Camera
The 5-megapixel camera in the Touch isn’t the same as the 8-megapixel one in the iPhone 5. It isn’t even the same as the one in the iPhone 4S, because that one’s 8 megapixels, too. It’s a megapixel match for the camera in the iPhone 4, but that’s not the real measure at all. It’s the same lens construction as the camera in the iPhone 5, and shares its 1080 video recording and image stabilization. It has a backlit sensor. The front-facing camera is HD, just like the iPhone 5's, taking 1.2-megapixel shots and recording 720p video.
So, it’s best to call the camera a hybrid as far as iPhone-type legacies go. What pictures can you expect? Compared with any Touch ever released before, this is a quantum leap forward. This is an excellent camera for an iPod Touch, and a great one even compared with iPhones and smartphones. This is, finally, an iPod that’s also a camera. Hence, perhaps, the wrist strap.
Just a reminder of how far things have changed in just two years: the last Touch only took 960x720-pixel camera snaps and had a 640x480-pixel front-facing camera. In terms of video recording, our CNET verdict was that we still preferred using a Flip. Now, there is no Flip. This a killer portable video recorder, too. So far, it seems to be taking impressive photos and video. More to come.