To me, the ultimate test for the iPhone is low-light photography and high dynamic range situations. So I decided to take the iPhone 7 plus and the iPhone 8 plus with me on assignment as I covered one of my favorite bands, Atlas Genius perform at The Fillmore. There is nothing harder for a camera than a concert with crazy colored spotlights turning on and off.

I wondered - could the iPhone 8 plus hang with me and keep up with my full frame DSLR? Would it do a better job than the iPhone 7 plus?

I arrived at The Fillmore just barely in time, thanks to the awesome San Francisco traffic and my super slow and cautious Lyft driver. I quickly rushed to get my ticket and press pass at will call. I passed through the staircase and arrived at the lobby that hung photos of legends that have performed at historic venue. I worked my way through the crowd and positioned myself at the entrance of the photographer pit, waiting for Atlas Genius to come on stage.

Once I was in the photographer pit I had my iPhones on each side, like a gun slinger at a western show, ready for a showdown. To be honest, I hesitated. I wasn’t sure if it would be worth it to take them out of my pocket and use up part of the precious 3 songs that photographers get in the pit. I had better nail some great shots with the big camera first so my editor wouldn’t kill me!

So first, let’s do a scientific-ish side by side. Apologies for them not being EXACTLY the same. I honestly tried to click most at the same time but for some reason one phone would register faster than the other. For video - I had to use 2 hands to hold the iPhone to prevent shake. So the videos are for sure not the exact same. These are all unedited photos and videos.

(click on photos for larger view)