Why isn't anyone talking about the 5S iSight Camera?

[Michael Baturin]

People expect innovation from Apple. Fingerprint scanners have been around for a long time. My first job out of college 5 years ago gave me a Lenovo laptop with a fingerprint scanner on it. I am excited for that feature, but only because it will save me 3 seconds every time I want to download a new app.

What I am most excited for, and what I initially though most people would be most excited for after watching the keynote is the new Camera upgrades - most notably the True Tone flash. As a photography enthusiast, I see this feature having potential as something that can make it's way into the DSLR world of professional cameras from the big names like Nikon and Canon. I've argued the point with friends of mine who are also photography enthusiasts and they seem to reject the idea because their feeling that a colored flash will distort the way the environment actually looks in favor of a balanced picture, but as a feature that could be turned on or off, I don't see the harm. Anyways, this mixed with all the other software tech behind the new iSight camera has me most excited to play around and get even better pictures than i could with the iPhone 5.

 

[liberated]

Meh.... What I'm surprised about is that Apple did not boost megapixels, I understand megapixels is not the end all be all but 8 megapixels on a phone now a days seems low.

 

[Europa]

Meh.... What I'm surprised about is that Apple did not boost megapixels, I understand megapixels is not the end all be all but 8 megapixels on a phone now a days seems low.

Only if you buy into the megapixel myth and don't know anything about camera optics. Did you watch the Keynote? They explained their priorities with the camera.

I would have turned it down to 8 (if there was an option for that) if they had gone up to 12 or so since I don't print any posters from my camera roll.

 

[liberated]

Only if you buy into the megapixel myth and don't know anything about camera optics. Did you watch the Keynote? They explained their priorities with the camera.

I would have turned it down to 8 (if there was an option for that) if they had gone up to 12 or so since I don't print any posters from my camera roll.

Yes ok but what if I want to print large posters like some people? It be nice to be able to use your phone to take those pictures. If megapixels aren't important, how come we see products increasing the pixel count almost every year?

 

[Europa]

Yes ok but what if I want to print large posters like some people? It be nice to be able to use your phone to take those pictures. If megapixels aren't important, how come we see products increasing the pixel count almost every year?

Because they can't compete in practice so they try to compete with numbers. 12 is not necessarily better than 8. There are other variables to consider.

 

[shutter13]

Yes ok but what if I want to print large posters like some people? It be nice to be able to use your phone to take those pictures. If megapixels aren't important, how come we see products increasing the pixel count almost every year?

The quality of the pixels is more important than the quantity. I have an 18 mp dslr and the largest print it will do @ 300ppi is 12x18, without using genuine fractals or similar software to create new pixels. I can get a better poster print from a 6mp file with quality pixels than you can with a 12mp cell phone file. Bigger isn't always better. That said if all other things are equal more mp is nice so long as the quality doesn't suffer.

 

[Rafagon]

How does one activate the "burst mode at 10 pictures per second?"

Does that simply mean that if you tap on the "take picture" button really quickly, the phone will be able to keep up with you as long as you don't tap it more than 10 times in one second?

 

[CASEACE79]

How does one activate the "burst mode at 10 pictures per second?"

Does that simply mean that if you tap on the "take picture" button really quickly, the phone will be able to keep up with you as long as you don't tap it more than 10 times in one second?

From what I understand ya just hold down the button as opposed to tapping it.

 

[Napoleon PhoneApart]

Because they can't compete in practice so they try to compete with numbers. 12 is not necessarily better than 8. There are other variables to consider.

No, Damn it! I need a higher number! Higher numbers are always better! Well, except for maybe golf.

Or glucose.

Or cholesterol.

Or ERAs.

Or blood pressure.

 

[dallasjetfan]

Meh.... What I'm surprised about is that Apple did not boost megapixels, I understand megapixels is not the end all be all but 8 megapixels on a phone now a days seems low.

My dad has an 8MP camera that takes better pics than most of the best digital cameras on market.

 

[acosmichippo]

People expect innovation from Apple. Fingerprint scanners have been around for a long time. My first job out of college 5 years ago gave me a Lenovo laptop with a fingerprint scanner on it. I am excited for that feature, but only because it will save me 3 seconds every time I want to download a new app.

It sounds like you're confusing "innovation" with "invention". Apple implementing a (presumably) reliable fingerprint scanner into the iPhone's home button is WAY different than the crappy scanners I've always seen installed off to the side on laptops. If it really makes it as easy as tapping the button to lock/unlock our phones, they will have effectively made everyone's data more secure by removing the only downside to having passwords - inconvenience. This is the definition of innovation.

It's the same argument people have used trying to say the original iPhone was really not that innovative because touchscreens had been used years before. It's ridiculous.


Anyway, as for the new camera... yeah, true tone is cool. And so is stabilization, burst mode, and slo-mo. But what allows all of this is Apple's image processor on the A7. They're using complex software paired with a powerful processor to compensate for common people's lack of photography expertise. You're not going to get that on a cheap point-and-shoot or low-end DSLR any time soon.

 

[Sassytallsista]

I haven't mentioned it because for me it's a "nice to have" but not a reason to purchase a cell phone.


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[Michael Baturin]

It sounds like you're confusing "innovation" with "invention". Apple implementing a (presumably) reliable fingerprint scanner into the iPhone's home button is WAY different than the crappy scanners I've always seen installed off to the side on laptops. If it really makes it as easy as tapping the button to lock/unlock our phones, they will have effectively made everyone's data more secure by removing the only downside to having passwords - inconvenience. This is the definition of innovation.

It's the same argument people have used trying to say the original iPhone was really not that innovative because touchscreens had been used years before. It's ridiculous.


Anyway, as for the new camera... yeah, true tone is cool. And so is stabilization, burst mode, and slo-mo. But what allows all of this is Apple's image processor on the A7. They're using complex software paired with a powerful processor to compensate for common people's lack of photography expertise. You're not going to get that on a cheap point-and-shoot or low-end DSLR any time soon.

I agree with your point and agree that they innovated fingerprint security with the introduction of the touch ID sensor. Using the same logic you can also argue that the true tone flash is innovation because photographers have been using colored gels for years to change the tone of the picture. Letting the processor calculate on the fly colored flash is an innovation built on top of the colored gels. I stand corrected.

 

[acosmichippo]

Yeah, I agree with that too.

 

[jarofclay73]

This Techcrunch article agrees with you and then some: http://m.techcrunch.com/2013/09/12/a-photographers-take-on-the-iphone-5s-camera/

The upgrade on the camera is bigger from the 5 to 5s than the 4 to 4S was. I think that's mainly due to the 64-bit processor. The processor will play a big part in the TrueTone feature, I think.

I saw a video on burst mode and that was pretty awesome. Also to select which part of your video to make slo-mo is pretty darn awesome too.

Of course, this doesn't include any of the photo/camera roll improvements in iOS 7.




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[rollinfromhell]

My question is, is the video quality going to be that much better/photo quality? I'm just curious as there hasn't been much of a boost since the 4S other than low light stuff.

 

[firewire]

I don't think you mean "slow motion at 120 fps." That would be a few hundred fps at normal speed then.

 

[acosmichippo]

it records at 120 fps. then you can play back those frames in slo-mo.

 

[Michael Baturin]

What he said ^

 

[firewire]

it records at 120 fps. then you can play back those frames in slo-mo.

yes I know how it works, it was written incorrectly however. Say for example you say "I'm traveling at 60 mph." That means the act of traveling is occurring at the speed of 60 mph. If you write, "slow motion at 120fps," it means the slow motion process is being executed at 120fps, which is not true. yes I know I'm being anal but the "at" conjunction changes the meaning of the phrase completely.