“Apple’s iPhone 7 is [rumored] to introduce a dual lens camera system,” jack Purcher reports for Patently Apple. “The advantage of such a camera provides photographers with a new level of editing depth not available in traditional cameras. A 3D mapped photo can be re-edited to change the focus of a photo or to be able to measure the distance between two objects in a photo with deadly accuracy.”
“Apple’s newly granted patent covers their invention relating to imaging systems, and specifically to imaging systems using reference images for three-dimensional mapping,” Purcher reports. “Apple’s granted patent notes that ‘System #100 comprises an image sensor, also termed external camera, which is separate from [the] device. The external camera is typically of a significantly higher quality than the device camera. Thus, the two cameras typically have at least one different optical characteristic, such as different fields of view, different resolutions, different signal to noise ratios, or different dynamic ranges. The external camera is used for generating the reference image.'”
Read more and see Apple’s patent application illustrations, in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: iPhone 7 is sounding more and more like the iPhone for photographers!
SEE ALSO:
Apple’s LinX acquisition: The Israeli startup that will give iPhones SLR-quality photos – April 15, 2015
Apple buys Israeli 3D/multi-image camera company LinX Computational Imaging – April 14, 2015
Apple’s focus in Israel: Chip design – February 26, 2015
Apple CEO Tim Cook meets with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin – February 25, 2015
Tim Cook meets with German Chancellor Angela Merkel – February 25, 2015
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu meets with Apple CEO Tim Cook in Cupertino – March 6, 2014
Apple confirms acquisition of Israel’s PrimeSense, company behind Microsoft’s Xbox Kinect, for $350 million – November 25, 2013
Apple confirms purchase of Israel-based Flash-memory part maker Anobit – January 10, 2012
Apple chooses Israel for first R&D center outside Cupertino – December 18, 2011
It would be amazing if the two lenses were far enough apart to take 3D photos and videos. For game developers, it could automatically make bump maps for textures.
This patent is not related to iPhone 7.
It is about a couple of sensors that are set apart to create a stereo/3D photo with depth of field and other features.
However, what iPhone 7 is rumoured to have is different thing: use of two closely put together smaller sensors to mathematically create single image of way higher resulting resolution.
Hence we see enclosures with bigger single space for camera, not two holes for cameras as it would have been if Apple was to implement the patent that the article in the link discusses.
In a separate post MDN linked to an article about iPhone 7 Plus/Pro — it looks like this particular model can have stereo dual camera system, unlike regular iPhone 7 that will have adjacent sensors in one round space.
The camera improvements might be a bigger reason to upgrade than I anticipated. Some guests were over for the 4th and I asked one of them if she was using the 6s. She said yes, but was looking forward to the camera improvements on the upcoming iPhone. This statement surprised me because the device is still a few months away from launch, and she doesn’t appear to be “a techie”. She is a camera enthusiast, but still seems more mainstream than tech nerd. And if mainstream is getting excited about the camera then maybe it will sell more than i had originally thought. Throw-in wireless charging at a distance and it could be a hit.
This really is a great topic to speak about. Usually when I locate stuff like this I stumble it. This article probably wont do nicely with that crowd. I will likely be positive to submit something else though.