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Which phone camera is best for coloured gemstone

JewelledEscalators

JewelledEscalators

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Mar 30, 2019
Messages
861
Hi,

Sorry for starting my 4th thread in the space of a few days, but wondered if anyone had any input.

For a long time, I didn't spend any money on my mobile but increasingly I got fed up with my old phone's inability to photograph coloured stones well. I recently decided to upgrade to a new phone but it arrived with issues so the seller will refund but Just wondered is the iphone 13 or iphone 13 pro max (with the macro setting) worth it for being able to photograph gemstone colour accurately and jewellery in detail?

I'm not a massive phone user so the camera is the main reason I would consider splashing out for a top end iphone. Or is there another phone camera you would recommend?
 
Imo it really depends on what you want to take gemstone photographs for. If it’s just personal use and posting here - really use anything. I would get the best phone based on all the factors I considered important (of which camera quality is important) but more important then that for me when I’m buying a new phone is how “latest” it is.

Not so I can show it off; I generally buy a “latest” phone then keep it for a very good number of years then when I need to buy again, I repeat the process. If I didn’t buy the latest phone I don’t think (or care to find out) if it would last the number of years a phone usually lasts me (5/6 years).

If it’s for professional photography, I’d get a professional camera, but I know people who do professional photography with iPhones. It really just comes down to your own preference.
 
The iPhone SE does a pretty good job. My husband has that phone, while I only have an iPhone 8 Plus, which really makes colors less vivid and less true to life in their color. The iPhone Se isn’t great if you need high quality professional shots that are in perfect focus. I’m wondering if the newer iPhones are any better myself?
 
T L said:
The iPhone SE does a pretty good job. My husband has that phone, while I only have an iPhone 8 Plus, which really makes colors less vivid and less true to life in their color. The iPhone Se isn’t great if you need high quality professional shots that are in perfect focus. I’m wondering if the newer iPhones are any better myself?
Click to expand...

I had the SE now have the 13 pro and it’s camera is light years better. But I kinda always expect to be better on a newer phone.
 
I've been wondering the same thing. I have an iPhone SE (the 2020 version), and the camera is fine, but often I'd like more than just "fine." I also have a DSLR and nice lenses, so I've become more and more picky about my ... phone. LOL.
 
In any case, don't go for oneplus 9 pro. It's the one my husband has and the camera definitely leaves much to be desired in terms of colour accuracy. Pretty photos, just really obviously over-processed.

I have the iphone 11 pro. It's colour accurate most of the time, but can be mislead by the background, especially when you're taking a close up picture. Bright, white backgrounds can result in underexposure. If the background is of warm colour, it can try to colour correct and bump up the blue. Overall, taking close ups can confuse it.

To be honest, I don't know if I would recommend a macro setting on a phone. The phone throws too much shadow and the shot is often poorly lit due to that. If the phone has a good quality zoom camera, that will usually produce better results.

If a good quality camera is a priority for you when getting a new phone, I'd say go through the camera reviews and camera comparisons of the big tech channels on youtube. Lots of helpful stuff there.
 
Thanks everyone. Will get back to you to explain in more detail the situation and answer your points. Really helpful!
 
I think, unless it's an emerald, the Google Pixel phones have the best cameras for taking pictures of colored gemstones. Color is very accurate for a wide range of colors apart from emeralds.

I'm currently using a OnePlus 9 Pro as well for a phone. The ONLY time when the color is represented accurately is when the green is out of focus. LOL
 
I use an iPhone 11 and it produces a pretty accurate representation of color. I’d say that 95% of the time, it matches what my eyes see. Rather than use the zoom function when taking a picture, I take the picture from a distance, then do the pinch-out maneuver to zoom in on the photo. Once I have the photo how I want it, I take a screen shot and then crop it. Both pics in my avatar were taken this way.
 
If you really want to take good pics, I think a stand-alone camera makes more sense but if it’s just for taking bling pics on the fly (like when you are in a car or cafe and omg your ring looks fabulous and you need a pic), then a better phone with decent camera makes more sense since you probably don’t want to lug a camera everywhere you go.

I’m more of the latter and I’ve generally been happy with my old iPhone (11 Pro Max) but my husband has the latest iPhone and pictures are even better (but I’m just comparing kids photos which is usually what I photograph as well).

The latest iPhone has macro function too. My model doesn’t have that so i use a camera app called Camera+ when I need macro pics.

Suggest you Google for phone comparisons where they have a photo comparison like this one of iPhone vs Samsung:
www.phonearena.com

iPhone 13 Pro Max vs Galaxy S21 Ultra

The iPhone 13 Pro Max is a worthy upgrade, but can it take on the Android powerhouse that is the Galaxy S21 Ultra and its zoom camera? We dive deep in the differences between the two...
www.phonearena.com www.phonearena.com

You can search similar ones of whichever phone model you are interested in vs the alternative you are considering.
 
Modern phones way oversaturate blue gems like sapphire -- so it depends on your objective. If you want amazing better-than-IRL photos to post, use a new iPhone. If you really want accurate colors, you will not get them via phone.

From a vendor I know and trust, a phone photo is OK with a disclaimer that this is what it really looks like in bright sun, etc.

When you think "OMG this camera is amazing!" -- like everyone does with their new iPhone -- it's because all of the subtle tweaks that happen invisibly behind the scenes. The bluest skies (!), the greenest grass (!) -- even prettier than I remembered! That is not a "great" camera; that is a manufactured illusion. There is no such thing as an "unedited" phone photo.
 
Building on @LilAlex point, Phone cameras can sometimes be better then actual cameras for photography noobs because they do a lot of the editing/adjusting for you.

You always have to colour correct etc for images if you want them true to life and the benefit for newbies is a phone auto adjusts (usually too much) but at least it tries! A proper camera can also auto adjust (usually does) but in my VERY limited experience with trying to use a DSLR and subsequent editing software many years back, it auto adjusts things less.

Usually neither will really take completely “accurate” photos of anything unless you correct for light and things post picture taking.
 
Just as important, or even more so than the camera is the lighting. The problem with cell phone cameras is often you have to get too close the stone, and end up blocking any light on the stone. You should avoid direct light, don't try shooting in direct sunlight, it's too much dynamic range, or don't put the stone under a light bulb. You want diffused light. Bounce the light off a white board, or place your camera lens over a hole cut in a white board and bounce light off that. Stay away from CFL bulbs, their color is not full spectrum and will produce very unrealistic results.

This is a really simple system and produce very good results with a cell phone, but it's expensive.

picupmedia.com

GemLightbox, AI Jewelry Light Box For Jewelers

The GemLightbox Pro enables jewelers to effortlessly capture high-quality jewelry images and videos using only their smartphones.
picupmedia.com picupmedia.com
 
LilAlex said:
Modern phones way oversaturate blue gems like sapphire -- so it depends on your objective. If you want amazing better-than-IRL photos to post, use a new iPhone. If you really want accurate colors, you will not get them via phone.

From a vendor I know and trust, a phone photo is OK with a disclaimer that this is what it really looks like in bright sun, etc.

When you think "OMG this camera is amazing!" -- like everyone does with their new iPhone -- it's because all of the subtle tweaks that happen invisibly behind the scenes. The bluest skies (!), the greenest grass (!) -- even prettier than I remembered! That is not a "great" camera; that is a manufactured illusion. There is no such thing as an "unedited" phone photo.
Click to expand...
This.
Phones are all big fat liars. Every last one of ‘em.
Standalone cameras lie too, but they lie a lot less and they lie more a whole lot more predictably.
I take tons of “look sparkly!!” pics with my phone but for anything that needs to be informational in any capacity - the actual camera comes out.

Really all depends on what you want to do with the pictures you take ::)
 
Wanted to drop a quick note regarding Pixels 5 & 6 having big issues with neutralizing out any pink from most of my photos.
 
I think my iPhone 8 Plus desaturates blues, and don’t even get me started on green gems, no iPhone I’ve used is good at that. It’s pretty accurate with reds and pinks though.
 
T L said:
I think my iPhone 8 Plus desaturates blues, and don’t even get me started on green gems, no iPhone I’ve used is good at that. It’s pretty accurate with reds and pinks though.
Click to expand...

I find greens, especially more intense green like tsavorite, chrome green and emerald impossible to get the color right. Have tried Nikon, Olympus, Apple, Panasonic, nothing works. I have heard that Sigma camera's use a different type of sensor and are better with the color.
 
Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for your input, and sorry for the late response.

To explain, the reason for me using the phone would be for:
  • Take photos of my own stuff to upload to PS and also for my own pleasure (particularly when something is looking extra good that day)
  • Take photos of stuff I sell on
  • To look at pics of jewellery/gemstone online
1 & 2 are pretty interchangeable, as like a lot of people here, I periodically sell off what I buy/what I have.

Since I buy stuff from auctions, previously I sold on anything I decided not to keep to trade buyers in the jewellery district, but since Covid made that very difficult, I had to switch to ebay.

Not being a phone person, I was using a second-hand iPhone 4s (really) and was thinking eventually I need a new phone as the battery length was awful, apps were becoming obsolete etc. I then broke my phone and decided to get a new one.

My iphone 4s could capture the colour of my red spinel ring, but not my ruby (looks orange or pink), rhodolite garnet was reasonably accurate, amethyst not quite, emerald ok-ish, aquamarine ok, blue sapphire not really.

I have a separate camera that’s a few years old not at all top end and that too has the same problem. Actually, not just coloured stones but even clothes, which bothered me when I sold some vintage clothes on eBay.

Like many people have said, a good separate camera probably would be the best thing, but I know I’m too lazy to get out a camera each time, and as somebody else said, I like to take photos of my rings on the go to.

After I broke my iphone 4s, I initially thought about buying the budget end smart phone, but then realised I’d need it to be somewhat waterproof given how I ended up breaking my phone. So decided to go for Samsung A52 as it’s water resistant and not too cheap, and with good specs. It’s like the upper end of a budget phone maybe.

It then arrived with problems and so will send back. Haven’t taken any photos with it as don’t intend to keep but looking at the camera, although it’s much better specs than my old iphone, still has the same problem with the ruby looking orange. Filters don’t do much either.

I was going to get a replacement handset from the same seller, but then I started to wonder again if I should really go for an iPhone. If the iPhone pics are so much better at capturing gemstone colours or colours in general for that matter, maybe I should get one. Since iPhone 13 pro or 12 pro is supposed to have the best camera, I was wondering about them, but it’s on the pricey side. Could go for normal iPhone 12 but I’m thinking if the camera makes a big difference, then maybe it’s worth getting the better model.

This is because though I don’t sell jewellery that often, when I do, the prices might justify the phone cost over time, given that people are going by pictures online. Also, as @theredspinel said, once I get a phone, I’m so unlikely to get a new one for a long time so it’s maybe worth getting a good one from the start.

The other thing is 3). I bought my laptop for a particular feature and happy with it t but the monitor is known to make things look dark and muted. I have 2 other portable monitors too, but these also impact the way colour appears: one is USB operated so also quite dark, the other is a large gaming one and makes colours very bright and saturated. I found my iPhone 4s was more accurate of the lot. So, I also want a phone that makes the colours of gems/jewellery look reasonably accurate when I’m viewing pictures online myself. I think for that, the Samsung phone or any other similarly priced phones are ok?

So now I’m wondering should I just get a replacement Samsung A52? Or should I go for the high-end iPhone (minus the camera, would rather spend the extra cash on a good iPad though). EDIT: or go for the Samsung A52 and the Gem Lightbox mentioned by PrecisionGem below.

Re: what @Avondale and @PrecisionGem said about iphone 13 pro macro feature – I was just watching a video that was saying the same thing, that with gemstones you have to get up close and this blocks the light, and apparently in that sense for some situations, the macro feature isn’t best. I don’t take photos of gemstones on their own, but that probably will change in the near future as I am looking into buying a stone.


@PrecisionGem – thank you for your input. Really helps to get this from somebody who photographs lots of coloured gemstones for professional purposes.

@theredspinel & @TL - I haven’t thought of iphone SE but will look at that too. I don’t need high quality professional shots that are in perfect focus – at least not extremely perfect shots. But if the colour appears less vivid and saturated then maybe it’s not for me. But will try going to a shop and looking at it in any case.

@ Redwoods-hiker-girl – yeah, I’ve heard it said quite a few times that the iPhone cameras, particularly the latest ones are good, and also that the video is very good. The burning question is how much of a difference does it make to coloured gemstones

@ Avondale – Thanks for the tip about oneplus 9 pro. Re: iphone 11 – the background, I can do something about so if it’s reasonably colour accurate, then that’s good enough for me. The acid test will be my ruby ring. Yes, maybe if the camera phones are really not going to cut it, then I might have to consider a proper camera.

@voce – Thanks for the tip. I’ll have a look at Google Pixel phones too then. I have an emerald and I like blue green stones a lot, but as you know, I’m first and foremost more of a red/pink/purple stone person so I can live with blues and greens not photographing as well as reds and pinks but not the other way around. Seems OnePlus 9 Pro is definitely a no no then

@Voodoo Child - Ah, thanks for the tip. If you have an alexandrite and it captures the colour change well, maybe that means iphone 11 is good for colour as you say. I wonder if there’s any difference between it and iphone 12 or 13 pro for colour.

@hers4eva – do you find the iPhone 12 pro captures gemstone colour reasonably accurately? Did you have iPhone 11 before?

@icy_jade – if you have the iPhone 11 Pro Max, which model is it that your husband has that you think is much better? Thanks for the comparison link.

@LilAlex – yes, maybe you’re right… perhaps one can only expect so much from camera phones compared to good high-end stand-alone cameras. I noticed that the sapphire pics I took seem more saturated, but it’s still blue, whereas the ruby is orange ☹

@theredspinel – I don’t mind correcting for light etc if it’s something I can do on the phone, but it seems that none of the features on the phones I’ve used so far (not the new iPhones or iPhone 11 or 12) have adjustment features that do much to get the colours more true to life…is something like Photoshop necessary?

@PrecisionGem – thanks very much for the advice, will definitely bear that in mind when photographing loose stones. Does that apply to some extent to gemstone jewellery too? I’d love to capture what my ruby really looks like in the sun but is that maybe not possible with any camera? I’ve never seen a good photo of ruby fluorescing in the sun (maybe I haven’t looked too hard), only under UV light. The Gem Lightbox is really interesting. If the latest iPhones don’t live up to expectations, then I might consider that. A cheaper phone + the light box would be affordable (I know I’m contradicting myself by saying I’m too lazy to use a stand-alone camera but would use this, but I think I would )

@yssie – yes, maybe I would need to consider a stand-alone camera. Or the Gem Lightbox above. I will see if I can try out a few phones in a store to see what they’re like (though I imagine the artificial lights make that difficult and you probably couldn’t take the phone off the security thing to even look through the lens – I can always ask though).

@MissSarah – thanks for the tip, good to know!

@TL – interesting. I should look at iPhone 8 Plus maybe to see if it would capture the ruby well.

@PrecisionGem – again, interesting. I was thinking that there might be a stand-alone camera that professionals use that captures colours true to life, but I guess there’s no such thing. I wonder why it’s so difficult to invent one like that – not just for gemstones but colours in general.

Again, thanks so much everyone for your input – really helpful, lots of stuff I didn’t know!
 
JewelledEscalators said:
Could go for normal iPhone 12 but I’m thinking if the camera makes a big difference, then maybe it’s worth getting the better model.
Click to expand...
When you're comparing the camera between the 12 and the 12 pro there is only one difference - the pro has a zoom lens. That's it. The wide and the ultra wide sensors are identical. And at first you might think, well, that's a big deal if I want to photograph jewellery in detail, right? Here's one tiny, but significant peculiarity they don't tell you on the product page (or in tech reviews), though - the iphone doesn't always use the zoom camera when you zoom in. It's a weaker sensor so the OS can sometimes decide that a cropped image from the main camera will yield a better result. I've found from experience on the 11 pro that when you take close ups it will almost always prefer to digitally zoom from the main sensor. The zoom camera comes into action when I'm taking photos of stuff that's at least a few meters away.

With the 12 line up, the only difference in sensors is between the pro and the pro max models. The 11s all have the same, the base just lacks the zoom camera. The 13s is where the pro model actually has a better sensor than the base one, but from what I remember the actual difference in practical performance isn't big. Iirc, the 13 makes a pretty big jump ahead of the 12, but take that with a grain of salt, I might be misremembering.

Actually, if the ruby ring is the acid test, then why don't you take it out for a walk? Go to a store where they have phones displayed for hands on testing and start taking pictures. You'll see with your own eyes which performs best, which will make choosing a new phone that much easier.
 
Avondale said:
Actually, if the ruby ring is the acid test, then why don't you take it out for a walk? Go to a store where they have phones displayed for hands on testing and start taking pictures. You'll see with your own eyes which performs best, which will make choosing a new phone that much easier.
Click to expand...

Yup, that's the plan, but still finding a store that has all of them in stock is difficult (lots of things are out of stock at the moment), plus indoor lighting distorts things. But yeah, I plan to go to a large electrical store near my house and any handset mentioned here that people have said is good I will try out if they have it! I don't know if you can try it though as they tend to be tethered tightly to display and can't be moved very much. Maybe they might release it if I ask but if I ask for too many, they probably won't. :D
 
Great YouTube video @JewelledEscalators , they really have everything on YouTube. I found it especially interesting since I have the iPhone 8plus too. I like taking still shots some times from the video mode, although I do think the most in focus macro shots are in sunlight in my car, or under a tree, like these.
 

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JewelledEscalators said:
@icy_jade – if you have the iPhone 11 Pro Max, which model is it that your husband has that you think is much better? Thanks for the comparison link.
Click to expand...

His should be the 13 Pro Max.

Re: the phone covering the light, my personal experiment is that you can use a white or shiny phone cover to slightly overcome that issue. My usual phone cover is black which I’ve realized gives my gemstones all sorts of extinction and black/dark areas when I try to photograph them. Otherwise stick a piece of white paper over or use a light reflecting cardboard. Not very elegant or perfect but inexpensive and easy to do.
 
Avondale said:
In any case, don't go for oneplus 9 pro. It's the one my husband has and the camera definitely leaves much to be desired in terms of colour accuracy. Pretty photos, just really obviously over-processed.
Click to expand...
My OnePlus is a different model and also oversaturates gems. Even the display, not just the camera.
 
Wow, OnePlus seems to have such a bad rep, even though it's not a cheap phone!
 
LilAlex said:
Modern phones way oversaturate blue gems like sapphire -- so it depends on your objective. If you want amazing better-than-IRL photos to post, use a new iPhone. If you really want accurate colors, you will not get them via phone.

From a vendor I know and trust, a phone photo is OK with a disclaimer that this is what it really looks like in bright sun, etc.

When you think "OMG this camera is amazing!" -- like everyone does with their new iPhone -- it's because all of the subtle tweaks that happen invisibly behind the scenes. The bluest skies (!), the greenest grass (!) -- even prettier than I remembered! That is not a "great" camera; that is a manufactured illusion. There is no such thing as an "unedited" phone photo.
Click to expand...

I found this out first hand by a sapphire that I briefly considered once. The iPhone image waaaaaay over did the blue on the stone. It didn't look like the same stone, at all. Next time I'll get help asking the right questions!
 
So I went to my local electrical store but they couln't move the phones from the display. The shop assistant actually had an iPhone 13 Pro and showed me what my ruby looked like on her phone but the store lighting made it hard to tell, and I could still see pink. Apparently the manager is there during the week and he has keys too unlock the phones from the stand so I'm going to see next week if I can have a look again.
 
I think I'm going to have to provisionally opt for a temporary cheap phone whilst I try the iPhones out and wait for the Huawei model to come out!
 
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