Apple’s iPhone X and 11 line of phones are capable of taking high-quality photos, but the company has upped the ante with its latest iPhone 12 lineup. Most notably, the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max include three rear cameras for telephoto, wide, and ultrawide shots and a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensor to help you take pictures under a variety of challenging conditions, including low-light conditions, from up close, and from far away.
Before getting started, make sure you are running the most recent operating system in order to get the newest software features for your camera; iOS 14.3, for example, introduces the ProRAW feature that allows you to shoot in the RAW format. Go to Settings > General > Software Updates and allow the latest update to download and install if needed.
Camera Specs
The ultrawide camera on the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 13mm focal length, an ƒ/2.4 aperture, and a 120° field of view. The wide camera has a 26mm focal length and an ƒ/1.6 aperture. The telephoto camera on the iPhone 12 has a 52mm focal length and an ƒ/2.0 aperture, while the one on the 12 Pro Max has a 65mm focal length and an ƒ/2.2 aperture.
The iPhone 12 Pro has a 2x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, 4x optical zoom range, and digital zoom up to 10x while the iPhone 12 Pro Max has a 2.5x optical zoom in, 2x optical zoom out, 5x optical zoom range, and digital zoom up to 12x.
The wide and telephoto lenses come with dual-optical image stabilization to compensate for shaking during picture taking. The iPhone 12 Pro Max takes this to the next level with sensor-shift optical image stabilization for even better image quality.
Photo Mode
Open the Camera app, and you’ll find several options for taking a photo, with Photo mode open by default. In Photo mode, you can easily zoom out to 0.5x, zoom in to 2x or 2.5x depending on your phone, or stay at the normal range by tapping the appropriate button on the screen.
If you need to adjust the zoom more precisely, move your fingers apart or pinch them together to move in smaller increments, or press down on one of the three zoom ranges to open a dial that you can move. You can digitally zoom all the way to 10x on the iPhone 12 Pro and 12x on the iPhone 12 Pro Max.
With the controls at the top, you can set the flash to automatic so it turns on when the scene is too dark for natural light, or you can turn it off to use only available light. If the flash is set to automatic, and the flash icon changes to yellow, that means the flash will turn on.
You can quickly capture video in Photo mode without having to switch to Video thanks to the QuickTake feature. Press and hold the shutter button to instantly start taking video. To free up your finger without stopping the video, slide the shutter button to the right, then release it.
The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro Max can also use the phone’s three cameras to capture outside the current frame. Position your phone in portrait or landscape mode. Zoom in past the 0.7x mark. The screen shows you the area outside of the shot you’re framing. This feature is designed to help you decide if you need to reframe your shot or switch to a different camera lens to grab the photo you want.
Night Mode
Added for the iPhone 11, Night mode allows you to take high-quality photos in low-light conditions. You don’t even have to do anything to activate Night mode; if the iPhone detects low light, a moon-shaped icon will appear on the screen indicating that Night mode is on.
To take pictures in low-light situations, the phone extends the shutter for several seconds longer than normal. This ensures that the lens brings in the right amount of light to get a better image. The number next to the icon indicates how long you need to hold the phone in place before the camera takes the picture.
Tap that icon, and the Night mode scale appears at the bottom, allowing you to manually set the exposure. Swipe the vertical line on the scale to adjust the exposure time, typically anywhere from one to three seconds. However, you can get exposure times as high as 30 seconds if your iPhone is on a tripod.
HDR and Live Photos
In the upper-right corner is the icon for HDR (High Dynamic Range). With this option enabled, your phone takes several photos at a time and blends them together to bring out the best features. Tap the HDR button to turn it on or off. Next to HDR is the Live Photos option, which records 1.5 seconds before and after you snap the photo to capture a quick video clip. Turn this feature on or off with a tap.
Camera Options
To see more controls, tap the up arrow at the top middle of the screen. In the panel at the bottom, you can control the flash, Night mode, and Live Photos. Tap the aspect ratio button to change the photo’s ratio to square, 4:3, or 16:9.
By tapping the +/- button, you can increase or decrease the camera’s exposure by swiping the dial. Tap the timer button to set a timer for three or 10 seconds before images are captured.
Tap the color icon to apply a filter to your photo, such as Vivid, Vivid Warm, Vivid Cool, Dramatic, Dramatic Warm, Dramatic Cool, Mono, Silvertone, and Noir. The HDR button allows you to toggle the feature on and off.
Time-Lapse Mode
In Time-Lapse mode, you can shoot videos that speed up the action when you play them back. Capture storm clouds rolling in, your progress as you get your hair done, or a drive on a winding road, for example. You’ll likely want to keep the phone steady and supported, so a tripod may be best for longer captures.
You can zoom out to 0.5x, stay at 1x, or zoom in to 2x or 2.5x with the rear cameras by tapping the appropriate button. Tap the arrow at the top to display the Exposure scale at the bottom if you wish to adjust it. Tap the Rotation icon in the lower right to switch between the front and rear cameras. Tap the Shutter button to start the process and then tap it again to stop it.
Slow-Mo Mode
Slow-Mo mode can be used on the front and back cameras to slow down the action. You can zoom out to 0.5x, stay at 1x, or zoom in to 2x or 2.5x with the rear cameras by tapping the corresponding button, or zoom in to 6x by moving your fingers apart on the screen.
Tap the number in the upper right to switch the frame rate for Slow-Mo between 120 and 240 frames per second. Tap the Rotation icon in the lower right to switch between the front and rear cameras. Tap the Shutter button to start and stop the video, or move the button to the right to lock it in place.
Portrait Mode
Portrait mode allows you to take studio-quality portraits by taking a highly detailed image of your subject in the foreground while keeping the background softer and out of focus. As you line up your shot, the app will offer guidelines and suggestions to help you better frame the subject.
You will be able to zoom in and out by tapping the appropriate buttons or moving and pinching your fingers on the screen, going from 1x to 2x or 2.5x. Adjust the flash, Night mode, and HDR as needed. Tap the F stop icon in the upper right to adjust the depth of field through the scale at the bottom to determine how blurry you’d like the background to appear.
Tap the Up arrow to display the panel at the bottom. Here, you can control the flash, exposure, timer, filters, depth of field, and HDR. You can also swipe through various filters before capturing your image.
Pano Mode
In Pano mode, you can capture a panoramic picture by slowly moving your phone along a wide scene at 0.5x, 1x, or 2x. When you’re ready to take the panoramic picture, tap the Shutter button, then slowly move your phone as many degrees needed to get the full picture. Make sure you keep the phone steady and level by keeping the arrow as straight as possible on the horizontal line. Everything is then compiled into one extended photo.
Camera Formats
You can change the format your camera uses to capture images under Settings > Camera > Formats in the Camera Capture sections. High Efficiency uses the HEIF (aka HEIC) format, which is more versatile, uses less space, and offers more editing options. However, it is not as widely supported by third-party software, so selecting Most Compatible will capture in JPG format instead.
If you’re running iOS 14.3 or higher, you can also choose Apple ProRAW, which saves your photos in a RAW format to retain their original quality, though it consumes more storage space.
Preserve Settings
Out of the box, all settings return to the default after the Camera app is closed, but this can be changed under Settings > Camera > Preserve Settings. The options here allow you to save the last mode, settings, and adjustments made.
Camera Controls and Composition
Under Settings > Camera, there are a few settings that alter the controls and composition of the Camera app. You can turn on Use Volume Up for Burst to use the Volume Up button on the side of the phone to take a quick series of photos.
Under the Composition section, you can turn on a grid display to help you line up your shots. Turn on Mirror Front Camera to flip the image you take of yourself or another subject with the front camera by duplicating the way you would see yourself in a mirror. View Outside the Frame turns on the option to see the area outside of the shot you’re framing.
Photo Capture Settings
Under the Photo Capture section in Settings > Camera, the Scene Detection option uses image recognition to better capture familiar objects and scenes. Toggle Prioritize Faster Shooting on to retain the image quality when you shoot in Burst mode. Lens Correction fixes the distortion that appears with the front and ultrawide cameras. Turning on Smart HDR automatically takes each photo with HDR enabled.
