Is the iPhone camera going to be good enough now?

I'll be getting the iPhone 4 next week. I can't wait. I've been waiting for the camera to get good enough for me to ditch my P&S's. I think the time has come. The 5MP, the auto-focus, tap to focus, the flash, the backlit sensor, the spacing of pixels, bigger chip, and of course the flash.

http://www.apple.com/i​phone/features/camera.​html

I'm not sure if those pictures are legit, but they claim the samples are untouched and straight from the iPhone.

Thoughts?

I like the way they intentionally simulate a slow loading speed when you click the pictures. If those really are taken with the phone, they blow my 3g iphone out of the water!

Well anything is going to be better than the 2mp I'm stuck with on the 3G

More usable is good - I often don't have a camera with me other than what's in the phone and the better it is the happier I am those times something unusual crops up.

Not enough to want to make me sell my E-P1 or EOS line just yet though.

It's not bad, though note that all of the pictures were taken in very well-lit conditions...I've had a 5MP Sony Ericsson for 2+ years and it's definitely nice...but if I'm going anywhere where I'm expecting to take pictures I still take my G9 or 30D with me.

I wish they would add some kind of exposure compensation. It always seems to underexpose photos.

It does look good as far as phone cameras go - I'm glad they didn't try to stuff more megapickles in there than was needed.

darosk wrote in post #10384348
It does look good as far as phone cameras go - I'm glad they didn't try to stuff more megapickles in there than was needed.

I love me some megapickles!

Just messing with ya

I'm hoping it is. I have a 3G and it's terrible. The 3Gs is better and the 4 is improved again, so I've got my fingers crossed. Right now I have a GF1 (for sale) as my P&S and I don't use it enough. I had an s90 before it but wanted HD video... So my fingers are crossed the 4 can do both for me with it's 720p and new still camera.

timnosenzo wrote in post #10384298
I wish they would add some kind of exposure compensation. It always seems to underexpose photos.

+1

Sorry to say this, but a LED light as flash is useless for anything further away than 1,5 meters. You'd need a Xenon flash, as in the Nokia N82 or N8 for it to be of any real use.

Also, I'm curious: how big is the iPhone 4 sensor? I've heard claims that it's "large", but no real numbers.

I'm guessing that if you wan't a phone with a decent camera, then get the Nokia N8, which has a 1/1.7" sensor (same size as G11) and a real flash.

the iPhone 4 has a 1/3.2" sensor

I don't plan on having to use the flash all that much to tell you the truth. Unless it's a group photo at a club. Even that I'll be fairly close and some iPhone apps can take care of the expsoure if needed. I'm developing the plan for this project (i365 project) as we speak. I wanted to be able to shoot, edit and post all from the iPhone.

More info on the camera system here: http://arstechnica.com …one-4-for-shutterbugs.ars

they don't have exposure compensation??? that's pretty lame...I've had Sony Ericsson phones for years and years and they've had compensation for a long, long time...

there are camera apps that allow you to adjust the exposure compensation.

it's a camera phone. it's not meant to replace a camera. I think it is going to be pretty darned good for it's intended purpose, to get shots you would not otherwise get because you didn't have a camera in your bag. I think it is freakin' great!

I'm really looking forward to the iPhone 4.

My wife has my old original iPhone and I have a 3G, and we both love our phones. As far as cameras though, the only one we have besides the phones is my old Canon G3.

I've been wanting to replace my G3 for a couple years now, partly because it's outdated and partly because my wife feels like it's too bulky and complicated for her to use. We'd been looking at something like the S90.

Now, with the iPhone 4 coming out, I think that problem is solved. The resolution and addition of the flash, plus the ease-of-use, is going to make it the perfect camera for my wife when she just wants to take a snapshot. No need to replace the "family" camera with a P&S. Plus - added bonus - it means that I can divert the budget I was going to spend on the S90 towards upgrading to an SLR. Color me thrilled.

All that said, a phone camera isn't ever going to be great for more than casual snapshot photography. On a recent trip to Lake Tahoe, we went on a hike and I took some pictures with both my iPhone and my G3. As it turns out, I ended up taking nearly the same picture once with my iPhone 3G and once with my Canon G3. The difference is stark, even with my "outdated" camera:

IMAGE LINK: http://picasaweb.googl​e.com …llSIlmA?feat=em​bedwebsite

IMAGE LINK: http://picasaweb.googl​e.com …llSIlmA?feat=em​bedwebsite

Good enough for what?

When compared to a 1DMkIII + 24-70 L the answer will always be no.