Hasta La Gadget!

There’s usually a dearth of new iPhone accessories leading up to an Apple event, because most companies don’t want to release a product incompatible with the latest model. Not Manfrotto. Its new KLYP case improves your iPhone’s shots with a much needed mini tripod and large multi-LED flash. But iPhone 5 owners can just move along, because the KLYP only works with the 4 and 4S. More »

The latest iPhone 5 defect claim to emerge from the mists is the issue of purple flares appearing in camera images where lighting is particularly bright. The issue was first pointed out in the AnandTech forums, and apparently Apple has acknowledged the issue. Plus looking at testing done by Mashable, the issue seems like anything but an isolated incident. More »

It looks like Nokia’s controversial marketing move, which involved using pro DSLRs to “simulate” low-light shooting, was even less necessary than the smartphone maker may have thought. During our visit to the company’s Tampere, Finland research and development complex, we were given access to a comprehensive testing suite, enabling us to shoot with a Lumia 920 prototype and a handful of competing products in a controlled lighting environment. Technicians dimmed the lights and let us snap a static scene with each handset at just 5 lux — a level on par with what you may expect on a dimly lit city street in the middle of the night. The 920 took the cake, without question, but the iPhone didn’t fare too poorly itself, snatching up nearly as much light as the Nokia device. The 808 PureView also performed quite well, but the HTC One X and Samsung Galaxy S III yielded unusable results.

It’s one thing to snag proper exposure, though — capturing sharp details with little noise and superior color balance is an entirely different beast, and the Lumia managed to do just that, as you’ll see in our 100-percent-view shots further on. Later in the evening we hit the streets of Helsinki for a real-world shootout. The 920 did present some issues with exaggerated shake and other rapid movements, but it offered up excellent results overall, even in scenes that were too dark for us to make out any details with our own eyes. Our nighttime shoot can be found in the gallery below, followed by plenty of comparison photos after the break.

Continue reading From the lab: Lumia 920 low-light shootout with Nokia 808, iPhone 5, HTC One X and Galaxy S III

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile

From the lab: Lumia 920 low-light shootout with Nokia 808, iPhone 5, HTC One X and Galaxy S III originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 26 Sep 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s been 30 years since we saw Deckard track down replicants by having a machine “enhance” pictures, and yet we’re still stuck with distant-looking photos when we want more detail than our smartphone cameras can manage. While we’d argue that a few phones already live in that Blade Runner future, Google has just obtained a patent that could give the rest of us a helping hand. If the zoom isn’t up to snuff, the proposed software could gauge a mobile device’s position and orientation to offer a closer, already-taken photo from a server as a substitute, whether it’s a Street View shot or a more traditional image. The geocoded system could even cue photos based on the time of day and year to provide that extra dash of authenticity. We already get a trace of the concept through photo overlays within Street View itself, although there’s no indication as to whether or not Google will link our camera apps directly to a cloud of substitute photos — suffice it to say that the industry has changed a lot since Google was using the iPhone 3G to illustrate its photography concepts.

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Internet, Software, Mobile

Google patent delivers close-up photos when your phone can’t, Blade Runners would approve originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 17:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia’s Lumia 920 packs the industry’s best image stabilization — there’s no questioning that — thanks to a camera module that pairs both sensor and lens-based optical IS. The iPhone 5 also offers a notable improvement over its Apple-made predecessor on the video front, but considering that its stabilization is of the digital variety, we wouldn’t expect it to top Nokia’s new flagship. We had an opportunity to test both smartphones in a head-to-head demo at Nokia’s research and development facility in Tampere, Finland, about two hours north of the company’s Espoo headquarters. In fact, we’re told that this is the very first such comparison shoot in the world, considering that the iPhone made it to market just last week and the only opportunity to shoot with a Lumia 920 is currently in the European country where the device was born.

As expected, the Nokia phone was able to capture far smoother video than what we snapped with the iPhone, with both devices secured side-by-side in a homemade foam holster. Unlike our handheld interview shoot earlier today, we pushed the limits a bit further this time, running through Nokia’s parking lot and turning every which way as well. It’s important to note that the Lumia 920 we used was a prototype, but its performance was still quite solid. You’ll find the side-by-side video just past the break — the Lumia 920 is on the left, with the iPhone clip on the right.

Continue reading iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 face off with image stabilization test (hands-on video, updated with Galaxy S III and HTC One X)

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile

iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 face off with image stabilization test (hands-on video, updated with Galaxy S III and HTC One X) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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