The camera modes built into your iPhone and iPad help you take the ideal photo or video. Swipe left or right on the camera screen to switch to a different mode. You can choose from photo, video, time-lapse, slo-mo, square, Portrait, Cinematic, and pano modes. You can also take a photo while you record a video or use QuickTake to record videos when you're in Photo mode.
Portrait mode creates a depth-of-field effect that keeps your subject sharp while blurring the background. You can use Portrait mode on iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus, and later. If you have an iPhone X or later, you can also take a selfie in Portrait mode. You can also use Portrait Mode with the front-facing camera on iPad Pro 11-inch (all generations) and iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation and later).
iPhone X… just for the camera
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I took the iPhone XS and iPhone X to the sensory overload that is Candytopia in San Francisco, then around the city, to test the cameras in the real world. When reviewing the images on the phones and on a computer, I was genuinely surprised at the overall improvement in image processing on the XS.
All photos were taken on the default camera app with default settings and HDR turned on. Here's a breakdown of the main differences between the two phones. For the sake of brevity, I didn't focus on areas that remained pretty much unchanged such as slow motion video.
If you don't make any adjustments to the depth-control slider and just leave portrait photos as-is, both phones produce similar-looking images. The XS captures a bit more detail, as you can see in the image below (focus on the hair), but images from the X have a bit more contrast overall.
The selfies you'll take from the iPhone XS' TrueDepth camera also get an upgrade. Rather than the blown-out backgrounds and crunchy high-contrast look from the X, selfies look more flattering on the XS. In some photos, the X decided my brown hair looked more steely gray when taking selfies with light coming in from overhead.
When looking at photos on the phone screens with TrueTone turned on, images do look more true to life on the newer XS than they do on the X. (TrueTone adjusts the screen based on the ambient light, so colors look consistent.)
Of course, the screen you're viewing these images on will also make a difference to how these shots look. If you're viewing mostly on the phone screen, most people I showed sample photos to thought the iPhone XS was closer to the real world. But if you're one to print photos or save them as desktop wallpapers, you may prefer the higher contrast look straight from camera from the iPhone X.
Thanks to a wider pixel size on the XS camera sensor (1.4 microns vs. 1.1), the newer phone should have an advantage in low-light situations, at least on paper. Larger pixels generally mean they can collect more light.
The iPhone XS is overall an incremental update over the iPhone X, so unless you're on a yearly upgrade program, I wouldn't recommend shelling out for a new iPhone XS just for the camera. Ideally, I'd love to see some software tweaks come to the iPhone X so HDR processing is a little closer to Smart HDR on the XS.
But for owners of older iPhones like the 6 or 7, the camera update is a significant jump. We haven't yet tested the upcoming iPhone XR, which has many of the same camera features as the XS but with a single lens. Stay tuned for that, plus more comparisons with phones from Samsung and the yet-to-be-announced Google Pixel 3.
About DxOMark Mobile tests: For scoring and analysis in our smartphone camera reviews, DxOMark engineers capture and evaluate over 1500 test images and more than 2 hours of video in both controlled lab environments and in natural indoor and outdoor scenes. This article is designed to highlight the most important results of the testing. For more information about the DxOMark Mobile test protocol, click here.
In case you want to grab the original images to do your own analysis, here they are, from the Lumia 950 XL and iPhone X, click the links to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
The same scene as above, but with the iPhone's 2x optical zoom engaged. The Lumia was left at 16MP, i.e. at full 1:1 sensor resolution. In case you want to grab the original image to do your own analysis, here it is, from the iPhone X, click the link to download. And to look at the images in more detail, here are fairly central 1:1 crops, just wait to make sure the page has fully loaded and then use your mouse or trackpad pointer to compare the images:
With the iPhone having the second 2x optically stabilised zoom lens, it's only fair that I give this a chance to shine in low light as well as sunlight. So here's an outrageous night time test, so much detail in the middle distance (about 100m) at night, but how much can be captured by each phone camera? For the 950 XL I simply went for 16MP resolution, i.e. at the maximum sensor res without straying into digital zoom territory, etc.:
I've gone to extreme lengths in terms of lighting and subject above - 99% of normal photos would be far, far easier for both phone cameras, of course. But when the going gets really tough, the iPhone X dips at the line and just squeezes out the champion.
As you may know, the telephoto cameras of both the iPhone 7 Plus and 8 Plus are disabled in the dark. Instead, 2x zoom is achieved by cropping and then upscaling the image from the wide camera, leading to a soft image with less than expected detail.
Look at the texture of the wall, the metal bars on the windows, the sharp lines of the stairs, the foliage to the side. The extra noise was to be expect with the higher ISO used by the tele camera (250 vs. 100). But it also used a shorter exposure, 1/8s vs. 1/4s, which is better for moving objects.
It's true that being a YouTube Influencer (YouTuber) can be quite a lucrative business, but what a lot of people don't know is that anyone can start a YouTube channel and post high-quality videos without investing in an expensive DSLR and other expensive tools. You can start a YouTube channel with just an iPhone and still create amazing content.
If you'd like to maintain a certain level of control over how your videos are edited and want to remove them from your phone after shooting, treating your iPhone as just another camera is a perfectly fine decision.
Ironically, getting all of these accessories for your phone isn't all that cheap! Who would have known? Thankfully, just like with most entry-level DSRL, there are brands which have created bundles as the iPhone photography community grows.
As your video editing becomes more cohesive, you'll want to invest in sound equipment, etc. For now, get better at the craft of producing consistent videos and your YouTube stardom might just become a reality.
The iPhone X, on the other hand, has a 12MP wide-angle lens with an f/1.8 aperture, and a 12MP telephoto lens with an f/2.4 aperture. Both the lenses support optical image stabilization. The iPhone X also has touch focus, phase-detection autofocus, Quad LED true-tone flash, Portrait Mode, and Portrait Lighting. It features a 7-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture, Portrait Mode, and face detection.
Apple consistently boosts camera operations through software innovation. And app developers continue to create new uses, like document scanning, for the camera and how it relates to the world, Chesher said.
In 2012, Cheser wrote a book chapter on how the iPhone reinvents the camera. Even five years ago, the iPhone camera could function as a digital input device. Placing the finger over the lens, the Instant Heart Rate app could recognize color changes in skin to determine the amount of oxygen in the blood.
Since then, some confusion has cropped up about whether or not Animoji really requires iPhone X-specific hardware. It does, but it's easy to see how some people have come to think otherwise. After all, you can cover the IR system and it keeps working but, if you cover the RGB camera, it stops. 2ff7e9595c
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