Apple has copped a bit of flack from users of previous-generation iPhones for the lack of decent imaging options.
The iPhone 3G S featured a three-megapixel (3MP) image sensor with auto-focus and tap-to-focus control but video recording was pretty lame with just VGA (640×480-pixel) resolution at 30 frames per second (fps).
No LED flash. No HD recording.
Part of the problem for video recording is the processing capabilities of the 3G S – it simply doesn’t have enough grunt to handle anything more than VGA video capture.
Enter the new iPhone 4 with Apple’s A4 processor and things finally improve.
With two image sensors on board, the iPhone 4′s major selling point is videocalls obviously but in terms of actual high-quality video capture, things have moved on nicely.
The new version now features 720p (1280×720-pixel) video capture with up to 30fps frame rate. We’ll have to wait and see if it’s possible to reduce this down to a more PAL-friendly 25fps for those countries not bound to NTSC video standards but even so, the resolution improvement here is three times the 3G S.
Still image capture gets an increase to 5MP and a LED flash is now available. That said, LED flashes aren’t the be-all-and-end-all and really are only useful for very close-up shots. LEDs aren’t that powerful but we are talking about a smartphone, not a flashgun.
Apple is a little quieter when it comes to spruiking the capabilities of its front-firing VGA camera, simply saying it will capture VGA stills and video up to 30fps.
The tap-to-focus option has been expanded to support both still and video capture.
Like the latest-generation iPad nano, we expect Apple to use H.264 video encoding and AAC audio encoding for video captures, enabling the iPhone to playback those videos on the high-resolution 960×640-pixel LCD screen.
While Apple claims the iPhone 4′s battery will last up to ten hours’ of video playback, there are no details on how long it will last with video recording, particularly in 720p HD mode. Given the complexity of capture and encoding H.264 video, we suspect battery life will drop to around seven hours at best.