The Camera Plateau: What's New With the iPhone 17 Pro Cameras

[MacRumors]

With the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, Apple introduced a new design for the rear of the device. Instead of a camera bump, we now have a camera plateau that spans almost the entire back of the iPhone. The camera plateau houses an upgraded camera system that includes a revamped Telephoto lens.

All three of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max cameras are 48 megapixels, and there are five zoom options across the lenses.

Telephoto Lens

The 48-megapixel Fusion Telephoto lens is new, and an upgrade over the 12-megapixel Telephoto lens in the iPhone 16 Pro models. It supports 4x zoom, or a 100mm focal length equivalent. At 4x zoom, you can capture 48-megapixel images.

It also supports 8x zoom, or a 200mm focal length equivalent. 8x zoom images are limited to 12 megapixels. Apple says that the Telephoto sensor is 56 percent larger, allowing for improved performance in poor lighting conditions.

The Telephoto lens supports Hybrid Focus Pixels, 3D sensor-shift optical image stabilization and autofocus, and it has the tetraprism design that Apple introduced last year.

The 8x optical zoom can be expanded to 40x digital zoom. It doesn't quite match the 100x zoom that Samsung's smartphones are known for, but it does expand the zoom range compared to prior iPhones.

Wide Lens

The 48-megapixel wide-angle lens, or Fusion Main lens as Apple refers to it, hasn't changed much compared to the iPhone 16 Pro.

You can take 24-megapixel or 48-megapixel images at the standard 24mm focal length, or 12-megapixel 2x Telephoto images at a 48mm focal length.

Features include second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100 percent Focus Pixels, and an f/1.78 aperture.

Ultra Wide-Angle Lens

Apple calls the 48-megapixel ultra wide lens the Fusion Ultra Wide. It has a 13mm focal length, an f/2.2 aperture, and a 120 degree field of view. It supports taking close-up 48-megapixel macro shots, and has support for what Apple calls Hybrid Focus Pixels.

LiDAR and Flash

At the right side of the camera plateau, there's an Adaptive True Tone Flash and LiDAR Scanner.

Other Camera Features

Other camera technology that Apple has introduced over the years is included.

• Photonic Engine - Combines the best pixels from a high-resolution image and an image optimized for light capture, producing a 24-megapixel image with detail sourced from an image twice the resolution. The Photonic Engine kicks in for low light images.
• Deep Fusion - Works in mid to low lighting conditions and brings out the texture and detail in the image. It improves images with medium lighting.
• Smart HDR 5 - Recognizes one or more people in a scene and optimizes contrast, lighting, and skin tones so everyone looks their best.
• Portrait images with Focus and Depth Control - You don't need to choose Portrait mode before capturing an image to get a portrait shot. You can just snap a photo, and if there's a person or a pet, depth information is collected and Portrait mode is enabled automatically with a blurred background. It works for Night mode, too.
• Portrait Lighting - Changes the lighting of Portrait mode photos with effects that include Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, and High-Key Mono.
• Night mode - Takes a series of images over a few seconds and aggregates them to allow for photography in extreme low lighting situations.
• Panorama - Captures panoramic shots that are up to 63 megapixels in size.
• Photographic Styles (including a new Bright option this year) - Photographic Styles are filters that you can apply before an image is captured, previewing them as you take a shot.
• Spatial photos and videos - Videos and photos captured in spatial mode can be viewed in 3D on the Vision Pro.
• ProRAW - A pro video recording option.
• Lens correction (for the Ultra Wide) - Eliminates distortion.
• Auto image stabilization - Corrects for camera shake.
• Burst mode - Allows a series of images to be captured all at once, which is good for high-action shots.

Video Capabilities

The iPhone 17 Pro models support recording 4K Dolby Vision video at up to 120 frames per second.

4K 120fps ProRes video recording is available with an external storage device attached, and the iPhone 17 Pro models support ProRes RAW recording, a new feature this year. There's also support for Apple Log 2 and Genlock video synchronization, pro features aimed at filmmakers.

Apple added a Dual Capture feature that records from the front and back cameras at the same time. Dual Capture supports up to 4K Dolby Vision recording at 30 frames per second.

Other video features that Apple has added over the years are also available.

• Cinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps for keeping the focus on the main subject while you move
• Action mode up to 2.8K Dolby Vision at 60 fps for enhancing stabilization to reduce shake
• Spatial video recording at 1080p at 30 fps, with spatial audio
• Academy Color Encoding System
• Macro video recording, including slo-mo and time-lapse
• 1080p Slo-mo support at up to 240 fps, or 4K Dolby Vision at 120 fps
• Time-lapse
• QuickTake
• Digital zoom up to 15x
• Cinematic video stabilization
• Continuous autofocus video
• Audio Mix and wind noise reduction

Front Camera

Apple added a new 18-megapixel Center Stage front-facing camera for selfies and video calls. It has an f/1.8 aperture, and as the name suggests, it supports Center Stage. Center Stage is the feature that keeps you in frame during video calls as you move around.

The updated front camera sensor is larger and it is square-shaped, which means more can fit in the frame than before. You can even take front-facing cameras in landscape or portrait mode without rotating your phone. Apple also improved stabilization when capturing video.

Dual Capture video works with both the front and rear cameras, so you can record a scene and your reaction at the same time.

Other iPhones

The iPhone 17 Pro models are the only devices that have the three-camera setup. The standard iPhone 17 has a dual-lens camera setup with wide and ultra-wide lenses, while the iPhone Air has a single-lens camera that's... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: The Camera Plateau: What's New With the iPhone 17 Pro Cameras

 

[Justin Cymbal]

Panorama - Captures panoramic shots that are up to 63 megapixels in size

By far the best feature on the camera

I take panorama pictures all the time when I travel

 

[cjsuk]

Soooo “8x optical zoom” is a lie. It’s a 2x crop on a default 48MP sensor at 4x fixed leaving 12MP.

My camera is 21MP at 18mm and 375mm and every mm between. THAT is the definition of optical zoom.

Fed up of this marketing garbage.

 

[Spanky Deluxe]

I'm really interested to try out the 4x zoom lens. I was really disappointed with the previous 5x zoom because I'd grown to absolutely adore the previous 3x zoom, which was amazing for candid portrait photos of people and pets. The 5x zoom in my current iPhone is just too much of a zoom so you can't frame anything well and the optical resolution was just not as good particularly in low light settings. While 4x isn't the 3x level that I'd found to be 'perfect' before, it's at least a step in the right direction. Fingers crossed.

 

[EugW]

Has anyone confirmed yet if the 17 Pro ultra-wide and telephoto can both output 24 MP images?
The 16 Pro ultra-wide could not output 24 MP images.
However, the 17 (non-Pro) ultra-wide can output 24 MP images.

iPhone 17:

iPhone 17 Pro:

 

[nordique]

it appears the ultra wide and main lens are identical to 16 pro models.

only changes seem to be front camera and telephoto

this would also make sense why apple did not spend any time discussing these lenses during their video

 

[Yammabot]

Bla bla bla camera bla bla bla iPhone bla bla bla. That’s all I heard. What about Apple TV? How about the new trackers, updated HomePod mini’s? How about matter compatibility? Is anyone else tired of endless waiting for stuff that never materializes. Then being fed mindnumbingly incremental updates?

 

[Return Zero]

I get it now…

iPhone 16e = camera bump
iPhone 17 = camera mesa
iPhone 17 Air = camera butte
iPhone 17 Pro = camera plateau

 

[Astuces iOS]

Bro now it's like 500$ CAD + TAX more expensive than the base iPhone... Unless you need to record in 4k 120 ips pro res raw with 8x zoom... get the 17 base

 

[Astuces iOS]

I get it now…

iPhone 16e = camera bump
iPhone 17 = camera mesa
iPhone 17 Air = camera butte
iPhone 17 Pro = camera plateau

Remember the iPhone 5s?

 

[jecowa]

Anyone else think the square sensor on the front camera is stupid? It’s an unnecessary compromise for lazy photographers. Unless you’re taking a square photo or for some reason you are unable to rotate your camera, a rectangular sensor would be a better use of the sensor space.

 

[Return Zero]

Remember the iPhone 5s?

Yes, still my favorite design ever!

 

[Levithescienceguy]

Anyone else think the square sensor on the front camera is stupid? It’s an unnecessary compromise for lazy photographers. Unless you’re taking a square photo or for some reason you are unable to rotate your camera, a rectangular sensor would be a better use of the sensor space.

When taking a group selfie, if you tilt the camera horizontally, people are no longer looking at the camera. Having a square sensor fixes that.

 

[Populus]

I want to know what’s below the plateau! What’s under that engraved aluminum protrusion? I need to know… I guess I’ll have to wait until the first teardowns…

I think Apple placed there the wireless chips and antennas, but I wonder if the logic board and the SoC can fit there as well or not…

 

[dustmat]

Why couldn’t the lenses have been flush with the plateau? Now there’s two layers of bump.

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

1. no 1" sensor or increase size. bummer

2. I wished they gave us an option for AI zoom at higher magnifications, like google did , it looks great imo

also it still uses smart hdr 5?

 

[Love-hate 🍏 relationship]

By far the best feature on the camera

I take panorama pictures all the time when I travel

how many mp was previous year's pano?

 

[johnsawyercjs]

Bla bla bla camera bla bla bla iPhone bla bla bla. That’s all I heard. What about Apple TV? How about the new trackers, updated HomePod mini’s? How about matter compatibility? Is anyone else tired of endless waiting for stuff that never materializes. Then being fed mindnumbingly incremental updates?

Those products weren't mentioned since this event was Apple's usual September announcement that focuses mainly on iPhones and Apple Watches, and a few other new products. Those other products are typically introduced in either an October event, or just released and described on Apple's website and in press releases some time before the end of the year.

 

[johnsawyercjs]

I get it now…

iPhone 16e = camera bump
iPhone 17 = camera mesa
iPhone 17 Air = camera butte
iPhone 17 Pro = camera plateau

But to be truly inline with this geological lineup, the 16e would have a camera hill, or maybe a camera rise

 

[EugW]

Why couldn’t the lenses have been flush with the plateau? Now there’s two layers of bump.

Unless you're rocking something like a 1/2.55" main camera sensor, you aren't going to get such a design. However, if you went with such a beast, that would be a downgrade in image quality. For a 16e, that's fine, but not so much for a 17 Pro Max.

If you look at the previous 16 or 16 Pro / Max, they also have a two-layer bump.

 

[johnsawyercjs]

I want to know what’s below the plateau! What’s under that engraved aluminum protrusion? I need to know… I guess I’ll have to wait until the first teardowns…

I think Apple placed there the wireless chips and antennas, but I wonder if the logic board and the SoC can fit there as well or not…

In some of Apple's AI-generated videos of the internals of the iPhone 17 Pro models floating in space and moving around as they self-assemble, the shots show the usual logic board sitting lower down inside the housing, with the A19 SOC chip itself closer to the middle back, and the new camera plateaus contain mainly the camera hardware rather than any chips that have normally been located on the logic board and other boards inside the iPhone.

But in the iPhone Air, apparently much of the circuitry has been placed inside its plateau, since it doesn't have as much camera hardware as the multi-camera models have, and the extra space this gains in the body of the housing has been filled mostly with the Air's battery and the vapor chamber.

 

[jimbobb24]

Can it add the person taking the photo? Can it take 5 group photos and select the best smiles on each person and seamlessly put them all together. Apple you are amazing but i am starting to get real jealous of the camera features on your competitors.

 

[NachoNoir]

Anyone else think the square sensor on the front camera is stupid? It’s an unnecessary compromise for lazy photographers. Unless you’re taking a square photo or for some reason you are unable to rotate your camera, a rectangular sensor would be a better use of the sensor space.

You're not wrong, but it's a matter of convenience. Given the casual nature of the front camera pictures, most people won't care if their rectangular crop from a square sensor is 12Mp or 18Mp, or the difference in quality from using more of the lens area, even more if they're going to share their picture on social media or just see it on their phones. What they will notice, though, is that they took the picture easily and conveniently regardless of picture orientation.

As much as I despise some of the marketing used by apple in the back cameras and the lack of upgrades in the main (wide) and ultrawide units, I think they made a really good decision in implementing the square sensor in the front camera system.

 

[incoherent_1]

Soooo “8x optical zoom” is a lie. It’s a 2x crop on a default 48MP sensor at 4x fixed leaving 12MP.

My camera is 21MP at 18mm and 375mm and every mm between. THAT is the definition of optical zoom.

Fed up of this marketing garbage.

Exactly this. It's false marketing. I really don't know how they can get away with it. Anyone with a basic understanding of optical vs. digital zoom should see right through this bs.

 

[hlovatt]

With the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max, Apple introduced a new design for the rear of the device. Instead of a camera bump, we now have a camera plateau that spans almost the entire back of the iPhone. The camera plateau houses an upgraded camera system that includes a revamped Telephoto lens.

All three of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max cameras are 48 megapixels, and there are five zoom options across the lenses.

Telephoto Lens

The 48-megapixel Fusion Telephoto lens is new, and an upgrade over the 12-megapixel Telephoto lens in the iPhone 16 Pro models. It supports 4x zoom, or a 100mm focal length equivalent. At 4x zoom, you can capture 48-megapixel images.

It also supports 8x zoom, or a 200mm focal length equivalent. 8x zoom images are limited to 12 megapixels. Apple says that the Telephoto sensor is 56 percent larger, allowing for improved performance in poor lighting conditions.

The Telephoto lens supports Hybrid Focus Pixels, 3D sensor-shift optical image stabilization and autofocus, and it has the tetraprism design that Apple introduced last year.

The 8x optical zoom can be expanded to 40x digital zoom. It doesn't quite match the 100x zoom that Samsung's smartphones are known for, but it does expand the zoom range compared to prior iPhones.

Wide Lens

The 48-megapixel wide-angle lens, or Fusion Main lens as Apple refers to it, hasn't changed much compared to the iPhone 16 Pro.

You can take 24-megapixel or 48-megapixel images at the standard 24mm focal length, or 12-megapixel 2x Telephoto images at a 48mm focal length.

Features include second-generation sensor-shift optical image stabilization, 100 percent Focus Pixels, and an f/1.78 aperture.

Ultra Wide-Angle Lens

Apple calls the 48-megapixel ultra wide lens the Fusion Ultra Wide. It has a 13mm focal length, an f/2.2 aperture, and a 120 degree field of view. It supports taking close-up 48-megapixel macro shots, and has support for what Apple calls Hybrid Focus Pixels.

LiDAR and Flash

At the right side of the camera plateau, there's an Adaptive True Tone Flash and LiDAR Scanner.

Other Camera Features

Other camera technology that Apple has introduced over the years is included.

• Photonic Engine - Combines the best pixels from a high-resolution image and an image optimized for light capture, producing a 24-megapixel image with detail sourced from an image twice the resolution. The Photonic Engine kicks in for low light images.
  
• Deep Fusion - Works in mid to low lighting conditions and brings out the texture and detail in the image. It improves images with medium lighting.
  
• Smart HDR 5 - Recognizes one or more people in a scene and optimizes contrast, lighting, and skin tones so everyone looks their best.
  
• Portrait images with Focus and Depth Control - You don't need to choose Portrait mode before capturing an image to get a portrait shot. You can just snap a photo, and if there's a person or a pet, depth information is collected and Portrait mode is enabled automatically with a blurred background. It works for Night mode, too.
  
• Portrait Lighting - Changes the lighting of Portrait mode photos with effects that include Natural, Studio, Contour, Stage, Stage Mono, and High-Key Mono.
  
• Night mode - Takes a series of images over a few seconds and aggregates them to allow for photography in extreme low lighting situations.
  
• Panorama - Captures panoramic shots that are up to 63 megapixels in size.
  
• Photographic Styles (including a new Bright option this year) - Photographic Styles are filters that you can apply before an image is captured, previewing them as you take a shot.
  
• Spatial photos and videos - Videos and photos captured in spatial mode can be viewed in 3D on the Vision Pro.
  
• ProRAW - A pro video recording option.
  
• Lens correction (for the Ultra Wide) - Eliminates distortion.
  
• Auto image stabilization - Corrects for camera shake.
  
• Burst mode - Allows a series of images to be captured all at once, which is good for high-action shots.

Video Capabilities

The iPhone 17 Pro models support recording 4K Dolby Vision video at up to 120 frames per second.

4K 120fps ProRes video recording is available with an external storage device attached, and the iPhone 17 Pro models support ProRes RAW recording, a new feature this year. There's also support for Apple Log 2 and Genlock video synchronization, pro features aimed at filmmakers.

Apple added a Dual Capture feature that records from the front and back cameras at the same time. Dual Capture supports up to 4K Dolby Vision recording at 30 frames per second.

Other video features that Apple has added over the years are also available.

• Cinematic mode up to 4K Dolby Vision at 30 fps for keeping the focus on the main subject while you move
  
• Action mode up to 2.8K Dolby Vision at 60 fps for enhancing stabilization to reduce shake
  
• Spatial video recording at 1080p at 30 fps, with spatial audio
  
• Academy Color Encoding System
  
• Macro video recording, including slo-mo and time-lapse
  
• 1080p Slo-mo support at up to 240 fps, or 4K Dolby Vision at 120 fps
  
• Time-lapse
  
• QuickTake
  
• Digital zoom up to 15x
  
• Cinematic video stabilization
  
• Continuous autofocus video
  
• Audio Mix and wind noise reduction

Front Camera

Apple added a new 18-megapixel Center Stage front-facing camera for selfies and video calls. It has an f/1.8 aperture, and as the name suggests, it supports Center Stage. Center Stage is the feature that keeps you in frame during video calls as you move around.

The updated front camera sensor is larger and it is square-shaped, which means more can fit in the frame than before. You can even take front-facing cameras in landscape or portrait mode without rotating your phone. Apple also improved stabilization when capturing video.

Dual Capture video works with both the front and rear cameras, so you can record a scene and your reaction at the same time.

Other iPhones

The iPhone 17 Pro models are the only devices that have the three-camera setup. The standard iPhone 17 has a dual-lens camera setup with wide and ultra-wide lenses, while the iPhone Air has a single-lens camera that's... Click here to read rest of article

Article Link: The Camera Plateau: What's New With the iPhone 17 Pro Cameras

Anyone seen a real review of the new cameras, testing colour accuracy and actual resolution (lp/mm, Siemens Star, ISO 12233, etc.), instead of people just quoting specs or just saying they think the photos look great.