iPhone 4S vs Canon P&S vs Nikon D90

October 26, 2011

An image shootout between the iPhone 4S, a digital point and shoot (Canon SD870 IS), and a digital SLR (Nikon D90). I have tried to match focal length as best I can. On the Canon I zoomed in slightly to try and get the same field of view. On the Nikon I used a 14-24 lens at 24mm.

iPhone Camera

Sensor: 8 megapixel CMOS sensor (1/3.2″)
Focal length: 4.28mm
Aperture: f/2.4
Image dimensions: 3264 x 2448
Focal length multiplier: 7.61
35mm equivalent: 32.6mm

Canon SD870 IS

Sensor: 8 megapixel CCD sensor (1/2.5″)
Focal length: 4.6-17.3mm
Aperture: f/2.8-5.8
Image dimensions: 3264 x 2448
Focal length multiplier: 6.02
35mm equivalent: 28-105mm

Nikon D90 with Nikkor 14-24 f/2.8 Lens

Sensor: 12 megapixel CMOS sensor (Nikon DX)
Focal length: 12-24mm
Aperture: f/2.8
Image dimensions: 4288 x 2848
Focal length multiplier: 1.5
35mm equivalent: 18-36mm

More about image sensors

Photos were taken with the Canon set to Auto, flash disabled. The D90 was set to “P”, flash disabled, lens at f/2.8. All devices were hand-held, medium light. Here are the results.

iPhone 4S