Apple iPhone 3G S Digital Camera
Digital Camera Review
Jun 19, 2009
- By Tim Barribeau
2.7
The Apple iPhone 3G S adds some significant under-the-hood improvements, including an updated three-megapixel image sensor with autofocus and video recording. The camera performed well in color accuracy and resolution, but we disliked the shortage of controls.
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Resolution (15.94)
In our normal course of testing, we would look at resolution at three different focal lengths of the lens. The iPhones don't use optical zoom, so it has only one fixed focal length. Because of this, we were only able to look at one distance. The iPhone 3G S did very well in terms of distortion and chromatic aberration, but had very low sharpness. Click here for more on how we test resolution.
Distortion
The 3G S has very low distortion, just 0.20% barreling at its sole focal length of 3.85mm. This is an improvement over both other iPhones, and significantly better than the Sony T900.
Sharpness (3.76)
Even with the new three-megapixel sensor, the iPhone 3G S has very low sharpness. The images all look distinctly soft.
Chromatic Aberration (9.15)
The fixed focal length lens showed very low chromatic aberration. With an image this small, and this lens, you won't have to worry about color fringing.
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3.85 mm |
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In terms of overall resolution, the iPhone 3G S is a bit of a step up from the 3G, a significant improvement over the original iPhone, and manages to outscore the Sony T900 due to the iPhone's much better distortion score.
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Picture Quality & Size Options (2.00)
The Apple iPhone 3G S has no options for picture quality or size. You are restrained to the three-megapixel mode that is the camera's maximum resolution.
Image Stabilization (0.00)
The iPhone has no image stabilization system.
