The "gimme an iCamera" rant

   Dear Apple,

   Please make an iCamera and just take my money.



   Sincerely,
   Sérgio.



Now, seriously. It's about time we get a portable imaging device with all the good features Apple and iOS have to offer. That build quality, the "instant on" high battery performance availability and the great user interface are perfect for it, minus the battery draining from mobile/data/push/software etc.

Think about it, where does the iPhone suck (or at least may be a lesser option) than it's competition? As a "phone". It's started as an iPod touch with added mobile voice, data and SMS capabilities. And it's still where I find it lacking the most today, and why end up using another phone (N9) occasionally.

But one of the things the N9 can't do is this:

HDR Sunset

This idea has been on my mind for quite a few years now. Why I'm saying this right now has to do with hardware components. Sensors and CPUs. And I'm not saying this because Samsung launched a Android Camera. It sucks and is one of the most asinine implementations of a good idea I've come across (incredible long OS boot + battery drains if on stand-by, no decent photo apps for it, etc)

For years many manufacturers and MNOs (mobile network operators) have been trying to convince us that their phones and smartphones have all the photo abilities you need to carry in you pocket. I never agreed.

A mobile phone camera was initially only useful to roughly document a fender bender, or share a price tag and that was it. There was no way you could use or want to save and print an image taken with one of those.

Then things (hardware) evolved. But unfortunately, we kept being lied to told about megapixels, brand optics and other "pretty words" to convince us to buy them, when they were just not good enough.

But just this weekend I was gifted with a lovely winter afternoon light. I though "crap, don't have a camera on me". But then I though, "the iPhone has a pretty decent camera. Let's see how far can I go with it."

I mean I knew I could do with it in most situations. Point and shooting a moment with the kids, vacation, a sunset. But I never thought about or tried to use is for "actual photography". And I think it went pretty well:

"Metro na ponte"

So it hit me that now, and most importantly, in the very near future, we'll have the components to actually build very good "mobile" cameras. Good meaning: small, light, relatively inexpensive and with proper photo quality.

And I'm also not saying this because HTC invented the "ultra-pixel". That is still the wrong way to go. Or because Nokia has the pure view. Or the Lumia 920 and it's crazy overexposing camera. It's more in the lines of the work Sony has done. Use a proper quality, well "tuned" sensor and camera software, capable of delivering very good results you can share, and cherish. Not "fast-food" photos.

All the above examples show us we are just there. The hardware is ready. Now we need to see it implemented properly. And honestly, who better than Apple to deliver a decent product, with maybe even a couple decent innovative features? Things like HDR and Panoramas which were introduced in the iPhone.


HDR was implemented (mostly) as a tool to compensate for backlit photos and gather more "info" on a photo. More than a "normal" shot would. And it works as that. But you can go only so far. There is no control over it, not enough to create "real" HDR images. We could go much further with it. But surely not on a phone. I mean the camera is pretty good, fast, usable but has some faults. But it works as is for the normal user. Adding features, options, menus would make it complicated and loose it's "just works" simplicity.

Below is and example of an HDR photo done the "right" way. Intentionally trying to capture a high range of info using 3rd party software.

(made with the HDR app I found, free at the time)

Panorama was added to the iPhone for easy to make 180 degree photos. 

180 panorma

It's immensely simple to use. It works very well and with it you can do more than 180s. You can use it to create "wide" images without almost no "twisted reality", like this one:

wide angle

And do not get me started with the 360 camera option on the Nexus...

But these and other photo "features" or techniques take a bit of knowledge and work to produce results. You need to be a bit of a photo bug (or wannabe) to actually want something like this in your hands. 

The above examples are proof Apple and their iOS ecosystem developers can do. This is the kind of "just works" photo experience you could have with an "iCamera".

And then there's filters. No, not Instagram like ones. If used properly the right optical filter or manual settings can produce stunning images. Digital filters can do that as well allowing you to enhance objects, perspectives:

"Amolador"

Note that I am not a photo post processing fan. I actually do not do it when I shoot with a camera and download photos to the PC and before I upload them to Flickr. I like them "raw" and untouched.

But I have nothing against it either, and some mobile usage of editing tools (again with proper software and not just "instagraming" everything) I can see how anyone with an interest in photography could start making pretty amazing shots very quick and easily.

And then, there's video. I'm not even gonna go into that. But there are a lot of excellent videos shot and edited with an iPhone (since the iPhone 4 at least) which speak for themselves.

Hardware wise, I'm not against data connectivity options. At all. Just think that there is room for a photo dedicated/oriented device from Apple, with less other stuff in exchange for an (even) better camera, maintaining an accessible price and adding software features to compete with (and blow out of the water) most compact cameras.

With or without mobile connectivity (WiFi / WiFi+3G), with or without "retina", external speakers and/or headphone jack, etc and definitely loosing the front facing camera, all physical buttons and interchangeable lenses BS to start with.

Seriously, I see a bright future for such a device as a simple "iCamera".

One last photo:

HDR

Full disclosure:

- all above images were shot with an iPhone 5 standard camera app or HDR app only.

- photo editing was done with "standard" photo app, HDR app or Flickr only.
- no other special camera apps were used nor computer post processing tools.

Oh, and a special thank you to my family for putting up with the improvised photo raid!

ok I lied, but this one is the last one, promise :-)