I use teams, and I'd pay a lot of extra to be able to tell "sorry, I don't have a front camera".
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All Four iPhone 17 Models Rumored to Feature Upgraded 24-Megapixel Front Camera and More
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I haven't used the front camera on my 16 Pro yet, and I've had it since October.
I'd pay for that, too! Unfortunately Teams meetings happen on my work-issued Dell laptop, and everyone knows it has a camera.
Do people realize that a 24 MP camera held ~ 12" from your face is basically giving you a retinal scan. I've seen biometric devices ID people at further distance in demos -- the vendors just usually disable that for implementation because people find it creepy if they are ID'd without having to deliberately approach the device.
720p and at most 1080p is all you need for typical FaceTime/etc use cases. Complaints about the quality of such videos are usually due to low light handling and compression artifacts.
Color me unimpressed. As some have said, whatever Apple applies to a photo after being taken is just crap. It's gotten worse over the years. I also just don't see a need for a high MP front facing camera. Except for selfies? Not something I do often.
TIL no one on macrumors takes a selfie or a group photo of people with the front facing camera that's much easier than handing your phone to someone who's going to hold it low and too far away making everyone look fat.
I use the front camera when I don’t have a mirror handy and want to make sure there’s no pirates on the hairship.
No disrespect, but perhaps just learn how to take photos with an iPhone Pro. Start with setting to RAW captures, good light and hold the camera still. RAW setting (easy) and good technique will avoid "whatever Apple applies to a photo after being taken" needing to be applied as the iPhone software tries to correct for bad technique.
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Not a user issue. It’s a widespread complain all over Reddit or social media since iPhone 13. the only way to „fix“ it is to take a video instead and take a photo while recording or to use burst mode. It seems to deactivate the annoying processing
The fact that your usages are creatively limited does not mean that others do not find the front camera sometimes useful. Useful other than just your simplistically described "self-indulged selfie takers."
I am an actual iPhone Pro buyer, and I find each improvement to any of the iPhone Pro cameras to provide value add. YMMV.
Yes, it is a user issue. Widespread complaints "all over Reddit or social media since iPhone 13" remain user issues, easy to fix. Simply do this:
• Set to RAW capture.
• Have decent light.
• Hold the iPhone very still prior to shutter release.
The above is very easy but does require a modicum of care and practice. Unfortunately users "all over Reddit or social media since iPhone 13" lean more towards whining at Apple than toward learning how to properly capture a photo.
As a photographer I am amazed every day at the very good quality of image captures provided by the tiny lenses of the iPhone Pros.
Edit: I said to have decent light above. The iPhone Pros also often can surprisingly allow reasonable captures in less than ideal lighting. However with poor lighting available the iPhone must be held even more still, ideally using a tripod or an approximation of a tripod. And captures when lighting is poor may require multiple tries or simply fail as the iPhone Pro's computational photography tries to cope.
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you just said it yourself. You are a photographer, that is not the norm at all. A PHONE camera should be ready for point and shoot.
Sorry but you simply reinforce what I said above: Unfortunately users "all over Reddit or social media since iPhone 13" lean more towards whining at Apple than toward learning how to properly capture a photo.
Wishing perfect "point and shoot" image captures from "A PHONE camera" without reasonably competent technique is simply not reasonable. Poor technique of refusing to learn to hold the iPhone Pro still forces computational photography into the "overprocessed" images y'all whine about.
The good news is it is easy:
• Set to RAW capture.
• Have decent light.
• Hold the iPhone very still prior to shutter release.
When you said
"the only way to „fix“ it is to take a video instead and take a photo while recording or to use burst mode. It seems to deactivate the annoying processing"
you were describing how to compensate for unwillingness to set to RAW and hold the iPhone Pro camera steady - - often at the cost of lowered image quality.
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I am sure there are but perhaps you could highlight the most common/not superniche ones that aren't better served by the rear-facing camera?
And I’m an iPhone Pro Max buyer and use the back facing cameras quite often. I just don’t find a use for the front camera.
A few other usages of the front-facing camera include but are not limited to:
1) Capturing images of camera-averse people or pets.
2) Capturing images of locations where the front-facing camera cannot be seen. Like the outside of a building photo'd from the roof, or an appliance nameplate with limited access, or the ports on the back of a display, etc.
3) Surreptitious photos. E.g. capturing illegal activity by others without getting into a confrontation.
4) Someone already mentioned examining facial hair or whatever.
5) Shooting from potentially unsafe locations (rock faces, ladders, etc.) sometimes the rear camera can be much more convenient/safer.
6) Achieving truly spontaneous image captures. Almost all people and animals subconsciously adjust their look when they know that a camera is aimed at them.
7) Capturing a pic from high angle of view. E.g. holding the camera high and shooting down.
8) Capturing a pic from a low angle of view. E.g. holding the camera at ground level and shooting up.
I do not know what you consider superniche, but I take one or more of 1 through 8 above pretty much every day. So I do appreciate improvements to the front-facing camera even if the rear cameras are more important. Note that taking selfies is not in the list.
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Thanks Allen, interesting I like to do 6 too and never thought about using the front-facing camera to avoid that instinctive posing. I just try to be quick...which works for at most 2 quick snaps...
Not sure all of those require 24MP (e.g. capturing appliace nameplates) but understand the advantage for some. Hopefully Apple will let us change the resolution of the front-facing camera independently and default to something reasonable. Capturing at highest resolution and refresh usually reduces low light performance, etc all else being equal and most of the time people would better off with their photo/video resolutions set lower than 24MP on the front-facing camera.
Well, while the 48mp does give more details and sharpness it’s not a revolutionary upgrade, main point in having 48mp is so you can crop your pictures, in broad daylight using 12mp vs 48mp you won’t notice much of a difference unless you zoom in a lot on your picture, if they however increase the sensor size, well that would improve way more than adding mp
That was in the old days when iPhones had cameras with way less megapixels than Android phones. Once Apple jumped on the megapixel bandwagon now more is better. The same is true with screen size. Less is always better until Apple does it.🤣
I absolutely do, therefore you can stop using this catchphrase. I also want a folding phone and iPad. Enjoy your day.