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97-488: Microsoft Pix is a camera phone application developed by Microsoft Research for iOS . Microsoft Research announced Pix in July, 2016, calling it an "intelligent camera app". It is built in part on technology originally developed for Photosynth . Its features include: This camera-related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Camera phone Most camera phones are smaller and simpler than

194-415: A flash strobe, and none has a hot shoe for attaching an external flash. Optical zoom and tripod screws are rare, and some also lack a USB connection or a removable memory card . Most have Bluetooth and WiFi and can make geotagged photographs . Some of the more expensive camera phones have only a few of these technical disadvantages, but with bigger image sensors (a few are up to 1", such as

291-590: A time-of-flight camera with infrared laser beam assisted auto focus. A thermal imaging camera has initially been implemented in 2016 on the Caterpillar S60 . High dynamic range imaging merges multiple images with different exposure values for a balanced brightness across the image and was first implemented in early 2010s smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S III and iPhone 5 . The earliest known smartphone to feature high dynamic range filming

388-401: A 50MP triple rear camera . Some use CMOS back-illuminated sensors , which use even less energy, at a higher price than CMOS and CCD. The usual fixed-focus lenses and smaller sensors limit performance in poor lighting. Lacking a physical shutter, some have a long shutter lag . Photoflash by the typical internal LED source illuminates less intensely over a much longer exposure time than

485-418: A Flipflash were set in a vertical array, putting a distance between the bulb and the lens, eliminating red eye . The Flipflash name derived from the fact that once half the flashbulbs had been used, the unit had to be flipped over and re-inserted to use the remaining bulbs. In many Flipflash cameras, the bulbs were ignited by electrical currents produced when a piezoelectric crystal was struck mechanically by

582-454: A battery indicator. The camera software may indicate the estimated number of remaining photographs until exhausted space, the current video file size, and remaining space storage while recording, as done on early-2010s Samsung smartphones. Shortcuts to settings in the camera viewfinder may be customizable. In September 2013, Apple introduced a camera viewfinder layout with iOS 7 that would be implemented by several other major vendors towards

679-504: A camera application program and an on-screen button to activate the shutter. Some also have a separate camera button for quickness and convenience. A few, such as the 2009 Samsung i8000 Omnia II or S8000 Jet , have a two-level shutter button as in dedicated digital cameras . Some camera phones are designed to resemble separate low-end digital compact cameras in appearance and, to some degree, in features and picture quality, and are branded as both mobile phones and cameras—an example being

776-412: A camera hot shoe. An air-gap flash is a high-voltage device that discharges a flash of light with an exceptionally short duration, often much less than one microsecond . These are commonly used by scientists or engineers for examining extremely fast-moving objects or reactions, famous for producing images of bullets tearing through light bulbs and balloons (see Harold Eugene Edgerton ). An example of

873-471: A camera. Some cameras allow separate flash units to be mounted via a standardized accessory mount bracket (a hot shoe ). In professional studio equipment, flashes may be large, standalone units, or studio strobes , powered by special battery packs or connected to mains power . They are either synchronized with the camera using a flash synchronization cable or radio signal, or are light-triggered, meaning that only one flash unit needs to be synchronized with

970-406: A dedicated shutter button if present. Camera software on more recent and higher-end smartphones (e.g., Samsung since 2015) allows for more manual control of parameters such as exposure and focus. This was first featured in 2013 on the camera-centric Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom and Nokia Lumia 1020 , but was later expanded among smartphones. Few smartphones' bundled camera software, such as that of

1067-414: A few used a physical zoom lens. Multiple lenses and multi-shot night modes are also familiar. Since the late 2010s, high-end smartphones typically have multiple lenses with different functions to make more use of a device's limited physical space. Common lens functions include an ultrawide sensor, a telephoto sensor, a macro sensor, and a depth sensor. Some phone cameras have a label that indicates

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1164-424: A high device temperature is detected. " Slow motion " (high frame rate) video may be stored as real-time video which retains the original image sensor frame rate and audio track, or slowed down and muted. While the latter allows slow-motion playback on older video player software which lacks playback speed control, the former can act both as real-time video and as slow-motion video, and is preferable for editing as

1261-553: A high-capacitance capacitor to several hundred volts . When the flash is triggered by the shutter's flash synchronization contact, the capacitor is discharged rapidly through a permanent flash tube , producing an immediate flash lasting typically less than 1 ⁄ 1000 of a second, shorter than shutter speeds used, with full brightness before the shutter has started to close, allowing easy synchronization of maximum shutter opening with full flash brightness, unlike flashbulbs which were slower to reach full brightness and burned for

1358-559: A higher resolution than the video itself. For example, the Samsung Galaxy S4 captures still photos during video recording at 9.6 Megapixels, which is the largest 16:9 aspect ratio crop of the 13-Megapixel 4:3 image sensor. Parameters adjustable during video recording may include flashlight illumination, focus, exposure, light sensitivity (ISO), and white balance. Some settings may only be adjustable while idle and locked while filming, such as light sensitivity and exposure on

1455-514: A holder for the ribbon, which formed a lamp to burn it in. A variety of magnesium ribbon holders were produced by other manufacturers, such as the Pistol Flashmeter, which incorporated an inscribed ruler that allowed the photographer to use the correct length of ribbon for the exposure they needed. The packaging also implies that the magnesium ribbon was not necessarily broken off before being ignited. An alternative to magnesium ribbon

1552-497: A little less, so the minimum possible exposure time for even exposure across the sensor with a full-power flash is about 2.4 ms + 1.0 ms = 3.4 ms, corresponding to a shutter speed of about 1 ⁄ 290 s. However some time is required to trigger the flash. At the maximum (standard) D850 X-sync shutter speed of 1 ⁄ 250 s, the exposure time is 1 ⁄ 250 s = 4.0 ms, so about 4.0 ms − 2.4 ms = 1.6 ms are available to trigger and fire

1649-484: A longer time, typically 1 ⁄ 30 of a second. A single electronic flash unit is often mounted on a camera's accessory shoe or a bracket; many inexpensive cameras have an electronic flash unit built in. For more sophisticated and longer-range lighting several synchronised flash units at different positions may be used. Ring flashes that fit to a camera's lens can be used for shadow free portrait and macro photography; some lenses have built-in ring-flash. In

1746-450: A low voltage, eliminating the need of a high-voltage capacitor. They are more energy-efficient, and very small. The LED flash can also be used for illumination of video recordings or as an autofocus assist lamp in low-light photography; it can also be used as a general-purpose non-photographic light source. Electronic flash units have shutter speed limits with focal-plane shutters . Focal-plane shutters expose using two curtains that cross

1843-473: A particular object in the field of view, giving even an inexperienced user a degree of focus control exceeded only by seasoned photographers using manual focus. However, the touch screen, being a general-purpose control, lacks the agility of a separate camera's dedicated buttons and dial(s). Starting in the mid-2010s, some advanced camera phones featured optical image stabilisation (OIS), larger sensors, bright lenses, 4K video, and even optical zoom, for which

1940-463: A photographic studio, more powerful and flexible studio flash systems are used. They usually contain a modelling light , a lamp close to the flash tube; the continuous illumination of the modelling light lets the photographer visualize the effect of the flash. LED lamps are replacing the previous incandescent light bulbs in new designs, modelling lights typically being proportionately variable to flash power require dimmable LEDs and suitable circuitry in

2037-577: A process by which to create a high speed flash is the exploding wire method . A camera that implements multiple flashes can be used to find depth edges or create stylized images. Such a camera has been developed by researchers at the Mitsubishi Electric Research Laboratories (MERL). Successive flashing of strategically placed flash mechanisms results in shadows along the depths of the scene. This information can be manipulated to suppress or enhance details or capture

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2134-469: A scene. The main purpose of a flash is to illuminate a dark scene. Other uses are capturing quickly moving objects or changing the quality of light. Flash refers either to the flash of light itself or to the electronic flash unit discharging the light. Most current flash units are electronic, having evolved from single-use flashbulbs and flammable powders. Modern cameras often activate flash units automatically. Flash units are commonly built directly into

2231-511: A second. If the exposure flash is fired at approximately this interval after the TTL measuring flash, people will be squinting or have their eyes shut. One solution may be the FEL (flash exposure lock) offered on some more expensive cameras, which allows the photographer to fire the measuring flash at some earlier time, long (many seconds) before taking the real picture. Many camera manufacturers do not make

2328-551: A second—while most bulbs require a shutter speed of 1 ⁄ 15 on X synch to keep the shutter open long enough for the bulb to ignite and burn. A smaller version which was not as bright but did not require the fibre ring, the AG-1, was introduced in 1958; it was cheaper, and rapidly supplanted the PF1. In 1965 Eastman Kodak of Rochester, New York replaced the individual flashbulb technology used on early Instamatic cameras with

2425-421: A shoulder strap. Towards the end of the 1960s electronic flashguns of similar size to conventional bulb guns became available; the price, although it had dropped, was still high. The electronic flash system eventually superseded bulb guns as prices came down. Already in the early 1970s, amateur electronic flashes were available for less than $ 100. A typical electronic flash unit has electronic circuitry to charge

2522-476: A simple short black-out may be featured. A haptic (vibration) feedback may be used to signify a captured photograph, which is of use when holding the smartphone in an angle with poor visibility of the screen. Lock screens typically allow the user to launch the camera without unlocking to prevent missing moments. This may be implemented through an icon swiped away from. Launching from anywhere may be possible through double-press of power/stand-by or home button, or

2619-426: A single exposure. Colored gels can also be used to change the color of the flash. Correction gels are commonly used, so that the light of the flash is the same as tungsten lights (using a CTO gel) or fluorescent lights. Open flash, free flash or manually-triggered flash refers to modes in which the photographer manually triggers the flash unit to fire independently of the shutter. Using on-camera flash will give

2716-406: A special mechanized carbon arc lamp to photograph subjects in his studio, but more portable and less expensive devices prevailed. On through the 1920s, flash photography normally meant a professional photographer sprinkling powder into the trough of a T-shaped flash lamp, holding it aloft, then triggering a brief and (usually) harmless bit of pyrotechnics . The use of flash powder in an open lamp

2813-425: A spring-loaded striker, which was cocked each time the film was advanced. The electronic flash tube was introduced by Harold Eugene Edgerton in 1931. The electronic flash reaches full brightness almost instantaneously, and is of very short duration. Edgerton took advantage of the short duration to make several iconic photographs, such as one of a bullet bursting through an apple. The large photographic company Kodak

2910-453: A subject close to the camera that would otherwise be in shade relative to the rest of the scene. The flash unit is set to expose the subject correctly at a given aperture, while shutter speed is calculated to correctly expose for the background or ambient light at that aperture setting. Secondary or slave flash units may be synchronized to the master unit to provide light from additional directions. The slave units are electrically triggered by

3007-409: A very harsh light, which results in a loss of shadows in the image, because the only lightsource is in practically the same place as the camera. Balancing the flash power and ambient lighting or using off-camera flash can help overcome these issues. Using an umbrella or softbox (the flash will have to be off-camera for this) makes softer shadows. A typical problem with cameras using built-in flash units

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3104-400: A white ceiling or a flash umbrella , which then reflects light onto the subject. It can be used as fill-flash or, if used indoors, as ambient lighting for the whole scene. Bouncing creates softer, less artificial-looking illumination than direct flash, often reducing overall contrast and expanding shadow and highlight detail, and typically requires more flash power than direct lighting. Part of

3201-461: Is the Sony Xperia Z , 2013, where frames are arrayed by changing the exposure every two lines of pixels to create a spatially varying exposure ( SVE ). As of 2019, high-end camera phones can produce video with up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second for smoothness. Most camera phones have a digital zoom feature, which may allow zooming without quality loss if a lower resolution than

3298-632: Is the low intensity of the flash; the level of light produced will often not suffice for good pictures at distances of over 3 metres (10 ft) or so. Dark, murky pictures with excessive image noise or "grain" will result. In order to get good flash pictures with simple cameras, it is important not to exceed the recommended distance for flash pictures. Larger flashes, especially studio units and monoblocks, have sufficient power for larger distances, even through an umbrella, and can even be used against sunlight at short distances. Cameras which automatically flash in low light conditions often do not take into account

3395-488: The Flashcube developed by Sylvania Electric Products . A flashcube was a module with four expendable flashbulbs, each mounted at 90° from the others in its own reflector. For use it was mounted atop the camera with an electrical connection to the shutter release and a battery inside the camera. After each flash exposure, the film advance mechanism also rotated the flashcube 90° to a fresh bulb. This arrangement allowed

3492-614: The LG V10 features an image histogram , a feature known from higher-end dedicated cameras. Video recording may be implemented as a separate camera mode, or merged on the first viewfinder page as done since the Samsung Galaxy S4 until the S9 . Specific resolutions may be implemented as separate camera mode, like Sony has done with 4K (2160p) on the Xperia Z2 . During video recording, it may be possible to capture still photos, possibly with

3589-634: The Panasonic Lumix DMC-CM1 ), their capabilities approach those of low-end point-and-shoot cameras . The few hybrid camera phones, such as Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom and K Zoom , were equipped with real optical zoom lenses. As camera phone technology has progressed, lens design has evolved from a simple double Gauss or Cooke triplet to many molded plastic aspheric lens elements made with varying dispersion and refractive indexes. Some phone cameras also apply distortion (optics) , vignetting , and various optical aberration corrections to

3686-682: The Samsung Galaxy S7 . Recording time may be limited by software to fixed durations at specific resolutions, after which recording can be restarted. For example, 2160p (4K) recording is capped to five minutes on Samsung flagship smartphones released before 2016, ten minutes on the Galaxy Note 7 , four minutes on the Galaxy Alpha , and six minutes on the HTC One M9 . The camera software may temporarily disable recording while

3783-399: The retina of the human eye reflects red light straight back in the direction it came from, pictures taken from straight in front of a face often exhibit this effect. It can be somewhat reduced by using the "red eye reduction" found on many cameras (a pre-flash that makes the subject's irises contract). However, very good results can be obtained only with a flash unit that is separated from

3880-407: The 2013 Samsung Galaxy S4 Zoom . The principal advantages of camera phones are cost and compactness; indeed, for a user who carries a mobile phone anyway, the addition is negligible. Smartphones that are camera phones may run mobile applications to add capabilities such as geotagging and image stitching . Also, modern smartphones can use their touch screens to direct their cameras to focus on

3977-626: The 2018 iPhone Xs family and iPhone XR . Camera phones can share pictures almost instantly and automatically via a sharing infrastructure integrated with the carrier network. Early developers, including Philippe Kahn, envisioned a technology that would enable service providers to "collect a fee every time anyone snaps a photo". The resulting technologies, Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) and Sha-Mail , were developed in parallel to and in competition with open Internet -based mobile communication provided by GPRS and later 3G networks. The first commercial camera phone, complete with infrastructure,

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4074-456: The Galaxy S6. Camera software may allow locking and unlocking touch input using the power button to prevent accidentally exiting or otherwise undesirably interfering with the viewfinder while recording video or keeping the camera idle in pocket for quicker access. Camera software may have an option for automatically capturing a photograph or video when launched. Some smartphones since

4171-554: The M-series, M-2, M-3 etc., which had a small ("miniature") metal bayonet base fused to the glass bulb. The largest flashbulb ever produced was the GE Mazda No. 75, being over eight inches long with a girth of 4 inches, initially developed for nighttime aerial photography during World War II . The all-glass PF1 bulb was introduced in 1954. Eliminating the metal base and the multiple manufacturing steps needed to attach it to

4268-494: The Manchester Magnesium Company with Edward Mellor. With the help of engineer William Mather , who was also a director of the company, they produced flat magnesium ribbon, which was said to burn more consistently and completely so giving better illumination than round wire. It also had the benefit of being a simpler and cheaper process than making round wire. Mather was also credited with the invention of

4365-462: The TTL pre-flash interval configurable. Flash distracts people, limiting the number of pictures that can be taken without irritating them. Photographing with flash may not be permitted in some museums even after purchasing a permit for taking pictures. Flash equipment may take some time to set up, and like any grip equipment, may need to be carefully secured, especially if hanging overhead, so it does not fall on anyone. A small breeze can easily topple

4462-560: The ability of a flash to "freeze" moving subjects in applications such as sports photography. In cases where intensity is controlled by capacitor discharge time, t0.5 and t0.1 decrease with decreasing intensity. Conversely, in cases where intensity is controlled by capacitor charge, t0.5 and t0.1 increase with decreasing intensity due to the non-linearity of the capacitor's discharge curve. High-current flash LEDs are used as flash sources in camera phones, although they are less bright than xenon flash tubes. Unlike xenon tubes, LEDs require only

4559-484: The bounced light can be also aimed directly on the subject by "bounce cards" attached to the flash unit which increase the efficiency of the flash and illuminate shadows cast by light coming from the ceiling. It is also possible to use one's own palm for that purpose, resulting in warmer tones on the picture, as well as eliminating the need to carry additional accessories. Fill flash or "fill-in flash" describes flash used to supplement ambient light in order to illuminate

4656-475: The bulb, which contained a fulminate , which in turn ignited shredded zirconium foil in the flash. A Magicube could also be fired using a key or paper clip to trip the spring manually. X-cube was an alternate name for Magicubes, indicating the appearance of the camera's socket. Other common flashbulb-based devices were the Flashbar and Flipflash, which provided ten flashes from a single unit. The bulbs in

4753-786: The camera (VGA resolution and a flash) directly to the phone to be stored or sent via MMS. In 2013-2014, Sony and other manufacturers announced add-on camera modules for smartphones called lens-style cameras. They have larger sensors and lenses than those in a camera phone but lack a viewfinder, display, and most controls. They can be mounted to an Android or iOS phone or tablet and use its display and controls. Lens-style cameras include: External cameras for thermal imaging also became available in late 2014. Microscope attachments were available from several manufacturers in 2019, as were adapters for connecting an astronomical telescope. Users may use bundled camera software or install alternative software. Bundled software may be optimized by

4850-403: The camera and are thus dedicated to a particular camera make. The multiple flashes result in a significant decrease in guide number, since each is only a part of the total flash power, but it is all that illuminates any particular part of the sensor. In general, if s is the shutter speed, and t is the shutter traverse time, the guide number reduces by √ s / t . For example, if

4947-424: The camera, and in turn triggers the other units, called slaves . Studies of magnesium by Bunsen and Roscoe in 1859 showed that burning this metal produced a light with similar qualities to daylight. The potential application to photography inspired Edward Sonstadt to investigate methods of manufacturing magnesium so that it would burn reliably for this use. He applied for patents in 1862 and by 1864 had started

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5044-419: The camera, sufficiently far from the optical axis , or by using bounce flash, where the flash head is angled to bounce light off a wall, ceiling or reflector. On some cameras the flash exposure measuring logic fires a pre-flash very quickly before the real flash. In some camera/people combinations this will lead to shut eyes in every picture taken. The blink response time seems to be around 1 ⁄ 10 of

5141-413: The capacitor charge. Color temperature can change as a result of varying the capacitor charge, making color correction necessary. Constant-color-temperature flash can be achieved by using appropriate circuitry. Flash intensity is typically measured in stops or in fractions (1, 1 ⁄ 2 , 1 ⁄ 4 , 1 ⁄ 8 etc.). Some monolights display an "EV Number", so that a photographer can know

5238-425: The difference in brightness between different flash units with different watt-second ratings. EV10.0 is defined as 6400 watt-seconds, and EV9.0 is one stop lower, i.e. 3200 watt-seconds. Flash duration is commonly described by two numbers that are expressed in fractions of a second: For example, a single flash event might have a t0.5 value of 1 ⁄ 1200 and t0.1 of 1 ⁄ 450 . These values determine

5335-442: The distance to the subject, causing them to fire even when the subject is several tens of metres away and unaffected by the flash. In crowds at sports matches, concerts and so on, the stands or the auditorium can be a constant sea of flashes, resulting in distraction to the performers or players and providing absolutely no benefit to the photographers. The " red-eye effect " is another problem with on camera and ring flash units. Since

5432-468: The first shutter curtain begins to move (M-sync); the X-sync used for electronic flash normally fires only when the first shutter curtain reaches the end of its travel. High-end flash units address this problem by offering a mode, typically called FP sync or HSS ( High Speed Sync ), which fires the flash tube multiple times during the time the slit traverses the sensor. Such units require communication with

5529-400: The flash or provide other effects. Softboxes , diffusers that cover the flash lamp, scatter direct light and reduce its harshness. Reflectors, including umbrellas , flat-white backgrounds, drapes and reflector cards are commonly used for this purpose (even with small hand-held flash units). Bounce flash is a related technique in which flash is directed onto a reflective surface, for example

5626-440: The flash powder was damp. An electrically triggered flash lamp was invented by Joshua Lionel Cowen in 1899. His patent describes a device for igniting photographers' flash powder by using dry cell batteries to heat a wire fuse. Variations and alternatives were touted from time to time and a few found a measure of success, especially for amateur use. In 1905, one French photographer was using intense non-explosive flashes produced by

5723-507: The flash while achieving a uniform flash exposure, so the maximum flash duration, and therefore maximum flash output, must be, and is, reduced. Contemporary (2018) focal-plane shutter cameras with full-frame or smaller sensors typically have maximum normal X-sync speeds of 1 ⁄ 200 s or 1 ⁄ 250 s. Some cameras are limited to 1 ⁄ 160 s. X-sync speeds for medium format cameras when using focal-plane shutters are somewhat slower, e.g. 1 ⁄ 125 s, because of

5820-526: The flash, and with a 1 ms flash duration, 1.6 ms − 1.0 ms = 0.6 ms are available to trigger the flash in this Nikon D850 example. Mid- to high-end Nikon DSLRs with a maximum shutter speed of 1 ⁄ 8000 s (roughly D7000 or D800 and above) have an unusual menu-selectable feature which increases the maximum X-Sync speed to 1 ⁄ 320 s = 3.1 ms with some electronic flashes. At 1 ⁄ 320 s only 3.1 ms − 2.4 ms = 0.7 ms are available to trigger and fire

5917-487: The flashbulb a fraction of a second before opening the shutter to allow it to reach full brightness, allowing faster shutter speeds. A flashbulb widely used during the 1960s was the Press 25, the 25-millimetre (1 in) flashbulb often used by newspapermen in period movies, usually attached to a press camera or a twin-lens reflex camera . Its peak light output was around a million lumens. Other flashbulbs in common use were

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6014-544: The front camera. Retaining focus has also in the past through holding the virtual shutter button. Another common use of holding the shutter button is burst shot , where multiple photos are captured in quick succession, with varying resolutions, speeds, and sequential limits among devices, and possibly with an option to adjust between speed and resolution. Shutter lag varies depending on computing speed, software implementation, and environmental brightness. A shutter animation such as skeuomorphic aperture diaphragm blades or

6111-505: The glass bulb cut the cost substantially compared to the larger M series bulbs. The design required a fibre ring around the base to hold the contact wires against the side of the glass base. An adapter was available allowing the bulb to fit into flash guns made for bayonet-capped bulbs. The PF1 (along with the M2) had a faster ignition time (less delay between shutter contact and peak output), so it could be used with X synch below 1 ⁄ 30 of

6208-718: The go pen drive). Images are usually saved in the JPEG file format. Since the mid-2010s, some high-end camera phones have a RAW photography feature, HDR , and " Bokeh mode". Phones with Android 5.0 Lollipop and later versions can install phone apps that provide similar features. Since iOS 11 ( HEIC ), Android 8 (Oreo) ( HEIF ), Android 10 (HEIC) and Android 12 ( AVIF ), HEIC and AVIF compression formats in HEIF container format are available. HEIC support on Android requires hardware support. The ability to take photographs and film from both front and rear cameras simultaneously

6305-425: The greater shutter travel time required for a wider, heavier, shutter that travels farther across a larger sensor. In the past, slow-burning single-use flash bulbs allowed the use of focal-plane shutters at maximum speed because they produced continuous light for the time taken for the exposing slit to cross the film gate. If these are found they cannot be used on modern cameras because the bulb must be fired *before*

6402-468: The guide number is 100, and the shutter traverse time is 5 ms (a shutter speed of 1/200s), and the shutter speed is set to 1 ⁄ 2000 s (0.5 ms), the guide number reduces by a factor of √ 0.5 / 5 , or about 3.16, so the resultant guide number at this speed would be about 32. Current (2010) flash units frequently have much lower guide numbers in HSS mode than in normal modes, even at speeds below

6499-507: The head. Multiple flashes may be synchronised for multi-source lighting. The strength of a flash device is often indicated in terms of a guide number designed to simplify exposure setting. The energy released by larger studio flash units, such as monolights , is indicated in watt-seconds . Canon names its electronic flash units Speedlite , and Nikon uses Speedlight ; these terms are frequently used as generic terms for electronic flash units designed to be mounted on, and triggered by,

6596-598: The highest image sensor resolution is selected, as it makes use of image sensors' spare resolution. For example, at twice digital zoom, only a quarter of the image sensor resolution is available. A few have optical zoom , and several have a few cameras with different fields of view, combined with digital zoom as a hybrid zoom feature. For example, the Huawei P30 Pro uses a periscope 5x telephoto camera with up to 10x digital zoom , resulting in 50x hybrid zoom. An external camera can be added, coupled wirelessly to

6693-525: The image before it is compressed into a JPEG format. Optical image stabilization allows longer exposures without blurring, despite trembling. The earliest known smartphone to feature it on the rear camera is in late 2012 on the Nokia Lumia 920 , and the first known front camera to feature one is on the HTC 10 from early 2016. Few smartphones, such as LG initially with the 2014 G3 , are equipped with

6790-427: The image recorded on the sensor is the exposure time minus the shutter travel time. Equivalently, the minimum possible exposure time is the shutter travel time plus the flash duration (plus any delays in triggering the flash). For example, a Nikon D850 has a shutter travel time of about 2.4 ms. A full-power flash from a modern built-in or hot shoe mounted electronic flash has a typical duration of about 1ms, or

6887-424: The image sensor's spare resolution. This is known as "lossless digital zoom". Zooming is typically implemented through pinch and may additionally be controllable through a slider . On early-2010s Samsung Galaxy smartphones, a square visualizes the magnification. Like dedicated ( stand-alone ) digital cameras , mobile phone camera software usually stores pictures and video files in a directory called DCIM/ in

6984-411: The internal memory, with numbered or dated file names. The former prevents missing out files during file transfers and facilitates counting files, whereas the latter facilitates searching files by date/time, regardless of file attribute resets during transfer and possible lack of in-file metadata date/time information . Some can store this media in external memory ( secure digital card or USB on

7081-413: The intricate geometric features of a scene (even those hidden from the eye), to create a non-photorealistic image form. Such images could be useful in technical or medical imaging. Unlike flashbulbs, the intensity of an electronic flash can be adjusted on some units. To do this, smaller flash units typically vary the capacitor discharge time, whereas larger (e.g., higher power, studio) units typically vary

7178-456: The late 2010s. This layout has a circular and usually solid-colour shutter button and a camera mode selector using perpendicular text and separate camera modes for photo and video. Vendors that have ditched their layout to implement variations of Apple's layout include Samsung, Huawei, LG, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and UleFone. There may be an option to utilize volume keys for photo, video, or zoom. Specific objects can usually be focused on by tapping on

7275-544: The lens manufacturer, megapixel count, or features such as autofocus or zoom ability for emphasis, including the Samsung Omnia II or S8000 Jet (2009) and Galaxy S II (2011) and S20 (2020), Sony Xperia Z1 (2013) and some successors, and Nokia Lumia 1020 (2013). Mobile phone cameras typically feature CMOS active-pixel image sensors (CMOS sensors) due to largely reduced power consumption compared to charge-coupled device (CCD) type cameras, .Equipped with

7372-433: The lens when held horizontally, as well as more efficient packing of tight physical device space due to neighbouring components not having to be built around the lens. Mobile phones with multiple microphones usually allow video recording with stereo audio . Samsung, Sony, and HTC initially implemented it in 2012 on their Samsung Galaxy S3 , Sony Xperia S , and HTC One X . Apple implemented stereo audio starting with

7469-421: The light from the master flash. Many small flashes and studio monolights have optical slaves built in. Wireless radio transmitters, such as PocketWizards , allow the receiver unit to be around a corner, or at a distance too far to trigger using an optical sync. To strobe, some high end units can be set to flash a specified number of times at a specified frequency. This allows action to be frozen multiple times in

7566-452: The local transfer of pictures were also usually missing. Modern smartphones have almost unlimited connectivity and transfer options with photograph attachment features. During 2003 (as camera phones were gaining popularity), in Europe some phones without cameras had support for MMS and external cameras that could be connected with a small cable or directly to the data port at the base of

7663-405: The mid-2010s have the ability to attach short videos surrounding or following the moment to a photo. Apple has branded this feature as "live photo", and Samsung as "motion photo". Flash (photography) A flash is a device used in photography that produces a brief burst of light (lasting around 1 ⁄ 200 of a second) at a color temperature of about 5500 K to help illuminate

7760-438: The phone by Wi-Fi . They are compatible with most smartphones. Windows Phones can be configured to operate as a camera even if the phone is asleep. When viewed vertically from behind, the rear camera module on some mobile phones is located in the top center, while other mobile phones have cameras located in the upper left corner. The latter has benefits in terms of ergonomy due to the lower likelihood of covering and soiling

7857-648: The phone. The external cameras were comparable in quality to those fitted on regular camera phones at the time, typically offering VGA resolution. One of these examples was the Nokia Fun Camera (model number PT-3) announced together with the Nokia 3100 in June 2003. The idea was for it to be used on devices without a built-in camera (connected via the Pop-Port interface) and be able to transfer images taken on

7954-450: The playback speed and duration indicated in the video editor are real-life equivalent. Camera settings may appear as a menu on top of an active viewfinder in the background, or as a separate page, the former of which allows returning to the viewfinder immediately without having to wait for it to initiate again. The settings may appear as a grid or a list. On Apple iOS , some camera settings such as video resolution are located separately in

8051-439: The sensor. The first one opens and the second curtain follows it after a delay equal to the nominal shutter speed. A typical modern focal-plane shutter on a full-frame or smaller sensor camera takes about 1 ⁄ 400 s to 1 ⁄ 300 s to cross the sensor, so at exposure times shorter than this only part of the sensor is uncovered at any one time. The time available to fire a single flash which uniformly illuminates

8148-405: The separate digital cameras. In the smartphone era, the steady sales increase of camera phones caused point-and-shoot camera sales to peak about 2010 and decline thereafter. The concurrent improvement of smartphone camera technology and its other multifunctional benefits have led to it gradually replacing compact point-and-shoot cameras. Most modern smartphones only have a menu choice to start

8245-540: The shutter traverse time. For example, the Mecablitz 58 AF-1 digital flash unit has a guide number of 58 in normal operation, but only 20 in HSS mode, even at low speeds. As well as dedicated studio use, flash may be used as the main light source where ambient light is inadequate, or as a supplementary source in more complex lighting situations. Basic flash lighting produces a hard, frontal light unless modified in some way. Several techniques are used to soften light from

8342-502: The system settings, outside the camera application. The range of selectable resolution levels for photos and videos varies among camera software. There may be settings for frame rate and bit rate, as on the LG V10 , where they are implemented independently within a supported pixel rate (product of resolution and frame rate). When the selected photo or video resolution is below that of the image sensor, digital zooming may allow limited magnification without quality loss by cropping into

8439-408: The user to take four images in rapid succession before inserting a new flashcube. The later Magicube (or X-Cube) by General Electric retained the four-bulb format, but did not require electrical power. It was not interchangeable with the original Flashcube. Each bulb in a Magicube was set off by releasing one of four cocked wire springs within the cube. The spring struck a primer tube at the base of

8536-446: The vendor for performance, whereas alternative software may offer functionality and controls and customization missing in bundled software. The graphical user interface typically features a virtual on-screen shutter button located towards the usual home button and charging port side, a thumbnail previewing the last photo, and some status icons that may display settings such as selected resolution, scene mode, stabilization, flash, and

8633-424: The viewfinder, and exposure may adjust accordingly; there may be an option to capture a photo with each tap. Exposure value may be adjustable by swiping vertically after tapping to focus or through a separate menu option. It may be possible to lock focus and exposure by holding the touch for a short time, and exposure value may remain adjustable in this state. These gestures may be available while filming and for

8730-413: Was flash powder , a mixture of magnesium powder and potassium chlorate , was introduced by its German inventors Adolf Miethe and Johannes Gaedicke in 1887. A measured amount was put into a pan or trough and ignited by hand, producing a brief brilliant flash of light, along with the smoke and noise that might be expected from such an explosive event. This could be a life-threatening activity, especially if

8827-447: Was a significant delay after ignition for a flashbulb to reach full brightness, and the bulb burned for a relatively long time, compared to shutter speeds required to stop motion and not display camera shake. Slower shutter speeds (typically from 1 ⁄ 10 to 1 ⁄ 50 of a second) were initially used on cameras to ensure proper synchronization and to make use of all the bulb's light output. Cameras with flash sync triggered

8924-401: Was an important advance. A later innovation was the coating of flashbulbs with a plastic film to maintain bulb integrity in the event of the glass shattering during the flash. A blue plastic film was introduced as an option to match the spectral quality of the flash to daylight-balanced colour film . Subsequently, the magnesium was replaced by zirconium , which produced a brighter flash. There

9021-559: Was first implemented in 2013 on the Samsung Galaxy S4, where the two video tracks are stored picture-in-picture. An implementation with separate video tracks within a file or separate video files is not known yet. Voice commands were first featured in 2012 on the camera software of the Samsung Galaxy S3, and the ability to take a photo after a short countdown initiated by hand gesture was first featured in 2015 on

9118-565: Was in 2004. The Sprint wireless carriers deployed over one million camera phones manufactured by Sanyo and launched by the PictureMail infrastructure (Sha-Mail in English) developed and managed by LightSurf . While early phones had Internet connectivity, working web browsers , and email programs, the phone menu offered no way of including a photo in an email or uploading it to a website. Connecting cables or removable media that would enable

9215-487: Was initially reluctant to take up the idea. Electronic flash, often called "strobe" in the US following Edgerton's use of the technique for stroboscopy , came into some use in the late 1950s, although flashbulbs remained dominant in amateur photography until the mid 1970s. Early units were expensive, and often large and heavy; the power unit was separate from the flash head and was powered by a large lead-acid battery carried with

9312-466: Was replaced by flashbulbs ; magnesium filaments were contained in bulbs filled with oxygen gas, and electrically ignited by a contact in the camera shutter . Manufactured flashbulbs were first produced commercially in Germany in 1929. Such a bulb could only be used once, and was too hot to handle immediately after use, but the confinement of what would otherwise have amounted to a small explosion

9409-677: Was the J-SH04 , made by Sharp Corporation ; it had an integrated CCD sensor , with the Sha-Mail (Picture-Mail in Japanese) infrastructure developed in collaboration with Kahn's LightSurf venture, and marketed from 2001 by J-Phone in Japan today owned by Softbank . It was also the world's first cellular mobile camera phone. The first commercial deployment in North America of camera phones

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