Apple may claim that the iPhone takes more photos than any other camera, but that doesn’t mean those photos are better than shots from an actual camera. That’s what one camera store is trying to convey with a parody of Apple’s “Shot on iPhone” campaign.
The “Shot on a phone” ads were developed for the Canadian camera retailer, Lens & Shutter, by the agency Rethink. The ads focus on some of the limitations of shooting with a smartphone, like the digital zoom and poor low-light performance. Other ads in the series show how smartphone cameras often have trouble capturing motion and the small size makes photographers more likely to get their own finger in the shot.
“Smartphone cameras have improved by leaps and bounds, but they are still far from perfect,” Roy King, Lens & Shutter owner, told Adweek. “For shooting in less-than-ideal conditions, or for capturing those once-in-a-lifetime moments that you really don’t want to miss, there’s no substitute for the real thing.”
But, King said smartphone cameras aren’t all negative — they’ve helped make everyone interested in photography.
“The power of photography comes from the skills and practice one gains over time,” King said, adding that the store supports photos shot on any medium. But, he said the biggest limitation to shooting with a smartphone is the lack of zoom and the limited resolution for making large prints. DSLRs, on the other hand, have more control over every aspect of the shot, including the use of different lenses for different environments.
Rethink created the series as a way to help the three-location camera store chain compete with smartphone cameras — but it’s also getting a collective chuckle from many photographers who have had similar thoughts seeing the latest iPhone photo ads.