iPhone vs 250mm Lens at 700 Yards

Four people going ice fishing on Lake LaShane.  iPhone image resized for the web. Click for a larger version.

I was looking at some iPhone photos from a month ago and came across this photo. My dog and I were out walking at one of the local lakes and I took this picture with my iPhone. Hundreds of yards off in the distance (upper left) I saw some people on the lake, so I got out my “toy” camera and lens. (See the 2nd and 3rd links below).

Four people going ice fishing on Lake LaShane. DSLR image resized for the web. Click for a larger version.

With my Canon SL3 DSLR and a 55-250mm lens I have a much better image, which is exactly what you would expect. You are looking at the whole image, uncropped, and resized for the web. Four people are clearly visible. The lens was set at 250mm. The SL3 has a cropped sensor so the field of view is the same as a 400mm lens on a full frame digital camera. (See the field of view crop article linked below.)

It is no surprise that a 250mm lens will provide a much better image than an iPhone.

Four people going ice fishing on Lake LaShane. Cropped from the DSLR image. Click for a larger version.

I zoomed in on the center of the DSLR image to 100%, actual pixels and this is the result. I am guessing this is two dads with their sons. I must say I was a bit surprised at the amount of detail in this image.

Google Earth Pro distance measurement. Click for a larger version.

The fishermen in the image are not quite even with the opening to the large west arm of the lake, so I used Google Earth Pro to check the distance. My location near the parking circle is at the upper end of the yellow measurement line. The approximate location of the icy fishing group is at the lower end of the yellow line and roughly opposite the bend in the shoreline that goes to the west arm of the lake.  They were about 700 yards away from my camera. I must say I was surprised a 250mm lens can provide so much detail at that distance.

A, B, and C locations.

I spend a lot of time at this lake so the places I see with my eyes (and in this photo) correspond with places on the satellite map. A, B, and C in this photo are the same as bulge A, point B, and point C on the satellite map below.

A, B, and C locations on the satellite map.

Links

Field of View Crop In DSLRs

My Inexpensive, Featherweight “Toy” Camera Kit

Can a $239 Lens Do The Job of a $2100 Lens