Apple Announced Smart Battery Case for iPhone 6

Apple iPhone 6 Smart Battery Case

Apple announced their iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in September, 2015. You can read my post on the phone's review here. Some users think smartphones have replaced digital cameras and make the iPhone the only device they carry, combining phone, camera and pocket computer, all rolled into one.

Of course there is one drawback. The battery will not even last a day if usage is extensive. Luckily, Apple has introduced a new battery case to extend the battery life. This new soft silicone case has a microfiber inner lining and makes inserting and removing the phone rather easy. There is a hump in the back of the case that contains the extra battery power.

The case and phone can be charged simultaneously. Apple claims the Talk time, Internet use and Video playback can be increased to 25, 18 and 20 hours, from 14, 10 and 11 hours, respectively.
The phone's remaining power can be displayed through its intelligent battery status, located on the Lock screen and in Notification Center.

Apple Store sells the iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case for $99. It comes in Charcoal Gray and White colors. Other battery cases may be available for the iPhone 6 Plus and older iPhone models in the future.

Apple iPhone 6S Comes With 12MP 4K Camera?

* * *  Read the latest post on Apple iPhone 6S and Adobe  * * *

Apple is expected to unveil their iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S+ on September 9. The new phones apparently will come with a 12MP sensor camera and capable of recording 4K video.

In addition, the front camera may come with a flash and has been upgraded to shoot panorama shots and 720p in slow motion.

Rumor has it Apple is about to release an ad touting the theme,  “Shot in 4K on an iPhone” to coincide with the launch of the new phones. If true, some might say these new iPhones will make DSLR cameras 'obsolete'. Keep checking back for the latest development.

Apple iPhone 6S vs Canon Powershot G3X

* * *  Apple iPhone 6S, 6S Plus and iPad Pro announced  * * *

* * *  Read the latest post on new Adobe apps for iPhones and iPads  * * *

* * *  Read the latest post on the Apple iPhone 6S smartphones  * * *

Canon recently announced their top-of-the-line Powershot G3X camera and Apple is expected to release their iPhone 6S in September. A short while ago, Qualcomm boasted their soon-to-be-released SnapDragon 820 chip will enable smartphones to have 'DSLR quality' photography. Are smartphones really outsmarting DSLR cameras? You know the answer already.

I am off to a wildlife photo shoot in South Africa. Bringing my smartphone and DSLR cameras because they both perform different functions well.

The following is an excerpt from Business Insider on the upcoming iPhone 6S :

"The camera on the next iPhone will have a bigger sensor that can take in more light, and a lens that’s designed to work with that improved sensor. This means we can expect the iPhone 6S to capture higher quality photos than the iPhone 6.

Apple is currently ordering suppliers to produce five-element lenses for the iPhone 6S that are designed to work with 12-megapixel camera sensors, a person within Apple’s supply chain told Business Insider. These components are said to be in the mass production stage and are on schedule, this source said. 

This same person also said Apple is ordering six-element lenses for a future iPhone intended to be released after the iPhone 6S (presumably the iPhone 7). 

We’ve been hearing for months that the iPhone 6S will come with a 12-megapixel camera, but we haven’t heard much about what else to expect. Back in November, Daring Fireball blogger John Gruber said the next iPhone could come with the “biggest camera jump” we’ve seen in years. 
The importance of “elements”

An “element” refers to a layer of plastic that makes up a part of the whole lens in a camera. Each of these elements, or layers, actually functions as its own standalone lens. But when they’re combined into one lens, they allow a camera to capture more detailed and complex information. 

So, a five-element lens such as the one that’s in your smartphone’s camera could actually be considered as five lenses crammed into one, says Rajiv Laroia, the co-founder and CTO of Light, a photography startup that’s working on ways to fit cameras with multiple lenses inside smartphones. (In the iPhone, there’s also a sapphire glass cover that protects this plastic lens from getting scratched.)

Since smartphone cameras are so small, the lenses for these cameras are constructed from layers of high-quality plastic rather than glass. These small plastic lenses are easier to fit into small devices and are much cheaper to produce than glass. In fact, these lenses only cost $1 to produce, according to Laroia. 

Although the lens for the iPhone 6S will be made of five elements just like the one found in the current iPhone’s camera, it’s made of a higher specification so that it matches the new 12-megapixel sensor, this person in Apple’s supply chain said.

The six-element lens being considered for the iPhone 7 (or whatever it ends up being called) would only be on par with what competitors are already putting in their phones. 

The OnePlus 2?s camera, for example, packs a six-element lens with a 13-megapixel sensor. The Samsung Galaxy S5, which was released last year, is said to have a six-element lens as well. 

Our source also mentioned that other clients typically order six-element camera lenses rather than five-element lenses.  

A six-element camera lens allows a camera to absorb more light that a five-element lens would, which results in clearer and sharper images. In order to increase a camera’s aperture, which is essentially a passage that allows light to enter through the camera, you would need to add more elements to a camera’s lens, says Laroia. The larger the aperture, the more light can travel through the lens to the camera’s body, which in turn produces better photographs.

“If you want to collect more light, then you need more elements,” he said. 

Nothing is considered final until Apple reveals its next iPhone. Supply chain orders don’t always reflect how final products turn out, but it does give us an idea of what Apple might be experimenting with." 

Apple Digital Camera RAW 6.06 Adds Support For New Cameras

Apple released Digital Camera RAW 6.06 to support for many recently announced cameras, including the Canon PowerShot G3 X. The following cameras are supported. For a complete list of all camera supported, visit this Apple link.

    Canon PowerShot G3 X
    Leica Q (Typ 116)
    Panasonic LUMIX DMC-GX8
    Sony Alpha ILCE-7R II
    Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 II
    Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 IV

Smartphone Cameras vs. DSLR Cameras

A bit of humor from Canon. Personally, I find the camera on my smartphone very handy but limited in capabilities and image quality. Therefore, my rule of thumb is, if the images mean a lot, I will reach for the real camera in my equipment bag, provided I have it with me. If not, the smartphone will have to do and let's hope for the best.

How To Get Cinematic Shots With Cell Phones

For those who want to get the most out of their cell phone cameras, the following video may give you some tips and pointers.

Simple Tips On Taking More Creative SmartPhone Photos

Happy New Year. Many of my readers have probably received or bought a new smartphone in the last few weeks as a present. Although the cameras in many smartphones like the Apple iPhone 6 and Samsung S5 are very capable, there is still no substitute for a proper DSLR camera when I want to take a serious photo. You can see my work with smart cameras on MichaelDanielHo.com

Nonetheless, there are times when a stand alone camera is not available, so one must learn all the tricks and capabilities of the smartphone in one's pocket or purse. The video below from Cooperative of Photography shows us some interesting ways on how to take panorama photos and even partial underwater shots. Take a look.

Apple iPhone 6 Camera Video Review

Apple announced the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last month. Both phones have a much improved camera and software plus a retina screen display, with a resolution of 1334 x 750 for the former and a resolution of 1920 x 1080 for the latter. Take a look at the DigitalRev video review of the two phones above.

Canon and other camera manufacturers have been losing sales (particularly in the low end) in the last few years. Part of the reason is the much higher quality cameras found in high end smartphones. Some people have decided the photos taken with their smartphones is good enough and the new iPhone 6 will go even further to reinforce that point. Certainly Canon is concerned about the competition from Apple and Samsung's high end phones but my own feeling is their apprehension is misplaced.

I believe those who will trade a high end PowerShot camera for a high end smartphone with camera to take photos are mostly interested in convenience first. Those who are passionate about photography, like yours truly, will own and generally carry both. There may be some overlap between the two groups but by and large, I think they are mostly mutually exclusive.

The best way for Canon and other camera manufacturers to stay competitive is to keep producing high quality, innovative photographic products, like the EOS-7D Mk II camera and cut down on some of the fluff and marketing glitz. Photographers will respond to genuine improvement and not same old technology, wrapped in new camera and lens housing.