so why doesn't apple offer a 16MP 16:9 camera sensor? Granted it'd only be 12MP in a more conventional 4:3 ratio, but it would've been nice to have the wider photo option, especially when shooting landscape photos. And having a wider sensor I think would also give us the ability to have even more detailed panoramas as the sensor would be 5376x3024 instead of 4032x3024.
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iPhone 6s 16:9 camera sensor?
- Thread starter bniu
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Lens may not cover enough area. Assuming they have designed the lens to most efficiently cover the surface area of the 4:3 sensor, it wouldn't allow he to use a wider sensor.
If they supports 16:9 it'd be with the current width and reducing the height
If they supports 16:9 it'd be with the current width and reducing the height
Which would crop it to a lower resolution. The OP was asking why they didn't make 16:9 the native like most other phones.
Yes, most of the Android phones I've had in the past including the S6, Note 5, and G4 all have the maximum resolution in 16:9.
How is having 16:9 not having a proper camera in a phone? You realize displays are 16:9 right? Most people look at their smartphone photos on their phone, and making a small screen smaller by using black bars on a 4:3 photo is not appealing.
I'd rather have an even higher MP count for the 16:9 ratio. Apple could still market it as a 12MP sensor and add in that it can also do 16MP wide photos. Just like how Apple doesn't call the sensor a 63MP sensor, even though it's capable of doing 63MP panoramas.
I believe Samsung is the major player that uses 16:9 sensors. Sony is definitely 4:3. I think HTC is as well.
Think about most photos you see in the world...in advertising, on signs, newspapers, magazines, posters, junk mail, web, etc. Almost nothing is 16:9. Think about common sizes for printed pictures: 3x5, 5x7, 8x10...not 16:9. Think about real cameras; point and shoot, DSLR, and mirrorless...not 16:9.
And that is great, so why not give the user a choice between an even higher res wide photo and a really good looking standard photo?
I understand why you would want that, but I think the reality is that since most photos are not taken as 16:9, the companies that make image sensors don't cater to that size. Another way to look at it is that if you put a high res 16:9 sensor in there, other people will complain because the size of the image will require extra storage space.
Exactly, I have a DSLR and that is 3:2. But who prints photos from their phone? Most just view them on their phone or computer, and almost all are using a 16:9 ratio.
Is the sensor set up for 16:9 or is it that the phones are just doing some software zooming/cropping to create the effect essentially?
But in that case you don't need higher resolutions because the photos are higher res than the screen anyway?
Photos can be almost any aspect ratio and that can be chosen to support the composition of the photograph. But technically I guess a square sensor would be the most efficient pairing with a lens, to get the most out of the area the lens covers. But that would be a relative waste of pixels on the sensor as not many photos are composed square (Instagram photos aren't that high res so they can easily crop from almost anything). A decent compromise would seem to be 4:3 or perhaps 3:2, but 16:9 starts getting a bit wide. I think apple's choice is a good one
You can easily crop to get your photos to fill a 16:9 screen and not lose much. Or view with black bars. Imagine if you take some portrait shots in 16:9 and view on a TV - the bars would be massive.
The full resolution is at 16:9, if you use 4:3 you get a lower resolution since it's cropping it.
Sure you could crop your photos, but who wants to sit there and crop every single photo to a 16:9 ratio? Apple should let you choose which ratio you want. 16:9 is fantastic for landscape and nature shots.
I prefer 4:3 ratio myself, more practical. How many times you shoot landscape? Once in a while, on a trip you are too busy to take too many times.
How often you take 4:3 pictures of your kids, family, friends, beer buddies? Infinitely more often.
I would however push Apple to enable user to shoot landscape oriented images even when we are holding the iPhone upright. Those thin, tall, sliver of shots we often take because we don't have time to turn to landscape mode are slowly dominating my albums.
Portrait shots are perfectly fine for photos, of course landscape is good as well, but both have good used when it comes to photos. Videos on the other hand, that's certainly a different story.
Why force people into any ratio? 16:9 might be good for you but not others.
I agree that there should be an option to have photos set to horizontal even if you take them in portrait mode. Although coming from an Xperia which had a dedicated camera shutter button, I'm accustomed to holding it horizontally for photos already
The thing is lenses are round, so a square fills up a lens much better than a rectangular shaped sensor... it's about making the most out of the limited room inside the phone. You could have a 16:9 sensor, but it would be smaller inside the iPhone since Apple don't want to put a big camera bump on or do something smart like make the back curved,
16:9 has never been a standard in photography.
A lens is a circle, so 4:3 format better fits lens information area than 16:9.
A lens is a circle, so 4:3 format better fits lens information area than 16:9.
Coming from a couple of Samsung phones, I do miss the option to go 16:9. It's great for landscape shots and larger group photos. It also obviously looks better when mirroring pix to your HDTV. That said, standard ratio is still best for prints (still desired for baby pix) and iPad viewing. Anyway, it'd be nice to have the option on the iPhone.
That's why I said Apple should give us a choice. But I still think that for a smartphone, 16:9 is better suited. With phones, tv's, and computers using 16:9 for the most part, that is what the vast majority of smartphone photos will be viewed on. It's the best way to get the most out of those displays without having black borders.