Breaking down Apple’s three new iPhone 12 camera systems

If you’re coming from an iPhone that currently features a single camera, or maybe a pair, you’ll find some serious upgrades here.

ONE CAMERA: IPHONE SE (2020) AND IPHONE XR

The iPhone SE turned heads earlier this year at a $399 price, and therefore the iPhone XR is now $499. Both have one 12-megapixel f/1.8 “wide” camera, though they’re almost an equivalent — the XR features a larger sensor, while the iPhone SE appears to be a smaller one similar to 2017’s iPhone 8. Still, each offers a six-element lens with optical image stabilization, 4K60 video, and a basic portrait mode.

TWO CAMERAS: IPHONE 12 AND IPHONE 12 MINI

The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini accompany two cameras each, but maybe even more importantly, that single main camera has changed. While it still offers 12 megapixels like prior phones, the lens now has 7 elements and a bigger f/1.6 aperture that lets 27 per cent more light hit that sensor compared to the previous.

You also get:

A second 12-megapixel f/2.4 ultrawide camera with a 120-degree field of view, a 5-element lens, and a 13mm-equivalent focal distance, which seems like an equivalent ultrawide we came the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro

Night mode, which you won’t find on the iPhone SE, are often used on both the ultrawide and front TrueDepth cameras here, meaning you’ll be ready to take night mode shots regardless of which iPhone 12 camera you’re using. 

A new night mode time-lapse feature

Apple’s Smart HDR 3 system, which can automatically adjust things like white balance and contrast in photos to form them look more natural, consistent with the corporate

The ability to shoot HDR video with Dolby Vision at 30 fps

THREE CAMERAS + LIDAR: IPHONE 12 PRO

Like the iPhone 11 Pro, the iPhone 12 Pro adds a 3rd telephoto camera to the package, and as far as we will tell, it’s an equivalent f/2.0, 52mm telephoto as last year except you’ll now also use it to require Deep Fusion photos. But perhaps most interestingly, the iPhone 12 Pro also features a LIDAR sensor, which could have an enormous benefit in low-light situations — Apple says the LIDAR sensor can do up to 6x faster autofocus in low light and allow you to take Night Mode portrait photos.

You also get:

The same main and ultrawide cameras found within the iPhone 12, and therefore the same new modes

2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom, because of that 52mm-equivalent zoom lens

HDR video with Dolby Vision, just like the iPhone 12, but at up to 60fps rather than being capped at 30

IPHONE 12 PRO MAX

The iPhone 12 Pro Max’s primary camera looks like it’ll be a notable upgrade over the most camera within the other iPhone 12 models — which camera was already an improvement over the SE and therefore the iPhone 11 lineup. The 12 Pro Max’s 12-megapixel f/1.6 aperture wide camera features a 47 per cent larger sensor, which Apple says translates to  87-per cent improvement in low-light photos. The main camera also has sensor-shift optical image stabilization, which suggests the camera’s sensor moves inside the camera to offset any movement. That, in theory, should bring more stable photos and videos.

Here’s what else you get:

A longer 2.5x optical zoom compared to the iPhone 12 Pro, because of an extended 65mm-equivalent focal distance lens, but with a slower f/2.2 aperture

The same ultrawide camera because the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro

The same LIDAR sensor found on the iPhone 12 Pro

12x digital zoom — above the iPhone 12 Pro

All an equivalent software features because the iPhone 12 Pro, including Dolby Vision HDR at 60fps

Both iPhone 12 Pro models also will get another software feature at some point later this year: support for Apple’s ProRAW format, which mixes Apple’s computational photography with RAW. Until that’s available, though, it’s hard to know exactly how it could improve your photos or how much control it will give you while editing them.

Data source: theverge