There are some last minute rumors about the iPhone 12 Pro cameras. A leaker named Kang is saying that the 12 Pro will have a 4x camera while the 12 Pro Max will have a 5x camera.
That is significantly more than past rumors, which said we were getting (maybe) a 3x camera.
I don’t know what to think about that. On the one hand, a 4x or 5x camera would be real telephoto — equivalent to around a 100 or 125mm lens in a 35mm camera. I’d love that. But if the other lenses remain the same, Apple would have to rely on digital zoom between 1x and 4 or 5x. That would mean a loss of resolution at the current 2x “telephoto” length. Although, Apple could do some digital magic that uses pixels from the 4x/5x to enhance the central portion of 1x image.
If I had my druthers, I’d like to see Apple drop with 0.5x “ultrawide” lens in favor of 1x, 2x, and 4 or 5x. But that’s just me — I seldom use the ultrawide lens, but other people may feel differently.
It’s also possible, although not likely, that the 4x/5x lens could offer true optical zoom.
Of course, all of this could be just rumor. One reason to be skeptical about this rumor is the fact that Apple’s reportedly using a larger sensor this year. That will require a larger lens to get the same effective focal length as last year, much less the longer focal lengths being rumored. [UPDATE: It appears that these numbers are not, in fact, correct. See comments below.]
And here’s the real question I’m wondering about — is this “Kang” the same captain who James T. Kirk and the Enterprise had run-ins with?
That is significantly more than past rumors, which said we were getting (maybe) a 3x camera.
I don’t know what to think about that. On the one hand, a 4x or 5x camera would be real telephoto — equivalent to around a 100 or 125mm lens in a 35mm camera. I’d love that. But if the other lenses remain the same, Apple would have to rely on digital zoom between 1x and 4 or 5x. That would mean a loss of resolution at the current 2x “telephoto” length. Although, Apple could do some digital magic that uses pixels from the 4x/5x to enhance the central portion of 1x image.
If I had my druthers, I’d like to see Apple drop with 0.5x “ultrawide” lens in favor of 1x, 2x, and 4 or 5x. But that’s just me — I seldom use the ultrawide lens, but other people may feel differently.
It’s also possible, although not likely, that the 4x/5x lens could offer true optical zoom.
Of course, all of this could be just rumor. One reason to be skeptical about this rumor is the fact that Apple’s reportedly using a larger sensor this year. That will require a larger lens to get the same effective focal length as last year, much less the longer focal lengths being rumored. [UPDATE: It appears that these numbers are not, in fact, correct. See comments below.]
And here’s the real question I’m wondering about — is this “Kang” the same captain who James T. Kirk and the Enterprise had run-ins with?
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