iPhone 4S Camera Review, 4S vs iPhone 4 Camera Shootout
From the moment of the iPhone 4S camera announcement we were immediately intrigued by how well it performed against the old iPhone 4 camera. We were especially interested in how the new camera worked with the Olloclip. Being a new distritbutor for the lens accessory we were concerned the new f 2.4 lens might cause distortions or other problems when working with the Olloclip. Fortunately no problems arose during our testing the weekend the new phone came out. The fisheye photos, wide angle and macro shots were made with the Olloclip lens.
Below are some sample photos taken with both the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. Compare for yourself how the new camera competes against the old one. You can download original sized images at the end of this article. No photo post processing has been done to the full size images. The smaller images in the side by side comparison were simply resized from the original in Lightroom 3.
You really notice the old iPhone 4 camera’s tendency to overboost saturation and color in these flower photos. Detail is also lost in the bright color patches of the flowers. iPhone 4S tends to keep a little more detail.
Another thing we discovered is that the new faster f2.4 lens tends to give a shallower depth of field and more care must be taken to make sure the focus point is where you want it. A bit more manual focus via touch may be necessary when using the iPhone 4S camera.
 iPhone 4 |
 iPhone 4S |
 iPhone 4 |
 iPhone 4S |
 iPhone 4 |
 iPhone 4S |
We noticed that the color balance tends toward a warmer, slightly yellow tinge in daylight as shown in this macro closeup with the Olloclip.
 iPhone 4 |
 iPhone 4S |
White balance seems better on the new iPhone camera as seen on the plates. The iPhone 4 cam tends towards a slight magenta tint.
 iPhone 4 |
 iPhone 4S |
We saw slightly more shadow detail in darker areas of the picture when shooting with the iPhone 4S.
 iPhone 4 |
 iPhone 4S |
Exposure is more accurate on the iPhone 4S, the iPhone 4 exposure can be compensated by touching the area in the scene where you want the exposure to be taken in iOS5 but that tends to blow out the highlights. Generally, exposure is more accurate straight off the camera without user intervention on the 4S.
 iPhone 4 Auto Exposure |
 iPhone 4 Manual Touch Exposure |
 iPhone 4S Auto Exposure |
 iPhone 4 Auto Exposure |
 iPhone 4S Auto Exposure |
Low light photos were a bit of dissapointment. Shutter speed on the 4S is similar to the 4 which is to say slow. Noise between the 4 and 4S were similar. In dark conditions like the bar the 4S exposed more of the shadows but colors tended towards more of a “video” look.
 iPhone 4 |
 iPhone 4S |
Apple really emphasized the fast shutter speed of the new camera and in use it is definitely snappy making for a smoother photo experience. Sadly, the focusing speed is about the same as the 4 so while you can snap away quicker, you may end up with more blurry shots as the autofocus cannot keep up with the faster shutter speed. Nevertheless, for still shots or photos without a lot of motion, the new camera can capture moments that would have been missed with the older 4 camera.
Overall the new iPhone 4S camera is a commendable upgrade from the 4.
