Preliminary photo tests with iPhone 6, Galaxy S4 and Canon Elph 110

[iPhone7ate9]

So over this weekend I'm going to take test photos. Here are some preliminary tests. And no, I don't give a **** about composition for test photos.

Compare for yourself, open each link in a new tab for full size photos and you can flip through them to compare. The Canon Powershots (the small sensor compacts) have been pretty terrible in the past few years with over done noise reduction and smeared details. This is my worst compact camera, the Elph 110. Contrast is pretty low but can be fixed in Lightroom.

The order will be Galaxy - iPhone - Canon

Test 1 - focus is on the wall.

http://imgur.com/iI2OzJ6.jpg
http://imgur.com/IBTz7Hd.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/F0D8Bic.jpg

Test 2 - Also included the HDR version from iPhone

http://i.imgur.com/ecpPKqd.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/pKg3WIl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ahHqvQr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/21g0lbN.jpg

Test 3

http://i.imgur.com/ue8aCs2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/kM5xB5L.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/TQNe9oZ.jpg

Test 4 - iPhone gets the colors pretty bad here

http://i.imgur.com/Uo2j3E2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/8aiND1X.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ANFurTJ.jpg

Test 5 -

http://i.imgur.com/9pPntil.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/XUBwYZl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/g1auny0.jpg

Test 6 - with flash

http://i.imgur.com/JqhXe9B.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/UwCAbvI.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4fFls9E.jpg

Test 7 - without flash

http://i.imgur.com/8rmFq5j.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ROv4Rl2.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Te1nQxX.jpg

Test 8 - with flash

http://i.imgur.com/nYk3yWb.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/5rOdGSV.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KxSlpl0.jpg

Test 9 - without flash

http://i.imgur.com/QD0NGei.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/nZrgoOP.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ZJuBolB.jpg

Test 10 - with flash

http://i.imgur.com/7USkrki.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/fnu9bsL.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/lqlhMKC.jpg

Bonus pic

http://i.imgur.com/5ieimAQ.jpg



Overall the iPhone 6 has usually better looking pictures when not full sized. But when you zoom in you see details are blurred and smeared because of bad post processing. Sometimes the pictures are sharper with the 6 but the missing resolution can sometime show either as a result of the post processing or just the hardware. And for some reason when flash is on auto it rarely goes off unless super dark, which is unfortunate since I'd rather have a flash picture than blurry noise-reduced photos.

These were controlled photos as much as possible..most of my regular pictures from the iPhone 6 have looked a lot worse though. I think controlled tests are actually the worst way to judge a camera.

In good light though I'd say I'd still pick the iPhone 6 at that focal length.

 

[Hal~9000]

So over this weekend I'm going to take test photos. Here are some preliminary tests. And no, I don't give a **** about composition for test photos.

Compare for yourself, open each link in a new tab for full size photos and you can flip through them to compare. The Canon Powershots (the small sensor compacts) have been pretty terrible in the past few years with over done noise reduction and smeared details. This is my worst compact camera, the Elph 110. Contrast is pretty low but can be fixed in Lightroom.

The order will be Galaxy - iPhone - Canon

Test 1 - focus is on the wall.

Test 2 - Also included the HDR version from iPhone

Test 3

Test 4 - iPhone gets the colors pretty bad here

Test 5 -

Test 6 - with flash

Test 7 - without flash

Test 8 - with flash

Test 9 - without flash

Test 10 - with flash

Bonus pic

Overall the iPhone 6 has usually better looking pictures when not full sized. But when you zoom in you see details are blurred and smeared because of bad post processing. Sometimes the pictures are sharper with the 6 but the missing resolution can sometime show either as a result of the post processing or just the hardware. And for some reason when flash is on auto it rarely goes off unless super dark, which is unfortunate since I'd rather have a flash picture than blurry noise-reduced photos.

These were controlled photos as much as possible..most of my regular pictures from the iPhone 6 have looked a lot worse though. I think controlled tests are actually the worst way to judge a camera.

In good light though I'd say I'd still pick the iPhone 6 at that focal length.

Put in the pictures for those who want the pictures side by side in a single tab

Thanks OP for sharing!

 

[iPhone7ate9]

I guess it all depends on the size people view these pics at

 

[iPhone7ate9]

So I think the 6 takes higher than 1080p video

I'm sure you've noticed that the camera zooms in when you switch to video mode. That's because it films a bigger area than you see and then crops around to make everything that can match together in the same position for image stabilization. I think that's better than having higher resolution.

 

[iPhone7ate9]

What OIS is and isn't

So I noticed a few people were confused by what OIS is actually doing especially during video.

Image stabilization, or IS, was designed a long time ago for photo cameras and is when motors in the lens or around the sensor move an equal amount of distance (we're talking microns - millimeters here) to compensate for an equal amount of distance moved because of camera shake (usually from someone handholding a camera who is TRYING to stay still) during longer exposures (1/30th of a second up to 2 seconds if you are really good but NOT any much slower since no one is that steady). But the point I'm trying to make is it's for SMALL movements..vibrations and things like that. It's IS going to help during video, here is an example if image stabilization with the Canon 24-105 lens:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJE4WWjAyiQ

but notice the camera man is trying to be very steady and not move much.

It's NOT going to help with sudden movements especially with things like walking. If you notice your video being smooth and steady even while movement is happening, that's digital image stabilization which is MUCH more useful for video.

Here is a picture I took last night with image stabilization on with a TWO second exposure..handheld..an eternity for photography. I was shocked I got it this stable

Here's a picture I took right after, same settings, two second exposure, handheld, but because of even the slightest movement I got this

Digital image stabilization is when a camera sensor records more resolution than you end up seeing. It does this so it can crop around the viewable portion of each frame in different places as to match up concurrent frames as best as possible. Think about if you took a 10' x 10' piece of paper and drew a 8' x 8' square near the top of the page. Then you took another piece of paper and drew an 8' x 8' square near the bottom right of the page. If you just viewed those pages one after another it would look like the square suddenly moved a big distance. But if you cut around those squares and then just showed the squares one after another they would be in the same place.

 

[iPhone7ate9]

Any questions?

 

[iPhone7ate9]

Why does the iPhone 6 have a hard time with photos - smudging details?

I'll admit it, I think pictures from the iPhone 6 LOOK amazing/fantastic, better than my compacts. But - at full size and a close look at the detail shows so much smudging of details especially in focus foliage. I don't get it either, in shots outside in bright day light there can't be much noise if any.

Here for example:

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h264/skyking517/DisneyTrain.jpg~original

Make sure you click it to make it go full size

It's such an odd feature to a photo that I haven't seen outside purposeful filters.