Camera

iOS 7 GM brings camera burst mode to your iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Among the many improvements Apple has made to the iPhone 5s is its redesigned rear camera. It seems like everything on the iSight shooter has been updated, from hardware to software—which includes new slow motion video and continuous burst modes.

And as it turns out, folks with the just-released Golden Master version of iOS 7 can play with the latter feature right now. Simply open up your Camera app, and when you go to take a photo, hold your finger down on the shutter to take continuous, rapid shots...

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Check out these gorgeous photos taken with the new iPhone 5s

Cody Lee ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Apple likely disappointed spec-watchers everywhere when it announced today that it kept the camera on the iPhone 5s at 8-megapixels. This means that, on paper at least, the handset is inferior to those with 12, 13 and 41mp sensors.

But as you'll see in these sample photos, taken with an actual iPhone 5s, that's just not the case. With its five-element Apple-designed lens, F2.2 aperture and 15% larger active sensor area, the 5s will hold its own among the best of them...

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Apple video lays out iPhone 5s camera advances

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

Usually, Apple's S-upgrades are big on camera improvements and the just-released iPhone 5s doesn't disappoint in this regard. Although past S-upgrades increased pixel count on the back camera sensor - the iPhone 4S, for instance, introduced an eight-megapixel iSight camera, up from five megapixels on the iPhone 4 - the iPhone 5s's back shooter remains stuck at eight megapixels.

But photography isn't just about megapixels so Apple worked to improve low-light performance and the overal quality of your snaps, as well as enable new features like the super-slow motion video capture at 120 frames per second (stemming from the two-times faster 64-bit A7 chip).

Cody has already laid out some of the crucial new camera capabilities and now Apple has posted a video which takes us through some of the technologies that make the iPhone 5s the best iPhone camera yet...

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The iPhone 5s camera: F2.2 aperture, larger pixels, burst mode, Slo-Mo and more

Cody Lee ∙ September 10, 2013

As expected, the new iPhone 5s features a significantly upgraded rear-facing iSight camera. It has a new five-element Apple-designed lens with an F2.2 aperture and a 15% larger active sensor area. The pixels are larger too:—1.5 microns.

The camera software has also been largely improved. The Camera app now sets white balance, exposure, and creates a "dynamic local tone map" with "autofocus matrix metering" for 15 zones—all automatically. More details after the fold...

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How to make your iPhone jump to full brightness when launching the Camera

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

A new tweak from Auxo co-creator Jack Willis recently hit the Cydia store, and it fixes an issue that likely plagues more than a few iPhone photographers. CamBright is the name of the tweak, and it forces the iPhone's screen brightness up to 100% whenever the stock Camera app is launched.

The tweak is great for those of you who don't walk around all day with 100% brightness on your iPhone, but who like to have the full brightness whenever snapping photos or video. Have a look at our video that showcases how CamBright works.

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Nokia’s Lumia 925 ads take jabs at iPhone’s low-light performance

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated February 9, 2016

Apple's iPhone 5 is far superior to the iPhone 4S/4 in terms of the camera performance in low-light conditions. The industry hasn't stood still either and has been inching forward since last September's iPhone 5 debut. Specifically, Nokia's high-end Lumia smartphones have emerged as the mobile imaging devices to beat.

Its culture rooted in mobile imaging, Nokia felt compelled to challenge Apple's iPhone with a series of Lumia ads that criticize the Apple handset's relatively poor low-light performance compared to the Lumia PureView range.

It started with a rather bizarre ice-breaker 'Zombie' ad which set the overall tone two months ago. Then came Nokia's take on Apple’s 'Photos Every Day' ad and now two more commercials have arrived to proclaim the Lumias the king of low-light mobile imaging...

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‘CamRotate’ adds iPad styled rotation to the stock Camera app

Jeff Benjamin ∙ Updated April 14, 2018

CamRotate is a new jailbreak tweak that allows users to have more control over the Camera's in-app rotation options. CamRotate allows users to lock rotation in one of four orientations, sync rotation with the rest of iOS, and emulate an iPad-style rotation method.

A tweak like CamRotate won't appeal to everyone, but if you're an avid iPhone photographer, then it's something that may be worth your time. Have a look at our full video walkthrough inside for all of the details.

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Leaked manual details Sony’s upcoming iPhone lens accessories

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 16, 2013

A Sony-focused blog called SonyAlphaRumors on Monday published a few interesting tidbits regarding upcoming Camera Live lens attachments for smartphones that incorporate a standalone sensor with Carl Zeiss optics and built-in processing chips, normally seen on $500 point-and-shoot cameras. Details were scarce initially, but now we're offered additional glimpses into the the entry-level DSC-QX10 and the high-end DSC-QX100.

Thanks to a leaked manual, we know the gadgets will include advanced features such as focus ring control and expansive storage via memory cards. Go past the fold for the full reveal...

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Sony said to ready iPhone lens accessories with full-fledged camera features

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 12, 2013

Sony already supplies the main eight-megapixel iSight camera module on the back of your iPhone 5 and is likely to provide a thirteen-megapixel camera upgrade for the upcoming iPhone 5S, the rumor has it. There's a very good reason why Apple shops for iOS device cameras from Sony: the Japanese giant produces arguably the best CMOS sensors out there.

Case in point: a rumored lens camera accessories reportedly being worked on by Sony's engineers. These things will latch onto your iPhone or Android smartphone and provide your smartphone with a standalone sensor featuring Carl Zeiss optics, the same used by the Nikon 1 system...

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The iPhone 5S may incorporate dual-LED flash independently of camera lens

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated June 13, 2016

The not-entirely-accurate Taiwanese trade publication DigiTimes back in June 2011 incorrectly reported that the then rumored iPhone 5 would incorporate dual-LED flash. That hasn't panned out, but the rumor lives on. Numerous reports and a purported backplate seemingly point to Apple adopting dual-LED flash on the iPhone 5S.

But unlike the standard implementations, Apple engineers may have chosen to incorporate the LED flash module completely independent from the camera lens, potentially reducing interference with the camera module...

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Nokia’s Lumia 925 ad lambasts iPhone 5 camera

Christian Zibreg ∙ August 5, 2013

Microsoft's Apple-bashing in Surface commercials was just a start. Now the harsh criticism of Apple's devices extends to Microsoft-backed Nokia, whose Lumia 925 television commercial takes aim squarely at the iPhone 5's eight-megapixel iSight camera.

As you know, iPhones are Flickr's top three most popular cameras as "every day, more photos are taken with the iPhone than any other camera," per Apple's Photos Every Day ad. Nokia cleverly puts an interesting spin on the fact by believing that "better photos are taken with the Nokia Lumia than any other cameraphone"...

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