For the iPhone 5S
Apple upped the physical size of its 8-megapixel sensor, meaning that each
pixel gets more light. In addition, it upgraded the lens from an f/2.4 model to
an f/2.2 model, increasing low-light performance again. Combined with the A7
SoC, the camera has a couple of neat modes, including a 10fps burst mode that
goes on until the phone's memory is full, and a 120fps slow-motion mode.
It would make sense if
Apple was to use this sensor in the iPhone 6, although, given it's a bigger
phone, with more room inside for components, it could well up the pixel count,
with a 12- or 13-megapixel on the cards.
Apple may also be
considering going in a completely different direction, particularly if a new
patent is to be used. This suggests that the iPhone 6 could get a refocus-able
lightfield camera.
Reported by 9to5Mac, a patent has been granted to Apple for a
lightfield camera, allowing people to refocus their shots after they've been
taken.
The technology works
by capturing light fields, rather than a single 2D capture of the moment. The
net result is that a photo is no longer a fixed capture, but one where you can
select a part of the picture to completely refocus the image.
We've already seen the
technology in use with the Lytro Light
Field camera. It's an interesting product, using software to let you
choose the point of focus after the image has already been capture. You can see
an example of this in the shot below.
Part of the problem
with the system is that the Lytro camera only took low-resolution photos, which
were no good for printing at a later date. Upping the resolution isn't that
easy and, by the details of the patent, not something that Apple is going to
do. Instead, the patent refers to a high-resolution and low-resolution mode,
with the patent covering a "digital camera system configurable to operate
in a low-resolution refocusable mode and a high-resolution non-refocusable
mode".
From the sounds of
this, the lightfield option would be an option in the camera mode, much as
Slo-Mo is with the iPhone 5S. The Slo-Mo editing tools, which are easy-to-use
and incredibly intuitive, so if Apple can bring the same approach to lightfield,
it could offer a completely different smartphone photography experience.
The patent contains no
information as to when or if Apple will use the technology, particularly as it
could be hard to slim it down to fit into a smartphone. Still, we can just hope
that it will be ready for use in the iPhone 6.
Something that seems a
lot more likely is the iPhone 6 to get optical image stabilisation (OIS). This
all stems from the rumours that Apple is keen to make the photography better on
the iPhone 6, focusing on quality over specifications. While the sensor looks
set to stay at 8-megapixels, OIS could help reduce shake and improve
photography, particularly in low light.
The information comes
from The
China Post, quoting from Nomura
Securities, stating that Apple "may adopt an 8 mega-pixel (MP) camera with
improved optical image stabilization on its upcoming handset, instead of the 16
MP upgrade anticipated by industry observers".
This information
follows an Apple
patent for improved
autofocus and OIS. Information in the patent shows that Apple plans to use a
lens actuator module that contains an autofocus mechanism "capable of
moving a lens according to at least three degrees of freedom" and an OIS
mechanism "capable of moving the lens according to at least two degrees of
freedom".
According to the Electronic device with
two image sensors patent, Apple is
developing a camera that has two separate sensors: one for colour and one for
light. By doing this, the camera is able to capture more information and
produce better photos.
The idea behind the
camera is that one sensor is designed to be black and white, capturing luma
(brightness detail). The second sensor captures chrome (colour) data. By
combining the two into one picture, you'd theoretically be able to take
high-quality photos in low-light.
In the words of the
patent, ""The electronic device may include a black-and-white camera
having a first sensor area configured to receive luma [brightness] data
pertaining to the object. The electronic device may also include a colour
camera having a second sensor area configured to receive chroma [colour] data
pertaining to the object."
This kind of
technology will require a lot of processing power, but the rumoured Apple A8
SoC could provide this and may even have a custom image processing chip to deal
with the camera's new sensor.
If this information turns
out to be true, we're pleased. We've long said that more megapixels doesn't
lead to better quality (quite the opposite in many cases), so focusing on the
core components and increasing quality is a much
iPHONE 6 STORAGE
In terms of storage,
64GB has been the top model for a couple of years, and continues to be so for
the iPhone 5S. We're not expecting this to change for the iPhone 6, although we
know that the Apple can make a 128GB model, thanks to the recent launch of
a 128GB
iPad 4.
The new model doubled
the maximum capacity of the previous high-end iPad (64GB). This update was said
to be about increasing the variety of uses for the tablet, with Apple stating
that more storage was good for large files for use in applications such as CAD
and music production. It's also a more useful amount of storage for photos and
videos.
iPHONE 6 A7 SoC
At the moment, the
Apple A7 system-on-a-chip (SoC) is the main focus for the company. This is the
first 64-bit mobile chip and it's extremely fast. In fact, in our benchmarks on
using the iPhone 5S, we found that the A7 is by far the fastest mobile
processor. Apple has now used the A7 chip in both the iPad Air and iPad Mini
with Retina Display.
Where as in the past
Apple had to tweak the graphics part of the SoC to work on an iPad's screen by
adding quad-core graphics (the latest chip with the A6X), with the A7 this
isn't required. Instead, the A7 is fast enough as it is.
With that in mind we'd
expect to see the same chip used in the iPhone 6. However, the only caveat is
when the phone comes out. If it's early next year then we'd expect the A7 chip
to be used as is; if the release date is closer to the end of next year, then
we could see a tweaked version, perhaps even a quad-core variant.
