An 8-Megapixel Photo from the iPhone 4S

[jaison13]

you must be joking.. my incredible 2 takes photos like that..

then post it!! i'd love to see a side by side comparison. i'm betting you never post it though.

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Exactly, "closer to low end compacts" people need to stop getting so excited, its a decent phone camera but its no DSLR replacement.

actually it's a superior phone camera. according to specs it's the best phone camera, not a decent one. it's a decent real camera in line with one that you'd pay $100-$150 for. so it enhances the value of the phone greatly. especially since it shoot 1080p video and have image stabilization.


wow, you are a very bitter person when it comes to the iPhone. what are you spending any time at all reading and commenting about something you clearly hate? go out for a walk in the park or go see a movie. do some thing that makes you happy, not bitter. i don't think a phone camera could ever make me spend time reading and writing about it unless i was getting paid. i also would never bother with something i hate or had zero interest in.

 

[devilstrider]

then post it!! i'd love to see a side by side comparison. i'm better you never post it though.

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wow, you are a very bitter person when it comes to the iPhone. what are you spending any time at all reading and commenting about something you clearly hate? go out for a walk in the park or go see a movie. do some thing that makes you happy, not bitter. i don't think a phone camera could ever make me spend time reading and writing about it unless i was getting paid. i also would never bother with something i hate or had zero interest in.

So you're saying it can take pics like my DSLR?

 

[Ptit]

Not bad for a cell phone... not that you can tell when the pictures are posted to facebook anyways.

yes most cell phones in japan since 2002 already had 12 mp. glad to see America caught up for once, but with out a decent lens, hmmmm, its still a 3MP res

 

[iVituperative]

The most amazing thing about this camera is the f/2.4 number.

This will have a much more shallow depth of field and will result in beautiful photos. Portraits will look fantastic and the quality in low light will be great.

Someone with a real eye for beautiful photos decided the specs on this one.

The example photos in iphoto on Jobs' demos were always with a really shallow depth of field.

Google image search 'depth of field' for more info.

While I generally agree with your statement, I'm not sure the half-stop improvement from the original iPhone 4's 2.8 lens will provide the dramatic improvement in bokeh your superlatives would imply.

 

[biggreydog]

Can I print that image and spend it? I doubt $1 is worth the hassle from the Secret Service, but it is mildly tempting.

 

[Juan007]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A5313e Safari/7534.48.3)

Can I print that image and spend it? I doubt $1 is worth the hassle from the Secret Service, but it is mildly tempting.

Even if the iPhone 4S did print dollar bills, Fandroids would complain that it doesn't print hundreds.

 

[fertilized-egg]

yes most cell phones in japan since 2002 already had 12 mp. glad to see America caught up for once, but with out a decent lens, hmmmm, its still a 3MP res

Oh really?

Published on June 1st,2009 - Samsung Unveils the World’s First 12 Megapixel Camera Phone

http://en.akihabaranews.com/23119/phones/samsung-unveils-the-world-s-first-12-megapixel-camera-phone

That model was one of those phone-in-a-camera devices. They have mostly disappeared it seems.

For anyone interested, I did some more googling and came up with the following:

Oct 7, 2003 - First 2-Megapixel Camera Phone Debuts
Casio's handset offers features to challenge traditional digital cameras.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/112797/first_2megapixel_camera_phone_debuts.html

May 21,2004 - Camera Phones Hit 3 Megapixels
Casio unveils highest resolution phone cam yet, available only in Japan for now.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/116229/camera_phones_hit_3_megapixels.html

23 October 2004 - Samsung Electronics has unveiled the world’s first mobile phone with built-in digital 5MP camera

http://www.xbitlabs.com/news/mobile/display/20041023065654.html

 

[tylersdad]

What point and shoot do you have that allows you to control shutter speed? Any point and shoots that have manual controls like that are usually in $400-$500 range. i.e. Canon G series and Nikon P series.

Canon PowerShot SD890 IS. The camera it replaced had that as well. Both cameras were less than $250 when they were purchased.

 

[doctor-don]

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Following the posting of a hands-on video of the iPhone 4S, AppVV has also apparently posted the first consumer photo taken with an iPhone 4S. The photo above was taken with an iPhone 4S and measures in at 3264 x 2448 pixels.

EXIF data is quite easy to manipulate and the image has taken a pass through Photoshop in order to add the watermark, but given the existence of the hands-on video, the photo is likely authentic.

As part of its promotional materials for the iPhone 4S posted following last week's media event, Apple included full-resolution sample photos, but the new image from AppVV offers an example of the quality of photos users can expect simply from snapping a quick photo. And last month, a photo apparently taken by an Apple engineer using an iPhone 4S briefly appeared on Flickr, with the official specs for the iPhone 4S camera announced last week all but confirming that the photo was indeed taken by the device.

Article Link: An 8-Megapixel Photo from the iPhone 4S

Please define what you mean by photo taken by the iPhone 4s since the photos taken with the iPhone 4s that Apple posted on its site were indeed taken with the iPhone 4s. Just read the EXIF data and you can find where the photos were taken, not just the date and time.

If you were trying to say the posted photos were taken by a professional, then perhaps you should reexamine your statement since anyone can take such photos provided they hold / brace the phone / camera sufficiently.

 

[tylersdad]

If you're looking to adjust these things then you're not comparing it to a point and shoot. You're comparing it to a higher end point and shoot that has manual controls, therefore your comparison is not a fair one.

The amaount of detail in this photo is actually quite phenomenal. I think alot of you don't understand what constitutes a good photo test.

This is a very good one.

I'm not going to argue image quality. For a mobile phone, it seems very good. However, my Canon PowerShot SD890 IS (purchased new for <$250) has these controls. It even has custom white balance settings, flash compensation, and 3 metering modes. Since those settings can all be set in software, I don't understand why they are considered (inaccurately at that) "high-end" settings.

 

[EvanBlive91]

Crop/Digital zoom?

Im pretty sure the extra megapixels will make a difference in keeping the picture sharp when you crop it or use the digital zoom. 2x zoom leaves me at 4MP...pretty damn good (if thats how it works idk im not a photographer).

 

[AidenShaw]

I'm not going to argue image quality. For a mobile phone, it seems very good. However, my Canon PowerShot SD890 IS (purchased new for <$250) has these controls. It even has custom white balance settings, flash compensation, and 3 metering modes. Since those settings can all be set in software, I don't understand why they are considered (inaccurately at that) "high-end" settings.

And your Canon probably has far less digital noise than this photo of currency.

I have a Canon G11 and a Canon S90 - two cameras (actually, almost the same sensor and electronics) that put reducing digital noise high on the requirements list.

Im pretty sure the extra megapixels will make a difference in keeping the picture sharp when you crop it or use the digital zoom. 2x zoom leaves me at 4MP...pretty damn good (if thats how it works idk im not a photographer).

Actually, 2X zoom from 8 mpixels puts you at 2 mpixels. Do the math. (If you do a 2X digital zoom from 640x480, you get use 320x240 pixels. You've gone from 640x480=307200 pixels to 320x240=76800 pixels - then pixel-doubled to get back to 640x480.)

 

[divinox]

And to think that such a camera now fits in a cell phone!

And to think it has done so for like 18 months (Nokia N8).

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And your Canon probably has far less digital noise than this photo of currency.

I have a Canon G11 and a Canon S90 - two cameras (actually, almost the same sensor and electronics) that put reducing digital noise high on the requirements list.




Actually, 2X zoom from 8 mpixels puts you at 2 mpixels. Do the math.

Not like hes the first one to not get that right. Its all part of the silly mpx-hype unfortunately :- (

p.s. cheers on the G11, i have one myself. thinking about ditching it though. granted, its more portable than a DSLR, but its not really pocketable now, is it. Still, unless Nokia blows me away, what am i gonna do. I mean, there are great compact-compacts out there, but im not really in the mood for carrying two pocket devices with me either. Aah, technology. Cant live with it, cant live without it. Just like women.

disclaimer: since i come across as a nokia freak in this post i'd like to add that i havent owned a nokia device since i had a 3210 back in, well.. late 90's.

 

[doctor-don]

Wow! And the lighting doesn't even look very even.

Where's my image stabilization video test?

Gary

The lighting appears natural, no flash.

I disagree. I've never seen a photo from a $200 (or even $300 for that matter) Android phone with photos that look this good. Outdoor shots, yes, but indoor, no.

Take a look at the photo taken from my HTC Sensation. I removed the gps info but included the pertinent data from the EXIF. In order to attach the photo, I had to reduce it to 1.4 MB. This was done by cropping rather than scaling the image.

For comparison, the image on the right is the original scaled to 50% so it will be attached. That is still 22+ inches wide.

That dollar bill is 45 MB, so it has seen some modifications - Photoshop.

What really is bad form is for point and shoot manufacturers to use resolution of 300 pixels instead of the 'normal' screen resolution of 72 pixels. Both the iPhone 4s and my Sensation use 72 pixels.

 

[inaka]

Can we get a photo of the same subject, distance, lighting, time, etc from an iPhone 4 and an iPhone 4S? That would tell me how much better it is.

this.

I need side-by-side pics under the exact same conditions with the iPhone 4 to compare.

 

[doctor-don]

this.

I need side-by-side pics under the exact same conditions with the iPhone 4 to compare.

Personally, I believe you are wasting time doing that.

Simply peruse the photos at Apple's iPhone 4s site.

 

[lilo777]

The lighting appears natural, no flash.



Take a look at the photo taken from my HTC Sensation. I removed the gps info but included the pertinent data from the EXIF. In order to attach the photo, I had to reduce it to 1.4 MB. This was done by cropping rather than scaling the image.

For comparison, the image on the right is the original scaled to 50% so it will be attached. That is still 22+ inches wide.

That dollar bill is 45 MB, so it has seen some modifications - Photoshop.

What really is bad form is for point and shoot manufacturers to use resolution of 300 pixels instead of the 'normal' screen resolution of 72 pixels. Both the iPhone 4s and my Sensation use 72 pixels.

300 and 72 PPI are standard densities for print and monitor respectively. This simply reflects the fact that P&S cameras are targeted towards print and phones are used mostly for snapping pictures for Facebook. The PPI is just an attribute though and does not affect the original image a bit - just the rendering in some circumstances.

 

[inaka]

Personally, I believe you are wasting time doing that.

Simply peruse the photos at Apple's iPhone 4s site.

Please tell me you're being sarcastic.

For just about everything, side-by-side comparisons tell a much better story. Whether it's cars on a track, or cameras taking the same subject under the same lighting conditions, etc. It's nice to see that real world details and differences between the camera of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S under the same conditions.

 

[ortuno2k]

Wow, pretty impressing!

 

[TimTheEnchanter]

Oh really?
That model was one of those phone-in-a-camera devices. They have mostly disappeared it seems.

Image

Think I'll stick with my current camera phone...

 

[BlizzardBolt]

Wow, this seems like a picture from a dedicated camera.

I am impressed.

 

[Jason Beck]

More megapixels doesn't mean a better camera. I don't honestly see the need for over 5 megapixels on a phone. I would much rather see the glass and video keep improving. I think it's purely a marketing ploy to grab the consumers that think more megapixels equal a better image.

I've been a professional photographer for quite some time (see sig), and the added megapixels in newer phones does little to impress me. Like we really need to increase the image size on our phone captured images. What, so it takes longer to transfer them on out 3 and 4g signals? Are you going to be doing advertisements with your iPhone captured images?

Just keep the megapixels around 5-8 and just keep improving the image handling and quality. Keep improving the video quality. Quit trying to look for new ways to jack the prices up on our phones.

 

[Jimmy James]

8MP will make no difference to the image quality other than the files will be bigger and will allow you to blow them up to the size of roughly A4. The real difference will be the now, F2.4 aperture. Low light photos will be less noisy and of higher quality. This is really isn't a key selling point for the 4S. In my eyes, the key selling point is Siri, even then, they're pushing it.

The F2.4 aperture enables using a lower ISO, which is likely necessary to offset the denser [noisier] sensor. I'm guessing we'll simply getting larger images of similar quality.

 

[BlizzardBolt]

More megapixels doesn't mean a better camera. I don't honestly see the need for over 5 megapixels on a phone. I would much rather see the glass and video keep improving. I think it's purely a marketing ploy to grab the consumers that think more megapixels equal a better image.

I've been a professional photographer for quite some time (see sig), and the added megapixels in newer phones does little to impress me. Like we really need to increase the image size on our phone captured images. What, so it takes longer to transfer them on out 3 and 4g signals? Are you going to be doing advertisements with your iPhone captured images?

Just keep the megapixels around 5-8 and just keep improving the image handling and quality. Keep improving the video quality. Quit trying to look for new ways to jack the prices up on our phones.

It does...sometimes.

Apple iPod touch with 0.7MP is mediocre at best. It would be miles better if it was 2 or 3 MP.

In the area of closer to 10MP and above, MP loses its value.

 

[Leaping Tortois]

I'm a little hesitant about posting this, because for some reason a not-so-positive comment on the 4S seems to be perceived as an attack on Steve Jobs... But here goes.

Yes, the 4S seems to have a decent camera (like Siri we'll have to wait and see), but there are phone cameras that are decent. My GS2 takes very decent photo's, both in and outdoors. It's 1080p is quite smooth, despite my shaky hands. I think the 4S is a good camera, but let's not call it some super revolutionary thing... Just my 2c, If you like I can post some images when I get home.