In recent years, Apple has been catching up with its cameras, allowing the smartphone maker to again compete with Samsung and Huawei. Recently Apple released the iPhone 12 smartphone series. The regular iPhone 12 is equipped with a dualcam, while the iPhone 12 Pro has three lenses on the back. How do these cameras differ?
Are you in the market for a new iPhone and are you not quite sure whether the additional price of the iPhone 12 Pro can be justified? In our reviews of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro, the tentative conclusion is that the additional price of the iPhone 12 Pro cannot be justified, the regular iPhone 12 is too good. Nevertheless, the iPhone 12 Pro is equipped with more and better sensors. So if the camera is an important argument for your purchase decision, it is good to know the capabilities and differences between the iPhone cameras.
Lenses and sensors
Before we start scattering photos taken with the iPhone 12 smartphones in this article, first the technical part. The iPhone 12 has two cameras on the back, and one on the front. Unfortunately, at the time of writing, we cannot provide all the technical specifications, as Apple has only released them in a limited way.
Regular camera:
- Resolution 12 megapixel
- Focal length 26mm
- Diaphragm f / 1.6
- Pixel size 1.4 µm (1.7 µm iPhone 12 Pro Max)
- Video 4K (60 fps)
Wide angle camera
- Resolution 12 megapixel
- Focal length 13mm
- Viewing angle 120 degrees
- Diaphragm f / 2.4
Selfie camera
- Resolution 12 megapixel
- Focal length 23mm
- Diaphragm f / 2.2
- Video 4K (60 fps)
The iPhone 12 Pro has some more sensors. For example, three cameras have been placed at the rear. Just like the regular iPhone 12, a third zoom lens has been placed in addition to the wide-angle and regular camera. A depth sensor has also been installed, a so-called ‘LiDar’ sensor. This helps, for example, to quickly and accurately estimate the foreground and background in portrait photography. The sensor is also used in AR applications, for example to place virtual objects. That sounds a bit vague. Consider, for example, placing a sofa in which you are interested in the app of a furniture store in your living room. Thanks to the LiDar camera, this sofa is realistically placed as a 3D object in the image that the camera of your living room captures.
It is curious that Apple has not kept the cameras of the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max the same. There are differences. In the practical examples, we use the cameras of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro.
Regular camera:
- Resolution 12 megapixel
- Focal length 26mm
- Diaphragm f / 1.6
- Pixel size 1.4 µm
- Video 4K (60 fps)
Wide angle camera
- Resolution 12 megapixel
- Viewing angle 120 degrees
- Focal length 13mm
- Diaphragm f / 2.4
Zoom camera
- Resolution 12 megapixel
- Focal length 52mm
- Diaphragm f / 2.0 (f / 2.2 iPhone 12 Pro Max)
Selfie camera
- Resolution 12 megapixel
- Focal length 23mm
- Diaphragm f / 2.2
- Video 4K (60 fps)
Functionality of iPhone cameras
Although the iPhone 12 Pro offers more functional options due to the extra zoom lens, no further functions are missing for the iPhone 12. So of course you have the portrait mode that blurs the background or even makes it disappear completely. You can take panoramic photos and there is a night mode that turns on automatically when there is little light. This night mode uses a slower shutter speed to collect more light and the optical stabilization to prevent movement. Depending on the darkness, the shutter speed is used up to four seconds. The longer the camera takes for night mode, the greater the chance of motion blur. Despite the fact that the smartphone is kept still with the stabilization, you can usually not prevent other movements. What is new is that the night mode is also available for the selfiecam of both iPhone 12 models.
In terms of video, you also have the same options. You can record videos in 4K and Full HD resolution, with a maximum of 60 frames per second. You also have the option to make a Time Lapse or a slow motion video.
Like many other smartphone cameras, the technology is more and more in the software than in the lens capabilities themselves. Due to the extreme computing power and dedicated camera chips, a photo is generated from a lot of data, resulting from depth analysis, zoom, colors, motion prediction, object recognition and much more. In addition, your one photo is composed of several photos (for example with different white balance values) that are taken simultaneously. This allows the smartphone to analyze the image down to the finest details for the optimal photo.
iPhone cameras in practice
When you use the cameras of both iPhone 12 models, you will notice few major differences. The operation of the LiDar sensor is not noticeable. I didn’t feel that the iPhone 12 Pro took photos faster or depth control is better than the iPhone 12. Also for portrait photography.
Portrait mode (left iPhone 12, middle iPhone 12 Pro, right with background removed).
Little difference can be seen between the regular camera of the iPhone 12 (left) and iPhone 12 Pro (right).
Whether you use the Pro variant or the regular iPhone 12 for photography. Try to choose the regular camera as much as possible for the best quality result. Switch to zoom or wide angle if the desired composition is not possible. This main camera always takes the best photos, no matter how difficult the conditions. By the way, you certainly don’t have to avoid the other lenses. But you notice that the wide-angle quality is a lot less, especially when there is little light available (on both the regular iPhone 12 and the Pro version). The zoom lens of the iPhone 12 Pro also takes much better photos.
The two zoom levels of the iPhone 12.
The three zoom levels of the iPhone 12 Pro
The two photos on the left are of the iPhone 12. You can see that the iPhone Pro (right) captures just a little more color in the dark.
The differences of the main camera and wide-angle camera between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are also small. You have to sit with your nose against the screen to see the differences. The iPhone 12 Pro mainly has a slightly better dynamic range, where light and dark areas in the photos are displayed in more detail. The general fine color details are also slightly more refined. In photos this difference is small, if you mainly make a lot of videos, then these small details make just a little more difference.
Also in night mode there is remarkably little difference noticeable between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. Both smartphones chose the same shutter speed and the result is similar, except that the iPhone 12 Pro can also use a zoom lens in night mode. Incidentally, the night mode is fun and takes beautiful photos. It must recognize his superior here in Huawei, which is just that little bit further with its technology. Top smartphones from Huawei take photos faster that not only show more of the dark environment, but also capture it immediately. As a result, there is no motion blur.
In night mode you notice that the zoom camera of the iPhone 12 (Pro) captures a lot of details.
The night mode also emphasizes that the wide-angle camera of the iPhone 12 (above), but also the iPhone 12 Pro has a lot less quality to offer. Sometimes even strange little balls (orbs) appear.
The night mode for the selfie camera is a nice addition, where no differences are noticeable between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro. That is not surprising, because the sensors on the front of both devices are equivalent. To capture that little bit of much-needed light, the screen lighting of the iPhone is used. This makes it necessary to keep the iPhone close, making selfies with several people or a beautiful background difficult. Motion blur can also occur here, for example if your hair moves in the wind. The night mode on the selfie camera is a clever piece of technology, but in practice just a little less often of added value than you might think.
The selfie camera’s night mode captures more in low-light situations.
Apple ProRAW
Conclusion
If you want to take good photos with your iPhone, you don’t necessarily have to pay more than a thousand euros for the Pro variant. Differences between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are minimal and don’t justify the price difference. The camera of the iPhone 12 is slightly more versatile due to its (otherwise excellent) zoom lens, and if making the very best videos is a top priority, the iPhone Pro is a better choice. For the majority of smartphone users who are willing to dig deep into their pockets for one of the best smartphone cameras, the iPhone 12 really has the best choice. In addition, this iPhone 12 (unlike its predecessors iPhone 11 and iPhone XR) is finally equipped with a high-quality OLED screen, so that your photos and videos come into their own.
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