Apple wants to regain the throne of mobile photography, and the iPhone 11 Pro is its main tool to achieve this goal.
After four generations with several weak points to improve, at least on paper, the shortcomings of iPhones of past years are not noticeable.
With this proposal we launch our photographic analyzes, in which we will analyze the results of the most relevant mobile cameras.
To know in detail the hardware of the device you can consult its corresponding analysis, and here we will focus mainly on the performance that its cameras have had under different light conditions.
Camera app These are the big three guests on the iPhone 11 Pro.
The iPhone camera app remains simple, with no adjustments from within, and with one clear goal: point and shoot.
However, with the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro come some news that are worth stopping.
We basically have three great guests.
First, a new interface for zoom progression, aided by the symmetrical alignment of the triple camera.
This year we have a different way to access the photography options (timer, format, filters), an automatic night mode and information outside the usual frame On the other hand, some settings that we access through a small arrow at the top.
In addition to clicking on the arrow, we can access these settings by making a gesture of
swipe up.
Finally, we are faced with the inclusion of a night mode that, although it acts automatically, allows you to adjust the exposure time to taste (being more or less high depending on the light and physical stability of the phone).
This is how the iPhone 11 Pro shows the information beyond the photograph that we are going to take.
As an extra, comment that this year we can see the information that is outside the composition, thanks to the way in which Apple has integrated the wide angle.
This extra information will be collected on the phone (if we want), to later allow to readjust the framing of the photo from the gallery.
It is still striking that the camera settings are still outside the camera, so we will have to scroll to the phone settings to configure details such as activating or not HDR, or capturing out of frame (for extra information and combine it later.
If you want to know all the options that the iPhone 11 Pro provides, you can read its complete analysis, although the summary is that we have more options, more possibilities, and the same problem of off-screen settings.
Rear camera We start with the mother of the lamb, the photos.
Apple continues to bet on true-to-life processing.
This means that, with the iPhone 11 Pro, the photos we obtain are quite close to what our eye sees.
This may be more or less like , but the truth is that the HEIC (high efficiency file) that the iPhone 11 Pro throws is at the height of what this generation was asking for.
The objective of this analysis is to check the quality to the camera.
For this reason, we have made it easier for Smart HDR and Deep Fusion to work as they please in different situations.
So we start with the results offered by the main camera.
And yes, we did this review with iOS 13.2 and with out-of-frame capture disabled, to make sure that the iPhone could work with Deep Fusion.
In this way we already talked in the technical information about the iPhone 11 camera, so we recommend you take a look if you do not know what we are talking about.
Daytime photography iPhone takes true-to-life photos in natural light.
When you have to raise enough shade it introduces some noise.
Shooting with the main 12 megapixel sensor we find what is expected in an iPhone 11: detail, good HDR and a processing faithful to what we are seeing.
The jump in sharpness with respect to the results seen in the previous generation is remarkable (later we will see it even more with the telephoto lens), finding this year with a texture, especially in leather, at the height of expectations.
In daytime photography, the iPhone continues to show a processing faithful to what we see and a brilliant HDR.
However, as soon as we complicate the matter, the noise does not take long to appear.
Of course, the iPhone still does not get rid of the noise in relatively complex situations, even when we are in bright sunlight.
In an exercise to maintain a balance between the highlights and make a correct exposure of the subject, we can find ourselves faced with more noise than would be expected during the day (see the second photo above).
Noise does not take long to make an appearance when you have to raise enough shadows, although this does not have to be a bad thing.
To understand what we just said a few lines above, it is necessary to resort to situations in which we take the iPhone processing to extremely complex scenarios.
The photos above are taken at sunset, with a difficult sky to expose, and a main subject whose shadows had to be raised.
Apple does not want to wash the textures and give up the detail to avoid noise, something that we usually see in other manufacturers who suffer "watercolor effect" in their photographs.
Here we see how the iPhone begins to show its characteristic noise.
Without a larger sensor, it is quite complex to do a better job.
Apple is committed to not squashing the information in the image with a noise reducer (for which other alternatives that allow us to see the famous "watercolor effects", the result of said noise reduction), do.
It is up to the user to assess if Apple's decision is correct, or if they prefer to lose detail in exchange for not finding noise in the image.
Night photography / artificial light If artificial light accompanies, the iPhone 11 Pro responds outstandingly.
Even in controlled artificial lighting conditions, iPhone 11 Pro is capable of an outstanding job.
Although the aforementioned slight noise imbues the photographs, we see an excellent job at the level of sharpness, a color representation faithful to what our eyes see.
When night falls, the iPhone 11 Pro continues to hold the type.
Last year, the loss of sharpness and lack of contrast was noticeable as night fell.
With the iPhone 11 Pro, we have good results even without night mode.
It is striking how the textures are preserved (although part of the responsibility here falls for a bit of digital oversharp), how the noise does not make too much of an appearance and how the highlights are controlled.
Here we see how, in fairly dark conditions (there were barely a couple of streetlights lighting the street), the iPhone manages to preserve detail without introducing too much noise.
Later we will see that night work will help enhance these photographs (which we will never see if we let the camera act on automatic, which activates the night mode).
Night mode As for the night mode, it is activated automatically to take several photographs and combine them in a final output with greater brightness and detail.
It does not offer a realistic photograph (for the mere fact that the human eye cannot long expose and see what we see with the iPhone), but the look tries to offer the most natural photograph possible.
Differences in HDR By default, iPhone 11 Pro comes with Smart HDR enabled.
This will work in certain situations and, after the stable update to iOS 13.2, Deep Fusion will work in others.
Our recommendation is not to touch anything here and let the iPhone work as it should, but if you decide to disable HDR and activate it by hand (do not confuse HDR with Smart HDR), here you have some differences in the results.
The main difference when disabling HDR is that the highlight control is not good, although it is surprising that we still get more than correct photos even with this very important function disabled.
Differences between sensors and zoom Apple, finally, has seen fit to introduce the third telephoto sensor that was becoming so democratized in the high range (even medium).
On a creative level, it opens up a whole world of possibilities and, by day, the results are more than correct.
However, the loss of sharpness with this sensor is noticeable, too.
Although the work done by the image processor to find the correct calibration of the three sensors is appreciated, the ultra-wide is that ugly duckling with little detail.
Useful for taking colorful photographs, but with a lower quality than expected in a mobile of this caliber, and even more so considering that they have arrived after all their competitors.
By contrast, the telephoto lens has overcome the blur problems seen last year, achieving heights similar to those of the main sensor.
This is one of the sharpest telephoto lenses we have been able to test, the best possible news for increases in photography and quality in portrait mode.
When the light falls, the differences from the wide angle increase.
The level of sharpness is closer to that of a mid-range mobile than that of a high-end and, again, we see how the main sensor and the telephoto lens manage to preserve the detail.
In short, outstanding work in terms of detail with the main sensor and telephoto lens, and a wide angle that is best reserved for situations with better brightness.
Portrait mode The portrait mode drinks from the consequence given by the aforementioned with the telephoto lens, the improvement in brightness and detail.
The last generation, it made sense to prefer the portrait of the iPhone XR (despite getting the 1X and generating more distortion) for the greater degree of detail it offered, as well as the less noise in low light.
This year, the 2X portrait of the iPhone 11 Pro is a delight, and while the depth map continues to do its thing, sometimes with hair and some elements of the image, the results are outstanding.
iPhone tries to photograph another mobile with portrait mode: it goes wrong.
However, all these good words are reversed when we talk about something as basic as the object portrait.
It is incomprehensible that the iPhone is unable to insert objects into its depth map to take a portrait photograph.
Always (and when we say always, is always), something is left out that ruins the photo.
The blur of ...
Apple wants to regain the throne of mobile photography, and the iPhone 11 Pro is its main tool to achieve this goal.
After four generations with several weak points to improve, at least on paper, the shortcomings of iPhones of past years are not noticeable.
With this proposal we launch our photographic analyzes, in which we will analyze the results of the most relevant mobile cameras.
To know in detail the hardware of the device you can consult its corresponding analysis, and here we will focus mainly on the performance that its cameras have had under different light conditions.
Camera app These are the big three guests on the iPhone 11 Pro.
The iPhone camera app remains simple, with no adjustments from within, and with one clear goal: point and shoot.
However, with the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro come some news that are worth stopping.
We basically have three great guests.
First, a new interface for zoom progression, aided by the symmetrical alignment of the triple camera.
This year we have a different way to access the photography options (timer, format, filters), an automatic night mode and information outside the usual frame On the other hand, some settings that we access through a small arrow at the top.
In addition to clicking on the arrow, we can access these settings by making a gesture of swipe up.
Finally, we are faced with the inclusion of a night mode that, although it acts automatically, allows you to adjust the exposure time to taste (being more or less high depending on the light and physical stability of the phone).
This is how the iPhone 11 Pro shows the information beyond the photograph that we are going to take.
As an extra, comment that this year we can see the information that is outside the composition, thanks to the way in which Apple has integrated the wide angle.
This extra information will be collected on the phone (if we want), to later allow to readjust the framing of the photo from the gallery.
It is still striking that the camera settings are still outside the camera, so we will have to scroll to the phone settings to configure details such as activating or not HDR, or capturing out of frame (for extra information and combine it later.
If you want to know all the options that the iPhone 11 Pro provides, you can read its complete analysis, although the summary is that we have more options, more possibilities, and the same problem of off-screen settings.
Rear camera We start with the mother of the lamb, the photos.
Apple continues to bet on true-to-life processing.
This means that, with the iPhone 11 Pro, the photos we obtain are quite close to what our eye sees.
This may be more or less like , but the truth is that the HEIC (high efficiency file) that the iPhone 11 Pro throws is at the height of what this generation was asking for.
The objective of this analysis is to check the quality to the camera.
For this reason, we have made it easier for Smart HDR and Deep Fusion to work as they please in different situations.
So we start with the results offered by the main camera.
And yes, we did this review with iOS 13.2 and with out-of-frame capture disabled, to make sure that the iPhone could work with Deep Fusion.
In this way we already talked in the technical information about the iPhone 11 camera, so we recommend you take a look if you do not know what we are talking about.
Daytime photography iPhone takes true-to-life photos in natural light.
When you have to raise enough shade it introduces some noise.
Shooting with the main 12 megapixel sensor we find what is expected in an iPhone 11: detail, good HDR and a processing faithful to what we are seeing.
The jump in sharpness with respect to the results seen in the previous generation is remarkable (later we will see it even more with the telephoto lens), finding this year with a texture, especially in leather, at the height of expectations.
In daytime photography, the iPhone continues to show a processing faithful to what we see and a brilliant HDR.
However, as soon as we complicate the matter, the noise does not take long to appear.
Of course, the iPhone still does not get rid of the noise in relatively complex situations, even when we are in bright sunlight.
In an exercise to maintain a balance between the highlights and make a correct exposure of the subject, we can find ourselves faced with more noise than would be expected during the day (see the second photo above).
Noise does not take long to make an appearance when you have to raise enough shadows, although this does not have to be a bad thing.
To understand what we just said a few lines above, it is necessary to resort to situations in which we take the iPhone processing to extremely complex scenarios.
The photos above are taken at sunset, with a difficult sky to expose, and a main subject whose shadows had to be raised.
Apple does not want to wash the textures and give up the detail to avoid noise, something that we usually see in other manufacturers who suffer "watercolor effect" in their photographs.
Here we see how the iPhone begins to show its characteristic noise.
Without a larger sensor, it is quite complex to do a better job.
Apple is committed to not squashing the information in the image with a noise reducer (for which other alternatives that allow us to see the famous "watercolor effects", the result of said noise reduction), do.
It is up to the user to assess if Apple's decision is correct, or if they prefer to lose detail in exchange for not finding noise in the image.
Night photography / artificial light If artificial light accompanies, the iPhone 11 Pro responds outstandingly.
Even in controlled artificial lighting conditions, iPhone 11 Pro is capable of an outstanding job.
Although the aforementioned slight noise imbues the photographs, we see an excellent job at the level of sharpness, a color representation faithful to what our eyes see.
When night falls, the iPhone 11 Pro continues to hold the type.
Last year, the loss of sharpness and lack of contrast was noticeable as night fell.
With the iPhone 11 Pro, we have good results even without night mode.
It is striking how the textures are preserved (although part of the responsibility here falls for a bit of digital oversharp), how the noise does not make too much of an appearance and how the highlights are controlled.
Here we see how, in fairly dark conditions (there were barely a couple of streetlights lighting the street), the iPhone manages to preserve detail without introducing too much noise.
Later we will see that night work will help enhance these photographs (which we will never see if we let the camera act on automatic, which activates the night mode).
Night mode As for the night mode, it is activated automatically to take several photographs and combine them in a final output with greater brightness and detail.
It does not offer a realistic photograph (for the mere fact that the human eye cannot long expose and see what we see with the iPhone), but the look tries to offer the most natural photograph possible.
Differences in HDR By default, iPhone 11 Pro comes with Smart HDR enabled.
This will work in certain situations and, after the stable update to iOS 13.2, Deep Fusion will work in others.
Our recommendation is not to touch anything here and let the iPhone work as it should, but if you decide to disable HDR and activate it by hand (do not confuse HDR with Smart HDR), here you have some differences in the results.
The main difference when disabling HDR is that the highlight control is not good, although it is surprising that we still get more than correct photos even with this very important function disabled.
Differences between sensors and zoom Apple, finally, has seen fit to introduce the third telephoto sensor that was becoming so democratized in the high range (even medium).
On a creative level, it opens up a whole world of possibilities and, by day, the results are more than correct.
However, the loss of sharpness with this sensor is noticeable, too.
Although the work done by the image processor to find the correct calibration of the three sensors is appreciated, the ultra-wide is that ugly duckling with little detail.
Useful for taking colorful photographs, but with a lower quality than expected in a mobile of this caliber, and even more so considering that they have arrived after all their competitors.
By contrast, the telephoto lens has overcome the blur problems seen last year, achieving heights similar to those of the main sensor.
This is one of the sharpest telephoto lenses we have been able to test, the best possible news for increases in photography and quality in portrait mode.
When the light falls, the differences from the wide angle increase.
The level of sharpness is closer to that of a mid-range mobile than that of a high-end and, again, we see how the main sensor and the telephoto lens manage to preserve the detail.
In short, outstanding work in terms of detail with the main sensor and telephoto lens, and a wide angle that is best reserved for situations with better brightness.
Portrait mode The portrait mode drinks from the consequence given by the aforementioned with the telephoto lens, the improvement in brightness and detail.
The last generation, it made sense to prefer the portrait of the iPhone XR (despite getting the 1X and generating more distortion) for the greater degree of detail it offered, as well as the less noise in low light.
This year, the 2X portrait of the iPhone 11 Pro is a delight, and while the depth map continues to do its thing, sometimes with hair and some elements of the image, the results are outstanding.
iPhone tries to photograph another mobile with portrait mode: it goes wrong.
However, all these good words are reversed when we talk about something as basic as the object portrait.
It is incomprehensible that the iPhone is unable to insert objects into its depth map to take a portrait photograph.
Always (and when we say always, is always), something is left out that ruins the photo.
The blur of ...
