There are a couple of key new features in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus that make it an attractive device for enthusiast mobile photographers.
The iPhone 6 has digital image stabilization for still photos, while the iPhone 6 Plus has the coveted optical image stabilization. Both models sport a feature called “Cinematic Video Stabilization” for video footage. Of course the polished video from Apple’s demos are going to look great; however, waht’s the feature going to look like in everyday videos?
You can see the effects of Cinematic Video Stabilization in the video below shot with the iPhone 6 by the guys at Techno Buffalo.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI2tzx6pPL0&w=700]The jumping portion at the beginning of the video doesn’t really do much to show what we’re looking for in the iPhone 6’s Cinematic Video Stabilization. What I’m more impressed with is the overall look and feel of the video footage. It has a “Steadicam” look to it and seems to live up to the name of the Cinematic Video Stabilization feature.
Because this Cinematic Video Stabilization is available on both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus, we know it is a software function that creates the stabilized effect. When Apple first announced this feature, I thought of Adobe’s Warp Stabilizer in After Effects and Premiere Pro. After seeing this footage, I have to believe that something similar is going on in processing the footage.
The iPhone 6 is capturing 1080p video; however, it’s not clear whether the camera is using more than 1920 x 1080 pixels to accommodate the Cinematic Video Stabilization. Similar to the way Warp Stabilizer works in post processing with footage greater than 1080p resolution, the camera may be borrowing extra pixels around the frame to digitally stabilize the footage.
Whatever Apple is doing, it looks pretty slick and, again, Apple is raising the bar of what kind of image quality a phone can deliver.
