iLounge has posted a suite of brand new videos comparing the video capabilities of the new iPhone 4 to those of the iPhone 3GS and Flip Ultra HD.
A set of two 720p videos, filmed at the same time, show how the iPhone 4 camera directly compares against the Flip Ultra HD camera, a pocket-sized rival that Apple targeted last year with video camera updates to the iPod nano and iPhone 3GS. For the first time, iPhone 4 has the resolution to compete pixel for pixel against Flip’s higher-end recorder, and it has something Flip doesn’t: Tap to Focus during video, enabling the iPhone 4 to create depth of field effects, but also to render some scenes softly relative to the Flip since the latter device’s fixed-focus lens offers consistent sharpness without depth of field capabilities.
The first iPhone 4 video is here, and the comparison Flip Ultra HD video is here. The second iPhone 4 video is here, and the comparison Flip Ultra HD video is here.
For those interested in seeing the iPhone 3GS versus the iPhone 4, a longer set of videos shows how the older 640×480 camera on the iPhone 3GS compares to the newer 1280×720 camera on the iPhone 4.
Both devices now have Tap to Focus capabilities during video recording, but differ in both aspect ratio and lens width; the iPhone 4 crops and scales down its 5-Megapixel sensor to get the 720p frames it captures. Each set of two videos was recorded at the same time. The iPhone 4 video is here, and the iPhone 3GS video is here.