While there is already intense speculation that Apple might not opt to produce an iPhone 6S and instead leap right to the iPhone 7, a new rumour has emerged courtesy of a patent Apple filed just last week: schematics for a dual-camera iPhone
As seen first on the HTC One M8, the Apple patent depicts two rear cameras; namely, an normal-to-wide lens alongside a telephoto lens.
It is at the moment unclear how Apple plans to integrate the two lens systems. HTC’s One M8 featured one lens beneath the other; Apple could use this approach, place the lenses side-by-side in the above concept image, or even develop a single enclosure for both lenses.
It is, however, expected that Apple will continue to use the normal-to-wide iSight camera that’s arrived on all prior iPhones in conjunction to the new telephoto lens, which might see its debut on a new iPhone.
The patent in question has detailed that a dual camera configuration would be capable of interchangeable aperture stops, from f/2.4 to f/10. This means, phrased simply, that photos taken on the iPhone would be able to be refocussed post-capture, much like on the HTC One M8 or on the popular Lytro camera.
Apple’s latest iterant release of their mobile operating system, iOS 8, saw the company at long last introduce a manual exposure system to the iPhone’s native camera. While iOS 8 presently offers manual focus, exposure, white balance and exposure compensation, a dual camera system would allow for users to entirely refocus images post-capture; this amounts to changing the depth of field in an image and controlling what is blurred (out-of-focus) and what is sharp (in-focus).
Apple has for years enjoyed the fruits of iPhoneography, a movement which has seen users discard complicated DSLR camera systems in favour of the Cupertino company’s premium smartphone. Could a dual-camera system with re-focus technology be the next big hit among iPhone users?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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