sixoclock Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 More and more smartphone makers are now shifting their focus on the smartphone's cameras, does this mean innovation on the smartphone itself is about to hit the plateau? Please share your thoughts and comments... Your next iPhone could be more camera than phone Dual rear cameras on smartphones are officially a thing. But will phone makers stop at just two? By Patrick Holland / March 29, 2018 On top is the Light L16 camera. It's slightly larger than a Galaxy Note 8 and has 16 phone cameras to create DSLR-quality photos. It's just before sunset and I'm cruising across San Francisco Bay on a ferry. As I pass Alcatraz Island, the sun is melting into the Pacific behind the Golden Gate Bridge, like a ball kicked through the uprights at a football ball game for an extra point. It's a jaw-dropping moment so I quickly grab my Samsung Galaxy Note 8, tap the optical zoom and take a picture. Later when I look at the photo on my laptop, I'm blown away by how great it looks. Despite the challenging dusk lighting, the ferry's motion and being far away from the bridge, the Note 8 was able to capture the moment surprisingly well. It wasn't always this way. The diminutive size of phones means they have a tiny camera sensor and lens, which in photography is a recipe for a low-quality image. It's a trade-off many people are willing to make -- embracing the convenience of using a phone as their main camera at the sacrifice of better-looking pictures. Phone manufacturers face a similar dilemma: How can they make cameras produce better images without making phones bigger? One answer has been to add a second rear camera. But is this approach just some trendy flimflam or can two cameras actually create better images? And if the latter is true, will phone makers stop at just two? Just the two of us I rolled my eyes when I first heard about a phone with two rear cameras. It seemed like a gimmick in the way multiblade safety razors are: First, there was a dual-blade cartridge. Then, a triple-blade one, and then a quad. The company Dorco has a razor called the Pace 7 which has... yes, seven blades. But, really, what's the point? You can still shave with one razor. But dual rear cameras aren't a gimmick. They produce better photos in a conveniently small device. It's kind of a "have your cake and it eat too" philosophy applied to phone photography. Currently, there are three main setups for phones with two rear cameras. The first is what the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S9 Plus and the iPhone X have: a standard camera plus a telephoto camera that makes 2x optical zoom possible. The result is zoomed-in photos that look sharp and are noise-free, unlike pictures taken with a digital zoom. The Note 8 and the iPhone X also have portrait settings that combine images taken with both cameras to artistically blur the background to look like a DSLR photo taken with a shallow depth of field. MORE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar.Elooo Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 Huawei P20 has 4 cameras, including front camera. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jogs Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 Now a days you can see that the mobile ads only concentrate on the camera. Innovation in the mobile industry has become stagnant, very soon the sales will also start taking a hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pc71520 Posted March 30, 2018 Share Posted March 30, 2018 More of a Camera than a Phone... To deal with the Selfie-mania, I guess... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
banrek Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 I find that in general the camera is a good marketing point of selling a specific phone so it makes sense to improve as much as possible. Keeping that in mind, I don't see Apple sacrificing any part of the design just to create some sort of frankenstein setup. What's more, seeing what software is capable of and having the Pixel 2 be superior in portrait photos with only 1 sensor I don't think this is the year that manufacturers forget about the dual lens setup but it could slowly become a thing. It has happened in the past in the phone industry, by proving to us that more megapixels =/= better quality so we'll have to see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edgar.Elooo Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 Asus Zenphone 5 has 3 cameras. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saner827 Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 Real phone make call. Real camera take photo. Secure phone no photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
debebee Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 IMHO these are Expensive throwaway point and shoot that you throw out every other year.. Forced Obsolescence If i may say so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saner827 Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 Real phone must secure. Camera phone is toy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.