Camera

Hey Apple, here’s your 16MP camera with 4K video capture for 2013 iPhone

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

OmniVision Technologies yesterday announced two new camera sensors for smartphones and tablets and guess what? Both could be a perfect fit for a 2013 iPhone, if not for the next one.

We're talking about 16-megapixel sensors that shoot 4K video at a remarkable 60 frames per second.

Per Chipworks' teardown analysis, Apple is using OmniVision's OV5642 camera module inside the iPhone 4. Another teardown, also by Chipworks, shows OmniVision's second-generation OV5650 back illumination and OV297AA modules being used on the iPad 2, the new iPad and the iPod Nano music player.

If Apple were to adopt these new OmniVision 16-megapixel camera modules, you could be capturing video either in 4K2K or Quad Full High Definition (QFHD) resolution with an iPhone in your pocket.

Now, if only you had a 4K display to watch these clips in their full ultra high-resolution glory...

Narcissism just got its own app, and it’s called Ugly Meter

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Define narcissism: excessive or erotic interest in oneself and one's physical appearance. If this sounds like you, or someone you know, you might be interested in this new iPhone app from Dapper Gentlemen.

Ugly Meter uses your handset's front-facing camera to scan (in other words, take a picture of) your face, and then rates your attractiveness on a scale of 1-10 based on a few different data points...

645 Pro lets you take better photos with your iPhone

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

If iPhone apps like Instagram and Camera+ aren't producing photos up to your standards, there's a new title that might be worth checking out. 645 PRO, by Michael Hardaker, describes itself as "the photography professional's iPhone camera."

Loaded with tons of high-end features like a real-time ISO and shutter speed reader, and a live histogram, the app promises unparalleled image quality. It even claims to produce "developed RAW" TIFF files and "lossless" JPEG images...

Add DSLR features to your iPad with the Padcaster

Cody Lee ∙ April 18, 2012

Apple loaded a number of new features into its third-generation iPad: a faster processor, more RAM, and let's not forget LTE. The company's latest tablet also includes a much-needed camera upgrade, bringing the backside sensor to 5MP.

This finally makes the iPad a viable option for taking photographs and shooting videos while on-the-go. And thanks to the folks over at Manhattan Edit Workshop, it could become the preferred method. Introducing the Padcaster iPad case...

How to reclaim your pre iOS 5.1 Lock screen camera functionality

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 16, 2012

Redire is a recently released jailbreak tweak that allows you to venture back to the days before Apple changed the Lock screen camera functionality for iOS 5.1.

It's extremely simple in both its purpose and execution, and includes no options to configure. After installing Redire your Lock screen camera will function almost exactly like it does on iOS 5 or iOS 5.0.1.

Check inside for video details of Redire in action...

SwipeCam: swipe the camera icon to reveal Lock screen toggles

Jeff Benjamin ∙ April 6, 2012

SwipeCam is an upcoming jailbreak tweak that allows you to use your Lock screen camera toggle as a gateway to more options.

SwipeCam only works with the old Lock screen camera interface, so that means devices below iOS 5.1.

Once the tweak is installed, simply enabled it, invoke your Lock screen camera shortcut, and swipe on the camera icon to reveal the additional toggles...

An iPhone helps save a little boy stuck down a well

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated October 25, 2016

A Chinese toddler has been pulled from a 40-foot well after his rescuers used an iPhone to help discover where he was located, according to reports.

Some things you really couldn't make up because, well, nobody would believe you. We're going to put this firmly into that bracket and just hope you don't think we're pulling a belated April Fool's joke!

According to reports across various news outlets, a 2-year-old Chinese boy was unlucky enough to fall down a well. Not just any well. A well that was a good 40-feet deep and barely wide enough to get down in the first place.

Cue a rescue operation that included, believe it or not, an iPhone. Yep, those little bundles of tech joy really do have an app for everything. Maybe that's why they're selling so well...

Check out this “iPhone Pro” concept with DSLR lens mount

Cody Lee ∙ April 2, 2012

As most of you know, we love a good iPhone concept here on iDB. Concepts allow us to see what kind of features could be implemented in the handset if conventional design rules didn't exist. And they're fun to look at too.

This latest mockup, which comes from designer Choi Jinyoung, is certainly no exception. The iPhone Pro, as he calls it, comes fully loaded with a 4.5-inch display, a built-in nano projector and a DSLR lens mount...

Apple researching iSight cameras with 3D imaging and facial gestures recognition

Christian Zibreg ∙ March 29, 2012

According to a patent filing that surfaced today in the US Patent and Trademark Office's (USPTO) database, Apple is researching a much-improved camera for mobile devices that could recreate 3D models of scanned objects as well as capture gestures and facial expressions. It works with both stills and video and employs one or more dedicated cameras to capture 3D objects.

The system is based on new depth-detection sensors, such as LIDAR, RADAR and laser, that create stereo disparity maps in 3D imagery. With the ability to both capture and recreate 3D images, this killer imaging system could elevate the already powerful imaging capabilities of the five-megapixel iSight camera on the new iPad and its eight-megapixel counterpart found on the iPhone 4S.

Can we have this on the iPhone 5, please?

Camera Grabber for iOS 5 video walkthrough

Jeff Benjamin ∙ March 29, 2012

One of the biggest features of iOS 5.1 is the new Lock screen camera functionality. In fact, we dedicated a post and video exclusively to the new Lock screen camera.

The problem is this; if you're one of the many that wishes to maintain an untethered jailbreak, you can't enjoy the fruits of Apple's labor. This is because the 5.1 update kills your untethered jailbreak.

That's where Camera Grabber for iOS 5 comes into play. This is a jailbreak tweak that allows pre-5.1 devices to enjoy the same Lock screen camera functionality as iOS 5.1 users.

How does it work? Check inside for the answer...

The new iPad camera: we’ve seen it somewhere before

Oliver Haslam ∙ Updated January 25, 2016

Now that the new iPad is finding its way into the hands of lucky buyers across the globe, we are beginning to hear reports of first impressions and as always, teardowns. One such teardown has come courtesy of Chipworks.

As we already knew, the new iPad comes packed to the gills with technology, and that battery is as massive as we expected – you've got to power that 4G somehow! – but Chipworks has also taken a closer look at the two cameras that Apple has used this time around.

Perhaps predictably, it appears that Apple has chosen to re-use parts from its existing product lines for the new iPad, which while not necessarily a bad thing, is certainly worth a mention...