Introduction
That
the iPhone has become a widely popular substitute for those ubiquitous
point-and-shoot cameras is an indisputable fact, as its impressive Flickr stats
go to show. And the photographic glory of Apple's pride and joy is
expected to reach new peaks in the near future thanks to the potent new
camera that the iPhone 4S will come equipped with. 8-megapixel sensor,
backside illumination, hybrid IR filter, F/2.4 aperture size, and a
handful of other specs were touted at the smartphone’s unveiling. But in
real life, how much of a difference all this technical mumbo jumbo is
going to make?
We will now break down into bits
all of the iPhone 4S' camera features and explain how they act together
to make the photos that Apple's latest smartphone shoots look their
best.
Resolution
Megapixels
are the tiny dots that make up the image, and their number is usually
what most consumers are interested in. As common sense would lead one to
believe, the more pixels you have, the better an image is going to be.
In this category, the 8-megapixel camera on the iPhone 4S should be an
improvement over the 5-megapixel one found on its predecessor as it has
60% more pixels at its disposal. But in reality, pixel count does not
automatically translate into quality images.
The
optical system is the camera's “eye” and as such its quality is
crucial. Of course, Apple is well aware of that fact, which is why the
optics on the iPhone 4S have been improved. Five lenses
working together is what guides the light towards the image sensor. In
comparison, this is one more from what the camera on the iPhone 4 had,
and according to Apple, the result is 30% sharper images than ever
before seen on an iPhone.
Aperture
Guiding light is one thing, but letting it in is a different story. The wide F/2.4 aperture
on the smartphone's camera allows for more light to hit the sensor for
the same amount of exposure time, meaning that images can be captured at
lower sensitivities and at higher shutter speeds. And while there are
smartphones out there whose camera apertures go even wider, the F/2.4
figure is impressive nonetheless. The end result should be less digital
noise, reduction in motion blur, and a boost in low-light performance
when compared to previous iPhone models.
In
a nutshell, that is a build process that arranges the elements within
the sensor in a way that allows more light to be captured and
transformed into digital information. On one hand, the iPhone 4 has a
back-illuminated sensor as well so having the technology on the iPhone
4S’ camera isn’t anything groundbreaking. But on the other, Apple claims
that the new iPhone’s sensor captures up to 73% more light than the one
found in the previous model, so we might see some noticeable real life
improvement after all.
Color accuracy
A so-called hybrid IR filter
blocks away those pesky infrared rays allowing only visible light from
entering the camera module. Now, Apple didn’t bother to describe what
the “hybrid” part of the feature’s name stands for, but one possible
explanation is that the IR filter both absorbs and reflects the unwanted
infrared spectrum. With its help, the iPhone 4S' camera will supposedly
achieve better color accuracy and uniformity across the entire image.
Last
but not least, the A5 chip will also play a part in making those photos
of yours look better. Apple claims that its built-in imaging signal
processor can deliver up to 26% more accurate white balance when
compared to the previous iPhone model. Since our first-hand experience
with the iPhone 4 shows that its camera doesn't get along well with
bright sunlight, we hope that both these new features will take care of
the issue.
One more thing…
However, what the smartphone’s camera really outruns the competition with is its raw speed.
Apple claims that the iPhone 4S needs only 1.1 seconds for its camera
to boot, to focus on an object and to take a photo of it. In addition,
0.5 seconds are allegedly enough for the camera to capture the next
image. These latency times are nothing but mind blowing, and if they
turn out to be true out in the real world, the iPhone 4S would steal
the “fastest camera on a phone” title from the Nokia N9.
Video performance
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video should be worth a million. Apple’s latest smartphone can capture footage at 1080p HD resolution,
which is pretty much as high as any modern handset can go. The higher
resolution translates into sharper, more detailed videos, and the effect
gets even more noticeable if you play them back on your flat-screen
HDTV.
Another feature that helps making iPhone 4S videos look great is the temporal noise reduction.
In plain words, the still areas of the frame get their noise levels
averaged over time. There is a video demonstration of the technology on
YouTube, so feel free to check it out by hitting this link.
Video image stabilization
is a perk that you might be already familiar with, but it has to be
mentioned nevertheless. Think of it as a way of reducing the effect your
shaky hands have on the footage while it is being recorded, and the end
result is smoother, eye-pleasing video.
What Apple skipped on
Although
Apple equipped the iPhone 4S with one pimped out camera, the LED flash
that it is backed up by appears to be untouched. That isn’t good news as
the flash performance on the iPhone 4 was underwhelming, to say the
least. Sure, some of the changes in the camera’s optical system might
make a difference when shooting at night, but all the tweaks would be in
vain if the final image gets spoiled by a blob of light that the LED
flash is going to slap on it.
Conclusion
Nevertheless,
we cannot wait until get our itchy hands on the iPhone 4S and throw it
in the ring against some other smartphone heavyweights where its true
photographic power will be revealed. And even if it doesn’t emerge
victorious at the end of such a battle, it will surely give the
competition a run for its money.
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