Posted by Howard Cihak on December 15, 2013 at 12:26 AM
I've got an iPhone 4 and am thinking about upgrading. I'm curious what apps to aid shooting with a DSLR (not shooting with the phone itself) that others recommend, and whether those are available for iOS or Droid phones, or both.
I'd also appreciate any thoughts, plus or minus, on switching to a droid phone.
Posted by Bob Falcone on December 15, 2013 at 12:58 AM
Here's what I have in my 'droid phone. I think many are also available for iOS:
Triggertrap (needs the appropriate dongle for your camera)
Timelapse calculator
Depth of Field Calculator
Photography Calculator
Golden Hour
TPE
MoonTrajectory
SunMoon
PHOforPHO (Phone tools for Photographers)
Since I also double as a hiking guide, I also have a bunch of hiking/outdoors apps, but that's another topic.
Posted by Raied Alani on December 15, 2013 at 10:36 PM
Bob, you mentioned that you have bunch of hiking/outdoors apps. Any app works off line? Cause, most of the times there is no data service. Thanks
Posted by Bob Falcone on December 16, 2013 at 5:58 PM
Raied,
Apps like My Tracks, MapMyHike, GPS Essentials or Hiker don't need a data stream to at least track your hike. The internal GPS will track you regardless of a data signal. Other apps like AllTrails, PeakAR, Glympse etc do need a data stream.
That said, when I teach Hiking safety I recommend NOT using your phone for your GPS since it's a battery killer and most people don't carry an extra battery or supplemental battery with them.
Posted by Howard Cihak on December 23, 2013 at 12:36 PM
Bob, Consumer Cellular only offers the iPhone 5c and 5s. I have no idea whether their GPS sensors are as accurate as the one on the more expensive iPhone 5. That's why I was wondering about how Android phones compare. My concern with less critical GPS readings has to do with using PhotoPill. When planning the direction of a future shot, it can be pretty critical to have an accurate GPS reading.
Posted by Bob Falcone on December 24, 2013 at 12:10 AM
Howard, the 5s is newer and more powerful than the plain old 5, but I don't know if there is any difference in GPS performance. I'm on my 4th Android smartphone (Samsung Galaxy S3) and the GPS in all of them has been pretty good, although I don't think quite as accurate as a stand-alone GPS.
That said, I've also found that the app can have an effect on GPS accuracy. For example, MapMyHike is horrible at accurately tracking a hike, something I've verified by comparing to a GPS and with other users of both it and other tracking apps.
Discussion
5 repliesI'd also appreciate any thoughts, plus or minus, on switching to a droid phone.
Triggertrap (needs the appropriate dongle for your camera)
Timelapse calculator
Depth of Field Calculator
Photography Calculator
Golden Hour
TPE
MoonTrajectory
SunMoon
PHOforPHO (Phone tools for Photographers)
Since I also double as a hiking guide, I also have a bunch of hiking/outdoors apps, but that's another topic.
Apps like My Tracks, MapMyHike, GPS Essentials or Hiker don't need a data stream to at least track your hike. The internal GPS will track you regardless of a data signal. Other apps like AllTrails, PeakAR, Glympse etc do need a data stream.
That said, when I teach Hiking safety I recommend NOT using your phone for your GPS since it's a battery killer and most people don't carry an extra battery or supplemental battery with them.
That said, I've also found that the app can have an effect on GPS accuracy. For example, MapMyHike is horrible at accurately tracking a hike, something I've verified by comparing to a GPS and with other users of both it and other tracking apps.