The camera of the iPhone 12 (Pro) has received a major update compared to its predecessor. In this beginner’s guide you can read how to get the most out of the new camera.
iPhone 12 (Pro) camera beginner’s guide
The iPhone 11 camera made great strides from its predecessor. The iPhone 12 series makes slightly smaller improvements, but also has plenty of new features that are worth checking out. This way you get the most out of the new camera of the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro.
1. Shooting with volume buttons
A useful function that you may not have known existed is the use of the volume buttons to take a photo. That way you use these buttons as a physical shutter button. This is also possible with other iPhones.
This is especially useful if you hold your iPhone in such a way while taking the photo that you cannot easily reach the digital shutter button. Both the volume up and down buttons work as shutter buttons.
If you press and hold the volume down button, you will start recording a video. Keep the button pressed while filming, because as soon as you release the button, your iPhone will stop recording. You can use the volume up button for burst.
2. QuickTake: filming and photographing at the same time
You can record videos at lightning speed with the iPhone’s QuickTake function. Normally, you briefly press the digital shutter button to take a photo, and hold it down to take a video. This is useful for short videos, but if you want to film for a longer period of time, QuickTake offers the solution.
With this function you can fix the shot and take photos in between. So you can photograph and film at the same time. For QuickTake, swipe the shutter button to the right to lock the record button. While you are filming, you can take pictures with the small digital shutter button. You tap the record button again to end the video. Note: QuickTake will not work if you are recording a video with your volume down button.
3. Resize
It is of course possible to crop photos after taking them, but it is even more convenient to resize them before shooting. To do this, press the arrow at the top of the screen when you have opened the Camera app.
You will then be presented with all kinds of options above the shutter button, such as flash, live photos, timer and more. Tap the format to choose from Square, 4: 3 or 16: 9. The latter fills the entire screen.
Do you still want to change the format after taking the photo? Then you can do that without loss of quality in the Photos app. While editing the photo, tap the crop icon and then tap the resize icon at the top right of the screen.
4. Switch between lenses
By tapping the ‘1x’ button in the Camera app you can switch between the wide angle lens and the ultra wide angle lens of the iPhone 12. If you hold down one of these buttons, you can swipe and also zoom out between 1x and 0.5x . You can also zoom in (digitally) up to 5 times.
In addition to a wide-angle lens and ultra-wide-angle lens, the iPhone 12 Pro (Max) also has a telephoto lens. On the Pro iPhones, in addition to 0.5x and 1x, there is a ‘2x’ button with which you switch to the telephoto lens. The Pro version of the iPhone 12 also gives you the option to switch between all three lenses. This allows you to swipe from 0.5x to 10x digital zoom. On the iPhone 12 Pro Max you have a ‘2.5x’ button and you can even zoom up to 12x digitally. Swipe down to hide the wheel again.
5. Portrait mode
The portrait mode of the iPhone 12 is not new, but it is a handy way to make photos of people or objects look extra beautiful. Depending on what you want to photograph, you can adjust the depth of field effect, allowing you to set how blurry your background will be. To do this, tap the icon with an f at the top right. Then swipe left and right to adjust portrait mode.
However, the iPhone 12 Pro (Max) has another improvement: thanks to the LiDAR scanner, it is possible to take portraits in low light. However, this is only possible at the ‘1x’ level, so zooming in is not possible.
6. Night mode
Night mode is available in all lenses from the iPhone 12 series, even in the selfie camera. You don’t have to do anything to turn on night mode. Once your iPhone detects low light, the mode will turn on automatically. The shutter speed is determined automatically, but you can manually set it longer or shorter.
If you want to turn off night mode, you can tap the arrow at the top again, just like you do to change the size. Then tap the night mode icon. Then turn the wheel to the right to deactivate night mode.
If you want to take very clear photos in a low-light environment, it is best to place your iPhone on a tripod. This allows you to set a shutter speed of up to 30 seconds. You can even set a time lapse in night mode on the iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max.
7. Dolby Vision
If you film a lot with your iPhone, the option to film in Dolby Vision HDR is a real solution. The iPhone 12 is the first smartphone that can film, edit and share in Dolby Vision. To set up Dolby Vision, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app;
- Tap the Camera app and choose ‘Record video’;
- Turn on the switch behind ‘HDR video’.
As soon as Dolby Vision is enabled, you can choose video mode in the Camera app at the top right for up to 4K and 30 frames per second on the iPhone 12. The iPhone 12 Pro can film in 4K at 60 frames per second.
More Camera Tips
Curious about all the new functions of the iPhone 12 (Pro) camera? In our overview we have listed the new camera functions. For example, with the iPhone 12 Pro you will soon be able to shoot photos in the Apple ProRAW format, so that no compression takes place. On iPhone you can find even more useful basic tips for getting the most out of the iPhone’s default Camera app.