iPod Touch 4 camera woes

When I heard that there was going to be an iPod Touch with a front and back camera I was literally jumping with joy. Finally I would be able to take pictures on without carrying my bulky single function point-and-shoot camera. Now, don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t expecting a camera as good as the iPhone 4’s but I was counting on something a little more substantial than the measly 0.7 megapixel camera it turned out to have. Come on Apple! HD video but not even a megapixel offered to still shots. What is up with that?

This device could have been golden. Apple could have made a move to monopolize another market, but no. They gave up image quality for form factor; a few millimeters of thickness is all it would take. I would have been perfectly happy with an iPod as thick as an iPhone 4. Don’t get me wrong, the sleek form factor is pretty sexy, but I would have gladly given it up for a better camera.

Taken outside at midday.

Taken facing the sun

As far as images go, outdoor photos are decent. Passable I would say; however, some have strange purple-hued rings of light which completely ruin a good picture. (Let me know if this is an iPhone thing as well). Indoor photos are pitiful at best with artificial lighting and fair with natural light. Many shots turn out blurry or grainy, especially when it is pitch black outside. Don’t even try to take a shot in the dark; without a flash, it is a dark blob of color. Video is a little bit better, especially outside. I was able to create an okay movie with the aid of iMovie completely on my iPod.

Indoors in natural light

Indoors in artificial light

Indoors without light source

So, what’s missing and what are you missing out on? First of all, the megapixel count is short by about 1.3 at the least and there is no flash like on the iPhone 4.  What does this mean? Basically it means, if you want decent pictures, make room in your bag for your separate camera. If you want to take pictures at night, I would suggest taping a flashlight to your iPod. Someone seriously just needs to make a flashlight case for the iPod 4. Secondly, there is no auto-focus. This means that while all of you iPhone 4 users out there are flaunting around your Google Goggles, us iPod users are out in the cold. Apparently auto-focus is a must-have for the app to work. Lastly, there is no HDR. Those beautifully created photos taken on the iPhone 4 by automatically taking a picture at normal, over, and under exposure then combining the three to form a perfect image, will be something we can only dream about on the iPod Touch 4.

It looks like we will just have to wait to see if the next generation of iPod will be able to take better photos, unless it is just a software restriction, in which case some hackers will need to get on it. But most likely, that is just some wishful thinking.

What are your thoughts on the camera? Any good photography tips or tricks? Is the camera preventing you from buying the iPod Touch? Let me know in the comments below.