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Apple May Introduce 'Biggest Camera Jump Ever' in Next-Generation iPhone
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Why should they build it in house if there is a supplier that lives and breathes cameras? Apple would need to spend millions on research for something that may or may not be better than Sony's components. It's been working for them all this time. Just like the Maps fiasco, be careful what you wish for.
While the camera remains exposed without a lens cover, and susceptible to fingers touching it - as well as whatever dust may be on the desk it's placed on, you won't be getting DSLR image quality.
That said, there's absolutely nothing wrong with aiming for the very best smartphone camera (point & shoot replacement).
That said, there's absolutely nothing wrong with aiming for the very best smartphone camera (point & shoot replacement).
And still true. Don't get me wrong. I am not saying that you cannot take great pictures with an iPhone even today. You can as well take great memory pictures. All is good. I am just saying that large sensor cameras have due to their physical size a better "quality" if you assume the same technology for producing the sensors is used. And I put quality in " " because I mean it purely from a technological standpoint and not from artistically one.
That is more than enough time for a lot of guys making videos of them and their girlfriends!
Why are you airing your own dirty laundry
Actually - what is an DSLR type image ? Creamy bokeh? Focal length from 14-400 mm ? High ISO (see Sony A7S)? Low noise? High dynamic range?
You're right, these are entirely valid concerns.
Its important to keep in mind that the vast majority of iPhone camera use does not benefit from large-megapixel cameras. The existing 8 megapixel camera in the late-model iPhones can print outstanding quality studio prints at up to 8x10. How often does the typical iPhone user do this? Rarely, but that doesnt mean it shouldt be capable of doing it. Its nice that the phone can, should you happen to capture that million-dollar-photo of your kids, a rocket launch, etc. 13 megapixel is in the real of reason, but 21 megapixels would allow you to print an outstanding" quality wall poster a capability that would probably be very rarely exercised. And pairing that 21 megapixels with todays tiny CCDs is an exercise in how to mismatch the components in a system so that you pay more but end up with a lower-than-expected-quality result (because the image quality is dragged down by the lowest common denominator in the component pipeline).
Where large megapixels is of some benefit is when using digital zoom. You can zoom in further without experiencing the effective reduction in pixel dimensions of the final image file. But again, if youre trying to take a picture of very distant object with a tiny iPhone camera sensor and lens, having a higher MP count just isnt going to help much.
In terms of storage, the concern is very real. Prior to buying the first iPhone, we had 1200 photos in our library. Now we have 28,000 photos, and if I had shot them all at 21 megapixels it would be a whopping 328 gigabytes or so depending on compression. Thats excessive for many reasons: Most of these photos arent worth printing, the iPhone can only store so many (for 16gb iPhones, you could run out of room after a days worth of vacation even if your phone was mostly empty), youd fill up a huge percentage of the typical hard drive (and backup drive) with data that is just likely never to be utilized, Apples new iCloud Photo Library would fill up very fast (and would be expensive), it would take much longer to sync/backup your device, etc.
Now, one way around that is to make the final image size configurable. Just like the auto-flash and HDR settings on the camera screen, provide a selection for MP count so parents just taking pictures of their kids rolling around the pumpkin patch for the 8th year in a row dont need to take 21-megapixel photos when they dont want to. Apple could also provide a way to scale down these images after they are taken (on the phone, so its possible to do it to clear up space for more photos without syncing). I would also add the ability to easily do this in iPhoto and iCloud as well, after the photos are transferred.
The camera is not built by Sony. The sensor is, but Apple has used other the sensor suppliers in the past and the front camera sensor is still supplied by someone else.
They rely on Sony because Sony provides the best sensor currently. Still, Apple does have enough clout to have Sony make something custom for them so I doubt things will change drastically suddenly. Sony will try to do everything to keep Apple as a customer.
I would imagine shallow depth of field combined with low noise and high dynamic range. Basically benefits from a larger sensor.
apple doesnt - sony does. and sony makes apple's sensor.
at some point the sensors in apple current iphones which came out all the way back in 2012 will need to be replaced with newer ones - that do have higher megapixel counts than 8 mpx..
Yesterday there's a post about a new sensor and today Gruber the expert says there will be a new camera jump next year. Everyone's an expert.
The sensor used by Apple isn't the same model from 2012. It's a 8MP sensor not used by anyone else that I know of but technology-wise it's current with other high mega pixel sensors according to Chipworks. Thus it must be a custom version made by Sony for Apple specifically.
Have you not been here very long? When Apple's specs are strong, they are touted to no end. When the other guys specs are better, the rule is to marginalize them by talking about the "overall user experience" and the "whole system". Get with the program.
There are no specs in this article other than a passing reference to Sony's recently announced sensor in the last sentence.
Sounds a little like my grandfathers twin lens reflex camera which I inherited. Obviously the Apple version may be a tad smaller
Why is more than 8MP better?
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Thats what I though initially, but two eyes are better than one, who knows what they could achieve with two "different" sensors joining as one - something thats not really possible with a DSLR
If it's two sensors, it'd be capable of limited lightfield like the M8. The M8 camera sucked though IMO
Still waiting for a Pelican Imaging smartphone to come out
They sure love throwing around "DSLR quality", but the reason a DSLR takes such good photos has as much to do with the glass as the sensor. Unless they change the laws of physics, a pinkie nail-sized lens is never going to compete with a big, multi-element DSLR lens.
And they were right. Sure, point-and-shoots have gotten much better but so have DSLRs.