Apple iPhone 5S/5C Event: Everything You Need To Know (1 Viewer)

[Sam Posten]

A number of articles are taking deeper dives on the camera.http://carpeaqua.com/2013/09/12/apple-will-never-lose-at-photography/http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/12/a-photographers-take-on-the-iphone-5s-camera/http://www.anandtech.com/show/7329/some-thoughts-about-the-iphone-5s-camera-improvements

What’s missing from the 5S is OIS. I didn’t ever think it was in the cards for the 5S, so its absence isn’t a surprise, but it’s a substantial improvement for video and longer exposures. The reality is that an increasing number of players are including it – Nokia, HTC, and LG, and that list will only continue getting larger. Its absence isn’t the end of the world, but the stronger OIS implementations make a substantial difference for both videos and still images. Apple’s going the electronic and computational route with further improvements to its EIS auto image stabilization, which combines the sharp parts of multiple images together to get a single sharp picture. Almost every smartphone camera system now has a back buffer of images coming from the sensor, Apple purports that it is able to do some computational analysis, grab sections of the last few images and combine them to produce a sharp result. This will help in good lighting where the system can grab a lot of images quickly with good exposure, but obviously doesn’t fundamentally solve the low light problem where the exposures themselves are still longer. Grabbing photographs without blur remains a challenging problem for everyone, obviously OIS doesn’t help with scenes where the subject is moving either.

Yes and no. OIS as implemented by canon and nikon in full size lenses can help keep the framing steady around a moving target, whether that is possible or practical in a phone sized lens I have no idea.

 

[Richard Travale]

Sam, thank you. Now I will definitely be getting a 5s. I think it will be a nice little upgrade from my 4.Too bad we don't have the same exchane program here in Canada. Aside from being a 4, and hella slow with many of the Apps (I'm looking at you, Facebook), it is in pristine condition.

See also:https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BT5ur9eIAAAWh_V.pngPNGs aren't allowed on HTF

 

[Carlo_M]

Yeah OIS as implemented in the lenses by Canon/Nikon involve a lot of parts counteracting the natural motion of a photographer, so I really don't know how one would implement that in a camera (though clearly there are much smarter people than me working on this).

And yes, OIS does nothing for subjects in motion.

Low-light photography is most successfully captured (and I'm just talking about physical requirements, not any EIS or choosing of the best parts of multiple photos types of tricks) by larger, more sensitive pixels which usually is accompanied by a larger sensor size, and better lens materials coupled with a wider aperture. All things being equal, those will improve low-light pic quality. 5S has both the wider aperture and larger pixels, so Apple can check those off the list. Whether any of their software implementations actually helps in low-light situations we'll have to wait and see.

 

[DaveF]

Using Sam's links,
http://techcrunch.com/2013/09/12/a-photographers-take-on-the-iphone-5s-camera/

Unfortunately, cameras from many other phone companies like Samsung and Motorola simply don’t match up to the quality of images coming out of the iPhone. I’ve tried many, many different Android devices over the years which promised better images but none have delivered. The only real smartphone contender in the camera space is Nokia, which is doing some great stuff with the Lumia line. But where Nokia is pushing the pixel-count boundaries with the 41 megapixel Lumia 1020, Apple has chosen to go in a different direction.

I don't have any experience with the current ground of cellphone cameras. But I'm encouraged to read the Apple is producing images that are competitive with everyone else. I scratched the bejeezus out of my iPhone 4 camera, and now everything's in a soap-opera soft-blur. I have no camera. I really need this phone upgrade to get a working camera again. And since the smartphone is my go-to camera, I want something very good.

If there's reason to think the iPhone 5S is 'junk' compared to other options, I'd like to know what the problems are, and what the tradeoffs in better imagers.

But what I'm more worried, is that I wasted $900 on a Sony NEX-6 and these smartphone cameras are now good enough even compared to that.

 

[Sam Posten]

Another camera preview:http://www.imore.com/iphone-5s-preview-isight-cameraObviously most of my links are from those who already have an Apple focus. Try as I might tho I am having trouble finding articles that objectively rate Android camera systems high enough to classify the 5's as junk. So I'd appreciate some links from you Matt cause so far it seems suspicious.

 

[Sam Posten]

Re the above:http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/Camera-Comparison-LG-G2-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-S4-iPhone-5-HTC-One_id3405http://blog.laptopmag.com/wpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/shoot_ouf_sf_CORRECTED.jpghttp://www.technobuffalo.com/2013/04/24/samsung-galaxy-s4-vs-iphone-5-camera-comparison/http://www.imore.com/iphone-5-vs-htc-one-camera-shootout

 

[mattCR]

I'm traveling this weekend so my responses will be sparse, and I don't have full access.

First, my comment "junk" was of course, far too harsh. The iPhone5, when I owned it was a fine camera and better then many of the alternatives out there. Most of your reviews, however, in fact.. all of them, leave out the only two principle competitors that have been reviewed as "better" for different reasons. That being the Nokia 1020 and the Galaxy S4 Zoom.

What has changed about those cameras is the lens system, the recording algorithm and the way in which saves are captured/etc. These things are real issues. We'll wait and see on the 5S. Right now, there is no way for me (or anyone) to adequately compare to the 1020 or S4 Zoom.

That's why none of the links above have any comparisons of those two. In comparison to most traditional cameras.. ie, basically anything from LG or HTC, I would count on the 5S being ahead, then again, a 4S is ahead of any of them... they didn't market themselves that way.

I'm in a wait and see mode. Yes, I have a favorite.. I carry the 1020 and frankly, love it. So, I'll advocate for it. But the part that bothered me about the 5S is that I think a lot of people looked forward to really breakthrough technology and many felt as I did, that this really played a lot of catchup.
We can argue about "oh yeah!" but no one knows until we see it.

Apple's strength has always been their ecosystem. And like I said before, that will carry them on this round as well. But the 5S got them this far, and they are unlikely to release another phone again until about next year at this time. Considering where Samsung and Nokia are at their current generations with the 1020 and the S4 Zoom, it strikes me as not forward enough to stay the frontrunner.

That I think is a bit sad because when Apple released the iPhone4, the phone that made me switch from Blackberry, it was so wildly ahead of everything else on the market there was not a comparison, period.

Anyway, I'll get to my destination tonight and read through. I think Apple has a lot of creative ideas, I love my iPad (and thanks for the LTE Unlimited hookup I love it a good deal), but I haven't seen them have that level of 'lap the field' in a while.

And, as Ron pointed out above (and I said) frankly the big factor for me anymore is bigger.. not huge.. the Note II is a bit too big for me, but the Lumia 1020 is about perfect for me.. it's easy to read.


But if Apple can't take Motorola and HTC/LG to the woodshed in a camera contest.. which as you note, it does.. then I'd be surprised.. because they use the cheapest lenses, poor recording quality and pay little head to providing something stand out.

 

[Sam Posten]

NFC, winning!http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/09/google-releases-a-new-version-of-google-wallet-dumps-nfc-requirement/

 

[DaveF]

http://www.quora.com/Apple-Secure-Enclave/What-is-Apple%E2%80%99s-new-Secure-Enclave-and-why-is-it-importantThis supports my expectation the new ID system will rollout in significant ways for purchasing in the future. This is the part I'm very curious about:To use Touch ID you will also have to create a passcode as a backup. Only that passcode can unlock the phone if the phone is either rebooted (example full battery drain) or hasn’t been unlocked for 48 hours. This is a genius feature that is meant to set a time limit for criminals if try to find a way to circumvent the fingerprint scanner.This only makes sense if the pass code is part of two-part auth system that sends an unlock request to your alternate contact address. Because surely they wouldn't make the entire fingerprint system less than worthless, by being bypassed by a 1234 PIN everyone will use for backup?

 

[Sam Posten]

DF on the new phones:http://daringfireball.net/2013/09/the_iphone_5s_and_5c

To put that in context, the iPhone 5S beats my 2008 15-inch MacBook Pro by a small measure in the Sunspider benchmark (with the MacBook Pro running the latest Safari 6.1 beta). The iPhone 5S is, in some measures, computationally superior to the top-of-the-line MacBook Pro from just five years ago. In your fucking pocket.

Epic long post on both phones, recommend you read it even if you have no intention of upgrading this year.Other reviews:http://www.anandtech.com/show/7335/the-iphone-5s-reviewhttp://allthingsd.com/20130917/a-new-touch-for-iphone/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/18/technology/personaltech/in-arrival-of-2-iphones-3-lessons.html?pagewanted=allhttp://www.engadget.com/2013/09/17/iphone-5s-review/http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/17/iphone-5c-review/http://reviews.cnet.com/iphone-5c/http://www.theverge.com/2011/12/13/2612736/ios-history-iphone-ipadhttp://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/09/ios-7-thoroughly-reviewed/http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/09/death-to-textures-ios-6-and-ios-7-compared-in-pictures/also, ICYMI, this is interesting and important to know for older devices:http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/09/apple-resurrects-old-app-versions-to-run-on-old-ios-hardware/iOS 7 reviews:http://www.macworld.com/article/2048915/ios-7-review-radical-redesign-is-more-than-skin-deep.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter#tk.rss_allhttp://blog.lexfriedman.com/post/2856721100/ios-7

 

[Mike Frezon]

5C reviews:

Is this an editorial opinion on a dearth of 5C reviews...or did you just forget to post links, Sam?

 

[Mike Frezon]

Oh wait. I see some 5C reviews in the list above that bullet..

 

[mattCR]

NFC, winning!http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/09/google-releases-a-new-version-of-google-wallet-dumps-nfc-requirement/

I don't get your point.. they are enabling phones that don't do NFC to use their wallet service, when it's been all NFC in the past.. but NFC enabled phones all got the updates as well, and they still get all the perks.. so, I'm not getting how this in any way harms NFC, since every google phone released in at least the last 12 months is NFC.

Meanwhile, Discover and Verizon are now issuing out NFC payment options on their networks and American Express is testing an NFC credit card.
http://www.nfcworld.com/2013/06/19/324708/verizon-and-discover-join-the-nfc-forum/

So...

 

[Sam Posten]

Was just nutter snark Matt, shoulda included a =) - Carry on.Mike, I removed the errant last line, I put links to both in that list.Good point tho, here's good roundups of both phone's reviews across the web:http://gdgt.com/apple/iphone/5s/http://gdgt.com/apple/iphone/5c/Best day one iOS 7 apps:http://www.imore.com/best-ios-7-ready-apps-iphone-reeder-teevee-2-rdio-and-moreGood newbies guide to iOS7:http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/09/how-to-use-ios-7/Another good walkthrough;http://9to5mac.com/2013/09/18/ios-7-for-iphone-ipad-and-ipod-touch-released-heres-our-walkthrough/

 

[Sam Posten]

Helpful advice, I did about half of em:http://www.tuaw.com/2013/09/18/how-to-stop-ios-7-from-destroying-your-iphones-battery-life/

 

[Mike Frezon]

Those reviews of the 5C are pretty darn positive...

 

[Sam Posten]

As is Dalrymple's. I cannot wait for iPhone 6 to get the slo mo feature. Hopefully the 5s buyers don't make that too over abused!http://www.loopinsight.com/2013/09/17/review-iphone-5c-and-iphone-5s/

 

[Sam Posten]

More great tips:http://www.macstories.net/roundups/ios-7-tips-tricks-and-details/

 

[Carlo_M]

Thanks for sharing Sam. I have some likes and dislikes with 7 but I will say the one thing I really like is the font. Very easy on the eyes and a pleasure to read (sorry I'm a font nut).

 

[Sam Posten]

I wish they had stuck with the one they put in a few betas back. A little more thickness wouldnt hurt.