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I need to interrupt my regular scheduled programming to write a little blurb about the new iPhone 4s. I keep reading over and over again how great the camera is in it, especially in low light, but few seem to have compared its pictures to the pictures of anything else. So while the word on the street is that the camera does as good a job as a point and shoot, and that it basically makes having a second camera kind of redundant, nobody’s really shown any substantial evidence to back that up.

I didn’t want to take the tech pundits’ words for it, so tonight I drank a PBR, put the can down next to a cool Vespa calendar, and decided to make my own little comparison. I scrounged up every camera I could get my hands on and took a picture of my PBR/Vespa scene. The list of cameras included the iPad 2, the iPhone 3, the iPhone 4s, Panasonic’s DMC-FX500, Canon’s G9, the Rebel XTi, the 40d, the 5d, and the 5d Mark II. I fitted Canon’s 24-70 f/2.8 L series lens to the dSLRs just to make for a fair comparison. I mean, the optics in a Canon L series lens are about on par with a phone’s camera, right?

I dimmed the lights in the room and created a scene with the following exposure: ISO 800, f/2.4 to 2.8, and 1/15th of a second. Basically, in layman terms, that means there was about as much light as a restaurant at night. Not a dimly lit one, and not a bright fast food place. didn’t use a flash and I shot with Auto White Balance on all the cameras. I actually took the first shots with the Apple phones, imported them into the computer to find out what their exposures were, and set the rest of the cameras to match. I’m sure there are all sorts of people who are going to argue with my methodolgy, but this isn’t really intended to be much more than a rough idea of how these these gadgets stack up against each other.

So what did I find? Well, the pundits are kinda right and kinda wrong. The iPhone 4s’ camera isn’t bad at all — in fact, it’s great (for a camera in a phone) — but I hesitate to compare it to a quality point and shoot, at least in the poor lighting conditions that illuminated my PBR/Vespa scene. Of course the 4s is way better than the iPad, and it’s also significantly better than the iPhone 3, which suffers from a soft lens and heinous color noise in low light situations. But to say it’s as good as a point and shoot is a bit of a stretch. The flash is underpowered and there are no manual controls that would otherwise let you milk a scene for the best results. There’s a fair amount of noise at ISO 800, even compared to my 3 year old Panasonic DMC FX500, and the iPhone lens just can’t compete with the more sophisticated lenses in dedicated cameras.

But — and this is a huge but — there’s something to be said about an 8 megapixel camera stuffed into a smartphone. For everyday purposes, this thing does outdo a point and shoot simply because it’s already in my pocket. And what’s more, in broad daylight, the gap between the iPhone 4s and the point and shoot cameras narrows dramatically (see below). I anticipate it’ll take two to three generations of smartphones to truly close the gap with point and shoot cameras. But meanwhile, I bet you I could make a pretty fancy looking 20×30 canvas print with my new iPhone 4s if I took a picture in well lit conditions.

Anyway, as I expected, the iPhone 4s camera came in just behind my Panasonic DMC FX500 from 2008. It got trounced by the Canon G9 from 2007.

Here are images from all the cameras, roughly resized to the size of the image from the iPad at the top. I realizing that resizing them doesn’t make for a fair comparison, but I’ll leave that to the camera review sites. Hopefully this will give some people a rough idea of how everything compares.

Some general thoughts:

• iPad 2 – The camera is basically a joke. I included it for reference only. It’s less than 1 megapixel and the noise is horrible.
• iPhone 3g – Check out the shadows on the right of the picture and you’ll see the color noise. This is hard to clean up. You can also see, when compared to the image below it, how soft the lens is.
• iPhone 4s – Pretty good, though there’s a lot of shadow noise. The good thing is there’s nowhere near as much color noise as in the images from its predecessor, which is impressive.
• Panasonic – This is the closest competitor to the iPhone 4s camera, but it’s still sharper and cleaner.
• Canons – These are in here just for reference. Notice how tight the grain is on the G9 compared to the iPhone.

I also decided to to check things out in daylight, the results of which are below. Realizing that the only real competitors in my closet were the Canon G9, the Panasonic and the iPhone 3, I left the iPad and dSLRs out. The results were still pretty much the same, though (as expected) the gap in image quality between the cameras narrowed dramatically. The G9 still stands on its own, but the difference between the iPhone 4s and the Panasonic is very narrow. There’s less chroma noise in the 4s, though its grain is really ugly. I found the white balance to be pretty good on the iPhone. Go ahead and click on that below image if you want the full res version.

I was intrigued by how the iPhone stood up to the Panasonic in daylight, so I decided to just take a picture outside to get an idea of what regular snapshot actually looks like. Pretty good, particularly on the web. Again, clicking below will get you a high res version.

But I was a little disappointed by the amount of noise present in the sky, which you can see below at a 100% crop. Otherwise, the lens performed well and is pretty sharp.

Anyway, all in all, not a bad little camera. The iPhone 4s is not a replacement for a point and shoot, but it’s pretty close if you have a cheap one or an old one and you shoot pictures primarily during the day. If you are traveling and want a good camera for your trips, consider investing in a good, modern point and shoot.

Now, enough pixel peeping. Back to the fun stuff: people getting married!

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I recently changed up the background music on my web site, and I wanted to give a shout out to the awesome indie artists whose work is now featured: Herman Düne, Elias and the Wizzkids, and Bishop Allen. If you like what you hear, please support these musicians. They are all absolutely fantastic, and can be found on iTunes (links provided).

Herman Düne is the group behind the opening song Baby Baby, You’re My Baby, off the group’s Don’t Lie About Me EP. It’s one of my favorite tracks ever. When I asked about using the song on a website of wedding photos, David-Ivar, the singer and guitarist, wrote back, “Cool man, use it! Love pictures do sound good!” If you do swing over to iTunes, check out the group’s Next Year in Zion album, too

Bishop Allen‘s Click, Click, Click, Click is about a guy who sneaks into a wedding and finds himself in the group shots imploring the photographer to “take another picture with your click click click click camera.” Everyone is so happy that even a random dude in the family photos can’t ruin the mood. I listen to this song and am reminded of all the wonderful moments I’ve seen people share at their weddings, even when things don’t go as planned. The song comes off the group’s Broken String album.

And last, The Dance, by Swedish group Elias and the Wizzkids. Great song about a guy who feels something is missing from his life. He can’t figure it out, but then he gets home, turns on the music, and starts to boogie uncontrollably. I picture some dude dancing barefoot in his living room with a huge smile on his face, and it reminds me of brides and grooms dancing the nights away with their best friends in the world. Find it on iTunes ($3.96 for the EP, $0.99 for the single).

Anyway, just an enormous, enormous thanks. I’m totally honored that these great musicians have permitted me to use their art. Hopefully readers will enjoy the music as much as I do.

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I’m back in the States for a few weeks right now for a bunch of fun jobs — a wedding in Estes Park, a wedding in Vail, about a half dozen portraits, and two engagement sessions. I’m headed back to Europe in just a week and a half for the rest of winter and spring, and then we fly back here in mid-May. Fun to be home, already missing Norway, and beyond psyched for the summer in Colorado. Funny how all that works.

2012 is going to be a blast, with fantastic weddings and super cool clients throughout Colorado, the Bahamas, and Mexico. I’m totally excited.

I’ll get some new work up here soon, but meanwhile, swing on over to my sports photography blog to check out more details on this cool 2-page spread that just appeared in Photography Monthly, one of the largest camera magazines in the UK.

Stay tuned!

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Check out this crazy little guy I found tonight in the backyard. Stay tuned for some blog updates — new posts coming soon!

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Here’s another post as promised introducing some of the faces behind Dreamtime Images. Meet Bernd, another of our Associate Photographers. He started shooting with the studio in 2009, and spent the summer capturing weddings throughout the Colorado Rockies. I’ve known Bernd for about 6 years and love his images. Like myself, he’s an avid outdoorsman, and his love of nature truly influences his style. Aside from being a talented a wedding photographer, Bernd is an accomplished international mountaineering guide and has climbed some of the highest peaks in the world. He’s available for Associate bookings throughout California, Colorado and the Caribbean. Without further ado, meet Bernd and a few of his favorite shots! You can see more of his portfolio by visiting Dreamtime Images, clicking on the ABOUT tab, and scrolling down to his link.

Hi, my name is Bernd. I am motivated by meeting with happy people, seeing beautiful details and being in some of the most amazing locations. What my style? I can’t sum it up but I do notice that I have developed it over the years. I favor natural light and a journalistic approach for sure. I also like a lens choice close to what we see with our eyes. I believe that helps to create timeless images.

The last few years have flown by, they really have, in so many ways. Three years ago I became a father. That now tops my identity as family man, climber, guide and photographer.

Randomness: I love fresh air before going to bed. Better yet, I love sleeping in the fresh air. The most injuries I’ve had in a row is 5, and all in the last 6 months — and all on one side and descending. Shoulder, hip, knee, ankle, heel — what next, my little toe? Legos: I play with them long after my son has gone to bed. Food: I’m lactose intolerant but refuse to stop eating milk chocolate.

Here are a few of my favorite images.

This first picture has a pleasing simplicity to me. I like the calm mood and also the 3-dimensionality. Time and sound seem totally absent.

This second shot was taken at Colorado National Monument. The setting, the strong winds and the sweet personality of these two people makes this image one of my favorites to look at and remember. The rush of proximity to a sheer, immense drop-off and gusts of wind from a thunderstorm in combination with the height of emotion of their wedding really comes through in this shot.

I love the calm and closeness in this black and white shot. To me, there is a very pleasing feeling of certainty and warmth. I keep studying the photo for all the detail.

When I climb, my actions come naturally but I can’t re-live and remember the hard work and focus. This might be why I enjoy revisiting a place as much as seeing new ones. This shot from climbing in the Karakorum marks a milestone for me. It’s around 8,000 meters above sea level — that’s 26,000 feet! It’s also where I met my wife.

These last two shots are among my favorites as well. In the shot of my son, I like the softness of the water, the bright colors and rim-light and the reflection on his face. We all love puddles, don’t we? I also like the image on the right. There’s nothing more elemental than nature. I remember breathing the cold and moist air when I shot this, and the fog made the place seem endless. Two things make this a clear favorite: black & white film and the natural motif. This one is printed big and on my wall.

I always receive rave reviews from my clients who’ve chosen Bernd to shoot their big day. What I hear over and over is that his calm and reassuring demeanor helps couples feel at ease during the wedding day, and that results in photographs with lots of true personality.

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After shooting Tracy and John’s engagement session in Estes, I headed to Seattle to visit family and, of course, take more photos. I wandered into the woods on Whidbey Island with a macro lens the other day and came back with some interesting stuff. It’s always so cool to look at the patterns in nature — they’ve inspired so many millions of people over the centuries, and will continue to do so forever.

For anyone with a few minutes to spare and even the slightest interest in photography, I heartily recommend taking a stone and tossing it into the woods, and challenging yourself to shoot two dozen unique and different images from the spot where it landed. I do it now and again and am always surprised with what’s out there in the world.

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Back in February I took a dive vacation to the tiny island of Bonaire to focus on my exploding interest in underwater photography. I was down there for two weeks and did about 30 dives. It was the longest time I’ve spent diving continuously since my travel-the-world days right out of college — back then I was on an extended year-long adventure. Mostly I was rock climbing, but I supported myself by working here and there as a dive instructor in Thailand and the British Virgin Islands.

At any rate, I had a blast getting back under the sea. I came home from the trip and sold a story about my trip to Reach Magazine. I wrote and illustrated it, and It made the cover. I have another story in Reach in the next few months about how to take good photos. That’ll be fun to see in print too.

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The latest issue of the アサヒカメラ, also known as Asahi Camera, just arrived in the mailbox today, and it featuring another one of Sigma’s Our World ads that I shot last fall. This image was taken at the Great Sand Dunes National Monument in central Colorado — it was covered in snow, hence the white “sand.” Super cool place. It’ll be fun to keep watching these ads show up!

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I’m proud to announce that the studio has renewed its small business partnership with CarbonFund.org, one of the nonprofit leaders in carbon offsets. That means the entire business is carbon neutral (actually, carbon negative because we offset more than we use).

We’re always trying to do our part to reduce our footprint. We partake in the easy stuff, of course — using rechargeable batteries, recycling, keeping all paperwork as electronic as possible, doing electronic proofing, using CFL lightbulbs, etc. But our partnership with CarbonFund.org is a step forward. Our annual donation offsets more than 70 tons of carbon emissions each year through renewable energy and reforestation projects in North and Central America.

If you’re interested in greening up your wedding, check out visit carbonfund.org, or give us a shout out for some cool green wedding ideas. These include everything from using locally grown flowers to hiring an organic catering company or booking a wind-powered venue. One couple used flatware made of corn, while another decided to have all wedding gifts be donations to a nonprofit of choice. If you’re interested, we carry a variety of vegan friendly wedding albums, as well as a book that’s totally carbon neutral and made of completely recycled materials. Cool stuff.

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Here’s something exciting — my first image is in print for the Sigma Our World advertising campaign I shot in late 2008. This was part of the 2009 corporate calendar, and it features a shot of pro climber Ethan Pringle on Anaconda, a heinous 5.13+ trad line on Lumpy Ridge that’s only seen a handful of ascents.

Ethan hung out in Estes for a few days scouting some lines in the middle of a pretty ridiculous 2008 sending spree. He’s a certifiable badass and one of the world’s best all around climbers. He’s climbed 5.15a sport (Realization), solid 5.14 trad (Cobra Crack), onsighted 5.14, bouldered VImpossible, and, well, you get the picture. He’s super inspiring to watch charge, and he’s a lot of fun to hang out with.