Camera Showdown: iPhone 5 vs iPhone 4S

Camera Showdown: iPhone 5 vs iPhone 4S:
The iPhone 5’s back camera isn’t dramatically different from that of the iPhone 4S, but it’s the little changes that can make a noticeable difference. Not only is the shutter speed 40 percent faster on the iPhone 5, but the lens also offers improved low-light capture with reduced noise. We snapped similar photos with both devices and pinpointed the differences, and many show a worthwhile improvement for what is sure to be everyone’s new favorite point-and-shoot replacement.
In the image pairs, the left photo was taken with the iPhone 4S, and the right photo was taken with the iPhone 5. Click to see them larger.

Grabbing low-light photos of these adorable, half-asleep cats, we noticed deeper colors on the iPhone 5 images, whereas the iPhone 4 photo seemed faded in parts by comparison. Looking closer, there’s definitely less noise in the background of the photo, which is most evident on the brown dresser on the right.

In this well-lit shot of boldly colored flowers in natural daylight, we discerned very little difference between the iPhone 5 and the iPhone 4S. Both capture the intense beauty of the plants and deliver clarity throughout. With solid lighting, you’re unlikely to see a huge difference between the cameras.

It’s difficult to catch a speeding car, especially with a smartphone camera! As our iPhone 4S shot shows, there’s some notable blurriness to the moving vehicle in the foreground. Swap to the iPhone 5, however, and a vehicle traveling about the same rate appears clearer in the frame. Bless that speedier shutter.

Shot with a solid amount of daylight pumping through the windows, this indoor shot of a crowded mantle looks largely the same on both devices, though a closer look reveals richer colors throughout from the iPhone 5 shot. The iPhone 4S photo looks just a bit whitewashed by comparison.

Here’s another outdoor photo, albeit one taken in the shade rather than with direct sunlight all around. As with the flowers shot, though, it’s hard to find much here that really sets the two apart in terms of color and detail.

As for the standout photo feature of iOS 6, Panorama? Luckily, it worked pretty much identically in our tests on iPhone 5 (bottom) and iPhone 4S (top). Simply choose it from the onscreen Options menu, hold the phone in portrait orientation, and then hit the button and follow the onscreen line as you move the phone. Within moments, you’ll have a slick and sharable wide look at the world around you.