/cgl/ - Cosplay & EGL

>>10843104
Modern smartphone models have very nice cameras so the phone is fine, but you'll probably want some kind of tripod on a delayed shutter setting if you want to be the subject and don't want the phone to be in a mirror shot.

>>10843104
>>10843105
>Modern smartphone models have very nice cameras
No they have computational photography.
Disable it, and process your images with a better model.

>>10844332
Not OP but I have a Pixel 7 Pro, that I specifically bought because Google is known for their computational photography.
This makes sense for Samsung phones though.

what you need is light. doesn't matter if you're using a cell phone or a big ass camera, you need light. big cameras and lenses have more tolerance for a lack of light. if it's daytime, use that sun. if it's night or you're indoors, you're going to need to find some light somewhere. a streetlight. a neon sign. even a flashlight will help (but not much). if you want to try hard, buy something like one of those led light wands or a led light panel for videos. and note that what you think as being bright enough to see isn't what your cell phone thinks.

Smartphone is fine. We are like a fucking decade past the point where smartphones can do low end professional photography.
If you want quality, find a way to setup high a bunch of high color rendering index lights, 1500-2000lumen should suffice. Ideally as a frame.

>>10844332
RAW exporting has been a sport for decades anon. Limiting information down to a color space is a waste.
So I can't or and won't argue with you.

>>10843104
Visit /p/. They have a great sticky and question threads about iphone photography. Like the other anons are saying, it really isn't a detriment to use an iphone as a casual. If you do end up liking photography so much, you'll know when it's time to make an investment. In the mean time, learn your basics.

Phones absolutely suck.
Even my oldest camera (soviet brick from the 1960s with a lens design from the 1930s) can take better photos than even high end phones today.
In therms of just sharpness, they might be close, but nobody is going to view your images at more than 4K resolution anyway.
What matters more are:
>light
Gotta have good light, somewhat diffuse and coming from where the camera is
It needs to be ballanced with your background.
Video lights are the easy way, fill flashes the hard way.
>focal length
You want at least 50 mm focal length equivalent.
>aperture
You want a large aperture, phones have tiny apertures.
A 50 mm f/1.4 lens for example has an aperture of 36 mm, a phone has maybe 3-4 mm.
>ND filters when shooting in daylight
Most cameras can't shoot with an open aperture in daylight because it lets in more light than the sensor or film can handle, even at base ISO
(Yes, CMS 20 can be shot at ISO 16 but that's the exception)
>dynamic range
Proper sensors and negative film have much more dynamic range than tiny phone sensors
>editing
Straight out out of camera, your shots might look OK, but with a little editing they can look great.

That is why I can take better shots with an ancient, purely mechanical soviet brick of a camera than you can with a phone

>>10844922
And who the fuck is going to take the picture for you with a 50 mm lens? It’s too far to take a timed selfie and hope it will focus on you properly. 14-30 mm is better if you don’t have a photographer.

>>10844922
You must be a real fun anon at parties.

>>10844922
>soviet brick from the 1960s
Pls be zenit

>>10845051
Nayrt but my main lens is a 50mm and I absolutely take self portraits with it all the time using the timer. And even if it’s somehow not enough, remote triggers are super cheap

>>10845057
>Zenit
Yea, Zenit E with a Helios 44 (58/2) and Pentacon 135/2.8
>>10845051
>14 mm
Looks like shit.
Also even my good old brick has a proper timer and remote trigger capability.
My DSLR however can use a smartphone as a remote
>>10845055
That's just how photography works...

I take 90% of my cosplay photos and my friends cosplay photos on my phone. Stick with Android or the Pixel series and invest in a good photo editor like lightroom or comparable. I use Picsart since it's free and easy to use and saves presets just like LR. Editing is half the battle of getting a decent photo.

>>10845062
I take my selfies with 14 mm sometimes and they look fine. I like it if I want to show off more of the background in my full body photos.

>>10845057
My timer goes up to 10 sec and I don’t have enough time to dash in front for a coordinate photo using my 50 mm lens. I can also use my phone as a remote but it looks stupid to hold it or try to hide it behind my skirt somehow.

>>10844922
>Phones absolutely suck.
Every time I hear this shit it's always some retard still clinging to their Galaxy 5S or weird old ass iphone and go "NONOONO LOOK IT SUCKS!"

Guess what, most people at cons are using somewhat modern phones, things such as GCAM can do wonders for phones. At the end of the day 90% of people are going to share them on a platform where the image quality will be degraded anyways. If you do camera shit for a job that's great and all, but no one really gives a shit outside of that. Carrying a phone around is just so much more convenient and easy to do vs a camera.

>inb4 it's not really that much more
Aside from the fact it's one more device I need to keep track of, charge, and transfer out photos. Compared to a phone which will do 90% of the job a dedicated device will do, and allow for instant sharing, backup, and editing; it's a no contest.

as an actual photog, just spam the portrait mode with ur phone to get fake bogay and MAKE SURE YOU HAVE GOOD LIGHTING. look for weird shadows near the face and balance the background and foreground lighting.


also don't be afraid to move around and play with angles since it's much easier to move ur phone around than an actual camera.

>>10845186
Re-read my post.
Sharpness isn't everything in a good photo.

>>10845186
plus carrying photo gear in a con always flags you out as a predator/pedo anyway.

>>10845062
based helios enjoyer

>>10843104
The best way is to get as much light as possible. Do shoots outdoors in the sun. Any phone camera can produce good results in a well lit environment.
If you want to get a "bokeh" portrait effect, instead of digital zoom and fake blur, leave your zoom on 1x and actually walk closer to your face, and make sure your background is far away from you, meaning don't pose in front of a wall.
If you're indoors even a flashlight can improve things compared to on-camera flash. Have the light on your left or right on the same level as your face for the most flattering effect. Having it above or below your face makes creepy or unflattering shadows. The on-camera flash will flatten your face and make harsh shadows around your nose and ears.

OP here, thank you all for the advice.

What do you think of the HDR function? Does it help or is it a hindrance?

>>10845679
It's a tool, nothing more or less. What it does is essentially make it so that you can include really bright and dark areas on the same image without having spots really shadowy or bright. Try it if you're in a scene with really bright lights and see if you like it.