{"id":4305,"date":"2020-03-06T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-03-06T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=4305"},"modified":"2020-03-09T10:59:39","modified_gmt":"2020-03-09T14:59:39","slug":"fantastic-photos-what-camera-did-you-use","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/06\/fantastic-photos-what-camera-did-you-use\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Fantastic photos!!! What camera did you use?&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>There are more <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"New Zealand photo (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/?s=zealand\" target=\"_blank\">New Zealand photos<\/a> and text to come (see<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/?s=new+zealand\" target=\"_blank\"> previous New Zealand posts<\/a>), but the first batches generated some comments and questions like this one from reader Nikos: &#8220;Fantastic photos!!! What camera did you use?&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks! This was actually my first major trip were I didn&#8217;t pack a standard, self-contained,&#8221;prosumer&#8221; camera. I took only my current smartphone; a Galaxy S10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I leave its HDR mode on by default, and mostly otherwise let the camera adjust its own settings from there. I&#8217;ll happily take credit for the timing, framing, lens selection, and cropping, but I confess the rest is mostly the camera&#8217;s built in software. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It works pretty well, as you&#8217;ve seen, especially when nature cooperates with a moment of fleeting, perfect lighting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-3 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"485\" data-attachment-id=\"4236\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/04\/new-zealand-te-whanganui-a-hei-and-hobbiton\/cathedral-cove-cave\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/cathedral-cove-cave.jpg?fit=1874%2C888&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1874,888\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"cathedral-cove-cave\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/cathedral-cove-cave.jpg?fit=1024%2C485&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/cathedral-cove-cave.jpg?resize=1024%2C485\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4236\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/cathedral-cove-cave.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/?attachment_id=4236\" class=\"wp-image-4236\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/cathedral-cove-cave.jpg?resize=1024%2C485&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/cathedral-cove-cave.jpg?resize=300%2C142&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/cathedral-cove-cave.jpg?resize=768%2C364&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/cathedral-cove-cave.jpg?resize=1536%2C728&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/cathedral-cove-cave.jpg?w=1874&amp;ssl=1 1874w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"485\" data-attachment-id=\"4270\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/05\/new-zealand-rotorua\/mudpot\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/mudpot.jpg?fit=1640%2C777&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1640,777\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"mudpot\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/mudpot.jpg?fit=1024%2C485&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/mudpot.jpg?resize=1024%2C485\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4270\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/mudpot.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/?attachment_id=4270\" class=\"wp-image-4270\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/mudpot.jpg?resize=1024%2C485&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/mudpot.jpg?resize=300%2C142&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/mudpot.jpg?resize=768%2C364&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/mudpot.jpg?resize=1536%2C728&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/mudpot.jpg?w=1640&amp;ssl=1 1640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"551\" data-attachment-id=\"4222\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/03\/new-zealand-auckland-to-coromandel\/pohutukawa-tree\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/p%C5%8Dhutukawa-tree.jpg?fit=1451%2C781&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1451,781\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"p\u014dhutukawa-tree\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/p%C5%8Dhutukawa-tree.jpg?fit=1024%2C551&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/p%C5%8Dhutukawa-tree.jpg?resize=1024%2C551\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4222\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/p\u014dhutukawa-tree.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/?attachment_id=4222\" class=\"wp-image-4222\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/p%C5%8Dhutukawa-tree.jpg?resize=1024%2C551&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/p%C5%8Dhutukawa-tree.jpg?resize=300%2C161&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/p%C5%8Dhutukawa-tree.jpg?resize=768%2C413&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/p%C5%8Dhutukawa-tree.jpg?w=1451&amp;ssl=1 1451w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"485\" data-attachment-id=\"4239\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/03\/04\/new-zealand-te-whanganui-a-hei-and-hobbiton\/hobbiton2\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/hobbiton2.jpg?fit=1640%2C776&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1640,776\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"hobbiton2\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/hobbiton2.jpg?fit=1024%2C485&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/hobbiton2.jpg?resize=1024%2C485\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"4239\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/hobbiton2.jpg\" data-link=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/?attachment_id=4239\" class=\"wp-image-4239\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/hobbiton2.jpg?resize=1024%2C485&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/hobbiton2.jpg?resize=300%2C142&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/hobbiton2.jpg?resize=768%2C363&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/hobbiton2.jpg?resize=1536%2C727&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/hobbiton2.jpg?w=1640&amp;ssl=1 1640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\">(Click to enlarge.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>But the shots you&#8217;re seeing here aren&#8217;t the original, as-captured shots. They&#8217;re actually thrice-compressed, down-resolution copies edited, processed, and stored on plain vanilla, free <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Google Photos (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.google.android.apps.photos&amp;hl=en_US\" target=\"_blank\">Google Photos<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I mostly leave the original, as-captured jpgs on the phone; the initial jpg compression is pretty good visually, but the amount of compression is unadjustable and undocumented. I&#8217;ll do some basic yea\/nay (eg keep\/discard) editing, plus simple cropping and straightening on the phone, using the otherwise forgettable Samsung Gallery app. If something needs additional work &#8212; say, I&#8217;m working on a portrait or a photo I&#8217;ll give as a gift &#8212; I&#8217;ll use additional tools such as Google&#8217;s excellent (and free) <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Snapseed (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.niksoftware.snapseed&amp;hl=en_US\" target=\"_blank\">Snapseed<\/a> for more serious on-phone editing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But for most shots, after simple straightening\/cropping, I upload them to Google Photos, and share away , as you&#8217;ve seen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Google Photos does its own extra processing and compression atop the camera&#8217;s original JPG compression. But even after the extra processing and compression, Google photos still have sufficient resolution for good-quality sharing on phones, tablets, and laptops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The images do fall apart if you blow-them up to TV-size, or try to print them too large. But for basic sharing, they&#8217;re fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But there&#8217;s another step: Uploading here, to a WordPress-based site, adds yet another level of processing and compression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But even after three levels of processing, the as-delivered quality is still surprisingly good. See for yourself, in this side-by-side comparison:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First,  right-click\/open-in-new-tab this triply-compressed (jpg\/Google Photos\/Wordpress) 642 KB pic of a perfect-moment hdr sunset shot: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"4208\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/02\/28\/new-zealand-day-1\/naumi-walk\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/naumi-walk.jpg?fit=1874%2C888&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1874,888\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"naumi-walk\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/naumi-walk.jpg?fit=1024%2C485&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/naumi-walk.jpg?resize=1024%2C485\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4208\" width=\"1024\" height=\"485\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/naumi-walk.jpg?resize=1024%2C485&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/naumi-walk.jpg?resize=300%2C142&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/naumi-walk.jpg?resize=768%2C364&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/naumi-walk.jpg?resize=1536%2C728&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/naumi-walk.jpg?w=1874&amp;ssl=1 1874w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption>642 KB Google Photos version<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Now  right-click\/open-in-new-tab the<strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/1drv.ms\/u\/s!Au0PAj200ydjjeE0Dm_7PZSHUIkRhg?e=f2z8Fp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"2.85 MB original jpg (opens in a new tab)\">2.85 MB original jpg<\/a><\/strong> (I&#8217;m using a link to bypass WordPress&#8217;s automatic compression).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can toggle between the tabs to compare the images; you&#8217;ll see there are significant differences in the fine detail. But all in all, the additionally-compressed version isn&#8217;t bad at standard phone and portable-device screen sizes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, I use Google Photo&#8217;s infinite free storage for my smaller-format sharing and for set-and-forget automatic photo backups. I save the &#8220;original&#8221; on-phone jpgs for more-detailed work or later printing. (I&#8217;ve never had the need to work in RAW or other uncompressed formats.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I have a lot of storage on my phone, but I also periodically offload the original jpgs to a local external hard drive for redundant\/archival storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I really like the S10&#8217;s cameras. But I&#8217;ve also ordered an S20 (the Plus, not the insane Ultra), and am looking forward to its even larger sensors and stronger optical (lossless) zoom&#8230; plus the 5G and all the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s entirely possible I&#8217;ll never carry a separate, self-contained camera ever again!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>=====<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Previous S10 camera coverage:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-wordpress wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-langa-com\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"hpqyi8zyTt\"><a href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/17\/smartphone-cameras-have-come-a-long-way\/\">Smartphone cameras have come a long way<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Smartphone cameras have come a long way&#8221; &#8212; Langa.com\" src=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/17\/smartphone-cameras-have-come-a-long-way\/embed\/#?secret=mZ9Bp9hgih#?secret=hpqyi8zyTt\" data-secret=\"hpqyi8zyTt\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-wordpress wp-block-embed is-type-wp-embed is-provider-langa-com\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"fF7RARezKE\"><a href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/24\/update-to-smartphone-cameras-have-come-a-long-way\/\">Update to: &#8220;Smartphone cameras have come a long way&#8221;<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Update to: &#8220;Smartphone cameras have come a long way&#8221;&#8221; &#8212; Langa.com\" src=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/24\/update-to-smartphone-cameras-have-come-a-long-way\/embed\/#?secret=7XITqfJfEb#?secret=fF7RARezKE\" data-secret=\"fF7RARezKE\" width=\"500\" height=\"282\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-right has-small-font-size\"><em><strong>Permalink: <a href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=4305\">https:\/\/langa.com\/?p=4305<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"104\" height=\"6\" data-attachment-id=\"1999\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/10\/around-boston-the-nearly-snowless-winter-continues\/seperator-short-grey\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/SEPERATOR-short-grey.png?fit=104%2C6&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"104,6\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"SEPERATOR short grey\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/SEPERATOR-short-grey.png?fit=104%2C6&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/SEPERATOR-short-grey.png?resize=104%2C6\" alt=\"[seperator]\" class=\"wp-image-1999\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p style=\"text-align:left\"><strong>COMMENT \/ QUESTION<\/strong>  on <strong>THIS ITEM?<\/strong> <em>See the<\/em> <strong>Comment box<\/strong> <em>at bottom of this page!<\/em><br><b><em><br><\/em>NEW QUESTION? <\/b><em>Ask<\/em><b> <u><font color=\"#000117\"><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/contact\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/font><\/u><\/b>!<br><br>(<em>Want free notification of new content? Click<\/em><b><strong> <\/strong><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2018\/09\/09\/get-free-automatic-notification-of-new-content\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a><\/b>!)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are more New Zealand photos and text to come (see previous New Zealand posts), but the first batches generated some comments and questions like this one from reader Nikos: &#8220;Fantastic photos!!! What camera did you use?&#8221; Thanks! This was actually my first major trip were I didn&#8217;t pack a standard, self-contained,&#8221;prosumer&#8221; camera. I took&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-reader-asks","category-smartphones"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paaiox-17r","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2342,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/03\/15\/a-reader-asks-is-it-enough-to-disable-the-driver-for-the-camera-on-my-laptop-and-to-put-tape-over-it\/","url_meta":{"origin":4305,"position":0},"title":"A reader asks: &#8220;Is it enough to disable the camera driver for my laptop, and to block the lens?&#8221;","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-03-15","format":false,"excerpt":"Reader Steven Clifford Cohen asks: \"I disabled the driver for the camera on my laptop. I also put tape over it. Is that enough?\" Enough to prevent video-based snooping, sure. But opaque tape alone would do that; a camera can't see through an opaque object, period. However, if you're really\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;A reader asks...&quot;","block_context":{"text":"A reader asks...","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/a-reader-asks\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/webcam-covers-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/webcam-covers-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/webcam-covers-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2798,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/24\/update-to-smartphone-cameras-have-come-a-long-way\/","url_meta":{"origin":4305,"position":1},"title":"Update to: &#8220;Smartphone cameras have come a long way&#8221;","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-05-24","format":false,"excerpt":"In \"Smartphone cameras have come a long way,\" you saw some early, warts-and-all test snapshots I took with a Galaxy S10's three rear cameras. Since then, I found a very useful software setting buried in the camera menus: It reduces the barrel distortion that was evident in the wide-angle shots.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Hardware&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Hardware","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/hardware\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/20190518_142445.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/20190518_142445.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/20190518_142445.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/20190518_142445.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/20190518_142445.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/05\/20190518_142445.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2782,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/05\/17\/smartphone-cameras-have-come-a-long-way\/","url_meta":{"origin":4305,"position":2},"title":"Smartphone cameras have come a long way","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-05-17","format":false,"excerpt":"I recently got a new Samsung Galaxy S10, and have been playing with its three rear cameras. If you follow smartphones, or cameras, you probably have seen comparison and demo pix taken by professional reviewers to show the capabilities of the new crop of smartphone cameras. 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But before I get to that, let me jump ahead a bit with this silliness: On the afternoon when\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Misc&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Misc","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/misc\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/bungy.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1738,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/27\/finally-10x-optical-zoom-tech-for-smartphones\/","url_meta":{"origin":4305,"position":4},"title":"Finally! 10x optical zoom for smartphones","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2019-01-27","format":false,"excerpt":"By now, just about everyone knows that digital zoom is a great way to ruin a shot on a smartphone or camera. When you zoom digitally, all you're doing is making the pixels bigger, and that soon leads to fuzzy, blocky, blurry photos. Optical zoom --- some call it \"lossless\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Science and tech&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Science and tech","link":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/category\/science-and-tech\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/oppo.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/oppo.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/langa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/oppo.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4782,"url":"https:\/\/langa.com\/index.php\/2020\/04\/16\/why-does-it-seem-like-older-cellphones-had-longer-lasting-batteries-than-smartphones-today\/","url_meta":{"origin":4305,"position":5},"title":"&#8220;Why does it seem like older cellphones had longer lasting batteries than smartphones today?&#8221;","author":"Fred Langa","date":"2020-04-16","format":false,"excerpt":"(Answer requested by Gautam Naib) Because they did far less. 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