The iPhone 5 camera doesn’t offer any obvious spec increases over the snapper of the iPhone 4S. It has an 8-megapixel backlit sensor and a f/2.4 lens constructed of five elements. If anything, it could be a bit worse than the iPhone 4S as it’s 25% smaller. However, pictures Apple has taken with the camera show that it’s capable of producing pretty spectacular shots.
Apple has released six photos taken using the iPhone 5’s 8-megapixel camera. As you can probably guess, they’re shot shots of a group of slightly drunken friends having a BBQ as the sun goes down on a slightly glum day – a classic smartphone camera situation – but in near-perfect lighting conditions. 
However, they do show that the iPhone 5 is capable of harvesting vivid, detail-filled photos. Here’s a quick look at a couple of the shots, with some pixel-level zooms to show you the detail being captured. For an even closer look at these shots, head over to the Apple website. 
If these pics don’t make you want to go on holiday, nothing will
There are some behind-the-scenes technically adjustments that have been made to increase camera flexibility and overall performance too. Image stabilisation has been improved to give video improved motion performance, the image processor has been tweaked to reduce noise in photos and there’s a dynamic low light mode that claims to improve image quality when lighting conditions aren’t so hot.
The most obviously beneficial new part of the camera, though, is the panorama mode. This captures absolutely gigantic images – 28-megapixel ones – as the camera still shoots in full 8-megapixel resolution as you pan across a scene. The A6 processor probably has to work pretty hard to get this powerful panorama mode working.
For more on the iPhone 5, check out our round-up.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
