Engadget Logo Engadget Japanese version iPhone 13 Pro review as a camera, feel the underlying evolution every time you shoot

Let's deliver an impression of still image shooting with the iPhone 13 Pro/13 Pro Max released in September. For photographers, the biggest update to this iPhone may be that each lens has become brighter. A camera is a machine that collects light, so the most desirable thing is that the essential power of collecting light is increased in order to capture beautiful images.

When I actually took a picture, my first surprise was simply, "The picture has become beautiful!" Of course, as announced, the lens performance has improved, software processing has become more sophisticated, and the camera has made a legitimate evolution.

However, when I unraveled the initial feelings, the cause was not only that, but the evolution of the display was also a big factor for the photographer.

The iPhone 13 Pro has a "ProMotion" specification that can draw a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The maximum brightness has also increased, and it has evolved brighter from 800nit of 12 Pro to 1000nit.

As a result, the shooting screen and the display for checking the shot photos have become more high-definition and beautiful, and I was able to realize that the experience during shooting has improved. If you think about it calmly, a camera that allows you to shoot while checking on such a high-pixel display is an experience that is not a single-lens or mirrorless camera. This must have been the factor that raised the tension during the shoot.

First, the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max have different sizes and batteries, but the camera hardware is the same. Both are equipped with "3x optical zoom in / 2x optical zoom out / 6x optical zoom range / up to 15x digital zoom". From here, let's explain the impressions of each camera and scene with examples.

The wide-angle camera has a large sensor with 1.9 μm pixels, the largest ever on an iPhone, which reduces noise and also provides the fast shutter speeds you need in a variety of lighting conditions. It seems to be able to take more detailed pictures.

Certainly, I was surprised at the low noise when I started shooting with the iPhone 13 Pro in the middle of the night. Combined with a lens with improved optical performance (ƒ/1.5), the wide-angle camera offers up to 2.2 times better performance in low-light conditions than the iPhone 12 Pro, and about 1.5 times better than the iPhone 12 Pro Max. has been doubled. This lens and sensor improvement is a legitimate evolution of the camera.

The ultra-wide camera has a 92 percent improvement in low light with a brighter ƒ/1.8 aperture and a new autofocus system. The ultra-wide-angle camera also enables macro photography. It is possible to shoot at the shortest focal length of 2 cm, and in practical use it promises a macro shooting range that is difficult to get close to.

As for the 92% improvement in performance in low-light situations, I have posted a photo of shooting in night mode below, so please take a look at this as well. You can see that the images are clearly expressed even when shooting at night.

On a further topic, the new telephoto camera will have a 77mm focal length. This means that you can shoot with 3x optical zoom. It's the ideal focal length for portraits and when you want sharper images from a distance.

When I actually shoot, I feel fresh in the angle of view that I have never used with an iPhone camera. Especially when it comes to shooting landscapes from far away, he has been able to take pictures of things that he had given up on his iPhone. Unexpectedly, I had a lot of fun and telephoto shots.

The most surprising thing about the iPhone 13 Pro camera is the evolution of the night mode. For the first time, night mode is now available on all cameras, including telephoto cameras, and it also supports Smart HDR 4 for better color, contrast and clarity in difficult conditions. Of course, improvements in lens performance and sensor performance have also contributed to the enhancement of basic camera capabilities.

There is a function called "Photograph Style" that is newly installed in photography with the iPhone. In the photography style, in addition to "standard", styles such as "rich contrast", "vivid", "warm", and "cold" are available, and you can customize "tone" and "warmth" to your liking when shooting. It is possible.

With this function, you can set the color to your liking at the shooting stage and shoot, so you don't have to edit each image after shooting. So you can concentrate on shooting and save time after shooting. It will also be an important function in terms of giving unity to the work. In order to make photos attractive on Instagram, etc., the work quality is enhanced by matching the tone and giving them uniformity. It would be a great help for that.

However, since it cannot be used with Apple ProRAW installed in iOS 14.3 updated on December 16, 2020, for those who want to easily give their photos a sense of work and unity, "Photo We recommend shooting with Graph Style. Furthermore, for those who want to improve their work by sticking to each photo, we recommend shooting with "Apple ProRAW", which can withstand more photo development.

Explanation about shooting with "Apple ProRAW" is explained in "Exploring Apple ProRAW, the most important update in iPhone camera history", so please take a look.

Here, I would like to show you some photos that were actually taken with Apple ProRAW on the iPhone 13 Pro and developed with Adobe Lightroom. With the improved camera performance of the iPhone 13 Pro, the power of the base of photography has increased, and I felt that the degree of freedom of expression with Apple ProRAW has further increased. We hope that those who own the iPhone 13 Pro/iPhone 13 Pro MAX will enjoy the photographic expression with Apple ProRAW. I'm really grateful that I can express such a delicate expression with just an iPhone even in a mountain climbing scene.

What I felt when shooting with the iPhone 13 Pro was that the power of the base of the camera function increased. The lens has improved light gathering performance, and the noise caused by the small sensor size is directly counteracted by increasing the sensor size. You supported me.

I think the best camera is the one that you always carry around and never miss a moment. The iPhone has been in my hands for the last 10 years, and it has always captured the moment when my heart moved. Enjoying the legitimate evolution of such a camera, it made me want to take good pictures again.

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