A great pocketable camera that shoots RAW, gets pretty good low-light results, and has a sharp new HD video recording mode.
After having used an excellent RAW-capable point and shoot, the Canon PowerShot G11, for about 6 months, I sold it on eBay and bought the new Canon PowerShot S95, the G11's smaller sibling. I had originally been looking into buying the S90 (another excellent camera), but thought the G11's flip-screen and handling would be worthwhile assets.
Unfortunately, I had bought the G11 to be my pocketable 'vacation-cam,' and though it worked pretty well, it wasn't quite pocketable. I had to keep it in its case, and it was another item of luggage to carry around wherever I took it.
The S95's form factor allows me to truly pocket this camera, and not sacrifice the quality of image I can get with it too much. It's a heck of a lot better than my iPhone 4's camera, but still nowhere near as amazing as my D90 SLR paired with a good lens. To better convey a sense of how the S95 works in my life, I'll break down this review into a few relevant categories. Continue Reading »
In earlier posts, I've written about my new highly-portable audio/video recording setup, using an iPhone 4 and an external microphone. Getting great sound is half the game, when it comes to video recording. The other half is a stable platform by which to record. (Yet another half—making more than a whole—is good content to be filmed... and great editing...).
After watching this video on YouTube, I was inspired to make my own DIY tripod case/adapter for my iPhone 4. And, in lieu of making a video about it, I figured I'd just give a quick step-by-step of the build, along with a parts/price list, like I did for my DIY Blue/Greenscreen Backdrop.
Parts Required
The total cost of all these parts? $9.25 (Some parts include the Lowe's part numbers—most everything was found in the hardware aisle (heh... in a hardware store...).
Stanley 4" ZN T-Plate (2 pack) - $3.26 (#315657)
1/4 x 20 Hex Nut (single) - $0.04 (#63301 - although a winged hex nut would be better)
Nylon Push in Fastners (375N - 2 packs of 2, from Home Depot) - $0.96
iPhone case - pretty much any silicone case will do—3G/s cases work fine with the iPhone 4, bye the way (this one was $4.99)
Putting the Parts Together
Step 1: Put Silicone iPhone case on top of the crossbar portion of the T-bar (see image), and mark the hole locations with a permanent marker. Using a razor blade/knife, cut small holes (about 1/8" diameter) where you made the marks (using a piece of cardboard as backing is a great idea!).
Step 2: Push the Push in Fasteners through the holes you cut in step one, securing the iPhone case to the T-Plate. (You could already start using this as a tripod adapter case, by mounting it on the tripod in a vertical position.
Step 3: (Taking off the case is optional, but may help you a bit). Using two pliers, or a vice and some brute force, make a 90° bend in the T-Plate just above the bottom screw hole, bending the T-Plate towards the same side as your iPhone case is situated. Mount the tripod adapter to the tripod using the Hex Nut (a winged hex nut is much easier to use).
In the end, you'll have a nice, relatively-secure iPhone 4/3G/3Gs (heck, even the original iPhone will fit) tripod adapter. It's just too bad one can't do long-exposure photography on the iPhone, as the tripod would also help with that.
Notes:
Since I was using a 3G/s case, I had to cut the camera hole a little bit to make the iPhone 4's camera fit within the hole properly.
You could, alternatively, bend the T-bracket in some other fashion, or not at all, keeping in mind the balance of the iPhone while mounted on this tripod adapter—if you're using a tiny tabletop tripod, it might fall over if you have uneven weight distribution.
See updates about line-level, dynamic, and lavaliere mics (with video/audio samples) at the bottom of this post! (Also of note: you can use two powered mics at the same time with a Y-adapter!).
You can use external microphones (using tips found in this guide) with any of the following iOS devices:
iPad (audio only - there's no camera, but you can record audio using external mics)
iPhone 3G, iPhone 3Gs, iPhone 4 (audio or video recording)
iPod Touch (3rd generation) (audio or video recording)
After having used my trusty iPhone 4's HD camera for a few different impromptu shoots (even a shoot with over 40 minutes of 720p video), I finally had time to get together an awesome audio kit to carry with me to get professional sound to complement the excellent HD video quality:
Crown Sound Grabber II PZM Boundary microphone - $80 from Amazon
Audio-Technica ATR-3350 Powered Lavaliere Microphone - $22 from Amazon
KV Connection microphone-to-iPhone audio adapters (read more about them below)
Spare batteries - AA for wireless, LR44 for Lav, AAA for Crown (get a few extra on Amazon for cheap)
Sony WCS-999 Wireless Microphone Adapter - $100 from Amazon
(Note: Throw out the included mic, and use the ATR-3350 with this. Only good for 10-50 ft., but nice and cheap, that's why I'm recommending it.)
One option for easy external audio in a pinch is to plug in your headset, hit record, and voila! You have a much better sound-isolating mic than the iPhone's built-in mic (especially over distance). The disadvantage here is that the iPhone's headset cable is pretty short.
My typical video setup (especially for interviews) used to be a Canon GL/XL series camera with an XLR -> RCA box with phantom power to a condenser mic, or a wireless lapel mic, and it worked great... but it was rather bulky. I now simply grab my iPhone, an custom tripod mount (click here to see the tripod adapter, and how I made it), and the mic and cables, and set up in about a minute or two.
I just ordered a 1/8" Mic input adapter from KV Connection (among other cables—see below), and tested it with a few different mics and preamps to see if I can get some higher quality audio out of the built-in iPhone 4 Camera app's HD recordings.
Recording with a Shure SM58, Lavaliere Mics, Line-Level Inputs
I've been testing many adapters from KV Connection, and I've compiled all my testing results below:
The iPhone basically requires a mic-level, 800Ω+ input through it's headset jack, so you'll need to do one or two conversions: first, you need to get the correct connection, and second, you'll need to have your audio at the right input level (otherwise, the iPhone will switch back to its internal mic).
See videos for example usage of these connections below!
Connections
Whether you have an XLR mic, a 1/8" mic, a line-level source with a 1/4" TRS plug, or an RCA/phono jack, you can likely find a direct adapter for the iPhone's 4-connection TRS plug from KVConnection.
Here are the adapters I've tried, and my notes on their usage:
iPhone to 1/8" Mic-level adapter - this is useful for self-powered microphones, like a condenser lavaliere (see my recommendations below).
iPhone to 1/8" Line-level adapter - this is useful for plugging the iPhone into a computer, another iPhone/iPod, a tape player, a CD player, etc. (heck, you could even use your iPhone to record tapes to digital audio now!)
iPhone to XLR Mic-level adapter - useful for self-powered XLR mics, or for outputs on some professional mixers (as long as their mic-level and not line-level)
If you buy any of these, however, you can almost always find adapters at your local RadioShack, or make your own, to get from any connection to any other connection. I carry a box of about 20 audio adapters in my car for just this purpose.
Attenuation and Impedence-Matching Transformers
In order to get a line-level signal into a mic-level input (like the iPhone's), you need to attenuate (or 'pad') the signal. Some of KVConnection's adapters do this for you, but if you want to try another method, you can find line-to-mic transformers/pads from a variety of sources. Just be sure you have the right adapters to get your audio from source->iPhone!
You'll also need to be wary of the impedance (measured in ohms or Ω) of the output of your microphone or audio device. It needs to be at least 800Ω before the iPhone will recognize it as a valid audio input.
A few caveats:
If you're using an unpowered or dynamic microphone (like the SM58), you'll need a preamp, mixer, or low-to-high impedance transformer to increase the gain, or the iPhone will simply switch back to the built-in microphone. You can use almost any dynamic mic if you use either this or this KVConnection adapter.
For a good mic preamp, try finding a portable headphone amp like the Shure FP12 (an old, but rock-solid amp with level adjustment).
Recording Samples
Recording with Two Lavalieres - through Y-Adapter
If you have two powered lavaliere microphones (or any other similar mics, with mic-level, high impedance connections), you can plug them both into a y-adapter (I use a Monster iSplitter ), and you will then be able to have two independent mics (both into one mono connection, though) running into the iPhone directly (using the 1/8" iPhone mic adapter from KVConnection)!
Audio Technica ATR-3350 + Sony WCS-999 Wireless Microphone System
Here are a few audio samples recorded using the Voice Memos app on both my iPhone and iPad! (That's right - this solution works great with the iPad as well!):
Soon you'll be able to use most any dynamic mic with another adapter from KVConnection - for now, you might be able to use dynamic mics (with ~150 Ω output resistance) if you use a lo-z to hi-z transformer (must be at least 800 Ω before the iPhone will accept it). Read here for more info »
Whichever microphone you get, make sure you have batteries a'plenty for it - for most lav mics, you'll use an LR-44 button-style battery (you can get them from Amazon here, for a nice discount: 50 x AG13/LR44/A76 Alkaline button cell battery). For most other mics, you'll burn through a bunch of AA batteries - get 'em here, on Amazon: Duracell Procell AA Batteries, 24-Count.
The iPhone 4 is another great step forward from Apple. From the dazzling quality of the built-in camera and respective app, to the brilliance of the Retina display, this iPhone is an all-around winner.
After having tried an iPhone 4 display model at my local Apple Store, and tasting the Retina display kool-aid, I couldn't wait until my pre-ordered unit finally came in. Well, it did, and I have to say that one day's use has already impressed me enough to look on older iPhones with some amount of disgust. How could I have possibly coped with the low-resolution display, grainy camera, and rather sluggish upload speeds on the 3G and 3Gs?
Audio Quality
I have experienced great clarity in calls on my iPhone 4, both on my and the receiver's end. This is likely due to the fact that the iPhone 4 now has a noise-cancellation microphone on top, which helps to filter out background and static noise while on a call.
The speaker (for speakerphone or listening to music out loud) is on-par with my iPhone 3Gs, and the earpiece is about the same, too.
Everything else is about the same as the iPhone 3G/3Gs. Nothing much to report here.
Antenna Issues
None to report, so far. A lot of people have made a large amount of noise over this issue... and I can replicate the odd problem of signal loss when holding the iPhone 4 a certain way... but (a) this has not been a problem for me so far in one day's use, and (b) it has only happened in a few different places. At home, I can't replicate the problem. Go figure.
Retina Display
(Click image to view it HUGE, and see the detail of the Retina display).
Gorgeous. Need I say more? You really, really really have to see one in-person to appreciate it. No picture viewed on your computer (or any other current LCD, LED, or CRT display) can possibly do the Retina display's quality and sharpness justice.
Camera Quality (Stills)
I am what may be called a reluctant amateur photographer. Reluctant, because I really wish I could be a professional. Amateur, because I have neither the time nor the equipment required to be a true 'professional.' However, I have been privileged to shoot with pro cameras and lenses on multiple occasions, and I have (in my opinion) very high standards for 'keeper' photos (photos that aren't immediately trashed after importing into Aperture).
Since purchasing the Canon PowerShot G11, I have been using it as a walkaround camera during short trips, family parties, and similar occasions (rather than carrying around my Nikon D90 + lenses/flashes). I have always been one to consolidate, though, and as soon as the iPhone came out, I ditched my old Palm m505 PDA and separate cell phone. But camera phones have never been good enough to let me set down my point and shoot. Until now.
(Click on the image above to view the original, slightly color-corrected image).
This iPhone takes gorgeous pictures in good lighting. Even the background is exposed pretty well, even if there's some image noise. I'm extremely glad Apple's following Canon and Nikon's lead, and focusing on per-pixel image quality rather than megapixel insanity. While other companies are pushing tiny 1/10" sensors to 6, 8 or 10 megapixels, Apple increased the size of the camera sensor and stuck with 5 megapixels, so images retain pretty good image quality.
While not noise-free, like an ISO 80 shot on my G11 in good lighting (or, heck, ISO 400 on my D90!), the iPhone produces perfectly acceptable shots in most situations. Meaning I have one less digital device to lug around!
I also tested the iPhone in almost pitch-black lighting—the image below was taken using only the light from a fireworks display:
(Click the picture to view original, untouched image).
Two other things that allow me to use the iPhone as a walkaround camera: almost zero shutter lag, and a pretty quick shutter speed—I can take maybe 1.2 pictures per second - almost as good as my G11 (but nowhere near the nice 11 pictures/second of the Nikon D3 I love so much).
Camera Quality (HD Video)
For the past few years, I tried my hand at shooting video on my Nikon D90 (it shoots in 720p HD with a mono mic, but has few adjustments/controls), but found it much too cumbersome. The iPhone almost matches my D90's HD video quality (at least, in typical situations... I can't put a 50mm f/1.4 on the iPhone to get a beautiful depth-of-field effect!), and is in my pocket.
See the video below, which was completely shot and edited in iMovie on the iPhone:
(Click through to YouTube or click the HD button to see the 720p video quality).
A bonus feature of the video mode is that you can turn on the included LED light and use it as a flashlight—a very, very bright flashlight that gets noticeably warm after about 5 minutes of use! But this is much nicer than using the front screen of the iPhone for the purpose. I hope a good flashlight app (one that simply turns on the LED when the app is opened) is released soon!
Other Notes
The phone feels great in the hand, and fits a few of my old iPhone 3Gs accessories. Unfortunately, a lot of my old accessories were molded for the 3G/3Gs, so I can't transfer them to the new iPhone 4.
All my apps are working great on the new iPhone 4, but a few of the icons, and many in-app graphics/icons look pixelated on the otherwise-gorgeous Retina display.
The new iPhone 4 dock is rather annoying in that it has a small slit of plastic that very slightly encumbers the use of the iPhone in-dock. The 3G/3Gs dock let your finger run over the entire surface of the iPhone. Not a huge deal, though; just an annoyance.
Both the front and back now need a shirt-wiping every day (at a minimum). They'll both pick up your smudges pretty easily. I might invest in a thin case for this iPhone... I don't particularly like the bumpers Apple offers (especially at $29).
The sleep/wake button and volume up/down buttons are much more solid and easy to use. However, I'm not a huge fan of the metal silent/ring switch - it now requires a fingernail to activate (unlike the 3G/3Gs). Another minor annoyance...
), and you will then be able to have two independent mics (both into one mono connection, though) running into the iPhone directly (using the 1/8" iPhone mic adapter from KVConnection)!
). For most other mics, you'll burn through a bunch of AA batteries - get 'em here, on Amazon: 
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