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Samsung’s new dual pixel mobile sensor wants to eliminate dual cameras in smartphones

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It feels like only last year we were faced with a technological breakthrough. Dual cameras in our phones. Two cameras working together as one to improve image quality, and increase ISO performance. To let us realistically fake the shallow depth of field previously only possible with large sensors. Oh, wait a minute. That was last year.

Dual camera smartphones have pretty much become a requirement now for anybody taking their mobile photography seriously. Already, though, Samsung want to make the whole concept obsolete. They’ve now announced some new mobile image sensors based on dual pixel technology. Similar to that found in cameras such as the Canon 5D Mark IV. Only way smaller.

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Tenikle is not a creature from your nightmares – It’s a camera mount

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This has to be the weirdest yet coolest looking camera mount I’ve ever seen. It’s like a JOBY GorillaPod, but with suction cups. Despite obvious inspiration from a certain aquatic animal, the Tenikle has only 3 legs, not 8. Each of these legs is not only bendy, but also has several suction cups.

Combining bendy legs with suction cups certainly opens up more camera positioning options, with less gear. The Tenikle is currently on Kickstarter with just over a couple of days left, and it’s absolutely smashed its $15K goal.

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The first review of the Godox A1 mobile phone flash trigger is out, and it looks quite good

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The Godox A1 has been much talked about since it was announced not too long ago. A flash trigger that could fire speedlights and real strobes… on your phone? They even did a fancy iPhone studio shoot to show off its capabilities. Then it went on pre-order. Many people thought “What’s the point? Why spend so much money on lights to use your phone?”.

They’re right, of course, but for me the big draw is behind the scenes photos. If my lights are already set up at a shoot, it takes no time at all to whip out my phone and grab a shot for Instagram. Some hate the idea of the A1, some love it. But how well does it really perform? This review from photographer Rob Hall goes pretty in depth into the Godox A1 feature set as well as some of its drawbacks.

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Specs and more info released as the Godox A1 mobile flash trigger goes on pre-order

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The Godox A1 flash trigger for mobile devices is now available for pre-order. The price actually isn’t that bad, either. It’s about where I was hoping it would be, but lower than I expected. At $69.90, it is a little more expensive pricey than the X1T for DSLRs & Mirrorless cameras. But, the A1 does also include a built in flash and continuous light.

First up, the good news is that the Godox A1 going to be compatible with both Android and iPhone. The bad news is, Android users will have to wait a little while. The Godox A1 is now available to preorder, and the GodoxPhoto app is already available in the Apple App Store. And, unlike the previously seen screenshots, it’s been translated into English.

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Smartphone Photography 101 helps you take better photographs with your phone

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No matter how many photos people take with their phones, there’s still a lot of bad shots on there. We see them all day on Instagram and Facebook. Some of us shoot them and know we do, but we’re not sure how to get better. What can we do to help improve our shots?

Well, here comes the folks at COOPH to offer some suggestions. Most of these tips, though, aren’t limited to just smartphone photography. They apply equally as much to shooting with a DSLR, mirrorless or any other kind of camera, too.

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Godox release first iPhone studio portraits using the new A1 flash trigger

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A couple of weeks ago, Godox teased us with their new A1 flash trigger for mobile phones. The Godox A1 is designed to give your phone the ability to trigger their popular line of X1 compatible flash units (and various rebrands). But that tease is all we’ve seen, until now.

Godox have now released some images from a studio portrait session shot using the iPhone 7 Plus, the Godox A1 and Godox QT-600II studio strobes. Of course, the quality of the shots depends entirely on the person using the camera, but they do look quite impressive.

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Godox are bringing real remote flash to your phones

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Laugh all you like, but this has got me a little excited. Godox have just announced a new flash trigger for their 2.4Ghz wireless range. But this isn’t just any old standard flash trigger. Oh, no. This one’s for your mobile phone!

The Godox A1 features three built in LEDs, as well as a “hernia flash”. But it also supports their full range of 2.4Ghz speedlights and strobes. While most of us won’t be considering replacing our DSLRs & mirrorless cameras with iPhones just yet, I think this is fantastic. Soon I’ll be able to get behind the scenes shots with my phone, with my subject lit the way I intended.

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How to shoot great smartphone car photography to up your social media game

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Car photography seems to be becoming increasingly popular recently. People love their cars, they’re proud of them, and they want to show them off. When I browse through the feed on Instagram, I see them with some regularity, even from people who don’t normally post car photos. Just because you might be shooting it for social media, though, it doesn’t mean they have to look bad.

This video from the guys at COOPH shows a whole bunch of tips and techniques to help. The goal is to help you get the best smartphone car photos you can. The tips aren’t all limited to phones, though. There’s a lot of great advice with regard to environment, lighting, and general composition that apply no matter what camera you’re using.

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A professional photographer’s review of the OnePlus 5’s camera

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I was lucky enough to be contacted at the end of April by OnePlus to be part of the shooting campaign for the new OnePlus 5. At the end of April, I received a working prototype of the OnePlus 5 and my duty was to test the camera, giving some feedback to the company and recording some nice pictures to use for the launch of the device.

I’ve to point out that my prototype was hidden by a quite bulky white cover that was impossible to remove. In this way, I wasn’t able to have an idea of the final look of the device until I got my final unit some days ago.

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