With the launch of iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, Apple introduced improved camera hardware and several new software-based camera features to the lineup – which have received glowing reviews. Every year, the Cupertino tech giant gives travel photographer Austin Mann a new iPhone to see what images he can capture with it and he always uses the device to produce stunning results. This time, Mann took an iPhone 13 Pro to Tanzania.
iPhone 13 Pro camera receives a glowing review from Austin Mann
Mann recently published his annual in-depth review of the latest iPhone’s camera functions, looking at each of the device’s hardware and software upgrades including macro mode, increased telephoto zoom, and Cinematic mode. This year, Mann’s tests were performed in Ruaha National Park, Tanzania with a stock iPhone 13 Pro and a “simple handheld stabilizer.”
All of the shots featured in the review are nothing less than striking with the image above captured using iPhone 13 Pro’s telephoto lens in ProRAW format. The image was then edited on the same iPhone in Lightroom CC.
Apple introduced macro mode for the first time ever with iPhone 13 Pro. The feature is enabled by the new Ultra Wide lens, which has an f/1.8 aperture and 120-degree field of view and can focus on subjects from as little as 2cm away. Mann says the mode offers ” a new way of seeing and opens up an entirely new world of photography and storytelling.”
As a photographer passionate about the natural world, I carry a macro lens with me no matter what project I’m working on, just because I never know what tiny detail of interest might present itself. Now with the macro capability of the iPhone 13 Pro, I feel like I have my “in-a-pinch” macro shots covered and I can leave the rarely used macro lens at home.
The most significant improvement in iPhone 13 Pro’s camera system is the all-new 13 mm Ultra Wide lens with a much faster f/1.8 aperture. The upgrades to Ultra Wide lens helps reveal more detail in the dark areas of photos. Mann says while the lens does still have some edge distortion, overall sharpness has significantly improved.
The photographer also tried out the new Photographic Styles which allow users to personalize their own look for all the photos they take. Unlike filters, Photographic Styles are smartly applied as effects on different parts of an image. Photographic Styles include Vibrant, Rich Contrast, Warm or Cool. Tone and Warmth are customizable for each style.
When I first started playing with Photographic Styles, I found them to be very subtle—and now I understand how intentional that is. Dramatic shifts would surely create undesirable results, especially when applying to all images coming through the pipeline.
Check out the whole review here.
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