Apple Reportedly Looking to Purchase LED Camera Flash Components

[AidenShaw]

i still watch 640x480 ... but that don't cut it for photos. motion changes everything.

A 21" Imac is 2.07 Mpixel. A 27" Imac is 3.69 Mpixel. Just where are you going to look at the multi-megapixel photos?

Please reread my post. 25 Mpixel is definitely good for an $8000 Nikon body whose sensor is 1/4 the size of the Iphone's display screen.

For the Iphone (or most phone cameras), the sensor is a small fraction of the size of your little fingernail. That means that the pixels are tiny, and only a small number of photons hit each pixel. That makes the image very noisy.

Adding more pixels makes the pixels smaller, reduces the number of photons, increases the noise, and reduces the quality of the image. You can increase the diameter of the lens, and make the camera thicker, to compensate.
____________

My point is simply that if you constrain the size of the lens and camera, there's a point where adding pixels reduces the quality of the images.

I think that a reasonable point is when the phone camera is 1:1 for a 1080p HDTV or a 21" Imac. I'll bring my 10 Mpixel point and shoot with an f2.0 lens and a real flash if I plan on taking pictures. Otherwise, 1080p HDTV quality is good enough for me.

 

[Gepper]

A 21" Imac is 2.07 Mpixel. A 27" Imac is 3.69 Mpixel. Just where are you going to look at the multi-megapixel photos?
<Snip>

Quoted for truth. Those 8MP camera phones are mostly a sales trick unless they have the optics and sensor to back it up. The camera on the mars rover had a 1MP sensor with optics that probably costs more then what most of us people make in a year or two and it beats the living crap out of any camera phone

Please stop spreading the MP myth.

 

[Eso]

4) still don't understand why this is a big deal. with enough speed, mutli-tasking is pointless. now, maybe the 3GS isn't QUITE fast enough... but soon enough, there will be no point in multi-tasking on a phone.

Still on this, I see

 

[greygray]

This year looks like it's gonna be a revolutionary one! What do
you guys think?!

Exactly! With the Tablet hopefully introduced and these lip-smacking goodies that hopefully come to the iPhone . . . mmm . . . tasty . .

 

[Thex1138]

Apple Flasher

The Apple logo on back is the new camera flash...

 

[jayducharme]

Apple should push the improvement further instead of 'catching up'.

I agree. The 2G iPhone is marginally okay for times when I don't have a "real" camera with me, but there was really no excuse for such poor performance. Much better cameras have been in much cheaper phones for a few years. I'm not excited about the possibility of a flash, since it really wouldn't make that much of an improvement and would simply drain the battery. But a higher resolution camera is a no-brainer. The idea with the iPhone was to combine many different technologies seamlessly into one. With a good camera, that would make one less gadget I'd have to carry.

 

[pmz]

Megapixels are often pure marketing gimmickry like the old MHz wars. IN fact, without great optics to back up those megapixels, a higher-MP sensor can actually make a WORSE picture because it’s more sensitive to noise: even with the 5MP image is scaled down. (Many examples are online—the difference is often striking.) I’m skeptical that cell phone is going to have optics to beat many 5MP full-size cameras. In which case, not only are you getting worse pictures, but your pictures are burning up extra storage space for all time!

That said, IF the optics in a cell phone can be good enough to not have 5MP noise problems, then I’d gladly have that feature, for the sake of cropping in if nothing else. Let’s hope Apple cares about noise more than me-too bullet points, and gives good-quality 5MP or none at all. Until we know what they release, all we can do is look at the noise problems with other 5MP+ cameras.

As for flash... well, taking a close-up in a dark room is a no brainer I wouldn’t use it much (and I don’t on my “real” camera either) but I WOULD like to have the option, it it didn’t contribute to a bulkier iPhone.

iKnow

Try taking a picture of someone in a dark nightclub with your 3GS.

With a flash, there'll actually be a picture.

Phazer

Not something I would even consider doing. And you say, with a "flash". A flash, yes. That's something you'd find on a camera. An LED light is what you'd find on a phone, and is what's in question. Scroll up for the dark picture that was taken with an LED "flash".

 

[KnightWRX]

Not something I would even consider doing. And you say, with a "flash". A flash, yes. That's something you'd find on a camera. An LED light is what you'd find on a phone, and is what's in question. Scroll up for the dark picture that was taken with an LED "flash".

Since when are you the center of the world ?

And that picture is crap. The LED lights work fine and help a lot in club settings or just on the streets at night. My Sony phone with a LED flash worked great.

Here's a picture of my dog sleeping, taken outside around 1 a.m. The only light source besides my Sony's LED is the camp fire about 12 feet away. In other words, it would be pitch black on a iPhone :

Full size picture :

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w114/redkteg97/DSC00047.jpg

Not to mention the LED "flash" doubled great as a flashlight. White LEDs have a tendency of being really bright. But I guess if Apple got rid of all the flashlight Apps on the store, the Android Market would end up the biggest app store around so they can't really justify that.

 

[pmz]

Since when are you the center of the world ?

And that picture is crap. The LED lights work fine and help a lot in club settings or just on the streets at night. My Sony phone with a LED flash worked great.

Here's a picture of my dog sleeping, taken outside around 1 a.m. The only light source besides my Sony's LED is the camp fire about 12 feet away. In other words, it would be pitch black on a iPhone :

Full size picture :

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w114/redkteg97/DSC00047.jpg

Not to mention the LED "flash" doubled great as a flashlight. White LEDs have a tendency of being really bright. But I guess if Apple got rid of all the flashlight Apps on the store, the Android Market would end up the biggest app store around so they can't really justify that.

You should forward this post to Steve Jobs and point out that if it weren't for your LED flash, you'd have missed the opportunity to get this award winning shot. If ALL you had was an iPhone, LMAO.

 

[KnightWRX]

You should forward this post to Steve Jobs and point out that if it weren't for your LED flash, you'd have missed the opportunity to get this award winning shot. If ALL you had was an iPhone, LMAO.

I'm not a photographer, nor did I pretend I was. However, it doesn't matter that the picture does not meet your high standards or whatever, what's important is that I have fond memories of that day and I love my dog. That picture will stay with me for the rest of my life.

Photography isn't just about some high standard of art. Sometimes, it's just about remembering something.

And since you're such a big shot photographer, why are you so worried about a LED flash on the iPhone ? What the heck does it change for you that there is one vs not having one ?

A lot of people here thinking they are the center of the world.

 

[craigmagner]

The iPhone would look dumb with a huge light in the back of it!!

indeed it would

 

[mr.steevo]

That picture will stay with me for the rest of my life...

A lot of people here thinking they are the center of the world.

Stop typing.

 

[KnightWRX]

Stop typing.

It's funny that everyone asking to see how better a LED flash was now result to personal attacks and insults instead of just trying to tell us why they think no LED flash at all is better than a LED flash that can be enabled or disabled depending on conditions.

Why is it you are all so opposed to a LED on the iPhone to help taking pictures in darker places ? Does it hurt you physically ? Please, enlighten us.

Seeing how this article is 76 Positives, 15 Negatives right now, it seems it's only a very vocal minority that seems dead set against this...

 

[Bonsai1214]

obviously for the next gen ipod nano, rather than an iphone.

 

[dieburnbot]

The next gen iPhone is looking better and better each day. Excited to upgrade my 3G this summer.

Same here I can't wait. I really hope this is true. I'm glad I skipped over the 3GS.

 

[collegar.com]

When do we get other functions?

Like software updates, like this bluetooth keyboard?

http://bit.ly/7iqsRd

 

[OGDaniel]

Apple should push the improvement further instead of 'catching up'.

I agree with that completely.

 

[flopticalcube]

I agree with that completely.

I also agree. What happened to "Think different(ly)" ?

 

[firewood]

Originally Posted by pmz

Can someone show me clear proof that 5 megapix + LED flash makes a significantly better photograph than 3.2 on the iPhone 3GS?

Seriously? wow....

Very seriously.

I have a really old chunky 2 MPix camera with a nice large Olympus lens on it, and it not only takes far far far better pictures than my iPhone 3GS's 3.2 MPix camera, but also slightly better pics than my friends 5 MPix ultra-compact camera.

Why? Because the lens matters as much and often more than the pixel count. And a 5 MPix sensor without a matching larger aperture lens (which might not fit in a thin compact camera, much less a cell phone) could easily take worse photos than a 2 MPix sensor that is better matched to a higher quality len's bigger aperture and longer focal length.

You need a lot of photons illuminating each pixel to allow smooth, non-noisy, color gradients; and those tiny sensors behind a tiny pin-hole lens just don't get enough. You can't fool the laws of physics.

 

[newdeal]

...

clearly the flash will be the apple logo and everyone will get a boner when steve jobs pulls it out

 

[rcha101]

Exciting stuff

5 megapixel camera, new gpu, flash... If they could add an FM radio I would definitely upgrade. Isn't competition great?

Any chance we'll see a new model sooner than June now the Gphone has been released??

 

[mingoglia]

Personally I think 3mp is enough for a camera phone. With a traditional camera several years ago I could take a pic and print it up to 8x10 and have excellent quality. As was said by someone else the higher mp can just introduce noise. It's ALL about the optics. With that being said, if the noise is in check, might as well have the 5mp. No need to drag behind on technology, I just wouldn't use it as a reason to upgrade from an "older" iPhone.

I feel the same for the flash. I have a BB Bold with a pretty bright flash. Even with the flash, and a camera that takes pretty good pics it's pretty worthless unless you get right up on something. If you're taking a pic of a person you literally have to get close enough to blind them for it to work that well. So just like the increased mp, I'd say having the flash is a nice to have but I wouldn't run out to upgrade just because of it.

Mike

 

[martint84]

Any chance we'll see a new model sooner than June now the Gphone has been released??

It's possible, but I'm willing to bet that Apple will stick to their traditional June iPhone update. There are a ton of people, myself included, that switched to at&t and bought the iPhone 3G at launch. Our 2 year contracts end this summer. Hopefully we'll hear about what's going to happen with at&t exclusivity in the next several months so we know our options. Furthermore, a June update gives them just enough time to have plenty available when it becomes the next "must have" holiday gift.

EDIT: I know someone's going to say that Apple doesn't care when I personally bought my iPhone 3G, but this graph shows what I'm trying to say:

 

[KindredMAC]

Stop typing.

He doesn't need to... He's been right on the money.

It's funny that everyone asking to see how better a LED flash was now result to personal attacks and insults instead of just trying to tell us why they think no LED flash at all is better than a LED flash that can be enabled or disabled depending on conditions.

Why is it you are all so opposed to a LED on the iPhone to help taking pictures in darker places ? Does it hurt you physically ? Please, enlighten us.

Seeing how this article is 76 Positives, 15 Negatives right now, it seems it's only a very vocal minority that seems dead set against this...

+1 mon frere!

 

[jglavin]

Why is it you are all so opposed to a LED on the iPhone to help taking pictures in darker places ? Does it hurt you physically ? Please, enlighten us.

Plus how is it not a good thing to have a real flashlight on your phone? I could give 2 ***** about a flash, but a flashlight would be really useful.