Let me just say this outright: if you’re one of those people still peddling the idea that an iPhone isn’t a “real” camera, I need you to pause, take a deep breath, and ask yourself why you’ve chosen stupidity as a lifestyle. Seriously. Are you fucking kidding me?
This nonsense argument—this relic of the past—about how an iPhone isn’t “real” because it’s integrated into a smartphone, doesn’t have interchangeable lenses, or lacks a handful of manual controls that only three people in your camera club know how to use? Give me a break. What the hell even is ‘real’ to you?
Let’s get into the basics:
Real means something that exists. Something that occurs in fact. Not imagined, not supposed. So if a camera can capture light, process an image, and produce a photograph, guess what, Einstein—it’s a real fucking camera. Do you think the iPhone magically conjures those photos out of thin air like some kind of wizard? No. It uses lenses, sensors, and sophisticated image-processing technology to take pictures. That’s the definition of a camera. Duh.
Here’s the kicker: of the nearly TWO TRILLION photos taken every year, over 94% of them are taken with these ‘not real cameras’—aka smartphones. That means your so-called “real cameras” are over there sulking in a corner, contributing a meager 5% of the world’s imagery. Are all those billions of images just… figments of our collective imagination? Are we all just hallucinating pictures of sunsets, dogs, lattes, and our kids’ terrible school projects? Get the fuck out of here with that logic.
And can we please stop pretending this is 2011? There was a time, sure when smartphone cameras were potato-quality. But newsflash, Grandpa: the iPhone is a beast. It has computational photography tech that can often, in many circumstances, run circles around many of your prized DSLR’s manual settings, and it’s small enough to fit in your pocket. Meanwhile, you’re over there lugging around 15 pounds of gear just to take a blurry shot of a pigeon. Who’s the “real” photographer now?
Real photographer? Real Photography? Real photograph?
Here’s some humor for you: If I handed an iPhone to someone and said, “Take a picture of that mountain,” they could do it in seconds. If I handed the same person a “real” camera, they’d stare at it like it was an alien artifact before finally asking, “Uh, which button do I press?” Reality check: it’s not the tool, it’s the fucking results.
And you know what? Some of the most iconic photos of our time could be taken with a smartphone today. Your camera doesn’t define your talent. The iPhone democratized photography in a way that “real cameras” never could. It made photography accessible, effortless, and—dare I say—fun. It doesn’t matter if it’s a smartphone, a mirrorless rig, or an old Polaroid. If it captures light and creates an image, it’s a real camera. Period.
So to all the bloggers, influencers, and self-proclaimed photography purists still peddling this tired-ass argument: stop embarrassing yourselves. The iPhone isn’t just a real camera—it’s the most widely used, most powerful, and most versatile camera on the planet today.
Click.
Jack.
