Camera+

How does the iPhone 4s do under tungsten? I (and many others) found the 4 to be terrible – it didn't adjust the white balance properly which made everything look orange. I'm hoping this has been rectified now...

I think more than the increase in megapixels, the iPhone 4S really benefits from the added IR filter which seems to capture more accurate colors and steady coloring across the entire frame.

I wish I could get the background to be out of focus as well as the dSLR in the key picture with my iPhone 4s.

Amazing...the S95 just became obsolete.

No way. The S95 still seems to capture more shadow detail in the city shot than the 4S. Still impressive camera built into a mobile phone.

In the first few photos the key isn't in focus. Unless you are making a point about focusing than it's going to confuse people.

Seth, that is the point. The original and 3G couldn't focus up close (macro). Only in the 3Gs and newer could you focus as close as 10cm.

Nice post!

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The camera of the 4S is pretty good. But I wonder how does it perform under low light conditions? Any chance of doing the same comparison under low light?

Tharindu: it does quite well in low light. http://instagr.am/p/QpLPB/

Ok, stop comparing mobile phone camera with DSLR.... it's the optics and sensor size that matter. And iPhone 4S still have a really small sensor and poor optics... great for mobile phones! But please, do not compare it with EOS 5D MK II... it is useless

you say amazing but its clearly a layer of software filtering

Brilliant contrast between each camera. It's so interesting to see how it's improved over the last few years.

HBR said it best regarding DSLR's. It's a solid camera phone, but it doesn't even approach the image quality and flexibility of the s95. Give me a break.

The ISO Speed for the S95 can't be right, 32000 for the key picture and 20480 for the exterior one. Would be interesting to see the pictures at full resolution.

That some nice software goings on as well as the camera inside the 4S... What a great cam to have inside a phone and with you at all times.

Holly shit!

I don't see why they SHOULDN'T compare them with DSLR's? It's interesting to see the iPhone's personal progress and then compared to a real camera. No big deal. At the end of the day, we all know a proper DSLR will always be better. No need to get worked up about it.

Bitch I dont care

Where's the test against the Droid X's 8mg cam. It's wonderful.

I think the 4S is better than the Canon 95. Look at the blue roofed building to the right of center. Look at the roof tile detail on the 4S picture. Then roll down to the Canon 95 (detail nearly gone). I rest m case.

Anyone notice this is *really* fishy? look at the EXIF data on the S95

Why is the ISO of the S95 pics so crazy high? In addition, in what world does an S95 cost $500 and a 5D2 cost $4000?

Couldn't help but notice some of those shots were taken with Camera+ 2.4 ...

Were the iPhone shots take with or without HDR on?

Really? Comparing 20K ISO with 64? What are you really comparing?

Amazingggggggggg

@ty B, the reason they shouldn't compare them is because a decent lens and full sized sensor makes a world of difference under different conditions... They are essentially chameleons. The iPhone is just an entry level point and shoot with a few spangles on it... Yes great results if you point and release the shutter but try taking it past that. Also try blowing the outputs up and see how far they get....

The iPhone 4s underexposes slightly. Much of the details are lost in the shadows. Lift the exposure a bit and I think you will start to see some noise. Even at this small magnification, I think there are already hints of noise in the shadows. I think the S95 held its own pretty well against the 5D2.In the key photo, the 4S shows a reddish tinge. While in the buildings photo, the 4S does a bit better than the 4 in that the later shows a stronger yellowish tinge and is slightly over saturated. Yes you are right, Mr Zabidi, the S95 is obsolete. That is because the S100 has been launched. Definitely not because of the iPhone 4S.

I took some pics at a school event in a new hall with tungsten lights. All I can say is thank $deity for Camera+ and Photoshop - everything was a greeny-yellow.

Just a quick nitpick - the 5d markII is not $4000+. I bought one new for $2500.

last photos = 'hey internet i live in an expensive loft, fuck you im rich'

Increíble comparación! Muchas gracias

What a fantastic comparison

Las 2 fotos primeras, Original iPhone - Original iPhone, las llaves no están enfocadas. Se está enfocando la pared del fondo. Con lo que conlleva que las llaves salgan desenfocadas y la comparativa no es correcta.

Simplemente Sorprendente

Would love to add in a photo from the iPad 2 for comparison!

@Brian M. Nope, the 4S's shot has a longer equiv. focal length, that is, it is zoomed in a bit more than the S95. Enlarge some of the 10MP of the S95 so you see them at the same magnification, and you'll see the S95 has just as much, if not more detail. The JPEG size reduction algorithm has just made it appear to have less at this size.

Is this just a promo for the iphone or your app at the bottom? I mean how can you compare iso 64 to iso 20480? How about we reverse that and have the iphone at 20480 and the s95 at iso80? real "objective" comparison

Something is obviously wrong with the S95 exit data. Taking a photo in broad daylight at f2.8, 1/64, and ISO 20,000 would result in a completely white photo.

Very interesting result...

хуй

I think it was cool to see the comparisons from all the different iPhones. I for one appreciate what went into this post.

bullshit that shit aint better the a 5DMKII

Sorry but I can't get away from the vested interest aspect of this kind of test. The 4S shots are warmer and prioritised. The 5D Mk II is ungraded and handled with a lack of inspiration. The 3G iPhone shots aren't even focussed on the key. I am sure they don't focus as closely but the test is designed to make the difference between the 3G and 4S as large as possible and as close as possible between 4S and 5D, which makes for an inaccurate advert for the 4S and a rather cynical marketing attempt. Quite shameful really.

With all due respect, OK, it is a good camera for a mobile phone but the S95 performs brutally better in the shown conditions.

yum

iphone 4s... incredible!!

Given the price differential I'd argue that the camera in the 4s is the best value. Crisp, bright and good dynamic range and it benefits from the Camera+ App, you don't get that with your 5D MkII.

Its the first time that i see someone take a landscape photo with the lens at F2.8.. lol That is just stupid.. and the reading of light on the macro shots is just plain wrong..

Compare an Iphone with a full frame Canon.. lool Do you know how to use a dslr?

I have a problem with all of these reviews. You cannot replace a point n shoot because the iPhone 4S is horrible in low light conditions.

Looks like the Original and 3G were focused on the back wall, since the horizon is sharper than the trinket.

This entire comparison is just silly. You can make all of these shots look identical at this size with post processing. Unless the author zooms into the shadows and other details, you are only seeing differences in each camera's default processing algorithm (color balance, sharpening, contrast). As they say the devil's in the details (noise in the shadows, details in the window lines) which will give a true indication of each sensor's light sensitivity and rendering capabilities. I have an old olympus c5050 laying around that would give just as good a result as the best of these at this size.

These still photos are great, for sure. But show me how it does during a concert (low lit, action shots) and then I'll be a believer.

The MK5 will be the best camera - but probably requires a degree of expertise and talent to produce truly great photos. The iPhone, however, is right at hand. I can't see buying another point and shoot after owning the iPhone 4, and the 4S is just that much better. I need a camera to capture the moment, not create gallery art.

The comparison between the Canon 5dii is a little ridiculous. The iphone 4s seems to do a lot of image processing to look like that, especially boosting saturation and in camera sharpening. Those colors are unrealistic. It looks like the 5dii settings are stock. In addition, a 24Mp sensor requires good software(not photoshop) to downsample to that resolution in order to look good.

@Ohhugo.. tap the screen where you want to focus

It would be nice of the Original and 3G iPhone photos of the keys were focused on the keys and not on the wall behind.

Actually imo the iPhone 4s is the worst, followed by the S95 and the 5D, based on the sharpness of the corner of the wall behind the keys.

S95 ISO-32000 vs iphone 4S ISO-80???? You serious?

Wow. What a bunch of disrespectful people on here. Thanks for the comparison. I think we all know for what the iPhone camera is good for and for what not. No need for stupid and mean comments. Get a life you wanna be Pros.

This is such a bogus comparison. Yes, the iPhone 4s is a big improvement. Great. But she totally skewed the results to create more "drama" by shooting the S95 at insane ISOs. I own the S95 and it does much better than that - even in auto mode! I call BS.

Dude that used 5D MkII definitely needs a course how to use that camera.....

I have to agree with some of the other comments. I don't think it's a completely fair test. I find it hard to believe the fist iphone is that bad, unless it just can't focus that close. If not, then at least have them all at the same level playing field. Why not shoot the S95 at a reasonable ISO level? What was the reason for shooting it at 32000? I don't see the point. I did a quick test between the iPhone 4S and a D90 in HDR. Same location, same time. Posted untouched iphone photo and one I tried to tone a bit to more closely match the D90 image. Results can be found here: http://mike.heller.ca/2011/10/my-first-iphone-4s-hdr/ Overall, I'm impressed with the 4S and happy to have a more competent camera with me. However, it has some way to go before it touches a DSLR.

Yeah these results are a little skewed...actually very skewed. And the price points of the cameras mentioned are way off. I have the 5D Mark II, and it cost $2499, not $4000. Come on, let's get real.

5DMKII + 24-70mm f/2.8 = $4,000.00

not really a fair comparison of the older iphones, which don't have a macro setting. A more proper comparison would be when the 'key' is in focus on all cameras and show an 100% crop of the picture. Same with the 5D. In 100% crop is where the real advantage is with better cameras. Nice idea none the less!

i will like to see how compares to proper slr when shotting fast people in the streets , low light ambient, sports ... !!!! and ehat about to large prints !!!!

I think the dSLR comparison is valid for reference. Sales volume for P&S is way down. While both Smartphone and dSLR sales are up. If I need IQ I use a Canon 60D and L glass. But I take far more pictures with my iPhone which is now a 4S.

What about when the daylight is "turned off"? Evenings, etc.?

Jose: la razón por la que las primeras dos fotos no están enfocadas es por que el iPhone original y el 3G no pueden enfocarse a corta distancia y ese fué el punto. As for the rest of the images, we all know a great point and shoot and DSLR will beat any camera phone in quality but that's not the point. Photo opportunities arise in the blink of an eye and it's comforting to know you have the best camera in a device you carry at all times - your cellphone. What good would a DSLR be if you cannot capture something interesting simply because it was too big to carry everyday?

Would have been much fairer to use a subject that all cameras can focus on (I see the wall is sharp in the first two) and also post some 100% crops so we can see what's really happening

Like comparing the ride of a toyota and a ferrari at 30 MPH. This borders on goofy.

the key with Canon S95 at 32000 iso?

"While it's not nearing the same quality as a professional level dSLR, it is comparable to a top of the line compact camera and even outshines it in some ways." what part of that statement says the 4S camera could replace a dSLR? only commenters have made that inference. there's no reason to be bashing this test; it is merely a simple historical comparison. having owned an original iPhone, an iPhone 2 and a 3GS, these photos reflect what i would get with the cameras (the older models had no macro focus). my new 4S is definitely on par with the good quality compact point-and-shoot. people need to chill out.

Wow. Great comparison shots. The point and shoot camera is almost no more.

Beautiful 4S

The Canon S90/S95 shoots RAW and offers manual control, and as can be seen in the comparison shots, a better image, if you know what to look for. But, the iPhone is usually in your pocket, so.....

Jon123, when you spend 99.9% of your time driving at speeds that the Toyota is capable of, it's a fair comparison. They're also comparing the Toyota to a BMW (high-end point-and-shoot,) in which the Toyota compares well. (As a Toyota Avalon compares well to a BMW 3-series.)

The depth of field in the iPhone 4s photos is slightly misleading. You need to remember that the sensor size also should be considered in addition to the f-stop and focal length.

The iPhone 4S is ALMOST as good as the S95 (which is a great camera for it's category). DSLR's still take the day, though. I'd love to see a Leica in this comparison, or a medium format.

Holy distortion on the canon zoom, batman!!!

Ok, the ISO is off, then yoga re comparing different resolutions but scaling them to fit the same. Don't get me wrong, i think the 4s is impressive but these comparisons are kind of worthless. Of course it will be better than the generation before. But the S95 is either mire porting its settings or adjusted so that it looks ok. On a level playing field the 4s still does not stand a chance against a "real" camera. At least not for more than snapshots..

Thank you for the comparison. As a professional photographer for 40 years I know that great photos come from understanding visual communication - an expensive camera can't help someone who doesn't have an eye. 99% of all photos never make it beyond the phone, pad or desktop - this little phone camera is more than adequate for what most folks will be using it for most of the time. No need for a point and shoot with this. I will still go to the dslr for pro work, the rest of the time it is right there in the pocket ready to catch those serendipitous moments.

For most photographers, some of the worst irritations in life are those moments when they have no *adequate* camera to catch a moment. The 4S isn't a pro camera, but it certainly beats any inexpensive film camera I ever owned.

Ohhugo, try the Big Lens app for depth of field emulation. On the App Store for $0.99.

The macro comparison is not terribly informative, since you're comparing two cameras that can't even take the shot to two that can, and one with a purpose-built macro lens. Also, the iPhone 4 & 4s were set to spot metering, while the others either don't report or are set to Average. This probably explains the exposure differences. I'd be curious whether you bothered to set them all to the same white balance mode, contrast, saturation, sharpness, etc settings as well. The outdoor shot with the 4 & 4s was evidently taken several minutes before or after the others, as the clouds had moved. So while the lighting might be similar, it could well be different. Also, there were two different versions of the Camera+ app used for processing (2.3.1 and 2.4), even for different shots by the same camera, which might just invalidate the whole thing. But let's just assume it doesn't. So we've learned that older iPhones can't shoot macro. We *might* have learned that newer iPhones have better auto white balance, *if* they were all indeed set to auto. And none of the phones is as good as a real camera. So um, thanks?

@Dave: The whole thing with the wall being out of focus with the 5D is that... it is. You can't do it with the 4S camera so don't complain about that:) I don't think that the intension is to compare the 4S with the 5D. We all know that if we enlarge the photos the 5D will blow away the 4S as I still expect my old Canon 20D to do. But compare the progress made over the different iPhone iterations. That's the purpose of the photos

Awsome! 4s it is...

S95 shots are better than the 5DII in both cases.

Muy mal enfoque en las primeras imágenes, como lo mencionan esta enfocando a la pared. Por otro lado tal parece que la persona que tomo fotos con la cámara digital y la DSLR no sabe utilizarlas.

For an average Joe there are not too much of a difference in quality of the images taken from cameras. Things like shadow details, sharpness, DOF, bokeh,...are what make the money goes for and the above average Joe looks for.

Kurwa kurwa kurwa

Well done... Can't wait for my 4S to get in as I stayed with the 3GS for years now. T

I'm REALLY impressed. The 5D2 cleans the floor in that first photo (that DOF, unf), but the 4S arguably does a better job in the second. The contrast is exactly where I would want it to be. As silly as it seems, I think Apple should add an option to shoot RAW. The 4S' camera is good enough to use as a prosumer point-and-shoot.

WOW so cool!

I'm looking forward to test the 4S personally...

Pointless comparison for people who don't understand anything about photography... And a link bait. Lame

Iphone probably had a color booster built in to the phone so probably not exactly fair considering the slr shoots raw/needs post processing. Plus resolution sucks and screw iphone. Who wants to support FOXCONN the biggest slave factory in the world.

I have a 5D mark 2 that I'll sell for $3999. :) Anyone that is paying "$4000+" (even including a very good lens) is being ripped off. Btw: these comparisons are all over the gamut with apertures, shutter speeds and most importantly (iso). Impossible to compare a iso 100 5d shot with a ISo 3200 shot from s95. While its a nice view of images side by side, this is not executed in a very scientific manner. ISo speeds massively affect image quality includinng sharpness (not just noise).

This test is comparing every generation on iPhones to each other and throwing in p&s cameras for fun!! People get all butthurt because their expensive ass camera is being "compared" to an iPhone!! A dslr is a fantastic pro camera so of course it beats the 4S BUT the 4S is an amazing camera on a very slim smartphone!! I have a 4S and I love having an amazing camera in my pocket at all times!!!! Stop bitching and get over it dslr owners

Night / low light comparison plz kthxbai.

I've taken photos with my iphone 4s and I also own a canon s95. The iphone 4s can take great photos (one of the best cameras on a phone) but it can't compare to what I can do with my s95. I have no idea why you guys decided to set the iso to 3200 on the s95 (seriously?) and the iphone 4s to iso 80..........

It's adorable how some people on here (Sam) keep referring to the iPhone as a 'mobile phone'. It's been a handheld computer for a few years now. It has apps, guys.

i think i love Lisa!!!!!!!!

yeah... how do we know you dinn't touch them? iPhone 4s looks much better than regular camera? thats funny :) or maybe all these cameras has CCD problems or image procesing prob. or you just "by mistake" switch photos?

Guys, relax, this test is shit. Lisa wants your money from the http://campl.us/ app. Open your eyes. The only purpose of this test is to visit her website and buy shit app on iphone.

WTF? I think that photo from 5D make iphone user, who absolutly don't know what make good photos and use manual focus. It's horrible,.

Cuz Lisa on purpose uses 100 mm/2.8, that makes small depth of field, so photo is blurry, basic knowledge. Lisa did it on purpose or does not know basis of photography :) Nevermaind, BUY HER APP, BEST FOR PROS!!! hahahahhahahahah

Why did didnt you use the 24-70mm lens instead of the 100mm lens in the keys photo for a closer comparison? The 100mm does not give a great comparison to the camera phone with a much wider angle. Depth of Field is squished much smaller with the 100mm at 2.8/f with the same field of view. Otherwise was helpful. thanks!

Oh my God! So many people are bent out of shape because someone had the audacity to compare the iPhone to a real professional camera. I think the point fits the old adage - the best camera is the one you have with you at the moment. the iPhone 4S holds up pretty well when you don't have a "real" camera choking your neck. Probably not for magazine ads, but maybe, in a pinch.

I have some concerns about color rendition with the 4S. Looks like the colors are much more saturated. For instance, buildings on left. Golden roof looks like plastic. At the same time the street on middle are too dark. My understanding is that there is too much afterprocessing on the image. Picture is flattering but looks so un-natural to me. Still is impressive for a phone camera.

Mine has an incredible amount of Noise - even in daylight. IMO, Apple would have been better off going 4MP and delivering a clean jpeg.

4Sの写真はいい感じになりましたね。

良い比較画像です。

dfeeee

Simply amazes me just how advanced the iPhone's camera has come! Appreciate the time you took for this write up. Also, you probably don't need the positive nudge, but please don't blame the whiners, babies, and haters… they sincerely know no better. By the way Camera+ is a great app to utilize iPhone's camera; allowing for advanced options and quick edits!! When will we see an update/new features!?!? Thank Lisa!

S95 cannot use such high ISO values! I know you're all super excited about new iPhone but it just cannot beat any decent digital camera.

Try making a phone call or reading email on your 5D Mark II!

incredible, i have a galaxy s2 and they say that the camera is 8mp, but it sucks, i don't know why... mane the iPhone has a better technology?... but i want to get an iPhone, it is soooo much better. and in addition, the battery is very poor.

the battery is very poor on the galaxy s2

The first photo "Original iPhone" says iOS 5.0 in Exif data - quite funny.

Just went to our company's year end party (venue:ballroom,low light), and my 4S beat all of my friends point and shoot cameras, (iPhone 4 included) in terms of brightness and clarity!!! The 4S produced brighter and sharper photos. How could that be? I have a Canon 60D that I purposely did not bring in order to test my 4S and now I'm so impressed with the 4S.

Why do people think the iPhone 4s camera is trying to compete with the Canon 5d mkii? The Canon is shown for comparision, so you can compare the phone camera to arguably one of the best DSLRs around. No one is saying you should replace your 5D with an iPhone. As they say, the best camera is the one you have with you, and if I only have my iPhone 4s with me, not my 5D, I think I'll be happy enough taking snapshots on it if something comes up.

Thanks for the comparisons; I'm really only interested in the 4S, as I'm getting one tomorrow and have been debating about replacing my current camera as well. I think I'll try the 4S for a bit and see if I can't live without a new digital camera. Super impressive. Thank you.

To Lisa, Is this comparison a joke? There are many various setting in your comparison (ISO,Exposure,F-stop), let's face the truth, you should get them all taking at the same setting for each camera. Do you understand that making comparison like this is sensitive, people who doesn't know about these settings might get the wrong information. This comparison is non-sense at all. Could you please also mention the sensor size of each camera in the comparison as well? That might have tell us that iphone4S is much better at 100% crop. And, that would explain, WHY the camera with larger sensor cannot provide better image quality than smaller sensor camera or built-in phone camera??? To make it clear. Can I please also have 100% crop on each image in this comparison? The comparison like this could get many people misunderstand the truth and the fact of the cameras. This comparison looks like it coming from a fantacy world. Thank you. Look forward to hearing from you.

So, I think there is one point to be made here.. Assuming a $299 initial purchase price and a 2-year contract @ say $75/month to be conservative, the iPhone 4s's camera costs about $2100 :)

Thanks for the comparisons, they very useful. Looking to purchase the Camera+ App, unless your giving it away for free, especially when you have 6million + users & £4.1m in the account. Lovely idea, and enjoy your trip.

its camera is very fantastic but it has one disadvantage that its camera doesn't have effective modes like party mode light mode night mode and many other modes. so please try do improve the camera in iphone 5. have all the best to you from my side!!!!

I'm a big fan of the iPhone 4S camera. The accessories you can get for it are amazing too. The <a href="http://www.mobi-city.co.uk/olloclip-lens-for-iphone-4-4s-uk.html";>Olloclip</a> is genius! It's amazing to see how the quality of the picture has changed from model to model here!

bhen k loro itni chuss maaro k agla chutiya ban jaye

You've misled people with your results. You've manipulated the ISO to screw with the final image quality. Seriously, ISOs at 20000+ at daytime? Shows how credible this comparison is.

yum yum

if u don't like it just move along. ur not gonna change the world with one comment on the Internet. this guy is obviously trying to prove a point and if it's in poor taste, just leave him to it and like I said before MOVE ALONG. seriously. u people will kill ur selves over NOTHING.

Agreed this is bullshit Tom foolery. The iPhone has its place, and its place is not in the realm of serious photography. In a fair comparison, the s95 blows the 4s out of the water.

You're right the pictures of the 4S are really good. But one phone still takes better pics: the Nokia N8.

The best camera is the one you have with you, i think it's my 4s most of the time.

For it's price and quality S95 wins.

Hehe... what about compairing to Nokia N8? ;) (not to mension Nokia 808 Pure View!!!) :P

Ok on top of all this u can buy lens for iphone camera that clip on and make it 100x better and more detailed , actually here is an exampl video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUf6c2xgUyQ&feature=related

it seems at concerts every phone around me takes better shots thnan my iphone 4s, it doesn't take anything clear as the other phones

Very interesting entry, http://xsharethis.com I look forward to the next! Thx for share http://eblogz.net

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I own a 3GS, 4S, S95, 5D Mk2. For years people have raged about megapixels. In my opinion that is only half of it. For me, sensor size is much more important. Consider a 2mp sensor the equal of a room with 2 windows in it. Will a room with 2 large windows have more light in it than one with 2 small windows (given same amount of light outside of the room)? No amount of megapixel will be much use if the sensor size id small and all current phone ones are.

well this article is embarrassing. . . these tests are arbitrary and cover the tiniest fraction of the criteria that you should use to evaluate the capacity of a camera.

I don't know much about photography but I do notice that the clouds in the phone images and the clouds in the camera images are entirely different, as is the light from the sun. Why the big time delay between the phone and camera pics being taken?

Please add iPhone 5 photos for comparison!

To People complaining that the Canon S95 was tested with crazy high ISO; it's obviously some mistake! f2.8 at 1.4s shutter speed with a 32000 ISO would just be a white image unless you're shooting almost in the dark. The exif data must be corrupted or something on the S95 images.

something wrong in this photos , mainly in city landscape. the diferent cameras from iphone, to Canon has the same depth , for those who knows about photography, it's unsense. if you look carefuly, all pictures are the same, the autor just work with a photo edition, and play with blur and the color adjusments, so this a fraud. I am sorry , :-(

which part of your any of your body and clothes do u feel which is the most serious part of our photos realionship

higher iso speed

Try zooming in to get a detail shot of something far away with any iPhone and your results will show the glaring downfall of these phones. They're horrible for anything other than general picture taking.

This is a wonderful comparison, specially when you introduce Canon to the competition. it will change the way we look at the phone camera results. http://arcfs.net/

This is by far the best and my personal favourites iOS app for editing my images! Really great job! Are there any chances or perhaps oppertunities available for applying or joining your developer community? I'd really like to share my input and ideas for bettering and making this an even more awesome app!

Thank you, this was most helpful!! :)