When the Apple iPhone 6s dropped on September 25, and my friendly UPS driver brought it to my front door, I couldn’t wait to compare its photographic results to those made with my old pal, my iPhone 5s. I turned to my favorite photo subject, my collection of sea glass from Maine that basks in a crystal bowl, catching all the afternoon sunlight, on my dining room buffet. Here’s what I learned:
1. You’re gonna get more pixels.
The 3021 x 3943 px from the iPhone 6s rivals my Canon Rebel XSi’s 12.2-megapixel output. And that yields a lot more to work with, when you’re zooming in post-production, because the front camera on the iPhone 6s is now 12 megapixels . . . plenty good for sharing online. You’ll really notice the upgrade when you enlarge to crop during editing. Note the difference it makes below, in a screenshot of Adobe Lightroom, comparing the iPhone 6s closeup (right) to the 2448 x 3264 px from the iPhone 5s (left).
2. You’re still at the mercy of Apple’s auto choices.
My iPhone 6s shot the photograph below using ISO 25, at f/2.2 at 1/700 of a second. If I could have chosen f/8 for more depth of field instead, a slower shutter speed and ISO 100, I wouldn’t have had to sharpen my image in Adobe Lightroom. Even making all the decisions for me, though, Apple’s choices still gave my image the dazzle I’ve come to love iPhoneography for.
More dazzle? iPhone 5s, left, and iPhone 6s, right, each with similar edits
3. Upgraded iPhones are even more inevitable than change.
Or at least synonymous. Even if you prefer the photos made with your iPhone 5s, you’ll eventually have to (or want to) upgrade to the latest, greatest iPhone. If you choose the iPhone 6s now, at least you’ll get a vastly-improved camera with it. Like the rest of the operations the iPhone 6s does, the camera functions are noticeably faster, whether you’re autofocusing, saving or sharing your picture.
The camera you have with you (your iPhone) is always better than the fancy one at home.
4. You’re going to marvel at how good iPhone photos have become.
The iPhone 6s photos are glorious because there’s more there there. More dynamic color, clarity, shadows, highlights and depth captured within the allotted pixels detected by an improved camera sensor. You may not like the results when you enlarge them for poster-size prints at 240 dpi, but then again, the improvements made annually since the first iPhone was released with its 2-megapixel camera suggest it won’t be long until you do.
Bottom Line: For a world obsessed with sharing online, the quality of the iPhone 6s photographs is astounding enough. And the camera you have with you (your iPhone) is always better than the fancy one at home in your closet. ♣
There are plenty more iPhoneography tips and tricks HERE.
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Jann Alexander :: Pairings 
Drat! Now you have me wanting to upgrade from my 5s, which I’ve loved for the camera.
janet
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I didn’t think the camera could get any better, and I was reluctant to give up my two-year-old iPhone 5s. But there you have it…the newest camera makes it a win-win!
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Oh man, now I am going to really need to resist splurging for an iPhone upgrade 😉
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Not sure I’d resist … 😉 Thanks for commenting and sharing this, Jeri! Let me know when you decide Resistance Is Futile.
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I just got mine and honestly, it is worth it!!! 😊
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Good to hear it, Frances, thanks for the feedback!
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I was on the fence but the comparison of images here is pushing me to get the 6s! Thank you for taking the time to share these.
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So glad to hear it, thanks for commenting! Since my 5s was two years old, fully paid for, and the 6s offered much in the way of new technology, it was an easy call for me to make. Let me know how it goes for you!
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Cannot wait to get my hands on one! I still have a 4 – an antique by current standards, but I wanted to wait for the 6S. How do you like the new touch and hold feature? It scares me a bit that it will jump around when I don’t want it to. And PS, love seaglass. I still have a bowl I collected on Prince Edward Island years ago.
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Very helpful post. Those side by side posts really say it all! I don’t have the latest iPhone, but I’ve got a 6 Plus & I love taking photos with it!
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I like the 6S much more than the 6 Plus (which was too big to deal with); however, my wife is seeing a lot of veiling flare with her new 6S — have you seen that at all?
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Yea, the 6Plus was too big for me, so moving from the 5S to the 6S was the perfect size. Haven’t noticed any flaring. What I have noticed is that outdoor photos are noticeably darker with blue skies rendered way too blue. As in, dark unnatural blue. So there’s always an edit to be done. How about you?
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Hated the 6 Plus. I liked it for the first several weeks, but the size eventually became too unwieldy for me. Never liked the JPEGs I got straight out of the camera; flesh tones were too warm and everything popped too much.
We both got the regular 6S this time around and are much happier, though Cindy has noted that her unit has a lot of veiling flare when capturing images or video.
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Maybe there’s an issue with her iPhone? I’ll bet an Apple Store would make an exchange, if convinced. I think my iPhone 5s balanced light better, frankly; but the resolution and sharpness of the 6s can’t be beat. Big difference.
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Maybe. We’ve had some serious QC issues with iPhones since the 3Gs, especially with the more recent models. We’ve been careful to get the AppleCare with each new model and have usually ended up using it at least once during the life of the phone or tablet.
I’ve been keeping an eye open for a better solution, but I just don’t feel the time is right to jump to the competition. Maybe the next time we do a phone refresh…
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*Has Android *Wipes a tear and walks away to grab bulky Nikon…
You almost have me sold on an iphone! Funny, I never thought I’d say, “I’m old-fashioned” in reference to my digital camera. I still remember shooting film. I still remember developing black and white film in a dark room! And I love your sea glass! We share a quirk of containing our cast-away glass in crystal bowls.
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Oh, Charli, you can do so well with your bulky Nikon. And even with your Android, post-processing gives you many options. But my wish is for you to make the switch to an iPhone one day. Yes, I too miss film, and the rich saturation of Kodachrome, but I sure don’t miss the cost, or the choices I’d have to make: To shoot, or not to shoot, based on the price of film so dear. Sometimes even based on running out of film!
Nice to hear from you here. Would love to see your glass in crystal sometime, shot with Nikon or Android 😀
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