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A Real Photographer Does Not Only Use A Smartphone Camera

By
Real Estate Agent with Keller Williams Realty 0575737

Smartphone PhotosI have been very impressed with the built in camera functionality of Smartphones as they have evolved but having a discussion with someone lately going to a western horse trail riding trip down the Grand Canyon I am agreeing that

A Real Photographer Does Not Only Use a Smartphone Camera.

Resolution has increased even to 38 to 41 Megapixels with a model like the Nokia Pureview 808 with super large file sizes of 5 Megabytes. Smartphones get you THAT shot which you can email, share on social media or print to a wireless printer. But the HUGE drawback is in taking LOTS of photos, a removable STICK, all the external controls before you press CLICK and LARGE file size is no problem eating up memory, and also stability of holding the camera. Better flash has been added but taking SERIOUS many photos of an event, like a vacation in serious photogaphers opinions SHOULD be done with a real camera.

The Smartphone camera has added a camera to everyone's hands but for business or leisure photography DO NOT forget the power of a DEDICATED camera. SO MUCH better. Everything is not meant to be electronic or Internet. THINK OF PRINTING. And printing many photos.

Comments (23)

Sharon Lee
Sharon Lee's Virtual Assistance - Jonesborough, TN
Retired and loving life

Gary-The beauty of it is you can use whatever works best in a given situation. 

Aug 29, 2013 04:05 AM
Phil Stevenson, CRMP
PS Mortgage Lending 305-791-4874 or 888-845-6630 - Miami, FL
"Mortgage Nerd" in Miami, Florida and Texas

Gary, I don't thinkof smartphones as a replacement but an alternative. A camera is still a useful tool, despite the fact that smartphone cameras have become increasingly better in throwin quality photos. For me, it depends on the situation and what I want to do with the photos. In a rush, a smartphone is more reliable since you usually don't leave home without it.

Aug 29, 2013 04:08 AM
Bryan Robertson
Los Altos, CA

All the photos for our listings are done my professionals so nothing is done with a smartphone.  That said, the quality of some of these smartphones is really good.  My Samsung Galaxy S3 takes great pictures and the only place I see it falling short a bit is in color saturation. 

Aug 29, 2013 04:17 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

I use my Smartphone and my iPad for convenience pics and quick shots all the time, however for business it's the real cameral 100%!!

 

Aug 29, 2013 05:19 AM
William Feela
WHISPERING PINES REALTY - North Branch, MN
Realtor, Whispering Pines Realty 651-674-5999 No.

I seldom use my camera mode on my phone.  I liike the good ol' camera better.

Aug 29, 2013 08:22 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

Gotta love those "after" smartphone pix, Gary!  I have been more than amazed at the quality smartphones provide with pictures these days.  Last year, an unseasonal storm rapidly came through Sacramento, and just as quickly left.  Upon leaving it left an amazing triple rainbow over the foothills east of town.  I was with my daughter, and we both took pictures of it.  She with her smartphone, and me with my Canon Point and Shoot.  Her picure was better than mine, hands down!


Aug 29, 2013 10:55 AM
AJ Heidmann ~ CRS
McEnearney Associates, Inc. - Alexandria, VA
YOUR Alexandria & Arlington, VA Real Estate Expert

Gary - I agree with your basic premise that a smart phone camera doesn't do it all.  I have used my iPhone 4s in a pinch to get that 1 or 2 photos that are missing out of the 30 I put online, but I rely on my Nikon D5000 with a wide angle lense to do the vast majority of the photography for my listings.

Aug 29, 2013 11:34 AM
Lou Ludwig
Ludwig & Associates - Boca Raton, FL
Designations Earned CRB, CRS, CIPS, GRI, SRES, TRC

Gary

Your right on target . . . . the smart phone is good for a fast photo . . . . and there are times your have to go to the real thing and use areal camera.

Good luck and success.

Lou Ludwig

Aug 29, 2013 12:36 PM
Kate Elim
Dockside Realty - Spotsylvania, VA
Realtor 540-226-1964, Selling Homes & Land a

Hi Gary...My daughter's family made my Christmas pretty exciting with a gift of a super Canon. I love the fact that it is rapid fire which is wonderful when taking photos of my grandchildren's sporting events and just their fooling around. Adding a wide angle lens has made it perfect for marketing listings.

I have too addictions (not counting food), one is books and the other is cameras. I even have a waterproof Fuji FinePix XP200 which has not seen a drop of water other than from our dock.

Kate

Aug 29, 2013 02:11 PM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

Interesting topic Gary, thanks for bringing it up.

My camera isn't nearly as good as my iPhone, maybe I need to buy a new camera.  :)

Aug 29, 2013 05:47 PM
Tom Arstingstall, General Contractor, Dry Rot, Water Damage Sacramento, El Dorado County - (916) 765-5366
Dry Rot and Water Damage www.tromlerconstruction.com Mobile - 916-765-5366 - Placerville, CA
General Contractor, Dry Rot and Water Damage

I forgot to mention that the picture is hilarious Gary.

Aug 29, 2013 05:48 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good morning Gary,

You always have the perfect illustrations to go along with your message. My smart phone does a great job and it's handy but always want to use my camera for shots I can take my time on..always better quality:).

Aug 29, 2013 09:15 PM
Lee Jinks
Jinks Realty - McAllen, TX

SERIOUS photos should be taken by a photographer.  Just using a better camera isn't going to make the photos better.  Look at Myrl's example.  I could show you two photos taken by a professional real estate photographer.  One was taken with his professional level Canon 5DMkIII and the other was taken with his iPhone.  You wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the photos.

Having said that, why do professional photographers use expensive cameras?  Gary, this speaks to your point.  Certain cameras have features and capabilities that camera phones don't.

Aug 29, 2013 11:02 PM
Tom White
Franklin Homes Realty LLC (615) 495-0752 or www.FranklinHomesRealty.com - Franklin, TN
Franklin Homes Realty LLC, Franklin TN

Gary, we always use a dedicated camera to take our neighborhood shots. However, when our battery inexplicably ran out of juice while photographing a distant neighborhood, it sure was a lifesaver to take the last couple of shots with our iPhone.

Aug 30, 2013 01:03 AM
Myrl Jeffcoat
Sacramento, CA
Greater Sacramento Realtor - Retired

Lee makes excellent points in his #16 comment.  One of the biggest hindrances I've found with taking good pictures is not having your best camera along.  For example, I often ride my bike on the American River Parkway.  I see all sorts of amazing things, but seldom do I carry my Nikon D90.  Nearly always its my little Canon Point and Shoot.  It fits in my pocket.  The day the rainbows (posted in my comment #9) were shot, I was on the way with my daughter and grandkid to see a movie.  I have had so many regrets that I didn't have my best camera with me!  Still, there was my daughter's smartphone, which captured the scene far better than the Kodak Brownie of my childhood would have.  Camera technology has advanced so dramatically.

Aug 30, 2013 12:04 PM
Debbie Reynolds, C21 Platinum Properties
Platinum Properties- (931)771-9070 - Clarksville, TN
The Dedicated Clarksville TN Realtor-(931)320-6730
Gary, my phone camera is for emergencies a fun shots. Rarely is it used for my real MLS photos or marketing photos. The quality is so much better with my other cameras.
Aug 31, 2013 02:02 AM
Paul Viau
Nova Scotia Real Estate Blog - Halifax, NS
Nova Scotia Real Estate Blog + Photo Services

In the best case scenario you can use an Iphone 4or5 with a Olloclip for a wider field of view.  Then you have to crop out the junk at the sides of the photos.  (Lens distortion etc) 

This will produce really good photos in certain lighting. But it's not the same as a serious wide angle lens with a good camera! If your not using a good camera or a professonal Photographer -your just cheating yourself (and your seller) out of having good pictures of the property.

The photos are perhaps the most important part of your marketing! 

 

 

Sep 01, 2013 02:38 AM
Gail Robinson
William Raveis Real Estate - Southport, CT
CRS, GRI, e-PRO Fairfield County, CT
Gary, I've built a following of over 1,700 on my FB page for my community due to iPhone photos. So I can't discount the value. For my listings I take my own HDR photos using my Pentax K-5 with a 12 mm ultra-wide angle Pentax lens on a tripod for stability. For my high end listings I use Plan-O-Matic with interactive photos and floor plans.
Sep 02, 2013 07:35 AM
Jonathan Benya
The Benya Group - Waldorf, MD
The Benya Group

Love the picture you included in your post! It's so true and kind of sad. However, I do love having a camera on my phone to snap pics when you're least expecting to do so. I don't always have my actual camera on me.

Sep 11, 2013 11:46 PM
Mike West
Heritage Oak Properties - El Dorado Hills, CA
El Dorado Hills, CA CDPE, CNE, Licensed Loan Origi

I agree 100% Gary.

Sep 18, 2013 05:44 AM