Every year, the builders behind well-known iPhone digicam app Halide take an in-depth take a look at the brand new digicam expertise that Apple has launched. This yr, Sebastiaan de With took greater than 1,000 images with the iPhone 16 Professional to look at adjustments to the digicam setup, Apple’s picture processing, and extra.
Apple added an upgraded 48-megapixel Extremely Extensive digicam to the iPhone 16 Professional fashions this yr. De With discovered it to take images which have “impressive sharpness,” however Apple didn’t add a bigger sensor, so you are still not going to get the extent of element that you just get with the Extensive digicam, which has a a lot larger sensor.
For macro images, the 48-megapixel lens “does wonders” for up-close photographs. In prior iPhones, the Extremely Extensive was cropping in from a 12-megapixel photograph, which meant you ended up with a picture that was roughly three megapixels. With the 48-megapixel lens, cropping in gives a real 12-megapixel picture with extra element.
As for the Major digicam, which Apple now calls the “Fusion” digicam, it’s utilizing a sensor that’s the similar bodily measurement because the iPhone 15 Professional sensor. Whereas each the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Professional have a “Fusion” digicam, the iPhone 16 Professional has a bigger and better high quality sensor. As with the iPhone 15 Professional, the iPhone 16 Professional combines pixels and might produce higher 24-megapixel and 12-megapixel photos utilizing that information, along with full 48-megapixel images. Processing is about the identical as final yr, and there may be little distinction between photos captured with the iPhone 15 Professional and the iPhone 16 Professional with the usual Extensive digicam.
There are some notable inner adjustments that pace up picture seize. The Apple Digicam Interface gives sooner sensor readout instances for enhancements to QuickTake. QuickTake additionally helps 4K Dolby Imaginative and prescient HDR, which is a noticeable enchancment, in line with de With. Capturing 48-megapixel ProRAW photos can also be so much sooner with faster shutter speeds, and there is little delay.
For these excited about extra data on every part new with the iPhone 16 Professional associated to pictures, together with Digicam Management, the Telephoto lens, Night time mode, and extra, the total Halide evaluate is nicely value a learn.