Washington: American tech giant Apple recently explained that high amplitude vibrations can damage its iPhone cameras’ gyroscopes.
As per The Verge, a new post on Apple’s Support forum explains that exposing iPhones to high-amplitude vibrations, “specifically those generated by high-power motorcycle engines” could degrade the devices’ camera system.
The company further recommended against mounting an iPhone on a motorbike, as the vibrations may be transmitted via the bike’s handlebars and chassis.
According to the technical explanation by Apple, if a user accidentally moves a camera while taking a picture, the resulting image can be blurry.
To prevent this, some iPhone models have optical image stabilization (OIS).1 OIS lets a user take sharp photos even if they accidentally move the camera. With OIS, a gyroscope senses that the camera moved. To reduce image motion, and the resulting blur, the lens moves according to the angle of the gyroscope.
Additionally, some iPhone models have closed-loop autofocus (AF).2 Closed-loop AF resists the effects of gravity and vibration to preserve sharp focus in stills, videos, and panoramas. “With closed-loop AF, on-board magnetic sensors measure gravity and vibration effects and determine the lens position so that the compensating motion can be set accurately,” as per Apple.
The statement from the company further states that the OIS and closed-loop AF systems in iPhone are designed for durability. However, as is the case with many consumer electronics that include systems like OIS, long-term direct exposure to high-amplitude vibrations within certain frequency ranges may degrade the performance of these systems and lead to reduced image quality for photos and videos.
Hence, the company recommended avoiding exposing the gadget to extended high-amplitude vibrations.
Additionally, in the new post, the company suggests using a vibration-dampening mount to lessen the risk to the phone and its camera system, if you’re planning to mount your iPhone to a scooter.
