Nice overview by DPReview: https://www.dpreview.com/articles/8984493713/iphone-17-pro-air-16e-compared-photography
Videos
According to gsmarena:
17 Pro main camera:
48 MP, f/1.6, 24mm (wide), 1/1.28", 1.22µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS
17 base main camera:
48 MP, f/1.6, 26mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, sensor-shift OIS
17 Pro seems to have a larger sensor size? Is this right?
I stumbled across this chart comparing iPhone camera sensor sizes and it’s interesting to see how far we’ve come but also how backwards Apple has gone with the 16e.
A sensor the size of the iPhone XS with 4 times more but smaller pixels just seems wrong. And I know it’s a “budget” iPhone and that it does pixel binning, but it makes me wonder how Apple is relying way more on software rather than hardware here.
Anyone else thinking the same thing?
I couldn't find any "actual" iPhone 17 Pro/Max camera specs anywhere online to so I thought it would post it here.
| Camera | Actual Specs * | Sensor Size ** | Crop Factor *** | FF Equiv. Specs | FF Equiv. Specs (Rounded) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultra Wide Angle (0.5x) | 2.22mm f/2.2 | 1/2.55 Type (base ISO 15) | 5.86x (13/2.22) | 13mm f/12.9 | ~13mm f/11 |
| Wide Angle (1x) | 6.765mm f/1.78 | 1/1.28 Type (base ISO 54) | 3.55x (24/6.765) | 24mm f/6.3 | ~24mm f/5.6 |
| Telephoto (4x) | 16.8906mm f/2.79883 | 1/2.55 Type (base ISO 15) | 5.92x (100/16.8906) | 100mm f/16.6 | 100mm f/16 |
* The actual camera lens specs for the new iPhone 17 Pro verified with Lightroom
** The sensor size is taken from PetaPixel's review of the phone. The base ISO was found in Halide/Moment apps
*** The crop factor of the 3 cameras calculated using some simple math comparing the actual focal length to the advertised full frame equivalent focal length
P.S. I'm a semi-pro photographer and have been shooting for about 20 years. I currently shoot with a Canon R6 II + 24-70mm f/2.8 and 70-200 f/2.8 for travel/events/weddings/etc. I was looking to get the new iPhone 17 Pro instead of getting a dedicated pocket camera (~1 inch type sensor size) and to upgrade from an iPhone 13 mini so I wanted to know what "look" I'd get with the iPhone 17 Pro.
Is it true that 17 pro uses the same main sensor as the 16 pro ? I am confused. Have read that it has the same sensor and have read that it has a newer bigger sensor . What’s the case ?
Hi all,
I’m thinking of upgrading from my iPhone 13. I’ll probably go for the base model 17 as I think it’s the best value for money. One thing that draws me to the pro is the telephoto lens offering much superior zoom but I don’t think that alone is worth an extra £300.
When comparing the 17 and 17 pro on the Apple Store, I noticed what looks like a discrepancy in the optical zoom specs for the 17. In the summary part it states the 17 has up to 2x optical zoom, but then in the “more details” section further down, it states it also has 5x optical zoom.
Is this just an error in the details on the App Store or am I misunderstanding something? If the 17 really has 5x optical zoom then that makes my decision a lot easier but unfortunately I doubt that’s the case.
Any help of clarification is appreciated!
I recently purchased a iPhone 17 Pro Max.
I noticed the camera zoom options are 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 4x & 8x. I am wondering which zoom options correlate to a dedicated lens and which are sensor crops of another lens.
There are 3 lenses on the back of the phone.
I believe the 0.5x is a optical lens using the ultra-wide lens.
The 1x also appears to be a purely optical lens using the wide/primary lens.
However, when I am using 1x, and if I obscure the lens, the iPhone will automatically switch to the 0.5x (ultra-wide lens) and crop accordingly, so this would mean the 1x is only an optical lens if the 1x lens is available? If not, there must be some sensor cropping of the 0.5 lens taking place.
Another point that indicates the 1x is not a solely a dedicated lens is when I double tap on the 1x the zoom changes from 28mm to 35mm, slightly zooming in while still apparently using the same lens. I am assuming this must be a sensor crop.
The 2x uses the same lens as the 1x, so the 2x must is a sensor crop of the 1x lens.
The 4x appears to be an optical lens using the telephoto lens.
The 4x and 8x appear to use the same lens, so I would have to assume the 8x is a sensor crop of the 4x lens.
However, if you obscure either the 4x or the 8x, the iPhone will switch automatically to another lens in what must be a sensor crop. So the 4x is only a dedicated lens if it is not obscured?
Would someone more informed than me please educate me on this subject? Have I got this right?
Also, is there a way to prevent the iPhone from doing any sensor crops at all? In order to maximize the true image resolution and avoid any software pixel interpolation?
Thank you.
From digging around the Internet, I’ve gathered the following assumptions about what impact to photo quality choosing the different lenses has. Please help me understand where I’m correct and not.
For best image quality… Choose the actual 0.5x (13mm equivalent focal length), 1x (24mm), and 4x (100mm) lenses for essentially optical quality results.
For next-to-best quality… Choose 2x (48mm) and 8x (200mm) for cropped digital zoom results that are enhanced with software improvements in the camera’s engine.
For worst-quality… Choose the slider and do not stop at the predetermined values. Is this just digital zoom without software enhancements? Examples: 3x, 5x, 40x, etc.
I’m not sure what happens when you choose the custom 1.2x (28mm) and 1.5x (35mm) in terms of photo quality. Is this just plain digital zoom or is it enhanced with software? It seems odd to me that these options can be turned off in settings, whereas turning the slider to an arbitrary value (or pinch-zooming) cannot be.
Also, where does Macro fit into this? Thanks!
If your iPhone is your main or only camera, the iPhone 17 Pro is for you.
(1) Budget, country, and currency: 300 - 600 USD, USA, USD
(2) What equipment, if any, you have now and why is it no longer meeting your needs? I have an iPhone 11 pro and its camera sucks (specially nowadays where everyone seems to have a nice camera). I really want (and need) a nice camera for one main reason: traveling.
(3) What kinds of subjects do you intend to shoot? So I need a compact camera that fits in my pocket (that’s why the point and shoot) to take pictures of nature, buildings, people, etc.
(4) Is it primarily for photography, videography, or both? Both, but mainly photography
First of all, sorry for the noob question.
Even though the iPhone 17 pro hasn’t been released yet, so we can’t know for sure how it is going to be, we have its specs:
All three rear cameras are 48MP Fusion sensors (Main, Ultra Wide, Telephoto).
The Telephoto now supports 8x optical zoom (200mm equiv.) and 4x (100mm) with the 48MP sensor.
Front: 18MP Center Stage with a square sensor for high-res photos/videos in any orientation, plus ultra-stabilized 4K HDR.
My budget for the camera would be around 300 - 600 usd. I was mainly considering getting an used (but refurbished) Sony rx100 mark I. But if you have any other suggestions, I would gladly accept them.
So the questions are: should I get the new iPhone 17 pro or a point and shoot camera? Which one is going to be able to provide better image quality? Is the rx100 too obsolete? Will Apple be able to kill the compact camera market? It looks like they’re trying, at least.