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iPod touch HD video but only VGA photos...?

lotones

lotones

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Aug 6, 2010
272
469
Will someone please explain to me why this would be?

If it's a hardware issue I may still wait to buy another iPod. I want the few pictures I take to be decent quality.

If it's not a hardware issue can Apple upgrade the still camera resolution with a later software update?
 
i think it would take hd vid and hd pics (the "vga pics" is probably a mistake because they did said it shoots in 720p so it has to take excellent quality pics)....if not apple a hoe lol

scroll way down at the bottom where it says "point & shoot" the pic they're taking a pic with the bike, it looks excellent..so yeah it'll probably be better than most regular cam's

http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/features/hd-video-recording.html
 
I agree the ONLY thing that disappoints me a little is the VGA photos, but since it can record HD video i think people were saying you probably will be able to extract still photos from the video, which would be of decent quality. I dont think apple will release anything to upgrade the camera pixels tho.............everything else is sweet tho....and im too hype
 
The sensor is too small. Its a physical limitation. They would have been slaughtered by the media if they thickened it to iP4 status just to fit in the same camera.
 
Roughly anything over 704 × 480 pixels (which is like .3 megapixels) is considered "HD", so it's not really a good rule of thumb for photo quality. Purely hardware limited, no way they can increase it later on by software.
 
ingraman said:
Roughly anything over 704 × 480 pixels (which is like .3 megapixels) is considered "HD", so it's not really a good rule of thumb for photo quality. Purely hardware limited, no way they can increase it later on by software.
Click to expand...

but on apple site it says it takes 960 x 720 still pics w back cam....so it does take hd /5mp pics right?

i think the facetime cam is the one that takes vga pics...
 
"HD" means VERY different things if you are talking about photos or video.

For example, 1080p is the highest resolution consumer HD format. 1080p HD still frames measure 1920x1080 pixels.

Well, multiply 1920 by 1080 and you get 2,073,600 pixels. About 2 million pixels. 2 megapixels.

So the iPod touch camera can record 720p HD video? Well, that's great! But that's at most 1280x720 pixels which is 921,600 pixels, which is 0.9 megapixels.
 
gta50419 said:
but on apple site it says it takes 960 x 720 still pics w back cam....so it does take hd /5mp pics right?

i think the facetime cam is the one that takes vga pics...
Click to expand...

No, the rear camera takes 960 X 720 shots, which is about .7 megapixels.
 
Right from the tech specs on apple's website

Video recording, HD (720p) up to 30 frames per second with audio; still photos (960 x 720) with back camera
VGA-quality photos and video up to 30 frames per second with the front camera

It looks like the only thing missing compared to the iPhone is the iPhone has he flash on the back camera and the touch won't.
 
notjustjay said:
"HD" means VERY different things if you are talking about photos or video.

For example, 1080p is the highest resolution consumer HD format. 1080p HD still frames measure 1920x1080 pixels.

Well, multiply 1920 by 1080 and you get 2,073,600 pixels. About 2 million pixels. 2 megapixels.

So the iPod touch camera can record 720p HD video? Well, that's great! But that's at most 1280x720 pixels which is 921,600 pixels, which is 0.9 megapixels.
Click to expand...

I see. Thanks for the explanation.

NT1440 said:
The sensor is too small. Its a physical limitation. They would have been slaughtered by the media if they thickened it to iP4 status just to fit in the same camera.
Click to expand...

You may be right, but I don't see why? Would it have been that big a deal to include a decent camera at the expense of adding a few millimeters?

I was hoping to upgrade from an old 2 megapixel camera through the new ipod. Seriously, I'm not asking for a lot. 2 megapixels or better, thats all... lol!
 
lotones said:
You may be right, but I don't see why? Would it have been that big a deal to include a decent camera at the expense of adding a few millimeters?

I was hoping to upgrade from an old 2 megapixel camera through the new ipod. Seriously, I'm not asking for a lot. 2 megapixels or better, thats all... lol!
Click to expand...

Because Apple being Apple, they are in a unique "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situation. If people weren't bitching about the camera, they'd be furious that apple dare make something thicker.
 
gta50419 said:
OHHHH ok, wow that's pathetic
shoot hd video but cant put even 1mp in stills lol, someone needs to get fired asap
Click to expand...

Its the physical size limitation of the sensor. One that small simply can't muster a high resolution for stills.

Its the same story of the last gen nano only doing video and no pics.
 
Hey, it's the first camera on the iPod. They need to have something to entice you to upgrade to next year's model. :rolleyes:

Before we all poo-poo the low resolution, I'd be interested to know if it can take good-looking photos with whatever sensor and software is on board. There are plenty of uses for nice photos at a low resolution -- taking pictures to upload to Twitter or Facebook, for example.
 
I'm sure the camera will be fine if you want to upload to facebook or twitter. Just nicer to carry around a better camera though, in case you ever come across that pulitzer winning shot. I do agree that a higher resolution camera will be on the 5th gen. Gonna hold out for that.
 
The apple site clearly states that the VGA quality photos are with the front camera. The back camera is better, although still not great. But for the average consumer this is really sweet. Unless you're a pro or have a photography hobby, it's gonna be great for taking snapshots. Better than carrying around Ashton kutchers camera lol.
 
The cameras are there for FaceTime and convenience, you can easily capture a shot and upload it or add it to one of your contacts.

The point is not to take high quality pictures to transfer them to your PC and get them developed. If you want to take pictures to get developed then use a digital camera.
 
What a joke...

A .7 mp still camera? You have got to be kidding me. If the reason is to make the iPod thinner... why? Is shaving a few mm off the case thickness really going sell more more iPods? Seriously? Folks have been waiting years for a camera on an iPod and this is the payoff? My old dead flip phone had better camera resolution. I was ready to order a new iPod right after the big show today, but not now. Thanks but no thanks Steve, I'll stick with my 2nd gen model until Apple stops crippling the iPod to keep the iPhone oh so special...
 
Phil In Idaho said:
A .7 mp still camera? You have got to be kidding me. If the reason is to make the iPod thinner... why? Is shaving a few mm off the case thickness really going sell more more iPods? Seriously? Folks have been waiting years for a camera on an iPod and this is the payoff? My old dead flip phone had better camera resolution. I was ready to order a new iPod right after the big show today, but not now. Thanks but no thanks Steve, I'll stick with my 2nd gen model until Apple stops crippling the iPod to keep the iPhone oh so special...
Click to expand...
I agree but I am staying with my 1G model, because the camera is so poor.
 
yeah i really want it too but i might wait until the 5g after that horrible cam
moto razr had a better cam than that lol
 
I'm sure if a jailbreak is released someone will come up with a way for us to taker higher quality pictures. If the lens can take 720p video, surely stills can be high quality too. I'm not too tech savvy with things like that so I may be wrong.
 
Theres no reason Apple couldn't have made the iPod thicker and stuck in the iPhone 4 camera.

But with that said, megapixels aren't everything. Even if the iPod touch only takes 960x720, as long as they are GOOD pixels, the pictures will be fine for emailing and posting on Facebook or whatever.

Again, pixel count isn't everything. Look at the iPhone 4 camera versus the Evo. iPhone 4 has a 5MP sensor while the Evo has an 8MP sensor. The actual image quality of pictures taken with the iPhone 4 blows away the Evo and all other Android phones currently available. My iPhone 4 takes better pictures than my 4 year old 6MP camera.

Pixel count means absolutely nothing.
 
lotones said:
Will someone please explain to me why this would be?

If it's a hardware issue I may still wait to buy another iPod. I want the few pictures I take to be decent quality.

If it's not a hardware issue can Apple upgrade the still camera resolution with a later software update?
Click to expand...

Name me an Mp3 player that costs only 230 dollars and takes both HD video with high resolution pictures. Don't forget about retina display and 1GHZ A4 chip.

It's obvious that apple undercut the ipod touch model for these reasons.

1. Cost
2. So, it doesn't hurt iPhone 4 sales
3. Leave room for next iPod touch

I was surprised to see that even basic model has received retina display. Retina display costs apple a lot of money in the first place. Putting two cameras? I am impressed with what apple brought it out with even basic model.
 
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