iPhone, iPod touch cameras should appeal to photogs of all types

Apple introduced the iPhone 5, as well as a colorful major upgrade to the iPod touch, during a special media event on Wednesday. The new hardware boasts notable upgrades for both devices with respect to the built-in camera hardware. The iPhone 5 has a refined version of the 8MP camera in the iPhone 4S, while the iPod touch gets a serious shot in the photographic arm with a 5MP autofocus camera. Both devices also get a backside-illuminated, 1.2MP, 720p FaceTime HD front-facing camera and a new automatic panorama shooting feature in the Camera app.

We thought it might be helpful to break down all the updates in more detail for the avid shutterbugs in our audience.

iPhone 5: 8 megapixels refined

The iPhone 4S had very respectable camera hardware. The front-facing camera was the same old VGA-quality FaceTime camera we knew from previous iOS devices, but the rear-facing 8MP "iSight" camera was one of the best on any smartphone we've ever tested. Apple not only increased the resolution over the iPhone 4's 5MP, but it did so while improving sensitivity to light by employing a backside-illuminated, full-well CMOS design. It coupled the sensor with a noise-reducing hybrid IR filter and a new five-element, f/2.4 autofocus lens.

The iPhone 5's camera is still 8MP, but it is further refined. The new sensor and lens combination is thinner, to fit within the thinner iPhone 5 casing, and the focal length is ever so slightly wider (4.13mm versus 4.28mm). Otherwise the hardware specs are nearly identical: 3264x2448 pixel resolution, backside illumination, hybrid IR filter, five-element f/2.4 lens.

Specifically, Apple claims to now be using micron-level alignment for the lens, which should help improve critical sharpness. (Such precision is likely also required to fit the camera module into the thinner iPhone 5 body.) The lens is protected by a sapphire crystal cover for improved protection, which should also carry less potential aberrations compared to the glass cover used on the iPhone 4S.

These are minor refinements, however; most of the improved capabilities are due to the better processing capabilities of the A6 processor and improved software. The dual-core A6 processor—likely built on a 32nm process and employing A15 ARM cores and updated PowerVR GPUs—can capture photos 40 percent faster than the iPhone 4S, according to Apple. The iPhone 4S was already pretty fast in our experience, so this is a significant improvement.

Additional signal processing capabilities also allow Apple to employ advanced imaging improvements comparable to those of high-end digital cameras. Spatial noise reduction helps keep noise from the tiny sensor in check, and the camera will now use dynamic pixel-pinning to boost images captured in low light. A new "smart filter" also analyzes images before applying noise reduction, selectively reducing noise in areas of uniform color or tone, while using less noise reduction in areas that should retain texture and detail.

Sample images provided by Apple should show some evidence of this smart filtering. For instance, compare the areas in the skin of this cute snap of a little girl enjoying a sno-cone to those around the eyes, mouth, fingers, and hair. You may notice that areas around edges, or areas of more texture, have more noise than the larger areas of skin such as the cheeks. There's also less noise in the yellow wooden slats behind her, except in areas of texture or around the edges.

The iPhone 5 continues to capture 1080p stabilized video, same as the iPhone 4S.

The hardware for the front-facing camera has also been significantly improved over the first generation "FaceTime" cameras on previous iOS devices. A new "FaceTime HD" camera retains the fixed-focus lens, but now uses a 1.2MP backside-illuminated CMOS sensor. Stills can be captured at 1.2MP, while video is upgraded from SD to 720p HD. The camera can also use face detection to bias exposure for portraits and FaceTime video chats.

iPod touch: finally a worthy contender

The iPod touch got a more serious update to its camera hardware, which was barely useable in its previous incarnation. Our examination of the fourth-generation iPod touch revealed snapping abilities that were just this side of better-than-nothing, and the sub-2MP images captured with a fixed focus lens weren't good for much more than changing Facebook avatars or snapping a pic to quickly illustrate some point. These images were never going to be printed or saved for posterity; by contrast, a 5MP image straight from my iPhone 4 was printed on stretched canvas at 16x20" and now hangs over the mantel.

The good news is that Apple seriously beefed up the iPod touch's camera. It now features a 5MP backside-illuminated CMOS sensor similar to the one used in the iPad 3. It also has a hybrid IR filter and five-element f/2.4 autofocus lens from the iPhone, and now includes an LED "flash." Coupled with an A5 processor, the camera doesn't have the same spatial noise reduction, smart filter, or dynamic low-light capture as the iPhone 5. However, its capture quality should be as good as the iPhone 4S, with resolution comparable to the iPhone 4 or third-gen iPad. That's a pretty good standard—vastly improved over the old iPod touch, and good enough for many to consider ditching a dedicated point-and-shoot digicam.

In addition, the iPod touch now includes the FaceTime HD camera included in the iPhone 5, so self portraits and FaceTime chats will be comparably improved.

Easy panoramas: just follow the arrow

The major new software feature added to iOS 6's Camera app is the touted automatic "Panorama" feature. This feature, compatible with the iPhone 5, new iPod touch, and the iPhone 4S, makes it easy to capture wide, panoramic views of up to 240 degrees and up to 28MP in resolution by simply rotating the camera.

Simply hold your iPhone or iPod touch in vertical orientation and sweep it across the view in the direction indicated on the screen. The camera app uses input from the gyroscope to figure out how to align a series of images, even if you don't use a smooth, linear motion. "Behind the scenes, in real time, it's taking slices of photos, finding the edges, stitching them together, creating seamless transitions between photos," Apple SVP of Worldwide Marketing Phil Schiller explained during the iPhone 5's introduction on Wednesday.

So far the demonstrations have been impressive, and we look forward to testing the feature further once iOS 6 and the newer hardware is released.

Miscellaneous software tweaks

The Camera software has also gotten a few other software tweaks. With the iPhone 5's beefier A6 processor, the camera has improved video stabilization and face detection. One feature we think will be quite popular is the ability to take still photos while shooting video; this capability has been migrating from high-end digital cameras to smartphones over the past few months, and it was smart of Apple to add the feature. It's not clear if these stills are full resolution or just 1920x1080 pixel captures, but either way it could come in handy.

We are a little disappointed that Apple doesn't appear to have added any manual overrides to settings like white balance, ISO, exposure compensation, or exposure. It's clear that Apple wants the camera to be super easy to use, and therefore limits its features. But with other advanced options like HDR and a grid overlay, as well as the new panorama feature, we see no reason not to at least make them available as an optional ability that experienced photographers could use.

Overall, though, the iPhone 5 appears to offer significant and useful updates for existing owners of the iPhone 4 or earlier hardware. If you have an iPhone 4S, the refined camera may not be enough on its own to justify an early upgrade. We'll definitely dig into image quality comparisons when we have hardware to review, and should be able to offer a clearer picture—pun intended—of the value to both casual and serious photographers.

Users with older iPod touches who want to take better pictures should definitely be pleased with what Apple is offering with the $299-and-up fifth-gen models. In this case, if picture quality is a large concern for you, I honestly have no qualms about recommending an upgrade, even without having touched the new hardware.

Listing image by Apple, Inc.