Next Generation iPhone Could Feature the 'Biggest Camera Jump Ever'

Apple's next generation iPhone could feature the 'biggest camera jump ever', suggests Daring Fireball's John Gruber.

In the latest episode of the The Talk Show podcast, Gruber relays a rumor that he heard 'from a birdie who knows a birdie'.

"Ever since the 3GS, every single year the iPhone camera has gotten noticeably better. Like enough better that the camera alone was tempting to be the reason that you upgraded every single year, at least if you care about photography. "


"So, there's no reason to thing that that's going to stop anyway but the specific thing I heard is that next year's camera might be like the biggest camera jump ever. I don't even know what sense this makes but I've heard that it's some sort of weird two-lens system where the back uses two lenses and somehow that takes it up into SLR quality imagery."



Notably, there are some interesting two-lens systems that very well could be used in the next generation iPhone.

The HTC One (M8) already features a Duo Camera with an HTC UltraPixel module and special depth sensor.


Using the depth sensor to capture detailed depth information from a scene, the Duo Camera can create professional-looking portraits --- alter the focus of an image after the photo has been taken with UFocus, or make the photo's subject stand out in a more impactful way by altering the background with creative effects using Foregrounder. Other tools include Seasons animations to add seasonal flavor to the image, Copy & Paste to insert family and friends into an entirely different photo, and Dimension Plus, which presents a unique perspective by changing the image angle with a simple screen tilt.

In addition, a company called Corephotonics has developed a system that uses dual 13-megapixel cameras to perform optical zoom of up to 5 times without any moving parts.

The magic happens when the images from two lenses -- one's a fixed-focus telephoto with a narrow field of view and the other a normal wide angle -- are combined together via its algorithms into a single image.

The software compares images from both lenses and uses the clearer pixel. To keep noise to a minimum the telephoto lens is black and white, letting more light in and improving the fidelity of the final image.

As Apple typically introduces significant camera advancements with its 'S' model devices, it will be interesting to see what the company has planned. Notably, Sony just released an Exmore RS IMX230 stacked CMOS imaging sensor for smartphones featuring 21 effective megapixels, compact size, higher image quality, and improved functionality. Since Apple already uses Sony sensors in the iPhone, it's believed that the company could use a variation of this sensor on the next generation smartphone.

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Read More [via MacRumors]