I have a confession to make.
I’m a sucker for historical romances. I know, I know, it’s incredibly tragic. Personally I blame the education system – if Pride and Prejudice hadn’t been compulsory reading at school, this might never have happened. Thankfully, I married a sensible man, or our sons would have been named D’Arcy and Jean-Luc (I’m also a big Star Trek fan).
Historical novels always cause me to reflect on what life must have been like at a time when change occurred slowly. Living in the 21st century certainly doesn’t allow for gradual adaptation – progress and technology move forward so quickly that it’s hard to keep up. It takes a particularly agile brain to cope with these modern times.
Recently, we upgraded our mobile phones to iPhone 4Ses, and we have been completely and utterly blown away by what they can do.
One of the most impressive features of the device is the camera. I had some inkling of how good it was going to be when Peter Bryenton and Chris D, two highly talented and experienced photographers, both stopped using their traditional equipment and started taking photos almost exclusively with their iPhones. In fact, Peter has an entire website of wonderful photos, all taken with his iPhone.
When my Pete showed me the photo he’d taken of the flowering gum in Nic’s garden, I was astonished. The clarity at full resolution is very impressive – it’s almost possible to make out reflections in the raindrops. And it was taken with a mobile phone.
Pete has installed an app called Camera+. It comes with a stabilizer function, which meant that even though it was raining and the flower was swaying in the wind and Pete was leaning over the fence holding the phone with one hand, we nevertheless ended up with a photo that could grace the front of a greeting card.
Less than three years ago, I blogged about my portable Lumix camera, and how easy it made taking photos on the go. Now that I have the iPhone, I can’t see myself ever using the Lumix again!
Dead leaves in the garden herald the approach of winter...(as the historical romance authors might write). One of Pete's photos.
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Those are amazing. They ALMOST make me want an Iphone- but then I’d have to learn how to use it- and I’d rather sit down with a good historical novel. :)
Heidi, I don’t know if I should mention this but…I actually READ a lot of my novels on the iPhone using the Kindle app.. :)
Wow those photos look great!
Thanks Glenda! I thought they were pretty neat too.. :)
It kills me that the camera on the iPad (which I own) is lousy. I don’t see an iPhone in my future, so I guess I’ll have to live with my cumbersome camera (sigh)
Sally, (digressing from Celia’s post here, hope she doesn’t mind!) I was told in store the other day that the still camera on the iPad 2 uses video stills from the video function, so are at a low resolution as stills. Naughty Apple, a conspiracy theorist would say they did it on purpose so they could bring out a better one in a year’s time….
so disappointing…..
Sally, we had two stone age Ericssons that both died at the same time, and when we went to replace them, the iPhone plans were almost the same price, so it seemed silly not to upgrade. I’m astonished that the iPad camera is so behind the times, but then again we have an iPad first gen and I don’t think it even HAS a camera! :)
I love my camera and I hate mobile phones, so I will be staying where I am. Great photos though.
Deb, a few months ago, I would have agreed with you. Now I’m a complete convert! (I still love my big Lumix though, although it doesn’t seem to colour balance as well as the iPhone!!).
Technology is fabulous isn’t it!! Oh and I love Pride and Prejudice, but am very happy to be here in the 21st century sharing in this wonderful world of ours :)
It’s amazing, isn’t it, Claire? It’s like we live in the world of the Jetsons!
My son-in-law has well over a thousand pictures taken on his i-phone on a Flickr site, he’s really hooked on to it, previously he used a very good camera which hardly sees the light of day any more!
Jeannette, having had the camera now for a few weeks, I can completely understand why!
Lovely photos Pete! You are a master of the mobile phone camera :) Have you figured out the way to optimise them for WordPress. Some tips on that would be most welcome too. Great post Celia :)
Jo, both the pics above were SOOC (Straight Out Of Camera) – I simply shrank them to 375 x 500 to fit in with the blog size. Have you tried the Camera+ app? It’s very, very good and allows quite a few editing options.
Those pics are very good indeed, Himself took a couple of photographs with his Nokia up in the Berg and I thought they were so good I sent them to The Natal Witness (our local paper) and they printed them.
Oooh, congratulations, they must have been very good indeed! :)
I love historical fiction too :D
Though I must say, I might be just a little more in love with the iPhone camera ;)
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Fair enough too, the camera is really amazing! :)
I don’t know Celia, I think D’Arcy and Jean-Luc sound lovely for your boys :-)
Hehehe…I’ll let Pete know that, Brydie. Wish I’d had you in my corner 20 years ago.. ;-)
Must try and persuade someone that I need to upgrade. His old phone, that is now mine, doesn’t ring anymore just vibrates. I miss many calls.
Have you looked at the bbc iplayer app? You can watch as many BBC historical dramas as you like.
Anna
Anna, we’ve subscribed! It’s an amazing app! You do know that if you get an iPhone 4S with wifi you’ll be able to Face Time (live video chat) with the fam down the road, don’t you? And it’s FREE. :)
Can you take the app down the road to show the others? I keep raving about it. I just watched a lovely doco on Sissinghurst. I started to watch Northanger Abbey but had to stop. It is remarkable how a 1970s period drama can be dated! E did mention Face Time. Think the phones are still mega expensive – no?
Anna, ours were really reasonable on a plan – only an additional $10 each per month each on top of the basic plan cost. I’ll show them the BBC app – it’s even better on the iPad and I know they have one!
Amazing that a phone can have such a sharp camera lens too! My Peter just received an iPhone for work and, while it some of the features are amazing, others are taking time to get used to. Beautiful shot of the flowering gum, they are soooooooooo pretty.
Lizzy, such a gorgeous plant, isn’t it? My friend Nic has some stunners in her yard..
I studied Pride and Prejudice at school too – loved it. So much more entertaining than some of the other dreary texts like The Guns of Nararone. Yes, the iPhone 4S takes incredible photos. Who would have thought we’d be using our phones as cameras. xx
You know, I wonder what they were studying at boys’ schools? Surely they didn’t make them do P & P as well? :)
Very impressive Pete! I have to admit that I hardly ever use my camera (other than ‘special’ occasions when I remember to take it and to use it). 95% of photos get taken on the iphone. A bit of a shame in a way…makes me want to revive my old passion of black and white film photography.
SG, there is a great video app that Pete found which lets you take video and then reformat it as an old fashioned super 8 film. Some really fun apps out there at the moment, and they’re all dirt cheap.
I always think that the best camera is the one you have with you. Think of all the wonderful shots you view thinking ‘I wish I had my camera now’. The flower picture is indeed amazing.
You’re right, of course, Sally! And this way, the camera is ALWAYS with us! :)
Thanks for mentioning Phi One, Celia. Keep making pictures with your iPhone and Camera+ for everyone to enjoy here.
Peter, you’ve inspired us greatly, thank you! :)
Your confession made me smile, Celia – bodice-rippers & Star Trek, what a combination. I am quite partial to an English murder mystery, myself. Nothing gory or too creepy like some of the US ones, they just give me nightmares.
I am finding that I am using my Lumix less & less as it is so very easy to whip out the phone. I’ll just toddle off and check out that app you mentioned, now ….
Amanda, we just downloaded a great panorama app that lets us stitch photos together to create a wide shot. It works amazingly well!
What amazing clarity in both those shots, I could sure do with that stabiliser app!
I love historical romances too Celia, have you read any of Georgette Heyers? They are perfect for a bit of fun and happiness :)
These Old Shades – one of my favourite books of all time, Becca! :)
I upgraded from a 4 to a 4s about a month ago specifically for the camera. It’s video is pretty amazing too. I have a stack of camera apps I could recommend that I use every day. Also Instagram.
As for iphoneographers, I recommend Doc Pop & Marianne Hope.
Lucas, it’s really very cool, isn’t it? Today we’re playing with a panorama app! :)
hehe you are too funny :P I resisted smart phones for ages too I must admit! :P
I know I’ve said this before, but you really do have the coolest iPhone case I’ve ever seen! :)
I would be lost without my IPhone 4s! :)
I would too now! :)
Hi Celia
I think I am probably your newest follower, but I just wanted to pop in and say hello. I love your blog and can really associate with the love of historical novels (and the iphone- I dont own a camera so only ever snap away with this).
Lovely blog and I will be avidly following your adventures from now on.
Best wishes
Sophie
Sophie, thanks for stopping by! I don’t think I could ever give up my camera completely, but…never say never, I guess! :)
Peter is so talented!
I got an iPhone as a gift for Xmas and it is a treat. I love talking to Siri. :-)
I keep asking her naughty questions, Maz. :)
I find the speech recognition software to be fantastic – I now dictate all my smses!! :)
Ha ha ha! I’ll have to try that. Mostly I get, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what you are talking about, Mah-Ree_Lean” :-)
And I also really enjoy reading books on my little phone, so much that my hub gave me an iTunes card for my birthday. <3
They’re fab photos! I do feel more and more behind the times though – I have an android phone rather than any apple stuff and really feel as though android are miles behind apple. I sort of wish I had bitten the bullet and paid more just to feel ‘part of the crowd’ as it were. Mind you, all the technology now just makes me feel thick – I’m sure my phone is more intelligent than I am, I just don’t know how to make the most of it, even having had it over a year! Having said that, I do love it!
Caroline, they’re our first smartphones, and we seem to discover something new about them every day. I remember feeling the same way about the iPod Touch when it first came out, but the iPhones blow them away!
Celia, I also adore historical fiction, and have a secret addiction to Georgette Heyer’s! (you can get away with announcing your admiration for Austen in public, not so much with Heyer!)
Still in the stone age here with mobile phone, but I just replaced our 2004 camera with one of the new compacts, and was amazed with the quality of what is out there! I used it at the Night Markets here recently, and took a shot of the family, and it looked like I had taken it in daylight, not at dusk!
Abbington, it’s amazing how fast the technology is moving! The little compacts now take better photos than my incredibly expensive Lumix ever did!
Oh, man! I LOVE my 4S! I use the Camera+ app as well and it’s genius. I also adore the Instagram app. I used to have an iPhone 4 (it was stolen from us on a train in Buenos Aires) and I can honestly say that the camera on the 4S is astonishingly even better. A great device!
SK, I’m really, truly blown away by how good the camera is. Especially in terms of colour correction. I’m forever adjusting the balance on my real camera, but the iPhone seems to do it automatically!
Dear Celia,
I wasn’t all that good in literature in school although I do know that it is a truth universally accepted that a single man of good fortune is in want of a wife :)
Hehehe…you old romantic, you.. ;-)
Hi Celia
Love the blog. Got your address from Cate.
Hey Ann, how’ve you been? Nice to hear from you! :)
Lovely photos Celia. I was really impressed with the camera on my iPhone when I got it. It’s interesting because it takes much better pictures in dim light than our camera, but much worse in bright light – mine isn’t a 4S though. I blame P&P for my love of historical romances too, but Iit’s not the fault of school as we never did anything 1/4 as interesting.
Choclette, I’ve been astonished by the quality of the photos, and how well it auto colour balances. The only downside so far is that the app we’re using – Camera+ – won’t take a pic until the shot is very steady, which means you can stand there for ages holding it, waiting for the shutter to go off! :)
My brother works at a camera shop and he’s seeing a shift in sales there. Lucky for him the professional level cameras will always be popular amongst hobbyists. I’m going to have to try that app soon.. I love playing with that stuff!!
ps also love the romance novels.. I’m a big fan!!
xo Smidge
What a spectacular flower? I don’t believe we have it in the U.S. What is it?
Hi there, it’s a Western Australian flowering gum – the one Nic has is a new hybrid they’ve developed for the eastern states, and it grows smaller, which makes it suitable for gardens. Most gum trees are huge! :)