The iPhone 16 Professional‘s superior digicam can take among the greatest pictures it is attainable to squeeze from a cellphone. With a number of crystal-clear lenses and new Photographic Kinds, it is obtained rather a lot to impress even essentially the most demanding of photographers. It even put up a robust battle in opposition to the greatest digicam telephones round, together with the Galaxy S24 Extremely, the Pixel 9 Professional and the Xiaomi 14 Extremely.
Learn extra: iPhone 16 Professional takes on Xiaomi 14 Extremely
However it’s not the proper digicam. As each an skilled cellphone reviewer and knowledgeable photographer, I’ve exceptionally excessive expectations for top-end cellphone cameras and having used the iPhone 16 Professional since its launch, I’ve some ideas on what wants to alter.
Listed here are the details I need to see improved on the iPhone 17 when it probably launches in September 2025.
Bigger picture sensor
Although the 1/1.28-inch sensor discovered on the iPhone 16 Professional’s most important digicam is already a superb measurement — and marginally bigger than the S24 Extremely’s 1/1.33-inch sensor — I need to see Apple go greater. A bigger picture sensor can seize extra gentle and supply higher dynamic vary. It is why professional cameras are likely to have a minimum of “full body” picture sensors, whereas actually high-end cameras, just like the wonderful Hasselblad 907X, have huge “medium format” sensors for pristine picture high quality.
Even on professional cameras, sensor measurement is necessary. Even the full-frame picture sensor within the center is dwarfed by the medium format sensor on the proper. Telephone digicam sensors do not come anyplace close to to this measurement.
Xiaomi understands this, equipping its 14 Extremely with a 1-inch kind sensor. It is bigger than the sensors discovered on nearly any cellphone, which permits the 14 Extremely to take beautiful pictures in a wide range of circumstances — together with Taylor Swift concert events. I am eager to see Apple a minimum of match Xiaomi’s cellphone right here with an identical 1-inch kind sensor. Although if we’re speaking pie-in-the-sky needs, perhaps the iPhone 17 may very well be the primary smartphone with a full-frame picture sensor. I will not maintain my breath on that one — the cellphone, and the lenses, would have to be immense to accommodate it, so it’d probably be extra environment friendly simply to allow you to make calls along with your mirrorless digicam.
Variable aperture
Talking of the Xiaomi 14 Extremely, one of many different causes that cellphone rocks so arduous for pictures is its variable aperture on the principle digicam. Its widest aperture is f/1.6 — considerably wider than the f/1.78 of the iPhone 16 Professional.That wider aperture permits quite a lot of gentle in dim circumstances and extra authentically achieves out-of-focus bokeh round a topic.
The streetlight exterior this pub has been changed into a beautiful starburst due to the variable aperture of the Xiaomi 14 Extremely.
However Xiaomi’s aperture may shut right down to f/4, and with that narrower aperture, it is capable of create starbursts round factors of sunshine. I really like attaining this impact in nighttime imagery with the cellphone. It makes the ensuing photos look far more like they have been taken with knowledgeable digicam and lens, whereas the identical factors of sunshine on the iPhone simply appear like roundish blobs.
Extra Photographic Kinds
Although Apple has had varied kinds and results built-in into the iPhone’s cameras, the iPhone 16 vary took it additional, with extra management over the consequences and extra firming choices. It is sufficient that CNET Senior Editor Lisa Eadicicco even declared the brand new Photographic Kinds her “favourite new characteristic on Apple’s newest cellphone.”
I feel they’re nice, too. Or reasonably, they’re a fantastic begin. The totally different coloration tones, like those you get with the Amber and Gold kinds, add some beautiful heat to scenes, and the Quiet impact provides a classic filmic fade, however there’s nonetheless not an entire lot to select from. I would like to see Apple introduce extra Photographic Kinds with totally different coloration firming choices, and even with tones that mimic classic movie shares from Kodak or Fujifilm.
I like the hotter tones produced by the iPhone’s Amber fashion on this picture, however I would positively prefer to see extra choices for getting inventive with coloration tones.
And positive, there are many third-party apps like VSCO or Snapseed that allow you to mess around with coloration filters all you need. However utilizing Apple’s kinds means you’ll be able to take your photos with the look already utilized, after which change it afterward in the event you do not prefer it — nothing is hard-baked into your picture.
Higher ProRaw integration with Photographic Kinds
I do assume Apple has barely missed a possibility with its Photographic Kinds, although, in that you should use them solely when taking photos in HEIF (high-efficiency picture format). Sadly, you’ll be able to’t use them when capturing in ProRaw. I really like Apple’s use of ProRaw on earlier iPhones, because it takes benefit of the entire iPhone’s computational pictures — together with issues like HDR picture mixing — however nonetheless outputs a DNG uncooked file for simpler modifying.
The DNG file sometimes additionally affords extra latitude to brighten darkish areas or tone down highlights in a picture, making it extraordinarily versatile. Beforehand, Apple’s coloration presets may very well be used when capturing in ProRaw, and I cherished it. I incessantly shot street-style pictures utilizing the excessive distinction black-and-white mode after which edited the uncooked file additional.
I do quite a lot of avenue pictures in black and white, and I would love extra flexibility to take ProRaw pictures in monochrome.
Now utilizing that very same black-and-white look means solely capturing photos in HEIF format, eliminating the advantages of utilizing Apple’s ProRaw. Oddly, whereas the older-style “Filters” are now not out there within the digicam app when taking a uncooked picture, you’ll be able to nonetheless apply these filters to uncooked pictures within the iPhone’s gallery app via the modifying menu.
LUTs for ProRes video
And whereas we’re on the subject of coloration presets and filters, Apple must deliver these to video, too. On the iPhone 15 Professional, Apple launched the flexibility to shoot video in ProRes, which ends up in very low-contrast, nearly gray-looking footage. The concept is that video editors will take this uncooked footage after which apply their edits on prime, typically making use of distinction and coloration presets often called LUTs (look-up tables) that offers footage a selected look — assume darkish and blue for horror movies or heat and lightweight tones for a romantic drama vibe.
However Apple would not supply any form of LUT for modifying ProRes video on the iPhone, past merely ramping up the distinction, which does not actually do the job correctly. Certain, the purpose of ProRes is that you’d take that footage off the iPhone, put it into software program like Davinci Resolve, after which correctly coloration grade the footage so it seems smooth {and professional}.
ProRes footage seems very low distinction and desaturated. Apple must introduce methods that can assist you do extra with ProRes information on the iPhone.
However that also leaves the information in your cellphone, and I would love to have the ability to do extra with them. My gallery is affected by ungraded video information that I am going to do little or no with as a result of they want coloration grading externally. I would like to share them to Instagram, or with my household over WhatsApp, after remodeling these information from drab and grey to fantastically colourful.
With the iPhone 17, and even with the iPhone 16 as a software program replace, I need to see Apple creating a spread of its personal LUTs that may be instantly utilized to ProRes video information on the iPhone.
If Apple have been capable of implement all these modifications — excluding, maybe, the full-frame sensor which even I can admit is a contact bold — it could have an absolute beast of a digicam on its palms.
