“While [iPhone 6s] may look very similar to the current model (or models if we take into account the iPhone 6 Plus) there are plenty of areas that the 6s can improve upon,” Mihai Matei reports for G for Games.
“One of these areas is the camera. Of course, the iPhone 6 camera is quite powerful, but we expect certain improvements to be made in order for a ‘refresh’ to make sense,” Matei reports. “Some people have waited for Apple to increase the number of megapixels in its iPhone cameras for some time now, and the iPhone 6S was / is rumored to make the first step in this direction. However, according to Taipei-based analyst Jeff Pu, the iPhone 6S camera might stay at 8 MP.”
“Jeff Pu speculates that because the smartphone will not push a larger than 8 MP camera to the market, Largan Precision Co. will have a difficult time increasing its stock price in H2 2015,” Matei reports. “This report doesn’t really put a damper on the idea that the iPhone 6s will feature a dual-lens camera boasting optical zoom capabilities.”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Dan K.” for the heads up.]
Related articles:
Megapixels mean nothing: Apple iPhone 6 trounces Samsung Galaxy S5 in camera shootout – September 17, 2014
Apple expected to continue ignoring smartphone camera megapixel numbers game in favor of image quality – March 20, 2014
More megapixels won’t necessarily improve photo quality. What more megapixels would definitely do, however, is increase the amount of storage each photo requires.
The present state of storage on iPhones and iCloud leaves much to be desired: base level storage is very limited, and increased storage comes with steep price increases. Improving the state of iOS storage is, I think, is a prerequisite for Apple to increasing the size of all camera photos. Otherwise, bigger photos are just going to aggravate the existing limited storage problem.
Unless Apple dramatically improves iOS storage this year, then I expect Apple to keep the same number of megapixels and finding other means of improving photo quality.
While I do occasionally need a hi-res shot, 95% of the stuff that I take pictures of only needs to be 640×480. I wish Apple put a setting in the Camera app to let me downsize the pictures I’m taking to save storage space.
Likewise, I wish there was a setting in the default Camera app to switch video capture to 720p instead of 1080p.
Thankfully there’s plenty of 3rd party apps that do this, and more, but those aren’t accessible on the lock screen.
“More megapixels won’t necessarily improve photo quality.”
If you wanted to view photos on, for example, a 5K iMac display or a very large 4K television, then pixels would matter. But since Apple is transfixed on consumer quality, it doesn’t matter. Consumers are happy with the shite photos they typically get with their phones.
Moreover, Apple’s obsession with thin iOS devices practically much eliminates the possibility that you’ll have superior photos than even a cheap point & shoot camera, which offers optical zoom, better flash and light sensing, etc.
Also, with Apple continuing to force iCloud on everyone, they obviously aren’t going to do the easy thing for superior photos by offering more pixels per image. “Good enough” seems to be the new Apple mantra.
Use the right tool for the job. At a certain level of photography, you need to stop using a cell phone as a camera.
Not all camera features are relevant or practical to include in a cell phone. A cell phone just isn’t going to have 6″ telephoto lens, oversized light sensor, and other spacious camera features. It has nothing to do with the phone’s maker “giving up” on quality – it has everything to do with a cell phone and a dedicated camera being different things.
It’s just like the level of photography where you just don’t use the camera’s built in flash, and instead rely on dedicated lighting equipment. The camera’s built-in flash sucks at illumination – they all do – and it has nothing to do with camera’s manufacturers not caring about quality. It’s because there’s only so much you can ask of a tiny ass light bulb that sits inside of a camera and can only illuminate from one direction. There’s a point where you have to think outside the built-in flash, and start using the right tools for the job.
Frankly I’d rather see improvements to an 8 mpx image than the disadvantages of a larger image on the iPhone (optical zoom anyone?). Limited sensor size being a huge issue. 8 mpx is perfectly adequate for smart phone snaps. I have other cameras with higher mpx for those applications (which are few as far as actually NEEDING really those high resolution images). I love the quality of pics I am getting on my iPhobe 6 Plus!
Chasing megapixels for the sake of having a bigger number is a dumb waste of money.
Megapixel count does affect how much enlargement your images can take before you can see the pixels. I have enlarged iPhone 6 Plus images to 20×30 with good results. More megapixels are not needed.
But my megapixels are bigger than yours… I’m really rockin’ serious megapixels. Take that, Apple! Android wins. Muhahaha.
/s
One of my friends is a strong anti-Apple guy, forcing his family to use Samsung Note phones. The pictures he posts to Facebook are blurry/fuzzy, the very antithesis of bright and sharp. Whenever we go out to dinner with him and he posts his check-ins with photos, they are always a disaster. Initially, we thought it was simply a dirty lens, but then he dropped it, forcing a replacement. The new phone, same model, although a year newer, still generates crappy photos.
I’ve come to believe that Apple’s approach to consumer photography with better software, using a smaller megapixel sensor to generate smaller photo sizes, is the way to go. The photos I get from my iPhone 6 are always great.
The problem can also be partly the one taking the picture. I take what friends consider good photos on my iPhone 5 (3 generations old, now).
But it’s rare that any pictures I’m in turn out well, even though they’re taken with the very same phone. I’m blurry, or the composition isn’t good (what I want a picture of with me beside it, isn’t all there), etc. I don’t like taking selfies with the front camera because its capabilities aren’t as good and there’s no flash. I tell people to just hold down the shutter button so it’ll take several shots, but even then only about 1 in 5 are worth keeping.
While a small increase would not be that big of deal, if there were a noticeable increase in quality, but adding more megapixels without an increase is quality, for the mere appearance of the megapixel count game. accomplishes nothing.
I’m totally fine with this, as long as there’s improvements in other areas like optical image stabilization on the 4.7″ 6s (and OIS in video mode too), optical zoom, and even better low-light no-flash capture.
I’d prefer larger pixels to more pixels and OIS not being limited the larger phone.
Exactly. 8MP is fine. I appreciate that they are spending more effort to get better pictures in low light rather than chasing useless megapixels. I saw that the new Canons feature 50MP sensors. Who in the world needs that? Not many people. Even on my 12 MP Canon I almost always downsize to about 1k x1k.