The Apple iPhone 5S’ Touch ID fingerprint reader has been a topic of countless headlines and debates since its Sept. 10 introduction. But Apple is making clear that the new iSight camera on the back of the 5S is also worthy of the spotlight. Apple has announced with Burberry that the British fashion label’s Sept. 16 runway show in London will be filmed and photographed with the iPhone 5S.
Christopher Bailey, Burberry’s chief creative officer, suggested the two brands have core aims in common.
“We have a mutual passion for creating beautiful products and unlocking emotive experiences through technology, which has made it intensely exciting to explore the capabilities of iPhone 5S,” Bailey said in a Sept. 12 statement.
Burberry plans to shoot “high-quality photos and video for runway and beauty looks, product details and backstage moments,” the statement added, as part of a collaboration that is “reimagining how Burberry engages consumers, paving the way for significant changes in how they capture and share their content.”
Given Apple’s one-year wait between iPhone refreshes, its camera technology has inevitably fallen behind that of rivals. During its Sept. 10 event, Apple worked to make clear that it had made up the difference and then some.
The iPhone 5S features an iSight camera with an f/2.2. aperture and a sensor area that’s 15 percent larger than on the iPhone 5. “Bigger pixels make for a better picture,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of marketing, introducing the 5S in an auditorium on Apple’s Cupertino, Calif., campus.
It also has an 8-megapixel, five-element, Apple-designed lens and what Apple calls a True Tone flash, which reduces clashing color temperatures to make skin tones look more natural.
Schiller said iOS 7 is also involved, automatically setting the white balance and exposure levels. He called it “DSLR stuff,” referring to digital single-lens reflex cameras.
The 5S can also shoot high-res panoramas, contains burst mode—it’ll shoot 10 frames per second for as long as you hold your finger on the shutter—and can capture video in slow motion, grabbing 120 shots per second.
The easy money says to expect slow-motion shots of beautiful people making brooding expressions.
Schiller has said that the 5S “sets a new standard for smartphones.” It’s not alone, however, in sidling up to the fashion world.
Motorola used New York’s fashion week, which wrapped up Sept. 12, to suggest that one’s smartphone is the ultimate, personalized accessory. Its Moto X is the only smartphone that buyers can personalize in what Motorola says are thousands of ways, from color combinations to materials, wallpapers and personal greetings.
Motorola live-streamed several runway shows—including the young and edgy Titania Inglis—filled Twitter with its #MotoXMade hash sign (in collaboration with fashion site Milk Made) and hosted a “hella tight” dance party on closing night.
Burberry will live-stream its event Monday, Sept. 16, at 2:30 p.m. GMT+1 at www.burberry.com.