@rbedi:
I believe Jesus edited his post to reiterate his comment that cameras were not allowed. When I posted, I did not see any mention in his post of cameras being banned (and since the concert was in Madrid, not the US, didn't see any reason to think they were).

Jesus, did you edit your post? Or did I totally miss your boldfaced text about cameras?

dogcow

I can relate to what Jesus Diaz is saying here, and I'm sure that he knew perfectly well how the iPhone camera was going to perform under these conditions - these were not the first pictures he's ever taken with the iPhone.

In good light, with a steady hand, and subject matter that stays still, I've turned out beautiful, decent shots with my iPhone. If I want to make sure I get excellent shots under varied circumstances, my partner will bring along his "real" digital camera with flash and tons of controls and options. That much is obvious to even the least dedicated technophobe.

Jesus was in an environment that caught him by surprise - he really wasn't expecting the emotional rush that this venue ultimately provided. He knew he couldn't take a "regular" camera in, so, in a pinch, he felt compelled to capture some moments with what he had on hand. The result isn't THAT awful, by any means, and his memory of the event will always be what really matters when reminiscing.

No, what I can REALLY relate to Jesus here is his cry for one of the physical buttons to turn into a "shutter release" when the iPhone's camera is activated. I've ALWAYS found the virtual button to be most annoying - it makes one-handed shooting awkward and difficult. When the 3G came out, I just held on to my first gen. iPhone for a number of reasons, but one reason was zero improvement to the built in camera. Up the pixels a bit, improve the shutter speed, and give me a physical button - I'd be VERY happy if that occurs in iPhone G3 ver. 2., even though I concede that, yes, it is only a cell phone and should be treated as just a simple "bonus" or something to take portraits of friends for to add them to your contact list.

voicegy

Mayabe it's because the iphone does'nt like taking pictures of crappy singers. I still and will never understand the appeal of bruce springsteen.

mercury69

Ok, so cell phone cameras suck.

But everyone keeps saying "low light" is the problem. That stage look pretty well lit to me. It's a freakin' arena! If Bruce is lit up on all 4 sides... there is plenty of light.

In most of those pictures I can see the audience in up to the nosebleed section. So you know there is plenty of light focused on the stage. Go find some pictures of a dark nightclub for comparison... but Bruce is playing in an arena.

Low light is not the problem. A pinhole and a tiny sensor is the problem. No shutter either. Not a real camera either.

MichaelScrip

Damn, I'm a Microsoft fanboy, and even I think complaining about the iPhone's camera sucking is stupid. Who goes to a major concert without taking a proper camera? And that includes concerts that don't allow cameras.

At any rate, give it a few more years. After mobile phones finish swallowing PMPs whole, they're definitely coming for cameras... A cellphone will never replace a pro camera, but point-and-shoot cameras' days are numbered....

asurroca

the shutter speed really is abysmal. totally half ass

MrBlahBlah

I'm amazed at how many people lack the ability to read not once but twice.

@Jesus Diaz: Very well written article man, its great that you had an awesome time at the concert, thats really all that matters. While I agree that physical button would be much greater at taking more stable and usable pictures I think that if designed correctly a virtual button for it would be just as effective. Now, just to figure out how to design a better one and make an Iphone app for it and become rich!

Technogen

@rudeadly: i second that.

jo3

have you ever considered that maybe god hates bruce springstein? * ;)

rudeadly

have you ever considered that maybe god hate bruce springstein?

rudeadly

That's a feature... it's called iDrunkvision... the iPhone adds extra fun to the memory by taking pictures in drunk-o-vision!

draiko

OK, forget the crappiness of the iPhone camera, I was more interested in the show! Bruce is the ultimate performer. The best shows I have ever seen. I saw him on Sunday at Giants Stadium, and it was AMAZING. I've seen him now 4 times in 4 different venues (I'm only 19), and he rocks them all. Jon Stewart put it well. If you're a fan of joy, go see a Bruce Springsteen concert. Alright, that's enough of my Bruce gushing. Yeah, Apple, throw a decent camera in there.

The Magnificen7

Wow. I can't believe how many idiots have commented, telling Jesus he should have brought a real camera to the concert. Did you even read the freaking article??? He mentioned multiple times that he COULDN'T bring a real camera, because the security guards wouldn't allow it. Even after Jesus commented, explaining it again, more idiots chimed in, repeating the same junk. Read, people, before making complete fools of yourselves.

rbedi

bruce springsteen is for suckers.

jo3

That was a fun story. Sure its a cellphone camera, I actually enjoyed some of the pictures.

A problem with posting late in the day is people are tired and grouchy.

Thanks

Murph

@SuperCollider:

IT is evident you dont come on here very often, but ever since January 9, 2007 (introduction of iPhone) Gizmodo has been an Apple blog with occasional other useless shit as they would put it blog.

So my friend I recommend using both this and engadget for a full gadget reporting.

mricyfire

1. People usually don't get disappointed by their tech until it falls short of expectations.
2. The hype and praise of the iPhone leads one to believe it can do everything well.
3. I don't think any camera phones have a decent enough focal distance to produce above average pictures (and the emphasis on thinness doesn't help).
4. Any tech blog writer knows that camera phones are a last resort, and in a concert where "regular" cameras are prohibited, a camera phone is the best you can do, so you at least want respectable images.

klew

Once you have seen Bruce you can truly appreciate the saying "there are two kinds of people in the world: those who have seen a Springsteen concert, and those who haven't."

Like you, I also wasn't much of a fan until I saw him live. He was so amazing it made every other concert I had seen before and since look like a joke. There is a reason he is known as the Boss. He rules the stage.

I have seen him about 6 times now, and he never disappoints.

Nice post.

Sora57

@snakepliskin: Try dpreview. They're not about megapixels, they have detailed reviews.

qbrad

Try drinking a beer so your alcoholic shakes go away while you are taking pictures. Or whatever is causing you to not be able to take a STILL picture.

But I do agree, the iPhone's camera is way too touchy when it comes to that. I've never had as much trouble as you seem to be having though.

rochec

The next iphone, which is coming out in three months, will have a 10-400mm f1.0 image-stabilized lens with a 25MP sensor. You heard it here first.

mullingitover

Just like you said, people need to RTFA. If they don't let you take in a camera, hide it.

That being said, if you wanted a good camera on a cell phone, you shouldn't have gotten the iphone.
Plain and simple.

But obviously you got it for other reasons. So next time you want a camera just bring a super slim digital camera that fits in your pocket just like that iphone of yours.

greenleave5

yeah, I'd like a better camera. It's not a deal breaker, but the photos the iPhone takes are nearly useless.

waterwizard

The rules for iPhone camera is the exact same as all of subpar cellphone cams around: Don't try to use it in poor lighting conditions, unless you can shoot from a steady tripod.

And I'm not trying to be a Sony fanboy or an Apple hater here Jesus, but if you had my cellphone, you would have gotten better pics, no doubts.

So you can scrape that Sony Ericsson from the "do something" list... my K850i has a feature called Best Pic, which basically is a 9 frame bust, which you CAN use in full 5Mpx resolution.

Even in poor lighting, and shaky moments, unless you are very unlucky, or conditions are impossible, you usually get at least one good, steady pic.

I don't know why people don't talk much about it, but so far it's been working miracles to me. Really.

With my regular Canon 5Mpx Digicam, sometimes more than 50% of my pics would go to waste due to blurriness, shaking, someone passing right in front of the camera while I'm taking the pic, and other situations like that. I'm not a very good photographer also.

The image quality on my cellphone cam might not be as good, but now I have almost 100% of good pics because of that feature...
Oh, and yeah, physical button. They made it in a way the camera is almost like another device...

Bokusatsu_Tenshi

NIce special effects. My three thousand dollar camera can't even do that.

iaintgoingthere

@unspellable:

I agree with you. Looking at all the pictures I feel like I was there in the pit with everyone, and feel the energy coming from the band. They seem artistic

FutureBear

I'm the kind of person that hardly uses the camera function of my phone, or a camera at all. I would rather enjoy the moment while it is happening instead of worrying about showing others that i was there and if i was getting good enough pictures. I like cameras more for the purpose of art and less about the purpose of bragging.

FutureBear

@AqueousBeef: I had the W800 (same module) fantastic isn't it? Best camera I've ever seen on a phone, no quality running algorithms applied afterwards too.
Brigning it out of retirement in August for a Festival.

Itsuru

I totally hear you Jesus. I can't believe Apple used such a sh!t-ridden sensor in their phone. It's true that many of Apple's competitors aren't exactly forging ahead in this arena (particularly in the areas you mentioned - speed being the big one) but I think we can all agree the iPhone's barely status quo camera is a major let-down compared to the rest of its features and advancements. Come on Steve, what gives?

andrewkfromaz

@Jesus Diaz: My SD1000 Digital Elph is pretty good in low light too. The stop motion is trippy as hell!

But really, for me a cell phone's camera is an unnecessary luxury. It's nice and all, but how often does one reallly require a camera on a phone?

That said, the W810i I bought has a kickass camera, though it's 2MP like the iPhone's.

Kaiser-Machead's Chips Ahoy!

Not really a Boss fan, but I'd see a show. I'm amazed at the level of enthusiasm he maintains show after show after show, since the friggin 1970s. Not many acts can boast his touring schedule.

mcdj

@Dudemeister on the Run: Thanks for the tip, havent seen this one yet.

snakepliskin

Hate me if you want, but I like Bruce less than the idea of having the iPhone as my camera for something that cost me 1 1/2 days of waiting.

I actually found the photos interesting - like they communicate something organic and dynamic; like they actually create a world of their own.

To summarize: I find the iPhone pictures better than Bruce's music.

unspellable

I've taken amazing pictures with the iPhone's camera. Those look more like there was steam/sweat on the lens and very shaky hands. You can't rock out to "Born in the USA" and take a picture at the same time, then expect it to turn out a decent shot.

diesel828

You guys crack me up. "Wah wah wah what did you expect blah blah blah." The point is, if cell phone manufacturers would put less emphasis on tricksy features and eight zillion megapixels, and focus on improving the quality of a simple picture, you'd be able to whip out your phone and take a decent shot no matter what the conditions. Fancy features are for big, fancy cameras. Give us the ability to click on the fly and save these moments that sneak up on us unexpectedly, when your DSLR is at home in the closet and you're out and about with nothing more than your cell phone in your pocket.

I've always heard that The Boss is a force of Nature in concert, no matter what you think of his albums. Perhaps I too will get to go to one of his concerts one day.

FredicvsMaximvs

And then I rolled a five and a two...

Aleki

I should clarify that "none of them" meant none of the cell phones I've experienced. I'm quite happy with the Pentax. :)

I had the same reaction as Jesus did when I took my old Panasonic DMC-LZ2 to indoor rock shows at night. The limitations of any camera are incredibly irritating when they pile up on you. Cut him a little slack. There's always room for improving technology.

Drizzten

Not bad at all. I brought my TILT last week to one and the came out a lot worse then that... you got lucky man, they look awesome... we love ya man

mrsalty

So does anyone else come on here, read the first couple sentences of posts like these, attempt to scroll to the bottom but then slowly and angrily come to the realization that there is in fact no news here, but instead, the equivalent of three pages of mindless blather about a concert none of us were there for nor care about, vow never to return to Gizmodo again, but then break your vow and refresh your Gizmodo RSS feed 15 minutes later? Maybe it's just me.

The_Gas_Man

Bruce Springsteen and greatest musician alive do not go together.

Brandnew70x7

Don't dazzle them with higher numbers. Give us all more quality, more light, and more speed.

There are times when I have three digital cameras on me: a Pentax K100D, a Fuji F30, and a Nokia N75. I'd really like to be able to simplify that load and have my cell take on the duty of general photographic instrument, but it can't. None of them can - at least by my standards - because of the problems you mentioned.

Fast-aperture optics, cleaner high-tech sensors that go no further than 3 megapixels, and ergonomics that actually make sense are just the starting point.

Drizzten

I like his earlier stuff.

Any 'Jersey kid that spent any time at all at the shore can draw a connection to those songs.

It looks like you had a great time, Jesus! That's great!

strider_mt2k

Buy a camera. It's a PHONE. The camera is a bonus and is really on there mainly so you can take pics to associate with your contacts. I don't expect Opera on my Wii to be a full-featured web browser, and neither should anyone expect the camera on their phone to be good at taking action shots of a rock concert.

Stop trying to make news by bashing a popular keyword item.

davehuston

stupid preview is broke

jkr2

ok, first the sarcastic remark.
Jesus this is such an apple fan boy article.
Now all joking aside, the tech just isn't viable yet for any phone. Perhaps one day. Also, to say that the iPhone is the most advanced piece of hardware ever developed would upset a lot of engineers, yes the iPhone has a great asthetic, and is snappy, and uses the latest commercially available components, but lets not get to far out there, it's a $200 electronic device. Oh, and I have your optical zoom right here
[image][www.cucirca.com]]

jkr2

@DMcGrew: It is a cell phone camera but before, the cell phone was just a cell phone and Apple changed what we considered in a cell phone. It became a web browser, an MP3 player and a PDA all in one and done very well with the exception of the camera. Why concede with the camera?

@Jesus Diaz: I saw the Boss when I was 10. It was a "birthday" gift from my parents. I had no idea who Springsteen was and when I discovered my mothers complete Bruce Springsteen vinyl collection, I realized who the "gift" was for. Memorable experience though and would see him again. New album, not so hot. Devils Dust and Born in the USA are my favs.

thetickler

oh get over it, he just wanted a reason to post his springsteen pics online. I mean really, its well known that the iphone camera is nice but not perfect (no flash low resolution), it takes decent cellphone quality pics.

2playedout

I think Jesus is entitled if not required to give us his take on the tech as it's being used by him for better or for worse.

-or upgrades do you part, or some shit.

Don't dis him if he had a bad experience.

strider_mt2k

This is the most pointless rant ever. If you wanted pictures that were remotely decent and not just to view on a computer you would have known better than to rely on a cell phone camera.

OtherAdam

@SuperCollider: the fact that you cannot see what makes it relevant tells me that you come to this site to read about new releases of versions and hardware announcements. Giz stopped doing that long time ago. it evolved into a group of people and their take on things, sometimes those opinions are well written and other times poorly structured due the passion and excitement held by writer. that is in MHO what makes this site interesting. It's up to us if we want to find them cool or lame.

engadget have more exclusive take on coverage of hardware and version upgrades, I go there all the time and now I dont feel I am cheating on my favorite gadget site.

to the post: we tend to forget that when we want to pack 4 independent devices in one, there is going to be a sacrifice: quality. I am very pleased with my phone crappy camera because I want a crappy camera that fits in my pocket and not carry a bag with a good one.

the good thing is it was fun when you needed the most and boss style fun.

dysthymia

Bruce Springsteen rocks!!!! nice pictures Jesus!!! an amazing "concierto de rock"

iscangel

Whaa! I have an iPhone. Whine! I have tickets to a concernt in front row. Snivel! My built in camera in my phone took bad pictures. Boo hoo! Why me?! Pity me! Sniffle!

Please, get a life and get over yourself. No one empathizes with you.

usa1

@dead_red_eyes: I expected a physical, dedicated button. I always expected that, but I really missed it then. That's the biggest deal breaker. The virtual button is extremely bad for any real situation.

I also expected them to make the camera better (faster, more sensitive) in the iPhone 3G. They haven't.

And to the rest: Again, I didn't bring a camera because I can't get a frikkin DSLR in a concert.

The point is that cellphone cameras should be better, not bigger res or with more zoom. But be ready to take a decent photo in any situation.

The point is that a cellphone camera is there to take photos of the unexpected. This concert was the best I've ever experienced, but all those moments were unexpected.

Jesus Diaz

My 3-year-old can take much better picture than you, with DSLR.

derek168

Hmmm...why wouldn't you bring your real camera to the concert? it's one thing to do an object review of the iPhones camera...it's another thing to give it an inflammatory title. come on giz.

bobvilla

Hello.......

ITS A CELL PHONE CAMERA

They all blow ass.

DMcGrew

WHAT DO YOU EXPECT GIZMODO?

You need a SLR camera to get any decent shots like you're expecting. If it helps you guys, my A410 Canon brick doesn't take that great of photos either.

evangelistc01

Clearly your phone hates Springsteen. Somehow you got the phone that was destined for me.

Meatlocker - still a man, despite his white iPhone fetish.

OK...understand... now... more pictures of Addy...

cdaiger

Wait you waited a night and a day and relied on the iPhone's camera? ...what were you expecting?

daftrok

Jesus, it's a cellphone camera ... what did you expect?! Haha.

dead_red_eyes

Are you kidding? There's no way the phone would be able to take decent photos with no flash, no ISO setting, while you're standing at a concert with low light and your hand is moving. That's the science of cameras. You have to be a complete moron to believe you and produce even half-decent photos.

Invest in a camera that has low grain photos @ ISO 1600 (mostly any DSLR). You'll then get pretty clear photos. Until then, don't be bitching that you're iPhone pictures are blurry.

arkisman

-sigh-

1. You CAN'T get cameras in a concert. Not when you are face to face with the security people.
2. You CAN use your phone.
3. I didn't know it wasn't going to be the concert of a lifetime UNTIL it happened.
4. RTFA.

I love when on saturday every anti-iPhone hater called me an Apple fanboy and today every Apple fanboy is calling me an iPhone hater. Really shows the importance of some of the opinions here.

Jesus Diaz

@Mark 2000:

That's not true. You're out of your mind. DSLRs are down to $499 now. You can buy a super-zoom camera that can handle where he was. For $1000 you'd be buying a professional DSLR which isn't needed to get good pictures. A Sony Alpha200, or Nikon D40, Canon Rebel XLS would all handle it just fine. And all of them are $499.

Dudemeister on the Run

@SuperCollider: Are you kidding? Jesus made a critical comment about the iPhone; this is historic!

Seriously, though, you'd think Apple would have been a little pickier about what sensor they used for the iPhone since its photo-viewing capabilities are so great and taking pictures is fun. Even my mom's little Samsung phone takes better photos. I'm not sure, but I think the iPhone uses a sensor developed by Micron, who isn't the first name that comes to mind when thinking about quality sensors. Probably was a cost-cutting decision.

coketown

@gamecrazychris: Not really. I've taken shots moving with a Digital Elph and I can get good framed shots and clear quality.

First, because I have a button to press. Second, because it gets more light and is a lot faster, even while not being a DSLR.

Jesus Diaz

@snakepliskin: A great site to review that reviews camera's from A to Z is

[www.dpreview.com]

It's where I go to look up the quality of a camera and its pictures.

Dudemeister on the Run

You went to the most important concert of your life and you depended on a cell phone camera? Sounds like its your fault for not bringing a real one. Plus, what's said earlier is true. Without flash most cameras under $1000 will blur your pics the same way in evening light.

Mark 2000

As a self-proclaimed ihater, you're being totally ridiculous. It's a freakin' camera in a cell phone, it's not meant for that sort of thing. In fact, I think those pics you took were damn good. I can only imagine how my RAZR would have handled under the same conditions (hint, not half as good).

I'm all for complaining about iproducts, but this is pretty weak.

unibrow4o9

If you're relying on a freaking cellphone camera to take pictures of a lifetime, you're a dope. Period.

You're actually SURPRISED that the iPhone took crappy photos in a low-light situation? Guess what, if you had taken a Samsung or a Blackberry or a Nokia that night, you would've experienced the same thing.

By the way, this isn't gadget news by a long shot, it's a baseless rant.

Propofol

I love my Sony-Ericsson W810 just because it has a great little camera. 2 MP, autofocus, macro, decent shutterspeed, and good image quality. People don't believe it when I tell them that all my pics are from a camera phone

AqueousBeef

Its not anyone's fault, you can't stand still for a second at a concert so the blurry photos would have happened on most cameras anyway.

gamecrazychris

Looks like a great concert (but Springsteen concerts always are). At least they let you bring cameras to concerts in Madrid-some venues here in the US don't allow them.

dogcow

I totally get what you mean. If only the camera had a better sensor you'd be able to see the real hottness of the chick.

VirreVojj

I remember when i was looking for a new digital camera, i went all over the internet looking at reviews trying to find a site that talked about picture quality. I could not find a single one, they all talked about this cameras features or lack of features but no one even considered talking about how good the pictures looked.

snakepliskin

Holy shit, that did look like a fun concert, everyone is blurry as hell.

cipotefello

That was an excellent post.

dlomax

How is this gadget news?

/buzzkill

SuperCollider

You probably should have brought a camera if this even was so important to you, everyone and their mother knows what a shit camera the iPhone has in low light.

BenjiClayton

i went and saw alkaline trio last night.. it was my brother's first rock show, so i tried to capture some of the experience on my iphone 3g for him. FAIL.

i love my iphone.. but the camera sucks. all of the pictures came out so blurry you couldn't really tell who the band members were. the iphone camera has 4x the resolution of my old razr v3 camera, yet the blur made the pictures look just as bad. you'd think a company that prides themselves on digital media would incorporate a better camera.. especially on the new model.

burrito

I hear you, I am mad as heck about the iPhone too.
Not only the camera, I believe Apple should really use a studio grade microphone, so I can use the iphone for some professional vocal record. The phone battery should also be so powerful to crank up enough to jump start my car when the car battery went dead. The backlit should be bright enough to power a solar panel that in turn powerful my whole house during winter.
Cupertino, I am so disappointed!

pipper

I don't see the problem, *cough-shutter speed-cough*
I think these pics are great! *cough-iPhone camera blows goats-cough*
Great post, Jesus *cough-you're that retarded-cough*

Screen Name

For the record, U2 fans are allowed and encouraged to bring cameras to shows. The artist sets the policy, not the venue. And U2 has told venues to allow cameras in since 2001.

And I agree with everyone else that complaining about the iPhone's camera functionality and picture quality because you didn't get amazing concert photos is silly. You can spend $1,000 and not have enough camera to get consistently great concert photos.

pleeker

I'm really blown away by the some the comments here, with half of those ragging on Jesus seemingly not able to read the damn article in its entirety. The point is, the iPhone camera sucks, and other manufacturers certainly have done better in this area. No, its not going to remotely resemble a D3, much less a D40, but it certainly can be better than what it is, and it is one of the reasons I'm having doubts about picking one up, amongst other reasons such as video capture, etc...

Great post Jesus.

Skorpius

Solution, put the iphone on ebay, sell it, save up some more cash, and buy a Nokia N95 8gb on ebay for about 400+ dollars

Digitallysick

If you want to take those low light pictures with any camera you need: more light comming trough lens (bigger lens) or more time exposed. With the size of the iphone lens they need to extend exposure time ( and boost light with an higher iso). So motion blur start to appear. Don't blame the iphone because I think it's a very fair result considering the limitation.

untime

wow, those photos look like something my motorola camera phone (from 5 years ago) might have shot...horrible!

theorieofself

Jesus - Low light, slow shutter speed, blurry photos.

Where's the surprise here?

Of course your $199 iPhone is going to out-gun the $4000 Canon 1D and a $1200 20-200 F2.8 L lens that the press guy used - NOT!

Get a grip - it's embarrassing - you're supposed to know about technology...

MINI Driver

@Jesus Diaz: You know, I agree Jesus. All this Apple Hate/love is bullshit. Complete bullshit. It's a piece of hardware and software and it's not like your anonymous opinion on the internet is going to chip away at it.

Let's get down to the real issues here:

Forget Mick Jagger.

Seriously? I mean, seriously? You've either made an enemy of me, or a fool of yourself. It's your choice Jesus. And only one of them ends with a gentlemanly duel.

MIKEAWESOME

You know what drives me crazy? People (especially parents) who capture historic memories on a cell phone. Buy a freaking point and shoot for crying out loud.

The Brain

@Jesus Diaz: As much as you may not want to leave the iphone at home, I have a Nokia N82 and it takes amazing photos and videos with it's 5 megapixel camera. I know some find the keypad cramped but it's the best for filming life as it happens!

antitrust311

I can feel with Jesus. I went to both consert in Gothenburg (terrific venues) eventhough I hadn't as good position as Jesus. However, this was before June 11:th so I got my SE 880W instead of my iPhone and I agree completely with the missing physical button.

For all of you (americans?) proclaiming "it is a freaking cellphone) I can just say that there are a lot of cell phones with good camera capabilities but the lack of a physical release button is a major problem for the iPhone camera capablites since you must look at the screen to press the button.

AFAIK: all SE phones have a dedicated release button on the side of the phone. All cameras have the release button on the top of the camera for good reasons.

Just try to take a self portrait with the iPhone, it isn't that easy...

BlackSmp

and who's the tard who expects a camera on his cell phone to act as good as a decent DSLR camera?

Oh yeah - you.

This is about a lame a complaint as those who complain that the iPod's don't have a radio on it - or come with voice recording.

The things a phone you idiot. The fact that it's a phone and a fully featured iPod should be enough. But no, got to gripe about the camera.

I can't stand people like you.

I suppose you bitch and moan about the fact that some top of the line game won't work on your P.O.S., bargain basement, bought on the day after Thanksgiving, home computer too.

Be glad that you were able to get any photos you tard.

tidybowl

Ok, first off, I'm not a camera guy. Maybe it's because I've never owned one, maybe it's because my parents weren't camera guys (no kid photos, honestly), or maybe it's because I find the idea of a picture actually capturing the moment to be laughable.

That said, I have used cameras, and I am an iphone user, and the #1 reason why the iphone fails as a camera is NOT the camera piece itself.

To take a picture on a normal camera I just open shutter and press a button. Takes all of 2 seconds. To take a picture on the iphone, I first have to wake it up, which involves pressing either the wake or home button and then sliding my finger across the bottom. I probably have an application open, so I have to press the home button to get to the home screen. There's only a 1 in 3 chance that the home screen I navigate to has the camera app in it (I'm not a camera person, so it wouldn't be in my dock), so I have between 0 and 2 swipes to get to the right screen. Now I tap on the camera button, wait 2-3 seconds for the app to load, and look up to see that the shot is gone.

This is waaaay too many steps to be feasibly used as a "moment capturing" device. The iphone could have SLR quality shots, and it would still be a horrible camera because it spectacularly fails the 'spur of the moment' test.

So stop complaining about the iphone camera. You've lost. No matter what, for one reason or another, the iphone camera will never be good.

labrats5

@burrito:

hooray; somebody who read the article and has left their house sometime in the last 15 years to see a show that didn't involve Pizza Hut and DIY amaetuer reenactments of the Empire Strikes Back.

THANK YOU. Cell phone cameras need to be geared towards every day use; aka, "I DONT HAVE A DSLR CAMERA ON ME, THATS WHY I WISH MY CELL CAMERA WAS BETTER."

iGotMyxomatosis

@The_Gas_Man: Newsflash jerk! Some of us who read Gizmodo have lives outside of reading Gadget news and I for one welcome stories such as this. It is nice to see that the Gizmodo staff isn't trapped in an office/apartment all day writing Gadget news, to see that they have other things in life that they enjoy besides shiny new electronics!

antitrust311

Ok yes, we all hate the low res, fixed focus, crappy cam on our iPhones for taking pretty pictures, BUT: consider the Lomo. This funky camera from East Germany has inspired an entire movement of errrr... artistic pictures, with effects that you would be hard pressed to re-create in Photoshop even if you didn't suck at it. Someday these grainy, low contrast, low res, blurry shots will be considered retro and cool, and all the hipsters will be scanning eBay for the first and second gen iPhones, you know, before they came out with the 500MP holographic display in the 3rd gen. Not to mention, concerts are pretty hard to shoot well even with a nice camera...

kerowhack

oh my god you are all a bunch of bitchers; about the article I mean.

Have any of you ever left your friggen house and and stopped masturbating over your keyboards to go to a concert???? I have had cameras taken away from me at the House of Blues, the Greek Theatre, etc etc etc.RTFA RTFA RTFA RTFA

I have a bunch of shitty camera pictures taken with the following: Sony T610, Tmobile: SDA, MDA, Dash, Mororola RAZR etc etc

IT WOULD BE COOL IF CELL PHONE CAMERAS COULD DO ENOUGH SO THAT IF RODNEY KING WAS BEING BEATEN IN FRONT OF ME, I COULD TAKE A PICTURE AND PEOPLE WOULD KNOW WHO IT WAS...

I have been row 4 for the Rolling Stones: are you willing to risk a $400 ticket over a friggen decent camera shot? No, I go for the music, and with any luck I might have a cell shot to show for it where you can actually tell what friggen band is playing. Have any of you useless whiners ever seen a ticketmaster ticket for anything other than comic con??????

For nearly every venue I have ever been to, (every venue that holds more than 600 people in southern california) they dont allow cameras. RTFA RTFA RTFA
The Hollywood Bowl is a notable exception: I saw a Jet, Kasabian, Oasis triple bill and got some amazing shots BECAUSE THEY ALLOW CAMERAS IN THE VENUE.

Have any of you ever been patted down by somebody other than your craigslist hookers's pimp? k... If you have drugs on you, you arent risking it for a DSLR. If you have PIT TICKETS, you aren't risking that for a DSLR... I am going to All Points West fest next weekend, and they allow cameras without detachable lens.. I will get some great pictures and Readiohead will melt my face..

In september, I am going to seattle to the WaMU theater for Oasis's first US gig since the 2005. THEY DONT ALLOW CAMERAS IN THAT VENUE, AND I REALLY WISH I COULD WHIP OUT MY PHONE FROM THE PIT, AND BE ABLE TO TELL WHO I AM TAKING A PICTURE OF FROM 10 FEET AWAY. That was the point of this post, and why I agree with the post.

RTFA RTFA RTFA

iGotMyxomatosis

Lots hate in this comments section there is.

Dudemeister on the Run

@Jesus Diaz: GAHH!! i agree people can be such boneheads some times!

correct me if im wrong, but Jesus is't an iPhone hater, or iPhone fanboy, hes an iPhone user... he has his qualms with the design, but still loves the device... i cant see why people dont understand this... Jesus is a journalist, and does his job fucking good!! his job is to give his insight on these things.

Charging_Mooses

@iGotMyxomatosis:

from last night's alkaline trio show i mentioned, this was the best pic of about ten.. and even then, it's pretty horrible:

[i34.tinypic.com]

apple needs to forge an alliance with canon or nikon.. i normally shoot with a 40d and and canon's classic 50mm f/1.4 lens.. so a horrible phone camera like the iphone's is painful.

burrito

oh COME ON. You can't expect a simple CAMERA PHONE with a lens one centimeter in diameter to be as good as let's say...something that was made specifically in mind to be a camera

WolfDemon

the iPhone gives you +10 cool points.

Bruce Springstein gives you +10 lame points.

ugh tough one.

CharitableNinja

@Propofol: i disagree... it was an article based on his personal experiences, that gave him insight on the quality of a gadget, how it fell short of his expectations, and how to improve and/or remedy the problem, this is the best type of gadget news. not product releases or unboxings, but emotions and thoughts from a real human being.

Charging_Mooses

@BenjiClayton:
my thoughts exactly

dee_ess_dee_1

Someone should start making fake iPhone covers and put a non-protruding lense digital camera inside it.

Like one of these:
[www.nikonusa.com]

MichaelScrip

So we get to add a new phrase to the tome of phrases.

Right next to: Never bring a knife to a gun fight.
We will add: Never bring a iPhone camera to a Springsteen concert.

Also I can see it now. One of the security guys sees you and turns to another and says: hey, is that guy taking pictures?
The other security guy looks and replies: yeah, but it's an iPhone. They won't come out. Don't worry about it.

CaptCaveman

@BlackSmp:
Yes, I have a SE too (BTW I noticed for some reason most of the people posting about good camera-phone experiences are posting about SEs), it's a k510, so it's just 2mp, but the active lense cover and dedicated camera button make it so much easier to take pictures on the fly (2 reasons, instant access to camera app & natural position of the button makes it easier to hold phone steady taking the picture).
I don't feel a decent camera and the iphone is necessarily mutually exclusive. To all the people saying, "you should have brought a camera"; I want to point out that pretty much the only purpose of the camera on a camera phone is to take photos on the spot when you DON'T have a camera.

stopcrazypp

@tommo: they both have the same garbage camera.

Gujustud

@CaptCaveman: LMAO Good call. No wonder the security didn't bother him.

I'm so glad I only read the first paragraph, and ignored the rest. I can't believe it took you that long to write out that the iphone camera sucks. You OBVIOUSLY must of known this when you purchased it, but then again you DID purchase it, so you probably didn't think twice about it, since the iphone is the holy of all phones. PLEASE.

"I know most cellphone cameras are exactly the same."

Errr I think not my friend. My SonyE K850i 5mp autofocus with xenon flash will hands down beat the iphone's camera down twice, and once again.

In the end you should of shoved that phone back in your pocket and actually enjoyed the concert.

Gujustud

@Jesus Diaz:
Wow yeah, those pictures are garbage. Most photos look like something you took with a $20 digital camera. It's a shame the iPhone camera is so terrible. Is this the 3G one?

tommo

I agree about the shutter release button, but some of these photos are actually pretty decent. I've taken show photos in photopits with a dSLR and a fast lens and under poor lighting, good pictures of moving subject are really tricky, and even moreso without flash.

Most concert photos are awful. Why ruin a great show by spending it taking 50 iPhone pics and being frustrated with image quality?

science vs romance

Come on. Like hundreds (almost) of people have said already: It's a CELL PHONE camera.

I test mobile phones for a living, and while most of them do well in well-lit situations, most will suffer once the light gets worse.

This isn't an iPhone issue, it's your regular "there are so many things cramped into a cell phone days that the camera can't possibly rival a dedicated point and shoot or DSLR2" issue.

digidandy

It's a completely relevant point, people are just freaking out because he used the word iPhone. I work right in Times Square and I can't tell you how many people I see everyday who use a cell phone camera. No DSLR, no point and shoot and certainly no throw away- although all of these in use regularly, some folks really use a cell phone as their primary. Could you imagine if all your baby pictures were taken on a cellphone camera? I know a few friends who do that because it's just simpler to carry one item in your pocket for those unexpected moments. This is why there should be better camera's on higher end cellphones.

And yes the iPhone is a high end cellphone.

beardedkid

Yeah, it's a cellphone camera Jesus, it's gonna take somewhat crappy pics in a situation like that. Sorry, I know you expect more from the you-phone, but while the iphone is impressive, perfect it is not.

RobotVampire

I hate to repeat whats already been said, but these are great photos for a cellphone.

There is so much other tech under the hood, the cellphone components have only 11mmx3mmx7.7mm of space(is this right?- i think this is from tear down of original iPhone), mostly lens and the rest is handled by the graphics chip and with the software.

I suspect that there will be improvements in time but only as miniaturization of components and more camera-specialized integrated processors come onto the market. These simply don't exist today but peoples demands for this device to have a better camera will lead to Apple finding a component manufacturer who will step up to the plate.

Until then, stand very still, face the light source and say cheese.

barkolounger

n95 FTW

thomusvoo

I don't give a crap about the iPhone or it's camera, but I am sick with envy for your being at that concert; and right at the front, too!

Springsteen's music and lyrics have meant so much to me in my youth. You definitely don't have to have grown up in New Jersey to connect with that (I am from Denmark). A Springsteen concert (with the E-Street Band, of course) is one long, physically exhausting but spiritually reviving celebration of life and music. You need to experience it to appreciate it.

The Twist and Shout/La Bamba medley is actually an old favorite of his. I remember the Copenhagen concert in 1988 (I was 15), where he played 2.5 hours of 'regular' concert and then went into 1.5 hours of extras. Near the very end (I was bone tired, couldn't feel my hands from clapping and my calves were starting to cramp up), he takes off his watch and holds it out to the crowd, yelling "There's no time for more!". We, the crowd, obviously didn't care much about that, and then Bruce, with a grin and a comment to the effect of "Fuck it", threw the watch out into the crowd and went into the Twist/La Bamaba medley as a coup de grace.

His latest tour has gotten amazing reviews. It's just so damn hard to get tickets for that single 30-40.000 people concert in Copenhagen...

Great article, despite the irrelevant mentioning of the iPhone :)

U_eriksen

I can't believe you resorted to being "that guy" at the concert holding his phone up in there air trying to take blurry photos at a concert. Everyone knows this is true yet people do it all the time. It's freakin' ridiculous. You might as well have held your thumb over the lens of a phone [say, one that can take videos] and posted it on youtube for no one to see.

madog

okay i, like many others, see the absurdity in this post.

but what really gets me is if you look at the pictures, there's no one else trying to take snapshots with their phone. they're all too busy having the time of their lives.

you blew it bud. put the damned iPhone away in your pocket and rock the f**# out like everyone else. This was not an opportunity to commemorate the moment with a 640 pixel photo, its an opportunity to rock the F*** OUT! and you blew it.

way to go.

djadamjay

@djadamjay: you blew it bud. put the damned iPhone away in your pocket and rock the f**# out like everyone else. " and with the wisest words i've heard all day i'll go to bed.

Jesus, tienes buena base de admniradores, no la pierdas.
es tiempo de dejar los comentarios personales en casa.

dysthymia

Maybe you should have gone with one of these instead of an iPhone eh?

[dailymarauder.files.wordpress.com]

The Real 31

@djadamjay: Ah, the simplicity of people's mind. As in a 3 hour concert there wasn't time to take a few pictures and keep rocking for 2.99 hours. Don't be such a douche.

Everyone and their dog was taking photos again and again. Not when he was going towards them, when he let you touch the guitar or shook his hand.

Jesus Diaz

@MIKEAWESOME: Jagger is a genius and I have seen him live many times. I think he's a better musician than Springsteen too and the Stones are perfect. But after seeing Springsteen live, right now, he's way ahead than Jagger. Back in the 70s, they would have matched each other, though.

Jesus Diaz

just think about why they allow cellphone pictures and no normal cameras... because the pictures are bad. if the cellphone pictures would be any better they wont allow it. they dont want you to take good pictures, thats the reason they dont allow dslrs.

ddink

Quote :"like every other concert, cameras and camcorders are absolutely prohibited."

Eh ...You must be shitting me !!

I just went to Foo Fighters in Wembley, and while video recording was not allowed, everyone there had a REAL camera..

Jesus...slow news day eh ?

OH IPHONE IPHONE IPHONE ?? I LUUUUUUURVE YOU !!

Makes me Queesy

stecarey

Wait for it people
:breathes in deep:
Bet you wish you brought a BlackBerry huh?

Delvar15

Sony Ericson phones make great pictures. i mean look at the k800i with its 3.2 megapixel cam and real flash!

I know its not close to a DSLR but its good enough for decent snap shots!

Townie

@Gujustud: sorry, I just read what you said, and I completely agree. But you said it better.

Waka in Japan

all you guys who think a cell phone camera can't be good, don't know what you're talking about. The iPhone camera sucks, and it sucks compared to other cellphone cameras, cellphones that cost more than $15 that is.

On a related note, I keep reading bad things about the iPhone, yet everyone thinks it's better than god.

Waka in Japan

The quality of my iPhone pictures doesn't really bother me all that much, but I would very much prefer a physical button.

Tyranicus

What's with Gizmodo's writing lately? Amazing ;-)

Jack Loftus

Scrolling down to next article...

AlphaPepper

Would be nice if they did away with the tiny camera button and MADE THE ENTIRE SCREEN AS A CAPTURE BUTTON. That way, you're not trying to fiddle with the damn thing to take the picture.

beyondthetech

@Dudemeister on the Run: Yea, excellent site. And also, you'll always have the memories...you did a good job retelling/describing the concert in the post...I didn't even need to look at the pictures. *too bad, when I did...yea, they sucked.

dandaman247

THIS is why I didn't buy an iPhone. After upgrading from a Motorola V360 to a Sony Ericsson K790a, the 3.2MP autofocus w/Zenon flash has made this phone my primary camera for photos of my baby girl. I couldn't justify "downgrading" to an iPhone because the camera was so bad.

I'm waiting for iPhone v3.0 -- when Steve Jobs wakes up and realises he sells iLife for all your video and photo needs, but doesn't have a piece of hardware to capitalize on the software.

I can foresee iPhone v3.0 having a 5MP camera and maybe even high def 720p video. If the damned thing is twice the thickness, I'll still buy it. I fear slimness was the key reason why the crappy camera of v1.0 is in the 3G.

mhains

hahaha...Bono suggested as the greatest rock musician, oh god, i mean jesus, that's a good one, wow...

and by the way for those people who think this is a "low light" situation, have you ever seen how many high powered lights they have pointed at a stage for a concert that big? A LOT, there is plenty of light.

MilktruckHeist

any sony shitphone has a better camera than that, not to mention those with autofocus which have same quality as your $300 point and shoot.

fuck the iphone

adilator

mmm Bruce..... /drool

UrIt

I can certify what Jesus says. I was that night at the concert too, I´m not a fan of Springsteen, but seeing that man running, jumping, playing and singing for three hours was absolutely amazing.

But... when he started singing "Twist and shout", and I remembered those incredible Beatles I feel like a desecrater. That was the only black point of the night.

literato

@Jesus Diaz: obviously you have never been to a Radiohead concert.

But at least the iPhone is better than my old phone (razor), it can at least handle bright lights.

But regardless I hate going to concerts now a days and thats all you see as your watching the show is the stupid flash of a camera. I went to 'The Rogers Picnic' in Toronto a couple weeks ago, and half the people there cared more about taking picture's than they actually did about being at the concert. I would rather have the concert in mental memory than getting to upload pictures on to facebook and being like "I saw them in concert"... who cares.

Jamaces

Wow. No wonder why so many educators are worried about the reading abilities of people in the near future; after seeing all the ridiculous comments in here, you could forgive someone for thinking that people have completely lost the ability to read more than 200 words.

With that said, Jesus, I'm in total agreement with you and thank you for writing this post. As an iPhone user, I really wish the device had a better camera and was disappointed to hear/see that the 3G is no different. These are exactly the kind of moments I feel cell-cams should be able to capture. You shouldn't need a DSLR to capture the kind of shots you were taking. And I'll be damned if I'm lugging one of those things around all the time. There are many cellies out there that can take better shots than the iPhone, but I ain't about to downgrade for a feature I consider secondary to everything else on the phone.

Wouldn't it be possible for the camera to use the volume buttons to snap shots? A mere software update is all that's needed.

djkibblesnbits

Point & Shoot cameras are the way to go at concerts. In NYC, most non-arena venues just don't care if you take photos. The artists view pictures hosted on blogs for what they are - free publicity.

Always have a P&S camera.

OMG! Ponies!

@MilktruckHeist: True. There was plenty of light. If I have had my DSLR with 18mm lenses, the photos would have been clear. I'm not asking for DSLR performance, but bigger sensor, faster.

Jesus Diaz

@beyondthetech: At last, something constructive! Excellent idea.

Alternatively, make the volume buttons the camera button while in camera mode. Easy too.

Jesus Diaz

I like how everyone expects Jesus to go to a concert with full photo kit in tow.

@djkibblesnbits: I'm also surprised and disappointed by the mental retardation in the comments as well.

strider_mt2k

". . . when he sung a 10-minute version of Twist And Shout, mixed with-get this-La Bamba."

Just like Johnny Rivers did in-get this-1964 on his LP "At The Whisky A Go-Go.

LarrySlade

You should have taken Video, oh that's right the iPhone can't do video. Here's a clue: get a real phone not a fancy iPod. On the otherhand, it's very possible to get excellent cellphone pics. You have to know what your cellphone camera is capable of and how to properly take photos. Someone asked about reviews and how it takes photos. That's a silly question. It's all about the photographer. If the person knows things like ISO settings, framing, proper zooming, etc etc then the photo they take would be dramatically different than someone who had no clue what any of that stuff meant.

coolkiwilivin

It looks as though someone's ecosystem rocks!

You Cannot Untoast

For a cell phone camera they look fine.

Get over it.

photophile