When Apple posted the Messages Beta for the Mac over four years ago, I knew I would feel right at home. iChat was long overdue for an upgrade, and bringing iMessage to the Mac would further bridge the divide between iOS and Mac OS X. I was excited to start messaging my friends and family from the comfort of my computer, until I realized, “Where’s the camera button?”
While Apple’s upcoming 9.7-inch iPad Pro will mostly match the 12.9-inch version in terms of functionality, there likely will be one key difference. Internal prototypes of the smaller model include a 12 megapixel rear camera comparable to the sensor in the iPhone 6s, according to sources. The 12.9-inch model that shipped this past November has an eight megapixel rear camera.
A competitor to Apple-acquired camera tech firm LinX has demonstrated the benefits that can be delivered by a twin-camera system like that rumored for the iPhone 7 Plus. A CNET video (below) shows how combining images from two separate cameras can deliver far sharper zoomed-in images compared to the camera in the iPhone 6s/Plus.
Corephotonics said that it had working dual camera systems back in 2014, but the supply chain was not yet able to deliver the volumes needed. That has now changed, it says …
The stock Camera app found in iOS is decent enough. It’s great for the casual shooting of photos and videos, and more importantly, it’s easy to use and almost always works.
But just like there are dedicated photo apps for improving the quality of your photography, the same thing is true for videographers. If you’re looking to improve your iPhone or iPad videography skills, then look no further than FiLMiC Pro, a $9.99 universal app.
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Popular foodie magazine Bon Appétit today revealed that it shot all of the images for its March print issue with an iPhone. The team behind the magazine detailed the process in a post on its website, explaining that instead of using traditional DSLRs like they normally do for print issues, they used iPhones for all of the photography.
Tim Cook’s embarrassment at the Super Bowl seems a timely opportunity to put together something that’s been on my to-do list for a while now: a quick guide to getting the best results from your iPhone’s camera.
As a keen photographer, I’ve been amazed just how far cameras have come in the past few years. Where I once used to carry a compact camera with me everywhere just in case, my iPhone has for several years now been my ‘always on me’ camera (currently the iPhone 6s). And where I used to carry a DSLR for travel photography, I now only carry my Sony a6000.
Since low-light was the problem Mr. Cook had, I’ll start with some tips specifically designed to help in low-light situations.
With the advancement of compact camera technology, products like the GoPro have really taken off in terms of use in sports and other action-based activities. While the iPhone has almost always had one of the best mobile cameras, its adoption in those fields has been somewhat behind. Today, however, 25-year-old Nicolas Vuignier has shared an incredible video on YouTube showcasing himself skiing down a mountain in Sweden, with all of the footage being shot on an iPhone.
While those of us who would happily trade thinner iPhones for better battery-life may be in the minority, even fans of ultra-thin phones expressed disappointment at the camera bump in the iPhone 6 and 6s. The problem Apple faced is that the laws of physics determine just how thin you can make a sensor and lens arrangement for any given aperture while retaining quality. But a patent application originally filed in 2013, continued last July and granted today could provide a solution.
Instead of the usual flat sensor, the patent describes a ‘spherically curved photosensor’ that would allow the distance between the lens elements and the sensor to be reduced, allowing for a thinner camera module …
We asked you yesterday to tell us how exciting you found the possibilities opened up by Apple’s patent for twin rear-facing cameras, and the results were very clear: 70.4% of you selected either ‘very exciting’ or ‘take my money.’
In addition to the possible applications I outlined in the piece, some of you had additional ideas that might be made possible by the dual-camera tech which has been rumored for the iPhone 7 …
We heard a report in November that Apple was testing an iPhone 7 model with dual rear cameras, and a patent application published today not only confirms that Apple is indeed exploring the idea, but reveals some extremely exciting possibilities with such a setup.
The most basic of these, noted by Patently Apple, is effectively optical zoom. By fitting two separate camera modules behind the lens, and creating a single lens with both standard and telephoto sections, you’d be able to switch between two different focal lengths. For the first time, you’d be able to take a zoomed-in photo without cropping away pixels to end up with a lower-resolution image.
But the possible applications described in the patent go way beyond this …
ExoLens, a division of Fellowes, today announced a partnership with highly-respected camera lens maker Zeiss to release “ExoLens with optics by Zeiss,” a series of three new high-quality add-on lenses for the iPhone 6/6s and Plus models. Incorporating Zeiss’s T* anti-reflective coating, the lenses offer optical quality comparable to the Zeiss lenses found in Sony cameras, improving on already-released ExoLens systems for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Each lens screws into a machined aluminum mounting and tripod bracket that attaches to Apple’s devices. One even offers zoom capabilities…
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Best known for its iPhone lens accessories, Olloclip today unveiled Studio ($90), a rail mounting camera accessory case for the iPhone 6, 6s, and Plus models. Studio enables the latest iPhone models to transform into more fully-featured cameras, including a bundle of protection, mounting hardware, and basic grips. It works with Olloclip’s existing, popular lineup of iPhone lenses, which are sold separately…
Ever since I upgraded from an 11″ MacBook Air to a 13″ Retina MacBook Pro, I’ve been hunting for the perfect hybrid computer and camera bag — a compact backpack that could hold my laptop, DSLR, lenses, and accessories at the same time. Six months ago, I covered several MacBook/camera bags from Incase, including the DSLR Sling Pack I’ve loved for years, and larger “Pro” options for bigger laptops. Each hybrid bag makes different compromises: for my needs, the Sling Pack’s too small, and the Pro bags are too large. But users of 11″ MacBooks might find the Sling Pack “just right.”
Seeing potential in a new alternative, I jumped at the opportunity to test Booq’s upcoming Slimpack ($195), a MacBook-sized evolution of its earlier iPad/DSLR backpack $145 Python Slimpack. Booq makes excellent bags, but apart from offering a multipurpose camera/headphone compartment in Boa Flow, it hasn’t taken a deep dive into the camera-laptop hybrid category. While the new Slimpack’s laptop compartment is just a hint too small for the 13″ MacBook Pro and iPad Pro I’m currently using, it’s right-sized for 12″ or smaller MacBooks, as well as 10″ or smaller tablets, any of which can be paired with a full-sized DSLR, three or four lenses, and accessories. Bundled with a rain shield and Booq’s standard Terralinq loss recovery protection system, it’s a very nice bag, and one I would certainly use if I switch to a 12″ MacBook next year…
Two weeks after quietly updating the Lightning to SD Card Camera Reader to USB 3.0 and adding iPhone support to the formerly iPad-only accessory, Apple is signaling that similar changes may be coming to its cousin, the Lightning to USB Camera Adapter. Notably, Apple has updated the USB Camera Adapter’s official page to add support for the iPhone 5, 5c, 5s, 6, 6 Plus, 6s, and 6s Plus, mirroring a change to the SD Card Camera Reader that was discovered alongside iOS 9.2. Though iPhone compatibility was added in iOS 9.2, Apple previously left the USB Camera Adapter’s page unchanged.
This is one of the best deals yet on our favorite all-in-one, iPhone-controlled home security system and air quality detector.
Just in time for the holidays, get $20 off Canary. That brings the price down to $179 from the regular $199. Better yet, you can save a total of $50 off regular price when purchasing the Canary Two-Pack.
This Wi-Fi, smartphone-connected security system does a whole lot more than the webcam style security cameras gaining popularity recently, and it does it all with gorgeous, Apple-like industrial design and slick companion apps for iPhone and Apple Watch…
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Not too long after the first rumors surfaced, Apple has given its usual non-confirmation that it has acquired Faceshift, the company behind the technology Star Wars used to animate the faces of CGI characters. It’s not an obvious fit for Apple, so what could be the thinking behind the purchase?
Like Apple’s patents, it is sometimes easy, I think, to read too much into some of the company’s acquisitions. Sure, it doesn’t go around acquiring companies randomly, but it may not always be after the complete package. It may well be that there is some small element of the company’s technology that Apple wants, or it may be an acquihire – where it’s the engineers rather than the specific tech the company wants.
But in this particular case, there is reason to suspect that Apple does have an interest in the broad brush-strokes of what Faceshift does …
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New for the holiday season, Apple is offering some bundles for the photographer and videographer. The iPhones have a great camera, as demonstrated by the Shot on iPhone 6 campaign and Apple is certainly looking to capitalize on these capabilities. With these bundles, they are making it easier for a hobbyist or a professional to get started with accessories.
The Flickr iOS app has been update with support for 3D Touch on the latest iPhones. You can now upload a photo, view your feed, check notifications or carry out a Spotlight search right from the Home screen. Spotlight lets you search for albums, groups or recently-viewed photos.
The app also has a handy new 3D Touch feature within the app for deciding which photo to share from a selection …
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DxOMark recently published its review of the iPhone 6s, and it confirms what we already sort-of new: it’s not a huge step up from the last generation iPhones. In fact, the camera performs ever-so-slightly worse than last year’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, which both entered the DxOMark rankings in 1st place when they were reviewed last year.
Fresh from showing how an iPhone 6s and a few cheap accessories can enable you to do a great photoshoot, Fstoppers’ Lee Morris has now put the iPhone 6s video capabilities up against a semi-pro Nikon D750 DSLR. The results are actually quite shocking, the iPhone 6s delivering much sharper results, as seen in the 200% zoom above and video below.
There are a few riders, of course …
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With the launch of Apple’s iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, users now have the option to shoot up 12-megapixel photos and 4K video at 30 fps. This is four times the video resolution found on the iPhone 6, but how does it perform? We’ve put together a new video test to find out exactly what it looks like…
There has been a lot of opinions floating around about the new iPhone 6s camera, its upgraded 12 megapixel sensor, 4K video capability, and the other software side improvements with iOS 9. Our own photographer Ben Lovejoy put the device to the test in his ongoing diary series. But this latest photo gallery from the people behind the Camera+ app gives us a look at how the camera has improved not just over last generation, but also over all other previous generations of iPhones in a side by side comparison.
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The iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus have new cameras on the front and rear as well as featuring the new Live Photos mode, a combination of photo and short 3 second video, which is enabled by default. The quality of both cameras has been considerably improved, beyond the raw increase to 12-megapixel back camera and 5 megapixel front camera.
However, there have been some reports of customers getting grainy, bad photos on the new iPhone 6s in low-light scenarios, despite Apple touting the new cameras’ improved low-light performance. Whilst its true that you will always get better-looking shots in well-lit environments, it turns out that having Live Photos enabled significantly impacts the photo quality in dark shots. Why?
Ahead of the launch of the new iPhone 6s and 6s Plus tomorrow, National Geographic today published a set of photos shot on the new device. Apple’s SVP of Marketing Phil Schiller pointed us to the article, which follows photographer Mark Leong reflecting on his history of shooting with various devices in China over the last 25 years. Head below for a look at the photos shot on Apple’s new flagship iPhone…
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