Photo shootout: iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, Galaxy SII, Amaze 4G

One of the best aspects of the best-selling iPhone 4S is the 8-megapixel camera and the new sensor Apple has put in it. While we definitely love the camera on Apple’s latest smartphone, how does it compare to the cream of the crop and the previous model? I’m glad you asked, as we’ll show you some comparison shots of the iPhone 4S, iPhone 4, Galaxy SII (Epic 4G Touch) and the T-Mobile Amaze 4G.

While you can quibble with some of the features, the color and the shutter time, most of these phones can credibly replace a point and shoot camera. The iPhone 4 is probably the worst among these three but it’s older than a year and is still the most popular camera on Flickr.

iPhone 4S: With an 8-megapixel camera, the iPhone 4S can take some great shots. The dual-core processor means the app loads quicker, shot-to-shot time is much faster than on the previous model and low-light shots come out great. New things in iOS 5 like quick access to the camera from the lock screen, the ability to use the volume up button to take shots and the on-board photo editor make the iPhone 4S a great phone to take pictures with.

Amaze 4G: The Amaze 4G is arguably the best shooter of the lot, as there’s virtually no lag time between shots, pictures come out beautifully, and there are a wealth of photo options. Whether it’s a panorama, close-up macro or a low-lighting shot with flash, photos from the Amaze 4G look great blown up or shared on social networks.

Samsung Galaxy SII, Epic 4G Touch: The Epic 4G Touch for Sprint performs like a champ when it comes to pictures, as the 8-megapixel camera captures bright and clear shots and it has multiple shooting modes which can really come in handy. Like all the other devices, the tap-to-focus is smooth to use but I wasn’t as impressed with the low-light shooting with flash on this compared to the latest iPhone and the Amaze 4G. Still, photos turned out vibrant and look great on the Super AMOLED Plus screen or on a larger display.

iPhone 4: It’s probably not fair to expect a 16-month-old phone to provide the same quality as the other three devices but the iPhone 4 can still do some solid pictures. The iOS 5 software adds some much-needed features like photo editing but the 5-megapixel camera just doesn’t product the same quality of shots as the other three. The photos aren’t bad at all but there are better cameraphones on the market, including the iPhone 4’s sequel.

Standard settings, good lighting – iPhone 4S, Amaze 4G, Epic 4G Touch, iPhone 4