New toy for filmmakers

From the Studio Daily blog:

Apple’s iPhone has impressive imaging capabilities, for a phone. But now that the specs are out for the new iPhone 4S, what does it mean for filmmakers? At first glance, the answer might seem to be: “Not much.” But, based on Apple’s widely live-blogged presentation, the company really has gone all out to improve the capabilities of the on-board camera. It now boasts eight megapixels of still-photo resolution. Apple was quick to point out that pixels aren’t everything, noting that a new “backside illuminated” CMOS will actually capture 73 percent more light, which should make a real difference in image quality. Capture speed has also been boosted, as has accuracy and uniformity of color. Even the tiny lens has outsized capabilities. Apple has packed five separate elements into the lens assembly, as part of a design that, it claims, increases sharpness by thirty percent (hopefully that means real, optical sharpness and not some digital-processing voodoo) and yields an aperture of f/2.4. White balance is also “26 percent better”, Apple says, although it’s not clear exactly what they’re measuring there. Video recordings can now be made at 1080p, and the iPhone 4S will have image stabilization and temporal noise reduction built in. That sounds good, assuming the algorithms being used don’t give the pictures too much of a plastic, highly processed look. It’s a real boon for consumers but, beyond some novelty projects, it’s doubtful that filmmakers will want to use the iPhone as a primary capture device. However, as a documentary tool, it could be invaluable. If creative people can carry around a quality still and video camera during every waking moment, a trip to the corner store can become a location scout and a Sunday afternoon snapshot can become part of a mood board. Not even the vaunted iPad, becoming one of the platforms of choice for on-location dailies playback and other creative tasks, is as handy for capturing the spirit of a moment as the iPhone. Or any camera phone, really. But, as Apple lavishes attention on the quality of iPhone images, here’s hoping it encourages more filmmakers to document their own creative processes. Just imagine the footage we might be rediscovering if Orson Welles had an iPhone in his pocket.

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