Filed under: iPhone, iPhone 101
iPhone 101: Take decent photos
There's one aspect of the iPhone that's counter-intuitive - the camera. Unlike nearly every camera ever made, the iPhone takes a picture when the "shutter button" is released, not pressed.*
I've gotten some nice snapshots, but only after I figured out my current process:
- Press and hold the shutter button
- Compose the shot
- Release the button
*Yes, many digital cameras feature a "two-stage" process (half a press to focus, full to capture the image), but most take the photo upon a full press, not release, of the shutter button.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Mike said 4:41PM on 7-27-2007
They need to patch in the ability to use the volume up/down button as a shutter switch. That is my most requested iPhone feature. I really don't need to adjust my ringer volume while taking photos, so please just let me use that button for the shutter. It's in the ideal spot for taking landscape photos.
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Johnny Thrash said 4:49PM on 7-27-2007
Nice article Dave. This is good to know! Thanks. =)
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aawil said 4:54PM on 7-27-2007
Although I do hope some upgrades certainly come to the camera software when you can hold it steady it takes pretty nice pics. Much better than any other phone that I've used.
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JeffDM said 4:55PM on 7-27-2007
A lot of computer controls don't do anything until you release the button. It's a little unusual for phones but I think that may be the best alternative when you don't have a three-state button.
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BellBoy said 4:55PM on 7-27-2007
Here's a tip that I came across by accident. Since I was unhappy with the quality of snaps using the button on the bottom of the phone, I turned the phone upside down so the button could be reached by my right thumb. I thought that I would just rotate the shot if I liked it. Turns out Apple already thought of that and flipped it for me. Also pay close attention to the camera icon on the shutter button...it rotates as the phone does.
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Mystic said 5:11PM on 7-27-2007
Ah man, I should have known this. This will make it much easier to take self portraits.
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Johnny Thrash said 5:29PM on 7-27-2007
@5 : That, added to Dave's tap/hold makes much better photos! Very nice. Thanks =)
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Nick said 6:05PM on 7-27-2007
Cool, I've added this tip to my flickr group, "Photos taken with an Apple iPhone" at http://urltea.com/12x6
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Neil Christie said 6:39PM on 7-27-2007
It still doesn't save us from the fact that iPhone is one of the priciest mobile phones on the market but has a camera worse than my Nokia N70 which I bought almost two years ago.
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Joe Reilly said 4:08PM on 7-28-2007
If you think about it take on release makes very good photographic sense.
The phone being light is difficult to hold still, especially if you have any shake in your hands. Pressing and holding let's you frame the shot. then gently releasing let's the shot be taken without camera movement. If it worked the other way around the act of touching the shutter button will always jar the camera a little. This is cleverly avoided.
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