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

[EugW]

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.

Such reviews won't come out until the review embargo lifts. Next week? Actually, IIRC those types of tests typically aren't allowed in the first set of reviews anyway, which would mean we'd have to wait until the units are actually shipping, so we'd be looking at closer to the end of the month or even later.

 

[segfaultdotorg]

If Steve Jobs were still alive, we'd have a 300x optical zoom by now! SAD!

 

[gaximus]

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…

My guess is they moved all the processors and circuit board, so the rest of the body could be pure battery. Explains the need for a vapor chamber to move heat back down to the main part of the body.

 

[poematik13]

it's more of a camera mesa tbh

 

[Christopher Kim]

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.

Yes, I think both things are true. Apple is being a "little cheeky" by how they referred to "optical zoom" throughout the various phones... But also, as someone who has the 5x true Telephoto Optical Zoom on my 15 Pro Max, I agree too that sometimes the 5x is too much.

It really depends on what you're taking a picture of... And there have been some occasions that the 5x Zoom was great... But more of the time, especially when 90% of my camera usage is with the 1x and 2x modes on the Main Wide Angle lens, 5x felt a bit too much / not-useful. I think that 4x Optical Zoom (and 8x with the 12MP crop) might be the "goldilocks" optical zoom magnification for *most* people in *most use-cases*.

My wife has the regular size 15 Pro, with a 3x Telephoto Optical Zoom. And it feels a little "too small" of magnification before digital zoom starts...

 

[EugW]

Yes, I think both things are true. Apple is being a "little cheeky" by how they referred to "optical zoom" throughout the various phones... But also, as someone who has the 5x true Telephoto Optical Zoom on my 15 Pro Max, I agree too that sometimes the 5x is too much.

It really depends on what you're taking a picture of... And there have been some occasions that the 5x Zoom was great... But more of the time, especially when 90% of my camera usage is with the 1x and 2x modes on the Main Wide Angle lens, 5x felt a bit too much / not-useful. I think that 4x Optical Zoom (and 8x with the 12MP crop) might be the "goldilocks" optical zoom magnification for *most* people in *most use-cases*.

My wife has the regular size 15 Pro, with a 3x Telephoto Optical Zoom. And it feels a little "too small" of magnification before digital zoom starts...

I had originally thought they’d go with a 3.5X / 7X lens for conventional portraits. However, 4X / 8X also makes sense as it means a doubling at every step:

0.5X 1X 2X 4X 8X

Also, 4X is pretty close to 3.5X and can still provide decent portraits, whereas 5X sometimes can be awkwardly long for that purpose.

 

[Allen_Wentz]

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.

We are glad that you like your single very slow ultrawide to supertelephoto zoom lens; enjoy. But the complexities of Apple's three lenses and computational photography are not IMO "marketing garbage."

IMO they are a reasonable attempt to communicate what is going on in-camera in this new world of computational photography and collection of professional-quality image captures by a small flat camera system that comes with one's smartphone that easily fits into a pants pocket. What I am interested in seeing is how it all real-world works. Not the specs or the zoom-x claims, but rather the real operation.

 

[johnsawyercjs]

My guess is they moved all the processors and circuit board, so the rest of the body could be pure battery. Explains the need for a vapor chamber to move heat back down to the main part of the body.

Apparently that's true only for the 17 Air, judging from the animations Apple released.

 

[justanotherdave]

While I’m thrilled for the video upgrades in the 17 Pro (continuing the best-in-class video of the 15 & 16 Pro), an announcement from Nikon kills it.

Their new Nikon Zr camera (in partnership with RED) is pretty much a perfect fit for me and couldn’t have come at a better time.

 

[Big_D]

The make the camera "plateau", but still can't do the job properly, so that you can use the phone when it is laying on a flat surface without it wobbling from side to side? 🤦‍♂️

The 4x zoom doesn't even reach the standard 110mm that is used for much portrait photography? And 8x is just the 4x image cropped? A lot of the photography I do is wildlife and I'm usually in the 400-600mm range there, so I'll be sticking with my Sony Alpha for now, that said, the 100mm equivalent of the telephoto will probably be good for casual snapshots around town, when doing a tour etc.

 

[jennyp]

And 8x is just the 4x image cropped

If that's true how can they advertise it everywhere as 8x optical ?

(Even this site does)

 

[MayaUser]

so the A19 pro is in the The Camera Plateau? then its nice that you dont feel the heat with your fingers but with your head when talking on it? and second what vapour chamber cool since its the battery section ?!

 

[MayaUser]

The make the camera "plateau", but still can't do the job properly, so that you can use the phone when it is laying on a flat surface without it wobbling from side to side?

thats the missing thing...is still wobbles because of the camera rings...but probably less than the Air
But again, like i said on the last message its design can be flawed big time if i understand it correctly

 

[Egregius]

Anyone knows if the sensors are upgraded? Will there be an improvement in de main camera between a 15PM and the 17P? As for what I understand the 16PM doesn't always perform better than the 15PM. I wonder if it will be worth the upgrade.

 

[cjsuk]

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.

Well if it’s like the iPhone 15 pro I have, which I suspect it is, everything is over sharpened to bits and white balance is like negotiating with a crack head and if there’s anything truly low light it’ll look like Picasso ate something rather iffy and was sick all over it.

Also I’ve noticed how bloody awful the fake depth is on the computational photography. It’s quite difficult to get any subject separation at all and if you don’t want subject separation then it involves moving around all over the place and praying.

It’s just incrementally slightly less awful.

 

[cjsuk]

We are glad that you like your single very slow ultrawide to supertelephoto zoom lens; enjoy. But the complexities of Apple's three lenses and computational photography are not IMO "marketing garbage."

IMO they are a reasonable attempt to communicate what is going on in-camera in this new world of computational photography and collection of professional-quality image captures by a small flat camera system that comes with one's smartphone that easily fits into a pants pocket. What I am interested in seeing is how it all real-world works. Not the specs or the zoom-x claims, but rather the real operation.

Oh proper cameras are horribly slow and totally useless in low light… sigh.

At 375mm f/6.3. At 10000 ISO. Yes 10000. Fancy having a go at that with your 17 Pro? It’d be mush. Nikon Z50ii + kit zoom lens that.

I don’t think people realise how bad smartphone cameras are. A 15 year old entry level DSLR still destroys the highest end smartphones.

My phone stays in my pants pockets. The camera doesn’t disturb or disrupt me looking at things too or demand my attention.

Think I just unsold myself the 17P.

 

[East India Company]

or 12-megapixel 2x Telephoto

It also supports 8x zoom

Macrumors please stop calling a digital crop an optical zoom, that’s just disingenuous and a marketing whitewash.

 

[msackey]

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…

Battery

 

[svish]

Overall the camera improvements are good. However would have liked Apple to offer Dual capture photos instead of videos alone. Also for the telephoto lens, I would have preferred 120mm and then a crop zoom at 240mm. Have to see the images taken with the new cameras.

 

[Runaway Train]

1. I love you
2. The check is in the mail
3. iPhone 17 has 8X Optical Zoom

 

[amaze1499]

The bump gets bigger. It's still wobbling.

 

[Mc0]

I’m curious to see the improvements in low-light photography. During the presentation, they didn’t spend much time showcasing the night improvement, unlike previous iPhone events.

 

[RSmith2023]

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.

Those will come this week (from Apple) from professionals they have let trial the pro series phones under NDA.

Other reports from independent 3rd parties will come shortly after official release day…

Apple doesn’t do those sort of reviews up front because most of the target audience will be lost in geek-speak photography lingo. They’re just trying to sell the new phone in numbers large enough to get a bump in the stock’s share price.

 

[lusty]

Macrumors please stop calling a digital crop an optical zoom, that’s just disingenuous and a marketing whitewash.

I say lean into it and highlight that with one simple trick, the new iPhone supports 16x zoom but with an 8mp sensor or 32x zoom with a 4mp.
Heck, I reckon it’d do 1000x zoom with a 10px sensor size.

Call out their BS hard. A crop is a crop even when it is a reasonable resolution. The FOV isn’t the same as doubling the focal length, other things change as well as stuff getting bigger.

 

[johnsawyercjs]

If that's true how can they advertise it everywhere as 8x optical ?

(Even this site does)

Maybe Apple is trying to redefine the term "optical" as meaning "as good as if it were really optical". Though we won't know if that's true until people get these models in their hands and test this.