Other 16 Pro -> Air or 17 base. What will my camera experience be like?

[johannnn]

I dont know anything about shutter speed or optics, I just got the 16 Pro because I love 120hz. So I'm extremely happy to see that the entire 17 lineup got 120hz.

99% of photos are of my 6 year old. 1x or 2x zoom. Regular photos or portrait, never any other option. Never any front-facing selfies.

I basically appreciate portrait for the cool background you get. And I sometimes use 2x zoom. And I appreciate getting good photos even when my kid is running around. And getting good photos even when we're indoors without much light.

How would my experience be with the Air or the 17 base? I watched the keynote.. But Apple just sells everything as "total game changer" or "An evolution in resolution" or "stunning, super-high-resolution shots". Like I dont know what to do with marketing words. And I know there is a "compare iPhone" page at apple.com, but I dont really know what to look for there either. For example I assume a new lens can be better than an older lens, even if the newer lens has less megapixels?

 

[huanbrother]

I have been using the 16 Plus and 16 Pro side by side for about 8 months. I could share something that Pro feels better than the regular model when it comes to cameras, by comparing their main sensors.

1. sensor size: the pro has a larger than regular sensor, so this would result in better low light performance (less grainy night shots, but hey deep fusion is already messing up things lol), and on the HDR display, the Pro's photos do look more textured than the regular.

2. processing pipeline (apple's way of neutering performance):the pro could handle longer exposures, one because of the sensor two because of the allowance of such in built-in algorithms. The regular phone just have an overall darker exposure than the pro.

3. The pro's main can alter between 24mm(1x) 28mm(1.2x) and 35mm(1.5x) making framing a more pleasant experience.

--- ok, the above are for the main sensor, but one more thing to consider ---

4. The telephoto lens decides can and can not. Yes, 99 out of 100 shots you don't need that, but when you need one, cropped image will not record the moment with satisfaction.

 

[johannnn]

I have been using the 16 Plus and 16 Pro

Thanks for the comparison.

They still touted the 17 base to have some improvements in today’s keynote. Can we expect the 17 camera to be close to the 16 Pro? It was unclear to me how big jump the 17 base got, if any

 

[huanbrother]

Thanks for the comparison.

They still touted the 17 base to have some improvements in today’s keynote. Can we expect the 17 camera to be close to the 16 Pro? It was unclear to me how big jump the 17 base got, if any

Pretty confident that it will remain the older, smaller sensor.
Apple's own words:

Sensor-shift optical image stabilization (Fusion Main)--- for the iPhone 17.

But from iPhone 14 Pro and onwards (Pro models): Second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization.

In Apple's terms, second gen sensor-shift means (hints) a larger sensor.

 

[JPack]

Agreed with huanbrother’s assessment.

The Air and 17 have the same size sensor, which is the same as iPhone 15/16. This means it’s smaller than 14/15/16 Pro. It means your photo quality will likely drop. Whether you notice it is another story.

https://www.dpreview.com/news/4849117269/apple-iphone-17-air-announced