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Apple's recent release, the iPhone 12, puts a greater emphasis on features specifically designed for the camera...
1. Is the iPhone 12 the smartphone with the top-notch camera in 2020?
The iPhone 12, just unveiled by Apple, focuses more on features tailored for the camera, showcasing the company's efforts to attract photo and video enthusiasts. Let's explore 7 reasons that make the iPhone 12 the smartphone with the top-notch camera in 2020!
Sharp camera cluster
The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini feature a dual-camera system similar to the iPhone 11, with both the main and wide-angle cameras boasting a 12MP resolution. However, the main camera cluster of the iPhone 12 has a 7-element lens with an f/1.6 aperture, slightly wider than the f/1.8 aperture on the iPhone 11.
With this camera cluster, the iPhone 12 excels in low-light photography, combining AI technology and the Deep Fusion feature to capture clear images in low-light and complex lighting environments, reducing noise and enhancing image quality.
With the iPhone 12 Pro, in addition to similar upgrades in the main camera, the device also includes a LiDAR sensor, capable of scanning the surrounding environment to measure distances to objects and create depth maps. The iPhone 12 Pro can achieve 4x optical zoom, thanks to the difference in focal lengths between the ultra-wide (13mm) and telephoto (52mm) lenses.
Among the 4 iPhone 12 models, the iPhone 12 Pro Max boasts the most significant camera upgrade. Despite having a 12MP resolution, the iPhone 12 Pro Max's sensor is 47% larger than that of the iPhone 12 Pro, allowing for better low-light performance with an 87% improvement in low-light scenarios.
Computational photography tricks
Google has been a pioneer in computational photography, eliminating the lead in image quality that Apple's early iPhones held for many years. With the iPhone 11, Apple incorporated some techniques from Google, calling it Smart HDR, a related technology named Deep Fusion that combines frames for better detail and texture, especially in low-light conditions.
On the iPhone 12, the Deep Fusion technology is executed through all the main components in the A14 Bionic chip, including the CPU, image signal processor, graphics processor, neural engine, and other elements. The result is that iPhone portrait photos work even in Night Mode, a feature Google recently added to the Pixel 5.
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range - the ability to capture details in dark areas without turning bright areas into a messy blur. It's designed to capture details like glossy faces better, and it uses machine learning to assess processing options such as enhancing brightness in dim areas.
Improved iPhone Camera Hardware
Larger sensors on the iPhone 12 models (47% larger than the main camera sensor on the iPhone 11) have helped increase pixel size. As a result, it gathers more light for better color, less noise, and improved low-light performance.
Additionally, the Pro version can stabilize images by changing the sensor without relying entirely on lens components, allowing users to capture photos with an exposure time of just 2 seconds - a surprisingly low figure.
Night Mode Shooting Standard Without Adjustment
More interestingly, perhaps, is the improvement in night mode, allowing for sharper and better-exposed images. A night mode photo taken with the iPhone 12 Pro Max can even capture a star-filled sky.
Photos taken with the iPhone 12 Pro Max
Smooth Video Recording with HDR 10-bit
The iPhone is the first device to allow 10-bit HDR video recording, combining Dolby Vision technology for shooting and editing directly on the iPhone. Therefore, videos will have more colors and are easier to edit.
All iPhone 12 models also benefit from the wider f/1.6 aperture on the main camera, improving low-light performance. Moreover, the ultra-wide camera now features optical image stabilization, enhancing video recording with better color and brightness, and supporting Dolby Vision HDR video technology.
Video editing capabilities with Dolby Vision on the iPhone 12 Pro Max. Source: Apple.
The iPhone 12 Pro models can record HDR at 60 frames per second (fps), a feat that the iPhone 12 and 12 mini can only achieve at 30 fps. The Pro version also allows recording 4K and 1080p videos at 60 fps, but slow-motion 1080p videos are limited to 240 fps.
Advanced LiDAR Sensor Integration
This is the sensor present on the iPhone 12 Pro Max camera setup; it's a depth-sensing sensor. The LiDAR can completely scan the entire object in front to create a 3D map.
When applied to scanning photography, LiDAR captures the entire subject, objects in front, and even those behind to blur the background better. As a result, bokeh photos become more realistic. Compared to current depth-sensing sensors on smartphones, LiDAR surpasses them significantly.
Simulated 3D space scan image from LiDAR. Source: Apple.
Besides applications in augmented reality (AR) technology, the LiDAR sensor helps achieve faster low-light focusing up to 6 times, as well as supporting portrait shots in low-light mode. According to Apple, a wider aperture will help the sensor capture 27% more light. In theory, a wider aperture results in brighter images, less noise, better low-light shots, and a thinner depth of field.
Enhancing Image Processing Quality with ProRAW Format
Specifically for the iPhone 12 Pro models, there's another computational photography technique that Apple calls ProRAW. iPhones and Android phones have been able to capture RAW photos for many years, an unprocessed photo solution for photographers to decide how best to edit the image.
Apple states that ProRAW combines Apple's computational photography features with the RAW format, allowing photographers to benefit from reduced noise and high dynamic range while retaining the flexibility of RAW images. It's similar to the RAW photo technology that Google introduced with the Pixel 3 in 2018.
