Digital Camera World » camera phones

iPhone 5 camera: what’s in it for photographers

jmeyer — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 11:00:03 +0000

The much-anticipated iPhone 5 was finally revealed last night at Apple’s Cupertino, California, headquarters, and while the main headline is the 6th-generation smartphone’s slimmer figure (18% thinner and 20% lighter than iPhone 4S), there are some key improvements to the iPhone 5 camera – resolution and video capabilities being key among them – that should appeal to photographers everywhere.

The iPhone 5 camera retains the 8-megapixel sensor size announced last year in the 4S, but unlike its predecessor the iPhone 5 camera resolution jumps to 3,264 x 2,448 on a retina display.

Apple says the iPhone 5 camera lens has also been enhanced with a fast f/2.4 aperture to improve its capability for low-light photography. What’s more, they’ve added a new dynamic low-light mode that boosts the iPhone 5 camera’s aperture by two stops when it detects low light.

Other enhancements include a new A6 chip with an enhanced image signal processor that Apple claims makes the iPhone 5 camera 40% faster than the 4S.

Shot with an iPhone 5 camera

Another key improvement over the 4S is a new panorama mode in which the iPhone 5 camera can record 28-megapixel images. This is achieved with a simple sweeping motion while taking a picture, much like the panorama modes in many of the high-end digital compact cameras on the market; however, the iPhone 5 camera tells you how fast to move the camera, and built-in software aims to compensate for too much movement in your motion.

Improvements in stabilisation have also been added to video recording, and the iPhone 5 offers full HD (1080p) video capability at up to 30 frames per second with audio. You can also shoot still images while recording movies.

Users will also find face detection for up to 10 faces on the iPhone 5 camera, which it recognises both in video and stills.

The front-facing FaceTime HD camera on the iPhone 5 now records video at 720p at up to 30 frames per second, and shoots 1.2-megapixel photos.

Apple claims it also offers improved sound, with a new beam-forming direction microphone included among the smartphone’s three microphones.

Shot with an iPhone 5 camera

Other iPhone 5 camera features to note include a new Shared Photo Streams facility for sharing images via the web or Apple’s iCloud, geotagging photos and videos, an LED flash, and an autofocus function with the ability to tap to focus whether shooting still images or recording video.

For more on the iPhone 5, our friends over at Tap! have put together a fully interactive HD edition, the Complete Guide to iPhone 5, for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch users.

13 best free Android photo apps

jmeyer — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 11:23:26 +0000

Although probably not quite as ubiquitous as the iPhone or iPad, there are nevertheless plenty of fantastic – and free – Android photo apps that are just as good as those designed for Apple devices.

In this post we round up some of the best of the many free photo apps for Android that cost you nothing at all to download.

All of the free Android photo apps on this list were available at the time of writing.

Android Photo App No. 1: Instagram

It was a long time coming, but Android users finally got access to the iPhone app making waves for months this year. Instagram for Android is pretty much the same as its iPhone sibling, featuring fun filters, the ability to add a tilt-shift (miniature) effect, some borders and of course the all important ability to share with users via the Instagram network.

You can also share via the er, more traditional, methods of Facebook, Twitter and email.

Download Instagram

Works best on: phone

PAGE 1: Instagram
PAGE 2: PhotoArt
PAGE 3: Photo & Pic Collage
PAGE 4: PhotoWonder
PAGE 5: Pixlr-o-Matic
PAGE 6: PicsArt
PAGE 7: Photoshop Express
PAGE 8: Pudding.to
PAGE 9: Pudding Camera
PAGE 10: Retro Camera
PAGE 11: Camera MX
PAGE 12: PhotoStudio
PAGE 13: FxCamera

New Android camera app offers 16 creative filters

jmeyer — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:25:00 +0000

A new Android camera app from software provider MAGIX AG offers photographers 16 creative filters to apply to their photos.

Camera MX is a free Android camera app that lets users quickly edit captured photos using its 16 filters, which include effects such as Lomo, Sepia, Pop Art, negative, Orton and Kaleidoscope.

After capture, the camera app allows you to fine-tune images by making adjustments to saturation, contrast and white balance, among others.

A media manager also lets you view customised slideshows with optional 3D transitions, the Ken Burns effect and a choice between six optional soundtracks. If you like the end results, you can then post them to Facebook and Twitter with one click, or you can upload them to the MAGIX Online Album.

For more details on the Camera MX Android camera app, visit the Camera MX website.