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Apple Makes Important iPhone 7 Camera Upgrade

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Since the introduction of the huge iPhone 6 Plus, customers of Apple ’s smaller 4.7in handsets have had to make do not only with a smaller screen, but also an inferior camera. However, a recent leak offers a strong indication that one of the major discrepancies between the new models has been plugged with the imminent launch of the iPhone 7.

Posting on nowhereelse.fr, renowned leaker, Steve Hemmerstoffer, has obtained photos claiming to show an internal camera module taken from a 4.7in iPhone 7 which reveals the presence of an optical image stabilisation (OIS) module. This feature has, until now, only been available in the larger ‘Plus’ models of the iPhone, forcing customers to choose between size and camera quality. Putting this feature in the standard-size model would therefore have made Apple’s best camera quality available to everyone, regardless of the size of their pockets - although it looks like that won’t turn out to be the case this time, thanks to another even more radical camera upgrade the company appears to have up its sleeve.

Adding OIS can greatly improve the quality of both stills and motion video by reducing the amount of camera shake which inevitably occurs when using the phone hand-held. In video, the improvements are obvious as the resulting footage is visibly less shaky. For stills the, differences can result in less ‘motion blur’ from moving subjects, but more importantly it allows the camera to select a slower shutter speed, which lets in more light and produces a higher-quality photo. This is especially effective in low light situations where the camera needs to make the most of what little light is available.

Bringing OIS to the standard iPhone would be great for keen smartphone photographers who don’t want to carry a phablet, but are keen to get the best quality available.

Unfortunately, phablet haters shouldn’t get their hopes up just yet, as Apple looks set to introduce a radically different, and potentially far superior, dual-camera system in a brand new 5.5in iPhone 7 Plus model. This effectively snatches the best quality camera away from the 4.7in model just as it was about to catch up.

However, if the iPhone 7 Pro performs well, there’s still hope that the 4.7in handset might receive the dual-camera should Apple release its expected radically redesigned iPhone 8 next year.

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