So, Does the Camera Still Suck?

[Ag-Ryan]

the camera is important to me on my cell phone because i want a "ALL IN ONE" device, which for me includes a camera. i want to be able to take pictures when i feel like it, and have them look good, without the hassle of having a camera that needs to be trotted around everywhere.

and i dont care about the 2mp, its big enough. what i dont like about the iphone camera is that it takes HORRIBLE shots in low lighting, and the lack of autofocus. it seems like ANY movement at all will make the camera take blurry pictures.

steve jobs and crew always brag about all the cool stuff you can do with pictures on your phone (upload them, pinch them, etc) so why dont they include a better camera to help you do this?? come on....

 

[Antj29]

i find it mad that no video camera or upgraded camera has been included.

Especially as apple take pride on utube on the iphone, you'd think a device where you can shoot and then upload content whilst mobile would be the back bone. it seems not. Even a bloody dig zoom would have been nice so you don;t have to mover around like a nobber when taking a pic.

I'm thinking now that i may just hold on for a few months till after 3g iphone has been released and see how it all pans out. i mean i still get the version 2.0 software on my current iphone so not as if theres going to be major major differences.

 

[wacow45]

Omg!

For goodness sakes its a dang phone!!!!!! 2 Megapixels is enough for a CELL PHONE! I do admit there's no auto focus, video, or zoom, but there is nothing wrong with 2 Megapixels!

 

[hotzenplotz]

I wonder if Apple could add more features to the camera via software? Zoom, exposure, video recording, etc. would be nice. But yeah, for a cell camera, it is enough.

 

[JBaker122586]

All the people complaining about the 2 MP camera have no idea what they're complaining about. Resolution isn't the thing holding the iPhone camera back. Lens size, aperture control, and focus modes are what hold it back.

And I'm not saying the iPhone should necessarily have all those things. To me, it's fine for what it is.

But PLEASE, if you don't know a damn thing about photography, don't whine because other products offer you a higher number (megapixels) which has no real significance in the quality of the photography.

 

[JMax1]

Lens size, aperture control, and focus modes are what hold it back.

It shows significant curvature abberations compared to other mobile phone cameras (because the lens is too small, and it is small compared to most cameras). It's a tiny photo that's not relevant to showing perforamance on a 6 x 4 print, where the difference between 2 and 3 megapixels is enormous. It's taken in good daylight, whereas the iPhone camera performs badly in poor light even for a phone camera, exaccerbating it's lack of a flash.Phazer

Thank you for posting this. It makes sense. And I do believe it's much more than a novelty. Apple made too big a deal about using the camera to send photos, uploading to your album, etc, for it NOT be be better quality. It should have gotten an upgrade to make it on par with others smartphones. I guess it was a sacrifice for form factor in the phone (?).

 

[twonga]

i dont care about the 2mp! i just wanted them to add a flash to it!

people only ever use there cameras on there phones on night outs/pubs/clubs

at the moment the quality in dark places is shocking!

 

[Fonzijr1964]

I wonder if Apple could add more features to the camera via software? Zoom, exposure, video recording, etc. would be nice. But yeah, for a cell camera, it is enough.

i think this is possible maybe u should download the SDK and try it. JK

 

[StuartCH]

Just Buy a camera, the cameras in phones suck anyway!
I wouldn't care less if got rid of the Camera all together



Stuart

PS: DONT BUY A KODAK!!! THERE TERRIBLE!!!

 

[Chef-Jer]

I wonder if Apple could add more features to the camera via software? Zoom, exposure, video recording, etc. would be nice. But yeah, for a cell camera, it is enough.

There are already apps available for the iphone 1.0 that do this

video = Iphone video recorder

http://www.iphonevideorecorder.com/index.html

digital zoom for camera - camera pro for iphone (this site also sells a voice dial app)

http://www.makayama.com/iphonecamera.html

both these apps are for jailbroken iphone 1.0 but both sites state they are working on version for the 3g iphone that will be listed in the app store

 

[automatickyle]

i dont care about the 2mp! i just wanted them to add a flash to it!

people only ever use there cameras on there phones on night outs/pubs/clubs

at the moment the quality in dark places is shocking!

You might want to stick to a REAL camera, because if you are hoping to catch something spectacular in the dark with ANY camera phone's flash than you are dreaming.

 

[Marvin1379]

Ever thought that Apple has realized exactly what a camera on your phone is? a novelty.

If you care so much about the image quality, go and buy a proper camera, the iPhone has hundreds of other selling points, as do other phones aswell, not forgetting the fact that despite some cameras having 5mp cameras, the screen res only allows for up to 2 mp to be veiwed, only get the true image quality when you print them off.

But if the camera quality is that important, i would suggest looking in a photography store instead of a cell phone store.

Your point is well-taken, although photo uploads to mobileme, which can then be viewed on normal size screens of computers (and appleTV since .mac users can put their galleries on there), the quality of photos taken should be taken into account.

This is a snippet of the iPhone 3G specs page from apple.com:

 

[CubeHacker]

You guys need to realize that Apple is looking for the iPhone to be a long term project. They want this brand and device to be sold 10 years from now, with an average new model coming once a year. There has to be SOMETHING new with each release to make users salivate and want to upgrade to the new model - similar to the ipods.

One of those features will more than likely be the camera. Sure, they could have easily squeezed a 5mp camera into the iphone. Samsung has 5mp sensors that fit into their phones which are just as thin as the iphone. But if Apple went ahead and improved on the iPhone now in every single way, there would be nothing left for them in the following years to milk.

My guess is that... perhaps next year, or the year after that, there will be an 'iPhone Vision', or something similarly named, with a decent camera (5mp or more), with VGA @ 30fps video recording. With a 3G connection, the iPhone could easily intergrate into youtube, allowing seamless uploads of your recordings. Hell, Apple could probably even create some kind of 'iMovie mobile' that runs directly on the iPhone for on the fly editing. Then just pop the iPhone into your dock at home, and edit away in iMovie or burn in iDvd.

 

[neiltc13]

You know, maybe Apple didn't add any of the software features because they know that someone is going to do it for them anyway. As a bonus, that developer might charge for the functionality which Apple will get a 30% cut of.

 

[DVS33]

I use my iphone camera for everything it is super clean. My wifes phone has a or so they claim 3MP Camera and it takes terrible pictures I would never use that for anything. The iPhone is just always held to a way higher standard. which is a compliment I guess.

 

[sysiphus]

The iPhone isn't held to any special standard--the simple reality is that media-oriented smartphones (we don't see tons of them in the US, which is why most of the UK folks here seem to be unsatisfied with the iPhone camera) should have good cameras, and the iPhone's camera doesn't cut it. Look at virtually any Nokia N-series from the past two years and the camera will be vastly better (optics and software) than the iPhone. Look at any camera-oriented Sony-Ericsson from the past couple years and it's the same story--example: a free SE W580 from ATT will take way better pictures than an iPhone.

The business-oriented phones aren't the same story--a Treo or Blackberry or Nokia E-series etc. won't have stellar camera features...but they're not angling for the same market as the iPhone, which, like it or not, isn't a business-aimed phone in the same way that a Blackberry or E61i or Treo is. (Also consider that many business phones delete the camera due to customer security requirements).

As a personal anicdote, I used my iPhone as my camera on a trip to NYC last spring--most of the pictures weren't even close to printable...on the flip side, my mother's Sony-Ericsson W810i (2 years old, not a smartphone, nor a camera-centric phone) took a good enough shot to print it 5x7 and frame it as a gift for a friend.

The iPhone's camera takes passable snapshots by comparison to a cheap basic phone available in the US...but it's way outclassed in its own market.

 

[MBX]

Sony Ericsson C905 is a 8.1-Megapixel

Well here is one that can do 8.1MP plus flash.

http://gizmodo.com/5015230/sony-ericsson-c905-is-a-81+megapixel-cybershot-phone

Man the iPhone really feels old in some cases.