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cptcaveman

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 6, 2005
204
261
So those lucky ones with the new phone — what is the camera control like to use?

Some of the reviews on it are a bit lukewarm, so interested in your experiences.
 

PieTunes

Contributor
May 6, 2016
1,017
1,880
San Diego, CA
It's alright but a little bit cumbersome. Like any new feature, I'm sure in time I could get used to it, if I wanted to get used to it. But I've grown accustomed to accessing and using the camera in a way that's worked well for years and will likely continue to keep doing it that way out of habit and muscle memory. The camera control is neat, sure, but it just feels like a solution in search of a problem.

It can be changed in the settings to use the magnifier or code scanner, or it can be disabled completely, the latter of which I might end up doing.
 

raylo32

macrumors 6502
Nov 9, 2018
303
154
I just tried it and liked it OK. It is easier to see your subject whilst zooming the screen using the button rather than pinching the screen with your hand which blocks the view. Also, the optical zoom soft buttons are near the bottom of the image so you can also work those without blocking the view.
 
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Lotuskid

macrumors 6502
May 23, 2010
272
321
Just using for a few minutes at home it’s kind of fiddly

I have a few observations - it’s flush to the body of the phone so kind of difficult to feel out. If you have a case that has a more prominent depression or even a cutout it might make it easy to actuate

Secondly I think for me it’ll be more of an intentional use button kind of like using a dedicated camera. It feels like you have to be more intention with it.

With the software button it’s faster to fire off shots rapidly. With the camera control it feels like it’s meant for more intentional photography than quickly pointing and shooting

Lastly, it took me a second to realize it’s not a press and hold like the action button. So you have to learn the action or having the screen unlocked and then a deliberate press and release. If you press and hold it doesn’t open which wasn’t intuitive to me at first

Edit: the solution to opening the camera without having to unlock the phone is to set it to double click to open. In that case the camera will open regardless of faceID or if your screen is off. This makes it the utility a little more useful
 
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raylo32

macrumors 6502
Nov 9, 2018
303
154
I also like the button to start the camera without having to access the screen, so won't miss as many shots trying to get the cam up quickly... and I can move the Camera icon from my bottom screen dock and use that space for something else.
 
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azhava

macrumors 6502a
Aug 29, 2010
942
1,291
Arizona, USA
I took a few pictures with it today to test it out. I like it just fine in landscape mode, but I can't see ever using it in portrait mode, the positioning is just too awkward for me in that orientation.

I changed the setting so it takes a double click to activate the camera, to avoid accidentally triggering it if I touch it while picking up my phone. I do like being able to activate the camera that way rather than having to go to the lock screen icon.
 

F308gt4

macrumors regular
Mar 12, 2020
190
218
I find the button kind of hard to press, enough so that I think the camera shakes when I take a photo. I understand there is a setting in accessibility to change that, but for now, I will leave it as is and probably not use the button much.
 

DynamicSausage

macrumors 6502
May 29, 2015
414
352
Leicestershire, UK
I don't hate it and don't love it, I'd say I like it.

I tried it out whilst I was setting up and my first impression was that it was far too fiddly to get the right amount of 'press' or 'slide' to find the setting that you want, however, once I got home and tried it out again it was much easier, you just have to learn how much input to give it. It doesn't take long.

I definitely think I'll use it but probably just as a capture button on photos and a zoom control on videos. I wouldn't be upset if it didn't exist but it's definitely nice to have.

I would REALLY like it if I could use it as a sort of scroll wheel when not in the camera, I think it's perfect for that use case and although I understand it's a "camera control", I think it's worth more than that.

As for the positioning, it's definitely not perfect. It's never where you expect it to be which is a shame when Apple design is usually so intuitive. It has only been one day though and I expect the muscle memory will kick in for that pretty quickly.
 

blairh

macrumors 603
Dec 11, 2007
5,972
4,472
So those lucky ones with the new phone — what is the camera control like to use?

Some of the reviews on it are a bit lukewarm, so interested in your experiences.
I find the location to be not ideal in both orientations on the 16 PM. Too low in portrait and too left in landscape. Huge letdown for me.

Edit: I think it's worse on the 16 PM because it is larger and heavier. It's still not ideal but better on a lighter and smaller device like the non-Pro 16 and perhaps less so on the 16 Pro. The size of the 16 Plus makes it worse and it's for sure the worst on the 16 PM due to both size and weight.
 
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smartalic34

macrumors 6502a
May 16, 2006
977
61
USA
Edit: the solution to opening the camera without having to unlock the phone is to set it to double click to open. In that case the camera will open regardless of faceID or if your screen is off. This makes it the utility a little more useful
Thank you for this tip - agree 100% about making it a little more useful!
 
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ofarlig

macrumors 6502a
Jun 23, 2015
931
1,147
Sweden
The only good thing about it is that I can launch the camera with it so I can use the other buttons for other things. For controlling the camera it is more fiddly than using the screen, a real gimmick.
 

sky87

macrumors regular
Nov 7, 2015
165
124
I really like it as a quick access button to open my camera app (vs fiddling around with the on screen controls - I've missed so many photos because I took too long to open my camera app from the lock screen).

So having one button that will let me quickly open my camera app and quickly take a photo is great for me!
 

QquegChristian

macrumors 6502
Jun 24, 2010
492
571
I’m constantly zooming in or out slightly right before I take a photo because of the swipe gestures. Then it’s too hard to press. No joke, I think I may set my action button to camera and use volume up to take landscape photos cause the idea of it got me excited and let me down so I’ll do what I could’ve done last year.
 

james948

macrumors 6502a
Nov 17, 2004
516
149
The swiping gesture is way too slow and laborious to be of use to me. The options keep rubber banding back instead of advancing forward.

However using it to quickly open the camera app and snap a picture is fantastic. I presume they’ll make the swiping better

I’d like to be able to exclude things from the actions menu. For instance I’m never going to want to use the button to change the fstop etc. it’s just too many menus.
 
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contacos

macrumors 603
Nov 11, 2020
5,462
20,774
Mexico City living in Berlin
I only use it to open the camera app. It seems a bit confusing but I don't care enough to find out when I have all the controls already right there on the screen. Also zooming is annoying with the sliding motion because I always just miss it by a little like when I try to get to 1x I end up at 1,2x or something like that
 

Jackbequickly

macrumors 68040
Aug 6, 2022
3,173
3,266
i spent about an hours playing with the camera and the more I use the “button/slider” the more I like it. With some more use I am finding it much better that pinching the screen. Apple gives you a choice, you decide.
 

PhillyGuy72

macrumors 68040
Sep 13, 2014
3,073
4,650
Philadelphia, PA USA
I would love to try this in person, don't own the 16 Pro Max...yet. After decade + of using screen controls....I figured this would be a very brand new option, something that would take a LOT of getting used to. I have already seen YouTube videos using the side button, it does appear a bit awkward. So I dont know, when I upgrade, I'll try to use it...but I do think I'll keep reverting back to touching the screen for the controls.
 

Gsxr750

macrumors 6502
Sep 6, 2022
334
658
Haven’t used it other than to check it out. And honestly doubt I’ll ever use it.
 

DeanL

macrumors 65816
May 29, 2014
1,345
1,287
London
I'm on 18.1 beta so got the additional features.
Useless, will end up like 3D Touch (except 3D touch was useful).

Problems from my perspective:
- Using the button (to take pics or zoom) is not more convenient than just using the screen
- The button is not well located for portrait pictures

I'd rather have the button available for a shortcut of my choice to be honest .
 
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