Take stock of the development history of iPhone cameras before the release of iPhone 13.

Starting from iPhone4, I officially stepped into the field of mobile phone photography. Today, although I have used many other mobile phones to take photos, iPhone has been introducing itself into the field of mobile phone photography, especially the photography App, which made me so obsessed with mobile phone processing photos that I neglected my best Photoshop stunt. I also wrote two books about iPhone photography and fell in love with iPhone photography. That's when I tried to retouch the picture with iPad2 (which has been realized now). Although it is slow, I still enjoy it. The change of photography App has changed from a large and comprehensive professional control at the beginning to a flat single function. In addition to a better control experience, it also makes the photography App more friendly and suitable for all ages.

The first iPhone I used was the most classic iPhone4 in 20 10, which was compared by Joe as "beautiful as a Leica camera". At that time, walking down the street with iPhone4, there will always be many people paying attention to your mobile phone. After all, a mobile phone is hard to find, and it is also a rare thing.

IPhone 1st Generation to iPhone 3Gs

I have never used the first-generation iPhone to the third-generation iPhone3Gs, but these three-generation products are indeed an evolution of iPhone functions, and also for the future iPhone control, including the evolution of downloading apps and cameras through the App Store, and completely turning mobile phones into handheld terminals.

iPhone 3G

For taking photos, the evolution from the first generation iPhone to the iPhone3Gs seems a bit slow. The first generation iPhone and iPhone3G both used a 2-megapixel camera with a sensor of 1/4 and an aperture of f2.8, which did not support autofocus, digital zoom, video shooting or flash.

Because when the first generation iPhone was released, the iOS system was still primitive (it was also called iPhone OS at that time), so there was no such thing as App Store for you to install all kinds of apps into your mobile phone, while the second generation iOS system launched with iPhone3G only had App Store and App, so iPhone3G can be regarded as the functional evolution of the first generation iPhone, although there is no difference in camera specifications between the two. However, Apple has gradually opened up the API of the iPhone system camera, and third-party apps can start calling the iPhone camera, and camera software such as Hipstamatic and Camera+ is gradually born.

iPhone3Gs

IPhone3Gs is the first progress of iPhone camera, because iPhone supports autofocus. The camera pixel of the iPhone3Gs is 3.2 million pixels, and the sensor size is still 1/4 inches. It supports autofocus and automatic white balance, and also supports 480P video recording. The third generation iPhone3Gs camera not only improves the hardware specifications, but also greatly improves the shooting quality. Since then, through the upgrade of iOS system, iPhone3Gs also supports touch focus, 5x digital zoom, camera and video button switching and other functions. So now the prototype of the interface and function of the iPhone camera was laid from the iPhone3Gs era.

iPhone 4

The iPhone4 camera, which Qiao Gang called "as beautiful as a Leica camera", made a great leap, and the iPhone4 was also the best mobile phone of that era. IPhone4 adopts a brand-new iSlight camera, a 5-megapixel 1/3.2-inch back-illuminated sensor, a lens aperture of f2.8, an LED flash, 5x digital zoom and 720P video shooting.

With the help of new hardware and iOS system, iPhone4 can shoot at any time when it is almost started, and the shooting can be completed by pressing the shutter button, and the picture quality has risen to a new height. The improvement of pixels makes the picture quality more delicate and clear, especially for photos taken in low light environment. In addition, the iPhone4 is also the first iPhone with HDR shooting function, which greatly helps to improve the photo tolerance. Of course, HDR has now become the standard of mobile phones, which started at that time.

iPhone 4s

IPhone4s should be another leap on Apple's camera, from 5 million pixels to 8 million pixels. At the same time, Sony Exmor-RS sensor (IMX 145 sensor) is adopted, which is also the solution that Apple officially adopted Sony from the previous OmniVision. The lens aperture of the IPhone4s has been upgraded from the previous f2.8 to F2.4. With the upgrade of the iOS system, the iPhone4s has also begun to support face detection and panoramic shooting, as well as new photo editing functions, which can crop, rotate, enhance the effect and remove red eyes. Recording video supports taking photos while recording video, and supports using the volume key (+) as the shutter key, and double-clicking the HOME key directly from the lock screen to bring faster camera shooting operation. In order to achieve better video recording effect, digital anti-shake technology using three-axis gyroscope is supported to keep the video stable, and real-time denoising is added.

Starting from the iPhone4s, Apple began to design its own ISP (image processor) to handle white balance and automatic exposure, correct photo color, convert format, adjust tone and so on. So at that time, many comments said that this was the first iPhone with a photo effect comparable to that of a general card machine, and the iPhone has also become the most popular photo device on many pictures and social networking sites.

Since the iPhone4s, Apple has always had a soft spot for 8 million pixels. Whether you are13 million pixels or16 million pixels, the iPhone has been insisting on 8 million pixels until the iPhone6s is12 million pixels, which makes the iPhone officially enter the 10 million pixel level. Since the iPhone5, Apple has been constantly optimizing and improving the camera, making the iPhone camera better and better. At the same time, it also shows that the improvement of pixels does not necessarily lead to the improvement of image quality.

iPhone 5

The biggest change of iPhone5 is the use of sapphire lens and sapphire glass lens cover, which are superior to ordinary optical glass in thinness, transparency and hardness, providing unprecedented top protection for the lens of iPhone 5. In addition, the lens of iPhone adopts the optical combination of five lenses, which improves the optical performance and adds an infrared filter. Compared with previous generations, it is not so easy to capture the purple fog produced by bright light sources.

In terms of software, the camera of iPhone5 newly supports taking panoramic photos from 0 to 240 degrees, and can take the highest quality photos of 28 million pixels in panoramic mode. Through the improved image stabilizer function of video recording, video face detection can recognize as many as 10 faces, and new compression technology, the video file of 1080P is 20% smaller than before. In addition, the new iOS is deeply integrated with social platforms, which increases the convenience of taking photos and sharing.

iPhone 5s

In the iPhone5s era, although it is still an 8-megapixel back-illuminated sensor, the unit pixel of the sensor has been raised to 1.5 micron, the lens aperture is still f2.4, and the True Tone dual-color LED flash has been added for the first time.

True Tone dual color temperature LED flash is to provide a better and more natural flash effect, so Apple put a warm color temperature LED and a cold color temperature LED together to form a brand-new iPhone5s LED flash, which has continued to this day (since then, domestic mobile phones have also added dual color temperature flash).

After using the brand-new ISP, iPhone5s can shoot 720p video with 120 frames, and generate slow-motion video through Slow-Mo. In addition, the iPhone5s also started to support 10 high-speed continuous shooting, which can take up to 999 photos at a time. The autofocus photometry matrix of the iPhone5s camera is increased to 65,438+05 focusing areas of SLR level, so the focusing speed and accuracy are obviously improved by more than two times, the automatic exposure error is less, and the pictures taken at will are not empty, even making the iPhone 5s be able to automatically adjust photometry at ultra-fast and low speed in the process of high-speed continuous shooting.

IPhone 6 series

With the release of the sixth generation iPhone products, Apple introduced two products, namely iPhone6 and iPhone6 Plus, which are still 8-megapixel iSlight cameras with a unit pixel area of 1.5 micron, a lens aperture of f2.2 and a True Tone LED flash. In addition, the iPhone6 Plus also supports OIS optical image stabilization.

At first glance, the camera parameters of iPhone6 and iPhone6 Plus have not changed much from those of iPhone5s, but the redesigned 8 megapixel sensor brings the familiar Focus Pixels technology on SLR cameras, that is, the phase focusing function, which is twice as fast as that of iPhone5s and supports continuous focusing. IPhone6 also supports 60fps 1080p video shooting, and panoramic shooting supports 43 million pixels.

With Apple's optimization of ISP and the functional support of iOS system, a brand-new time-lapse photography function has been added to the camera of iPhone, which further improves the shooting ability of iPhone, which also lowers the entry threshold of time-lapse photography at once, so that everyone can take time-lapse photography with the help of mobile phones.

Iphone6s series

Since the iPhone4s began to use the 8-megapixel camera, although the iPhone camera has been improving, by the generation of iPhone6, Apple was still crowned with the "ancestral 8-megapixel" hat. Results 20 15 iPhone6s and iPhone6s Plus finally brought the camera of iPhone into10 million pixels. Brand-new12 megapixel camera and 1/3 inch sensor, the unit pixel area is 1.22 micron, and the lens is still f2.2 aperture. In terms of video shooting, iPhone6s and iPhone6s Plus also support 4K video shooting, which is of great significance for mobile phones to officially shoot high-resolution videos.

With the addition of Apple A9 and Apple's optimization of ISP, the imaging of iPhone6s has been significantly improved, especially in the level of color reproduction and photographing. For the first time, the function of Live Photo was added, which directly recorded 3 seconds before and after shooting through dynamic photos, which was very interesting, and also greatly improved the camera function of iPhone6s, which was more in line with the fun and interest of current photos.

I remember, I once wrote in the test article of the IPhone6s that the1200,000 pixels of the iPhone6s aroused the fun of shooting with my mobile phone, especially after adding1200,000 pixels to the commonly used photography app, which made the iPhone6s a very good portable camera.

IPhone 7 series

By 20 16, the launch of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus was not only my first time in the United States, but also the first dual-camera iPhone.

Different from the popular dual camera composed of color camera and black-and-white camera at that time, the dual camera of iPhone 7 Plus adopts wide angle +2x telephoto mode, and both cameras are12 million pixels. Through the ISP built in the A 10 fusion processor, not only did the iPhone 7 series have the best imaging performance at that time, but the dual cameras added portrait mode to simulate the blur of depth of field, making the mobile phone similar to a SLR camera for the first time.

IPhone 8 series &; iPhone X

The appearance of iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus released on 20 17 has not changed much, more like the internal upgrade of iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, which still continues the camera parameters in the front seat, but makes progress again in shooting quality and function. Among them, the portrait mode has added a brand-new portrait light effect function. With the help of the two lenses of the camera and powerful algorithms, it can simulate portrait photos under different lights, making the mobile phone more professional in portrait shooting, and at the same time seeing more possibilities for mobile phone portrait shooting in the future.

IPhone Xs series

A year later, on the basis of iPhone X, Apple created two iPhones, iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max, which continued the tradition of "one size" and big upgrade in the iPhone 6 era. Compared with iPhone X, the camera of iPhone Xs series does not seem to have much difference except that the sensor with larger unit pixel is 1.44 micron. But with the help of A 12 bionic processor, it can provide better intelligent HDR and richer picture color levels and picture details.

Iphone 1 1 series

20 19, the iPhone Xs series polished for two years has obviously fallen behind. After all, 20 19, multi-camera has become the mainstream of the mobile phone market, and dual cameras obviously cannot meet the needs of a flagship mobile phone. Therefore, Apple has refined the iPhone 1 1 series, and introduced the dual-camera iPhone 1 1 and the three-camera iPhone1/pro series.

The main cameras of the dual-camera iPhone 1 1 and the triple-camera iPhone1/pro series are12 million pixels, with an equivalent focal length of about 26mm and a lens aperture of f/ 1.8, which supports OIS anti-shake. On the ultra-wide-angle lens, both of them are equipped with12 megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens with equivalent focal length of13 mm; IPhone 1 1 Pro adds a telephoto lens of12 million pixels on the basis of super wide angle and main camera, with an equivalent focal length of 52 mm.

Looking at the three-camera design method of iPhone 1 1 Pro series, we can see that Apple built the camera of this mobile phone by designing the camera. There is almost no difference in the color styles of the three cameras, and the switching between the three cameras is almost "seamless connection", which not only changes the experience of switching between multiple cameras in a multi-camera mobile phone, but also makes the camera operation more direct and intuitive.

Due to the adoption of a brand-new super wide-angle lens, the shooting interface of the Apple camera also adopts an immersive design. In addition to the original viewfinder, you can also see the translucent part, which actually increases the viewfinder of the super wide-angle lens. On the operation interface, the iPhone has also added "professional mode", including night scene mode, screen ratio, camera filter and other functions. Of course, as for the adjustment of shutter speed, white balance and other parameters during shooting, it will not involve a brand-new "professional mode", and these functions need to be realized through a third-party professional camera App.

In the 26mm, the iPhone 12 series continues the product planning of the previous iPhone 1 1 series, and the dual-camera iPhone 1 1 series continues the camera configuration of the iPhone12 series, all of which adopt dual/Kloc. The aperture of the super wide-angle lens is f/2.4, and the equivalent focal length is still 13mm. Apple claims that the wide-angle lens of iPhone 12 series has increased the light input by 37%, which can provide better dark light shooting ability.

iPhone 12 Pro Max

IPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max continue the design of three cameras, and both are equipped with lidar lenses. In terms of camera specifications, the three lenses of iPhone 12 Pro are still 120,000 pixels, and the aperture of the main lens is upgraded to f/ 1.6, with a 7-lens design; The aperture of the super wide-angle lens is f/2.4, and the equivalent focal length is13 mm; . The equivalent focal length of telephoto lens is 52mm, and the lens aperture is f/2.0.

In the iPhone 12 series, the camera is indeed a great improvement of the iPhone 12 Pro Max. IPhone 12 Pro Max adopts a large-size sensor with a unit pixel of 1.7 micron, and upgrades the wide-angle lens anti-shake to sensor displacement OIS anti-shake, and the focal length of telephoto lens is increased to 65 mm ..

In terms of shooting function, iPhone 12 series all support 4K HDR Dolby Vision video shooting, which is the first time that the mobile phone supports Dolby Vision video shooting. For the two Pro models, Apple added support for Apple ProRAW format pictures in the subsequent iOS 14.3 firmware upgrade, so that those users who have more requirements for the iPhone can directly use the iPhone native camera to shoot RAW files and process them according to their own ideas, which is naturally more flexible.

As we all know, Apple has been able to support RAW in the iOS 10 era, but if you want to shoot RAW format files with iPhone for post-processing, you can only rely on third-party camera programs, such as Halide Camera and Pro Camera. With the addition of Apple ProRAW, the iPhone finally natively supports raw format shooting, which is the last shortcoming of the iPhone native camera.

From 2007 to now, the iPhone has gone through 14 years, and the new iPhone 13 will also be released in the early morning of September 15, Beijing time. Let's wait and see what changes the iPhone 13 series will bring to the image.

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