Category Archives: Photography

Photography

Macro Lenses for Cell Phone Photography

Strictly speaking, the lenses I’m about to show and discuss are not true “macro” lenses.  In macro photography, the subject is projected in full size or larger on the negative or sensor.  Cell phone camera sensors are tiny — about 6mm diagonally – which means that only tiny subjects could be photographed as true macros.  In modern usage, “macro” has come to mean an extreme close-up such that the final image is the same size or larger than the subject.

I was able to do quick tests for the following lenses:

Macro lenses for cell phone cameras.

The Zoetouch and Xenvo are simple clip-on lenses that also include a wide angle lenses.  With my iPhone 7+, I had to be careful getting the lens over the 1x or 2x lens of the phone camera.

The Olloclip is a kit that includes 7x, 14x and 21x lenses.  The 14x macro is obtained by screwing a second lens onto the 7x lens.  The lenses are screwed into a holder which then snaps onto the clip.  The kit includes two translucent lens hoods which are a great help in obtaining a steady focus. The holder and clip for the iPhone 7+ can be configured to fit either the 1x or 2x lens of the phone camera.  The Olloclip works fairly well except that the Camera+ or ProCamera app are required in order to use the 2x lens of the iPhone 7+ with it.

The Moment macro lens is a 10x lens.  Apparently, the original version of the lens used a clip mount whereas Version 2 requires a special case from Moment.  Optics are identical for Version 1 and Version 2.  I got Version 2 and the Moment case ($30).  The Moment case is very thin and easily fit inside my iPhone holster.  The Moment lens is easily attached to the case and fits over either the 1x or 2x lens of the iPhone 7+.  Like the Olloclip, the Camera+ or ProCamera app are required in order to use the 2x lens of the iPhone 7+; however, Moment offers a free app that is very simple to use and works well with the Moment macro lens.  I really like the Moment system and have ordered their telephoto and wide angle lenses as well.

Here are images obtained from photographing a penny using the various macro lenses.   I tried to make each image as large as possible by placing the iPhone 7+ as close as possible to the penny.  Each individual  image was then copied to a blank Photoshop page so the combination below is approximately to scale.

Macro photos of a penny using add-on macro lenses with an iPhone 7+.(click for larger view).

As noted previously, there is a space of only an inch or so between the lens and subject so lighting is not easy.  For these images, I placed a small LED video light to the right of the penny and a sheet of white paper on the left side.

I’m not going to comment on every image but a few observations are in order:

  • The Zoetouch and Xenvo lenses were difficult to hold steady and obtain focus.
  • The Moment system obviously missed the white balance when only the penny was in view.
  • The Moment lens seemed to have the best optics.
  • The Olloclip 21x lens mounted over the iPhone 7+ 2x lens provided the most enlargement and was also the most difficult to use.
  • Simple enlargement and cropping can give good results.

My preference?  I’ll be using the Moment system but also having the Olloclip kit available.  I’m still tinkering with lighting though.

 

 

end face mechanical seal, mechanical seal, Photography, Uncategorized, Wikipedia

Wikipedia Gripes

We interrupt the series on cell phone documentation to gripe about Wikipedia …

Previously, I posted about editing the end face mechanical seals article on Wikipedia.   Those edits are still holding as written.  However, the editors at Wikipedia did not like my link back to this site so it has been removed.  They said that SealFAQs was a self published blog and therefore a conflict of interest.  They also removed links to SealFAQs that I’d placed in a few other articles.  Surprisingly, they allowed a link to a commercial seal distributor!

Not my day at Wikipedia.  Unrelated to mechanical seals, I had created an article about my great, great, great grandfather, William Calmes Buck who was a noted Baptist preacher in the 1800s.  My submission was declined on the basis that, as a relative, I had a conflict of interest.    They also did not like that I used his memoirs as a major reference.  The article is still on Wikipedia but as a draft.  I’ve appealed and am modifying the references as requested but expect it will not be acceptable.

Oh well.

… and now we return to cell phone photography.

 

 

Photography

Camera Apps for Cell Phones

Although the built-in camera of a cell phone is adequate, there are apps available which can provide extensions or even new features.  On my iPhone 7+, I currently have four photo apps for the camera and editing:

  • Camera Genius
  • ProCamera
  • Camera+
  • Moment.

Here are screenshots of the menus of those apps.

Camera Apps
Apps for cell phone photography

In planning this post, my intention was to prepare a table of available features and options for each of the apps.  However, as I began to make the table, I realized that many of the apps had the same features so here’s an overview of each app.

Camera Genius

Camera Genius costs $2.99.  The current version is 4.8.  It has 6 ratings with an average of 3.8 out of 5.  In addition to the camera features, Camera Genius includes a video mode and can do simple editing.   Controls and operation are very simple.  Camera Genius does not include RAW mode, HDR, adjustable white balance or allow for switching between the 1x and 2x lenses on my iPhone 7+.  I’ve rarely used it.

Procamera

Procamera costs $4.99.  The current version is 11.2 and it has 139 ratings with an average of 4.2 out of 5.  In addition to the camera features, Procamera includes a video mode and can do editing.   Although it may seem a little intimidating, Procamera seems to include everything you might imagine including RAW mode, HDR, adjustable white balance and support for dual lenses.  This is the app that I use.

Camera+

Camera+ costs $2.99.  The current version is 10.10.12 and it has 1100 ratings with an average of 4.4 out of 5.  In addition to the camera features, Camera+ includes a video mode and can do editing.   The editing features are extensive including “clarity”.  Camera+ supports RAW mode, HDR, and adjustable white balance.  I really liked the Camera+ implementation of white balance.  Although Camera+ claims to support the dual lenses of the iPhone 7, lens selection is very non-intuitive and, for too long a time, I could not do it.

Moment

The Moment app is free; it was developed primarily to support the Moment auxiliary lenses (which I just bought and will report on later) but works without the add-on lenses as well.  The current version is 2.7.7; it has 31 ratings with an average of 3.4 out of 5.    Controls and operation are very simple.  The Moment app does include RAW mode and manually adjustable white balance but not HDR.  It is simple to switch between the 1x and 2x lenses of my iPhone 7+.  In addition to the camera features, the Moment app includes a video mode; however, it cannot do editing.

What do I do?

Typically, when using the iPhone camera to grab a snapshot, I also use the built-in app.  But when trying something a bit different or difficult, I use the Procamera app to tweak the settings a bit.  Camera+ and Camera Genius have been moved to the back page of my iPhone apps.  Jumping ahead a bit, the Moment lenses are very good and using them is simple with either Procamera or Moment apps – and the Moment app is simpler.  I very much prefer to do my editing in the full computer version of Photoshop.

The next blog post will be about macro lenses.

 

 

mechanical seal, Photography, pusher seal

Accessories for Cell Phone Cameras

iPhone 7+ and LED light on Joby Gorillapods
iPhone 7+ and LED light on Joby Gorillapods

We photographers certainly love our accessories!  Here are some suggestions for accessories to help get the image you want with your cell phone.

Tripod

Although many people prefer not having to deal with a tripod, it is still one of the first and best accessories for photography.   In this discussion, since the subject is cell phone photography, it is implied that the tripod be small and lightweight.  Also needed is a means of attaching the cell phone to the tripod.

One of the Joby Gorillapods seems ideal for cell phone photography.  I’m currently using this one with my iPhone 7+.  To use the cell phone with a more conventional tripod, you’ll need a cell phone mount .

When using the cell phone mounted on a tripod, I prefer to use a 2 second delay to trip the shutter.  This helps to prevent camera/tripod vibration from my touch.  For my iPhone, setting the shutter delay also automatically switches the camera to a 10 shot burst mode – which is not always desirable.  Unfortunately, there is no way to turn off this burst mode; however, a workaround is to turn on the “HDR” mode as well.  With HDR mode, only two shots are taken:  one shot is normal, the other HDR.  Actually, the HDR image is often a good one.

Diffuser and Reflector

A diffuser can soften the light and prevent hot spots when the subject is in bright sunlight.   You can make one with a translucent trash bag taped to a cardboard frame.

A reflector placed on the opposite side of the light source helps distribute the light and reduce shadows.  The reflector can be a piece of copy paper (or bring along a large sheet of foamboard).

Diffusers and reflectors can be difficult to handle – another reason to free up your hands by placing the camera on a tripod.

Backdrop

A backdrop can hide that unwanted background clutter but can be difficult to set up.  A painter’s drop cloth and a few spring clamps can be useful.  For small subjects, the backdrop and reflector can be a sheet of paper.

Lights

A small, inexpensive, battery powered LED light is probably the best way to add light to the scene.    I use one like this with a rechargeable battery (separate purchase); similar ones can be purchased for about $30. With the camera on a tripod, move the light around to find the best angle and distance to light the scene.  Unfortunately, a battery lasts only about an hour.  Add a reflector on the opposite side of the light to balance the lighting.

The original Joby Gorillapod is useful for holding the LED light.

Macro lens

There are a number of macro lenses available for cell phone close-up photography.  Some of these lenses are very powerful; however, getting good lighting can be a problem.  When using a macro lens on a cell phone, the lens will probably be only about an inch from the subject area.  As far as I’m concerned, if you buy a macro lens, you might as well buy a light or two while you’re at it.

Here are some macro lenses that are popular and appear useful:

I recently got the Olloclip kit of macro lenses and am trying to decide whether I like them or not.  I’ll probably get one or two of the less expensive lenses and compare them in a separate blog post.

Coming up

The next post will be about cell phone camera apps.