Santa came early -- new Pixel 7 Pro

[SeilerBird]

I sold my dslr stuff about ten years ago and went to using only my cell phone camera and never looked back. The only thing I missed was a telephoto lens. I have been shooting with a Pixel 2 XL for five years now and they finally came out with the Pixel Pro 7 that has a telephoto lens. They achieve the telephoto lens in a thin camera body by using a prism to bend the light 90 degrees (think Dark Side of the Moon album). I have had it now for a few weeks and it is an impressive camera. They have managed to add Photoshop effects. If I take a photo with issues it pops up and offers to fix obvious problems and does a great job. The first thing I did was to load the same photo into both the 2 XL and PP7 and set the phones right next to each other. Not one bit of difference. I knew that photo quality could not be improved in the last few years. Most impressive new feature is the magic editor that removed unwanted items from the photo. The first two images use that feature. Also very impressive is the macro lens. Check out my fingertip:

Pixel 7 Pro

12 new items added to shared album

photos.app.goo.gl

I am occasionally asked what camera I have used. I have a camera museum:

My Cameras

18 new items · Album by Tom Seiler

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[phil-t]

Love my PP7.

 

[jymbee]

I sold my dslr stuff about ten years ago and went to using only my cell phone camera and never looked back. The only thing I missed was a telephoto lens. I have been shooting with a Pixel 2 XL for five years now and they finally came out with the Pixel Pro 7 that has a telephoto lens. They achieve the telephoto lens in a thin camera body by using a prism to bend the light 90 degrees (think Dark Side of the Moon album). I have had it now for a few weeks and it is an impressive camera. They have managed to add Photoshop effects. If I take a photo with issues it pops up and offers to fix obvious problems and does a great job. The first thing I did was to load the same photo into both the 2 XL and PP7 and set the phones right next to each other. Not one bit of difference. I knew that photo quality could not be improved in the last few years. Most impressive new feature is the magic editor that removed unwanted items from the photo. The first two images use that feature. Also very impressive is the macro lens. Check out my fingertip:

Pixel 7 Pro

12 new items added to shared album

photos.app.goo.gl

I am occasionally asked what camera I have used. I have a camera museum:

My Cameras

18 new items · Album by Tom Seiler

photos.app.goo.gl

Does it do phone calls too?!?

 

[Tom]

t

Does it do phone calls too?!?

True story ....

I was a flip phone holdout, and had apps on an ipod (remember them?). I eventually caved, went to a VZW store, and bought a Samsung smart phone. I was engrossed with the guy installing and explaining all the apps. Paid my bill, got in the car, got out of the car and went back into the store - I asked "how do I make a phone call?"

 

[SeilerBird]

Does it do phone calls too?!?

Boy I hope it doesn't, I never get legitimate phone calls. I only get calls from telemarketers. People don't ever call just to talk to me. During Hurricane Ian I got five calls. All from friends and relatives asking how I was making out in the storm. They all started the call with 'I don't have time to talk now I just wanted to make sure you are ok'.

 

[Tom]

Technology continually improves. Some years ago, a colleague was interviewed by an Apple employee who asked what he wanted in a phone. My colleague proceeded to put things on his desk e.g. phone, pager, voice recorder, music player, pocket camera, etc. I guess Apple listened.

 

[phil-t]

When I started my "career" at the University in 1993, it was mainframes w/ terminals, bag phones, listserves, news readers and Bullitin Boards that exchanged messages once or twice a day. So 30 years has brought us a long ways.

 

[SeilerBird]

I spend 30 minutes every morning riding my exercise bike. It is located in a small living room pop out about 7' x 6' x 3'. If I look to my right I can watch my TV. I have a remote located on the bike. If I look straight ahead I can see the lagoon and to my left I can see my front yard and my neighbors back yard.

A few days ago I spotted an Anhinga perched next to the lagoon about 25 feet away from me. A good time to try out my telephoto lens. Then I spotted Ozzie and Harriet, the pair of Sandhill cranes that visit me every day looking for a handout. I feed them a cup of duck food when they show up. Then I spotted a family of ducks swimming by. I was able to get acceptable telephoto shots of all three. When I shoot with the normal lens in my camera I get dslr quality photos. The telephoto shots were not dslr quality but much closer than I expected. The shots are usable but not spectacular. I am guessing it will be another five years until phone cameras telephoto lens shots will be as good as a dslr.

 

[Larry N.]

Nice shots, Tom.

 

[SeilerBird]

Nice shots, Tom.

Thanks Larry.

 

[SeilerBird]

I took my garbage out and on the way to the dumpster I spotted this cute little guy by the side of the road. I had a hard time photographing him because when I would get in front of him he would turn away instantly so I had to shoot down on him. I think it is a Florida red-bellied cooter but I am not certain. Hopefully Don will come along and set the record straight. I didn't need the telephoto for this guy.

 

[CityGuy]

t

True story ....

I was a flip phone holdout, and had apps on an ipod (remember them?). I eventually caved, went to a VZW store, and bought a Samsung smart phone. I was engrossed with the guy installing and explaining all the apps. Paid my bill, got in the car, got out of the car and went back into the store - I asked "how do I make a phone call?"

Zackly why I stll use a flip phone. That and how my wife is starting to live her life with her nose stuck in her smartphone. Texting is destroying our language. Cursive writing is not only no longer taught, a fat percentage of youth can't even read it. Direct human interaction is shrinking. Robotic existence is on the rise.

 

[jackiemac]

Great photos Tom. Love the turtle or terrapin?

 

[SeilerBird]

Great photos Tom. Love the turtle or terrapin?

Thank you Jackie. I am waiting for Don to show up and tell us what it is. He is quite the expert in amphibians and other creatures.

 

[John From Detroit]

I don't really shoot that many photos as... Well I don't know.. I've been known to burn film like it was going out of style back in the silver nitrate days.
But I did just order a Birthday Present.. An ICOM ID-52 hand held 2-way VHF/UHF D-Star Radio with Color screen and digital photo sharing ability.
My older D-Star hardware also shares photos but only via an external device like a android Phone or tablet either wired in or Blue Toothed. The wired hand held is wired to something else and the blue tooth link is... flakey.. So Now I'll have one-piece photo receiver.. Oh yes.
D-Star is great.. With no power at all I can talk around the world due to digital nature.. IT links to either a Repeater a few miles distant. or a small radio in the next room. or direct to a raspberry Pi-Zero that cost me 10.00 (Actual price when I got it). and from there to the internet and the world's your oyster. Yes I've talked to Hong Kong (12 hour time difference or half way aroung the world) on 0.00 watts of power with the tethered hand held.

100 mw non-tethered or 5 watts minimum with the big radios.

 

[old_toys]

I sold my dslr stuff about ten years ago and went to using only my cell phone camera and never looked back. The only thing I missed was a telephoto lens. I have been shooting with a Pixel 2 XL for five years now and they finally came out with the Pixel Pro 7 that has a telephoto lens. They achieve the telephoto lens in a thin camera body by using a prism to bend the light 90 degrees (think Dark Side of the Moon album). I have had it now for a few weeks and it is an impressive camera. They have managed to add Photoshop effects. If I take a photo with issues it pops up and offers to fix obvious problems and does a great job. The first thing I did was to load the same photo into both the 2 XL and PP7 and set the phones right next to each other. Not one bit of difference. I knew that photo quality could not be improved in the last few years. Most impressive new feature is the magic editor that removed unwanted items from the photo. The first two images use that feature. Also very impressive is the macro lens. Check out my fingertip:

Pixel 7 Pro

12 new items added to shared album

photos.app.goo.gl

I am occasionally asked what camera I have used. I have a camera museum:

My Cameras

18 new items · Album by Tom Seiler

photos.app.goo.gl

wow, i just looked at the My Camera's tag and brought back fond memories of my SRT 101 Minolta. used the 1-2-3 close up lens on it but decided go buy the Minolta variable extension bellows and i could shoot a clear pic through the eye of a needle. had a lot of fun with that camera, like out in the garage taking pics of the light bulb explosion shot with a pellet gun.
my first 35mm was a Kowa bought at a pawn shop. found you can't fire the shutter while in between shutter speeds.