Blog - foXnoMad

iPhone 12 vs. $2700 Camera Test: Can You Tell The Difference?

by Anil Polat | Mar 16, 2021 | Pictures and Video, Tech, Travel | 0

Let’s take the image right below. Can you tell what type of camera it was taken on?

The answer is it was shot on an iPhone 12. Now take that same photo, except shooting it on the Sony a7C with a Tamron 17-28 f2.8 millimeter lens.

The differences in image quality might be a bit more apparent now that you’ve had time to compare them side-by-side. Still, telling the $1000 iPhone 12 apart from the full frame $2700 Sony setup though isn’t as easy in every situation. The iPhone renders colors vibrantly especially in bright outdoor conditions like Utah’s mountains and in many cases, when the pictures aren’t next to each other picking them apart becomes more of a detective game.

Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 Di III RXD for Sony Mirrorless Full...

I’ll let you test your skills watching in the video above to see how many out of 10 you can guess correctly.

No matter how you do, I think the iPhone holds up compared to the considerably larger build of a full frame mirrorless camera. Certainly the Sony outperforms in many ways but it’s also a larger device with two functions – to shoot videos and photos. Apple on the other hand has to design a device that can do both of those things well, but also be your emailing–social–media–posting-time-sucking-device most of us are attached to.

So if you’re wondering what kind of camera you need to get started on YouTube for example or to post travel videos on TikTok, the Sony a7C would be nice, but you don’t have to look further than the phone in your pocket. While every year phone cameras get better, most modern phones are so good, the differences are very incremental. Don’t think so? See if you can tell these iPhone 12 photos apart from the 11.

Have Travel Influencers Let Us Down During The Pandemic?

by Anil Polat | Mar 11, 2021 | Discussion, Health and Fitness, Travel | 0

There have been two big groups of travel creators during the Covid-19 pandemic: those who talk about how they can’t travel and those who have kept on traveling. The problem are the content creators who sit right in the middle of what’s said and what they’ve done. Mask-less YouTubers, Instagram models, and bloggers have carved out a niche of continuing to move while ignoring the main travel story of the past 12 months.

In case you need to be reminded: coronavirus.

I Can’t Travel…

Plenty of travel creators have been in Mexico, Portugal, Albania, or Turkey (countries that were generally open during the pandemic) lamenting online that they can’t travel. As far as I know, if you’re visiting a country you don’t live in for the purpose of I feel like it, that’s traveling. The fact that you might not be able to eat indoors at a restaurant or go out on weekends doesn’t mean you’re not currently traveling.

Photos on Instagram tell another story of cafe life, aerial yoga classes, and lots of group selfies in some place that also happens to have a high number of Covid related hospitalizations and deaths. It should all be called out for what it is: disregard for the people and places who’ve taken the pandemic seriously.

A Shame

Very few creators want to talk about travel shaming and pointing fingers so let’s not call out any specific people. The travel industry and online community is especially vanilla, avoiding any strong opinions so as to appeal to the masses (and the potential money they might bring).

And the pandemic has become a political issue.

Consequently travel influencers are generally (or at least publicly) liberal leaning. On the topic of the pandemic though, for many, their movement to places where they can get away from the rules tells another story. Not that they’re conservative but that Covid is getting in the way, so let’s go around it.

Unfortunately science doesn’t work that way.

Not That Big A Deal

Away from the public however a lot of travel creators will tell you that coronavirus isn’t that big of a deal. Many will also not tell you they’ve had coronavirus and picked it up most likely at a large social gathering. Just check their Instagram. How many other people, including locals, they’ve infected? You won’t see that on TikTok.

None of this is to say any of us are perfect or that this is every travel blogger-vlogger-creator out there. Only that not many are talking about the disconnect between the posts and the reality. To me, that’s the real travel story of the past 12 months. Being upfront about it is a bit less glamorous but a lot more useful to the people following. So live as you want, just tell it like it is.

Trust me, it’ll be authentic.

Travel Is More Than Just Movement

by Anil Polat | Mar 4, 2021 | Culture, Pictures and Video, Travel | 0

Since the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic the tourism industry has lost at least a trillion (with a “T”rillion) dollars and cost 100 million jobs worldwide. Despite this very tangible economic impact, the notion that traveling is purely indulgent leisure time that’s a luxury, not a necessity, remains persistent. While there are negative sides to how we travel and how many of us travel at once, the benefits of the act have effects that aren’t as easy to measure.

Having traveled for over 10 years now to over 90 countries (and the journey continues) this is why we travel and why it’s important.

What’s The Best Country In The World? The India vs. Pakistan Debate

by Anil Polat | Mar 2, 2021 | Culture, Food, Pictures and Video, Travel | 0

Nuance is often the antidote to controversy and the relationship between India and Pakistan is loaded with both. Recent comments suggesting a particular bias in my travel videos about both countries lead me to answer the question: which do I like more, Pakistan or India?

Well, that’s a deeper question about travel comparisons in general I talk about in the video here. It’s an answer, it turns out, a lot of us tend to get wrong for very reasonable reasons when we visit a place. Just like we’re moving though space, we can’t ignore time and happenstance either so our perceptions can be very narrow in a big world. After watching the video above, you might just be rethinking some of your favorite and least favorite destinations.

Sony’s a7C Is Full Frame For Travel

by Anil Polat | Feb 25, 2021 | Tech | 0

The Sony a7C is a misunderstood camera. It’s currently the smallest full frame camera on the market with a lot of the internals of the three year old a7III but the a7C is a step up, depending on the direction you’re coming from. A lot of other reviews focus on how the a7C compares to other full frame cameras but if you’re using another sensor altogether, Sony’s developed a very nice step up.

You can watch my full review in the video here or read on.

A Little Basics

So what’s the big deal about full frame? The term full frame comes from film cameras and refers to the sensor in the camera. Light comes in through the lens and hits the sensor, then magic happens and there’s a photo or video. Full frame is a big sensor. Big sensors have more surface area to capture light. There’s also other types of sensors, like micro fourth thirds (1/4th the size of full frame). Smaller sensor means less light. More light typically results in better photos and video. Then why would you ever get a smaller sensor?

Sale

Sony Alpha 7C Full-frame Compact Mirrorless Camera Kit - Silver...

Smaller sensors mean smaller cameras and lenses that also weigh less. Smaller sensors are usually less expensive too.

The a7C though is beginning to change that equation.

Minimizing Form Factor

Although it’s not a particularly petite camera compared to a smartphone or point and shoot, the a7C body is 12.4 x 7.1 x 6 centimeters and weighs 509 grams. It is weather and dust resistant, shoots 4K (up to 30fps with a 1.2x crop or 24fps without one), and has a screen that flips to the side. The latter, I point out because Sony’s have traditionally used flip up screens, making it hard to vlog if you’re using an external microphone.

The auto-focus is amazing in every way, colors are rendered nicely, and you can trust all of the auto settings if you want to use them. Auto white balance is especially accurate but for times you want to adjust the ISO or heavily color correct during editing, there is S-Log3.

Customizing Experience

To cut down in size, Sony’s moved the viewfinder off to the left and it’s so small, it’s practically useless. A variety of custom buttons have also not been included (like some of Sony’s larger full frame cameras) but you can map the buttons on the back to anything you want. Sony’s also included a quick function menu as well so you can change the settings you most frequently adjust fast on the fly.

These are all tradeoffs though that narrow the gap between power and portability. With the tiny 28-60mm kit lens the a7C is designed to be as customizable as possible in a smaller form factor. The grip isn’t as big as it could be but for most people, it won’t be a deal breaker. A large battery gives you an impressive 740 shots or 3 hours of video recording.

Additionally, the a7C can save you from bringing a number of accessories thanks to what the USB-C port can do. Charging the camera directly from your laptop and being able to live stream without an Elgato Cam Link is incredibly useful. And that equation I mentioned earlier? Well, the a7C is small, light, and less expensive than previous entries into full frame. It won’t replace your larger Sony camera but if you’re moving into the full frame world, the a7C is a great first step.

Not Wanting To Exercise Is Normal, Here’s Why

by Anil Polat | Feb 23, 2021 | Advice, Food, Green, Health and Fitness, Pictures and Video | 0

There are a lot of myths about fitness, including the notion that our ancestors were hulking super-humans who were always on the go. It turns out according to Harvard professor of human evolutionary biology Daniel Lieberman, hunter gatherers do a lot more sitting than you think.

Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and...

Dr. Lieberman is the author of Exercised: Why Something We Never Evolved to Do Is Healthy and Rewarding and recently joined me on a recent episode of the foXnoMad Podcast to discuss common myths above movement. We also talk about the Paleo diet and why eating from a Stone Age menu might not be ideal.

You can watch a clip of my interview with Dr. Lieberman in this video or listen to the full foXnoMad Podcast episode here.

About Anil Polat

Hi, I'm Anil. foXnoMad is where I combine travel and tech to help you travel smarter. I'm on a journey to every country in the world and you're invited to join the adventure! Read More