iOS 5: Camera Updates

If there was one thing smartphones these days lack would be dedicated camera shutter buttons that helped to add to the feel of using an actual camera, and it also helped to launch the camera app for those moments when something interesting occurs and instead of fumbling to unlock your device, launch the app, wait for it, before snapping the photo. By that time the moment would be gone and there goes your money shot.

iOS 5 hopes to change all of that by including a camera button in the lock screen of the iOS 5 devices so while in lock screen mode, just double press the home button to access your iPod and also a camera button, as seen in the photo above. The drawback to this new system is that there are many users out there who use various camera applications apart from Apple’s default camera app, such as Camera+, Camera Genius, just to name a few, so hopefully there will be an option for users to set what camera app they would like to launch with the button, although knowing Apple it will most probably launch their native camera app.

Which brings us to the next update. If you weren’t a fan of the iOS native camera app due to its lack of advanced features then perhaps this might change your mind. Apple made several changes to the camera app by adding grid lines to better align your shots and also allows you to set exposure and focus just by tapping the desired part of the screen before taking the photo. Zooming in and out has now been changed to pinching which is a lot smoother and intuitive compared to the tap and drag feature in the past.

Apple has also added basic photo editing features such as red-eye removal, rotation, cropping and photo enhancing. For those who have been hoping for a physical camera shutter button, Apple has compromised by making the “increase volume” button double as a camera shutter button while in camera mode. Not quite the same but I guess it would making taking self-shots a bit easier. I guess that means we won’t be seeing dedicated camera buttons in the iPhone 5 either.