Both iPhone 18 Pro Models Feature Variable Aperture Camera

[MacRumors]

Apple has revealed at its "Surprise and Shine" event that both iPhone 18 Pro models will be equipped with a variable aperture camera.

Prior to this announcement, some rumours suggested that only the iPhone 18 Pro Max would feature a variable aperture lens, but it seems that both models will benefit from the technology.

Apple says it has developed a system of six laser-cut blades, each thinner than a human hair, to create the aperture lens. The blades are made of a specialized polymer composite for the right balance of mass flexibility and durability.

The aperture adjusts automatically based on the scene. When you're in a darker environment, for example, the aperture opens to let in around 50% more light.

It also allows you to capture cinematic mode effects from regular video after you capture, plus it now supports 60 frames per second for a half-speed effect.

"iPhone 18 Pro has a new 48 megapixel fusion main camera with variable aperture for creative control that wasn't possible before," said Apple. "This is the most advanced camera we've ever made."

More details to come...

Article Link: Both iPhone 18 Pro Models Feature Variable Aperture Camera

 

[Fraysa]

Honestly, the most exciting feature I’ve seen in years.

 

[SteveJobs2.0]

Is it a bigger sensor or not?

 

[melancholy]

f/1.48 might actually be an improvement over the old phones

 

[msackey]

Honestly, the most exciting feature I’ve seen in years.

SAME! I just now need to know what the price of the 18 Pro is gonna be. I've been fine with all old features of the iPhone for a very long time (since iPhone Xs with the FaceID). It was camera that I really wanted improvement, and also battery life. Other than that, I don't care much about the other stuff.

 

[contacos]

SAME! I just now need to know what the price of the 18 Pro is gonna be. I've been fine with all old features of the iPhone for a very long time (since iPhone Xs with the FaceID). It was camera that I really wanted improvement, and also battery life. Other than that, I don't care much about the other stuff.

It's 1,199$ and 1,299$

 

[1BadManVan]

It's 1,199$ and 1,399$

$1299 for the pro max

 

[ItachiSBT]

Honestly, the most exciting feature I’ve seen in years.

SAME! I just now need to know what the price of the 18 Pro is gonna be. I've been fine with all old features of the iPhone for a very long time (since iPhone Xs with the FaceID). It was camera that I really wanted improvement, and also battery life. Other than that, I don't care much about the other stuff.

Samsung had variable aperture years ago. No one used it and they took it out after a couple of models.

f/1.48 might actually be an improvement over the old phones

Yep, that's the real feature for me.

It's a phone sensor, variable aperture will make almost no difference in photos on this sensor. MORE light is the real addition.

 

[contacos]

$1299 for the pro max

Typo. You were too fast!

 

[Nyx1]

Really hope the sensor is upgrade 1/1.2

 

[capamac]

"the aperture opens to let in around 50% more light."

So ... not even a one-stop aperture range.

 

[msackey]

Samsung had variable aperture years ago. No one used it and they took it out after a couple of models.

Yep, that's the real feature for me.

It's a phone sensor, variable aperture will make almost no difference in photos on this sensor. MORE light is the real addition.

Doesn't a variable aperture allow for more or less light? It also affects depth of focus which can be useful for blurring parts of a background.

 

[CarAnalogy]

The most revolutionary thing about this is how they managed to gate an entire set of controls behind new hardware.

My Pro isn’t Pro enough!

 

[JoeG_LTE]

Suck it, Ice Universe!

 

[wyarp]

And no doubt it will STILL suffer from the insane over-processing that has dogged iPhone pros now for years! Why can't they just cut back on all the OTT contrast/sharpening etc and have it as an option 'on/off', like HDR used to be yeeeears ago. And don't mention shooting in RAW with iPhone RAW's infuriating file size!

 

[windmark]

"the aperture opens to let in around 50% more light."

So ... not even a one-stop aperture range.

The fact that they get more light in at all, means that there is more going on than just an aperture that stops down. I was only expecting the aperture to improve depth of field and video, not bring in more light. Also that they talked about improved bokeh in portraits is interesting, since a smaller aperture wouldn’t bring that, but the opposite.

 

[msackey]

What are the various optical zoom levels on the 18 Pro? I didn't see any mention of that in the stuff I'm reading (I'm not watching).

 

[capamac]

Doesn't a variable aperture allow for more or less light? It also affects depth of focus which can be useful for blurring parts of a background.

The phone image sensor are small so depth of field is naturally quite great.

The shallow depth of field look on a smarphone is typically a software-generated effect. However, for macro shots, it will be a natural effect, as depth of field becomes more shallow when focusing at close distances.

The already deep depth of field on smartphones can now be a little deeper coz the aperture can stop down for a smaller iris.

 

[ItachiSBT]

Doesn't a variable aperture allow for more or less light? It also affects depth of focus which can be useful for blurring parts of a background.

Yes, which is basically useless on a phone sensor that struggle for light all the time. The entire smartphone industry basically spent the last 20 years trying to get MORE light in it. The ability to get less is kind of pointless if not for very specific photos that 99% of the people will never take.

Same thing for the blur background. It's a physical consequence of the sensor size and phones have very small sensor. You really don't have that much blur that you could want less (again, in very very specific settings).

I love photography, aperture control is vital in taking photos. But even I think it's useless on a phone.

 

[danielristic]

It is ridiculous to have an aperture ring on a lens and sensor this size.

 

[capamac]

Deeper dof can be useful for the type of shot known as "dominant foreground, contributing background." E.G.: landscape shot. Vertical. Flower up-close in bottom 1/3 of frame, the flower fills the width of the image. Background is far-off mountain peaks. All more or less in-focus. Deeper DOF useful for this situation coz you're trying to keep both a very close item and a mountains at inifinity both reasonably sharp.

 

[Kriss_De_Valnor]

Drop your new iPhone on the floor and say bye bye to variable aperture lens.

 

[svish]

Good to see the variable aperture for the new iPhones. Expecting to see some form of manual control too at least through some third party apps.