Sunset at Baker beach

OK, you're probably thinking this is a bit of an unfair comparison although the Apple iPhone 3GS camera lacks an (arguably useless) LED flash, the Palm Pre camera lacks the (absolutely essential) auto-focus, as well as video recording

But, other than the difference in camera and storage specs, the missing GSM/UMTS radios, and the limited selection of apps, the Pre provides 95-105% the iPhone 3GS user experience and features a QWERTY keyboard that is pretty impressive!

People currently looking for a subsidized über-phone in the US are going to compare the iPhone 3GS and the Pre (and perhaps even the T-Mobile G1 and the Blackberry Storm). So what about the 3 megapixel camera on each device?

The iPhone 3GS camera improves significantly over the iPhone and iPhone 3G by adding auto-focus (with macro) and video recording. Its the only other phone (beyond the Nokia N93i) that features continuous auto-focus during video recording. The resulting pictures are a little soft, but color balance is excellent. The sensor is somewhat noisy, but good image processing helps.

The touch to focus feature is nice, but the associated spot metering is hit and miss, with some shots getting overexposed. Id still prefer a dedicated 2-stage shutter button for better grip and control. Im also wondering why the iPhone 3GS email client still downsizes pictures to 800×600 pixels, making it impossible to send original pictures to Flickr, for example.

Its a shame that the Palm Pre camera lacks auto-focus (and lacks a macro, in particular). Nonetheless, the resulting pictures are quite nice, especially with proper lighting. Theres a decent amount of detail, and color balance is good. Low-light performance is rather poor, however.

Its possible to record time lapse videos with the Pre, since image processing takes place in the background, but thats no substitute for proper video recording. Hopefully, this is going to be remedied soon.

To wrap this up, here are a couple of iPhone 3GS sample videos.

For more information, visit http://tnkgrl.wordpress.com/2009/06/25/apple-iphone-3gs-vs-palm-pre-camera/

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Travel & Events

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• tnkgrl
• cameraphone
• iPhone3GS
• sanfrancisco
• bakerbeach
• sunset