The case for the naked iPhone

There is a piece on ZDNet that resonates with me: “Apple politely explains why iPhone cases are a waste of money”. I broke only one iPhone: the iPhone 6S Plus. That was quite fragile, and I dropped it on the street, where it fell on one of the corners. It did not have a case on, because I never had used one before. I started using cases and I loved the tan leather ones.

I also used smart battery cases on the Xs Max and the 11 Pro. Especially the latter was particularly good since it had a shutter button for the camera. But I did only use these cases where I needed extra power for the day.

Other than that, I have not put any cases on the iPhone since the 11 Pro. I dropped them, but I did not break them. I dropped the 13 Pro at least a dozen times, on hard floors. When it happens, my heart skips a beat. But so far, no damage at all. There are some very faint scratches on the front glass since I always put it down with the camera up.

Time to relax. iPhones have become tough. A friend dropped hers in the pool and was excited that it was still working. I explained to her what IP68 rating means. Yes, you can drop your iPhone 13 Pro in the pool without killing it.

iPhone mit Lavalier-Mikrofon

Ich habe bisher bei Videoaufnahmen für TikTok ein Headset mit gescheitem Mikrofon aufgesetzt. Das sieht allerdings doof aus, wenn man damit im Bild ist und es ist auch ein ziemlicher Kabelsalat.

Das wird jetzt mit diesen Lavalier-Mikrofon besser. Es hat einen Lightning-Stecker, ein 1,5 m, 2 m oder 3 m langes, stabiles Kabel mit geflochtenem Mantel und wird vom iPhone als Mfi-zertifiziertes Headset erkannt. Der Klang ist so viel besser als von den iPhone Mikros! Ihr könnt Euch den Unterschied in diesem Video anhören. Am besten tragt Ihr dabei Kopfhörer.

Super für Aufnahmen, aber untauglich zum Telefonieren. Wenn das iPhone ein Headset erkennt, dann schickt es die Ausgabe dort hin. Und da es am Pixel Finch weder Hörer noch Buchse für Hörer gibt, ist das eine Einbahnstraße. Wenn man auch hören will, dann nimmt man ein V Moda BoomPro und einen Kopfhörer.

@vowe.net

Audio ist wichtig. Ein kleines Mikrofon macht einen Riesenunterschied. Kopfhörer aufsetzen!

♬ original sound – Volker Weber

iPhone 13 Pro :: Another camera perspective

I have shown you the difference in camera size between the iPhone 13 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro. It does not bother me in the least, but it has consequences when you add a case. For the iPhone 12 Pro, a leather case would make the back of the phone flat, so that you lay it down on a table without rocking and the camera glass would still be protected. The iPhone 13 Pro is different. The leather case has an extra protrusion that protects the lenses.

Remember, the iPhone 13 Pro got thicker by a fraction of a millimeter and houses a larger battery. With the old camera I could have imagined an ever thicker body that negates the necessity of a protruding lens. But the new camera will never fit in a phone body. And that is true for all serious cameras. The lens always sticks out.

There you have it. It’s not an iPhone. It is the iCamera. All of these photos were not shot with an iPhone but with a vivo X60 Pro. The iPhone 13 is not the only camera that can shoot up close.

iPhone 13 Pro vs iPhone 12 Pro :: First impressions

I am moving my stuff from an iPhone 12 Pro to an iPhone 13 Pro. And I am shooting some quick photos with a Fujifilm camera. I apologize for the bad photo quality, but I cannot shoot the iPhones with the iPhones. We will return to the old quality after this. 🙂

Here are some quick observations:

I knew that the new camera is bigger than the old camera. I did not imagine how much larger it is. Very hard to see in a photo, I used perspective to make the difference more pronounced. Just by looking at the camera I know which iPhone I am holding.

Although the iPhones look very similar at first glance, the iPhone 13 Pro is noticeably thicker and heavier. All buttons have moved slightly towards the bottom and that is a very good thing for my fingers. Also, the SIM card slot has moved quite a lot towards the bottom left side, but I only touch that twice, when I put the card in and when I finally remove it.

The bigger camera, the thicker case, the moved buttons all mean you cannot use an old case. That was to be expected.

I use a MagSafe Duo charger and I was worried it would collide with the new camera hump, but it does not. It has actually become easier to put the phone down on the charger. Just place it face up, a little bit too high, and then draw towards you. Bamm. I always have to do this in complete darkness and it worked better on the first try then did after months with the iPhone 12 Pro.

However, if you get the Apple leather case, you will get a collision between the high lip that protects the camera and the Duo charger. The normal MagSafe works just fine.

This collision is purely cosmetic. The charger works just fine and it does not apply to me since I have used the iPhone 11 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro without a case, and will also do the same with the iPhone 13 Pro.

This is just a first impressions before getting too much use out of the iPhone. I only got it yesterday but I am already liking it. Moving data and apps from one phone to the other was a breeze. The only thing that always worries me is the TAN generator one of my bank uses. You have to enroll it again on the new phone. For those who don’t move iPhones as often as I do: you basically place the old phone next to the new one and follow the default options. After that it moves the data, reinstalls the apps, pairs the Apple Watch and the Apple headphones. Only the information stored in the secure element needs to be recreated.

The mother of all iPhone camera reviews

We’ve spent the last week in southern Tanzania, exploring this vast natural habitat and capturing all its beauty with the iPhone 13 Pro’s camera. As I watched Apple’s keynote about this year’s iPhone release, I was most excited about the new macro capability, increased telephoto zoom, and Cinematic mode.

Check this out. I do not want to spoil the pleasure with just one photo. You have to see it yourself.

More >

Video-Loops mit Apple Clips

Letzte Woche habe ich dieses Video mit viel Spaß gesehen und hatte nun Probleme es wiederzufinden. Darum poste ich es einfach hier. 😊

Es geht um die App Clips und wie man damit Video-Loops baut. Clips ist ziemlich unbekannt, aber ich nutze es gern, um blitzschnell Videos zu schneiden. Dazu nimmt man die Videos zunächst auf, um sie dann in Clips zu montieren. Man kann auch direkt in Clips aufzeichnen, aber das finde ich unhandlicher.