iPhone 4: Camera Review

iPhone 4 Camera Review.The iPhone 4 has brought a whole new range of features to the iPhone including multitasking and FaceTime, but one of the features we were most excited about is the new camera in iPhone 4 which could see the iPhone becoming a serious contender to the compact camera market.

The previous iPhone models only featured a 3 megapixel camera that was notoriously bad in low light conditions and suffered from rather severe shutter lag. It also lacked a flash.

But of course the question is – is it any good? Well so far the reviews on iPhone 4 have mostly been positive. Apple had the good sense to include a bigger chip, rather than just try to cram more pixels into the existing one. This is good news for budding photographers because it means the low light capabilities are far better because the rear-illuminated CMOS sensor helps brighten things up and capture more light.

The iPhone 4 camera features five megapixels and easily stands up against high definition phone cameras, which seems to support Apple’s claim that a pure megapixel count is not a sufficient measure of the quality of the image.

The autofocus on the camera is fast and quick to react when you move or you can tap the screen to focus the square elsewhere. Macro shooting is one of the iPhone 4 camera’s strengths and you don’t need to worry about pictures being out of focus; close up shots provide rich, colorful pictures.

One of the main drags of the iPhone 3 series was that it didn’t have a camera with a flash. Well luckily Steve Jobs decided to listen on this one and the flash is a welcome addition, especially when you’re in places with low light levels. It’s not perfect and you can have some red eye problems but this is no different to any other camera phone.
The iPhone 4 actually has two cameras – the main one and one front facing one which you can use for video calling or to take self portraits. The camera is a much lower resolution and not particularly flattering but remember – it’s supposed to be for video calling. If you want a high definition picture you’re better off using the main camera.
There’s a 5x digital zoom which comes in handy, although the further you zoom in the worse the shot can be due to shake issues so in some instances you might be better off just walking a bit closer to your subject.

You can switch to HD video mode with a one touch slide at the bottom right of the screen and you can use all the camera features – focus, switching cameras and flash – but not the zoom function for shooting videos. The detail is sharp and crisp with bright web-friendly footage, although this can be ruined by the lack of a wind/outside noise filter which is a shame.

It’s good to see that Apple have made major changes to their camera and it certainly could make it a major contender for mobile phone users who want to use their phone as a camera, but of course all camera phones have limitations. That said the point and shoot capabilities, especially performance in low light is one of the iPhone 4’s strengths. It’s faster and sharper than the previous iPhone models and will definitely be a hit with Apple fans who have long lamented a decent camera on their phones.

About Author
James McNorris, I’m a big fan of iPhone 4 apps. My favorites include ‘I am T-pain’, ‘Talking Carl’ AND ‘Fat Booth’ (a funny one to play with your mates). I always check out the Dialaphone blog to stay up-to-date with all of the latest news in the mobile phone world.

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