iPhone 3.0 Firmware to Take Better Photos?

MacRumors · 01:12 PM

Gizmodo reports on findings by Russian site iPhones.ru which found that the iPhone 3.0 firmware may improve iPhone photography based on some testing.

Quote:

iPhones.ru took side by side photos with new iPhone firmware and old iPhone firmware. That lead comparison photo is not the result of a single snapshot, but 30 that produced similar results: Firmware 2.2.1 blurred the cat, then 3.0 blurred the cat ever so slightly less.

A second set also shows similar results. (iPhone 3.0 left vs 2.2.1 right)

Article Link: iPhone 3.0 Firmware to Take Better Photos?

denm316 · May 5, 2009, 01:06 PM

to bad it cant add a flash

island · May 5, 2009, 01:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by denm316

to bad it cant add a flash

Maybe iPhone #3.

mr.steevo · May 5, 2009, 01:07 PM

Time to sell the SLR!

s.

Kilamite · May 5, 2009, 01:08 PM

Possible they have adjusted shutter speed - the night time shot has come out amazingly well for a mobile phone photo.

But I really hope the new iPhone will have a physically better camera, not just better firmware for it.

audioteknika · May 5, 2009, 01:08 PM

haha .. Yeah.. I'm ditching my 40D !

Ross123 · May 5, 2009, 01:09 PM

Nice, would be good to have better quality images as this is something the iPhone lacks when compared to its rivals!

dejo · May 5, 2009, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by denm316

to bad it cant add a flash

That's for Adobe to take care of!

designgeek · May 5, 2009, 01:11 PM

Neat! I love to hear about all these improvements. I can't wait to see it do video.

Airforcekid · May 5, 2009, 01:18 PM

Just add video and were good no more jailbreaking for me!

lostfan916 · May 5, 2009, 01:24 PM

And here I thought I was going crazy! Glad I'm not the only one who noticed. There's a diffrenve albeit a small one.

Beamengine · May 5, 2009, 01:25 PM

ALL phone cameras are utter rubbish. Who cares if the next one is 1% less hopeless.

Buschmaster · May 5, 2009, 01:26 PM

This is the second time I've noticed an improved camera with the software update.

I wish I had two devices so I could take side by side pictures.

nagromme · May 5, 2009, 01:28 PM

I care: when your phone is all you have with you (I don't carry a camera ALL the time) every bit of quality is nice to have.

And I can confirm this rumor. Here's how it works: the 3.0 firmware generates an ultrasonic sound from the speaker, which causes cats to sit still.

grapemac · May 5, 2009, 01:28 PM

i hope this sorts out the 'zoom' effect as well, where the edges blur and stretch.

mrkgoo · May 5, 2009, 01:29 PM

The picture of the vending machine looks bunk. It looks like there's oil or something on the lens in the right picture.

nagromme · May 5, 2009, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrkgoo

The picture of the vending machine looks bunk. It looks like there's oil or something on the lens in the right picture.

I agree.

Frankly, I've never seen ANY iPhone pic as blurry as the 2.1 examples--except for motion blur. And that depends mainly on, well, motion!

Better exposure and shutter speed control, or even post-processing, could be nice options. But those examples don't tell me anything.

Stoobs · May 5, 2009, 01:33 PM

Perhaps they're taking a leaf out of night camera's book and using the accelerometer to help the shot?

jont-fu · May 5, 2009, 01:34 PM

They might make use of the accelerometer. There is an app that uses the accelerometer to analyze hand shake motion - which is the most significant reason of blurry shots in small devices. It just needs to take the photo at the exact moment the device is not moving.

So many nice improvements in 3.0... Waiting eagerly!

Bevz · May 5, 2009, 01:41 PM

Well, i've got beta 4 running on a 3g iphone and i really can't see a difference; i mean a good quarter of all the photos i take are too blurry to keep and that's not changed since i've had the phone... Went to a friends wedding on the weekend and took about 30 photos and as always, about a quarter of them are really blurry... I would normally blame the alcohol but i didn't drink at all because i was driving!
I think this may be another "safari seems snappier" type situation...

Small White Car · May 5, 2009, 01:42 PM

Probably true.

The application 'Photoswap' takes much better photos than the regular 2.1 OS camera app does.

Clearly, there's software improvements to be made to the way the iPhone controls the camera's settings. (Don't know if Apple is making those changes in 3.0, but I would sure hope they are.)

TheSpaz · May 5, 2009, 01:46 PM

If they're taking the photos with 2 different iPhones, then the iPhone running 2.2.1 might have a damaged UV coating on the camera lens.

I'm talking about this: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...+iphone+camera

jared_kipe · May 5, 2009, 01:53 PM

Am I the only one who doesn't buy it??
The lens flare in the second image is so vastly different. This could have been achieved by taking your very own hot air (breath) and blowing it onto the camera lens. (or finger print smudge whatever you want)

Behold, how blowing and cleaning my lens has improved my 2.1fw iphones pictures dramatically!!

Small White Car · May 5, 2009, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jared_kipe

Am I the only one who doesn't buy it??
The lens flare in the second image is so vastly different. This could have been achieved by taking your very own hot air (breath) and blowing it onto the camera lens. (or finger print smudge whatever you want)

Behold, how blowing and cleaning my lens has improved my 2.1fw iphones pictures dramatically!!

Well, yeah. Obviously the 2nd example is a lens problem.

But how does "that guy has a lens problem" = "Apple isn't trying to improve the camera software" ?

I don't see the connection.

I'm pretty sure it will improve just because, as I said, other apps take better photos currently, so why wouldn't Apple be trying to improve on that in their own app?

twoodcc · May 5, 2009, 02:01 PM

great. i do take quite a few photos with my iphone, and they are always coming out a little blurry. looking forward to this update

May 5, 2009, 01:06 PM	#2
denm316 macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Philadelphia	to bad it cant add a flash __________________ -Dennis- MBA, iMac, iPod Touch and a Blackberry Curve...yeah its on Verizon and the 3G works EVERYWHERE "Live to Ride, Ride to Live"

May 5, 2009, 01:08 PM	#5
Kilamite macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Scotland	Possible they have adjusted shutter speed - the night time shot has come out amazingly well for a mobile phone photo. But I really hope the new iPhone will have a physically better camera, not just better firmware for it. __________________ - MacBook Pro Unibody 15" 2.8GHz 'anti-glare' - Apple TV 1TB (work in progress) - iPhone 3G 8GB - MobileMe // OS X 10.6.2

May 5, 2009, 01:09 PM	#7
Ross123 macrumors newbie Join Date: Apr 2009	Nice, would be good to have better quality images as this is something the iPhone lacks when compared to its rivals! __________________ RossHoldway.com/blog

May 5, 2009, 01:11 PM	#9
designgeek macrumors 6502a Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: "Town"	Neat! I love to hear about all these improvements. I can't wait to see it do video. __________________ So many stupid questions, so little time. 15.uMBP

May 5, 2009, 01:18 PM	#10
Airforcekid macrumors 6502a Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: United States of America	Wow Just add video and were good no more jailbreaking for me! __________________ Best Mac made? iMac G3 yep still my main computer.

May 5, 2009, 01:07 PM	#4
mr.steevo macrumors regular Join Date: Jul 2004	Time to sell the SLR! s.

May 5, 2009, 01:08 PM	#6
audioteknika macrumors member Join Date: Mar 2008	haha .. Yeah.. I'm ditching my 40D !

May 5, 2009, 01:24 PM	#11
lostfan916 macrumors 6502a Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: NorCal	And here I thought I was going crazy! Glad I'm not the only one who noticed. There's a diffrenve albeit a small one. __________________ Santa Rosa Macbook - iPhone 3G White - 500GB Time Capsule Flickr - Twitter

May 5, 2009, 01:25 PM	#12
Beamengine macrumors newbie Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Brighton, UK	ALL phone cameras are utter rubbish. Who cares if the next one is 1% less hopeless.

May 5, 2009, 01:26 PM	#13
Buschmaster macrumors 65816 Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Minnesota	This is the second time I've noticed an improved camera with the software update. I wish I had two devices so I could take side by side pictures. __________________ White MacBook (9400m), 2.0 GHz, 160GB HDD, 4GB RAM iPhone 3G 16GB White www.mintapps.com

May 5, 2009, 01:28 PM	#14
nagromme macrumors 601 Join Date: May 2002 Location: Blinking blue dot	I care: when your phone is all you have with you (I don't carry a camera ALL the time) every bit of quality is nice to have. And I can confirm this rumor. Here's how it works: the 3.0 firmware generates an ultrasonic sound from the speaker, which causes cats to sit still. __________________ nagromme Would you like a treatment?

May 5, 2009, 01:28 PM	#15
grapemac macrumors member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Aberdeen, UK	i hope this sorts out the 'zoom' effect as well, where the edges blur and stretch.

May 5, 2009, 01:29 PM	#16
mrkgoo macrumors 6502a Join Date: Aug 2005	The picture of the vending machine looks bunk. It looks like there's oil or something on the lens in the right picture.

May 5, 2009, 01:33 PM	#18
Stoobs macrumors newbie Join Date: May 2007	Perhaps they're taking a leaf out of night camera's book and using the accelerometer to help the shot?

May 5, 2009, 01:34 PM	#19
jont-fu macrumors newbie Join Date: Mar 2008	They might make use of the accelerometer. There is an app that uses the accelerometer to analyze hand shake motion - which is the most significant reason of blurry shots in small devices. It just needs to take the photo at the exact moment the device is not moving. So many nice improvements in 3.0... Waiting eagerly!

May 5, 2009, 01:41 PM	#20
Bevz macrumors 6502 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: UK	Well, i've got beta 4 running on a 3g iphone and i really can't see a difference; i mean a good quarter of all the photos i take are too blurry to keep and that's not changed since i've had the phone... Went to a friends wedding on the weekend and took about 30 photos and as always, about a quarter of them are really blurry... I would normally blame the alcohol but i didn't drink at all because i was driving! I think this may be another "safari seems snappier" type situation... __________________ MacPro Quad Core \| 13" Unibody MacBook Pro TV \| 8GB iPhone2G \| 16GB iPhone3G (Black) \| AEBS Bevz / The Jcs

May 5, 2009, 01:42 PM	#21
Small White Car macrumors 68040 Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Washington DC	Probably true. The application 'Photoswap' takes much better photos than the regular 2.1 OS camera app does. Clearly, there's software improvements to be made to the way the iPhone controls the camera's settings. (Don't know if Apple is making those changes in 3.0, but I would sure hope they are.)

May 5, 2009, 01:46 PM	#22
TheSpaz macrumors Demi-God Join Date: Jun 2005	If they're taking the photos with 2 different iPhones, then the iPhone running 2.2.1 might have a damaged UV coating on the camera lens. I'm talking about this: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...+iphone+camera

May 5, 2009, 01:53 PM	#23
jared_kipe macrumors 68020 Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Seattle	Am I the only one who doesn't buy it?? The lens flare in the second image is so vastly different. This could have been achieved by taking your very own hot air (breath) and blowing it onto the camera lens. (or finger print smudge whatever you want) Behold, how blowing and cleaning my lens has improved my 2.1fw iphones pictures dramatically!! Attached Thumbnails

May 5, 2009, 02:01 PM	#25
twoodcc macrumors 603 Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Right side of wrong	great. i do take quite a few photos with my iphone, and they are always coming out a little blurry. looking forward to this update __________________ tville pump Smarter than the average bear

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