspiration, the quick video below is exactly what you need. You’ll pick up a bunch of simple tips, in less than three minutes, for creating eye-popping images than make people ask, “How did you do that?”

Like most photographers I occasionally become equipment obsessed, but sometimes even the smallest tool, something as simple and useful as a new LensPen, can make creating new images a little easier. I’ve often said that the most important piece of equipment is the one between a photographer’s ears, but creating images also requires tools. Choosing the right tool or accessory may not make the difference between a good photograph and a bad one, but may make the difference in whether or not you even try to capture it.

We’ve seen a multitude of new smartphone accessories lately, but the 3D­‑printed DotLens is definitely one of the more zany. This self-adhering “conversion” lens comes in three strengths: 15X, 30X and 60X—the later of which enables you to view objects as small as 1/10 the width of a human hair.

The Galaxy S4 Zoom is what you might call a “multi-personality” device. Phone, camera, Browser, game device, gateway to all the Android apps, GPS, mapper, email connector--it’s all of that and more.
I say “multiple” because while the initial face of the unit looks like half point and shoot camera/half phone, one pasted atop the other, there is a lot more going on under the hood. That includes all the current connections one could imagine and access to the entire Android set of apps,from camera functions to finding where you can get a decent latte in any city or state or country you might find yourself. One can listen to music; watchvideos; browse the Internet, get email, tap compatible phones (literally) to share content; and send and receive via any social media you could imagine.