r/interestingasfuck 21d ago

/r/all iPhone vs Nokia 📸

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u/schming_ding 21d ago edited 21d ago

Yup, and the lower the flash output as percentage of it's total output, the shorter the duration.

Edit: Here is what is really going on in the second shot: A high shutter speed is not freezing the disk. That can't be the case because the Nokia is not capable of a high enough flash sync speed to freeze the disk, nor is there enough flash power on the Nokia to have that fast of a shutter even if it did have flash sync speed. Outside of some pro gear, flash sync speeds are limited to 1/125 sec at most. The flash duration here is probably like 1/10,000 sec. I am guessing the Nokia is shooting at that sync speed, 1/125 sec, which would leave the shot way under exposed, as it shown by the shadow of the disk on the background. All the light is coming from the flash within that 1/125 sec window in which the shutter is open, in a much shorter 1/10,000 sec flash duration give or take.

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u/pdr810 21d ago

This comment made me realize I have no idea how cameras work

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u/_Svankensen_ 21d ago edited 21d ago

I'm not a camera guy, but here I go. The camera "recorded" a lot of spinning in the 1/125 of a second. But the sensors in the camera detect light and accumulate it. The bright flash lasted a 1/10000th of a second, and provided most of the light the camera detected. It was so brief that the disc looked almost static. When the sensor read all the light it accumulated in that 1/125th of a second, the ammount of light of that 1/10000th of a second was so high compared to the rest that it basically overwrote whatever happened the rest of the time. u/Usedtobecoffeeaddict

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u/inky95 21d ago

This is a great explanation! Not that I can verify whether it's accurate because I'm also clueless when it comes to cameras. But if it's correct, you're a hell of a teacher 😄

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u/OM3N1R 20d ago

photographer here. Yea, its generally just that. The Nokia with a super bright flash can capture the thing with enough light in1/8000th of a second (or thereabouts). The disk doesnt noticeably spin in 1/8000th of a second

Whereas the iphone needs to open the camera shutter for a longer time, to let more light in, because it lacks a powerful flash. So the disk turns a lot in 1/250th of a second, or thereabouts

none of the shutter speeds are shown in the video, so IDK the numbers exaclty, but my guesses are probably pretty close

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u/Patrycjusz123 20d ago

You can even see this effect for one frame of the video where you can see whole disc right after flash. Very interesting for me.

So in theory you can do this with new camera, you just need powerfull flash?

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u/WhatEver405 20d ago

yup!! u js need a camera/phone that can take a pic with a quick enough shutter speed and a good flash. every mirrorless or dslr camera should be able to recreate this effect, not sure about phone cameras tho :P

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u/GaldrickHammerson 20d ago

Physicist here. Its as good a description as any.