That is in no way more clear. What the above poster stated isn’t only applicable for people who know about cameras. It’s painfully obvious that 5x zoom range means 0-5 as in going from the zoomed out wide angle to the zoomed in telephoto. This entire thread is based on a disingenuous idea that it doesn’t make sense. Any reasonable person understands what that means or doesn’t care to understand what it means.
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iPhone 12 Pro WARNING before you buy: Apple is trying to hide a huge iPhone 12 camera flaw
- Thread starter flyguy5
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That is in no way more clear. What the above poster stated isn’t only applicable for people who know about cameras. It’s painfully obvious that 5x zoom range means 0-5 as in going from the zoomed out wide angle to the zoomed in telephoto. This entire thread is based on a disingenuous idea that it doesn’t make sense. Any reasonable person understands what that means or doesn’t care to understand what it means.
Except the Apple optical zoom does NOT go 0-5X. It goes -2.5X (optical zoom out) to +2.5X (optical zoom in). The 5X zoom range leads me to think 0-5X (optical zoom in), which is NOT the case.
The thread title and the statement of "flaw" is ridiculous. But the way Apple had advertised this IS misleading.
Apple in my opinion are intentionally being dishonest and misleading with their wording because the use of the wording 'zoom range' is not standard practice within the camera industry. Standard practice when selling a camera, camcorder or any device that has a camera it in is to identify the camera's 'main' zoom feature. The zoom feature is always defined as x optical zoom and x digital zoom.
In all my years of buying 35mm film camera's to digital cameras, camcorders, DSLR camera's, not a single one in it's marketing material or device specifications has ever mentioned 'zoom range'. Only when I look through the devices user manual do I see the wording used and even then it is still rare to see it.
In all my years of buying 35mm film camera's to digital cameras, camcorders, DSLR camera's, not a single one in it's marketing material or device specifications has ever mentioned 'zoom range'. Only when I look through the devices user manual do I see the wording used and even then it is still rare to see it.
Range means min to max.
I’m not seeing how this isn’t following the same standard used in advertising compact and consumer video cameras for the past two or three decades.
Edit: 1999 review of my first digital camera. 3x zoom from min to max.
Olympus C-2000Z Review
The specifications, however were impressive, the standard "2 mega" resolution of 1600 x 1200, a small compact size (only 4" / 10cm wide), fast response and processing times, good build quality and importantly a big fast F2 - F2.8 (35mm - 105mm equiv.) zoom lens.
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I appreciate OP trying to correct a possible misconception, but jeez this whole thing reminds me of one of those Gordon Kelly clickbait articles in Forbes. Just say “Apple iPhone 12 marketing needs clarification.” There is no flaw in the camera.
It's 0-5x because the Wide Angle is the starting point of the range, hence 0. Just because the camera opens at a mid zoom range doesn't mean that's the starting point.
The entire industry does it that way.
You want to get pedantic? Okay, let’s get pedantic.
Your iPhone 8+ does not have a 2x optical zoom. It doesn’t have any optical zoom. It has two fixed-focus lenses.
You’re confusing “zoom” (the ability of a lens to change focal length) with “magnification” (the ability of a lens to make images larger).
You’ve probably never seen a phone that has an actual zoom lens — a feature found only on a few oddball phones like the Motorola Hasselblad True Zoom Moto Z that have never sold very well.
The only time your 8+ actually zooms (rather than merely switching lenses) is when you use digital zoom.
Your phone doesn’t have a 2x magnification lens, either. The so-called “telephoto lens” has a 52-mm equivalent focal length. ”Equivalent” meaning that it provides the same magnification that a 52-mm lens would on a 35-mm film camera or full frame DSLR camera.
The telephoto range is usually defined as 70mm or greater on a full-frame camera. A 52-mm lens is classified as a “normal” lens because it approximates the view of the human eye.
Your 8+ has a wide-angle lens and a normal lens, not a telephoto lens. If you want to express that in terms of magnification, it has 0.5x lens and a 1x lens.
Any real camera geek will understand this. Most people won’t understand this and won’t care. They’ll just go with the (technically incorrect) marketing terms, which are used by every company in the industry and 98% of all users.
So the camera's "1X" is actually already zoomed in and not actually "1X"? Admittedly, I did not realize that, and considered "1X" to mean no zoom.
To a layperson like me, the 5X range statement makes me think it can use the optical zoom to zoom in 5 times that state of "1X" without loss in image quality. I see now what you are saying and why +/- 2.5X would not be clearer since the "1X" shown on the camera is not actually "1X" and is already in a state of zoom. Huh.
I think everyone agrees that Apple is technically correct.
its just that for normal people 5x zoom range means 5x zoom in.
I have never heard anyone say that the iPhone 11 Pro has a 3x zoom range. it was always 2x optical zoom. So it is confusing when Apple suddenly started using zoom range this year.
So Apple isn’t lying but it’s confusing for the average consumer. And it does seem like a marketing trick but that is subjective.
its just that for normal people 5x zoom range means 5x zoom in.
I have never heard anyone say that the iPhone 11 Pro has a 3x zoom range. it was always 2x optical zoom. So it is confusing when Apple suddenly started using zoom range this year.
So Apple isn’t lying but it’s confusing for the average consumer. And it does seem like a marketing trick but that is subjective.
This thread needs to be closed. If you’re dumb enough to buy a product without doing research to see if it meets your needs, than that’s on you. Simple as.
The average consumer will open up their new phone and see that it zooms all the way to 10x and think they got a bonus (if they read the spec sheet at all to begin with). I’d imagine very few people that are taking pictures of their pets/friends/family know the difference between optical and digital zoom.
But yeah, it is some marketing trickery.
Once again, the iPhone *never* zooms in optically. It can’t. It doesn’t have a zoom lens. The only way it can zoom is digitally. And no iPhone has anything close to 5x magnification, or even 3x. What you have on the iPhone 11 Pro is 0.25x, 0.5x, and 1x.
You can’t accuse Apple of marketing “trickery” and then use inaccurate terms like “zoom in” yourself.
Zoom range is a new term for many people. This thread helps them understand what Apple means. It is part of the research.
According to Apple...
iPhone
Discover the new iPhone 16e along with iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16, and iPhone 15.
www.apple.com
If “many people” means people who‘ve never shopped for a consumer camera in the last 5-10 years, you might be right. Again, every manufacturer uses the same term. The only reason ”many people” are having meltdown is because this is Apple.
Again, that is marketing speak. It is not technically correct. The iPhone *cannot* zoom in optically. It does not have a zoom lens. It has two fixed-focal length (or “prime”) lenses.
Read this, if you don’t understand the difference:
Prime vs Zoom Lenses - Everything You Need to Know
In this beginner guide, we talk about prime and zoom lenses in detail, explaining their differences, along with image samples and comparisons.
photographylife.com
So if it is "obvious" then it is hardly misleading. just saying. Sounds like you are butt hurt over them not including a feature you wanted to be included.
Besides, Apple offers a No-restock fee return policy. So if someone buys it FOR that feature, I assume that would be one of the first things they try. If it is not want they though they were buying, they have 14 days to return it and get ALL their money back. So what are they being sneaky about?
If they charged a re-stock fee or didnt offer returns at all, Id say....Maybe. But it is not a big deal.
Trying to prove a point that Apple is misleading by starting a thread with a misleading title yourself. This distracts completely from the point you are trying to make and generates a lot of discussion for all the wrong reasons.
Besides that: It makes one doubt your intentions as well. If you really want a honest constructive discussion about the subject why use misleading clickbait in your title?
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Basically, yes. When you use the wide angle it says 0.5x on the iPhone. I understand your confusion but what Apple have described as 5x zoom range is not inconsistant with how the phones work even if some people may not understand exactly what it means.
It's obvious what Apple means. It couldn't be clearer.
I'm so very tired of people doing stuff like this for youtube views.
I'm so very tired of people doing stuff like this for youtube views.
On my iPhone X the wide lense shows 1x and the telephoto says 2x. I never really paid attention but interpreted it as 1x normal and 2x as zoomed in via different optics.
Did Apple or an iPhone review ever mention zoom range before? No
Seen any reviews of a Samsung or Huawei phone mentioning zoom range? No
If you buy a zoom lens for an SLR, its range covers from the widest to most telephoto settings, i.e. 28-85mm or 70-210 is 3X (where "normal" is 50mm for 35mm full frame). This has been accepted practice for over 40 years. Same is true for phones.
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I wasn’t trying to be pedantic or offensive. I understand photography, I’ve been into it for many years.