Sony CEO Confirms Camera Module Production for Apple? 8-MP Camera on iPhone 5?

[chrono1081]

The current camera on the iPhone 4 is stellar IMO and many others... an equal 8MP camera would be even better....

Not necessarily. If the photosites on the sensor are still the same size you will get a worse picture. Higher megapixels != higher quality picture. In most cases they can make pictures worse by adding noise.

Maybe an 8mp bump will work in the iPhone, maybe not. Depends how the image sensor is created and how the lens is. Unfortunately Sony doesn't have the best track record with consumer imaging. I'd be more excited if Canon was making the camera.

 

[Hobbs35]

A good photographer can take brilliant photographs with a disposible camera, a bad photographer will still take rubbish photographs with a top end DSLR.

 

[chrono1081]

A good photographer can take brilliant photographs with a disposible camera, a bad photographer will still take rubbish photographs with a top end DSLR.

+1. I'm not saying this is a great picture (especially since the pool vacuum is in it) but I was pretty impressed with the iPhone 4s camera. This was straight out of the phone, no editing. (I wish this was my house but it was part of the mansion my sister had her wedding at).

I hope if Apple indeed does give 8MP they also make sure the photosites are enlarged and the lens is a higher quality.

 

[dethmaShine]

A good photographer can take brilliant photographs with a disposible camera, a bad photographer will still take rubbish photographs with a top end DSLR.

Why are you comparing the users? A good comparison would be the same user (good or bad) using different cameras/mobiles to take photographs.

I don't understand your argument.

 

[Porco]

It's true that a high megapixel count is not anything like the most important factor about a camera, but everything else being equal more megapixels is better than fewer megapixels. I seriously doubt Apple is going to add megapixels just for the number on the specs list.

Why are you comparing the users? A good comparison would be the same user (good or bad) using different cameras/mobiles to take photographs.

I don't understand your argument.

I think the point is that the technical specs of a photo, and the camera it was taken on, can't make a badly lit, poorly composed photo a good one, and (within reason) can't totally destroy the work of a good photographer who knows what they are doing but only had access to a 'lesser' camera.

Another way of looking at it might be that Leonardo da Vinci could do more impressive work with a pencil and paper than many people could do with a studio full of photoshop artists.

 

[*LTD*]

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You can do some amazing things with the iPhone 4 camera and photog apps. I'm considering ditching my point and shoot Canon, though zoom technology really isn't there yet for me to be able to do that, I must admit. More megapixels is fine, but let's see some implementation of a proper zoom.

 

[Piggie]

To me, this just feels like a slap in the face to ipad2 owners

And please don't tell me that I don't want a reasonable quality camera in my tablet. Just because you don't.

I would not be surprised if they fitted 1gb or memory in the next iPhone to as another punch in the guts to iPad buyers.

 

[camelsnot]

The competition hasn't learned that a huge portion of actual customers don't buy cell phones based on these kinds of hardware specs. And there's not enough money (bottom-line profit) in catering to those fewer customers who do care.

Your point? The competition can still sell the phone at the same or cheaper rate, with a better quality camera. Everyone benefits. If you don't like/use the camera phone, then don't use it. Not every feature on a phone people "need" or use.

 

[camelsnot]

To me, this just feels like a slap in the face to ipad2 owners

And please don't tell me that I don't want a reasonable quality camera in my tablet. Just because you don't.

I would not be surprised if they fitted 1gb or memory in the next iPhone to as another punch in the guts to iPad buyers.

Apple always does that, yet people still buy the next ver of their hardware. If people stopped buying into their games of incremental fragmented releases, Apple would quit doing it.

 

[TurboJobo]

i know this is stupid and I'm going to have a lot of sarcasm comments but i would love and optical zoom at least 5x right now iphone camera for me is awesomeeeeeeeeeeee! but with you zoom in not so great :/

 

[chrono1081]

Apple always does that, yet people still buy the next ver of their hardware. If people stopped buying into their games of incremental fragmented releases, Apple would quit doing it.

Please show me a company that doesn't do that. You know that there is a lot more technology out there then what is on the market right?

 

[dethmaShine]

It's true that a high megapixel count is not anything like the most important factor about a camera, but everything else being equal more megapixels is better than fewer megapixels. I seriously doubt Apple is going to add megapixels just for the number on the specs list.



I think the point is that the technical specs of a photo, and the camera it was taken on, can't make a badly lit, poorly composed photo a good one, and (within reason) can't totally destroy the work of a good photographer who knows what they are doing but only had access to a 'lesser' camera.

Another way of looking at it might be that Leonardo da Vinci could do more impressive work with a pencil and paper than many people could do with a studio full of photoshop artists.

Fair enough.

I think that was common sense and wasn't worth mentioning in any context.

 

[Porco]

Fair enough.

I think that was common sense and wasn't worth mentioning in any context.

I think it was worth mentioning, especially in the context of a discussion on cameras and the quality of the images they produce. It's good to remember that these things are tools and not be obsessed to the point of ignoring the creativity that is required to make these tools useful.

If common sense was more common, the megapixel myth wouldn't exist

 

[apolloa]

Wooohooo hallelujah about friggin time it got a decent camera and if it's the same one as whats in the Xperia Arc then this is the best news ever. let's hope apple let you have the full feature set and options.

 

[macduke]

Here's the deal: Now that cell phone sensors are approaching a decent quality, they will need good optics or it doesn't matter. That's where, I believe, Sony comes in. If you just throw in "MOAR MEGAPIXELS" then you've already lost. Looks great on a stats sheet for Android noobs, looks bad as a print (or at the least not any better than a lower mp sensor).

Stats don't matter. That's what all the PC people say about Thunderbolt. Unless they got it first. Then any notebook without it would be considered worthless. Like a Mac and what they would then call its "legacy I/O." Lol...

My first dSLR was a Canon Rebel XT. It had an 8mp sensor. Crazy to think my phone will have one too, despite the noise, inferior optics and lack of control. But still, crazy! And probably 1080p video too.

All I can say is this iPhone 5 better come in 64GB and 128GB sizes! I'm already out of room on my 32GB model. I hope there is a setting for video quality. 720p is fine for casual videos. If I actually need 1080p (for legit work), I'll use my 7D + L optics, thank you very much! Haha. But it's inevitable.

 

[dethmaShine]

I think it was worth mentioning, especially in the context of a discussion on cameras and the quality of the images they produce. It's good to remember that these things are tools and not be obsessed to the point of ignoring the creativity that is required to make these tools useful.

If common sense was more common, the megapixel myth wouldn't exist

Yah... well... ok...

 

[Piggie]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but can't you get over a lot of the quality issues by using a 90 degree bend, so the lens on the back of the phone/ipad is almost just a glass cover, behind which is a mirror, then you have a long unit at 90 degrees to this device which holds various lenses, so for example you could have a 10 or 20mm long lens barrel/system inside there?

 

[Lesser Evets]

I'd take photos with an iPad. Those naysayers are ridiculous. Sure, it's not a device I'd use for frivolous photography on the fly, but it would be fine for capturing photos and videos. The iPad is still the best all-in-one video/photo/editor because of screen size.

A good photographer can take brilliant photographs with a disposible camera, a bad photographer will still take rubbish photographs with a top end DSLR.

This is the most simplistic statement.

A crap camera will never take a great picture, despite the hands it is in. It might take something vaguely enigmatic on some level, but with bad lens, inability to capture colors, or faulty mechanics/electronic, it will be nothing more than a crippling piece of equipment.

A good photographer can frame, layer, focus the subject, and compose well. Yes, you don't need a "good" camera for those qualities, but you need a well-creafted camera to back up and improve on the photographer's skills.

 

[res1233]

I'd take photos with an iPad. Those naysayers are ridiculous. Sure, it's not a device I'd use for frivolous photography on the fly, but it would be fine for capturing photos and videos. The iPad is still the best all-in-one video/photo/editor because of screen size.



This is the most simplistic statement.

A crap camera will never take a great picture, despite the hands it is in. It might take something vaguely enigmatic on some level, but with bad lens, inability to capture colors, or faulty mechanics/electronic, it will be nothing more than a crippling piece of equipment.

A good photographer can frame, layer, focus the subject, and compose well. Yes, you don't need a "good" camera for those qualities, but you need a well-creafted camera to back up and improve on the photographer's skills.

I think when you consider what a good photographer can do with Aperture, it might make more sense to you.

 

[chrono1081]

This is the most simplistic statement.

A crap camera will never take a great picture, despite the hands it is in.

No offense but its obvious you know nothing about photography. Your statement is 100% incorrect.

I guess these are bad pictures then if good pictures can't be taken without top of the line equipment:

 

[Dr McKay]

I was expecting an 8MP Camera in the iPhone 5, Im just glad it could be a top quality company like Sony doing it.

No offense but its obvious you know nothing about photography. Your statement is 100% incorrect.

I guess these are bad pictures then if good pictures can't be taken without top of the line equipment:

Those are good, famous photos, even though the one on the left is staged, the kids are hiding their faces because they couldnt stop giggling at the idea of having their photo taken. Powerful photo though.

 

[Whozown]

more MP's ≠ better photos.

Better sensor = BETTER photos.

 

[Full of Win]

Pentax use Samsung sensors.

They may use Samsung in some cameras, buy they also make extensive use of Sony sensors. I'm sure one of Pentax will confirm, but I thought the majority (not all) of their sensors are from Sony.

Here is a CNET article from a few days ago, as just one example

Sony's sensors are used not only in its own still cameras and video cameras but also in SLR cameras from Nikon and Pentax. The company isn't afraid to raise expectations about backside illumination and other technologies it plans to use in its sensors.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-30685_3-20048197-264.html

 

[SarahPalin]

They make all of Nikons sensors, even the high end D3S and D3X dSLRs ones. They also made (or make?) Canon point and shoot sensors; at least as of a few years ago. Sony was one of the first with backlit CMOS as well.

Oh, and I think Pentax, if you want to consider them a camera compay, uses Sony sensors.

The high-end Nikon sensors are not Sony's.

"While it's widely known that Nikon uses sensors principally designed by Sony in many of its digital SLRs, the D3/D700 sensor is an original Nikon design that is manufactured not by Nikon but by an unspecified sensor fabricator. Prior to the D3, the only other digital SLR models to also feature a sensor created by Nikon were the D2H and D2Hs, and as with those models, Nikon isn't revealing their manufacturing partner for the new sensor. It has a pixel pitch of 8.45µm and utilizes 12-channel readout."

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=7-9311-9483

 

[BigBeast]

Adobe flash... HA!

The wizards at Apple can't even make a mobile device that will run that load of crap. I hope that crap-ware never makes it into any IOS based products.

Should read:The wizards at Apple WON'T make a mobile device that will run that load of crap. Continue.