Uploaded October 2011 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
A couple of short video clips -- one taken in shadow, the other in bright (setting) sun -- provides a comparison between two cameras, the Canon 7D and the iPhone 4S. Clearly, these two cameras are intended for a very different type of user, and there's no real comparison between the two cameras. The 7D has infinitely more flexibility to truly "dial in" the exact settings desired for a particular scene being shot. However, here, in this demonstration, I didn't attempt to really dial in anything. I just went with my standard settings on the Canon 7D. Without going into a lot of detail, suffice it to say that I use a "User Defined" picture style on the Canon (similar to the one recommended by filmmaker Philip Bloom). And all I really did on exposure settings was to fiddle enough with the ISO and aperture to bring the exposure within reasonable range of "normal." If I was actually shooting something that was important to me, I would have spent a lot more time on the settings. What you'll see here, however, is that the iPhone 4S holds its own quite nicely against the 7D. The 7D has a much softer look (something I actually prefer about it in many situations). But the harder-edged iPhone 4S look is also quite pleasing to my eye, and I'm sure to some, it is superior. But make no mistake, the 7D can run circles around the iPhone 4S. There really is no comparison between the two cameras. But this side-by-side examination does provide some interesting contrasts, and reveals that the iPhone 4S is a very fine camera. Just a whole different animal.
A couple of short video clips -- one taken in shadow, the other in bright (setting) sun -- provides a comparison between two cameras, the Canon 7D and the iPhone 4S. Clearly, these two cameras are intended for a very different type of user, and there's no real comparison between the two cameras. The 7D has infinitely more flexibility to truly "dial in" the exact settings desired for a particular scene being shot. However, here, in this demonstration, I didn't attempt to really dial in anything. I just went with my standard settings on the Canon 7D. Without going into a lot of detail, suffice it to say that I use a "User Defined" picture style on the Canon (similar to the one recommended by filmmaker Philip Bloom). And all I really did on exposure settings was to fiddle enough with the ISO and aperture to bring the exposure within reasonable range of "normal." If I was actually shooting something that was important to me, I would have spent a lot more time on the settings. What you'll see here, however, is that the iPhone 4S holds its own quite nicely against the 7D. The 7D has a much softer look (something I actually prefer about it in many situations). But the harder-edged iPhone 4S look is also quite pleasing to my eye, and I'm sure to some, it is superior. But make no mistake, the 7D can run circles around the iPhone 4S. There really is no comparison between the two cameras. But this side-by-side examination does provide some interesting contrasts, and reveals that the iPhone 4S is a very fine camera. Just a whole different animal.
