I wouldn’t trade my camera for an iPhone, even though I use my iPhone occasionally. The image quality from a DSLR or mirrorless camera is unmatched. That said, if your iPhone is all you have with you, don’t hesitate to use it. For inspiration, here’s someone (Michael Shl) who has traveled to over 40 countries, capturing incredible photos with whatever version of the iPhone he owned at the time.
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| Picture by Michael Shl. |
If you work in your composition you can get pictures like this one taken with your iPhone.
Let's be clear: even the latest iPhone, which claims to have the best camera system, can't replace a mirrorless camera. Just apply some common sense—iPhone lenses are only a few millimeters thick, while the lenses in mirrorless cameras are more complex, with multiple glass elements designed to achieve superior image quality. You might wonder, then, why do photos from an iPhone look so good? The answer lies in processing. iPhone pictures are not simply raw, unedited images; they undergo real-time processing that corrects many imperfections caused by the limitations of its simpler lens design, making the final result appear more polished.
I primarily shoot wildlife, which requires a zoom lens—something that's not ideal for landscape photography. One solution could be carrying an extra lens and switching them as needed, but that's far from ideal. Today, we all carry our phones everywhere, and if your phone can provide at least a 'decent' landscape photo, it could be a potential solution.
The below picture was taken using an iPhone 16 Pro, you be the judge, are these pictures good enough for you?
