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Recommended Reading: iPhone 6s in the hands of a pro photographer
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. iPhone 6s Camera Review: Switzerland by Austin Mann Still on the fence about all of those camera features on the iPhone 6s? Professional photographer Austin Mann has taken previous Apple handsets for a test-drive and he's done the same with the latest. From Live Photos to handy accessories and low-light performance, Mann details the phone's photography abilities while touring Switzerland.
Apple details new iPhone camera: slow-motion video, burst shooting, 15 percent larger active sensor area
Now that Apple's announced the new iPhone 5s, it's taking some time to detail the camera, which, as you'd expect, has been upgraded for 2013. The new module includes a five-element, Apple-designed lens with f/2.2 aperture and -- this is important -- a 15 percent larger active sensor area to help cut down on noise. Also, as rumored, Apple is adding high-speed, 120fps video recording so you can make slow-motion videos (in 720p only, it looks like). One rumor that wasn't true: the one about optical image stabilization. Yes, Apple says there's image stabilization here, but it appears to be just the digital kind. Hope we haven't disappointed you too much. Additionally, the camera allows for burst shooting at up to 10 frames per second -- just make sure you're holding down the shutter button. Wrapping up, other features include autofocus matrix metering, with the ability to let the camera automatically pick the sharpest shot. There's also automatic exposure adjustment in panorama mode and a new flash called True Tone. Marketing speak aside, the flash is comprised of 1,000 unique variations in flash tone to reduce clashing color temperatures. Curiously, despite going into good detail about the camera, Apple didn't mention the resolution of the camera -- normally a headline spec -- so we're wondering if it's still capped at eight megapixels. (We're going to go with yes.) If we hear anything else, we'll update this post, but for now, enjoy our liveblog, and get ready for us to revisit these camera tweaks in our eventual review. Update: Now that Apple's posted the complete spec list for the iPhone 5s, we've been able to confirm this is indeed an 8-megapixel camera.
Getting ready for fireworks photography with your iPhone
Getting good fireworks photos is a challenge on any camera. Fortunately, Apple has continued to improve the cameras in the iPhone, and some features will help you get impressive fireworks images. When photographing fireworks, your big issues are camera movement and focus. If you have a tripod like the Joby GorillaPod, use it. If not, steady the camera on a car roof or some other stationary object. On to the focus issue. Apple's tap-to-focus feature can help you get well-focused images. You'll have to be quick, but if you can tap the screen as the bright fireworks display appears, your camera will focus quickly and properly. Even better, both iOS 5 and iOS 6 have added focus lock, which most people aren't aware of. In iOS 5, tap the part of the screen you want in focus, but hold your finger there. You'll get a lock indication at the bottom of the screen. In iOS 6, do the same thing. You won't get the lock text, but the box will "lock in" visually. Once focus lock is set, shoot away and your iPhone camera will remember the focus setting. Beginning with the iPhone 5, Apple has done a better job on low-light performance. For fireworks, that might not make a big difference, but it will help in shooting the crowds. The built-in Apple camera software is not your only alternative. Some of the latest third-party apps have extended or improved features that will help you get really good images on the Fourth. Slow Shutter Cam: This app will let you keep the shutter of your camera open, which is just the thing for capturing that fireworks display. If you have your camera steady, try exposures of five to 20 second. The app is US$0.99. iLightning Cam: This app is designed to automatically take photos of lighting strikes, but also works fine for fireworks. The $1.99 app works for video and stills. Camera+: A standby for all iOS photos, Camera+ has stabilization, focus lock and some post-processing features that will make your photos even sharper. Camera+ is $1.99. Fast Camera: A very popular $1.99 app. It offers powerful focus lock controls, and very speedy, no-lag performance. A couple of other thoughts. Turn your flash off. It won't help your photos, and will likely reduce the contrast. You will likely want to shoot in portrait mode, especially if you are close to the display. Don't forget that Apple now has PhotoStream, which will let you share your photos quickly with family and friends. Wait until you have WiFi, as PhotoStream won't upload on cellular connections. PhotoStream was not available until late in 2011, so this is only the second Fourth of July you can put it to work. If it rains, you're not totally out of luck. There are several iOS apps that will create digital fireworks you can enjoy. Check out the free Fireworks Arcade and the free for the Fourth, Fireworks!.
Vacation Coming? Here are my favorite iOS photo apps
It's that time of year. Vacations are likely in your future, and there has never been a bigger choice in apps and utilities to make and share great still photos from your iPhone. Among the multitude of apps I've tested over the years, I have some favorites, so I'm sharing those treasures with you. I'll miss some great apps, but these are the apps that have never let me down under a variety of conditions. Let me state that the majority of my photography is done with a Canon DSLR. It has great quality and unparalleled reliability, but there is nothing like the iPhone for a quick good quality photo or panorama, and there are plenty of great tools to edit that photo before you share it. I find I'm always using both cameras; the DSLR for the keepers I may print and frame, the iPhone for all the rest. Let's get started. I'm going to deal primarily with landscape or location photography. The built-in Apple camera app is fine for taking shots of people, and if you use the built-in HDR mode you can rescue photos from blow-out due to bright sky backgrounds. For landscapes, HDR is just the ticket. HDR gives you a wider dynamic range, so detail shows up in the shadows and bright skies won't overpower your image. The above-mentioned HDR feature from Apple is OK for landscapes, but won't give you the best quality your iPhone camera can provide. I've had the best results from three apps. Pro HDR (U.S. $1.99), Tru HDR($1.99), and Fotor ($2.99). Fotor is also a capable photo editor and camera app. %Gallery-192680% Non-HDR apps, for taking family pictures or photos where there is motion present, are also abundant. Among those I like are the already mentioned built-in camera controls from Apple. I'm also a fan of the popular free Instagram app that provides camera control and a variety of editing options and filters, and Camera + which is both very popular and a well performing $1.99 app. It contains granular camera control, and a host of features for both taking and editing photos. Let's not forget panoramas. Apple added a very good panorama feature in iOS 6, and it works great. (You need an iPhone 4S or iPhone 5.) Put the camera in Panorama mode, and slowly move it from side to side while the camera captures and instantly assembles a high-resolution horizontal image. Editing There are hundreds of apps that let you edit photos. Fotor and Camera + do a nice job, and both have a variety of filters if you want to apply them to your photos. I think the standout app is the free Snapseed app. It has an easy to use GUI, and best of all gives you a tremendous amount of control over several parameters that can make your images compelling. Even if Snapseed had a price tag associated with, it would still be my recommendation -- being free, it is a terrific choice. Apple's camera app does have some on-board tools like cropping and simple enhancing, but Snapseed is far superior. I also like to create collages and send them to friends while I am still traveling. My favorites in this area are Diptic ($0.99) and ProCollage ($1.99). Sharing You're on your trip, and want to share those photos before you get home. Again, there are plenty of options, including services like Flickr, Amazon Cloud Drive and Instagram, but I really like the free app Photoset. This universal app lets you select photos, upload them to a website, and send the url to friends. You don't need to sign up to anything, the photos look great, and unlike Apple's PhotoStream option, the pictures will never go away. My only wish for Photoset is that you could select multiple photos instead of selecting them one at a time before uploading. Where and When to take pictures Just like in real estate, location is everything. Sometimes you are taking pictures wherever you happen to be, while others look for the best places to visit specifically for photography. If you are in the US National Parks, the Chimani guides are indispensable. This series of free apps provides information like hours of operation, best photo spots, and travel tips for the major National Parks. The time of day that you take that picture is really important too, with the best lighting occurring during the so-called "golden time" just before sunrise and just before sunset. Magic Hour is just the ticket for figuring out the best time to take those wonderful pix. The app is free, uses GPS to figure out where you are, and then tells you the best time to grab those beautiful landscape photos. How about figuring out the best nearby photo locations? If you have an iPad, grab the free Stuck on Earth app. It shows your current location on a map, and scours the web for photos taken at that location. It gives you a great idea about what to expect and is also handy for trip planning before you ever leave on your vacation. Sadly, this app is not available for the iPhone, and there isn't an iPhone app that is comparable. Summing Up The apps mentioned here will go a long way toward making your vacation photos memorable and worth sharing. I still am amazed that such great technology can be stuffed in a smartphone, but there it is. Have a safe trip, and may you get lots of great photos.
Swivl motion-tracking dock now shipping to early adopters, future YouTube stars
Good news are in for folks who swiftly snagged one of those motion-tracking docks we showed you a while back, as they are now being prepped for shipping. After many months of teasing, it looks like the Satarii Star Swivl is finally getting ready to leave its prototype days behind. Those who unleashed the hefty $179 on the add-on can expect it to be on its way as soon as today. As for the ones who missed out on the first batch, you'll have to get in line and sign up via the company's site to know when more pop up. Also available now is a companion iOS app, which can be used to remotely trigger the camera for some self-recording action. We know you've waited long enough to take the Swivl for a spin, but in the meantime you can remind yourself why you bought in by peeking at the flaunting press shots below.
Swivl intros companion iPhone app, we make sweet video with it
Sure, when we first encountered the device formerly known as Satarii Star it may have been a pipe dream in dire need of funding (and frankly a better name), but after playing with the company's latest Swivl prototype we can confirm it's very much real and honestly, pretty darn cool. For those unaware, the $159 "dock" of sorts, rotates whatever you stuff into it a full 360-degrees all while chasing a portable marker. New today, is an accompanying iPhone app that can remotely trigger recording from the marker all while including other niceties like the ability to lock focus during capture. So how did we get along with our limited time with the startup's latest prototype? Hop on past the break to find out. %Gallery-142160%%Gallery-142167%
Belkin preps LiveAction camera remote for your iPhone
Look past the typical FCC dowdiness and you'll notice a Belkin-made remote shutter release for the iPhone. We have no notion of price or availability, but the regulatory paperwork does at least reveal how it works: the controller triggers still or video recording via Bluetooth and the accompanying LiveAction app, and it also houses a detachable stand for propping your phone up on a "variety of surfaces." Stop-motion shenanigans spring to mind, but the more obvious use is for group photos -- and you might consider pairing it with one of these to avoid cropping heads.
Chipworks throws an iPhone 4S under its infrared microscope, finds Sony-sourced image sensor
Look closely. Can you spot it? That gray abyss is actually an infrared image by Chipworks revealing an iPhone 4S' Sony-branded, 8 megapixel CMOS sensor. Looks like Howard Stringer wasn't bluffing to Walt Mossberg back in April, after all. At the time, it was reported that Apple's usual sensor supplier, OmniVision, was experiencing production delays, prompting speculation that Sony would eventually usurp the position. While the iPhone 4S that Chipworks looked into seems to confirm this, it's pointed out that Apple does have a habit of "dual sourcing" components (with its contacts saying this should be no different), so Sony may not be the sole supplier this time around. What ever the case, there's no denying that the iPhone 4S takes some stellar shots. You'll find more information -- including X-rays of the 4S -- at the source link below.
Olloclip three-in-one lens for iPhone 4 review
The age of lugging around a pricey DSLR kit just to capture casual fisheye, wide-angle and macro photos may be nearing its end -- for some of us, at least. Designed by a startup duo in California, the Olloclip was the first project featured in our Insert Coin series, and we were thrilled to learn not only that it was successfully funded, but that the device is ready to ship to both early supporters and new customers just two months later. The accessory brings the functionality of all three lenses to the iPhone 4, and it does so well enough to warrant leaving your pro kit at home on occasion -- assuming, of course, that your photographs aren't responsible for putting food on the table. While a bargain compared to its professional equivalents, $70 is a lot to spend on any iPhone accessory, so the lens's price tag may not sit well with some users. Also, design limitations mean you won't be able to use the lens with other devices, and there's no way to guarantee compatibility with future iPhones as well. Nonetheless, we had a blast shooting with the Olloclip, and we think you will too. Head past the break to find out why.%Gallery-128329%
Capturing the "rocket's red glare" of fireworks with your iPhone camera this 4th of July
With the 4th of July holiday rapidly approaching in the US it's time to think of both your backyard and big time municipal fireworks displays, and how to best capture them on your iPhone. The latest generations of cameras on the iPhone have greatly improved, and while still not up to high end DSLR quality, the built in 5 MP camera can take some extraordinarily good images. Here's the basics, to make sure you get some keepers. First, the camera needs to be steady. It's too late to get hold of a special iPhone camera case with a tripod mount, but if you have one already, like the Gorilla Pod, you're in business. No tripod? You're not out of luck. Steady the iPhone on your lap, on a chair back, or on the roof of a car. If you have to hold it, it's a good idea to take a deep breath and hold it in while you are shooting the fireworks. No, not for a long time! Your camera will have a tendency to follow the moving fireworks. Resist the temptation, and hold the camera steady when you take your picture. You don't want streaks and blurs caused by movement. If you have the latest iPhone 4 with HDR, turn it off. Fireworks happen quickly, you don't want multiple exposures slowing things down. And please, turn off the flash. Your little puny LED flash isn't going to illuminate the scene. Before everything starts, decide if you are going to shoot landscape mode or portrait. If you are trying to capture the foreground crowd, landscape is fine. Most fireworks are set off vertically, so if you are shooting well above the horizon, portrait mode is best. Digital zoom is a no no. It makes the picture larger, but increases the noise and decreases the quality. Stay at full wide with no digital zoom. The iPhone should auto-focus with no problem. If it doesn't tap the screen where the fireworks are, then hold steady and take your image. Don't forget, the iPhone is also an excellent video camera. Many of the same rules apply. Try to hold the camera steady... and let the motion come from the fireworks, not from your camera. If you get some great pictures, leave us some links in Flickr, Picasa web albums or your MobileMe galleries. We'd like to highlight the best of them.
Insert Coin: Olloclip three-in-one lens for iPhone 4 (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. We typically prefer to mount our macro, wide-angle, and fisheye lenses directly on a DSLR, but lugging around a pro-level kit isn't always an option. The olloclip adds some flexibility to your iPhone 4's camera, complimenting the built-in lens with a three-in-one optic that clips onto the phone and can be stored in your bag or pocket when not in use. The attachment includes three lenses: a 180-degree fisheye on one side, a wide-angle lens on the other, and a 10x macro that's revealed after unscrewing the top of the wide-angle. Based on the intro video, the wide lens appears to have some rather significant barrel distortion, so we hope inventor Patrick O'Neill and designer Chong Pak are able to work that out before this hits production. A $45 pledge to this Kickstarter includes one olloclip, which you're getting at a 25 percent discount. Lenses should ship 4 weeks after the project hits its $15,000 funding goal -- if it does hit that goal -- and are expected to retail for $60.
Camera Mic uses iPhone mic as shutter-release button
Can't seem to get just the right angle when taking a picture with your iPhone? Then you may want to check out Camera Mic, which turns the microphone on your iPhone or on your headset cable into a shutter-release button. Brought to our attention by Lifehacker, Camera Mic snaps a picture any time you tap the microphone -- or possibly even when it hears a loud noise nearby, which of course could lead to a full library of forgettable photos to sort through. But even with the potential to take pictures when you don't mean to, I could see this app coming in especially useful for those of us without forward-facing cameras. When we want to take a group shot that actually includes us, we have to turn the camera around and hope we can hit the shutter button. The ability to just tap the headset cable could make it much easier to take a photo worthwhile of being put somewhere other than in the trash. Available on the App Store for just US$0.99, Camera Mic is compatible with iOS 3.1 and later on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. (Maybe they mean iPad 2? Thanks, @Victimsofgravity.) Between the professional photographers using iPhones and reporters at The New York Times recording the news with theirs, the iPhone is sure showing its versatility in the photography world -- and an app like Camera Mic has the possibility of making it even more popular. [via Lifehacker]
The New York Times to provide reporters with the iPhone 4
The New York Times is giving their mobile reporters iPhone 4s to shoot video out in the field along with the ability to upload them to NYT servers using Aspera's high-speed file transfer software. Brought to our attention by MacStories, The New York Times' Editorial Director for Video and Television, Ann Derry, recently spoke to the Beet.TV Online Video Journalism Summit about the decision, saying that the iPhone 4 is a "game changer" for mobile video and the news business. The first NYT staff member to receive and use his new iPhone 4 was Andrew Ross Sorkin, who used it for his coverage of The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. You can watch his report, "Setting the Stage at Davos," over at the NYT site. With a critically acclaimed director shooting movies with an iPhone and even some professional photographers giving them a go, it's no surprise that the media is starting to use them as real-time news-collecting devices. When even my local news station asks me each night to send in any video I take with my iPhone, I know it has become a rather mainstream phenomenon. Click Read More to watch video of Ann Derry discussing the iPhone 4 and The New York Times. [via MacStories]
Infinicam gives you a boatload of filters for your iPhone images
It's been almost a year and a half since I took a look at CameraBag, an app that allows you to filter your photos, mimicking classic film cameras from days gone by. Now the creators of CameraBag have stepped the game up with Infinicam. The app can generate an almost unlimited amount of filters to apply to images, and also provides 18 border styles to suit your photographic whim. I tried the app on a variety of landscape images, and found the results interesting. You simply press an on-screen button and the app will generate a random filter. If you like it, you can save it to a favorites list. If you don't, just press the button again. The app has some preset styles, which can be accessed by tapping on your image. Once you have what you want, the image can be saved to your camera roll, or emailed. You can save the image at the full resolution of your camera, or you can make it smaller. There is also an easy-to-use cropping tool. I enjoyed using this app. I don't think it's for the semi-pro, because you really don't have control of the image. You're just making random stabs to see what comes up. Sometimes the results are stunning. Sometimes they are pretty weird and not worth saving. There is a history function that lets you retrace your steps. I'd love to see the app add the ability to keep the filter chosen and then modify it slightly with hue or saturation and other parameters. Photographers looking for more control would be wise to look at Filterstorm for a very flexible and powerful app. If you like the look of old cameras and films Hipstamatic is also worth a look. Check the gallery for some examples. Infinicam costs US $1.99, supports the Retina Display on the iPhone, but works on the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad and requires iOS 2.0 or later. %Gallery-107779%
Pro Australian photogs have a go at the iPhone camera
There's no question that photography with the iPhone is really catching on. Now, with iPhone 4, the camera quality is up, and people seem to be using it more and more for pictures they want to keep instead of casual snaps. A pro group of photographers, the ACMP (Australian Commercial and Media Photographers) ran a competition soliciting photos taken with an iPhone. The requirement was that the entrants use the Hipstamatic app to acquire the images, and that no further image manipulation could be applied. Hipstamatic emulates old styles of analog photography, along with classic lens emulations and different film characteristics. The app is US $1.99. The results are interesting and artistic. I've put a couple of the winners in a gallery, and I've provided a link so that you can see all the entries. The grand prize winner of the competition, Andrew Evans from Sydney, received an iPad. Thanks to Gavin Blue for letting us know about the contest. Gavin was also a winner. %Gallery-101491%
iChatAgent process shows up in iPhone OS 4.0 -- video conferencing coming?
As expected, Apple didn't introduce any new iPhone hardware today; knowing Steve Jobs & co., they still want to save some surprises when they unveil the 4G iPhone later this summer. Could one of those surprises be a front-facing camera with iChat support? Close TUAW reader AW sent us this screen shot that shows an iChatAgent process showing up in iStat ($0.99 in the App Store) on an iPhone running the new iPhone OS 4.0 SDK. The process is new to iPhone OS 4.0 and it suggests that Apple plans to implement iChat on the phone in some form. It seems unlikely that Apple would merely introduce an instant messaging app without support for video conferencing. Although a front-facing camera on the iPhone has been rumored from time to time and it's one of the most requested hardware features for the iPhone, battery drain during video conferencing is always a concern on a mobile device. If Apple has found a way to support multitasking without significant battery drain, it's possible that mobile video conferencing battery drain has been overcome as well. UPDATE: another screen shot from within Activity Monitor (sent to us by reader Mr. X) after the break.
Phone-O-Scope brings SLR lenses to the iPhone the hard way
We've seen a few iPhone camera mods and even the odd off-the-shelf case with interchangeable lenses -- but why buy new lenses when you already have some perfectly good ones for your SLR camera? That's the thinking behind this so-called Phone-O-Scope built by camera modder Bhautik Joshi, at least, which makes use of an always handy laser pickup from a CD player, some PVC pipe couplers and, of course, duct tape to let you attach any regular SLR lens to your iPhone. As you might expect, however, the end result isn't exactly flawless, but the Bhautik does seem to be happy with the "fuzzy, Holga-like images" he's able to get with the rig. Judge for yourself after the break, and find the details for building your own at the link below.
Snapture Flash adds crappy flash to crappy iPhone camera
The iPhone's camera may be thoroughly eclipsed by several of its competitors, but the insane popularity of Apple's baby means that we've seen tons of accessories aimed at making that 2.1 megapixel sensor somewhat more useful -- like the Snapture Flash here, which tucks a xenon flash with red-eye reduction into a sleeve-type case. Although it's powered by the phone, it's apparently quite low-power -- SnaptureLabs estimates that you'll take 1000 shots before going dry -- and there's some sort of "speaker amplification" built in as well, just in case you're super into enhancing mediocre parts of the iPhone experience. Bad news? You'll have to jailbreak your phone to get the Snapture app working -- hopefully that'll be remedied by the time this thing ships. Check out some sample shots at the read link.[Via Engadget Spanish]
iPhone camera problems and solutions
Apparently some people are reporting problems with the iPhone's camera producing green-tinted pictures. iPhone Atlas suggests that the problem is probably being caused by some defect in the iPhone's automatic white balancing. Fortunately, they also suggest some post-processing solutions with iPhoto or Photoshop. So, dear TUAW readers, have any of you experienced the green tinting in your iPhone photos?[via MacVolPlace]
