iTemple

I saw it. A fleeting moment as an old monk was walking under a shaft of light shining through the smoky air. Unfortunately, my relatively bulky camera was not with me and I had nothing in my hands to capture what I saw except for thin air. I missed that opportunity but I certainly wasn't planning to again, especially still in a place with so much character in it. Luckily my only solution was a convenient one. One that was the size of my palm. With deft precision and in an almost secret agent fashion, I slipped my hand into my pocket to reach for a device that could fit into the palm of my hand. It wasn't a hand gun I was pulling out nor was I trying to get arrested for public misconduct. Nay, it was in fact an iPhone 3Gs with a small built in 3.2 megapixels camera. Good enough for the situation at hand when my Canon was not available.

The camera's quality was mediocre in my opinion, and its zoom function was not of much use since the image quality drops a lot when in use. However, what I found so useful of the iPhone's camera was the simple fact that it was an iPhone. A slim, compact and most importantly non-intrusive camera. It makes shooting people a lot more easier than with my Canon, as people tend to feel intimidated when they are photographed by bigger cameras. The iPhone's camera is a long shot off compared to my trusty ol' work horse, and its lack of functionality in terms of its impractical zoom does not help either. Appreciate the iPhone's camera for what it is though and the image quality is good enough for general use. Besides, I would rather think of its lack of a practical zoom as an opportunity to treat it as a prime lens. Nonetheless, I am glad to know that a back up will always be there for me in my pocket ready to capture the moment whenever I do not have my primary camera with me. Its good for what its made for, and not to mention its enjoyable to use as well.


















Photos by Lucas Yap S.W.

Written by Lucas Yap S.W.