New iPhone OS 3.0 Beta 5 findings have emerged, relating to the software's photography capabilities, YouTube streaming and MMS. According to at least two sources, iPhone OS 3.0 Beta takes better pictures with the same 2-megapixel camera found on the device, while additional changes have been found in the YouTube app's stream handling.

AppleInsider reports improvements with the newest beta version of Apple's iPhone 3.0 software, which allegedly produces “clearer, more detailed photos when running on the same iPhone 3G hardware as the latest public release of the software.” In the report, the folks at iPhones.ru are said to have run a series of tests 30 times over, comparing photos of the same objects or scenes taken on two separate iPhone OS versions – 2.2.1 and 3.0. The same device (and the same camera, implicitly) was used for the tests.

The Russian testers are cited as saying that, “In most cases, the iPhone running 3.0 produced photos with noticeably better quality and clarity than the iPhone running 2.2.1.” AppleInsider moves to provide a pair of comparison photos as examples of their findings. Those shots are on the left side of the article (click to enlarge).

The site also notes that Gizmodo has followed up with a brief test of its own, confirming the improvements, even in dark-lighting scenarios. AppleInsider concludes by saying that, if these findings are, indeed, Apple's attempts to improve the camera app, first-gen iPhone users will also be able to make better-quality pictures.

In a separate report over at Gizmodo, the people at winandmac are said to have found changes in the YouTube app's stream handling. According to the piece, YouTube.app now plays the high-res version (previously enabled only over Wi-Fi), instead of launching the default, low-res OTA version of a YouTube video, when connected via 3G. Furthermore, the tech-focused site informs, users are also reporting that the MMS stopgap hack is no longer possible. Additional bug fixes have reportedly been spotted as well.