It’s actually $130, and besides the telephoto lense and the extra 2gb of ram, you also get he LIDAR sensor for better night photos. I think it’s worth it. Answer from streettigre on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/iphone12pro › is the telephoto lens really worth it?
r/iPhone12Pro on Reddit: Is the telephoto lens really worth it?
February 19, 2021 -

Hi, I'm considering this phone over the regular 12 mostly because of the telephoto lens (and the 6gb ram although I'm sure 4 would be enough). I take a lot of pictures and tend to zoom in a lot with my phone. My current phone only has digital zoom and well the result isn't always quite pleasing. I've seen a few videos comparing but since the telephoto is just 2x I was wondering if you thought it was really worth it (considering I would save 200$ going with the regular 12). Thanks for your help!

Edit: I'm in Canada, which is why the price difference between both device is 200$CAD.

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Austin Mann
austinmann.com › trek › iphone-12-pro-camera-review-glacier
iPhone 12 Pro Camera Review — Travel Photographer - Austin Mann
February 15, 2022 - This means the lens hardware will perform slightly better in low light, and it’s also a 7-element lens, which Apple claims offers better edge-to-edge sharpness. Last year, we experienced a huge leap forward in low-light performance with the release of Night mode (software), and this year in the iPhone 12 Pro we’re getting better low-light performance from a faster Wide lens (hardware).
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People also ask

Does the iPhone 12 Pro's telephoto lens improve video recording?
The telephoto lens on the iPhone 12 Pro enhances video by allowing zoom without loss in quality when shifting between lenses. This is useful for filming distant scenes with greater clarity and stability. However, basic video recording quality remains excellent on both models [MacRumors Forums].
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smart.dhgate.com
smart.dhgate.com › home › iphone 12 pro telephoto vs iphone 12: is that zoom lens really worth the extra cash?
iPhone 12 Pro Telephoto vs iPhone 12: Is that zoom lens REALLY ...
Is the telephoto lens on the iPhone 12 Pro really worth the extra cost?
Whether the telephoto lens justifies the higher price depends on your photography needs. If you often shoot portraits or distant subjects, the optical zoom offers clearer images without digital cropping. However, for casual photo users, the wide camera on the iPhone 12 is more than sufficient for everyday snaps [MacRumors Forums].
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smart.dhgate.com
smart.dhgate.com › home › iphone 12 pro telephoto vs iphone 12: is that zoom lens really worth the extra cash?
iPhone 12 Pro Telephoto vs iPhone 12: Is that zoom lens REALLY ...
Is the telephoto lens on the iPhone 12 Pro just a fancy "zoom effect," or does it really improve photos?
It's no magic zoom trick—the telephoto lens genuinely improves photo quality by capturing more detail and better depth for portraits compared to digital zoom. So, it’s not just a fancy filter; it’s real glass doing real work [Compare Models - Apple].
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smart.dhgate.com
smart.dhgate.com › home › iphone 12 pro telephoto vs iphone 12: is that zoom lens really worth the extra cash?
iPhone 12 Pro Telephoto vs iPhone 12: Is that zoom lens REALLY ...
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MacRumors
forums.macrumors.com › iphone, ipad, and ipod touch › iphone › iphone
iPhone 12 vs 12pro: telephoto or not? | MacRumors Forums
November 2, 2020 - Automatic panorama stitching could ... of Leitz and Zeiss—optical distortion of an ultra-wide angel. ... Telephoto is welcome but not worth the price incr...
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Lux
lux.camera › iphone-12-camera-review
The Long Term iPhone 12 Camera Review
August 17, 2023 - This enables sharper shots of faraway subjects, but it’s a subtle improvement over last year’s 52mm. Prior “Pro” models ranged from 26mm to 52mm — you might know this as 1x to 2x — and the 12 Pro Max’s 26mm to 65mm equals 1x to 2.5x. The presence of any sort of telephoto lens is the most obvious difference between the Pro and Non-Pro iPhones.
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Photography Blog
photographyblog.com › reviews › apple_iphone_12_pro_review
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Review | Photography Blog
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Review
In this review, we're going to be looking at the iPhone 12 Pro, which is probably the most common device that most who have a particular interest in using their phone for photography will be drawn towards. The cameras on the rear follow on from the iPhone 11 Pro's triple camera set up. You have an ultra wide, wide and telephoto lens ...
Rating: 4.5 ​
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SANDMARC
sandmarc.com › home › telephoto 2x lens edition - iphone 12 pro
iPhone 12 Pro Telephoto Zoom Lens - SANDMARC
Telephoto 2x Lens Edition - iPhone 12 Pro
Made from premium multi-coated glass, the SANDMARC Telephoto 58mm lens gives you 2x optical magnification. The Telephoto lens is ideal for documenting the streets of everyday life, the immense height of an inner-city building, or a captivating portrait. Features the world's thinnest lens case along with a clip-on if you wish to use your own case or have no case at all. *Third-party app required. Our suggested app: ProCamera.
(4.4)
Price   US$159.99
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Quora
quora.com › Will-the-iPhone-12-Pros-telephoto-lens-improve-video-recording-I-dont-take-many-close-up-photos-so-I-think-Ill-need-it-Am-I-wrong
Will the iPhone 12 Pro's telephoto lens improve video recording? I don't take many close-up photos so I think I'll need it. Am I wrong? - Quora
Answer (1 of 3): Please read Del de la Haye excellent answer and enjoy his great photos. To add to his answer: Pros & Cons of the Telephoto vs Wide lenses on iPhone 12 Pro Pros * Telephoto lenses will create much more flattering close-ups of people as it will “flatten” their face and keep the...
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No Camera Bag
nocamerabag.com › blog › review-iphone12-pro-max
Review: iPhone 12 Pro Max from a Photography Perspective
October 1, 2023 - While the iPhone 12 Pro still has the 2x telephoto lens with an aperture of ƒ/2.0 you know from the iPhone 11 Pro, the iPhone 12 Pro Max ships with 2.5x telephoto lens with an aperture of ƒ/2.2.
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Moment
shopmoment.com › articles › iphone-12-pro-camera-review
A Hand's On Review of the iPhone 12 Pro Camera | Moment
September 2, 2025 - While the iPhone 12 pro-Max offers the same wide and ultra-wide cameras, the telephoto lens is slightly longer at 65mm. Faster apertures in all cameras are a welcome change and improve optical image stabilization.
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Dhgate
smart.dhgate.com › home › iphone 12 pro telephoto vs iphone 12: is that zoom lens really worth the extra cash?
iPhone 12 Pro Telephoto vs iPhone 12: Is that zoom lens REALLY worth the extra cash? - Smart.DHgate – Trusted Buying Guides for Global Shoppers
After a week juggling both, here’s the blunt truth: the iPhone 12 Pro's telephoto lens indeed delivers sharper zoom shots and better portrait depth compared
Published   November 4, 2025
Views   607
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SANDMARC
sandmarc.com › home › telephoto 2x lens edition - iphone 12 pro max
iPhone 12 Pro Max Telephoto Zoom Lens - SANDMARC
Telephoto 2x Lens Edition - iPhone 12 Pro Max
Made from premium multi-coated glass, the SANDMARC Telephoto 58mm lens gives you 2x optical magnification. The Telephoto lens is ideal for documenting the streets of everyday life, the immense height of an inner-city building, or a captivating portrait. Features the world's thinnest lens case along with a clip-on if you wish to use your own case or have no case at all. *Third-party app required. Our suggested app: ProCamera.
(4.4)
Price   US$159.99
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Popular Science
popsci.com › gear › phones › the iphone 12 pro max might be worth it—for the camera alone
The iPhone 12 Pro Max might be worth it—for the camera alone
March 7, 2022 - It was too dark for the f/2.2 telephoto lens and its smaller sensor to make a good-looking image, so it defaulted back to a cropped-in image from the wide-angle camera. Because it zooms to 2.5x instead of just 2x like the Pro, the image quality can actually look slightly muddier with the Pro Max. The iPhone 12 Pro telephoto camera kicked in for the zoom here rather than reverting to the main camera.
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Ken Rockwell
kenrockwell.com › apple › iphone-12-pro-max.htm
iPhone 12 Pro Max Camera Review
Home Donate New Search Gallery Reviews How-To Books Links Workshops About Contact · Sample Images Introduction Specifications
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Business Insider
businessinsider.com › reviews › tech › apple's iphone 12 pro is the iphone to get if you want an excellent camera without a gigantic screen
Apple iPhone 12 Pro Review: Camera Tests, How It Compares to iPhone 12
March 11, 2021 - Apple's iPhone 12 Pro has more to offer than the iPhone 12 when it comes to photography. That's because the Pro model has a telephoto lens and LiDAR sensor for better zooming and portraits.
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TheAppWhisperer
theappwhisperer.com › home › iphone 12 pro max camera review
iPhone 12 Pro Max Camera Review -
January 15, 2022 - Below, I was able to capture the rock formation and the rainbow with the 2.5x telephoto lens — these details would have been less noticeable with a wider lens. Since my review of the iPhone 12 Pro just a few weeks ago, the team at Halide has launched an all-new and very powerful update to their already great pro camera app: Halide Mark II.
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Matthiashaltenhof
matthiashaltenhof.com › homepage › photography gear › cameras › reviews › iphone 12 pro camera review
iPhone 12 Pro Camera Review - Matthias Haltenhof Photography
December 7, 2021 - By the way, these focal lengths correspond 1:1 with the Samsung Galaxy S10, which I currently use. In this respect, I had quite a good comparison. All three cameras have a resolution of 12 megapixels. The main camera and the telephoto camera have an image stabilizer. The apertures of the cameras range from 1.6 to 2.4. Videos it can record at 2160p and 60fps. The battery has a capacity of 2815 mAh and should thus be enough for longer photo tours. The iPhone 12 Pro is 187 grams light.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/iphone › am i the only one who prefer the 2x telephoto of the 12 pro vs the 3x telephoto of the 13 pro?
r/iphone on Reddit: Am I the only one who prefer the 2x telephoto of the 12 Pro vs the 3x telephoto of the 13 Pro?
May 20, 2022 -

I take telephoto shots quite often. And only recently I read and realized that when you shoot with the 3x zoom, the camera would sometimes use the main sensor and simply crop the image, resulting in a distinctly oversharpened and overall terrible photo. Unfortunately, you won’t know when’s the camera doing this switching. Furthermore, cropping in 3x is worse than cropping in 2x. Since the 12 Pro zooms to 2x by default, cropping the main lens image 2x isn’t worse than cropping in 3x. That might explain why I didn’t notice this cropping effect that much in my 12 Pro before. If only Apple uses the same tech as the Google Camera’s Super Res Zoom (I admit— it does a really good job with zoomed photos), then this main lens switching might not be an issue.

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Pink Fish Media
pinkfishmedia.net › forums › discussion › photo
Is the telephoto lens on iPhone pros, any good? | pink fish media
July 23, 2023 - I've been impressed with the pictures I can get from my iPhone 12 Pro, which has the three lenses on it. I think what it lacks in optical quality - ye cannae change the laws o' physics as it were - it pulls back somewhat in sheer processing grunt. For the most part I find it quite a capable little thing in good light and better than what you might have got from a dedicated compact digital camera of 10 years ago.
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Tom's Guide
tomsguide.com › phones › iphones
The best iPhone lenses in 2025 | Tom's Guide
November 25, 2025 - Read our full Moment T-Series Anamorphic lenses review ... In my testing, Sandmarc's 58mm 2x telephoto lens resulted in much better image quality than the iPhone's built-in lenses.