Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Will Apple Update the iPhone Camera With A Software Update?

  • Yes

    Votes: 18 31.6%
  • No

    Votes: 39 68.4%

  • Total voters
    57

upandown

macrumors 65816
Apr 10, 2017
1,246
1,238
Obviously they absolutely will at some point. Not with current hardware though. It will be a selling point on a new device. I’m glad google is pushing the envelope and can’t wait to get this feature with Apple.
 

mprime_17

macrumors member
Oct 5, 2018
88
79
If they do it, i hope they add a toggle to control the effect as some pictures on the pixel looks way to unrealistic tbh.
 
  • Like
Reactions: eyeseeyou

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,491
https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/14...-review-pixel-2-3-camera-photos-image-quality

Check out the before and afters of that article. It's amazing what a software update can do.

With all the computing power that these new iPhones have, will apple give us a software update to improve image quality?

As someone as alluded to, short answer= No. Is it possible for Apple to implement this type of tech, yes. But Apple is, well Apple. They don’t conform to how everyone wants them to be, especially with competitor hardware/software.
 
  • Like
Reactions: johnmed

johnmed

macrumors 6502
Sep 14, 2009
271
434
uk
That's why iOS 12 won't run on the iPhone 6s, right?

Oh, wait, iOS 12 DOES run on the 6s, and Apple announced in September an extra focus on keeping older devices relevant longer.

If you're going to impute bad behavior, use more than vague suggestions of ill intent and general hand-waving to back it up, please. :)
[doublepost=1542487814][/doublepost]

It's all done in software. Google is no doubt using some ML ("AI") processing to improve the quality of the adjustments.

Well hello there keyboard warrior.

Are you enjoying Animoji (which doesn’t use TrueDepth camera) on your 6S? Group FaceTime on your 5S? Swipe to close gestures on your pre X iPhone? AI based Siri Suggestions for the Shortcut App on your iPhone 6?
 

Blaze4G

macrumors 65816
Oct 31, 2015
1,300
1,178
That's why iOS 12 won't run on the iPhone 6s, right?

Oh, wait, iOS 12 DOES run on the 6s, and Apple announced in September an extra focus on keeping older devices relevant longer.

If you're going to impute bad behavior, use more than vague suggestions of ill intent and general hand-waving to back it up, please. :)
[doublepost=1542487814][/doublepost]

It's all done in software. Google is no doubt using some ML ("AI") processing to improve the quality of the adjustments.
Your arguement makes zero sense. The point is Apple reserve the big new features for their latest phones.

Their new HDR function which is similar to Google's HDR+ is only on the XS and XS Max. They said previous iPhones can't do it. Yet still, Google brings HDR+ updates and night sight to every generation of Pixels.

The ability to adjust blur in portrait photos is only available on the XS and XS Max. Again, Apple states that previous iPhones is not capable of doing it. That's a lie, because Google photos iOS app now allows you to do just that along with the FOCOS app. But keep sipping the koolaid.
 

threeonthetree

macrumors member
Oct 21, 2018
34
39
In comparison to my Xs Max and Xr, I bought a pixel 3 and the night sight is like magic. My friends could not believe the huge difference lol. Google's computational photography is out of this world.
[doublepost=1543081050][/doublepost]
This is true. But having tried Android for a few years, I'll take Apple's refinement any day, to the quirks of Android.

Try pixel with vanilla android. In addition to my iPhones I also collect some high end Android but never had Nexus or Pixel. I never appreciated Android this much until I owned a pixel. I am still not fond of Samsung skins
 
  • Like
Reactions: eyeseeyou

ftaok

macrumors 603
Jan 23, 2002
6,485
1,571
East Coast
The ability to adjust blur in portrait photos is only available on the XS and XS Max. Again, Apple states that previous iPhones is not capable of doing it. That's a lie, because Google photos iOS app now allows you to do just that along with the FOCOS app. But keep sipping the koolaid.
If there's an app (or two) that can do it on older phones, then what's the problem? If you have an X or an 8, just use those apps instead of the stock camera app.

As for Night Sight on iOS, couldn't a 3rd party developer create an app for it? I'm not fully versed on all of the Night Sight stuff, but is apple locking out any required APIs for a developer to incorporate into their own app? I thought NS was just taking a series of photos at different exposures and stitching them together. It's not done in real time, as opposed to Apple's HDR technique.
 

Hokie804

macrumors member
Oct 27, 2018
97
107
SATX
In comparison to my Xs Max and Xr, I bought a pixel 3 and the night sight is like magic. My friends could not believe the huge difference lol. Google's computational photography is out of this world.
[doublepost=1543081050][/doublepost]

Try pixel with vanilla android. In addition to my iPhones I also collect some high end Android but never had Nexus or Pixel. I never appreciated Android this much until I owned a pixel. I am still not fond of Samsung skins

If I won a Pixel in a contest, I definitely would put it to use. But I don't think I'll ever use an Android as my daily driver again.
 

Blaze4G

macrumors 65816
Oct 31, 2015
1,300
1,178
If there's an app (or two) that can do it on older phones, then what's the problem? If you have an X or an 8, just use those apps instead of the stock camera app.

As for Night Sight on iOS, couldn't a 3rd party developer create an app for it? I'm not fully versed on all of the Night Sight stuff, but is apple locking out any required APIs for a developer to incorporate into their own app? I thought NS was just taking a series of photos at different exposures and stitching them together. It's not done in real time, as opposed to Apple's HDR technique.
The problem is Apple said it isn't possible. Are their software developers not as good as these developers creating FOCOS app or Google photos?

Night sight is not just stitching photos together. The difficult part is removing blur. If it was so easy every one would have done it already.
 

1rottenapple

macrumors 601
Apr 21, 2004
4,697
2,716
Just saw the latest image quality comparisons and the difference between the Xs and Pixel 3 is huge. Since this is purely a software upgrade, would Apple be willing to put in the effort to bring this to at least the Xs and X?

https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/14...-review-pixel-2-3-camera-photos-image-quality

If not, we should try to get pressure put on Apple to do so as it would be tempting for them to save it from the XI.
I voted now.

Can anyone remember the last time Apple updated the camera to enhance quality
 
  • Like
Reactions: tr1ad

Squeak825

macrumors 6502
Sep 5, 2007
439
307
Are you enjoying Animoji (which doesn’t use TrueDepth camera) on your 6S?

Yes, it does.

You can hobble along with a less-accurate version if you have the TrueDepth camera covered, but Animoji absolutely uses the TD Camera for data as part of the rendering process of the animoji's as people know them.
 

sumsingwong

macrumors 6502a
Dec 15, 2012
771
368
Just so everyone knows, Google wasn't the first to do this. It's been around for a while now on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro. They call it Night Shot. IMO, it's better than Googles version because it provides more accurate colors and doesn't over saturate and blow out light sources. The HDR is also superior than Googles Night Sight. Googles Night Sight looks like the photos were taken at dusk or dawn while Night Shot looks like it was taken at night. Night Sight photos white balance are way too warm. Night Shot also has less lens flare. Night Sight photos may be brighter possibly because it ramps up ISO which creates more noise. There are video comparison on YouTube that show how inferior it is to the Mate 20 Pro's Night Shot.

 
Last edited:

johnmed

macrumors 6502
Sep 14, 2009
271
434
uk
Yes, it does.

You can hobble along with a less-accurate version if you have the TrueDepth camera covered, but Animoji absolutely uses the TD Camera for data as part of the rendering process of the animoji's as people know them.

Have you tried using Animoji in low light?
 

If own iPhone

macrumors newbie
Jun 12, 2012
11
0

Girder_Shade

macrumors member
Aug 14, 2015
91
150
Republic of Toronto
My sister in law just picked up the Pixel 3 and I got to play around with it finally. I was super impressed with the camera but even more amazing was the Night Sight mode. I tried it against my iPhone XR and there was such a huge difference in low light photography I'm so jealous.
With all the money, staff and technology behind Apple you'd think they would be able to come up with their own version.
The Night Sight mode is seriously a game changer I was blown away at how well the pictures turned out.
[doublepost=1549220222][/doublepost]https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/3/18209098/pixel-3-night-sight-camera-moving-objects
 
  • Like
Reactions: motulist

puma1552

Suspended
Nov 20, 2008
5,559
1,947
Not to be rude, but the Pixel 3 is a newer phone than the current iPhones.

Why have you already gone out proclaiming Apple "can't" do something similar? For all you know they are going to leap frog Google with their own version later this year.

Seems awfully premature to make such a proclamation. Maybe if Apple still doesn't have it 3 phone cycles from now, ok, but to say they "can't" do something when they haven't even had an opportunity to offer a single iteration since Google did it is ridiculous. Doesn't seem like a lot of critical thinking went into this post.
 

I7guy

macrumors Nehalem
Nov 30, 2013
34,076
23,670
Gotta be in it to win it
Apple offers dynamic video hdr and smart hdr plus has better video, according to some websites than the pixel.

Night sight is one of many features offered in cell phone cameras across the board and is not a realistic rendition of the scene.

Whether apple offers this type of computational photography in the future is anyone’s guess.
 

lostOzone

macrumors member
Oct 18, 2017
60
32
Google seems to have a huge lead on computational photography. I hope Apple catch up. But they did not with the Pixel 2 why would they with Pixel 3..
 

JPack

macrumors G5
Mar 27, 2017
12,423
22,929
With all the money, staff and technology behind Apple you'd think they would be able to come up with their own version.

Money isn't always the issue. It's the people behind the company. If you ask Silicon Valley engineers whether they think Apple is a data company, no one would agree.

Compared to Google, Apple has traditionally lagged in software and AI, whether its maps, search, virtual assistants, or self-driving. Look who's running Apple - an operations and supply chain guy. Who's the CEO of Alphabet? A computer scientist.
 

44267547

Cancelled
Jul 12, 2016
37,642
42,491
I’m Also willing to believe the triple lens camera won’t be just geared towards VR rendering, but also towards adding additional focus to low light photos, and that’s where the iPhone camera really needs to be improved, because that’s been an ongoing struggle for years, where these other smart for manufactures are utilizing it through software enhancements.
 
  • Like
Reactions: balaplus
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.