Austin Mann took the new Apple handsets to Iceland

Sep 19, 2014 08:08 GMT  ·  By

Apple had a pretty busy couple of weeks. The tech giant introduced the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus and also unleashed the latest version of its operating system, iOS 8.

Naturally, the company has upped things in the photographic department a lot, and initial reviews of the handset have pointed this aspect out, referring to features and performance alike.

But if you’re curious to know how much better the iPhone 6 is at snapping pieces of reality, you can get your questions answered by professional photographer Austin Mann.

Mann takes Apple's latest smartphones to Iceland

Mann is a known figure in the industry especially due to his work with National Geographic and Travel Channel. Now he took both Apple’s new handsets, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, on a photo trip in Iceland and the results are in.

The review is quite extensive and offers an in-depth explanation to the camera’s new feature with a highlight on focus pixels, exposure control, time lapse, AE/AF lock and such.

Mann also shot some images and placed them in comparison with similar ones taken with Apple’s previous-generation handset, the iPhone 5s.

Overall, the iPhone 6 hardware represents a major improvement over the previous iteration, especially in light-capturing ability, resolution and color accuracy, and you can check the results in the gallery to see for yourself.

An apt example is shown in a video comparison (you check it out on Mann’s own website) of the autofocus speed between the iPhone 6 and iPhone 5s.

He focuses on the rock before throwing it into the sea, but before the rock hits the waves, the iPhone 6 has already refocused on the water, while the iPhone 5s’ focus remained unhindered.

In the review Mann makes a point in highlighting the phase detection autofocus, which Apple calls “Focus Pixel,” explaining that this system has allowed the company to redefine the process of shooting.

And on top of the uber-fast constant focusing capabilities for photos and video, Apple has also extended the dark scene shooting mode.

Other features tested in the review include the new phones 240fps Slo-Mo mode, time lapse mode, panoramic imaging and optical image stabilization.

On the software front, we’re told the presence of iOS 8 bestows greater manual controlling capabilities on taking images. The new on-screen exposure control is there to help with frame dramatic shots better.

Both handsets deliver impressive results

Anyway, it should be noted that the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus differ in one aspect, photo-wise: the latter has optical stabilization, but Mann concludes that the images shot with the handsets are equally impressive.

Note that some of the images were edited using photo tools, but the raw results are still a great ground to start building upon.

iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus Camera Samples (7 Images)

iPhone 6 Plus camera sample
iPhone 6 camera sample, uneditediPhone 6 camera sample, unedited
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