Sure, critics love the clarity and speed of the improved iPhone 4S camera. All Things D's Walt Mossberg even called it "brilliant." But you know what they say -- a picture's worth a thousand words.
A gorgeous video shot by Vimeo user Benjamin Dowie on the new iPhone's high-definition 1,080p camera looks more like an indie music video than something filmed on a phone. The video captures a day at the beach--complete with crashing waves, waving sea grass and skateboarding--and moves indoors for an intimate look at various domestic details. The images are clear and steady, and the depth of field is, according to Dowie's description on Vimeo, "flipping awesome."
The video isn't completely raw -- Dowie writes on Vimeo that the colors were altered using Final Cut. It's also important to note that he isn't exactly an amateur. Dowie runs Beanpole Productions, an independent film studio in Australia.
Nevertheless, Dowie's video is a testament to the powerful 8-megapixel camera on the iPhone 4S. Dowie even wrote on Vimeo that he's considering ditching his real camera, and he's not the only one. According to Focus Taiwan News Channel, sales of digital cameras, especially cheaper ones, are expected to fall in the next few years as smartphones with great cameras become more common.
Other smartphone companies are focusing on top-notch cameras, too. In PC Magazine's comparison of the top smartphone cameras, Samsung's Galaxy S II was the runaway winner in the video department. Not only did Samsung's 1,080p camera score better than the iPhone 4S, but it shot better video than an actual digital camera, the Nikon Coolpix P300.
Likewise, Nokia was so confident in the camera on their N8 smartphone, released last year, that they offered $10,000 to the artist who made the best short film using the N8. Nokia awarded the first place prize to a pint-sized story about a long-distance romance, "Splitscreen: A Love Story," at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. "Gulp," another short film shot on the N8, even set a world record for largest stop-motion animation set.
To see how great smartphone video can be, check out Dowie's gorgeous iPhone 4S footage below.
WATCH: [via Daring Fireball]
For more iPhone 4S features check out our slideshow (below).
13 Things To Know About New iPhone
