4 ms·

One thing smartphone cameras still don't do for me is minimize the time between wanting to take a shot and taking a shot. This is one area I think consumer came

by sehugg 15y ago

One thing smartphone cameras still don't do for me is minimize the time between wanting to take a shot and taking a shot. This is one area I think consumer cameras could also be improved. Ideally I'd like one button for pictures, one for video -- mash it down, the camera powers on and figures out what to do as fast as possible.

alastairpat 15y ago
Compact cameras are still terrible in that regard; you can only get that 'off to photo taken in 0.3 seconds' with SLRs today. It's thus not really a valid argument for compact digital cameras still having relevance.
- pavel_lishin 15y ago
  Imagine that your customer is drunk. Digital cameras win hands down. Slam the power button, slam the photo button, and you have at least a blurry blackmail-worthy shot of your friend dancing with a hobo. With a mobile phone, by the time I get the app up and running, the hobo is gone and my friend is left with nothing but hobo sweat.
  - jtreminio 15y ago
    On my Galaxy II, whenever I want to have the camera functionality ready, I open the camera app and press the power button. The screen turns off, and I simply need to wake the phone back on to be immediately ready to take a blackmail picture. This is even quicker with the "NoLock" app that disables the lock screen.
    - ghshephard 15y ago
      My Finger DNA has already memorized "Double Click + Camera Icon" from the lock screen, and then hit the shutter release/+ button on the iPhone like mad. Even on the relatively poor shutter speed iPhone 4, I'm usually taking pictures within 2-3 seconds. Supposedly the 4S has significantly reduced the shutter-lag to first picture - looking forward to seeing the truth of that.
      - pavel_lishin 15y ago
        Double-click and Camera Icon? For me, double-clicking just brings up the iTunes/iPod interface.
        hexley 15y ago
        Update to ios 5
  - alastairpat 15y ago
    (I loved the example, by the way) How is that sequence so significantly different from (in iOS 5) double pressing the home button from the lock screen, touching 'Camera' then taking a photo? I'm not suggesting that camera phones are as good as compact digital cameras yet, but it's getting much closer.
jayfuerstenberg 15y ago
The iPhone 4S has made great strides in this regard.
Terretta 15y ago
In iOS 5 you get instant camera access from your lock screen. This lets you quickly pull out your iPhone (or iPad and iPod touch of course) and take pictures without having to unlock the iPhone or clicking on the camera app. Here’s how to do this: http://osxdaily.com/2011/10/14/camera-lock-screen-ios-5/ http://osxdaily.com/2011/10/14/camera-lock-screen-ios-5/ And once you are in the camera app, you can use the Volume Up button as a shutter to take pictures. I've also noticed that the camera records what the action was at the time the shutter button's pressed, perhaps even a moment before the button was pressed, as though it's recording a continuous buffer and reaching back into it a few frames. There are also a couple video apps that record a continuous buffer, and when you "start" a recording, they start it retroactively, so you can press record after something neat happens and not miss video of the event itself. The one I use has the great "Philip K Dick"-esque name Precorder: http://www.airshipsoftware.com/precorder http://www.airshipsoftware.com/precorder
nextparadigms 15y ago
The Galaxy Nexus has zero-shutter lag, which means you take pictures instantly once you're in the camera app. You can also reach the camera from the lockscreen, too.

by sehugg 15y ago

alastairpat 15y ago

Compact cameras are still terrible in that regard; you can only get that 'off to photo taken in 0.3 seconds' with SLRs today. It's thus not really a valid argument for compact digital cameras still having relevance.

pavel_lishin 15y ago
Imagine that your customer is drunk. Digital cameras win hands down. Slam the power button, slam the photo button, and you have at least a blurry blackmail-worthy shot of your friend dancing with a hobo. With a mobile phone, by the time I get the app up and running, the hobo is gone and my friend is left with nothing but hobo sweat.
- jtreminio 15y ago
  On my Galaxy II, whenever I want to have the camera functionality ready, I open the camera app and press the power button. The screen turns off, and I simply need to wake the phone back on to be immediately ready to take a blackmail picture. This is even quicker with the "NoLock" app that disables the lock screen.
  - ghshephard 15y ago
    My Finger DNA has already memorized "Double Click + Camera Icon" from the lock screen, and then hit the shutter release/+ button on the iPhone like mad. Even on the relatively poor shutter speed iPhone 4, I'm usually taking pictures within 2-3 seconds. Supposedly the 4S has significantly reduced the shutter-lag to first picture - looking forward to seeing the truth of that.
    - pavel_lishin 15y ago
      Double-click and Camera Icon? For me, double-clicking just brings up the iTunes/iPod interface.
      - hexley 15y ago
        Update to ios 5
- alastairpat 15y ago
  (I loved the example, by the way) How is that sequence so significantly different from (in iOS 5) double pressing the home button from the lock screen, touching 'Camera' then taking a photo? I'm not suggesting that camera phones are as good as compact digital cameras yet, but it's getting much closer.

jayfuerstenberg 15y ago

The iPhone 4S has made great strides in this regard.

Terretta 15y ago

In iOS 5 you get instant camera access from your lock screen. This lets you quickly pull out your iPhone (or iPad and iPod touch of course) and take pictures without having to unlock the iPhone or clicking on the camera app. Here’s how to do this: http://osxdaily.com/2011/10/14/camera-lock-screen-ios-5/ http://osxdaily.com/2011/10/14/camera-lock-screen-ios-5/ And once you are in the camera app, you can use the Volume Up button as a shutter to take pictures. I've also noticed that the camera records what the action was at the time the shutter button's pressed, perhaps even a moment before the button was pressed, as though it's recording a continuous buffer and reaching back into it a few frames. There are also a couple video apps that record a continuous buffer, and when you "start" a recording, they start it retroactively, so you can press record after something neat happens and not miss video of the event itself. The one I use has the great "Philip K Dick"-esque name Precorder: http://www.airshipsoftware.com/precorder http://www.airshipsoftware.com/precorder

nextparadigms 15y ago

The Galaxy Nexus has zero-shutter lag, which means you take pictures instantly once you're in the camera app. You can also reach the camera from the lockscreen, too.