The latest iPhone from Apple comes with the iSight camera found on the 4S and has the ability to shoot 28 megapixel resolution images. It is available in black or white with prices starting from £529.00 and increasing depending on the size of the built-in memory, with options being 16Gb, 32Gb and 64Gb.
iPhone 5 iSight Camera Features
The new iPhone features the 8 megapixel iSight camera that was found on the iPhone 4S and has been improved with a brand new panorama feature using one smooth motion up to 240 degrees. It uses the gyroscope, A6 chip and camera app to create a high-resolution panorama up to 28 megapixels.
The app has been updated, with 40% faster photo capture and better performance with reduced noise in low-light. With Face Detection, up to 10 faces can be recognised by the camera. The camera app maintains features previously found such as the LED flash, grid to help with composition and HDR.
Videos are recorded in full 1080p HD with improved video stabilisation. The front camera records in 720p HD, but the main use for this is FaceTime. Pictures can be taken at the same time as video recording.
Key Features
- 8 megapixel iSight camera
- Five element f/2.4 lens
- 4 inch, 727k dot retina touch screen
- GPS and digital compass
- 1080p HD video recording up to 30 fps with improved stabilisation
- 240° panorama mode creating 28 megapixel images
- Autofocus
- Tap to focus video or still images
- Face detection in video or still images
- LED flash
- HDR
- Available in black or white
iPhone 5 iSight Camera Handling
The iPhone 5 is the lightest iPhone yet being just 7.6mm in depth, it is slightly taller than its predecessor as it has a larger screen, but weighs just 112g. It is the perfect size for keeping in your trouser pocket.
The screen is a 4 inch widescreen multi-touch display with a resolution of 1136x640 pixels. It is wonderfully bright and clear and very simple to use. Apple haven't changed any of the physical buttons, but have moved the headphone socket to the bottom and have changed the USB to a lightning connector, which is much smaller than the one used on previous models.
There are very few options available within the camera app that comes pre-installed on the iPhone 5. There are options to adjust the flash setting, turn HDR mode on/off, switch between the front and back cameras, switch to video mode and the shutter release button. There are other apps available which offer a self-timer, burst mode and other settings which are familiar on compact cameras.
We took a number of shots to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to first photo, shot to shot and focusing speed. We take a number of shots and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easy to compare with other cameras.
Shutter Response
| | 0.05 secs |
| Switch on Time to Taking a Photo | | 34.0 secs |
| Shot to Shot without Flash | | 0.2 secs |
| Shot to Shot with Flash | | 2.2 secs |
The shutter responds quickly and is very quick from shot-to-shot, but does take an age to switch on.
iPhone 5 iSight Camera Performance
Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.
Apple iPhone 5 Sample Photos
 Portrait | 1/25 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 50
High-Res |  Landscape | 1/475 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 50
High-Res |
 Low Light | 1/15 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 800
High-Res |  Pet Portrait | 1/120 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 64
High-Res |
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Sample Photos - Images are well exposed with good colour reproduction, particularly when using the HDR option (HDR is covered in more detail below). It's not a particularly good camera for portraits as you have to be up close to your subject and skin tones don't look great, although you could use an app such as Perfect365 iOS App to improve your portrait pictures.
Apple iPhone 5 Lens test images
 Wide Angle | 1/653 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 50
High-Res |  Digital Zoom | 1/733 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 50
High-Res |
 Trees | 1/120 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 64
High-Res |  Macro | 1/50 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 64
High-Res |
| |
Lens Performance - Image detail is good, but the digital zoom option is best avoided, you might as well crop your pictures using another iOS app. You can get up close to your subject to take well detailed macro shots.
Apple iPhone 5 ISO test images
 ISO50 | 1/33 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 50
High-Res |  ISO64 | 1/33 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 64
High-Res |  ISO400 | 1/20 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 400
High-Res |  ISO640 | 1/17 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 640
High-Res |
| | | |
ISO Noise Performance - You can't manually control the ISO setting on the iPhone but it rarely goes above ISO 200 even in darker conditions. This may lead to blurry photos if you are shooting moving subjects in low light. Noise isn't a problem up to ISO 200, but you can see in the ISO 400 image above that noise has reduced image quality. As you'd expect it worsens when using ISO 800 (see low light image above).
Apple iPhone 5 White-balance test images
 AWB - fluorescent lighting | 1/20 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 200
High-Res |  AWB - incandescent lighting | 1/40 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 50
High-Res |
| |
White Balance Performance - You can't control the white-balance setting either, but under our fluorescent and incandescent studio lights, the iPhones auto white-balance performs well.
Panorama 1 | 1/1004 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 64
Panorama mode - Panorama images are really impressive, they are really well stitched together with impressive detail, the full size version of the image above is 25 megapixels!
Window No HDR | 1/20 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 80 | | 
Window HDR | 1/20 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 80 |
Drive No HDR | 1/128 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 50 | | 
Drive HDR | 1/128 sec | f/2.4 | 4.1 mm | ISO 50 |
Another impressive feature is the HDR mode, with this switched on it takes two pictures, one with HDR and one without. In the first example above, you can see the extra detail in the image in the bright window. The second example gives you a lovely blue sky when using HDR, the non-HDR version looks rather dull.
Video - Below is a video recorded in full 1080p HD and quality is good.
Value For Money
The iPhone 5 is available with prices starting at £529. The market for smartphones with a good camera is intense, with options including the Nokia Lumia 920 (8.7 megapixel camera) priced around £300, LG Optimus 4X HD (8 megapixel camera) priced around £310, Samsung Galaxy S III (8 megapixel camera) priced around £380, Sony Xperia T (13 megapixel camera) priced around £400 and Nokia PureView 808 (41 megapixel camera) at £499.
iPhone 5 iSight Camera Verdict
Upgrading from the iPhone 4 to iPhone 5 delivers a clear increase in image quality. Not only this but it is quicker in use, for example, HDR pictures are rendered much quicker. We recommend you use the HDR mode all the time as it generally produced much better results. The new panorama mode is excellent and really easy to use.
What is frustrating is the limited ability to change camera settings, such as ISO, white-balance, or simply to use a self-timer. There are apps available that allow you to set a self-timer, but surely it's about time Apple opened up these options via their own camera app.
In terms of the camera, the iPhone 5 is the best yet. You can spend much less and buy a compact with much better image quality, but as a smartphone camera, the iPhone 5 is pretty good.
iPhone 5 iSight Camera Pros
Large number of apps available
Fantastic panoramas
HDR mode delivers good results
Size and weight
Geotagging
LCD screen
White balance performance
Easy to share pictures
iPhone 5 iSight Camera Cons
Expensive
No image stabilisation
LED flash not great
Very few camera settings available
| FEATURES | |  |
| HANDLING | |  |
| PERFORMANCE | | |
| VALUE FOR MONEY | |  |
| VERDICT | | |
Apple iPhone 5 Specifications
| Manufacturer | Apple |
| Lens |
| Max Aperture | f/2.4 |
| Lens Range | No Data |
| 35mm equivalent | No Data |
| Image Sensor |
| CCD pixels | 8Mp (Megapixels) |
| Pixels (W) | 3264 |
| Pixels (H) | 2448 |
| Sensor Size | No Data |
| Sensor Size (width) | No Data |
| Sensor Size (height) | No Data |
| Aspect Ratio | |
| LCD Monitor |
| LCD Monitor | 4in |
| Screen resolution | 727,040 dots |
| Touch Screen | Yes |
| Focusing |
| Focusing modes | |
| Exposure Control |
| Shutter speeds longest | No Data |
| ISO sensitivity | No Data |
| Video |
| Movie mode | Yes |
| Video Resolution | |
| Video FPS | 30 |
| Stereo Sound | Yes |
| Other Features |
| Image Stabilisation | Yes |
| Interface |
| USB | USB 2 |
| Wi-Fi | Yes |
| Storage |
| Internal Memory | No Data |
| Power Source |
| Battery Type | Built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery |
| Box Contents |
| Box Contents | Apple EarPods with Remote and Mic, Lightning to USB Cable, USB Power Adapter, Documentation |
| Dimensions |
| Weight | 112g |
| Width | 58.6mm |
| Height | 128.8mm |
| Depth | 7.6mm |
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