Every iPhone that Apple launches is its best iPhone ever by default. There will be many who will agree, yet others who will disagree. Whatever is the case, no matter how incremental an iPhone is from its previous generation, there is always something to look forward to in it. One key area, of course, is the camera.
Over the years, the iPhone camera has become a standard benchmark to beat. Android counterparts are slowly catching up. The Samsung Galaxy S7 (and the HTC 10 to an extent) is a classic example. The recently launched Google Pixel XL, meanwhile, outsmarts the current-generation iPhone 7 (and iPhone 7 Plus) convincingly, in more ways than one, giving it a serious run for its money. But this piece isn't about the Pixel XL. It is about the iPhone 7 and its ridiculously good camera.
With the iPhone 7, Apple has hit bull's eye once again. While its older sibling, the iPhone 7 Plus, is running away with major accolades across review quarters courtesy its dual camera setup (and its ridiculously good portrait mode), the more humble iPhone 7 is also not the one to look down upon. It's as good, if not better.
Continuing with our ongoing series where we put the best in the business to test, here is our in-depth look into the iPhone 7 camera. We took the iPhone 7 on a rendezvous with Beijing, China and it's safe to say it did not disappoint.
Specs overview
The iPhone 7 has a 12-megapixel camera on the rear with an Exmor RS sensor and an f/1.8 aperture. It is aided with phase detection autofocus, optical image stabilisation and quad-LED (dual tone) flash. This is the first time that Apple has incorporated OIS in its smaller iPhone which technically should entail in more steady shots and minimum blur especially during video recording.For the record
This is not a review of the iPhone 7 camera but a review of our experience with the phone on a more human level. Technicalities have been (mostly) left out of the window to try and make things easier for an average user.
The images that you will see here have been edited to taste in Pixlr and resized to fit.
And now let's get down to business
-- I was carrying a DSLR with me at all times, but, almost never did I feel the need to take it out. The iPhone 7 was up to task almost all the time. It could have done slightly more in low light (I feel) but all in all, Apple as mentioned earlier has hit bull's eye with this one.
-- The most striking aspect of the iPhone 7 camera is its ability to treat both wide angled shots and bokeh equally (good). The way the camera handles both the varied fields of view is quite remarkable especially in good lighting.
-- The iPhone 7 camera can get dangerously close to a subject, resulting in excellent macro shots, and at the same time it can capture a wide field of view quite effectively, and yet maintain an excellent dynamic range. Depending on your subject of choice, the iPhone 7 camera can easily surprise you with how effectively it can handle different scenarios.
-- And it does all this really fast. Auto focus is fast and shot-to-shot delay is virtually nonexistent. This means you can click the same shot multiple times and still manage to get the focus right in most of the instances. It is without a doubt one of the fastest cameras around. Moreover, a seamless integration between hardware and software ensures the photos are processed equally faster with virtually no delays. The post processing algorithm on-board the iPhone is not as dramatic as the one on the Samsung Galaxy S7 which means most of the time, it produces natural photos.
-- The iPhone 7 captures great colours with almost spot-on white balance.
-- Even in low light, there is very little noise (grain) in the images.
-- In good light, the amount of detail that it captures is fantastic. In low light, the amount of detail goes down a bit when compared with phones like the Nexus 6P. This is because the Nexus 6P employs a bigger image sensor that is able to take in more light in such circumstances.
-- During our time with the iPhone 7 Plus we observed a lot of ghosts while clicking images in harsh and strong light coming from several directions. The same problem exists with the iPhone 7 as well which isn't surprising because it is using the same sensor.
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