The new 6.1-inch iPhone 12 Pro, like the entire series, is powered by an A14 Bionic chip for fastest processing speed, fastest 5G network support to download stream and more in high quality, and Super Retina XDR display protected by a new ceramic shield for four times more durability and drop performance and new Pro Camera System with Dolby Vision support and Night mode.
Apple has differentiated the Pro models of the new flagship series by introducing the new flat edge-to-edge design in a surgical-grade stainless steel casing in exclusive Pacific Blue, Gold, Silver, and Graphite color options. The advanced camera features in the iPhone 12 Pro are Telephoto, Dolby Vision HDR video recording up to 60 fps, 4x optical zoom range, and LiDAR scanner for photography in Night mode, faster autofocus in low light, and AR experience.
Renowned professional photographer, Austin Mann put the iPhone 12 Pro’s new Pro Camera System to test at the Glacier National Park.
“With the iPhone 12 Pro in hand this week, a lot of my focus has been on Ultra Wide Night mode, LiDAR autofocus, and exploring new capabilities in the software.”
iPhone 12 Pro’s Camera Review
Mann took pictures and recorded videos in various light conditions and in wide, Ultra-wide, Night mode, and other available camera options on the new 6.1-inch Pro model and *spoiler alert, he was impressed. Here is a summary of his assessment.
Wide Camera
The new 7 elements, 26mm wide lens is designed for edge‑to‑edge sharpness and equipped with Night mode, it delivers ƒ/1.6 aperture captures 27% more light.
“Below is a 30-second exposure shot on a tripod with nearly no visible light.”
“I was also curious about the edge-to-edge sharpness of the new 7-element lens, so I shot a few tests with lots of detail at the corners of the frame and found the sharpness to be about the same as the iPhone 11 Pro.”
Ultra-Wide
A hand-held capture.
Night mode with color adjustment.
Comparison of iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro with Night mode.
“The Night mode and computational algorithms we went from “completely unusable dark frame” to “I want that on my wall.”
“In low light conditons, with Night mode, we can now use the Ultra Wide indoors at night and still produce strong frames.”
Smart HDR 3 – To Capture What the Eye Saw
In the image below, note the detail attained in the dark shadows of the rock, while also (mostly) retaining the detail in the bright, snow-capped peaks in the distance.
Extreme Low Light with Night Mode
I shot this portrait of Esther about forty-five minutes after sundown, and it was overcast, so there was very little available light. (To give you an idea, we had to use a flashlight to see our path.)
New Higher ISO capabilities – shot at ISO 5000
“The biggest revelation here is the dramatic increase of Max ISO on the Wide camera, which is now 5808 (just about double the iPhone 11 Pro’s maximum ISO of 3072). This means the sensor in the iPhone 12 Pro is substantially more sensitive to light (though image grain increases at higher ISO levels).”
iPhone 12 Pro Tech Specs by Halide
via Halide
Austin Mann’s Final Verdict
At the end of his adventure, Mann believes that the new iPhone 12 Pro camera brings drastic improvements to photos and videos with water resistance and durability.
“I’m constantly shooting in the elements (as seen in the rain and snow photos), so knowing the water resistance is now rated at IP68 (30 minutes at 6 meters deep, which is 50% better than the iPhone 11 Pro).
Shoots get crazy and gear gets thrown around — the iPhone 12 Pro is ready for it.”
Although Mann is waiting for the iPhone 12 Pro Max personally, he gives the iPhone 12 Pro camera a thumbs up.
The iPhone 12 Pro is a solid camera, and thanks to a bunch of new digital tech I found it to be slightly stronger than the already great iPhone 11 Pro —
you’re going to have a blast shooting with this year’s new iPhone camera on your next adventure.
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