iPhone 12 Pro How iPhone 12 Pro telephoto (2x or 52mm) camera mode works?

[wilee]

I found out a strange iPhone 12 Pro behavior in Tele

lower camera is supposed to be tele but if you close it with a finger it will not affect 2x mode..

So, what I found: in Photo and Video the camera seems to use digital 2x zoom and NOT engaging tele camera
In all other modes (time lapse, slo-mo, portrait, pano) it IS using tele camera

Also, in a very bad light I saw tele camera some times engaging in photo - and this is not only viewfinder - if you do the shot with cclose tele lens it will blatantly save digitally zoomed one

Is there any explanation or clarification behind this behavior? Thanks!

 

[T-Will]

I forget where I read or saw this, but apparently this is intentional since the wide angle lens allows in more light, you get better quality with digital zoom+wide angle versus real zoom+telephoto lens.

 

[akash.nu]

When it comes to the zoom feature the phone decides if digital zoom using the wide lens is better or the physical telephoto lens is better based on lighting.

 

[the future]

In good (enough) light, Photo mode will absolutely use the "tele" camera for 2x shots. If the app thinks the light is too bad/low, it switches to the brighter "normal" lens (which has also a bigger sensor).

 

[wilee]

Thanks for explanation, but that is so unclear behavior.. Are there 3rd apps which allow you to chose your lens?

 

[LonestarOne]

It’s always been this way: the native camera app decides whether to use the 52mm lens or digital zoom to provide you with the beat possible image given current conditions. If you want to specify which lens will be used, you need to use a third-party camera app.

 

[the future]

Thanks for explanation, but that is so unclear behavior.. Are there 3rd apps which allow you to chose your lens?

Absolutely! Try Halide, it‘s great.

 

[thenumbersrbad]

Oh man ... thank you for posting this and everyone for answering. I’ve used iPhones for a while and never paid much attention to this until today. I was running into the same weird thing, I assumed that each focal length 0.5x, 1x and 2.5x all corresponded directly to a lens on the back of the phone. So being on 1x I could cover the top lens on the back of the phone with my finger and it would black out the screen, but based off these answers thats not the case.

I’ve been wanting to get into photography and external lenses ... how do they work if the phone software is potentially using a different camera than where you would put the external lens?

 

[maerz001]

I’ve been wanting to get into photography and external lenses ... where you would put the external lens?

On a DSRL or mirrorless camera

Sorry if u really want to get in to photography that’s the only way. Buy a 200€ Sony Nex body or similar, adapter ring and old lenses from the analog age for cheap (50-100€ each) to start. Maybe 16,24,50,75mm lenses. That’s enough