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...
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...
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...
Capture stunning lightning photos with your iPhone using these simple tips and techniques for shooting in fast-paced, low-light conditions.
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.
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...
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.
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...
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...
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...
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"...
As the iPhone's camera becomes the handset's most-used feature, Apple is increasingly looking for ways to enhance the experience. The latest example comes in a patent granted Tuesday which combines three sensors providing images with improved color saturation and lighting.
According to the patent approved by the U.S. Pantent and Trademark Office, the three-sensor technology described by Apple is part of a trend among smartphone manufacturers adopting multiple image sensors for greater mobile photography...