iPhone 4 Camera & HD Video…Now that’s cool!!!

Last Thursday saw the long awaited release of the iPhone 4; but was it really worth all the hype and getting up at 4am to line up outside the O2 Store in Windsor and wait for it to open? (Along with Mrs D and 14 other people at the time I hasten to add) Well I guess as a fan of all things ‘Apple’ I’d be expected to say ‘yes’ but in an effort to remain impartial I’d still have to say that the upgrade really is quite something.

The biggest things I was looking forward to was the improved camera now boasting 5 mega pixels and with built in LED flash, HD video recording and a high resolution screen going under the name of ‘Retina Display’.

Focusing on the camera (no pun intended) the quality of the pictures in relation to their clarity, colour, tone and sharpness really are quite something in comparison to the previous iPhone models. As a photographer having a camera with me at all times is a ‘must’ as it helps to keep me fresh and constantly looking for the ‘shot’ but I also really do think that for anyone who would like to have a camera with them at all times but doesn’t fancy carrying around a Digital SLR or separate Point and Shoot, the iPhone is a viable alternative. Don’t get me wrong, the iPhone is no replacement for a digital SLR but it’ll definitely capture good quality, useable pictures for you.

As for the HD video recording, this is something I was really looking forward to seeing and haven’t been disappointed. The 720p HD is extremely crisp especially when viewed on the new ‘Retina’ display screen and the ability to ‘touch screen’ focus and expose just works…plain and simple. In addition, Apple released iMovie for iPhone which is a scaled down version of their desktop video editing software; the same software infact that I have used a lot to make some of the ‘Behind the Scenes’ and ‘Editing’ videos on my YouTube Page.

I couldn’t resist having a ‘play’ at editing some video footage on the day I got the new phone with iMovie, so here’s my first attempt using footage and photographs taken using my iPhone 3Gs. Incidentally, this took no longer than 5 minutes to put together and sure it’s not perfect by any means but it gives you a feel for what can be done with a bit more time:

Here too is a video made and edited entirely on the iPhone 4 that I saw posted on John Nack’s blog. When you watch this, remind yourself that this has all been done entirely on the iPhone 4 and has been nowhere near a computer…really cool stuff!!!

Sure there’s a heck of a lot more to the new iPhone than what I’ve covered in this short post but like I said at the start, it was the camera, HD video and Retina Display that I was most looking forward to. Of course now my mind is working overtime thinking of the possibilities; photo shoots filmed and edited entirely on the iPhone, Live video feeds and so it goes on…

So I guess the question is….do you use an iPhone and if you do have you upgraded? What enhancements were you most looking forward to?

Any questions / comments about anything in this post, as always please feel free to use the comments section below.

Enjoy

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