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iPhone 6 Camera worse than previous models?

As you can see here, Apple did something to the JPG processing engine.

I hope that Apple fix this. It's such a shame that an awesome camera isn't being used as it should.
 
ApfelKuchen said:
The iPhone shoots RAW images. The RAW files are running around 3.8 GB based on the shooting I've done so far. JPG processing is done on the output/export.

It's not a question of whether JPG compression is overly-aggressive in the camera, but it may be overly-aggressive when generating a JPG for output. Even then, without looking closely at each image for JPG artifacts, it's hard to judge "aggressive." It's not just a matter of compression, but the dimensions of the output file (X pixels by Y pixels). Two programs can very well output different dimension images as well as JPG compression, depending on the intended purpose of the output (small, medium, and large email, for example).

In comparing the iPhone 5/iPhone 6 shots, I see differences in white balance, which is not surprising. And since both cameras are making independent exposures, it's certainly possible, from one shot to the next, to see a difference between two different cameras, each with a different imaging engine. Difference, however, is not necessarily a measure of quality. The internal metering systems are one of the ways camera makers distinguish their products.

All I know is my own experience - the iPhone 6 camera has been producing great results for me. Sharp, well exposed, good contrast, low noise... It seems to beat every digital camera I've owned, except for my current MFT large-sensor baby.
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Is it 3.8Gb PER photo? My DSLR takes 12mb RAWs in contrast.
 
Had an interesting exchange with @ProCamera on Twitter.

Me: @ProCamera compared to the stock iPhone camera.app on the iPhone 6 how does this handle photos as it relates to original size? Upscale?

ProCamera: photos are the same pixel size (3264x2448) but can be larger in file size (MB) if you set higher quality JPEG save.

Me: @ProCamera right. Did that but are images coming off of the same iPhone 6 camera of higher quality than when using stock app?

ProCamera: no, all camera replacement apps are using the same source data from the camera.

Me: @ProCamera remind me again why I spent $3.99 on this? I want a higher resolution image…not more filters and manual controls.

ProCamera: we do not make that claim on AppStore. User control is our focus. You can request a refund from Apple https://t.co/Kq6ab1HbkW. A handful of apps like @CortexCamera have higher res by stitching multiple shots but require longer process & static subject
 
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A lot of the pictures I take are very weirdly blotchy as well.. I didn't deal with this on my 5 or 5S. Apple needs to change the processing the camera is doing, it's making all of my pictures turn out odd. Not bad, but odd.
 
I def noticed this contrast issue when I first got the phone. Hopefully Apple fixes it in a software update. Some pics come out great, others come out not so great.
 
michael31986 said:
I thought reviews confirmed that the iPhone 6 took better pictures. Hmm I'm not sold on this.
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How can you have been here since 2008 and not know that most early reviews of Apple products are essentially puff pieces written by Apple PR? Or are you trying to make a joke?
 
iolinux333 said:
How can you have been here since 2008 and not know that most early reviews of Apple products are essentially puff pieces written by Apple PR? Or are you trying to make a joke?
Click to expand...

Actual reviews with pictures taken with 5s and 6 were done and posted all over. I trust those.
 
ddublu said:
Had an interesting exchange with @ProCamera on Twitter.

Me: @ProCamera compared to the stock iPhone camera.app on the iPhone 6 how does this handle photos as it relates to original size? Upscale?

ProCamera: photos are the same pixel size (3264x2448) but can be larger in file size (MB) if you set higher quality JPEG save.

Me: @ProCamera right. Did that but are images coming off of the same iPhone 6 camera of higher quality than when using stock app?

ProCamera: no, all camera replacement apps are using the same source data from the camera.

Me: @ProCamera remind me again why I spent $3.99 on this? I want a higher resolution image…not more filters and manual controls.

ProCamera: we do not make that claim on AppStore. User control is our focus. You can request a refund from Apple https://t.co/Kq6ab1HbkW. A handful of apps like @CortexCamera have higher res by stitching multiple shots but require longer process & static subject
Click to expand...

This proves my point. All the camera apps claiming to take better pics are wrong. Why even have the option to save as uncompressed TIFF when it is the exact same image as the stock camera app pic except it's 22mb!?

These apps can not produce uncompressed pictures or lessen the noise reduction or JPEG compression that happens in post processing. Apple won't give that access up.

So don't waste your money thinking you will be able to take any sharper or less noisy pictures with these 3rd party apps.

Cortex Cam can produce a slightly better pic by combing multiple frames into one picture. . It's only useful for subject that are still.
 
BuffordT said:
This proves my point. All the camera apps claiming to take better pics are wrong. Why even have the option to save as uncompressed TIFF when it is the exact same image as the stock camera app pic except it's 22mb!?

These apps can not produce uncompressed pictures or lessen the noise reduction or JPEG compression that happens in post processing. Apple won't give that access up.

So don't waste your money thinking you will be able to take any sharper or less noisy pictures with these 3rd party apps.

Cortex Cam can produce a slightly better pic by combing multiple frames into one picture. . It's only useful for subject that are still.
Click to expand...

Totally...so irritating. What's more...they are making a pretty penny for more "controls" in the app that takes an identical picture.
 
Talked to two app camera app developers. Both said what I have found-they can't access raw image. It's processed by the iPhones chip.
 
michael31986 said:
It says previous models.
Click to expand...

Are these statements the same?

The iPhone 6 has the same amount of RAM as previous models.

The iPhone 6 has the same amount of RAM as all previous models.

Pro-tip: One of the statements is true and the other is not.
 
So the net net is that if you want better image quality than what the 6 or 6 plus produces...wait for the 6s. There are no magical apps that take "better pictures." Find an app that does everything else to your liking (some like having a camera roll built into their camera app, some like Clarity in Camera+, some like more manual controls, etc.) and go with it.

Just curious - doesn't upscaling a picture actually make the quality worse? If you are adding data to an original image, what data is that? Or....am I way off?
 
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