The iPhone 4S Camera, the verdict so far

With over 4 million iPhone 4S's being sold in the first 3 days of release, there has been no shortage of photos circulating the internet, but how does the camera in the new 4S compare to that of the original iPhone 4?

Well thanks to Simply B&W developer Brian Kennedy, here are a couple of examples. The first photo was taken on an iPhone 4, whilst the second with a 4S.

Above: Taken with the original iPhone 4. Click to enlarge.Above: Taken with the iPhone 4S. Click to enlarge.

Of the above photos, and the iPhone 4S, Brian said "I think the pictures speak for themselves, but overall I was amazed at how much warmer images were with the 4s, how much better the 4s handled low-light situations (far less noise), and how much more dynamic range the 4s offered."

Brian is not the only person impressed with the new 4S, as blog reader Rob, had this to say:

"I'm thrilled with the increased resolution. Most of the money I make from images comes from gallery sales, where an image hangs on a physical wall.  Larger prints naturally draw the prospective buyer, and it adds an extra "wow" when marketing them as 100% iPhone ("that big? From a phone?!?!").

I'm beside myself with glee over the external shutter button.  I was just getting into underwater iPhone photography when Camera+ came out with their unauthorized hack, and it was the perfect work-around to the loss of capacitive touch underwater.  It's nice to see it make an official appearance, although I find it amusing that Camera+ doesn't seem to have that feature.

The 4S feels much faster jumping between apps and it already feels quicker in-app.  As tabiwallah (Alan Kastner) pointed out in one of our conversations, it "will shave hours off of processing time."  But then, that's admitting how much time we all spend on apping…"

But it's not just existing iPhone owners who are impressed with the camera on the new 4S, as Android switcher, Daniel Ware, said:

"I just made the jump from Android (Droid X2) to iPhone 4s and it has just been over 24hrs since I made what may be the best decision ever (in regards to phone purchases). I am a amateur photographer and while I do carry my Canon DSLR with me everywhere it can be a bit cumbersome to take it out for what some may seem mundane photos. I looked at a few point and shoots and it seemed that was where I would be heading, but the buzz among fellow photogs was that this new iPhone would eliminate the need......it has. The camera is excellent. Excellent flash capabilities. HDR is easy to turn on and off. Face recognition actually works and works well. Instagram is awesome, 24hrs in and I am hooked on posting to this app. Hands down the best smartphone I have owned to date. If you are a casual photographer, amateur, or pro then this phone, and it's camera, will add convenience and joy to your everyday life."

Have you just upgraded to the 4S, switched to a 4S from a Droid or another platform, or just new to the iPhone? If so, what do you think of camera?

Comments

[Mr Tmney]

Is it just me or does the first photo (iPhone 4) look overwhelmingly better than the second image (iPhone 4S). If that is the case... I have no need for an iPhone 4S as the results on my iPhone 4 look better.

[Allan Mullan]

@Mr Tmney - really? You think so? The 4S shot is MUCH clearer! You should look around at all the other examples, amazing the difference it makes - though this example isn't the best shot but look at the hills and also the dark shadow over the road gets lots more detail.

I personally am really glad I'm seeing these shots. After spending the amount of money I've spent to get a 4S I'm going to be a very happy 4S owner!

[Glyn Evans]

@Mr Timney, I think the 4S shots is sharper and has more detail, but for me looks too warm.

[Clement]

I also think the photo from iphone 4 looks better.... maybe iphone 4s does better in shadow details, but I think general iphone users are not pro photographer, they might like the saturated iphone 4 photo better.

[Mr Tmney]

Ahh the thing for me is, I don't care for it to be sharper, I like the darker shadowing on the street etc in the example shot & also the crisper colors. The warmth of the iPhone 4S shot & lest dark & crisp appeal with exposed shadows is what I do not want at all.... Though my opinion.

[James Moore]

Hmmmm I have to say I think the iPhone 4 images are warmer (more red) and the iPhone 4S images have less red - the scale moving towards green (so yellow) in them.

Probably the white balance in the 4S sensor is better at handling the natural (normally rendering as more blue) light. There's definitely less red in there.

End of the day, the 4S has better optics, a better sensor, and more latitude at capturing detail in the shadows.More detail means more data, which means better images as there's more in the 'digital negative' to start off with.

The end of that building is where I can see it best. The gable end is just rendered so much better in the iPhone 4S.

Definitely a good step forward.

[Busted Kate]

So jealous, love the 4S picture! Is that picture taken in Bisbee?

[MATTHEW HEMINGWAY]

i like the idea of sharper pictures and reduced noise will see when i get the 4S .

[alan kastner]

I'm surprised people start making assumptions of camera quality based on a single photo posted here. @Mr. Tmney et al, I strongly recommend you go out and look at a selection of images taken in varying conditions before you start deciding which camera is best. The 4S absolutely smokes the 4 in almost every area. But again, don't believe my words. I encourage you to go to Flickr, friends, or wherever you choose and use your own eyes!

[Mazen]

i would like to see some shots from iphone 4s at night lets see if cmos or xmos what ever sensor iphone 4s has

[Brian Kennedy]

@Mr Tmney While I would probably edit the 4s shot above so that it is slightly cooler, those 2 photos above are from about 9 in the morning and the light was low coming into the canyon. The colors are far more accurate in the 4S version.

@Busted Kate - Yeah that's Bisbee. My wife and I traveled south for our anniversary this past weekend.

For those that want to see the rest of the comparison shots(there are some night shots in there as well) check out:
http://www.mrbware.com/4_4s_Comp.htm (smaller versions but details about where the shots are from)
or
http://www.flickr.com/photos/imrbware/sets/72157627802883959/ (full res versions but no details)

[Mike Hardaker]

@Brian, a question - for the comparison, was the iPhone 4 running iOS 5 (i.e. using the same camera app as the 4S) or iOS 4.x? I ask, because the two apps* seem to manage exposure and white balance somewhat differently, which may explain some of the more striking differences between your very interesting comparisons.

*(Actually, more than two possible variations - camera functionality at the OS level differs between different iOS 4.x releases...)

[Diego O'sullivan]

In My opinion that is not the big updated y have been waiting , the differences betwen iphone 4 and 4s are pretty small! I had an Iphone 4s in my hands and the results of the photos are great but, you can have the same result if we use an app like camera+ and make a small correction with warm tone and the shadows with hdr filter.

[Richard Bailey]

Are we iphone 4 users being made to feel inferior mere mortals?

Whilst I am sure the camera in the 4S improves on the 4, I haven't seen any images that make me feel it's that much of a leap, unlike the the improvements from the 3gs to the 4.

I really like the quality of the images the 4 gives me so will not be upgrading, rather I'll wait until the iphone 5 is released and see if the that brings some truly big improvements in the camera. Mind you then all the iphone 4S users will no doubt be made to feel inferior mere mortals.

[big fried]

The iphone 4 image is just much more interesting! The 4S is just more like a cheapo digital camera, bland - no character. If you want sharpness, low noise, accurate colours etc - use a camera! You can import the images to your phone and use in your apps and start with superb quality if that is what you require. if it's too much to carry a tiny compact around then honestly you are not really very serious about it.

[Brian Kennedy]

@ Mike - all photos were taken with the stock camera app in iOS5. In general I tried to treat the cameras like a point and shoot and let the cameras auto adjust. In the few shots where the 4 or 4s had trouble with the brightness I set the focus/brightness point manually on both cameras. I know the indoor desk shot was set manually and I believe the waterfall shot may have been as well.

@ Richard- I hope not and that was certainly not my intention for the shootout. My wife got the 4S because her work changed their cell coverage and it's ideal for me as a developer because I'll have the last 2 HW versions. I don't plan on upgrading until the 5 either but I can say I will probably use her camera when we're together. I prefer the 4s camera since it has truer color and can I adjust the balance in post processing. As with all things in the arts this is subjective and just my opinion so your mileage may vary.

I'd be interesting in seeing some naturaly cooler shot comparisons(rainy day, forrest, coastal scenes, etc...) if anyone's got some. I don't know if I've seen so much as a cloud in the past week here in Phoenix.

[Amy]

From photos I have seen, I think the 4S takes more naturally toned images. A lot of reviews mention that it handles low light conditions better and this is a big plus. The 4 overexposes images quite a bit in my opinion so for people that love vibrant photos, they'll definitely not warm up to the 4S images. I am such a person, I love bright photos that accentuate colours and I'm a big fan of HDR. However, the image detail and better resolution would move me to the 4S knowing that I can apply filters to get the colours I want and do HDR post processing without so much grain and loss.

[PhilipH]

If current trend in inapp image editors/processors is any indicator, there are large number of people who prefer iPhone 4's (and other cameras/phones) over saturated, over sharpened, high contrast and over exposed shots, understandably as they are more dramatic and "artistic".

However, to most of photographer's trained eyes, 4s image is noticeably "better" than the one from iPhone 4. James brought up the good point; 4s simply produces quantitatively better image as a 'digital negative'. Wider dynamic rage and better detail, not to mention higher resolution, will certainly help photographers tremendously during post processing. And that's why I'm eager to ditch my current smartphone for an 4s:)