Apple iPhone 5 Camera Panorama Mode | Also on iPhone 4S with iOS6 iSight
My pocket camera just got better. The Apple iPhone 5, yes I have one, even though it arrived a few days later then expected. My iPhone is also, as is to many people, much more than a Phone, its my calendar, my note taking device, my iPod, my reminder, my mobile networking, my finance manager and much more, but as well as all that its my Compact Camera, the camera I ALWAYS have with me, and usually the the only camera that gets full up with all my personal stuff. So now after 2 years of loyal service, I have replaced my iPhone 4 with the new iPhone 5 with iOS6 which includes the new Panorama Mode built into the iSight Camera and the Software.
Yes, iPhone 4S users can do this too.. and this is not a comparison between either cameras in hardware, nor is this a comparison between other cameras using Android that have had this feature for sometime, this is simply a blog with a few pics to illustrated the capabilities that I have found with the new Panorama feature in the New iPhone 5 over a few days mild testing in sunny Spain.
(All the pictures below have been shot with an iPhone 5 using the Panorama feature built into the iSight Camera App bundled with iOS6 from Apple. All pictures are out of the camera (iPhone) without any processing at all – other than a black border)
The first few times I used the feature I was stunned! In seconds I had what would take 2-3 minutes and then a further 5 minutes in Photoshop with my regular DSLR. Not that I expect the print quality to be anything like my big kit – but for digital use it has impressed me. Photoshop gives me a sample dimension of 8 inches high and 35 inches long at 300dpi to print. – Fairly impressive I think, I look forward to printing soon.
After my initial few tests above, I started to use it a little faster, about 5 seconds for a 180 degree sweep instead of about 15 seconds previously. This caused a few minor problems, the image below will need to be cropped. As you can see there is black marking on the sides (top right and bottom left) – where I have moved the iPhone up and down too much whilst taking the shot. Also faint lines start to appear, where the images have been stitched together. (noticeably on the left hand side here where the sea and sky are lighter then darker in exposure)
Afterward, I then attempted to use the feature over a shorter distance at night. Battling now with shutter speed times and high and noisy ISO’s in the iPhone – I was still fairly impressed with the result. The new lens optics and wider aperture are likely to make night or indoor use of this feature much better in the iPhone 5 in comparison to the iPhone 4S.
Overall I am very satisfied personally with the addition of this feature in iOS6 and will probably use it in moderation in the future. I can only imagine that as Phone sensor technology increases it will become more useable inside and outside during darker hours of the day. However it is likely that distortion will play a factor in tighter spaces and without knowledge of how to solve some distortion in post production it may be best used for wide open spaces for the majority of people. Give it a try!
I leave you with my last Panorama picture for this Blog – adding some human touch to the landscape. :)
(all pictures, thoughts and opinions are my own and I am in no way endorsed by any person or company)
View the apple introductory video here by Phil Schiller at Apple unveiling.
