Two Cameras or Three?
After snapping 1,000 photos in over a dozen settings with a bevy of smartphones—the new models, older iPhones and even some Android competitors—here’s my assessment of the new camera features.
Wide shots: How hard is it to just step back for a wider shot? That was my thought when I heard Apple was adding a wide-angle lens to the iPhones. I was wrong.
I found myself using the ultra-wide-angle lens on all three phones all the time. Landscapes look great but so do tighter shots—like one of my son standing in the hallway, which looked like the work of an artist, with minimal fisheye distortion.
Night mode: In low-light situations (a dark restaurant, a night flight), the camera automatically goes into night mode, indicated by a little yellow icon. Snap a photo and it prompts you to hold still for a few seconds. In the background, the camera system gathers multiple images and then forms a brighter, crisper shot than you’d get in regular shooting.
It feels like a magic trick, and I ended up taking pretty impressive illuminated shots. But the Google Pixel 3’s Night Sight mode produced low-light photos that were often even better.
I also learned two important things: to tell my subjects to freeze like mannequins, and to hold my breath so I don’t move during the pause. Movement can cause funky light streaks. That’s why I wish the feature were easier to disable. Plus, the new sensors in the wide-angle camera improve regular low-light shots, too. (Night mode and the camera app also froze from time to time—one of several iOS 13 bugs I encountered during my tests.)
Portrait mode: For the most part, portrait mode—where the phone artfully blurs the background—looks the same as it has for years. It doesn’t always blur edges perfectly, but it’s a nice option. On the iPhone 11 Pro, you now have a choice of shooting portrait mode with the wide or telephoto lenses.
On the basic iPhone 11, it’s only available on the standard wide-angle lens. But unlike the XR, the 11 now lets you shoot portrait mode with your favorite pet. I can confirm it works with dogs and birds alike.
Video: If you shoot a lot of video, you’ll notice improved stabilization. At the Renaissance Faire, I handed the iPhone 11 Pro Max and the older iPhone XS Max to a knight on horseback for a joust. Both shots are still bouncy, but the Pro’s footage is smoother and easier to watch.
Perhaps even more significant, you can finally switch lenses for shooting. Zooming in and out, from one lens to another, is smooth, but I did find the cameras sometimes struggled to quickly refocus.
Battery and camera weren’t the only iPhone 11 highlights, though they were certainly the biggest. I didn’t really test the added water and dust resistance, but I did discover one thing by accident: The supposedly more durable glass still isn’t scratch resistant. When I carried two iPhones together during a shoot, the cameras on one rubbed against the screen of another, causing some permanent scratches. Best advice: Don’t carry two iPhones at once.
As for your buying decision, with its price-to-feature ratio, the $700 iPhone 11 has the broadest appeal. However, there are far more choices than just these three phones, as I cover in my other column.
Last year’s XR is now a great value at $600. If you’re a photography nut and are OK spending over $1,000 for the absolute best, the Pros are there for you. Just don’t be mad when next year’s iPhones—potentially with 5G connectivity—blow them away.
Heck, you could also buy the Pro Max, just so you can tell your grandchildren about the iPhone that finally lasted more than a day on a single charge.