The Truth About the iPhone 17 Pro Camera

Apple promotes the iPhone 17 Pro as having 3 cameras but equivalent to 8 professional lenses, which can confuse users into thinking they can replace traditional cameras.

Apple claims the 3 cameras on the iPhone 17 Pro are equivalent to 8 professional lenses. Photo: The Verge .

Apple often makes impressive claims when introducing new iPhones, especially in the camera department. This year, the company touted the triple rear camera array on the iPhone 17 Pro as equivalent to “eight professional lenses,” while the iPhone Air only has one rear camera but is still considered a quad lens setup.

The iPhone Air, the ultra-thin model, has only one 48 MP camera, f/1.6 aperture, equivalent to 26 mm focal length. This is also the main camera of the standard iPhone 17. With the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, the main camera has a 48 MP sensor, f/1.78 aperture, 24 mm focal length, accompanied by an ultra-wide-angle camera and a 4x telephoto camera.

The notable point is how Apple “exaggerates” the number of lenses on the new iPhone models. On the iPhone Air, the tech giant said that a sensor and lens can be used at focal lengths of 26 mm, 28 mm, 35 mm, and 52 mm. At 2x zoom (52 ​​mm), the resolution drops to 12 MP. In which, the 28 mm photo is composed of many 12 MP frames and a 48 MP frame; the 35 mm photo only uses the center area of ​​the sensor.

With the iPhone 17 Pro, Apple calculates 3 lenses into 8 lenses, up from 7 lenses on last year's iPhone 16 Pro. Based on the specs, some experts believe that Apple is inferring 8 "professional" lenses including 4 focal lengths from the main camera (24mm, 28mm, 35mm, 52mm), a 100mm telephoto lens (4x), a 200mm photo (8x, 12MP from tele), a 13mm ultra-wide lens, and a macro mode using the ultra-wide camera itself.

Apple calls this “optical quality,” but it’s not really optical zoom. Traditional optical zoom requires a lens that physically changes focal length, whereas on the iPhone, it’s largely handled by computational photography. The company’s labeling of crop modes, digital zoom, and macro as “pro lenses” is more marketing than practical.

This isn’t the first time Apple has used vague language to create a sense of superiority in its products. However, Apple’s approach to increasing the number of lenses is controversial, especially among photography enthusiasts. After all, software can’t completely replace dedicated optics.

The iPhone Air may be advertised as having 4 lenses, but whether it is really equivalent to 4 professional lenses or not is still a question that users need to experience for themselves to evaluate.

Source: https://znews.vn/tuyen-bo-phong-dai-cua-apple-ve-camera-iphone-17-pro-post1584634.html