Torries

HANDS-ON SAILOR

101

— there’s no time to put in

lock codes or fi ngerprint

scans. To access the iPhone

camera instantly, without

having to unlock the phone,

just swipe left on your home

screen, and you have the full

camera application ready

to use. Android phones use

a quick app-launching tool

that accomplishes the same

immediate camera activation.

FLASH OPTIONS: AUTO,

ON, OFF

In the camera app of an

iPhone, at the top left you

will see a lightning- shaped

icon. Tap it to bring up the

fl ash submenu choices: auto,

on and off. I recommend

that you leave the fl ash set to

auto. In this setting, the fl ash

will activate when the soft-

ware determines the need for

additional light, which, for a

sailor, may not be often.

Most sailing images are

shot in bright, seemingly

overpowering light, so why

use the fl ash at all? Here are

some reasons: Photos taken in

the cabin at sunrise or sunset,

or portraits taken with the

sun or lighting behind the

subject, could need fl ash “fi ll.”

Or with the subject looking

directly into the sun, you

might need the fl ash to avoid

what is known as “raccoon

eyes.” Keeping the fl ash on

or set to auto can eliminate

deep, often unattractive

shadows.

HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE

(HDR) OPTIONS: AUTO,

ON, OFF

HDR stands for “high

dynamic range,” a tool that

exposes a series of images

with each image exposed

diff erently. In short, the

exposures run from darkest

to lightest. HDR provides

greater detail, a more realistic

image, and a better-defi ned

separation between shadows,

midtones and highlights. For

best results, use HDR when

photographing landscapes or

seascapes. Don’t use HDR

under very bright sun, if you

are sailing fast, or if you need

a series of quick, successive

images. Also note that the

fl ash is automatically turned

off when using HDR.

SELFIE VIEW

Tapping the camera icon

with the circular arrows will

switch the lens view from

forward-looking toward the

screen of the smartphone,

facing whoever or whatever

is holding the phone. In

other words, it will turn

your camera into a selfi e-

maker. But beware: Most

“accidental” photos are taken

when the operator mistakenly

thinks the camera is pointed

outward.

SELF-TIMER

Need to take a selfi e but don’t

have a selfi e stick, or want

to capture a perfect group

shot? No problem. Touch

the circular, clocklike icon

and select either a three-

or 10-second delay. Set the

device on a surface that will

hold it in place (not near the

toerail), compose the image,

and press the shutter. You

will see the fl ash count down

each second and, just prior

to exposing the fl ash, rapidly

click on and off until the

shutter clicks — done!

ADDITIONAL

FUNCTIONS

Smartphones and tablets off er

a variety of functions that

allow you to expand the use of

your camera. The iPhone lists

several along the bottom of

the screen within the camera

january/february 2017

cruisingworld.com

JEN BRETT (TOP ROW); COURTESY OF THE MANUFACTURER

Smartphones off er much more than just the ability to take a photo; they also include

some very cool editing tools. The main iPhone photo-editing screen (left) allows you to

crop or rotate the image, adjust the light and color (center), or choose an artistic fi lter

(right) that can turn your shot black-and-white or even give it an old-fashioned look.

There are many water-

resistant iPhone cases, but

only a few true waterproof

iPhone camera cases. There’s

a big diff erence in the results:

With a waterproof case,

you’re shooting through

plastic. With an actual

camera case, you’re using

a real lens. We’ve tried all

the camera cases we could

fi nd, and without a doubt,

our favorite is the Optrix

PhotoProX. It’s a hard

polycarbonate case into

which you easily slide your

phone, close the hatch to seal

EDITORS’ CHOICE: OPTRIX

PHOTOPROX

it, and fi re away. The ProX

($149) version comes with

four lenses: fl at (normal),

fi sheye (175-degree fi eld of

view), macro and telephoto

(for 2x optical zoom). Image

quality is excellent with all

lenses, especially the fi sheye,

which somehow seems to pull

in more color. Swap between

lenses easily by screwing

them on and off , and open

the case’s bottom hatch to

access the phone’s charger

and headphone ports. It’s

rated leakproof to 33 feet.

Check it out at optrix.com.

SMARTPHONE TIP

Flash units on

smartphones have limited

range. Do not expect to

have the light of the flash

reach the subject on the

bow if you are in the

cockpit of even a small

cruising boat.

CRW0217_HOS2_Smartphone.indd 101 11/22/16 1:53 PM