February 2019

Smartphones' secret weapon: Multiple cameras

It’s no secret that smartphone’s are now by far the most popular cameras worldwide, as they become increasingly capable. While improvements in image processing, sensors, and optics have helped them catch up to more traditional cameras, many of their recent gains can be attributed to the creative use of multiple camera modules. That’s an option that standalone camera makers have experimented with (stereo and 360-degree models, for example), but have never pushed very far. .

Editing Video? Hearing assist from Nuheara or Audera may help

Until the last few years most still photographers didn’t have much to do with video. A few major trends have changed all that. First, almost all modern cameras can now do a competent job of capturing video, especially when coupled with the right lenses and microphones. Second, phones have become a dominant force in photography, and nearly all of them make it just as easy to capture video as stills (here to, though, add-on microphones and gimbals are very helpful). Third, drones make it possible to capture some unique video perspectives. Finally, and perhaps most important, most creative content is now being consumed digitally. That means it is almost as easy to watch a video as look at an image – very different from when watching a video meant sitting people down in front of a TV or projector.