In the past, I’ve always thought that the camera on my iPhone 4S was pretty good. I especially thought this after hearing about how the newer versions of the phone had quality comparable to a large DSLR that costed triple the amount of the phone itself–but still, I knew it wasn’t quite at the level of my Canon EOS 6D, which I had paid quite a bit more for. While it is a pain for me to have to carry around my large Canon, I am learning that that extra bit of pain is every bit worth the trouble and my last trip to LA proves this more than ever. As I start to become a more influential blogger, I know that my pics have to live up to their expectations and the iPhone doesn’t allow me to do that. But don’t just take my word for it, I’ve got some examples to prove it to you.

Some of these are like comparing apples to Nutella-filled crepes. In fact, I got so frustrated that I jokingly told my friend that I would expect this sort of quality from an Android–but to have it from an iPhone? No way!

Example 1: Grauman Who?

Just look at this photo of me in front of Grauman’s Chinese Theater, a landmark that could create memories worth remembering. This picture could have potentially been the featured picture on our Los Angeles travel guide but with quality like this it doesn’t have a snow balls chance in hell of deserving that honor. It was so bad that I had to walk two blocks back to our Airbnb apartment just to get the Canon to retake this horrendous shot.

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words and the ones for this one are all negative. They’re so bad that I’ll have to just keep them to myself. While my Canon knows how to balance the source of light and even lighten up the picture without the use of flash, my dumb iPhone can’t even sort out that the lightness of my face and the theater should be equal. In fact, most seasoned travelers probably wouldn’t even be able to make out the theater in the background. #epicfail

Example 2: Jimmy Blurry

Attending a live taping of Jimmy Kimmel was a memory that was so cool that I wanted to share it with all of my followers and friends. Not only did I get to see interviewee Ryan Seacrest, but I also got to see my first concert with famed rapper Mac Miller. While the Ryan Seacrest interview was indoors where cameras weren’t permitted, the Mac Miller concert was outdoors where I could snap away to my heart’s content. So being the kid that I am, I tried using the front camera on my phone for a killer seflie with Mac Miller in the background. But all I ended up getting was the Sony logo and my frustrated facial expression. No true memories of my first concert thanks to the poor quality of my phone. 🙁

Example 3: A Budget Inn Deserves A Budget-Looking Picture

So I was trying to get a good shot of this Budget Inn for an upcoming blog post about how you can find a much nicer place to stay on Hotel Tonight or Airbnb for the exact same price as traditional hotels, such as this one. Even though it’s a cheap place to stay, it doesn’t necessarily mean it deserves a picture that looks as bad as it does. It’s so horrific that I can’t even make out the words of the sign. Would an A-list blogger like myself post a picture like this within a blog post? No way in hell!

But who would have known that I would have found such a great photo opt on my way back from eating at my favorite LA burger joint, Fat Burger. See the picture for yourself.

Example 4: Have A Good Camera On Hand For A Celebrity Sighting

I figured I’d just leave my Canon in the room while I went for a quick bite to eat at Mels Drive-In (which is located just steps away from The Hollywood Walk of Fame), but that ended up being one of the biggest mistakes ever. Why? Because I happened to run into Chuy from the E! network’s Chelsea Lately, who I had just seen at a taping of the show the day before! I was stoked to actually meet the little “nugget,” who was eating right next to the front entrance. I figured this mean’t that he didn’t mind speaking to a loyal fan like myself so I went right up to him and introduced myself. He kindly talked back and agreed to let me get a picture with him. All was beautiful until I went back to my seat to realize that the quality sucked. Here I was meeting my first celebrity and I couldn’t even get a good picture of us together. Sure, you can make out our faces and everything, but I don’t have the ability to blow it up to the size I’d like it to be. Uuuugggghhh.

Example 5: Can’t I Just Be A Paparazzi?

Later in the meal I happened to look out the window and see Chuy walking to his Mercedes and I freaked out and evoked my inner paparazzi. I had dreamed about doing just this and the time finally comes many years later and I can’t even get a good shot.

Below you can sort of make out Chuy’s car, complete with Chuy getting into the passeneger side and his driver getting into the driver seat. You can also sort of make out the rack on the back, which I am assuming was mean’t to hold a wheel chair. But I still don’t know which model it is so I’m going to have to visit their website and sift through all the cars until I see the one that it resembles. What work!

Check out my 15 Best Tips On How To Become A Better Photographer.

Have you ever had any bad experiences with the iPhone camera? If not then maybe you just haven’t tried out a high dollar DSLR, but either way I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below.

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