Essential 360 Camera Can Be Attached to the Modular Phone

After months of teasing, Android creator Andy Rubin has finally unveiled the Essential Phone that features a near bezel-less display that tries to outdo Samsung's Galaxy S8. The other major highlight of the Essential Phone is its modular design that allows for additional accessories similar to the Moto Z. The first one unveiled being by the company is a 360-degree camera that for now is just being called the '360 camera', and can be hooked up to the back of the smartphone.

The rear of the Essential Phone is where most of the modular magic takes place. Next to the dual camera setup, you see accessory power pins that will power the camera once its clipped. The '360 camera' is an interesting accessory given how videos today are incorporating 360-degree cameras as seen on social media sites like Facebook. Essential's head of optics and imaging, Xiaoyu Miao, also believes that 360 "changes everything"

"If you look at a 360 camera, it's completely different from a conventional one, in that it captures the entire world around the user. It is an immersive experience that puts the viewer in the center of the action and fundamentally changes how we take a picture. You no longer aim your camera, because you get everything in every shot," Miao says in a blog post.

Essential's 360 camera, which weighs around 35 grams and is being called the world's smallest 360-degree personal camera by the company, includes a dual 12-megapixel fisheye sensors that can capture 4K 360 video at 30fps. The camera also features 4 microphones to capture sound in 3D.

The 360 camera can be bought along with the Essential Phone for an additional $50, or can be bought separately which will cost you $199. The company is only shipping the smartphone and accessory in the US with no word on when they will be made available outside. They can be ordered through the company's online store.

The 360 camera is just one of the magnetic accessories that has been revealed by the company as of now. Essential is likely to bring a few more Moto Mods-like modular accessories, including a possible audio accessories seeing as how the Essential Phone has dropped the 3.5mm headphone jack for a near port-less smartphone.

The Essential Phone features an edge-to-edge display with bezels mainly seen at the bottom of the phone. The smartphone features a titanium body with a ceramic back and a Gorilla Glass 5 on top. It sports a 5.71-inch QHD (1312×2560) display with an aspect ration of 19:10. The smartphone comes with top-of-the-line specs including Snapdragon 835 SoC, 4GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage.

Source: Essential 360 Camera Can Be Attached to the Modular Phone

Essential Phone goes official, OnePlus 5 camera teaser & more – Pocketnow Daily

Watch today's Pocketnow Daily as we talk about the recent deals you can find for the LeEco LePro 3. Then we talk LG and Qualcomm as both companies collaborate for the future G flagship. Then we discuss the recent teaser we found with a OnePlus 5 photo comparison. The TSA Laptop and Tablet ban continues as things might get worse than they are. We end today's show talking about Andy Rubin's Essential Phone, and what it means for the market.

All this and more after the break.

Stories:– The company is struggling, but the LeEco Le Pro 3 phone is a steal at $250 from Best Buy– LG and Qualcomm working to get Snapdragon 845 on G7– Which image was taken by the DxOMark-enhanced OnePlus 5?– Carry-on tablet ban could extend to all US international flights– Essential Phone combines modularity with a simple but striking design and top-shelf specs

T-shirts provided by RIPT. Get your own here, and get 10% off using coupon code: POCKETNOWDAILY

Source: Essential Phone goes official, OnePlus 5 camera teaser & more – Pocketnow Daily

Why OPPO F3 is the most affordable camera phone right now

Let's start with a fact, consumers take a lot of care of the photography capability of the smartphone now. The question is always "Which one has a better camera?" and then "How much is it?".

We have tried several phones previously and today we are going to have a real life review of a newly launched camera phone—OPPO F3.  With the price point sealing the deal, here's why we think this latest Selfie Expert should your suitable camera phone in the market right now.

The unique thing about the OPPO F3 is the Dual Selfie Cameras. Yes, there are two. One has a big wide lens, which you could use it for group selfie and a wider background  The other one is a 16MP selfie camera.

By using the wide-angle group selfie camera, it's extremely easy to get more from the frame than just you, so your friends and the place you in become part of the scene. This offers amazing new selfies, which your friends might envy because it is unlike any other smartphone out there. 

The 16MP selfie camera, which is equally, if not more brilliant in detail than even some of the rear facing cameras of other smartphones.

It not only offer detail selfie photos but also takes the natural beauty selfies thanks to the Beautify feature.

There are seven levels of beautification available, where you can adjust and get your best selfies out of the OPPO F3, truly the Selfie Expert.

The F3 is equipped with a 13MP rear camera which strikes a balance between quality and affordability, with an excellent mix of hardware and software features.

The images have a great dynamic range because you can push the camera to the extremes with the HDR mode, which captures multiple exposures in a jiffy. Or if you want DSLR-like quality, with printable photos, the Ultra HD mode makes it possible. You'd be shocked to see how good it is when it comes to capturing the detail of the scene.

In case if you have a good understanding of photography, the OPPO F3 allows you to click images in Expert Mode, where you can a manually adjust all the parameters including Focus, Shutter speed, ISO and much more. Moreover, this feature lets you get down to the finest of details so that you can customize the picture you capture. You just got access to all the features a professional photographer would need. What else can you ask for?  If you are in pursuit of capturing an image in all its beauty, you can switch to Ultra-HD mode that shoots out several photos and combines the best part of each picture.

The best thing about most of these features is that they are available for the front facing cameras as well! You can take selfie panoramas, how about that? Great full HD videos from the rear camera and the 16 MP front facing cameras. Yes, you can make GIFs and Time-lapse too, on the dual selfie cameras, which makes the OPPO F3, most versatile in terms of hardware and software.

Now imagine this, you have all these great features that not only work with the main camera but the selfie cameras as well. And then, you have amazing quality as a result of the combination of great hardware and software. All this, you get at a price point which manages to offer you more than what you'd expect. The OPPO F3 is available all over India for Rs. 19, 990. And we're sure you know why, by now, we think the OPPO F3 Selfie Expert is the most affordable Camera Phone out there right now.

"Why OPPO F3 is the most affordable camera phone right now", 5 out of 5 based on 1 ratings.
Source: Why OPPO F3 is the most affordable camera phone right now

10 Best Dual Camera Smartphone for photography

Today, smartphones are real multi-purpose "miracle", and one of the favorite additions is definitely a camera. Here we will introduce you to some of the best with dual camera smartphones currently on the market for this summer. Let's check them together.

1. Huawei Honor 8 Pro

Since Huawei Consumer Business Group (BG) announced the start of a strategic partnership with Leica Camera AG, appeared tremendously powerful phones in optical terms. So, in this list we gona mentioned several phones that coming from Huawei, and first we'll go with Huawei Honor 8 Pro.  The phone is mounted with a Dual 12MP, f/2.2, phase-detection and laser autofocus, dual-LED, capable of taking 2160p@30fps video. The front camera is 8MP, f/2.0, (1080p).

Other Honor 8 Pro specs include a 5.7-inch 2K display, a octa-core (4×2.4 GHz & 4×1.8 GHz) Kirin 960, along with 4GB/6GB RAM and 64GB ROM, expandable up to 256GB via SIM 2 slot. The phone is fueled by a non-removable Li-Po 4000 mAH battery and runs on Android 7.0 (Nougat). The Honor 8 Pro comes with the price of $550.

2. Huawei Honor Magic

The second place for best dual camera smartphone belongs to Huawei Honor Magic. The Honor Magic sports a dual 12MP camera setup on the rear side with an f/2.2 aperture along with an 8MP front-facing camera. The phone features a 5.09-inch QHD display, with a octa-core Kirin 950 and Mali-T880 MP4 under the hood. Other phone specs include 4GB of RAM and 64GB internal storage, (non-expandable). It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS with Honor Magic Live OS UI atop it  and is powered by a 2900 mAH battery. The device comes with the price of $600.

3. Huawei P10

Next is another model from Huawei, it is Huawei P10. The phone packs a Dual 20MP+12MP  f/2.2 (Leica optics) primary camera on the rear and a 8MP front shooter for selfies. The phone takes a photo using both sensors, then combines the two images, the idea being that the black and white sensor will enhance detail and contrast in the color image. In terms of P10 specs, the phone comes with a 5.1-inch full-HD IPS-NEO LCD display. It is powered by an octa-core Kirin 960 (4×2.4 GHz & 4×1.8 GHz), 4GB RAM and 32GB/64GB ROM (expandable up to 256GB). The P10 runs Android OS, v7.0 (Nougat) on top which is Emotion UI 5.1 and is powered by a 3100 mAH battery. All together, a great phone for playing with a camera and comes with a price tag of around $600.

4. LG V20

Number 4 on the best dual camera smartphone list is LG V20. The main feature of the V series is an extra screen, and is located above the main, 5.7-inch QHD IPS display. The LG V20 is powered by a Snapdragon 820 in combination with 4GB of RAM. Internal memory contains 32GB/64 GB of storage space, and there is a slot for memory cards. The battery has a capacity of 3200 mAH, and can be used with the USB-C slot. On the back of the device is located two camera system. One comes with a 16MP sensor and f/1.8 aperture, while the other has an 8MP sensor with f/2.4 aperture and wide-angle lens that covers an angle of 135 degrees. There is a laser and phase-detection autofocus and optical image stabilization. The front camera has a 5MP sensor and f/1.9 aperture, and covers an angle of 120 degrees. For the end LG V20 costs about $560.

5. Apple iPhone 7 Plus

The iPhone 7 Plus comes with a 12MP camera and a large f/1.8 aperture. But unlike the smaller model, the larger has an additional 12MP camera with f/2.8 aperture and 56 mm lens. Finally, iPhone 7 Plus added portrait mode which will use a special digital algorithm to blur the background. This provides a so-called Bokeh effect. The phone also offers excellent full-HD 5.5-inch display. This smartphone has an aluminum case, quad core A10 processor, with a very powerful GPU, and the latest Apple operating system IOS 10. When it comes to memory, and this time there is no extension options, so users will have at their disposal device of 3GB of RAM with space for storage of 32/128/256GB and 2900 mAH power supply. At all, iPhone 7 Plus is powerful phone that will deliver great performance when you need it. Price for iPhone7 Plus is about $900

6. Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom (ZE553KL)

Next one we have Asus Zenfone 3 Zoom. The screen is AMOLED full-HD 5.5-inches, with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels gives a density of (401 ppi). Under the hood we have a Qualcomm (MSM8953) Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor at 2.0 GHz and Adreno 506 GPU with 4GB of RAM. It comes with internal memory of (32/64/128GB) which can be expanded with microSD cards up to 256GB. The Zenfone 3 Zoom runs Android OS, v6.0.1 (Marshmallow) with Asus ZenUI 3.0 on top. There is Dual 12MP primary camera and a 13MP on the front. The battery is Li-Ion 5000 mAH. Price is around $550.

7. LG G6

No. 7 on the list is another LG, and it is LG G6 (IP68 certified). The phone comes with IPS 5.7-inch QHD screen with a resolution of 1440 x 2880 pixels and excellent density of (564 ppi). The LG G6 is powered by 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm (MSM8996) Snapdragon 821 processor and it comes with 4GB of RAM and Adreno 530 GPU. G6 comes with 32GB/64GB of internal memory which is expandable up to 256GB. The primary camera is Dual 13MP (f/1.8, OIS, 3-axis, phase-detection AF) + 13MP (f/2.4, no AF), dual-LED flash, while the front is 5MP (f/2.2, 1080p). The LG G6 runs Android OS, v7.0 (Nougat) and is powered by a 3300 mAH non removable battery. Price for LG G6 is somewhere around $750.

8. Micromax Dual 5

The next we have Micromax Dual 5. The Micromax Dual 5 gets its name from its defining feature – dual 13MP cameras at the back. For photography, you can use either its Dual 13MP primary (with phase-detection autofocus, dual-LED flash) or 13MP selfie cam to take pictures and Is certainly capable of making good footage. The company claims that the Dual 5 sports the best camera in its segment. As regards the other specs, it offers a 5.5-inch full-HD AMOLED display, a Snapdragon 652 octa-core processor, 128GB of internal memory (non expandable) paired with 4GB of RAM. Additionally, it runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) and gets energy from a Li-Ion 3200 mAH battery supported by (Quick Charge 3.0). Finally, the Micromax Dual 5 comes with a price tag of $360.

9. Xiaomi Mi 6

Next, it's Xiaomi Mi 6. It is a phone which primarily represents excellent value and quality. One of the biggest highlights of the Mi 6 is its dual rear 12MP cameras (27mm, f/1.8, OIS 4-axis & 52mm, f/2.6), while the front camera has 8MP, (1080p). Mi 6 also featuring a full-HD IPS 5.15-inch display with (428 ppi). As you would expect from a flagship smartphone, the Xiaomi Mi 6 packs the latest octa-core Snapdragon 835 processor clocked at 2.4GHz, coupled with 6GB of RAM and Adreno 540 GPU. The battery capacity is 3350 mAH, and supports quick charging (Quick Charge 3). This great machine comes with a solid price in relation to the specs of the phone, and the price is somewhere around $400.

10. ZTE Blade V8 Pro

Finally, we would like you to meet ZTE Blade V8 Pro. The phone has a full-HD IPS LCD 5.5-inch display with pixel density of (401 ppi). At the front side is the selfie camera full-HD video capable of 8MP. Back, Dual cam is set on 13MP which contributes to a deeper field at the pictures and the creation of "bokeh" effect. According to the specifications ZTE Blade V8 Pro features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 processor paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal memory, a hybrid phone has a dual-SIM support with the Marshmallow Android 6.0 platform. The battery has a capacity of 3140 mAH, and there's Quick Charge 2.0 system. Price for ZTE Blade V8 Pro is about $260.

Those are the best dual cam phones on the market. Do not hesitate to make a good shot or good selfie because that's what these devices can and know how. So, which one is your favorite?

Source: 10 Best Dual Camera Smartphone for photography

Nokia phone with dual camera, 8GB RAM was just spotted

Nokia's newest smartphones haven't even fully hit shelves, but they're already gearing up for a full-fledged comeback in the world it once reigned supreme.

The Finnish company along with its licenced developer HMD Global unveiled the remake of the iconic - and now being sold - Nokia 3310 and its first Android-powered devices, the Nokia 3, 5 and 6, in February. The last three will start selling next month.

If you can't wait or at least are curious about them, then let this rumour add to some spice: word has it that three more - yes, three more - Nokia handsets are on there way, and it's sooner than later.

Talk of the Nokia 7, 8 and 9 have been swirling around, and they're no pushovers, if the leaks are to be believed.

Tapscape detailed some of the specs we could expect from these new beasts:

Nokia 7: Metal casing, an FHD display with a resolution of 1080×1920 pixels, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset, Android Nougat, ultra-fast charging, fingerprint sensor and a Carl Zeiss optics main camera.

Nokia 8: 5.7-inch QHD display with a screen aspect ratio of 16:9, a 22MP main camera and 12MP front snapper both using Carl Zeiss lenses, 6GB RAM, up to 128GB of storage plus 256GB of microSD. While rumours say it will also come with a Snapdragon 660, there's word that Nokia might be using the latest 835, just like those found on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Sony Xperia XZ Premium.

Nokia 9: Rumoured to be the 'most high-end' smartphone from Nokia ever. 5.5-inch quad-HD display with a resolution of 1440×2560 pixels and a screen aspect ratio of 18:9 (just like the LG G6), a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, Android Nougat and, just like the Nokia 8, 6GB RAM with up to 128GB of internal storage and 256GB of microSD. It's also said that the Nokia 9 will have very thin bezels and will be metallic, and will also include features such as include water-, dust- and scratch-resistance, fingerprint and iris sensor, voice assistance and a 3800mAh battery with ultra-quick charging. Its main camera is said to be 22MP with OIS and a front 12MP shooter with an aperture of f/2.0, good for low-light scenes. It's also rumoured to have a rather steep price tag of 750 euros ($840, almost Dh3,100) - putting it firmly alongside the cream of the crop.

For good measure, GSM Arena uncovered that the Nokia 9 has been spotted with a ridiculous 8GB of RAM. Which could be the reason why a GeekBench test showed that the Nokia 9 outclasses other Snapdragon 835-armed devices, including the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, Sony Xperia XZ Premium and the Huawei Mate 9.

The folks at FrAndroid, meanwhile, got a prototype of the Nokia 9, and it seems to show a dual camera (uhm, you need to brush up on your French to understand it, though).

It's a little bit muddled right now, but one thing's for sure: with seven phones in just a few months, Nokia is dead serious to become relevant again.

- alvin@khaleejtimes.com

Source: Nokia phone with dual camera, 8GB RAM was just spotted

Andy Rubin's Essential phone could have a 360-degree camera

Just a few days back, the co-creator of Android, Andy Rubin created a hype all over the internet. By entering the smartphone segment with an upcoming Essential phone, he surprised everyone. We don't have to wait for longer time, since the phone is supposed to get launched on May 30.

Now, an interesting feature of the phone has been leaked out ahead of its launch. A teaser has been rolled out in official twitter account which gave us a hint on how the camera will look like. This teaser consists of the image where we can see a large circular camera placed on the top of the phone. This revealed about the 360-degree camera which will be the highlight of the device if it turns out to be true.

Apart from the camera part, we can also see a volume and power button placed on the left portion of the device. No other information on the design part has been revealed for now. To recall the specs known so far, the device will have a large screen-to-body ratio and high-end specs.

Also Read: Andy Rubin's Essential smartphone to be unveiled on May 30

It is said to sport an HD display of 5.5-inch with a resolution of 1312 x 2560 pixels and will have thin bezels around the screen. The phone is powered by Snapdragon 835 chipset and coupled with 4GB of RAM. It may feature a 12MP camera on the rear with 8MP front-facing selfie shooter and runs on Android Operating System.

For now, only these many pieces of information are available. Let us wait for some more days to grab this handset and test the features by ourself.

Source

Source: Andy Rubin's Essential phone could have a 360-degree camera

Smartphone camera shootout: iPhone 7 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy S8

Apple proudly says that the the iPhone is the most popular camera in the world. But is it the best? We put the iPhone 7 Plus to the test against the newest flagship from Samsung, the Galaxy S8. Watch the video above to see the photos side-by-side and to find out how each smartphone did in delivering the best color, clarity, and range.

We tested the cameras on the iPhone 7 Plus and the Galaxy S8 in the way most people use them: in auto mode. That means straight out of the pocket, using the native camera app, and with HDR on auto. The only setting that was changed was the megapixel count, amping up the full resolution of each camera. The photos were taken at Las Vegas during the National Association of Broadcasters convention last month.

Before comparing photos, let's first compare the specs of each camera. The rear camera on the iPhone 7 Plus has a 12 megapixel sensor, a fast f/1.8 lens, and a DCI-P3 color gamut. The Galaxy S8 also has a 12 megapixel sensor, but has an even faster f/1.7 lens, and large 1.4µm pixels. Based on these specs, the cameras look evenly matched. Here's how they did in real-world testing.

Round 1: Color 

To decide which smartphone camera delivered the best color, we looked at the photo results in terms of accuracy, vividness, and how the camera balances color temperature. To start off, both cameras handled themselves well in full light and produced vivid colors, but the Samsung Galaxy S8 pumped up the contrast and produced photos that were a bit cooler than the iPhone 7 Plus. Meanwhile, the 7 Plus handled the white balance a bit better on an indoor shot at the Apple store you can see below. The Galaxy S8 warms this shot up as well, resulting in the purple turning a bit more magenta.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

The iPhone 7 Plus handled the white balance a bit better on this indoor shot at the Apple store.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

The Galaxy S8 warms this shot up as well, resulting in the purple turning a bit more magenta.

Inside the convention center, the 7 Plus warmed the scenes so much, to the point that it actually discolored the models. The S8 was accurate on color balance, but is a bit washed out. The fact that the 7 Plus leaned on the warmer side not only failed to give us an accurate white balance, but it took skin colors to horrible, horrible places.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

The iPhone 7 Plus warms the scene enough to discolor the models.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

The Galaxy S8 is accurate on color balance, but is a bit washed out. 

Winner: Galaxy S8

Both cameras really struggle with accurate white balance, so it's really down to saturation and color depth. And even though the iPhone 7 Plus technically has a wider color gamut, the Galaxy S8 just has a more pleasing variance in colors. I'm going to give the color category to the Samsung Galaxy S8, but only by a hair.

Round 2: Clarity

The next test is clarity, and here we were looking not only at the sharpness of each image, but how the camera chooses to stay sharp, even in low light. The shot of The Strip below is clear enough from a distance, but when you zoom in on Treasure Island, we see that you can make out much more detail on the shutters with the S8. Samsung applies a healthy amount of sharpening to get there, but it's still a clearer image.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDGAdam Patrick Murray/IDG

Moving inside it's the same story, we can just see more information even when zoomed in. This darker scene reveals the same thing: Even in low light, the S8 takes clearer photos than the 7 Plus. In this very dark scene below, we were super impressed with how the photo taken with the S8 looks. By comparison, the photo taken with the 7 Plus really disappoints. Just compare the color wheel on the bottom left to see for yourself which camera obviously won this round.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

Even in low light, the S8 takes clearer photos than the 7 Plus.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

The S8 took crisper photos. Just compare the color wheels on the bottom left. 

Winner: Galaxy S8

The only place where the 7 Plus had an edge is in macro shots, but it was still not enough to pull ahead, so we're giving the clarity category to the Samsung Galaxy S8.

Round 3: Range

The last category is range. We're looking for how much light information the camera is able to capture and how it chooses to expose for the scene. We used a histogram in this category, and you can watch our video shootout above to see how it was implemented in helping us pick a winner in this category. This first shot outside of Harrah's is exposed pretty similar on both cameras, but the S8 was able to retain a lot more information in the shadows.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

This first shot outside of Harrah's is exposed pretty similar on both cameras...

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

... but the S8 was able to retain a lot more information in the shadows.

Check out the photo of the statue below. We see that the 7 Plus holds the highlights better, but at the cost of the rest of the scene underexposing. Moving indoors, the 7 Plus does the opposite, blowing out the highlights on the subjects.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

The 7 Plus holds the highlights better.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDG

But the S8 better exposes the rest of the scene.

This wider shot of the show floor is the same, with the S8 holding the highlights way better, albeit at the expense of some loss of information in the shadows.

Adam Patrick Murray/IDGAdam Patrick Murray/IDG

Winner: Galaxy S8

Overall, we were disappointed with how the 7 Plus performed in high-contrast scenarios, never really exposing the shot how we wanted. This category easily goes to the Samsung Galaxy S8. 

Final thoughts

It's a clean sweep for the Samsung Galaxy S8, winning in all three camera categories. This further proves that Apple has some catching-up to do this year with the successor to the iPhone 7 Plus. Not to mention that the S8 is not even the best camera phone in the Android world. So, the challenge falls on Apple to not only improve on its standard camera quality, while still adding groundbreaking features like the Portrait Mode.

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Source: Smartphone camera shootout: iPhone 7 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy S8

Photographers share how smartphones compete with cameras

Students find taking photos easier and more convenient with smartphones versus a professional camera. (Photo Illustration, Maddi Dayton)

As new smartphone technology advances, many students and professors turn to smartphones instead of expensive DSLR cameras to capture life's moments.

"I use a smartphone camera all the time," said BYU photography professor Robert Machoian. "I use it more to document events, experiences or to remind myself of something, like a book I want to buy or an art piece I want to research. I think DSLRs are for capturing photographs you want to print."

Quint Randle, associate professor in the BYU School of Communications, said for many things, a smartphone is actually a better choice.

"Other than the ability to zoom better with more expensive lenses, a lot of times a smartphone will do better than a regular camera, and so when you're just kind of in snapshot mode, people are gonna prefer to use their iPhones," Randle said. "Plus the best camera, they've always said, is the one you have in your hand."

Randle did his college dissertation on media technology and how old technology must adapt to survive as new technology arises. He said this was part of technological "cannibalism" or the disruption theory, in which new technology is introduced and starts to replace the one before it.

When smartphone cameras first came out, they took photos a little bigger than a postage stamp and pixelized quickly. Camera companies didn't take them seriously. Smartphone cameras have been improving little by little, sneaking up on the higher-end technology, Randle said.

"All the variables start building up, and it starts taking on the original industry," Randle said.

Alice Cannon, a professional Utah photographer and blogger, said she still relies on the control of a DSLR for professional shoots, but also trusts smartphone cameras to take great photos for documenting her life.

"I honestly think that if you just want a photo for a memory, then it's totally okay to use a phone," Cannon said. "The iPhone cameras are awesome. I have a panoramic photo hanging on my wall that is five feet long, and I took it and edited it on my iPhone 6. I also filmed an entire video on my iPhone 5 in high school, and it won a huge contest. I have a lot of faith in these phone cameras."

BYU student and photographer Daniel Jones said with online images, there is hardly a difference in quality between those taken with smartphones and those taken with DSLRs, often making phones a more convenient choice.

"The images that smartphones can produce are good enough for the Facebook and Twitter posts that most people use them for, so there really isn't a need for an extra camera anymore, hence the decline in compact camera sales," Jones said.

Jones said the importance of social media and instant access makes smartphones more appealing to photographers.

"The ability to have constant social media presence is also important, even for professional photographers," Jones said. "Being able to take snap shots right in the moment is something that you can't get with a DSLR these days."  

Videographer and cinematographer Preston Olsen said for digital content, smartphone and DSLR video results are about the same.

"In good light, the iPhone is capable of creating 4K clips, comparable to my DSLR," Olsen said. "Considering most of my content is streamed from YouTube or Vimeo, you can't tell the difference."

Olsen said he still prefers a DSLR in low light because it provides better control and more freedom for photographers and videographers to adjust their settings to the scene, but said when he travels, his smartphone helps him not stand out.

"When I am abroad in poor countries, I don't want to draw attention to my $3,000 camera," Olsen said. "Situations like this make me choose my iPhone over my camera."

The rise in smartphone camera users challenges professionals to create more compelling images, Olsen said.

"As we become more visually-oriented and interested in photography, it challenges photographers to create more exciting new images," Olsen said. "It is a lot harder to impress my clients now than it was five years ago. As a society, we expect our photographs to maintain a high level of quality, especially when it comes to resolution and color processing."

The competitive nature of photography is a positive, as it opens doors for new enthusiasts looking to get a start and provides greater resources to clients looking for pictures, Cannon said.

"Some people would say that is giving the photo industry a bad name, but I love that people are interested in this and want to start out. We all start out somewhere," Cannon said. "The nice thing about this though is that anyone can find a photographer in their price range."

DSLRs are still the standard in professional photography, but smartphones make it convenient to document life's moments, Jones said.

"With a DSLR, you have full control over most aspects the image. It comes at the cost of price and convenience, though," Jones said. "Smartphones will always be better when you need to pack light and when you want instant social media access with your images."

Tags: Alice Cannon, Camera Technology, DSLRs, photography, photography tips, Preston Olsen, quint randle, Robert Machoian, Smartphone cameras
Source: Photographers share how smartphones compete with cameras

Kodak EKTRA 'camera first' smartphone now available in US

The Kodak EKTRA, the company's 'camera first' smartphone, is now available to purchase in the United States. The Android smartphone, which was first announced in October 2016, features a 21MP camera and a design reminiscent of point-and-shoot cameras. The handset has been available to purchase in Europe for a handful of months, and now US consumers can buy the model unlocked with support for GSM mobile networks for $399.99 USD.

Coinciding with the launch is software update version 2.009.00/_A for the smartphone,  which Kodak says it is zeroing in on requests from its 'photo-enthusiast' customers. The update brings improved autofocus performance, better color saturation and white balance, and the addition of raw image support, among other things.

The full software changelog:

Enhanced single handed camera functionality; when the camera app is enabled the Android touch buttons are now disabled to avoid an accidental press when using the camera with one hand

Added RAW file support in manual mode; shooting in RAW records all the data from the sensor enabling more sophisticated image processing options

Improved auto focus making in quicker and more accurate

Improved Face Detection performance for better portrait photos

Optimisations to the Auto White Balance and colour saturation

Improvements to shutter speed performance

New option to disable Auto Scene Detection in smart auto mode

New shutter effect to provide visual indication of when a picture is taken

Enhanced low light performance

Optimisations to the noise reduction algorithm from ISO 100-6400

Introduces a new 'How To' camera tutorial on the new functionality

Via: BusinessWire

Source: Kodak EKTRA 'camera first' smartphone now available in US

These are OPPO’s next smartphones and they are big on cameras

It's more than a year since OPPO introduced its original OPPO R9 series and they are about to release a new successor with the R11. Like the current series, it will come in two sizes with the OPPO R11 and OPPO R11 Plus. After playing around with larger sensors and quicker dual PDAF focusing technology, OPPO is finally jumping on the dual-camera bandwagon.

The OPPO R11 follows the same successful recipe as its current photography-centric smartphones. They offer a typical 5.5″ display for the R11 while the R11 Plus sports a larger 6.0″ display. Both are getting premium metal unibody designs with mid-range processors under the hood. The similarities to Apple's iPhone 7 continues with its familiar antenna band design.

Both the R11 and R11 Plus are listed on China's TENAA certification database and both will be powered by Qualcomm's latest 14nm Snapdragon 660 processor. For the R11, it gets 4GB RAM and 64GB storage while the R11 Plus gets a beefier 6GB RAM and 64GB of storage. If you need more storage, both models are expandable via microSD.

In terms of camera, the rear will come with a 20MP main shooter while the secondary lens is a 16MP unit that does 2X Optical Zoom. Meanwhile, the front gets a higher resolution 20MP selfie shooter. As a comparison, OPPO's current OPPO R9s comes with a single 16MP f/1.7 main camera with dual PDAF while the front comes with a 16MP f/2.0 selfie shooter. Battery wise, the R11 is listed with a 2,900mAh battery while the R11 Plus comes with a 3,880mAh capacity unit.

Back in MWC 2017, OPPO had showcased a 5X Zoom camera technology which was pretty impressive. However, looking at the top image above, the R11 appears to be using two fixed cameras without incorporating OPPO's telescopic design from its 5X camera concept. The R11 and R11 Plus should be launching pretty soon and we expect both models to run on the latest Android 7.1.1 OS with its custom ColorOS skin on top.

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Source: These are OPPO's next smartphones and they are big on cameras

Nokia 9 Dual Camera phone

Nokia 9 Dual Camera phoneThe Nokia 9 phone that was obtained by the French website FrAndroid was covered in a 'black box', this cover is meant to show as little of the device as possible, but all the terminals, camera and LED flash can be seen.

Like the other new Nokia smartphone models, the flagship device will also feature the fast USB Type-C port, as well as a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Nokia 9 specsThe new Nokia 9 incorporates a 2.4Ghz Snapdragon 835 processor with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal memory. In addition, the Nokia 9 runs on the Android 7.1.1 Nougat operating system, provided with the latest security updates.

The Nokia 9 comes with an extremely bright 5.27-inch QHD display with Always On functionality. Furthermore, the Nokia gets supplied with a set of earbuds and a QuickCharge 3.0 quick charger. The new Nokia smartphone is likely to carry a recommended retail price of approx. €750 / $700.

Nokia 9 display
Source: Nokia 9 Dual Camera phone

Samsung Galaxy C10 To Be The First Samsung Dual Camera Smartphone

Samsung, over the years, has been quite innovative and has introduced many trends in the markets. However, the one thing they are yet to come at terms with is the trend of dual camera devices. They are one of the few major players to still have zero phones with dual cameras. Things are however, going to change with the upcoming Samsung Galaxy C10, which is expected to be the first Samsung dual camera smartphone.

It was heavily speculated that the Samsung Galaxy S8 might come with dual cameras, but that didn't happen. All eyes are now on the Samsung Galaxy C10, as speculations now indicate this will be the phone we had been waiting for! The C-series of phones were also home to another 'first' for Samsung last year when the Samsung Galaxy C9 pro came out as the first Samsung phone to release with 6GB of RAM.

Leaked images have appeared showcasing a pink Samsung Galaxy C10 smartphone with a vertical dual camera setup. If the leaks are to be believed, this is indeed going to be the first Samsung dual camera smartphone. Last year's Samsung Galaxy C9 Pro did get good reactions in the market, thanks to its large display, as well as 6GB of RAM – making it a power packed phablet.

With an increasing number of phones now supporting dual cameras, Samsung too, is eyeing at this concept. HTC has had it for a long while, LG introduced it a while ago as well, Apple introduced in last year, OnePlus is expected to release the OnePlus 5 with dual cameras too. Huawei and Honor have had a few dual camera releases, and Xiaomi's Mi 6 has been very impressive lately. With Samsung Galaxy C10 bringing Samsung into the picture, the markets are all set to get heated up! Stay tuned with us for more updates.

Source: Samsung Galaxy C10 To Be The First Samsung Dual Camera Smartphone

The Phone Camera Standoff: How The New Galaxy S8+ Measures Against iPhone 7 Plus And Google Pixel

When Samsung launched the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ flagship smartphones back in March, all the talk centered around their gorgeous screens. The same level of enthusiasm however was not extended to the phones' other components, and any changes in their design and functioning were essentially viewed as incremental updates to a long-running series.

However, the Korean phonemaker took a very intriguing decision of not following the trend of placing a dual camera on the rear side of the phone. In fact, it stuck with the 12 MP sensors in the new phones, just as their predecessor, the Galaxy S7.

The rear camera has an aperture of f/1.7 and boasts dual pixel technology for better low-light photos. The dual pixel uses a bigger than average pixel size to capture the image. Moreover, every single photo-diode in the image processing sensor is used for phase detection autofocus, providing a clear picture in a short amount of time.

The new rear camera also has Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and a faster and richer user interface as compared to the Galaxy S7.

The Galaxy S8+ camera is surely going to be among the best phone cameras launched this year. However, whether it is going to be 'the best camera' is debatable. There seems to be a certain degree of dramatisation added to the photos.

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The colours captured are vibrant and make people notice the photos. The camera tends to saturate the colours a tad bit but that being said, the phone has a fantastic and dynamic colour range.

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Samsung cameras have traditionally taken this path, which also happens to be closer to what Google Pixel captures. The iPhone, on the other hand, shoots true to nature and brings out photos with warm colours.

One of the best things about the Pixel camera was their low-light performance. Google used a simple sensor but it showed its prowess in the post-processing software. There was some brilliant behind-the-camera work. Samsung's new phone is not lagging far behind. Some of the pictures I took in the pitch dark environment gave me amazing results.

However, the white balance — or, the accuracy of the colour of the objects in the photo — can be a bit off sometimes. Still, the end result was a very legible and shareable photo. Samsung seems to have mastered the dual pixel technology, combining it with a f/1.7 aperture. The latter helps the phone perform a notch better than the Pixel and iPhone cameras in low light.

One prominent feature of the iPhone 7 Plus camera was the optical zoom, made possible by the dual camera setup. While the Galaxy S8+ camera does not have optical zoom, the results are satisfying nonetheless.

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The front 8 MP camera takes good selfies without applying any beautifying effects, though the phonemaker has also included Snapchat like filters embedded in the camera software. The camera's clean yet feature filled user interface is really fast. If you have used a Pixel, you will know that it took photos very fast. The Galaxy S8+ matches that speed. And, the video mode is just a button away on the left.

If you swipe right there are tons of modes such as 'food,' 'selective focus,' 'virtual shot,' 'slow motion,' a manual mode called 'Pro,' and more.

AOL

There are other downloadable modes such as 'dual camera,' 'rear camera selfie,' 'GIFs' and more. Switching to different modes, switching the basic functions such as HDR and flash on or off is pretty easy and intuitive. I also like the fact that you can switch between the front and the rear camera with just a swipe on the interface.

Samsung has mounted a sizable challenge upon its rivals in the camera department. It is to be seen if the iPhone's hardware and Google's AI can beat it.

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Source: The Phone Camera Standoff: How The New Galaxy S8+ Measures Against iPhone 7 Plus And Google Pixel

Google Lens Will Turn Your Phone Into An Intelligent Camera And A Slick Search Engine

Google held their annual I/O developer event yesterday and announced some neat features that will be coming to the Android platform. One of them was the improvement of integrated artificial intelligence on the Google Lens app. =

© Google

CEO Sundar Pichai introduced a video with an innocent image of a girl playing with a baseball. The image was taken from behind a chain-link fence. However, the metal frame of the chain-link fencewas interfering with the image and it made the picture look less impressive. Sundar then continued to launch the Lens app and erased the metal frame seamlessly without degrading the overall image quality. 

The app will also have AR functionalities i.e. the camera will be able to scan a street with shops and will display all the relevant information about that very store after you are done with scanning it. 

© Google

Other than scanning streets, the Lens app can also scan Wi-Fi settings from your router. Setting up a new router can be a tedious task and sometimes even more annoying when you need to connect to a friend's Wi-Fi network. Lens can scan the network name and WAP password and instantly connect the phone to the network (considering one hasn't changed the default settings). 

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">With Google Lens, your smartphone camera won't just see what you see, but will also understand what you see to help you take action. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/io17?src=hash">#io17</a> <a href="https://t.co/viOmWFjqk1">pic.twitter.com/viOmWFjqk1</a></p>&mdash; Google (@Google) <a href="https://twitter.com/Google/status/864891667723300864">May 17, 2017</a></blockquote>

Lens will also work in tandem with Assistant and allow images to set up new events in your calendar or scan business cards. It will also help in identifying famous landmarks, paintings and make phone calls directly to a business after photos of the place have been scanned. 

Other key highlights of I/O 2017 included a "smart reply" feature on Gmail that generates automated replies based on the content of the received email. This feature existed previously on Google's "Inbox" app, however, they have expanded the functionality even further. Other updates include a new "suggested sharing" feature that will recognise people from your photos and prompt you to send the picture directly to them. 

Source: Mashable 

Source: Google Lens Will Turn Your Phone Into An Intelligent Camera And A Slick Search Engine