A Comparison of B&W iPhone Pictures to the Pentax Monochrome DSLR
A battle of style and output at a fighter jet airfield
On Tuesday’s TDS Podcast I discussed my visit to the Pacific Coast Air Museum in Santa Rosa, CA. I was armed with two cameras: the Pentax K-3 III Monochrome DSLR and my iPhone 12 Pro Max. My objective: to test the differences between a monochrome-only camera and iPhone pictures converted to B&W in macOS Photos.
I had a blast.
The Pentax Monochrome is a fun camera that is fitted with a monochrome 25.7MP APS-C CMOS sensor. It’s solid, comfortable, responsive, and accepts all of my Pentax optics.
The iPhone is a worthy challenger. It captures all of its color images in HDR, and its companion Photos app has a robust B&W adjustment panel. I would pick the color photo that I liked, then duplicate it, and convert it to monochrome. Here are there side-by-side comparisons.
The fact that the iPhone uses computational photography for all of its original captures seems to carry over in the monochrome conversions. In the two photos just above, look at the white lettering on the tail of the plane. The iPhone white really jumps off the screen, while the Pentax renders a more natural look.
You could go any number of editing directions with the photos from either camera. But I think the final output isn’t a worthy rationale for spending $2,200 on a monochrome-only DSLR.
What could justify the purchase is the enjoyment of capturing the images with a finely designed photographic tool that immerses you in B&W imaging during the shoot itself. The Pentax is a joy to shoot with.
But when it comes down to the photos themselves, it’s hard not to love the iPhone images.
PetaPixel Review
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It wasn’t that PetaPixel didn’t like the new Capture One iPhone app, but they were disappointed with the omission of some key features, especially after waiting nearly two years for its release.
It’s a good deep dive into the just-released application. And if you’re considering it, I would take a look at the article.
This Week on Live View
We have two new excellent articles this week on Live View. First up, is Cynthia Whelan’s Photography’s First Rule of Composition. Followed by Michael Alford’s Slow Street Photography.
And there’s so much more. Live View writers are dedicated photographers who share their experiences and explorations. If you haven’t visited the publication yet, I highly recommend it.
Nice work. I would agree that the iPhone does a great job. I couldn't see spending the money for a monochrome only camera. To me it seems limited. I don't really see a difference in images taken with a monochrome only camera and say pretty much any digital camera shot in monochrome or converted afterwards. Maybe my eyes are limited? :) I do agree that the shooting experience is something to weigh into the argument but... wouldn't you have the same experience with a regular K3 III and the option to shoot in color as well? Thats my opinion anyway. :) I am happy shooting my old Fujifilm X-Pro 1 in monochrome mode when I want to see the world in B&W. It is funny though that film shooters that shoot B&W film are seeing what they shoot in color.
I do not have an iPhone but continue to be impressed by how good the photographs they produce can be.
In this particular case, I have to say that I much prefer the iPhone output over the Pentax.