Paul Morris·

iPhone X Vs iPhone 7 Plus Low Light Camera Test Shows Improved Telephoto Lens Performance

Dan Provost of Studio Neat has conducted an internal experiment with Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone X and ascertained that the company’s latest flagship device, iPhone X, switches to the built-in telephoto lens quicker than its iPhone 7 Plus counterpart.

The test involved setting up both iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone X in an environment where Provost could measure the amount of light to each device in order to see when the telephoto lens came into play.

When Apple initially introduced the iPhone 7 Plus complete with dual-lens camera system, it was quickly discovered that the telephoto lens didn’t always come into play when a device owner tried to capture an image at 2x zoom. Instead, it was found that Apple actually used the wide-angle lens on the device in low-light conditions under those zoomed circumstances to capture an image and present the user with a cropped version on that capture to make it look as though it had come from the telephoto lens.

Camera and photography enthusiasts weren’t exactly happy with that but Apple does what is needed to give the best possible output for the widest collection of users.

With the release of iPhone X, Provost has found that the telephoto lens is actually used more frequently by the device in place of presenting a cropped image from the wide-angle lens. The test involved placing an old Rolleiflex camera on a white backdrop with two studio LED lights shining onto the object. The iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone X were then mounted onto tripods and focused on the object in the room. Lights were turned off and then periodically turned up in increments so he could observe when the telephoto lens switched and came into play. The results showed that iPhone X brought the telephoto lens into play two light levels before iPhone 7 Plus.

This definitely isn’t a scientific test, and, in all honesty, results could potentially vary if this test was repeated in a similar environment. However, it does go some way to show that Apple’s reliance on providing a cropped image from the wide-angle lens in low-light conditions has reduced with the release of iPhone X.

(Source: Studio Neat)

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