Friday, June 25, 2010

I knew it - iphone 4S has very good video and Image capture

I don't have yet the latest iPhone, i have to wait till July 8th till i can do my tests, but i did read a very interesting test from Macworld. Please read yourself. The whole article can be found here:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/macworld/20100625/tc_macworld/iphone4camerabeatsthesmartphonecompetion

About the lab tests
We compared the iPhone 4’s camera with an iPhone 3GS, three other smartphone cameras, and two pocket point-and-shoot cameras. For the video portion of the test, we threw in a Flip Video M2120 for good measure. The other smartphones we tested were the EVO 4G, the Droid X, and the Samsung Galaxy. The point-and-shoot cameras tested were the Sony DSC-WX1 and Samsung HZ35W.
For the still image tests, our lab took the same four photos with each camera. Without knowing which camera each photo was from, a panel of judges rated the images for exposure quality, color quality, sharpness, and distortion amount. The ratings were compiled and averaged for each category, and then used to calculate a final image quality score.

For the video tests, the lab recorded two clips with each device—one in low-light and one in regular light. Our panel then rated each clip’s video and audio quality.

Image quality rankings
Unsurprisingly, the two point-and-shoot cameras came in first in our image quality tests. The next best camera, and the highest scoring of all the smartphone cameras that we tested, was none other than the iPhone 4. Next in the rankings was the Droid X, followed by the EVO 4G, the Samsung Galaxy, and way at the bottom, the iPhone 3GS.

The iPhone 4 had, by a healthy margin, the best exposure and color scores of the entire bunch, beating out even the point-and-shoot cameras. It did run into trouble in the sharpness and distortion categories, performing much lower than the pocket cameras and similarly to the Droid.
 These scores show that megapixel count isn’t the most imporant factor when it comes to quality, as camera manufactures sometimes claim it is. The Droid X and EVO 4G both have 8-megapixel cameras, and the Samsung Galaxy has a 5-megapixel camera. As for the point-and-shoot competition, the Samsung HZ35W is a 12-megapixel camera and the Sony SDC-WX1 is a 10.2-megapixel camera.


Video quality rankings
While its image quality was impressive, it was the iPhone 4’s video capabilities that really stole the show in our lab tests. Of the eight devices we rated for video, only the Flip Video M2120 scored higher. The Flip, which also records 720p, 30fps video, had just slightly better video quality than the iPhone 4, even in low-light. The Flip did have far superior audio quality when compared with the iPhone 4, which had the same audio score as the Droid X. The Samsung Galaxy had the best audio quality among the smartphones.

What it means
Apple said the quality of the camera parts is more important to capturing good photos than a high megapixel count. Our lab's test results support that theory, showing that a 5-megapixel camera can shoot higher quality images than an 8-megapixel camera.

For casual photographers who mostly post their images online, the iPhone 4’s bump in image quality might be enough to make them think twice before packing an additional gadget. Quality wise, it still isn’t quite on par with entry-level point-and-shoot cameras, but the iPhone's convenience (it’s already in your pocket), low-light capabilities, and access to a large amount of editing and sharing apps, could mean trouble for the inexpensive digital camera market.

For compact camcorder fans who own an iPhone, the iPhone 4’s great video quality makes it a no-brainer alternative to packing another single-use gadget like a Flip. On the other hand, buying a Flip doesn’t require a two-year contract and a data plan.


For anyone serious about image or video quality, or who knows a bit about photography and wants manual camera controls, the iPhone 4 still has a ways to go as a camera. As a camera built into a smartphone, however, it’s as good as they get.

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