A couple of months ago, rumours have started surfacing about Apple's upcoming iPhone 7 featuring a dual-camera setup among other things such as USB Type-C port, multitouch Force Touch, in-display fingerprint recognition and so forth. Now, a newly published patent application by Apple has appeared, confirming that the company is working on a dual-camera setup that may be for the future iPhones.
According to reports, the most basic application for a dual-camera setup would be optical zoom. With two separate camera modules that go behind the lens, as well as by creating a single lens that feature both the standard and the telephoto sections, a dual-camera setup would allow users to switch between two different focal lengths. Instead of losing clarity and dropping down on pixels, the dual cameras will provide a much clearer zoomed-in image.
One lens will be capturing the entire screen, while the second one that features a longer focal length will allow users to zoom in on a subject they want to take a picture of without losing the detail. Furthermore, the two cameras would also seem to have different focal points. This would make the setup capable of reproducing 3D images or to help with the lighting as well. Not only that, but having a wider scope could also assist an algorithm in patching missing details on shots that are zoomed in.
Moving forward, the dual-camera setup could also go beyond stills and be used for video shooting. Users will be able to take pictures whenever they capture videos, and they can also go picture-in-picture (PIP) with the help of the longer focal length lens. Moreover, one camera can simply capture the video through a normal playback, while the other can work on time-lapse as well as slow-motion videos.
However, it's important to note that while Apple has applied for a patent for a dual-camera setup, it's still unclear if it will come out for the upcoming iPhone. But with photography being one of the most in-demand features in smartphones, Apple may reserve it for the S cycle or equip it in this year's model.
