The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models have been significantly updated compared to previous devices. For photography enthusiasts, this is especially good news, because on these devices you can take better pictures than ever before. The iPhone 7 Plus camera has an incredible dual lens that allows you to create stunning DSLR-like photos with a shallow depth of field. The iPhone 7 also has some fantastic new photography features.
What are the innovations?
For several years in a row, the iPhone camera did not change much, but its iPhone 7 and 7 Plus models featured significant updates, which have a big impact on the look and quality of the photos you can take. Before exploring in depth the new features of the iPhone 7 camera (megapixels, additional options, etc.), you should find out a brief list of the features of this component:
- Lens with f / 1.8 aperture.
- Optical image stabilization.
- A six-element lens for even better sharpness and image quality.
- The ability to "wide color" to achieve standard color reproduction.
- 4-LED True Tone flash.
- Flicker sensor.
- High speed image sensor.
- 12MP rear camera (same as iPhone 6s and 6s Plus).
- 7-megapixel front camera of iPhone 7 FaceTime HD (increased from 5MP).
Some of the other great new features of the iPhone 7 include:
- Increased processor power (thanks to the new 4-core A10 chip).
- An extra two hours of battery life.
- Retina HD display is 25% brighter (same resolution as 6s and 6s plus).
- Water and dustproof housing.
- The amount of memory doubled without increasing the price (32 GB, 128 GB, 256 GB).
These updates seem to be in no way related to the characteristics of the iPhone 7 camera, but at the same time they allow you to create better conditions for photographing and get more interesting pictures.
IPhone 7 Plus Camera Features
"IPhone 7 Plus" has all of the above features (although it has only one hour of battery life added). But he also has the following additional interesting camera features:
- Dual lens system with two 12-megapixel cameras nearby.
- One camera is identical to the iPhone 7 (standard wide angle lens).
- The other is a 2x telephoto lens.
Besides the fact that a double telephoto lens means that you now have double optical zoom on your iPhone, the dual lens system means that you can now take stunning photos with a shallow depth of field, which you can usually only create with a SLR camera.
To understand what these improvements mean, you should take a closer look at these new and improved iPhone 7 camera features. This will help to understand why this smartphone is currently considered one of the best.
Seventh iPhone enhancements
What is the camera of the "iPhone 7" and "7 plus"? These apple phone models bring the user closer to photography, usually associated with more expensive SLR cameras. Why is this happening?
The camera is equipped with a new six-element lens that improves image clarity and minimizes distortion. The new f / 1.8 lens is capable of capturing 50% more light than the smaller f / 2.2 aperture on iPhone 6s. This means improved capabilities in low light, and is very effective when taking photos and videos at night or in a dark room.
The iPhone 7 has the sought-after optical image stabilization feature first introduced in the 6s Plus. This should lead to sharper images in low light and handheld shooting, which allows you to increase exposure by three times, compared with the iPhone 6s.
Both seventh-generation iPhone models are equipped with a 4-LED flash, which gives 50% more light than the 6s. The flash can be useful to minimize sharp shadows when shooting portraits in bright sunlight, as well as to reduce exposure time and freeze when shooting in low light conditions.
A flicker prevention feature has also been developed. It should neutralize the effect of flickering fluorescent lighting. And thanks to new advanced options, such as wide color shooting, your photos and GIFs will look even brighter.
An improved signal processing processor and image sensor will provide faster operation and lower power consumption - this means that you can take more photos in one charge of the device.
Dual Lens System on iPhone 7 Plus
The iPhone 7 Plus camera with two lenses is one of the largest updates in the history of the brand. What does this system mean, and how will it affect your photo?
A dual-lens system means that the iPhone has two cameras (not one). They are located next to the back of the phone.
The first is the same 12-megapixel wide-angle lens that is present in the iPhone 7. The second is a 12-megapixel 2x telephoto lens.
The iPhone is known for its wide-angle lens. It is great for taking landscape photos. But an optional 2x telephoto lens means that you can now shoot images in high quality (this allows you to zoom in on the subject without sacrificing quality).
What is the difference from other devices?
If we compare the camera "iPhone 7" and "7 plus" with its predecessors, the difference is as follows. On all other iPhone models, the only zoom option is to use the digital zoom function. But this technology creates worse quality images because it uses only software to scale up. Therefore, when taking photos, it is better to avoid digital zoom.
With the built-in 2x telephoto lens of the iPhone 7 Plus, you have a full lens, not software that zooms in. And this leads to a much higher quality in the images.
Of course, with other iPhone models, you can use third-party add-ons on the telephoto lens to get closer to the subject. However, they often create image distortion and cause quality problems, so the built-in zoom is a fantastic addition to the iPhone.
Shallow Depth of Field Effect
Perhaps even more fun is the dual-lens system on the iPhone 7 Plus that allows you to shoot images with a shallow depth effect that can usually only be created with a SLR camera.
Shallow depth of field is ideal for taking portrait photographs. When you want your faces to be sharp, creating a blurry effect in the background.
To create this effect, the iPhone uses both lenses and advanced machine learning to capture the image when the subject is in focus, but the background looks blurry - this is called the "bokeh effect." It will be visible in real time, so you can see the expected result before taking a picture.
To create a photo with a shallow depth of field, you just need to select the “Portrait” option in the list of shooting modes in the iPhone camera application.
Other enhanced features of iPhone 7
In addition to the specific camera features described above, there are several other new iPhone enhancements that will come in handy for you as a photographer.
Now the screen is 25% brighter (great for viewing images in bright daylight), and you can get a wider range of colors, which will allow for brighter color images.
The new case with improved protection means that the iPhone 7 is resistant to water and dust. This makes the iPhone 7’s camera more efficient since it can now be used in harsher environments such as rain or dusty environments.
If you are used to working with RAW image files from DSLR, you will be pleased to know that iPhone 7 now has the ability to store files of this format.
The iPhone 7 and 7 Plus have a new generation chip called A10 Fusion. This processor is 40% faster than the A9 chip in the 6s and 6s Plus models. This means that camera and photo editing applications will work better and faster.
Due to the increased processor efficiency, the battery life on the new iPhones has been increased, which leads to an additional two hours of operation for the iPhone 7 and one for 7 Plus.
Physical and aesthetic design changes
Not surprisingly, the new models are not much different from previous offers. Apple prefers small, incremental improvements, so it comes as no surprise that the iPhone 7 is the same size as the 6s (4.7-inch screen) and the 7 Plus is the same size as the 6s Plus (5.5-inch), though and a little thinner.
Aesthetically the difference is very small. The most noticeable visual change is that two new colors have appeared - glossy Jet Black and matte Black. The devices are also available in silver, gold and pink gold.