Am I the only one who is underwhelmed by the still pictures from the 4S? I was taking some photos of my old 4 to sell on a classified site and when I imported the images to iPhoto, I took a look and they are really, no better than the 4 (to me anyhow) the photo looks quite grainy in plenty of light (and yes, the plastic is off the phone) colors look washed out and the clarity is just not there IMO. Hopefully I will see an improvement in direct daylight. I guess I was expecting to much??.....
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
4S Camera, I am underwhelmed?...
- Thread starter simplemind
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Like you said, maybe you were expecting too much.
I have used the camera on the 4 and 4S and I can see a good increase in quality with the 4S. It will not replace my P&S or DSLR but it is sure nice to have in a pinch.
Not everyone will be happy with the 4S
I have used the camera on the 4 and 4S and I can see a good increase in quality with the 4S. It will not replace my P&S or DSLR but it is sure nice to have in a pinch.
Not everyone will be happy with the 4S
Very Low Light Hand Held
Here's an example test shot I just pulled off for you.
Very low light, main just from table lamp to the far right and the LCD from the laptop. I have two windows behind me in this shot but it's late afternoon on a rainy cold and fall-like day in Ohio. Again, low light.
Here's the exif from the shot: Note ISO 320
1/20s f/2.4 at 4.3mm iso 320
I'd say the NR algorithm inside is good. Especially Chroma Noise. Luma, well, you don't want the in camera/phone NR to process that out. Removes too much detail.
This is straight from my phone outside the edits to crop and shot the details, etc..
Here's an example test shot I just pulled off for you.
Very low light, main just from table lamp to the far right and the LCD from the laptop. I have two windows behind me in this shot but it's late afternoon on a rainy cold and fall-like day in Ohio. Again, low light.
Here's the exif from the shot: Note ISO 320
1/20s f/2.4 at 4.3mm iso 320
I'd say the NR algorithm inside is good. Especially Chroma Noise. Luma, well, you don't want the in camera/phone NR to process that out. Removes too much detail.
This is straight from my phone outside the edits to crop and shot the details, etc..
Part of the problem with all cell phone cameras is the small sensor they use to capture the images.
When you pack more megapixels onto any sensor, you get more noise when the photo is poorly exposed. Packing 8 MPixels onto a small cell phone camera sensor exacerbates this problem
This is what happened in the photo that you posted. Part of the image is properly exposed (and doesn't have much noise)... other parts show a lot of noise.
For all the fuss Apple is making over the iPhone 4S camera... it really isn't any better than a low end (~$100) ultra-compact point-and-shoot camera.
This isn't a dig against Apple...there are just limits to what you can do with components small enough to fit inside a cell phone.
There is a reason the best cameras are still big and heavy. Physics.
When you pack more megapixels onto any sensor, you get more noise when the photo is poorly exposed. Packing 8 MPixels onto a small cell phone camera sensor exacerbates this problem
This is what happened in the photo that you posted. Part of the image is properly exposed (and doesn't have much noise)... other parts show a lot of noise.
For all the fuss Apple is making over the iPhone 4S camera... it really isn't any better than a low end (~$100) ultra-compact point-and-shoot camera.
This isn't a dig against Apple...there are just limits to what you can do with components small enough to fit inside a cell phone.
There is a reason the best cameras are still big and heavy. Physics.
I am chill, like I said, I was just expecting a bigger difference over the 4 with the way Apple was pimping it. I am ok with the fact that it is a phone after all, and when I did get my 4, I ditched my P&S as its the camera I always have with me.
I do have to say, the digital zoom is vastly better in quality than the 4.
I do have to say, the digital zoom is vastly better in quality than the 4.
Exactly! People need to just enjoy the 4S and stop wanting it to be as good as a P&S because it will NEVER be exactly what you want. The camera is good. Just enjoy it.