iPhone 4s Camera... Wow!

It's been said that the best camera is the one you have with you (originally from Chase Jarvis) and the iPhone 4s camera brings you one step closer to ever-ready, high-quality image capture. 

These are the specifications for the iPhone 4s camera:
8 Megapixels
30mm approx focal length (it's about the same as the iPhone 4)
F/2.4 fixed aperture
Face detection autofocus
Tap to focus
Tap and hold to lock focus and exposure
LED flash (on, off or Auto)
Electronic image stabilization in both camera and video mode

The iPhone 4s, as an all-in-one device, is a boon to ultra-lightweight travelers like bicycle tourists and I took a risk and brought my iPhone 4s as my only camera on a recent bike trip to Malaysia.  It was the first time I'd put camera and video on my new iPhone to the test.  Needless to say, it was not perfect, and I learned quite a few things.  Here's what I got:

A journey from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh, Malaysia, via the Central Highlands.  4 days, 400km, 17,200' of climbing.  Shot entirely with the iPhone 4s.

Here are some tips from what I learned:
Turn on your camera quickly by double pressing the home button twice (IOS 5).

Don't 'zoom in' by pinching the screen.  The camera uses a digital zoom which degrades the image.  Use your legs to walk closer or crop the image later in post production.

Tap and hold to lock focus and exposure.  If you don't like what you see, reposition the camera slightly to brighten or darken the image and tap and hold again.

If you haven't bought your iPhone 4s yet, get one with lots of memory (32G or 64G).  Video capture eats memory!

The camera lens is vulnerable to flare.  Flare occurs when sunlight hits the lens directly and washes out contrast and detail.  Shade the lens with your hand and be careful not to let you hand get in the picture.

The image stabilizer is only good for stabilizing hand-shake, mostly on static shots (oops!)

When panning, or otherwise moving the camera around in video mode, do it slowly to minimize the jello or rolling shutter effect.

Find a better way to stabilize the camera.  Maybe with the Joby Gorillamobile for iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S which also comes with a nice protective bumper.

The iPhone 4s is not going to replace my DSLR.  I have faster, easier and more control over my DSLR than the iPhone 4s' camera.  But for fast and light adventures, the iPhone 4s has proven itself to be a capable camera!

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