One, which is how many buttons this is.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
iPhone 16 Camera Control: Everything You Need to Know
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
I feel a little better cause I'm a lefty and the camera button looks like it wasn't designed with lefties in mind. So knowing when I decide to buy a SE4, or iPhone 17, I can either change the camera button to a code scanner or disable it completely and keep Camera on Action Button.
Had the chance to touch an iPhone 16 Pro yesterday. I'd just disable from accessibility menu. Why? Because,
* It's not a real control to anything, but kind of a shortcut button, a pseudo-control to be honest
* You can't even change the focus point (focal plane), nor the shutter speed, ISO, etc.
* I never use any zoom other than exact camera focal length (13mm, 24mm & 120mm for iPhone 16 Pro) to get best IQ
* iPhones usually nail the best exposure even at difficult scenes, so you'd rarely need to adjust it. Plus values will likely cause blown-out highlights and the other way will have no advantage but more noise and less pronounced texture.
* It's nice to have fast access to camera and a dedicated shutter button, yet else is distracting IMO.
* It's not a real control to anything, but kind of a shortcut button, a pseudo-control to be honest
* You can't even change the focus point (focal plane), nor the shutter speed, ISO, etc.
* I never use any zoom other than exact camera focal length (13mm, 24mm & 120mm for iPhone 16 Pro) to get best IQ
* iPhones usually nail the best exposure even at difficult scenes, so you'd rarely need to adjust it. Plus values will likely cause blown-out highlights and the other way will have no advantage but more noise and less pronounced texture.
* It's nice to have fast access to camera and a dedicated shutter button, yet else is distracting IMO.
This so-called camera control button should have 2 or more modes to select from, for better shooting experince.
Mode A: The somewhat amateur & premature way introduced now
Mode B: Like a DSLR or MILC. Touching will focus & full press will take a photo, long press will start burst or video (unsure how...) The slider should be used for adjusting focus from nearest possible distance to infinity, and focus peaking pattern will show up on screen.
Mode C: For future evaluation... Any ideas?
Mode A: The somewhat amateur & premature way introduced now
Mode B: Like a DSLR or MILC. Touching will focus & full press will take a photo, long press will start burst or video (unsure how...) The slider should be used for adjusting focus from nearest possible distance to infinity, and focus peaking pattern will show up on screen.
Mode C: For future evaluation... Any ideas?
My experience/opinion with the Camera Control button this far:
Yes its useful to launch the camera instantly, but in my opinion its of limited use for people who take mostly portrait orientation pictures, as it feels clumsy to use when holding the iPhone that way.
I mostly take landscape orientation pictures, and I find that holding the phone in this orientation (with a finger and thumb on each of the four corners of the iPhone) I can press the button relatively easily (to launch the camera, thats if I hadn't done so already when I was raising my iPhone and rotating it into landscape orientation) and then press to take the picture without my having to touch the camera shutter button on the screen and blocking what I could see on the screen in the process.
Other than that, with regards to accessing the other options that the Camera Control button has, I find those fiddly to access, and especially the zoom, which feels clunky and not smooth, and it is smoother and easier and less clunky to use the pinch gesture on the screen to do this.
Overall opinion of the Camera Control is, it feels gimmicky, and I think there will be lots of people who will try it out when they first get their iPhone, and then just do things the old way with the camera, other than using the Camera Control button to have instant access to the camera, and that's it (i.e. not using the other controls that it gives).
Perhaps Apple may refine the Camera Control button with updates, but at present it just feels unfinished.
Yes its useful to launch the camera instantly, but in my opinion its of limited use for people who take mostly portrait orientation pictures, as it feels clumsy to use when holding the iPhone that way.
I mostly take landscape orientation pictures, and I find that holding the phone in this orientation (with a finger and thumb on each of the four corners of the iPhone) I can press the button relatively easily (to launch the camera, thats if I hadn't done so already when I was raising my iPhone and rotating it into landscape orientation) and then press to take the picture without my having to touch the camera shutter button on the screen and blocking what I could see on the screen in the process.
Other than that, with regards to accessing the other options that the Camera Control button has, I find those fiddly to access, and especially the zoom, which feels clunky and not smooth, and it is smoother and easier and less clunky to use the pinch gesture on the screen to do this.
Overall opinion of the Camera Control is, it feels gimmicky, and I think there will be lots of people who will try it out when they first get their iPhone, and then just do things the old way with the camera, other than using the Camera Control button to have instant access to the camera, and that's it (i.e. not using the other controls that it gives).
Perhaps Apple may refine the Camera Control button with updates, but at present it just feels unfinished.
unlikely. most people don't care about Touch ID.
The built in iOS camera app has never allowed that level of manual control, so it’s not surprising that Camera Control doesn’t add it in. But Camera Control is open to third party camera apps, including the ability to having a third party app be sent as the default. Apps like Halide, which do allow for manual control over shutter, ISO, etc., are in the process of being updated to take advantage of it.
The camera already had 2-3 buttons: 1 software, and 2 on the hardware. So now there’s just roughly 3x7 of pixels that you won’t see in your viewfinder now.
It should be the power button that also functions as Touch ID. Don’t have to press twice when unlocking the phone.
I love this idea, being able to change the focal plane would be an incredible feature! I have no desire to zoom, I’d rather take the photo and crop it afterward, and of course the touch screen is how you want to set a focus point, but being able to slide a finger back and forth on the control and have the focal plane move in and out in real-time would be awesome.
None of which opened the camera app besides the action button, which can now be freed up to do another action. The software button also moves the screen slightly which changes the shot.
Now you're just grasping at straws to find things to complain about. The 3x7 of pixels allows you to do other features like changing the exposure, zoom, or focus without changing your shot and it only shows up when you're doing one of those things. At the end of the day you're complaining about an optional feature can provide benefit to other people. If it doesn't benefit you it doesn't cost any extra and you don't have to use it.
Takes some getting used to and the camera app froze the first time I tried to use it in the wild (iPhone 16 Pro Max 1TB). I also wish it sat lower to the edge of the device.
Can’t say too much bad about it until I put it to some more use, but it’s going to take some time for it to become second-nature.
Can’t say too much bad about it until I put it to some more use, but it’s going to take some time for it to become second-nature.
That's your opinion, and I have mine. Thanks for playing!
Your opinion is complaining about misconceptions of the button you don't have to use?
After a few hundred shots with the 16PM, this new button feels pretty awesome. I get to quickly and easily frame my shots. It’s not perfect as it has a certain “inertia” when quickly zooming in or out but it definitely was more comfortable to use than the existing wheel.
they should relocate or return the power button at the top right. It requires courage though....
I have pressed it more times on accident than I have actually used it.
You can set it to be activated with a double-click instead of a single which would prevent that.
