iOS 5 and iPhoneography

Later this coming week, and to coincide with the release of the iPhone 4S, iOS 5 will be available to all owners of the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod Touch, and iPads 1 & 2, to download and install via iTunes, but for all us iPhoneographers, what can we expect from this update?

Well, if you are updating your iPhone 4 (like me) or 3GS, then you will benefit from the following new features.

The Camera App

• Quick Access, which will place a camera icon on the lock screen, meaning you can open the default camera app and snap away, without the need to unlock your iPhone first.
• A Real Shutter Release. This option will let you enable the iPhone's volume up button to function like a real hardware shutter release, just like those found  tradition cameras.
• Autofocus and Autoexposure. With iOS 5, you will now be able to lock the focus, exposure and white balance, with the native camera app, just like you can with the current crop of all-in-one camera replacement apps.
• Grid Lines. The native camera app will now support grid lines, which can be used to aid the composition of your shots.
• Pinch to Zoom. Instead of using the digital zoom slider, you willow be able to pinch to zoom in and out.

The Photos App

• Edit. With the iOS 5 update comes the options to carry out some basic edits from with in the Photos App itself. These basic edits will include, crop, rotate, auto-enhance and the ability to remove red-eye.
• Albums. One new and very welcomed feature, will be the ability to create and organise your photos in albums, right on your iPhone.

iOS 5 should be available to download this coming Wednesday, although unlike past updates, most of the popular 3rd party photos apps should be fully compatible by then, and so there should no reason to hold off upgrading, although nothing can be guaranteed.

Comments

[Constance Terry]

The Apple keynote said that IOS5 would be available on October 12th. Yay!

[MDHayes]

Been using the beta release for developers. Really nice update and the quick access to the camera is a great addition

[Butow Maler]

MDHayes, where do you activate the quick access? I'm testing the Goldmaster edition on an iPhone 4 and haven't found this yet.

[Butow Maler]

"Autofocus and Autoexposure. With iOS 5, you will now be able to lock the focus, exposure and white balance, with the native camera app, just like you can with the current crop of all-in-one camera replacement apps."

Does anyone know how to do this? I tried a lot different gestures now, but nothing is locked.

[James Moore]

@Butow Maler double press the home button when the phone is locked. The camera icon appears next to the unlock swipe.

[James Moore]

Using the volume buttons on the headphones when hooked up works as great remote shutter release by the way.

[Butow Maler]

@James Moore, thanks a lot! I got it now. :-)

[Haroldnca]

iOS 5 comes out Wednesday. Not sure how you got that wrong.