I was disappointed to see that Portrait mode still wants the subject to be within 8 feet.
This makes Portrait mode slightly more limited than it was in the past. A subject that could be framed at a distance of 8 feet using the 2x telephoto lens on the 11 Pro now requires a standoff distance of 12 feet for proper framing. A subject that filled the frame at a distance of 5 feet 4 inches with the 2x lens will now require the photographer to stand back 8 feet, putting it right at the limit for Portrait mode. As a result, some subjects that could be shot in Portrait mode with the older cameras cannot be shot in Portrait mode using the 13 Pro / Pro Max.
Portrait mode should now work with subjects up to 12 feet away, preferably more. This shouldn’t be a difficult fix for Apple, since Cinematic Video (a much harder problem than Portrait mode) does not have the same 8-foot range limitation.
This makes Portrait mode slightly more limited than it was in the past. A subject that could be framed at a distance of 8 feet using the 2x telephoto lens on the 11 Pro now requires a standoff distance of 12 feet for proper framing. A subject that filled the frame at a distance of 5 feet 4 inches with the 2x lens will now require the photographer to stand back 8 feet, putting it right at the limit for Portrait mode. As a result, some subjects that could be shot in Portrait mode with the older cameras cannot be shot in Portrait mode using the 13 Pro / Pro Max.
Portrait mode should now work with subjects up to 12 feet away, preferably more. This shouldn’t be a difficult fix for Apple, since Cinematic Video (a much harder problem than Portrait mode) does not have the same 8-foot range limitation.
