1080p video from the iPhone 4S compared to a Canon 5D Mark II digital SLR side-by-side

With the iPhone 4S, Apple entered the era of 1080p HD video recording that most dual-core Android handsets have been into for a while now. There have been shootouts between digital SLRs and phones like the Nokia N8 with its large for a smartphone 1/1.83" sensor, but now for the first time an iPhone has been pitted against a Canon 5D Mark II, which arguably is one of the SLRs to beat in terms of video capture.

Both devices have been fastened to a camera rig side-by-side to shoot the same scene, and the resulting 30fps videos have been synchronized, so you can stop and examine the resulting footage frame by frame.

The final outcomes are actually pretty close - of course, even the three-year old Canon 5D Mark II with its huge sensor is much more adept at low light than the iPhone 4S. For all practical purposes, however, you would most likely carry a smartphone with you when an opportunity to shoot footage arrives, so the old saying that the best camera is the one you have with you fully applies here. It works the other way around, too - if you are in for a studio shooting session, you'd laugh at the imaginary choice between a digital SLR or an iPhone 4S.