Iphone 4S - Camera & Video Test
I have been on the fence regarding the iPhone for quite some time. The announcement of the iPhone 4S a couple of weeks ago finally sent me over the edge and I am now running around starring at the beautiful display all the time. One major advancement in the iPhone is the new 8 mega pixel camera with an f/2.4 lens, which also features 1080p video with a new stabilizer. I took a look at the full size test images on Apple's home page before making the plunge. The images looked very impressive. This finally means that the iPhone 4S camera now can replace a point and shoot camera. In good lighting conditions it may even rival some entry level SLR camera at first glance. Once you start looking closer at the files you will however discover that the photos do not stack up against the SLR cameras. Especially at higher ISO. The SLR also works much quicker, focuses quicker and a has way more customization, metering modes and larger sensors and so on, which can improve your final image quality.
The number one reason I found the iPhone option appealing is the fact that I will always have the camera with me. I cannot say this about my SLR camera. In a pinch the iPhone will get me an image. Not a perfect image but it will get me an image. When the plane crash landed on the Hudson River in New York a couple of years ago front pages across the world had the image of the plane floating on the river. It was taken with an iPhone.
Below are a few images captures in the first days after getting the iPhone 4S.
It is so easy to share photos from your iPhone with friends and family via social media and I encourage you to check out the many photo apps available through Apple's App Store. I have read about Hipstamatic, Photo Shop Express and Photo Forge 2 but the one that stuck out for me is "Instagram". What a cool little app. I like the fact that you can capture an image, save a copy and then move on to the post processing using Instagram. Add a funky border, filters and tilt shift like blur. All very cool. Then chose to share via Facebook or Twitter, or just save the image. Below are a few images, which I ran through Instagram.
Below is a quick video test. The footage is edited in Final Cut Pro X and auto color balance has been applied. I normally use my Canon EOS 5D Mark II for all my video but I will admit that the iPhone does very well in comparison. Especially when you consider it is a camera phone. So far I am very impressed with the image stabilizer. To view the larger 720p or 1080p version watch on YouTube.