I will not be shopping for a Professional iPhone till Apple fixes this digicam drawback

Once I determined to improve from an iPhone 13 to an iPhone 16 Pro final fall, one of many main incentives was gaining a telephoto lens. There have been different causes, after all — akin to an always-on show, and Apple Intelligence compatibility for testing functions — however the telephoto was arguably extra vital. Coming from a professional pictures background, I’ve at all times bristled on the concept of being restricted to a 24mm important lens or a 13mm ultra-wide, at the very least with out shopping for into third-party add-on kits which will or will not be usable the subsequent time I improve.

I’ve to confess, although, I have been a little bit dissatisfied with the 16 Professional’s telephoto now that I’ve used for almost 10 months. I am glad I’ve it, and I proceed to make use of it often — however it’s made me query the worth of shopping for Professional iPhones typically, particularly because the base iPhone 17could lastly get an always-on show too.

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What’s mistaken with the iPhone 16 Professional’s telephoto digicam?

Guarantees versus observe

On paper, it must be wonderful. It has a 120mm focal size, an f/2.8 aperture, and sensor-shifting optical picture stabilization (OIS) to scale back movement blur. It is true that quite a lot of professional digicam lenses can have longer focal lengths, and/or adjustable zoom — my favourite Nikon lens was a Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 — however 120mm is a superb size for portraits, in addition to some occasions in the event you’re not within the nosebleeds.

In a short time, although, I discovered that the sensor within the telephoto is considerably worse than the one in the principle digicam. It isn’t about megapixel depend, though 12 megapixels will naturally produce much less element and room for cropping than the principle digicam’s 48 megapixels. No, the actual points are gentle sensitivity and stabilization, one or each of which have to be higher.

In brilliant circumstances, largely noon solar, the telephoto does a good job. I’ve used it to take many a photograph of my son enjoying on the park. However the second issues transition from “brilliant” to simply “well-lit,” seen noise begins to creep in. Photographs with purely indoor lighting generally is a crapshoot — some end up wonderful, however others appear to be I am capturing on a cellphone a decade previous, even when the lighting is not that completely different. It is typically not possible to take an indoor motion shot — I’ve seen extreme movement blur that made me query whether or not OIS was working in any respect.

You would possibly say it is unfair to anticipate top quality from one thing less expensive and smaller than pro-level tools, however that argument falls aside once you have a look at photos from the 16 Professional’s important digicam. They’re roundly wonderful, even in low gentle — I’ve shot pictures at night time or in darkish rooms that my previous Nikon D300 might by no means have achieved. Clearly, Apple made an intentional choice to make use of an inferior telephoto sensor. It nearly feels insulting when you think about that right here in Canada, a 16 Professional begins at $1,449 CAD. I might really feel legitimately ripped off if I might spent $1,749 CAD on a Professional Max.

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How Apple can repair its telephoto cameras

Apparent and not-so-obvious adjustments

Apple ought to at the very least improve its telephoto sensors to match its important ones. A telephoto will be as vital as a main digicam, if not moreso — it isn’t solely higher for portraits, however typically the one method of capturing a topic in any significant element. As an instance you are at a marriage reception — the hole between a 24mm lens and a 120mm one would possibly imply the distinction between filling the body with the couple or largely seeing the dance ground, and also you should not should go for the broader shot as a result of the solar is not straight overhead. You additionally should not should cross your fingers {that a} telephoto shot can be utilized uncropped.

I might wish to see enhancements to picture stabilization too, however that may be a tall order within the design area smartphone cameras should work with. An important factor is a sensor with higher low-light sensitivity — any new OIS tech will likely be icing on the cake.

Because the iPhone 17 Professional is rumored to be sticking to the identical magnification because the 16 Professional, sooner or later, Apple’s going to should crack and transfer past 5x zoom. Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Ultra can produce a 10x “optical high quality” zoom, due to a 5x lens with a croppable 50-megapixel sensor. The leap between 5x and 10x is not trivial. I discover {that a} 200mm lens or longer is usually wanted for situations like live shows and wildlife, so the 16 Professional’s 120mm can nonetheless fall properly quick.

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The prospects for a telephoto improve

Eventually…

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I would not be stunned to see the iPhone 17 Professional bump its telephoto to the identical 48-megapixel sensor discovered within the 16 Professional’s important digicam. Apple loves recycling components, particularly in a method that lets it spin them as an improve — simply have a look at the M3 chip within the iPad Air, or any given Apple TV 4K improve. It is also probably feeling strain to compete with Samsung, to not point out Google, which put a 48-megapixel 5x digicam within the Pixel 9 Professional. The Pixel 10 Pro is true across the nook, and it could look horrible if the IPhone 17 Professional was caught with 1 / 4 the decision for years working.

I am stunned at what Apple will put up with, generally, so it is exhausting to say a lot with confidence. What I’ll say is that Apple must wow me with real-world telephoto efficiency earlier than I am going to contemplate dropping cash on one other Professional iPhone — I could make 2x zoom work if I’ve to with the intention to save lots of of {dollars}. That is cash that might be put in the direction of a greater standalone digicam.

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