All of the New iPhone 13 Camera Features: Macro, Cinematic Mode, Photographic Styles, Sensor Improvements and More

[MacRumors]

With the launch of the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max, Apple introduced several updated camera features, some of which are hardware based and some of which are software based.

Notably, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max now have identical camera systems, a departure from the different cameras featured in the iPhone 12 Pro and the 12 Pro Max. As usual, the iPhone 13 Pro models have the best camera systems, while the more affordable iPhone 13 models have step-down cameras that lack some of the Pro capabilities.

iPhone 13 and 13 mini Camera Specs

The iPhone 13 and 13 mini feature a dual-lens camera system. The Wide lens features an f/1.6 aperture, while the Ultra Wide features an f/2.4 aperture. The updated Ultra Wide camera offers better low light performance, and the updated Wide camera lets in 47 percent more light.

There is no Telephoto lens in the iPhone 13 and 13 mini, so these models are limited to 2x optical zoom out and digital zoom up to 5x.

Sensor-shift optical image stabilization, a feature once limited to the Pro models, is available across the iPhone 13 lineup.
iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max Camera Specs

The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max include a three-lens camera system with an f/2.8 Telephoto lens, an f/1.5 Wide lens, and an f/1.8 Ultra Wide lens.

The Wide and Ultra Wide lenses are upgraded compared to the lenses in the iPhone 13 models and should result in notably better performance in low light conditions. The Wide lens features a wider aperture that lets in 2.2x more light and the largest sensor in an iPhone yet.

The Ultra Wide lens captures up to 92 percent more light, which should bring a drastic improvement in quality.

The 77mm Telephoto lens features 3x optical zoom in, up from 2.5x in the 12 Pro Max, and with the addition of the Ultra Wide lens at 2x zoom out, there is a 6x optical zoom range and support for 15x digital zoom.

There's also a LiDAR Scanner, which is not available on the iPhone 13 and 13 mini.

New Camera Features for All iPhones

Apple introduced several new features that take advantage of the more advanced image signal processor included in the A15 chip.

• Cinematic Mode - Uses rack focus to seamlessly shift the focus from one subject to another when capturing video. It holds focus on the subject while blurring the background, and can automatically change the focus when a new subject is about to enter the scene. Blur and focus can be adjusted after capturing video as well through the Photos app.
• Smart HDR 4 - Recognizes up to four people in a scene and optimizes contrast, lighting, and even skin tones for each person so everyone looks their best.
• Photographic Styles - Photographic Styles are smart, adjustable filters that can do things like boost or mute colors without affecting skin tone. Styles apply selectively to an image, unlike a filter that's applied to the entire image. Photographic Styles include Vibrant (boosts colors), Rich Contrast (darker shadows and deeper colors), Warm (accentuates golden undertones), or Cool (accentuates blue undertones). Tone and Warmth are customizable for each style, so you can get the exact look that you want.

Existing camera capabilities like Night Mode, Portrait Mode, Portrait Lighting, and Deep Fusion are also supported.

Pro Camera Features

There are several features that are limited to the Pro models and that won't be available on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini.

• Macro Photography - The Ultra Wide camera on the Pro models can focus at 2cm, which makes it ideal for macro photos. You can take macro photos or macro videos, including slow motion and time-lapse.
• Telephoto Night Mode - Night Mode is available for the Telephoto lens for the first time. Night Mode is available on all the Pro cameras.
• Night Mode Portraits - Night Mode portraits require the LiDAR Scanner, which continues to be limited to Pro models.
• Telephoto Cinematic Mode - Since the Pro models are the only models with a Telephoto lens, Telephoto Cinematic Mode is a pro feature. It works with the Wide, Telephoto, and TrueDepth cameras.
• ProRes - ProRes, which is coming later this year, lets users record and edit in ProRes or Dolby Vision.

Article Link: All of the New iPhone 13 Camera Features: Macro, Cinematic Mode, Photographic Styles, Sensor Improvements and More

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

This is a very compelling upgrade. The color blue is beautiful. Ready to get my hands on it. Apple, please take my money already.

 

[_Spinn_]

Seems like a very solid camera upgrade. I was surprised by the announcement of macro photography support.

 

[IsaacM]

Super happy about both Pro phones having the same camera.

 

[cloudphrenia]

I like the 77mm, but I wonder how many iPhones until we get ProRes Raw?

I'm glad I don't rely on an iPhone for photography/videography work. It seems like you always need the latest model since Apple likes to rely on the "you need the latest ISP only available in our latest processor" excuse. It seems very wasteful.

 

[JoshuaBru]

I can’t wait for the Pixel 6 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro cameras to go head to head. Exciting times for smartphone photography

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

Seems like a very solid camera upgrade. I was surprised by the announcement of macro photography support.

No astrophotography. I was hoping it would be there.

 

[sevoneone]

I’m very curious what ProRes flavor is being supported, and what it looks like vs hevc given all the computational manipulation and processing that is happening to the image.

Be nice if ProRes LT was at least an option as it is a really good trade off between image quality and storage requirements.

 

[Barry O'Bummer]

The weight increase on the 13 Pro compared to the 12 Pro is substantial. I understand a bigger battery is needed, but we're quickly approaching brick territory here.

 

[Kylo83]

people keep making a mistake saying pro res is like apple raw but for videos, its wrong apple prores is just a codec not raw

 

[Kylo83]

no pro is gonna shoot cinema video in 1080p

 

[CalfCanuck]

no pro is gonna shoot cinema video in 1080p

They will shoot to the client’s specifications, right? They just bring their expertise in composition, lighting, audio, and editing.

 

[appleguy123]

Does anyone know about the telephoto performance? Why did the aperture get so much smaller compared to last year(f/2.8 vs f/2.2 on the 12 Pro) does the difference in optical zoom cause/compensate for this or will this lens have poorer low light performance because of it?

 

[jbachandouris]

Hurry up and take my money!

 

[Macropanda]

No astrophotography. I was hoping it would be there.

Wasn’t there a brief mention off night mode being able to take longer exposures with this model? Possibly up to 60seconds would be nice.

 

[kesenwangs]

With the launch of the iPhone 13 mini, iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, and iPhone 13 Pro Max, Apple introduced several updated camera features, some of which are hardware based and some of which are software based.

Notably, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max now have identical camera systems, a departure from the different cameras featured in the iPhone 12 Pro and the 12 Pro Max. As usual, the iPhone 13 Pro models have the best camera systems, while the more affordable iPhone 13 models have step-down cameras that lack some of the Pro capabilities.

iPhone 13 and 13 mini Camera Specs

The iPhone 13 and 13 mini feature a dual-lens camera system. The Wide lens features an f/1.6 aperture, while the Ultra Wide features an f/2.4 aperture. The updated Ultra Wide camera offers better low light performance, and the updated Wide camera lets in 47 percent more light.

There is no Telephoto lens in the iPhone 13 and 13 mini, so these models are limited to 2x optical zoom and digital zoom up to 5x.

Sensor-shift optical image stabilization, a feature once limited to the Pro models, is available across the iPhone 13 lineup.
iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max Camera Specs

The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max include a three-lens camera system with an f/2.8 Telephoto lens, an f/1.5 Wide lens, and an f/1.8 Ultra Wide lens.

The Wide and Ultra Wide lenses are upgraded compared to the lenses in the iPhone 13 models and should result in notably better performance in low light conditions. The Wide lens features a wider aperture that lets in 2.2x more light and the largest sensor in an iPhone yet.

The Ultra Wide lens captures up to 92 percent more light, which should bring a drastic improvement in quality.

The 77mm Telephoto lens features 3x optical zoom in, up from 2.5x in the 12 Pro Max, and with the addition of the Ultra Wide lens, there is a 6x optical zoom range and support for 15x digital zoom.

There's also a LiDAR Scanner, which is not available on the iPhone 13 and 13 mini.

New Camera Features for All iPhones

Apple introduced several new features that take advantage of the more advanced image signal processor included in the A15 chip.

• Cinematic Mode - Uses rack focus to seamlessly shift the focus from one subject to another when capturing video. It holds focus on the subject while blurring the background, and can automatically change the focus when a new subject is about to enter the scene. Blur and focus can be adjusted after capturing video as well through the Photos app.
  
• Smart HDR 4 - Recognizes up to four people in a scene and optimizes contrast, lighting, and even skin tones for each person so everyone looks their best.
  
• Photographic Styles - Photographic Styles are smart, adjustable filters that can do things like boost or mute colors without affecting skin tone. Styles apply selectively to an image, unlike a filter that's applied to the entire image. Photographic Styles include Vibrant (boosts colors), Rich Contrast (darker shadows and deeper colors), Warm (accentuates golden undertones), or Cool (accentuates blue undertones). Tone and Warmth are customizable for each style, so you can get the exact look that you want.

Existing camera capabilities like Night Mode, Portrait Mode, Portrait Lighting, and Deep Fusion are also supported.

Pro Camera Features

There are several features that are limited to the Pro models and that won't be available on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini.

• Macro Photography - The Ultra Wide camera on the Pro models can focus at 2cm, which makes it ideal for macro photos. You can take macro photos or macro videos, including slow motion and time-lapse.
  
• Telephoto Night Mode - Night Mode is available for the Telephoto lens for the first time. Night Mode is available on all the Pro cameras.
  
• Night Mode Portraits - Night Mode portraits require the LiDAR Scanner, which continues to be limited to Pro models.
  
• Telephoto Cinematic Mode - Since the Pro models are the only models with a Telephoto lens, Telephoto Cinematic Mode is a pro feature. It works with the Wide, Telephoto, and TrueDepth cameras.
  
• ProRes - ProRes, which is coming later this year, lets users record and edit in ProRes or Dolby Vision.

Article Link: All of the New iPhone 13 Camera Features: Macro, Cinematic Mode, Photographic Styles, Sensor Improvements and More

• ProRes video recording up to 4K at 30 fps (1080p at 30 fps for 128GB storage)*

 

[DeepIn2U]

This is a very compelling upgrade. The color blue is beautiful. Ready to get my hands on it. Apple, please take my money already.

View attachment 1831437

512GB/1TB!?

I had a feeling you’d come around to the blue.

 

[sevoneone]

I'm glad I don't rely on an iPhone for photography/videography work. It seems like you always need the latest model since Apple likes to rely on the "you need the latest ISP only available in our latest processor" excuse. It seems very wasteful.

Haha… and you know it is BS too because ProRes, by its very design, requires very little processing overhead to encode/decode. That is why it was created in the first place, to enable PowerPC Macs in the mid 00’s to handle editing/rendering full HD and higher video. My Core Duo MacBook with 1GB of RAM in 2006 was able to encode 1080p footage to ProRes LT in real time. I’m pretty sure every iPhone chip since the A8/A9 would have little trouble with it.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

512GB/1TB!?

I had a feeling you’d come around to the blue.

1TB What are you ordering?

 

[CalfCanuck]

Looking forward to testing the wide angle lens performance once I get my 13 Pro, along with the Smart HDR 4. Quite pleased with the specs pn paper, we’ll see how real world use pans out.

 

[DeepIn2U]

Sensor-shift optical image stabilization LOVE how this comes to all models.

Photographic Styles are smart, adjustable filters that can do things like boost or mute colors without affecting skin tone.

THIS! This is crucial for me! Finally someone at Apple not only talks about this, yet someone that fully understands about skin tones in cameras! I cannot tel you how important and for so long since my old SonyEricsson K750 way way back or even since elementary school that pictures of me always comes out screwed up because I have varying sin tones all over me - even in my face to neck (year round).

I actually almost tested up during this part of the keynote but I’ll have to see it to believe it. My best photo ever taken of my face was best represented on an iPhone 8 middle of last summer.

now lens flare is this resolved? Example I took last night from the mini.

 

[B4U]

Glad to hear we no longer need to get the biggest phone for the best camera from Apple.
Now kind of torn between the 13 pro vs the 13 mini...🤔

 

[Edsel]

We are so fortunate to have this "pocket" technology. My father introduced me to photography and dark room developing when I was 10 years old, in the early 1960's. My first "serious" camera was a pre-war (WWII) Leica. I took some amazing photos. However, photography then was a thoughtful process. It took a lot of experience to know your film types, your camera, and your darkroom processes. Mistakes were made, negatives ruined, timing ruined composition, so many ways to lose your "focus".

Many accolades to the engineers who have transformed amateur film photography into professional ranked results. Incredible work! Thank you.

 

[Edsel]

no pro is gonna shoot cinema video in 1080p

Story performance counts way more than video resolution. 1080P is just fine as long as the video content is compelling.

 

[5105973]

No astrophotography. I was hoping it would be there.

To be honest, thanks to light pollution, I so rarely see much of anything in the night sky, anyway. And I live in an agricultural district. But we’re surrounded on all sides by cities and suburbs. Even at the beach I go to, it’s pretty bad. The only place I’ve ever seen a lot of stars was in Lancaster, PA. Not surprising, as that is Amish country! Unfortunately, I haven’t gotten the chance to visit there since my grandpa passed away and his house was sold.

What I can see of the night sky, every dang one of my phones from IPhone to Samsung to my old Pixel let in so much light they turn night to day. I need to go into manual settings to make it look like night again. On default, it’s a bit of a mess.