How to get the most out of iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max cameras
If you’re paying hundreds of extra dollars for a Pro or Pro Max version of the iPhone 12So you want to make sure you get what you pay for, and taking advantage of the extra photo-taking capabilities is a key part of that. Here are the features you get and how to get the most from them.
The iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max have three rear cameras compared to the two on the iPhone 12 and the iPhone 12 Mini. The additional lens is a telephoto lens, which means you get 2x optical zoom on the Pro and 2.5x on the Pro Max (for a total optical range of 4x and 5x, respectively).
It should be noted that the Pro Max has a slightly better setup than the Pro, aside from the larger optical zoom range – its 12MP main sensor is larger, which helps capture more light and improve low light photography. , and the sensor itself adjusts its position to counter camera shake, rather than fixing it with software afterwards.
There is also a LiDAR scanner on board, a technology we have explored. here. This is basically an upgrade to your iPhone’s depth-sensing capabilities, so augmented reality apps are more accurate and the camera’s autofocus can pick a point in space and fix it faster (especially in low light.).
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Most of the time, the benefits of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max cameras are automatically applied in the background – there are no settings buttons to toggle and no features to activate. However, it is worth knowing the main benefits and where you will see the biggest improvements.
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Implement zoom
You’ll notice an additional zoom option when loading the Camera app on the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max models, compared to other iPhone 12 variants. Instead of a 0.5x and 1x option, you will see a 2x option for the iPhone. 12 Pro and a 2.5x option for the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
The benefits of the extra optical zoom are obvious: Even if you can’t get physically close to what you’re filming, whether it’s a music concert scene or a bird in your garden, the iPhone’s camera can help. . The image stabilization built into the iPhone 12 Pro Max should also help at higher zoom levels.
It’s worth noting that the Pro Max’s longer telephoto lens means it collects less light. If you use the 2.5x zoom in low light conditions, Apple’s native camera app will switch to crop a photo taken with the primary lens to keep noise levels low while retaining the zoom effect. , if you want to continue using the 2.5x telephoto zoom for some reason, you’ll need a third-party app that gives you full control (like Halide, which the developers have explained the camera switch
).
The usual rules for zoom shooting apply: Keep the camera as stable as possible, using a tripod or other support if possible. The improved shutter speed and anti-shake technologies of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max should help you here, but you can also take steps to make sure you get a great shot every time. .
Night photos
All iPhone 12 models perform very well when it comes to taking low-light photos, but with its larger sensor, the iPhone 12 Pro Max will give you the best results. There is no dedicated night mode in the iOS camera app, but it should automatically activate when you shoot something in low light conditions.
You will see a yellow icon appear on the shutter screen with the night mode enabled, and the Apple software will choose an exposure time depending on the scene you are watching (this will appear on the more night icon). The longer the exposure time, the more light can penetrate the photo, but the longer it takes to keep the camera steady (again, the Pro Max’s auto-correcting sensor can make a difference here. ).
If you want to let in as much light as possible and are confident in your ability to keep the phone still, or if you have a tripod, tap the yellow night mode icon and you can adjust the exposure time manually. , up to a maximum of three seconds. In some cases, it may be useful to replace the Camera app to capture more detail.
Switch to Portrait mode using the selector next to the shutter button and you can get some really well evaluated background blur effects thanks to the advanced depth detection that LiDAR does: it is better able to identify the edge between subjects and the background for laser scanning, as demonstrated by Ben Lovejoy in 9to5Mac.
Add additional LiDAR
We have already mentioned how LiDAR can help with night photography and portraits, and its superior depth detection is one of the main ways to improve your photos on Pro cameras without doing anything – it’s faster and more accurate than sensors. ToF (time of flight) included in many other phones.
You’ll see it in enhanced portraits and faster focusing in low light. However, the main benefit of adding LiDAR to a phone’s camera is not to improve the images you can get, but rather to add extra speed and precision to augmented reality applications. At the moment, there aren’t a ton of AR apps you can install to test this out, but we’ll see more and more pop up over time.
The Measure app ships with your iPhone and offers a quick and easy way to test AR, although the differences in speed and accuracy aren’t immediately apparent. Point the Measure app at a person, making sure their full frame is included in the camera’s viewfinder, and after a second or two you should see the app give you an estimate of their height, thanks to the Integrated LiDAR.
Applications like Scandy Pro 3D scanner, RoomScan LiDARYes Snapchat It may also give you an idea of how effective LiDAR scanning is on the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max – Snapchat developers have promised an AR filter that specifically takes advantage of LiDAR on Apple’s more expensive 2020 iPhones, although we still hope that unfolds.
Using ProRAW Mode
The arrival of Apple ProRAW mode is a great update for iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max users, providing more control for serious photographers. Formato RAW Photos have been available on phones for years, minimizing any processing or effects added by software and giving users access to the “ raw ” data captured by image sensors, although in ProRAW’s case, Apple is trying. to provide us with the best of both worlds.
This means that it applies some iPhone processing magic to the image, like Deep Fusion and Smart HDR, while giving photographers the greatest possible flexibility to adjust white balance, tint, color, etc. etc. in an image editor. “ProRAW gives you all the standard RAW information, as well as Apple Image Pipeline data,” Apple explained.
As of this writing, ProRAW has just released the beta of iOS 14.3, although it may have been fully deployed by the time you read this. To activate it you have to go to Camera
The feature is just released, so we’re waiting to see exactly what a difference it makes for photos and workflows. In fact, you can capture images from iPhone in a more conventional RAW format, you only need a third-party app to do it:VSCO, Dark roomYes Snapseed They are among those with the necessary functionality.