The truth about the iPhone 17 Pro camera.

Apple claims the three cameras on the iPhone 17 Pro are equivalent to eight professional lenses. Photo: The Verge .

Apple often makes impressive claims when introducing new iPhones, especially in the camera department. This year, the company promoted the triple rear camera setup on the iPhone 17 Pro as equivalent to "eight professional lenses," while the iPhone Air, despite having only one rear camera, is still touted as having four lenses.

The iPhone Air, the ultra-slim model, features only a single 48MP camera with an f/1.6 aperture and a focal length equivalent to 26mm. This is also the main camera of the standard iPhone 17. The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, however, have a 48MP main camera with an f/1.78 aperture and a 24mm focal length, accompanied by an ultra-wide-angle and 4x telephoto lens.

A notable point is Apple's exaggeration regarding the number of lenses on the new iPhone models. On the iPhone Air, the tech giant stated that a single sensor and lens can be used at focal lengths of 26 mm, 28 mm, 35 mm, and 52 mm. At 2x zoom (52 mm), the resolution drops to 12 MP. The 28 mm image is composed of multiple 12 MP frames and a single 48 MP frame; the 35 mm image uses only the central area of the sensor.

With the iPhone 17 Pro, Apple is increasing the number of lenses from 3 to 8, a jump from the 7 lenses of last year's iPhone 16 Pro. Based on the specifications, some experts believe Apple is considering 8 "professional" lenses including 4 focal lengths from the main camera (24 mm, 28 mm, 35 mm, 52 mm), a 100 mm telephoto lens (4x), a 200 mm telephoto lens (8x, 12 MP from the telephoto), a 13 mm ultra-wide-angle lens, and a macro mode using the ultra-wide-angle camera.

Apple calls this “optical quality,” but it’s not actually true optical zoom. Traditional optical zoom requires a physically adjustable lens, whereas on the iPhone, much of it is handled by computational photography. The company listing crop modes, digital zoom, and macro as “professional lenses” is more marketing than a practical feature.

This isn't the first time Apple has used vague language to create a sense of superiority for its products. However, Apple's approach of increasing the number of lenses is likely to be controversial, especially among photography enthusiasts. After all, software cannot completely replace dedicated optical lenses.

The iPhone Air may be advertised as having four lenses, but whether it truly lives up to the standards of four professional lenses is a question users need to answer through their own experience.

Source: https://znews.vn/tuyen-bo-phong-dai-cua-apple-ve-camera-iphone-17-pro-post1584634.html