A friend of mine asked me the other day what I thought about add-on camera lenses for the iPhone. I told him the Olloclip was pretty popular, but I hadn't ever owned any myself so I probably wasn't the best person to ask.
You see, I've never really seen the point to these clip-on lenses. They just never seem to improve picture quality enough to justify the cost and hassle. But this new HiLO Lens might actually be worth taking a look at...
Shortly after the iPhone 5 launched, a number of users started complaining about a "purple haze" in their photos. It's essentially a purple flare effect that comes from a bright, out-of-scene light source while capturing an image.
Apple has already addressed the issue, and a number of other smartphones and portable cameras have been proven to have similar hazes. But if it's still really bothering you, there's a new app that claims it can help...
From a quality standpoint, the iPhone's built in camera has always been near the top of its respective class. But, admittedly, there are a few chinks in the armor when it comes to advanced camera features.
For instance, there's no countdown timer to be found inside the camera app. Also, more advanced features like independent reticles for exposure and focus are no where to be found. And what about a built in time lapse feature? That seems like only a mere dream at this point.
That is, of course, unless you are jailbroken.
Jailbreakers have the luxury of adding additional features to stock apps, and the Camera app is no exception. CameraTweak is a new jailbreak tweak that affords the ability to add all of the previously mentioned features into the stock Camera app, and then some. Take a look at our video walkthrough inside for the full details.
A few weeks ago, early iPhone 5 adopters started complaining of a purple haze in their photos taken with the handset. Apple responded to the issue, saying that users could remedy this by repositioning the phone.
But if that isn't good enough for you, you might be interested to hear that Fotodiox, an Illinois-based case-maker, has created an iPhone 5 case that it claims will eliminate the purple flare. Meet the camHoodie...
One of the headlining new additions in iOS 6 (headlining, as in featured in its own TV ad) is the Panorama camera mode. Once activated, the feature allows you to easily take extra-wide panoramic photos.
By default, Panorama mode has you pan your iPhone from left to right as it captures the image. But did you know there's an easy way to change it so you can pan from right to left?
In addition to the back panel scratching and light leak complaints, early iPhone 5 purchasers have spotted another flaw in Apple's latest handset: a purple haze or halo is appearing in some photos taken with its rear camera.
Over the past few weeks, users have been reporting that when the iPhone 5's iSight camera is pointed at or near a bright light source, a purple flare appears in the photo. And this weekend, Apple responded to the issue...
Taptaptap's Camera+ and SmugMug's Camera Awesome are like the two most important photography and image editing apps in my arsenal. Both have been refreshed this morning, but don't let a minor version update fool you as each app enables major enhancements that add help add flair to iPhone photography.
Following in the footsteps of Taptaptap, SmugMug's Camera Awesome has been updated with native iPad support. At the same time, Taptaptap (which recently released CAmera+ for iPad and gave the iPhone version iCloud sync and other new features) has updated Camera+ for iPhone with the cool low-light boost mode Apple debuted on the iPhone 5...
The iPhone 5's iSight camera on the back features the same eight-megapixel sensor as its predecessor, the iPhone 4S, only thinner and with sapphire lens cover. In addition, the module has been improved for better low-light performance, yielding major quality improvements when snapping up your photos under artificial light or in low-light situations. And now, developer can optionally tap the iPhone 5's low-light camera mode in their own apps, which bodes well for dozens upon dozens of photography apps in the App Store...
Taptaptap's Camera+ sold over nine million copies since its inception in June of 2010 and it's remained my favorite go-to photography app ever since. A major new version just hit the App Store this morning, bringing several new features.
Most notably, version 3.5 enables iCloud sync and Facebook sharing with single sign-on. The former lets you automatically sync your Lightbox between devices and the latter simplifies Facebook authorization.
And best of all, the team confirms that Camera+ for iPad is around the corner. Count us excited!
The biggest change in the iSight camera found on the back of the iPhone 5 is not its sapphire lens cover, the new panorama mode, faster performance, better video stabilization or crisper photos stemming from enhanced post-processing capabilities provided by the heavily customized, Apple-designed A6 chip.
It's its markedly better performance in low-light situations. The difference between the iPhone 4S and 5 camera becomes readily apparent on photos taken under artificial light, poorly lit scenes or no light at all.
By way of Engadget, we are now able to compare night shots taken on the iPhone 5 against those snapped up using Nokia's newly introduced Lumia 920, Nokia 808 PureView device, HTC's flagship One X and of course, Samsung's Galaxy S III. Who do you think came on top?
It's been a big day so far, but we're not finished yet. Continuing on with our iPhone 5 coverage, we've come across a new clip that compares the video quality of the new handset with its predecessor.
Now, since the 5 uses the same 8MP camera sensor as the 4S, you'd think that video quality would be the same. But just as we discovered with still photos, there is a noticeable difference between the two...
At first glance, it may appear that your photos look the same when taken with either the iPhone 5 or the iPhone 4S. It may even lead you to believe that there is no difference at all between the two cameras.
But try taking a photo in a low-light situation, and one thing becomes readily apparent; the iPhone 5 is far superior when it comes to snapping photos in low-light. Take a look inside, as we compare the iPhone 4S with the iPhone 5's low-light photo taking capabilities...