One of the key new features of the iPhone 4S is its upgraded 8 megapixel camera. The new camera module, coupled with Apple’s powerful A5 processor now has the ability to take very good looking 8MP still photos, as well as full 1080p video. But how good really is that 1080p video? Very good, according to this side by side comparison with the Canon 5d MK2 camera.

iPhone 4S / Canon 5d MKII Side by Side Comparison from Robino Films on Vimeo.

Video Description:

Here’s a “fair” test between the iPhone 4S and the Canon 5D MK II. I made a little rig that allowed me to shoot both cameras at the same time side by side. All scenes are perfectly synced together so you can pause and scrutinize the frames! See photo of the makeshift rig in the photo area.

Exposure, shutter speed, frame rate and picture style were matched as close as possible between the two cameras. (I used the Zacuto Z-finder to help me adjust exposure for both iPhone and 5D)

This test shows that the tiny F2.4 lens and sensor on the iPhone are pretty nice. It even got a little depth of field!

I did not overlay the exact ISO and Stops 5D settings per shot. It was too much to keep track for this simple test. To be fair I matched 5D exposure to the iPhone so no “Cinestyle” / 24p here.

Here are the settings:

iPhone 4S

– AE.AF locked. That’s all you have!

Canon 5D MKII

– Canon 50mm 1.4
– ISO 160 ~ 640 (varied per shot to match the iPhone)
– F 7~22 (varied per shot to match the iPhone)
– Shutter 1/60th
– Auto WB
– Standard Picture Style
– 1080p 30

Big thank you to Voicewalk, Inc and Snap Recordings for the iPhone 4S and camera gear. Visit them at Voicewalk.net and snaprecordings.com