Your Camera or Your iPhone: Which Do You Need Most?

We've been on this annual cycle where each new year brings updated and improved smartphones from manufacturers like Apple, Google, and Samsung. And while each company aims to balance improvements across the board, the one item that always gets outsized attention is the camera. Each year at its annual iPhone event (typically in September), Apple spends a good chunk of time hyping up the improvements made to the iPhone's camera system—from the lenses to the sensor to the software. And while the iPhone's camera does seem to get better, it's worth asking how it stands up to a digital camera released 3-5 years ago or older.

Taken with the iPhone 15 Pro Max | Edited in Adobe Lightroom

Don't get me wrong. I love using my iPhone to take photos because it is the camera I always have in my pocket. As its performance and quality improve, I'm able to push its capabilities further and further... towards what I can already achieve with my Sony a7 III, a camera released in 2018. Now, that may be an unfair comparison. After all, that Sony camera has a full-frame sensor and can accept a massive lineup of lenses. The iPhone, after all, has to cram in a sensor, multiple lenses, and all of the other components required for it to operate as a smartphone. And while the iPhone camera accessory market keeps getting new and exciting add-ons to increase the camera's capabilities further, it begs the question: at what point does it just make more sense to take my Sony camera?

Taken with the iPhone 15 Pro Max | Edited in Adobe Lightroom

 These questions and concerns are important, and expanding on them can be helpful to many people (myself included). That's why I am thrilled to share this episode of Lightroom Everywhere Live with my good friend and outstanding photographer, Glyn Dewis. We dive deep into this topic and I think you'll find it very interesting.