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I remember a few years ago on these forms when people were saying having an optical zoom on a phone camera would be impossible.

There is still no optical zoom, just multiple primes (like the Leica tri-Elmar lens), so they aren’t yet proven wrong.
 
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The text being so "clear" is misleading. In fact, the software is using AI to detect the letters and it totally smooths them out. It's still cool, but it's not *actually* zooming to that level of clarity. Just look at the stuff around the letters.
 
Blast from the past -- Minolta Dimage X1 with folded optics zoom lens.
Of course, it's a lot thicker than today's phones, but it was also almost 20 years ago.
 
Yeah, Apple actually patented 20 year old technology, with the "twist" that it would be inside a smartphone.
Who's the patent troll?
 
Yeah, Apple actually patented 20 year old technology, with the "twist" that it would be inside a smartphone.
Who's the patent troll?

No they didn’t.

First, they filed the patent in 2014.

Second, here’s an example claim from the patent - please tell us where this was done 20 years ago:

18. A folded telephoto lens system, comprising:
a plurality of refractive lens elements arranged along a folded optical axis of the telephoto lens system, wherein at least one surface of at least one of the plurality of lens elements is aspheric;
wherein the telephoto lens system has effective focal length f within a range of 10.0 millimeters to 14 millimeters, wherein total track length (TTL) of the telephoto lens system is 14 millimeters or less, and wherein the telephoto ratio (TTL/J) of the lens system is within a range of 0.8 to 1.0; and
wherein at least one of the plurality of lens elements is composed of a first material, and wherein at least one other of the plurality of lens elements is composed of a second material with different optical characteristics than the first material;
wherein the plurality of lens elements includes, in order along the folded optical axis from an object side of the telephoto lens system to an image side of the telephoto lens system:
a first lens element with positive refractive power having a convex object side surface;
a second lens element with negative refractive power;
a light path folding element configured to redirect light from a first optical path of the folded optical axis on to a second optical path of the folded optical axis;
a third lens element with negative refractive power; and
a fourth lens element with positive refractive power, wherein the fourth lens element is positive meniscus shape and has a concave image side surface.
 
Apple never release it straight away and what they are doing in camera is always top draw even without better zoom. I’m sure what Apple are planning is more than just better zoom....
The other manufacturers won’t sit still for 2 years until Apple debut a periscope lens. They will also be improving their cameras.

However at the moment I wont be going out to use a zoom lens.
 
The text being so "clear" is misleading. In fact, the software is using AI to detect the letters and it totally smooths them out. It's still cool, but it's not *actually* zooming to that level of clarity. Just look at the stuff around the letters.
Ooh, letters on a building. How fancy.

I hope there's a bird filter that draws in the barbs of the feathers.
 
Many flagship smartphones capture a short burst of photos, & then software process the individual images to produce/craft a final output image.

NOT a good fit for any longer lens !

Image Stabilization is a HUGE problem with a longer lens !
I was going to ask if anyone knew what this means for optical image stabilization. Seems incompatible, though I don’t know much about cameras. But digital image stabilization seems like it should still help, although it will probably start with a much more shaky image.
 
The other manufacturers won’t sit still for 2 years until Apple debut a periscope lens. They will also be improving their cameras.

However at the moment I wont be going out to use a zoom lens.


The comp will keep trying to improve yes but to me only google seem to get the software perfect even if comes to cameras. Apple’s software in their cameras is high quality while Samsung I think still has a lot of work to do to get the image processing right.

Heaving better zoom is nice to have but better overall image quality is more important for me at this stage
 
It’s disappointing that Macrumors have decided to post unending pictures of semi clad women on their site right at the time when men are more likely to struggle with being faithful to their spouses.
 
It’s disappointing that Macrumors have decided to post unending pictures of semi clad women on their site right at the time when men are more likely to struggle with being faithful to their spouses.
What the heck are you talking about? There are no pictures of women, semi clad or otherwise, in this article. And what makes men more likely to struggle with being faithful now? Having to stay inside? Why a struggle to remain faithful? Either you want to be in the relationship or you don't. It sounds like you're projecting your own problems onto everyone else.
 
Hey if it’s anything like night mode it will be worth the wait...you don’t need to be first. It’s about perfecting the software and not just seeing what sticks

But their night mode is no better than the Pixel phone that had it over a year prior? Indeed, it has now moved on to astrological photography. You make it sound like Apple took it to a more refined level, they haven't.
 
But their night mode is no better than the Pixel phone that had it over a year prior? Indeed, it has now moved on to astrological photography. You make it sound like Apple took it to a more refined level, they haven't.

I would say it’s the best night mode out there so going from nothing to having it at that level was impressive. Took google a few versions to get it even better and if they add night mode on all camera lens that’s a big step forward as well
 
I would say it’s the best night mode out there so going from nothing to having it at that level was impressive. Took google a few versions to get it even better and if they add night mode on all camera lens that’s a big step forward as well
It's not the best, it's just competitive.
Periscope cameras on smartphones started to be relevant in 2019. If it takes apple until 2022 to come with their own solution they are quite slow. And it better be a competitive solution taking in consideration how long it takes them to make it available.
 
I would say it’s the best night mode out there so going from nothing to having it at that level was impressive. Took google a few versions to get it even better and if they add night mode on all camera lens that’s a big step forward as well

Sorry but that is just not true. I had the first Google version and it was brilliant from release, hence all the Voodoo comments. Apple have done nothing more special or impressive.
 
The only reason Apple’s night mode looks a bit better is the quality of lens they use. Google Pixlels have always had great night mode capabilities.
 
Sorry but that is just not true. I had the first Google version and it was brilliant from release, hence all the Voodoo comments. Apple have done nothing more special or impressive.

It was good but got even better with time. For me night mode is the best on the iPhone but like With anything it’s down to personal preference.

Apple may not have done anything ground breaking but they released it great straight away while others it takes time to develop
 
The actual quote, "The new 2H22 ‌iPhone‌ will feature a periscope" doesn't mention a camera. It's like the people writing this article don't even consider that it may be Apple's first special attempt to appeal to submariners with something specific to their needs. (Where is @AngerDanger when you need him?)

Nah. The water resistance of the iPhone is too low and as any submariner will tell you once water gets into the people tank things go from bad to worse quickly.

Submarines once, submarines twice...
 
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Pls don’t make the camera bump on the iPhone any worse than it already is... I’d rather that the entire phone was just uniform in how thick it is over an awkward camera bump. Imagine how much bigger they could make the battery if they just made the whole phone as thick as the camera is???

I don't need them to make the entire phone thicker (and battery life is OK for me), but the iPhone 11's bump is… annoying in a way the 8's wasn't. Putting the phone flat on a table and then trying to type just feels stupid. It wobbles like crazy.

I think it'd be a great improvement if they make the bump horizontally symmetrical. Spread it across the entire line, or add a second bump in the other corner, perhaps for the LIDAR.
 
It was good but got even better with time. For me night mode is the best on the iPhone but like With anything it’s down to personal preference.

Apple may not have done anything ground breaking but they released it great straight away while others it takes time to develop
That’s how technology works. Things get better as time goes along. Google start at A and move to B and then C. Maybe this happens over 3 years. Apple come in ok the third year and don’t have to start at A or B because the work has already been done. They start at C.
 
That’s how technology works. Things get better as time goes along. Google start at A and move to B and then C. Maybe this happens over 3 years. Apple come in ok the third year and don’t have to start at A or B because the work has already been done. They start at C.

Which I don’t mind too much, Rather they get it right. We all want features out first but if apple don’t think it’s ready then wait we must...performance wise I know I won’t go elsewhere as what you lose is too big going to other phones

Can argue iPhone is still the best overall camera you can buy right now on a phone
 
Many flagship smartphones capture a short burst of photos, & then software process the individual images to produce/craft a final output image.

NOT a good fit for any longer lens!

Image Stabilization is a HUGE problem with a longer lens!
Longer lenses with about the same entrance pupil (size of the aperture as viewed from the front of lens) will mean an (even) 'slower' lens (in photographic terminology). In all but broad daylight, that likely means significant computational means to keep the noise acceptable (whether it is standard noise reduction or Night Mode techniques). This can do wonders for static subjects but capturing motion in lesser light situations will be difficult and/or quite noisy. The stabilisation methods that Night Mode uses can be used for long lens photography during daylight up to a point but would very likely impose a crop.

Additionally, diffraction will be bad, the FF equivalent f-stop of the tele lens is about f/19 when used without cropping.
 
Which I don’t mind too much, Rather they get it right. We all want features out first but if apple don’t think it’s ready then wait we must...performance wise I know I won’t go elsewhere as what you lose is too big going to other phones

Can argue iPhone is still the best overall camera you can buy right now on a phone
Other companies didn't get zoom and nigh mode wrong in the first place. It was better than what they previously offered, better than what Apple offered at that time.
So while Apple takes their sweet time to supposedly get the periscope zoom camera right their current and future offerings are still limited to 2x zoom so much worse than 2019's P30 Pro in terms of zoom which is shame.

I don't understand this obsession with iphone's camera is the best...
 
It’s disappointing that Macrumors have decided to post unending pictures of semi clad women on their site right at the time when men are more likely to struggle with being faithful to their spouses.
There are no pictures of women, clad or not, here. What are you talking about? Has your machine been infected with adware or something?
 
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