Why the next iPhone absolutely needs a better camera

When camera phones started coming out, I vowed never to get one. When the iPhone came out, i really really wanted one but didn’t want to use the camera feature.
Why? Because I always carry a pretty decent digital camera with me - a decent one - and I was afraid if I got a camera phone, I would only use that for taking pictures, simply because it’s easier, and thus at the end of the day I’d be stuck with a bunch of just-ok cameraphone pictures.

I really don’t think the quality is in megapixels, either.

I think what makes my digital camera pictures great is the ability to adjust the zoom, white balance, focus, aperture, shutter speed, etc… and while some of these properties are distinct to the camera, others are simply software issues.

Still, no matter what they do to their software, I think Apple would have to include a new lens entirely to be able to come to par of real digital cameras.

This is a picture I took with my Canon Powershot A520, at the same resolution that iPhone camera uses, 1600 x 1200.
http://is.gd/mRTJ

There is absolutely NO way that we can say it’s a megapixel issue at this point.

I guess my point is that unless the iPhone camera becomes unbelievably OUTSTANDING, I’d rather it stay kinda crappy… that way, it will force people to use better cameras most of the time, and therefore, hopefully, take better pictures.

If there are people that genuinely want a better camera in an iPhone, then Apple should split the iPhone line into two models - one with a large high-quality camera and one without.

I’d be buying the iPhone without a camera.

Without a camera it would be smaller and lighter (like the camera-less iPod Touch is), cheaper, and not going to get you into trouble in changing rooms and at sensitive locations. I know two people who currently can’t have an iPhone due to camera rules at their work (one works in hospitals, the other in law enforcement).

A real camera will always be better quality… no matter how good cameras in mobile phones get, a real camera will always be better simply because it is larger. And I don’t need MORE photos in my life - I’m innudated with photos already - so I’d rather have a handful of great photos from a great camera than thousands of good photos from a good camera phone.

YES PLEASE! One of my pet peeves is that the iPhone camera is so crappy. There is no reason for it these days when you look at the competitors.

Though I use it on stuff that I want to share on Twitter etc, I’m FORCED to carry a second camera for everything else. Irritating for everyday use.

I don’t need much higher pixel count, but rather better quality. Possible with the tiny speck of a lens?

DEFINITELY, yes. It’s a sad, little camera, really. If Apple can make an iPod as small as the newest Shuffle, SURELY they can manage a camera than can take cleaner, sharper images into a next gen iPhone.

The greater concern for any camera - be it mobile, point and shoot or SLR is quality. The balance is in both optics and capture. Resolution is far flung second (or third…fourth… etc) concern.

As has already been pointed out the iphone is a substantially more popular mobile camera device than its market share would seem to indicate. Again, as has been discussed this is probably just icing on the cake for Apple execs… it is outside of their core business.

While an upgraded camera for the next gen iPhone would by no means be unwelcome I hope it comes in the form of autofocus, sensitivity (without blowing out ISO levels) and quality over resolution.

Another question, and adimittedly from someone who doesn’t use twitter and is a (relatively) irregular user of facebook etc is the need for high resolution images for such sites - particularly with the relatively ridiculous price of mobile data in Aus.

Surely a mobile camera phone (5 megapixel Nokia or not) is only a secondary camera anyway. If you want to capture higher resolution images for prints (etc) a dedicated image capture device is the way to go. We all understand that, and I think Apple does too.

Just my 2c.