Is it usual to assume you are using the telephoto lens (x3) selected in the app, but the metadata is showing it used the wide lens instead. Has it something to do with lighting or distance from the object? Doesn’t happen all the time, but distance to object has an impact. Thoughts? Thanks.
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 13 Pro Is the f/2.8 on the telephoto really a problem?
- Thread starter matejphoto
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Most probably the usual fallback to using the Wide camera & cropping & upscaling the image in low light.
Yeah. Maybe. But definitely distance to main object being focused on has a bearing too oddly. Perhaps the closer I’m getting less light in the actual image?….
I’m going to say no. Here’s a 3x photo from my poorly lit living room of my cat. The detail is amazing:
Nice
have you noticed any switching though? Yiu will see it in the metadata you can pull from the photos app
thanks
Do you mean when the phone uses a different lens and crops?
I checked the metadata on this particular shot and it says telephoto 77mm if that helps.
Exactly. Using a different lens (usually the wide) and crops. a bit more testing seems to suggest that distance to object is making a difference and will switch to wide lens.
These comparisons to d-slrs and their lenses are silly , the iPhone should be compared to an all in one , a high end one that can basically do anything You want
Plus the iPhone even maxed out is cheaper than most dslr lenses , and You can slip it in your breast pocket , try that with a 600mm 😂
Ive had loads of various cameras in the past and various lenses , I much prefer the convenience and compactness and versatility of the iPhone
Plus the iPhone even maxed out is cheaper than most dslr lenses , and You can slip it in your breast pocket , try that with a 600mm 😂
Ive had loads of various cameras in the past and various lenses , I much prefer the convenience and compactness and versatility of the iPhone
if you go a little bit closer than you normally would with a telephoto i think it will switch To the normal wide. Would you mind to see if this happens with yours please?
thanks.
I wish Apple put the same 1x sensor on all cameras! What are they waiting for? Subtle upgrades to the iPhone to keep people buying them? I’m sure that’s the case. They have the ability to use much larger sensors but don’t… I suppose if all cameras stay 12mp then the iPhone will reach a limit to where they can’t do any better. I wish for a 18 or 20mp sensor on the 1x at least one of these days…..From dpreview:
View attachment 1840461
All Apple iPhone 13 and 13 Pro camera upgrades: Explained
This year's iPhone 13 lineup is all about bigger sensors and faster lenses. Apple managed to cram the 12 Pro Max camera into the 13 Mini this year, and have stepped up the game with its largest sensor ever.www.dpreview.com
I get to about 35cm between object and lens when it switched to wide angle and crops.
I got about 18” away from my other cat then did 3x zoom and it stayed on the telephoto lens:
Ok. So it’s not the light but distance between the object and lens that makes it switch. I’m assuming you are confirming that closer to 18 inches it’s likely to switch?
thanks
I’m not sure exactly how close it switches. It’s probably a light and distance algorithm though. The wide sensor lets in more light and has sensor shift so it probably does take a better shot at certain distances.
This makes me wonder how believable those massive “shot on iPhone” billboards are. Looks like it must’ve been processed a ton to blown it up to that size.
As someone who knows very little about the ins and out of photography but can take a decent photo on an iPhone, I’ve used the telephoto camera heavily on the iPhone X, XS and 11 Pro. I literally use it all the time and love the results.
I used the telephoto lens today on my 13 Pro and it’s taking some getting used to that it’s now 3x rather than 2x but I’m sure I’ll get used to it soon enough.
In terms of being happy with it, I’m very disappointed. Seems to be a downgrade compared to my 11 Pro unless the lightning is really good. Took some shots outdoors in the sunshine and they’re great. Took a few shots in the dark (night mode kicked in) and they’re much better than the 11 Pro that doesn’t have night mode on the telephoto lens. Took some general shots indoors (during the middle of the day - not as bright as outside but obviously nowhere near dark enough for night mode) and they just seem noisy. Not impressed.
I used the telephoto lens today on my 13 Pro and it’s taking some getting used to that it’s now 3x rather than 2x but I’m sure I’ll get used to it soon enough.
In terms of being happy with it, I’m very disappointed. Seems to be a downgrade compared to my 11 Pro unless the lightning is really good. Took some shots outdoors in the sunshine and they’re great. Took a few shots in the dark (night mode kicked in) and they’re much better than the 11 Pro that doesn’t have night mode on the telephoto lens. Took some general shots indoors (during the middle of the day - not as bright as outside but obviously nowhere near dark enough for night mode) and they just seem noisy. Not impressed.
I can say (maybe it’s a bug?!) but even in super bright light I’ve found the camera when shooting video doesn’t change to the 3x when you click the button. It crops. Badly. Only when you start at 3x does It seem to record of that lens.
Some post-production optimization is probably certain (raw with custom sharpening at the least), but the big key is viewing distance and relative size. There's nothing special about a billboard if the relative size is you holding a 3x5 photo at arms length. Most of the times we perceive billboards as being a lot larger (relatively) than they actually are, just like the moon, which is plays into why it's so damn difficult to get a moon photo that matches what your eye sees.
I just bought a phone myself, so keep assuming baseless facts. It makes you look extremely credible.
Pictures taken with iPhones from year to year are rarely much better. If anything, they are different.
A pocket camera with a larger lens such as a Sony RX100 absolutely smokes any iPhone produced to date. I can tell the difference instantly.
Just want to revisit your posts and tell you that this camera is absolutely amazing. You can find a bunch of comparisons like this:
Even pixel peeping with modern full frames, these phones are impressive and represent a massive jump in quality over the 12P.
You can also check the new Prores stuff that come out:
Insane quality that literally will beat many larger systems.
You keep making generalized assumptions, with no direct comparisons. Any large lens point and shoot would murder ANY iPhone. I’m not sure why you just can’t accept that the tiny iPhone lenses can’t defy physics. Do you think I really care what you think? I can see the difference with my own eyes. Thanks for thinking about me a week after our conversation.
I watched a few tech people's review videos and have concluded the main complaint is the image quality of the new telephoto lens, especially at low lights, they often get a cropped photo from the main lens rather than getting the shot from the telephoto lens (considering it has an OIS, they expect it to do better).
Yup, the same as with the 7+. There, evening good light it switched back to using the main lens when shooting 4k video.
Have you looked at those comparisons? The low light stuff in particular is really impressive. The guy shows direct comparisons with a Nikon full frame and the phones are right there with it in terms of detail. Idk why you are so bitter about it. I love my D750 and will never be selling it, but I fully acknowledge the impact of computational photography with these little sensors. They are doing amazing stuff.
I added a quick similar shot taken with the D750 at F1.8 and the 13P. It’s a dark room. Can you tell which one is the FF? Of course, but the gap is way closer than it has any right to be considering the sensor size difference. Hate all you want, these phones are seriously impressive little cameras. That doesn’t even touch video capabilities, which those prores files show that the 13’s will beat most mirrorless in video image quality in good light.
Last edited: