Video: I'm excited

[psylichon]

Ok, so as far as I'm concerned, the evidence points pretty undeniably towards a hot new video iPhone coming our way this summer. I love my point and shoot, but if my iPhone had the same capabilities I would simply be ecstatic.

So... knowing that Apple usually doesn't do something without doing it pretty well (at least in multimedia), and knowing it's been a LONG time coming, my question is: how good do you think it will be?

30fps? 640x480? 780p? Compression on the fly? What can they cram into a device the size of an iPhone these days?

Discuss.

[acosmichippo]

i'm no photographer (and i rarely use the camera on my iphone), BUT i think the biggest drawback of the current iphone camera is the lack of a Flash. If it's not daylight, you are NOT going to get a good picture.

[psylichon]

No, you can, you just need a really steady hand. If you really want to exploit the current camera in low light, get Nightcamera and Photogene. Both are definitely worth their price.

[styfle]

I just want good quality. Something that can take a picture while you move your hand a millimeter an not blur lol.
I'm also predicting the video feature will only be for the new phone considering it wasn't in the 3.0 beta.

[acosmichippo]

No, you can, you just need a really steady hand. If you really want to exploit the current camera in low light, get Nightcamera and Photogene. Both are definitely worth their price.

even with a steady hand, it won't render dark shades properly.

but maybe those apps you mentioned help with that... like i said, it's not something i spend a lot of time messing with.

[psylichon]

The iPhone camera gets slammed all the time, but I'm one of its fans. I get some really remarkable shots on a regular basis. Yeah, it's a lot easier in daylight, but with a little post, night shots aren't bad at all. That's where Photogene is nice...

But yeah, faster optics/sensor are a MUST.... especially if it pulls double duty as a video camera.

[acosmichippo]

i'm not slamming it. quite the contrary, actually. Even the best cameras need light.

[MrEous]

i'm not slamming it. quite the contrary, actually. Even the best cameras need light.
...or slower shutter or aperture speeds. :)

[ZR_Yancy]

It's all in the lens & sensors. Unfortunately, most camera phones do not have very good ones. Here's a tip, if you want to cut down the noise, make sure your iPhone is cool when taking the picture. The hotter the sensor, the more noise on the picture.

As far as video, most high end camera phones out now have 30fps. I wouldn't see why they couldn't implement it in the iPhone since it's considered a multimedia powerhouse.

[kevlar08]

id be happy with just video and zoom, anything else is just cherries on top

[Terry M.]

id be happy with just video and zoom, anything else is just cherries on top

This is exactly my thoughts. +1

[psylichon]

id be happy with just video and zoom, anything else is just cherries on top

I would put macro on the tops of my wish list for the still camera. I would say 90% of my iPhone shots would benefit from this ability.

[kevlar08]

I would put macro on the tops of my wish list for the still camera. I would say 90% of my iPhone shots would benefit from this ability.

what is macro?

[ZR_Yancy]

what is macro?

Ability to focus on very close objects.

[psylichon]

Yeah, I take a lot of pictures of stuff up close... it would be nice to get legible text from documents and gear (for writing up my mixes at work)

[patrickj]

That (macro thingiemajig) would help tons with apps like Evernote that want to be 'your second brain' and all that jazz.

[styfle]

Yeah, I take a lot of pictures of stuff up close... it would be nice to get legible text from documents and gear (for writing up my mixes at work)
Yeah like when I try to take a picture of maybe a paragraph of text, its really hard to read with the current iphone. I want a macro.