Apple iPhone 3G S Video Review

by Kaitlyn Chantry and Jeremy Stamas
Published on Jun 19, 2009 7:02 AM

 
Intro
 Product Tour
Color & Noise Performance Motion & Sharpness Performance
Low Light Performance Compression & Media
Manual Controls Still Features
Handling & Use Playback & Connectivity
Audio & Other Features Samsung Omnia Comparison
Flip UltraHD Comparison Sony MHS-PM1 Comparison
Conclusion Photo Gallery
Specs and Ratings


Introduction
As far as gadgets go, the iPhone is as ubiquitous as water. One of the big new features on the iPhone 3G S is video recording. Given the fact that so many people will own one, it's only natural to suspect that 3G S owners will consider saving a few hundred bucks and making their phone their default camcorder (at least until the economy picks up). With this in mind, we thought it important to stand the new iPhone up against the competition to see how it fares.

In short, the iPhone 3G S is a surprisingly capable camcorder. It's at least as good as the standard definition Flip Mino, and offers an exceptionally intuitive interface that far exceeds the typical, labyrinthine experience of a full-featured video camera. Lacking HD, it falls short of being a complete replacement, but we are very impressed with Apple's first time out on the field.
    (Page 1 of 17) Product Tour

 

Section The Good The Bad
Product Tour Slim and sleek No tripod mount
Color & Noise Performance Excellent performance The Samsung Omnia cell phone performed slightly better in bright light noise
Motion & Sharpness Performance Surprisingly smooth motion It's standard def, and it can't compete on sharpness with HD camcorders
Low Light Performance A solid performance in low light No shutter speed control means motion can look choppy in low light
Compression & Media The .mov files are highly compatible with any computer running QuickTime No removable media
Manual Controls Easy to use for beginners There are no manual controls
Still Features Again, easy to use, and this generation has upgraded photo specs Again, lack of manual controls.
Handling & Use Exceptionally intuitive interface and horizontal or vertical shooting options Phone's surface is slippery and it's awkward to hold
Playback & Connectivity Simple, straightforward playback controls No included cables for TV playback
Audio & Other Features Other features? This camcorder does everything, even phone calls. Mono audio recording

 



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