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.
A Look at iPhone 4's Camera Quality
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Yeah, it's my wife's original iPhone (my old phone, actually) and the pictures from it are horrible.
The lens on my 3GS is still pristine, but I have the phone in a hard case. Was hoping to use the iPhone 4 naked, but worry about broken glass (with the screen now laminated to the display) as well as lens damage (especially now with 720p video - I want that lens protected). Maybe I'll just put a static peel sticker over the lens that I can pull off when shooting pics.
Way I see it, I don't care too much about the camera on the phone. no matter how many MP it's or any other phone has it will only ever be a cheap point-and-shoot camera that gets average results. If I really want top notch photos then I'll be spending a lot more money on a decent body, decent lens and having some lessons to get the most out of the camera.
You'd be right if the 8-12MP camera guys were using the same size sensor as Apple do. They don't.
The pixel size in the 5MP iPhone 4 sensor is 1.75 nanometers.
The pixel size in the 12MP sensor in the Nokia N8 is also 1.75 nanometers. The N8 uses a larger sensor (8.75mm wide), fast Carl Zeiss lens and a Xenon flash.
Jobs' claim that they were anywhere near the competition with more megapixels on stage at WWDC was pure RDF. They're maybe approaching Nokia's 5MP cameras from 2007.
I'm sure it'll be a better than average 5MP cameraphone but lets not get carried away with the Apple hype.
Oversaturated images are not necessarily a sign of post-editing at all- it can reflect the camera default image-processing settings. If anything, it's bad IMO to go for too-saturated, contrasty look right out of the camera.
DLSR's tend to give more neutral (and not over-sharpened) results out of the camera, which gives you more latitude in post-processing.
You obviously haven't use an iPhone 3Gs. I'll post an article with my iPhone 2007 and iPhone 3Gs probably later today or tomorrow.
As a tog myself I'd be interested in know what the minimum aperture of the lens inside the new iPhone 4 is as trying to access the EXIF data of the photo's on the Apple site proved not possible to allow me to see the data from the camera unit with regards to exposure,aperture, shutter speed,ISO etc.
I'm glad Apple steered away from the megapixel consumer battle that goes on, 5MP is more than enough for this phone's intended usage. I have a Nikon D3X and usage of a 40MP digital back 'Blad at home if I want to shoot high-res medium format quality photo's
Optical zoom on the iPhone 5 please!!! plus Image Stabilisation oh and Macro while your at it
Mike.
I'm glad Apple steered away from the megapixel consumer battle that goes on, 5MP is more than enough for this phone's intended usage. I have a Nikon D3X and usage of a 40MP digital back 'Blad at home if I want to shoot high-res medium format quality photo's
Optical zoom on the iPhone 5 please!!! plus Image Stabilisation oh and Macro while your at it
Mike.
All of you people arguing here about the lack of *FAMAZING OMFG" photo quality on the iPhone are forgetting something. This is just a phone! It's not meant to be the end all solution to scrapping your point and shoot cameras or even your DSLR cameras. As some of you who get it have posted, this is about taking pictures where you may have forgotten your point and shoot, or do not want to lug around your DSLR. This is a phone people, a phone!
Thank you for clarifying that for everyone. However, I do fully expect this to replace my point & shoot, which I believe it will.
The iPhone has always had the worst camera, I doubt things will really change in real world use.
Although I will say Megapixels aren't the root of image quality. I have seen 2MP images that rival the 10 and 12 on most DSLRs.
Although I will say Megapixels aren't the root of image quality. I have seen 2MP images that rival the 10 and 12 on most DSLRs.
The sensor size is 1/3.2". It is about half of newest canon power shot (in terms of area).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_sensor_format
If someone counts pixels
- iMac 27" has 2560x1400.
- iphone 4 camera has 2592x1932.
Enough is enough.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_sensor_format
If someone counts pixels
- iMac 27" has 2560x1400.
- iphone 4 camera has 2592x1932.
Enough is enough.
Anyone know if 30fps is a decent speed for HD video recording? 30 is just a number if we don't have something to base it on. Thanks.
By the way, 30fps is the same as you get on the Canon SD1400is which is a nice point and shoot camera.
SD1400is specs: Movie: HD 1280 x 720 (30 fps available up to 10 min or 4GB per clip), 640 x 480 (30 fps) or 320 x 240 (30 fps) or 320 x 240 (30 fps) available up to 60 min. or 4GB per clip
Not bad apple! Looks like I won't have to buy the canon if I get a new iPhone!!
Unless someone can tell me why the Canon would still be better for snapping photos and recording video. Maybe the Canon has longer battery life?
By the way, 30fps is the same as you get on the Canon SD1400is which is a nice point and shoot camera.
SD1400is specs: Movie: HD 1280 x 720 (30 fps available up to 10 min or 4GB per clip), 640 x 480 (30 fps) or 320 x 240 (30 fps) or 320 x 240 (30 fps) available up to 60 min. or 4GB per clip
Not bad apple! Looks like I won't have to buy the canon if I get a new iPhone!!
Unless someone can tell me why the Canon would still be better for snapping photos and recording video. Maybe the Canon has longer battery life?
Exactly. It's probably "good enough" for most people to replace their point-and-shoot. Has the OP been to a wedding lately? It's almost 80% people using their phones these days.
I know someone with the 2007 iPhone. I sold mine long time ago.
He is a press photographer (even works at white house sometimes), he said when the coating is scratched it's pretty bad, but he used lense cleaning stuff to get rid of the scratched coating and it becomes decent.
First, does a phone do RAW at all? There is processing in the machine, there is in your D40, too. But we don't call that doctored, we call it good/bad processing.
And then, the 2 highlighted phrases have nothing to do with each other, but I guess you got yourself a Nikon so I must be wrong.
The quality of a photo is mainly in the artistic ability, composition and subject. Technical details are... meh, I often shoot with tiny point and shoots so people don't know I'm a pro-photographer.
Having said that, if you want to capture astounding creative photos you need
1) A huge piece of glass that captures lots of light (not a lens the size of a pea)
2) The ability to stop up/down aperture, focus, set a creative shutter speed and control your ISO
3) A decent sensor - preferably with RAW capture
Beyond that, it's back to my original point - and a huge dollop of luck.
Megapixels CAN help, and doesn't always mean extra noise (how can it if you are shooting at 24 mega-pixels, ISO 80/100 with a bunch of strobes? nonsense) - so everyone jumping on the 'more megapixels doesn't mean better photos' need to jump off - and put themselves on a photography course.
It's designed as a convenient, easy to use snappy-snap taker, always with you - perfect for capturing those, dare I say 'Kodak' moments.
It will be fine, useful, fun and convenient - and an improvement on the 3GS.
I've used the 3GS to snap some of these... only a few though...
http://www.justinhall.co.uk
Having said that, if you want to capture astounding creative photos you need
1) A huge piece of glass that captures lots of light (not a lens the size of a pea)
2) The ability to stop up/down aperture, focus, set a creative shutter speed and control your ISO
3) A decent sensor - preferably with RAW capture
Beyond that, it's back to my original point - and a huge dollop of luck.
Megapixels CAN help, and doesn't always mean extra noise (how can it if you are shooting at 24 mega-pixels, ISO 80/100 with a bunch of strobes? nonsense) - so everyone jumping on the 'more megapixels doesn't mean better photos' need to jump off - and put themselves on a photography course.
It's designed as a convenient, easy to use snappy-snap taker, always with you - perfect for capturing those, dare I say 'Kodak' moments.
It will be fine, useful, fun and convenient - and an improvement on the 3GS.
I've used the 3GS to snap some of these... only a few though...
http://www.justinhall.co.uk
It is half speed of 720p HDTV. (ABC, Fox, etc) It is the same speed as 1080i HDTV. (NBC, CBS, etc)
That would be a neat physics trick to put light with a wavelength larger than the pixel size. I suspect you mean 1.75 microns, which is still quite small. The other neat part of this story is they are using a back illuminated sensor which has a QE roughly twice as much as a standard front illuminated sensor.